Reafons for and against toleration Perfecutions. A parliament.The queen's extortions. The emperor refigns his crown. Execution of Cranmer. War with France. Battle of St. Quintin. taken by the French. Affairs of Scotland.-Marriage of the Dauphin and the queen of Scots. liament. Death of the queen. Calais A par P. 346 THE THE HISTORY O F ENGLAND. CHA P. XXVIII. HENRY VIII. Wolfey's adminiftration. --Scots affairs. Progress of - TH HE numerous enemies, whom Wolfey's fudden CHA P. elevation, his afpiring character, and his haughty XXVIII. deportment, had raised him, served only to rivet him fafter in Henry's confidence; who placed a pride in fup- 1515. Wolfey's porting the choice, which he had made, and who was adminif incapable of yielding either to the murmurs of the people tration. or to the difcontents of the great. That artful prelate likewife, well acquainted with the king's imperious temper, concealed from him the abfolute afcendant, which he had acquired; and while he secretly directed all public councils, he ever pretended a blind fubmiffion to the VOL. IV. B will 1515. CHA P. will and authority of his master. By entering into the XXVIII. king's pleatures, he ftill preferved his affection; by conducting his bufinefs, he gratified his indolence; and by his unlimited complaifance in both capacities, he prevented all that jealoufy, to which his exorbitant acquifitions, and his fplendid, oftentatious train of life should naturally have given birth. The archbishopric of York falling vacant by the death of Bambrige, Wolfey was promoted to that fee, and refigned the bishopric of Lincoln. Befides enenjoying the administration of Tournay, he got poffeffion, at very low leafes, of the revenues of Bath, Worcester, and Hereford, bishoprics filled by Italians, who were allowed to refide abroad, and who were glad to compound for this indulgence, by yielding a confiderable share of their profits. He held in commendam the abbey of St. Albans, and many other church preferments. He was even allowed to unite with the fee of York, first that of Durham, next that of Winchester; and there seemed to be no end of his acquifitions. His farther advancement in ecclefiaftical dignity served him as a pretence for engroffing ftill more revenues: The pope, obferving his great influence over the king, was defirous of engaging him in his interefts, and had created him a cardinal. Never churchman, under colour of exacting regard to religion, carried to a more exorbitant height the ftate and dignity of that character. His train confifted of eight hundred fervants, of whom many were knights and gentlemen: Some even of the nobility put their children into his family as a place of education; and in order to ingratiate them with their patron, allowed them to bear offices as his fervants. Whoever was diftinguished by any art or fcience paid court to the cardinal; and none paid court in vain. Literature, which was then in its infancy, found in him a generous patron; and, both by his public inftitutions and private bounty, he gave encouragement to every branch of erudition A. Not content with this munificence, which gained him the approbation of the wife, he strove to dazzle the eyes of the populace, by the fplendor of his equipage and furniture, the coftly embroidery of his liveries, the luftre of his apparel. He was the first clergyman in England that wore filk and gold, not only on his habit, but also on his faddles and the trappings A Erafin. Epift. lib. 2. epift. 1. lib. 16. epist. 3. 1513. pings of his horfes B. He caufed his cardinal's hat to be CHA P. borne aloft by a person of rank; and when he came to XXVIII. the king's chapel, would permit it to be laid on no place but the altar. A prieft, the tallest and most comely he could find, carried before him a pillar of filver, on whose top was placed a crofs: But not content with this parade, to which he thought himself intitled as cardinal, he provided another prieft, of equal ftature and beauty, who marched along, bearing the crofs of York, even in the diocefe of Canterbury; contrary to the antient rule and agreement between the prelates of these rival fees C. The people made merry with the cardinal's oftentation; and faid they were now sensible, that one cross alone was not fufficient for the expiation of his fins and offences. WARHAM, chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury, a man of a moderate temper, averfe to all difputes, chofe rather to retire from public employment, than maintain an unequal conteft with the haughty cardinal. He refigned his office of chancellor; and the great feal was immediately intrufted to Wolfey. If this new accumulation of dignity encreased his enemies, it also served to exalt his perfonal character, and prove the extent of his capacity. A ftri& administration of juftice took place during his enjoyment of this high office; and no chancellor ever discovered greater impartiality in his decisions, deeper penetration of judgment, or more enlarged knowledge of law and equity D. THE duke of Norfolk, finding the king's money almost entirely exhausted by projects and pleafures, while his inclination for expence ftill continued, was glad to refign his office of treasurer, and retire from court. His rival, Fox bishop of Winchester, reaped no advantage from his abfence; but partly overcome by years and infirmities, partly difgufted at the afcendant acquired by Wolfey, withdrew himself entirely to the care of his diocefe. The duke of Suffolk had alfo taken offence, that the king, by the cardinal's perfuafion, had refused · to pay a debt, which he had contracted during his abode in France; and he thenceforth affected to live in privacy. These incidents left Wolfey to enjoy without a rival the whole B 2 B Polydore Virgil, lib. 27. Stowe, p. 501. Holingsh. p. 847. C Polydore Virgil, lib. 27. Stowe, p. 504. Sir Thomas More. CHA P. whole power and favour of the king; and they put into XXVIII. his hands every kind of authority. In vain, did Fox, before his retirement, warn the king "not to fuffer the "fervant to be greater than his master:" Henry replied, "that he knew well how to retain all his fubjects in obe"dience;" but he continued ftill an unlimited deference in every thing to the directions and counfels of the cardinal. 1515. Scots affairs. THE public tranquillity was fo well established in England, the obedience of the people fo entire, the general administration of justice, by the cardinal's means E, so exact, that no domestic occurrence happened confiderable enough to disturb the repofe of the king and his minifter: They might even have difpenfed with themfelves from giving any ftrict attention to foreign affairs, were it poffible for men to enjoy any fituation in absolute tranquillity, or abstain from projects and enterprizes, however fruitlefs and unneceffary. THE will of the late king of Scotland, who left his widow regent of the kingdom, and the vote of the convention of ftates, which confirmed that deftination, had expressly limited her authority to the condition of her remaining unmarried F. But notwithstanding this limitation, a few months after her husband's death, the espoused the earl of Angus, of the name of Douglas, a nobleman of great family and promifing hopes. Some of the nobility now propofed the election of Angus to the regency, and recommended this choice as the most likely means of preferving peace with England: But the jealoufy of the great families, and the fear of exalting the Douglasses begot oppofition to this meafure. Lord Hume in particular, the most powerful chieftain in the kingdom, infifted on recalling the duke of Albany, fon to a brother of James the third, who had been banished into France, and who, having there married, had left pofterity, that were the next heirs to the crown, and the nearest relations to their young fovereign, Albany, though first prince of the blood, had never been in Scotland, was totally unacquainted with the manners of the people, ignorant of their fituation, unpractifed in their language; yet fuch was the favour attending the French alliance, and fo great the E Erafm. lib. 2. epift. 1. Cavendish, Hall. lib. 14. Drummond. Herbert. F Buchanan, |