for his exe cution. 1547. chancellor, the earl of Hertford, and fome other lords were commiffioned under the great feal to give the royal af A warrant fent. After that, a warrant was fent to the lieutenant of the Tower, to cut off the duke's head the 29th of January. He escapes But happily for him the king died the night before, and the narrowly. council did not think it advifable to begin the new reign with the execution of one of the greatest lords of the kingdom. It is to be obferved, that during all the proceedings both of the court and the parliament against the duke of Norfolk and the earl of Surrey, the archbishop of Canterduke's pro- bury withdrew to Croydon, without ever appearing at court. As thefe two lords were juftly deemed his moft mortal enemies, he would not be accufed of being concerned in what was tranfacting against them. Cranmer retires to Croydon during the cels. The king's Whilt thefe proceffes were forming, the king was seized death ap in his bed with an illness which brought him infenfibly to proaches. his end. However, the confideration of the account he was going to render to God, was not capable of moving him to ufe compaffion towards two lords, of one of the most antient families in England, who had done him great fervices, and hitherto were guilty of no crime which deferved so fevere a punishment. On this occafion prevailed, as on many others, paffion and policy in the king's mind, over juftice and mercy. He was bent, at any rate, to facrifice thefe two lords to his fon's fafety, and to eftablish, by their death, all the alterations he had made in religion, being perfuaded they would ufe their utmost endeavours to destroy them. The fequel plainly fhowed, he was not mittaken with regard to the duke of Norfolk who furvived him. This lord's life, preferved by a fort of miracle, was a demonfration how vain are human precautions, when contrary to the decrees of God. He is warned of his end. Burnet. The king's illness continually increased, and no man dared to warn him of his approaching end. Every one was afraid approaching that a prince who was always approached with trembling, would look upon this charitable warning as a crime, and punifh it according to an act of parliament, by which those who should dare to foretel the king's death were adjudged traitors. But at laft fir Anthony Denny, one of his privycounsellors, had the courage and charity to warn him that he had but a few hours to live. The king thanked him, and figns of his expreffed his great grief and horror for all the fins of his paft repentance, life. Whereupon, Denny afked him if any clergyman should He fhews Ibid. Which they did January 27. Journals Parl. be and cannot be fent for, and he faid, if any, it fhould be the archbishop 1547. of Canterbury. But Cranmer, being then at Croydon, could not come till the king was speechlefs. He had but just time He fends for to defire him to give fome fign of his dying in the faith of Cranmer, Christ. The king fqueezed his hand, and prefently after speak. expired, in the night between the 28th and 29th of Janu- He dies. ary 1546-7, in the fifty fixth year of his age, having reign- Herbert. ed thirty seven years and nine months. His death was kept His death is private three days. Probably, the council took time to kept private. confult whether the duke of Norfolk fhould be executed. At Burnet. laft, after three days, the lord chancellor fignified to both houses, that the king was dead and the parliament thereby diffolved d. The reader may fee Henry's charafter drawn at length by the lord Herbert. But as his life and actions fufficiently make him known, I fhall only add what bishop Burnet fays of him at the end of his firft volume of the hiftory of the reformation. King Henry VIIIth is rather to be reckoned among the great than the good princes. He exercised fo much feverity on men of both perfuafions, that the writers of both fides have laid open his faults, and taxed his cruelty. But as neither of them were much obliged to him, fo none have taken fo much care to fet forth his good qualities, as his enemies have done to enlarge on his vices. I do not deny that he is to be numbered among the ill princes, yet I cannot rank him with the worst, King Henry's body lies buried at Windfor, under a moft ftately tomb, begun in copper and gilt, but not finished. The reader may fee the model of what it was intended to be, in Speed, p. 784. By indentures of the 1ft and 23d of Henry VIII. a pound weight of gold of the old ftandard, was to be coined into twenty feven pounds by tale; viz. into twenty four fovereigns, at 22 s. 6 d. a piece, or forty eight rials at 11 s. 3 d. a piece, or feventy two angels at 7 s. 6 d. a piece, or eighty one george nobles at 6 s. 8 d. a piece; or one hundred and forty four half angels at 3 s. d. a piece, or one hundred and fixty two forty penny pieces at 3 s. 4 d. a piece; and a pound weight of gold of the fineness of twenty two carats only, was to be ccined into one hundred crowns and a half of Burnet. the double rofe, or two hundred and one half crowns, making by tale twenty five pounds two fhillings and fix pence; and a pound weight of filver of the old sterling, was coined into one hundred and thirty five groats, or two hundred and feventy half groats, or five hundred and forty fterlings (or pence,) or one thousand and eighty half pence, or two thousand one hundred and fixty farthings; fo that every pound weight of fterling filver was coined into forty five fhillings by tale.In the 34th of this reign, a pound weight of gold of twenty three carats fine, and one carat allay, was coined into twenty eight pounds fixteen fhillings by tale; by which indenture there were coined fovereigns at 20 s. a piece, half fovereigns at 10 s. angels at 8 s. and quarter angels at 2 s. a piece; and a pound weight of filver of ten ounces fine, and two ounces allay, was coined into forty eight fhillings by tale, namely into tertoons (which were 12 d. a piece) groats, half groats, pence, half pence, and farthings. In the 36th of Henry VIII. a pound weight of gold of twenty two carats fine, and two carats allay, was coined into thirty pounds by tale; viz. into thirty fovereigns at 20 s. a piece, or fixty half fovereigns at 10 s. a piece, or one bundred and twenty crowns at 5 s. a piece, or two hundred and forty half crowns: and the king had two carats of fine gold for coinage, which yielded him fifty fhillings. Silver was coined by the fame indenture, of fix ounces fine and fix ounces allay, into forty eight fhillings by tale. It was coined into tefteons, groats, half groats, pence, half pence, and far The gold coins of Henry VIII. are fovereigns, rials, half fovereigns, angels, george nobles, half and quarter angels, forty penny pieces, crowns, and half crowns and the filver coins, teftoons, groats, half groats, fterlings, half pence, farthings; to which may be added crown pieces of filver, which were firft coined by this king. Henry's fovereign has on one fide HENRIC. 8. D. G. AGL. FRANCIE Z HIB. REX. the king in his robes crowned upon his throne, with the scepter and ball. Reverse, the arms of France and England quarterly, fupported by a lion and a dragon, IHS. AVTE.TRANSIENS PER MED. JLLOR. IBAT. (fig. 5.) The angel of this king is like his father's; a half angel has this infcription on the reverfe, CRUX, The crown and half crown of gold, have on one fide a large rofe and crown betwixt H. 1. crowned, HENRIC. VIII. RVTILANS. ROSA SIN. SPINA. Reverse, the arms of France and England quartered under a crown; and H. I.DEI, G. R. ANGLIE Z.FRA. DNS. HIBERNIE (fig. 6.) As for the filver coins, there were AVE. SPES. UNICA. two forts of teftoons or fhillings. That of fine filver exhibits the king half fa ̄ ced, whereof one has CIVITAS EBO RACI. The other fhilling called the broad faced fhilling, of a bafer allay, has on one fide HENRIC. VIII. DI. GRA. AGL. FRA. Z. HIB. REX. Reverfe, posV1, &c. a rofe crowned, with H. R. likewife crowned. (fig. 1.) The groat has his head with the fide face, HENRIC. VIII. DI. GR. AGL. 2. FRANC. Reverse, the arms, PosUI, &c. (fig. 3.) Another has HENRIC. Re VIII. DI. GRA. REX, ANGLIE. verfe, FRANCIE. ET. HIBERNIE REX. a crowned harp between the letters H. and R. crowned (fig. 7.) Some coined by cardinal Wolfey at York, have a cardinal's hat under the arms. His pence and half pence give him feated on a throne, with (and fometimes without) the globe and scepter. H. D. G. ROSA SINE SPIA. (fig. 2.) The farthing has on one fide a portcullice (whereby it is distinguished from half pence, which it was not before,) and a crofs and pellets on the other. (fig. 4.) TWO |