The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon Part 28

[384] "Et aussy quant a l'auctorite de l'Eglise Anglicane l'on pourroit persuader au Roy que la chose se appoineteroit a son honnneur, proufit, et bien du royaulme."

[385] _I. e._ as part of it. Charles V. to Chapuys, March 28, 1536.--_MS.

Vienna_; _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. pp. 224 et seq.; _Spanish Calendar_, vol. v. part 2, pp. 71 et seq. There are some differences in the translations in the two Calendars. When I refer to the MS. at Vienna I use copies made there by myself.

[386] Chapuys to Charles V., April 1, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 243.

[387] Chapuys to Charles V., April 1, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 242.

[388] _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, June 2, 1536, vol. x. pp. 428 et seq.

[389] Chapuys to Charles V., April 21, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. pp. 287 et seq.; _Spanish Calendar_, vol. v. part 2, pp. 85 et seq.

[390] April 21.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic._

[391] Henry VIII. to Pate, April 25, 1536. Abridged.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 306.

[392] "Et que a luy avoit este l'auctorite de descouvrir et parachever les affairs de la dicte Concubine, en quoy il avoit eu une merveilleuse pene; et que sur le desplesir et courroux qu'il avoit eu sur le reponse que le Roy son maistre m'avoit donne le tiers jour de Pasques il se mit a fantasier et conspirer le dict affaire," etc. Chapuys to Charles V., June 6, 1536.--_MS. Vienna_; _Spanish Calendar_, vol. v. part 2, p. 137. From the word "conspirer" it has been inferred that the accusation of Anne and her accomplices was a conspiracy of Cromwell's, got up in haste for an immediate political purpose. Cromwell must have been marvellously rapid, since within four days he was able to produce a case to lay before a Special Commission composed of the highest persons in the realm a.s.sisted by the Judges, involving the Queen and a still powerful faction at the court. We are to believe, too, that he had the inconceivable folly to acknowledge it to Chapuys, the most dangerous person to whom such a secret could be communicated. Cromwell was not an idiot, and it is impossible that in so short a time such an acc.u.mulation of evidence could have been invented and prepared so skilfully as to deceive the Judges.

[393] _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, June 2, vol. x. p. 428.

[394] Daughter of Sir Anthony Brown, Master of the Horse.

[395] John Husee to Lady Lisle, May 24, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 397.

[396] Chapuys to Charles V., April 29.--_Spanish Calendar_, p. 105.

[397] _Ibid._

[398] _History of England_, vol. ii. p. 454.

[399] Chapuys to Charles V., May 19, 1536.--_Spanish Calendar_, vol. v.

part 2, p. 125.

[400] Chapuys to Charles V., May 2, 1536.--_MSS. Vienna_; _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 330; _Spanish Calendar_, vol. v. part 2, p. 107.

[401] In transcribing the MS. twenty years ago at Vienna I mistook the name for Howard, which it much resembled in the handwriting of the time. I am reminded correctly that there was no Viscount Howard in the English Peerage.

[402] "Le Visconte Hannaert a escript au Sr de Granvelle que au mesme instant il avoit entendu de bon lieu que la concubine du dict Roy avoit este surprise couchee avec l'organiste du dict Roy."

[403] The Earl of Northumberland to Cromwell, May 13, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 356.

[404] Cromwell to Gardiner, July 5, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. xi. p. 17.

[405] _History of England_, vol. ii. p. 470.

[406] Sir Henry Wyatt to Thomas Wyatt, May 7, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 345. "Him" refers to Cromwell.

[407] _History of England_, vol. ii. pp. 459-462.

[408] _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 430.

[409] _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 357.

[410] Autograph letter of Sir Francis Weston, May 3, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 358.

[411] Cromwell to Wallop and Gardiner, May 14, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 359.

[412] "Qu'elle avoit faict empoissoner la fene Royne et machyne de faire de mesme a la Princesse." Chapuys was not present, but was writing from report, and was not always trustworthy. No trace is found of these accusations in the Record, but they may have been mentioned in the pleadings.

[413] "Que le Roy n'estoit habille en cas de copuler avec femme, et qu'il n'avoit ni vertu ni puissance." Historians, to make their narrative coherent, a.s.sume an intimate acquaintance with the motives for each man's or woman's actions. Facts may be difficult to ascertain, but motives, which cannot be ascertained at all unless when acknowledged, they are able to discern by intuition. They have satisfied themselves that the charges against Anne Boleyn were invented because the King wished to marry Jane Seymour. I pretend to no intuition myself. I do not profess to be wise beyond what I find written. In this instance I hazard a conjecture--a conjecture merely--which occurred to me long ago as an explanation of some of the disasters of Henry's marriages, and which the words, alleged to have been used by Anne to Lady Rochford, tend, _pro tanto_, to confirm.

Henry was already showing signs of the disorder which eventually killed him. Infirmities in his const.i.tution made it doubtful, both to others and to himself, whether healthy children, or any children at all, would in future be born to him. It is possible--I do not say more--that Anne, feeling that her own precarious position could only be made secure if she became the mother of a prince, had turned for a.s.sistance in despair at her disappointments to the gentlemen by whom she was surrounded. As an hypothesis, this is less intolerable than to suppose her another Messalina. In every instance of alleged offence the solicitation is said to have proceeded from herself, and to have been only yielded to after an interval of time.

[414] "Au grand despit de Cromwell et d'aucungs autres qui ne vouldroient en cest endroit s'engendroit suspicion qui pourroit prejudiquer a la lignee que le dict Roy pretend avoir."--_MSS. Vienna._

[415] Chapuys to Charles V., May 19, 1536.--_MSS. Vienna_; _Spanish Calendar_, vol. v. part 2, pp. 122 et seq. In one or two instances my translation will be found to differ slightly from that of S{r} Gayangas.

[416] Chapuys to Charles V., May 19.--_Spanish Calendar_, vol. v. part 2, p. 128.

[417] _History of England_, vol. ii. p. 483.

[418] _Wriothesley's Chronicle_ (Camden Society's Publications), vol. i.

p. 39.

[419] Constantine's Memorial.--_Archaeologia_, vol. xxiii. pp. 63-66.

[420] _Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, June 2, vol. x. p. 430.

[421] _Ibid._ p. 431.

[422] Kingston to Cromwell, May 16, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 371.

[423] 28 Hen. VIII. cap. 7.

[424] Chapuys to Granvelle, May 19, 1536.--_Calendar, Foreign and Domestic_, vol. x. p. 380.

[425] _Wriothesley's Chronicle_, vol. i. pp. 40, 41.

[426] Chapuys's words are worth preserving. He was mistaken in his account of the Statute. It did not declare Mary legitimate, and it left Henry power to name his own successor should his marriage with Jane Seymour prove unfruitful. So great an error shows the looseness with which he welcomed any story which fell in with his wishes. He says: "Le statut declairant la Princesse legitime heretiere, la fille de la Concubine, a este revoque, et elle declaire b.a.s.t.a.r.de, non point comme fille de M.

Norris, comme se pouvoit plus honnestement dire, mais pour avoir este la marriage entre la dicte Concubine et le dict Roy illegitime a cause qu'il avoit cogneu charnellement la soeur de la dicte Concubine: pour laquelle cause l'Archevesque de Canterburi, ung ou deux jours avant que la dicte Concubine fut executee, donna et prefera la sentence de divorce, de quoy, comme scavez trop mieulx, n'estoit grand besoign, puisque l'epee et la mort les auroit prochainement et absolument divorces: et puisque aussy le vouloient faire, le pretext eust este plus honneste d'alleguer qu'elle avoit este mairee a aultre encores vivant. Mais Dieu a voulu descouvrir plus grande abomination, qui est plus que inexcusable actendu qu'il ne peut alleguer ignorance neque juris neque facti. Dieu veuille que telle soit la fin de toutes ses folies!" Chapuys a Granvelle, July 8, 1536.--_MS. Vienna._

[427] This was distinctly laid down in the case of Catherine Howard.

[428] _Wriothesley's Chronicle_, pp. 41, 42.

[429] "Le Roy respondit qu'il avoit trop experimente en la dicte Concubine, que c'estoit de la nourriture de France." Chapuys a l'Empereur, June 6.--_MS. Vienna._

[430] "Me dict qu'icelluy Baily de Troyes et l'autre Amba.s.sadeur avoient propose le mariage de l'aisnee fille de France avec ce Roy, mais que c'estoit peine perdue. Car ce Roy ne se marieroit oncques hors de sou royaulme, et, luy demandant raison pourquoy, il m'en dit avec a.s.sez mine a.s.surance que se venant a mesfaire de son corps une Reine estrangere qui fut de grand sang et parentage, l'on ne pourroit chastier et s'en faire quitte comme il avoit fait de la derniere," Chapuys a l'Empereur.--_MS.