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27 - Henry VIIIs Wives Their Impact on History by Martin A. S. Hume · Henry VIIIs Wives Their Impact on History

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Speaker 1: Section twenty six of the Wives of Henry the Eighth
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Speaker 1: and the Parts they played in History by Martin Hume.
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Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Fifteen forty
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Speaker 1: two through fifteen forty seven Katherine Parr The Protestants Win
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Speaker 1: the Last Trick, Part one. The disappearance of Catherine Howard
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Speaker 1: and the temporary eclipse of Norfolk caused no check to
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Speaker 1: the progress of the Catholic cause in England. When Gardiner
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Speaker 1: was with the Emperor in the summer of fifteen forty one,
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Speaker 1: he had been able to make in Henry's name an
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Speaker 1: agreement by which neither monarch should treat anything to the
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Speaker 1: other's disadvantage for the next ten months, and as war
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Speaker 1: loomed nearer between Charles and Francis, the chances of a
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Speaker 1: more durable and binding treaty be being made between the
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Speaker 1: former and Henry improved when Gardiner had hinted at it
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Speaker 1: in Germany. Both Charles and Grenville had suggested that the
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Speaker 1: submission of Henry to the Pope would be a necessary preliminary,
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Speaker 1: but the Emperor's brother Ferdinand was in close grips with
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Speaker 1: the Turk in Hungary and getting the worst of it,
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Speaker 1: Francis was again in negotiation with the Infidel, and French
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Speaker 1: intrigue in Italy was busy. Henry therefore found that the
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Speaker 1: Emperor's tone softened considerably on the report of Chapus's conversation
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Speaker 1: at Windsor in February, whilst the English terms became stiffer,
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Speaker 1: as Francis endeavored to turn his feigned negotiations with Henry
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Speaker 1: into real ones. The whole policy of Henry at the
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Speaker 1: period was really to effect an armed lee league with
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Speaker 1: the Emperor, by means of which France might be humiliated,
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Speaker 1: perhaps dismembered. Whilst Henry was welcomed back with open arms
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Speaker 1: by the great Catholic power in spite of his contumacy,
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Speaker 1: and the hegemony of England established over Scotland, in order
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Speaker 1: the better to incline Charles to essential concessions, it was
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Speaker 1: good policy for Henry to give several more turns of
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Speaker 1: the screw upon his own subjects, to prove to his
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Speaker 1: future ally how devout a Catholic he was, and how
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Speaker 1: entirely Cromwell's later action was being reversed. The great Bibles
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Speaker 1: were withdrawn from the churches, the dissemination of the scriptures restricted,
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Speaker 1: and the six Articles were enforced more severely than ever.
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Speaker 1: But yet, when after some months of fencing and waiting,
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Speaker 1: Chapoos came to some whatt closer quarters with the English Council,
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Speaker 1: he still talked, though with bated breath now about Henry's
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Speaker 1: submission to the Pope and the legitimation of the Princess Mary.
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Speaker 1: But the Emperor's growing need for support gradually broke down
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Speaker 1: the wall of reserve that Henry's defection from Rome had raised,
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Speaker 1: and Gardener and Chapoos during the spring of fifteen forty
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Speaker 1: two were an almost daily confabulation in a quiet house
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Speaker 1: in the fields at Stepney. In June, the Imperial ambassador
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Speaker 1: made a hasty visit to Flanders to submit the English
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Speaker 1: terms for an alliance to the Queen Regent. Henry's conditions
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Speaker 1: in appearance were hard, for by going to war with
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Speaker 1: France he would, he said, lose the great yearly tribute
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Speaker 1: he received from that country. But Charles and his sister
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Speaker 1: knew how to manage him, and were not troubled with
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Speaker 1: scruples as to keeping promises. So to begin with, the
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Speaker 1: commercial question that had so long been rankling, was now
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Speaker 1: rapidly settled, and the relations daily grew more cordial. Henry
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Speaker 1: had agents in Germany and Flanders, ordering munitions of war
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Speaker 1: and making secret compacts with mercenary captains. He was actively
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Speaker 1: reinforcing his own garrisons and castles, organizing a fine fleet,
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Speaker 1: collecting vast fresh sums of money from his groaning subjects,
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Speaker 1: and in every way preparing himself to be an ally
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Speaker 1: worth purchase by the Emperor at a high price. In
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Speaker 1: July fifteen forty two, the French simultaneously attacked the Imperial
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Speaker 1: territory in four distinct directions, and Henry summoned the ambassadors
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Speaker 1: of Charles and Francis to Windsor to tell them that
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Speaker 1: as war was so near him, he must raise men
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Speaker 1: for his defense, especially towards Scotland, but meant no menace
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Speaker 1: to either of the continental powers. Chapoos had already been
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Speaker 1: assured that the comedy was only to blind the French
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Speaker 1: and cheerfully acquiesced, But the Frenchman took a more gloomy
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Speaker 1: view and knew it meant war with Scotland and Henry
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Speaker 1: it was a case of the lamb and the wolf.
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Speaker 1: Henry knew that he dared not send his army across
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Speaker 1: the Channel to attack France without first crushing his northern neighbor.
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Speaker 1: The pretended negotiations with and allegations against the unfortunate Stuart
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Speaker 1: were never sincere James was surrounded by traders for English
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Speaker 1: money and religious ranker had profoundly divided. Did the Scottish
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Speaker 1: gentry Cardinal beaton The Scots King's principal minister was hated,
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Speaker 1: The powerful Douglas family were disaffected and in English pay.
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Speaker 1: And the forces with which James the Fifth rashly attempted
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Speaker 1: to raid the English marches in reprisal for Henry's unprovoked
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Speaker 1: attacks upon him were wild and undisciplined. The Battle of
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Speaker 1: Solway Moss November fifteen forty two was a disgraceful route
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Speaker 1: for the Scots, and James, heartbroken, fled from the ruin
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Speaker 1: of his cause to Tantalon and Edinburgh, and thence to
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Speaker 1: Falkland to die. Then, with Scotland rent in Twain, with
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Speaker 1: a new born baby for a queen and a foreign
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Speaker 1: woman as a regent, Henry could face a war with
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Speaker 1: France by the side of the Emperor with assurance of
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Speaker 1: safety on his northern border, especially if he could force
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Speaker 1: upon the rulers of Scotland a marriage between his only
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Speaker 1: son and the infant Mary Stuart. As he intended to do.
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Speaker 1: There was infinite haggling with Chapoos with regard to the
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Speaker 1: style to be given to Henry in the secret treaty,
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Speaker 1: even after the heads of the treaty itself had been
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Speaker 1: agreed upon. He must be called sovereign head of the
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Speaker 1: English Church, said Gardiner, or there would be no alliance
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Speaker 1: with the Emperor at all. And the difficulty was only
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Speaker 1: overcome by varying the style in the two copies of
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Speaker 1: the document, that signed by Chapoos bearing the style of
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Speaker 1: quote King of England, France and Ireland, et cetera end quote,
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Speaker 1: and that signed by the English ministers added the King's
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Speaker 1: ecclesiastical claims. If the territories of either mine were invaded,
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Speaker 1: the other was bound to come to his aid. The
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Speaker 1: French King was to be summoned to forbear intelligence with
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Speaker 1: the Turk to satisfy the demands of the Emperor and
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Speaker 1: the King of England in the many old claims they
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Speaker 1: had against him, And no peace was to be made
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Speaker 1: with France by either ally unless the other's claims were satisfied.
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Speaker 1: The claims of Henry included the town and county of Bologna,
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Speaker 1: with Montri and thi Un his arrears of pension and
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Speaker 1: assurance of future payment, and the two allies agreed within
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Speaker 1: two years to invade France together, each with twenty thousand
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Speaker 1: foot and five thousand horse. This secret compact was signed
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Speaker 1: on the eleventh February fifteen forty three, and the diplomatic
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Speaker 1: relations with France were at once broken off. At last,
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Speaker 1: the repudiation of Catherine of Aragon was condoned, and Henry
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Speaker 1: was once more the Emperor's good brother, a fit ally
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Speaker 1: for the Catholic King, the champion of Orthodox Christianity. As
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Speaker 1: if to put the finishing touch upon Henry's victory, Charles
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Speaker 1: held an interview with the Pope in June fifteen forty
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Speaker 1: three on his way through Italy, and succeeded in persuading
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Speaker 1: him that the inclusion of the king, who defied the
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Speaker 1: Church in the league of militant Catholics was a fit
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Speaker 1: compliment to the alliance of France and enemies of all Christianity,
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Speaker 1: and would secure the triumph of the papacy and the
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Speaker 1: return of England into the fold. Whilst the preparations for
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Speaker 1: war thus went busily forward on all sides, with Chantonnay
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Speaker 1: in England and Thomas Seymour in Germany and Flanders, arranging
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Speaker 1: military details of arms, levies and stores, and the Emperor
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Speaker 1: already clamoring constantly for prompt English subsidies and contingents against
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Speaker 1: his enemies. Henry, full of importance and self satisfaction at
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Speaker 1: his position, contracted the only one of his marriages which
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Speaker 1: was not promoted by a political intrigue, although at the
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Speaker 1: time it was effected it was doubtless looked upon as
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Speaker 1: favoring the Catholic party. Certainly, no lady of the court
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Speaker 1: enjoyed a more blameless reputation than Katherine, Lady Latimer, upon
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Speaker 1: whom the King now cast his eyes. A daughter of
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Speaker 1: the great and wealthy house of Parr of Kendall, allied
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Speaker 1: to the royal blood in no very distant degree, and
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Speaker 1: related to most of the higher nobility of England, she was,
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Speaker 1: so far as descent was concerned, quite as worthy to
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Speaker 1: be the wife of a king as the unfortunate daughters
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Speaker 1: of the House of Howard. Her brother, Lord Parr, soon
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Speaker 1: to be created Earl of Essex, and Marcus of Northampton,
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Speaker 1: a favorite courtier of the King and a very splendid magnate,
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Speaker 1: had been one of the chief enemies of Cromwell, who had,
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Speaker 1: in his last days usurped the ancient earldom which Parr
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Speaker 1: had claimed in right of his boursheer wife, whilst Catherine's
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Speaker 1: second husband, Nevill, Lord Latimer, had been so strong a
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Speaker 1: Catholic as to have risked his great possessions as well
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Speaker 1: as his head, by joining the rising in the North
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Speaker 1: that had assumed the name of the Pilgrimage of Grace
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Speaker 1: and had been mainly directed against Cromwell's measures. She was
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Speaker 1: moreover closely related to the Throckmortons, this stoutly Catholic family
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Speaker 1: whose chief, Sir George Cromwell, had despoiled and imprisoned until
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Speaker 1: the intrigue already related, drove the Minister from power in
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Speaker 1: June fifteen forty, with the mysterious support, so it is
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Speaker 1: asserted of Catherine Lady Latimer herself, though the evidence of
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Speaker 1: it is not very convincing. Catherine had been brought up
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Speaker 1: mostly in the North Country with extreme care and wisdom
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Speaker 1: by a hard headed mother, and had been married almost
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Speaker 1: as a child to an elderly widower, Lord Burrough, who
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Speaker 1: had died soon afterwards, leaving her a large jointure. Her
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Speaker 1: second husband, Lord Latimer, had also been many years older
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Speaker 1: than herself, and accompanying him as she did in his
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Speaker 1: periodical visits to London, where they had a house in
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Speaker 1: the precincts of the Charterhouse. She had for several years
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Speaker 1: been remarkable in Henry's court, not only for her wide
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Speaker 1: culture and love of learning, but also for her friendship
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Speaker 1: with the Princess Mary, whose tastes were exactly similar to
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Speaker 1: her own. Lord Latimer died in London at the beginning
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Speaker 1: of fifteen forty three, leaving to Catherine considerable property, and
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Speaker 1: certainly not many weeks can have passed before the King
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Speaker 1: began to pay his court to the wealthy and dignified
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Speaker 1: widow of thirty two. His attentions were probably not very
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Speaker 1: welcome to her, for he was a terribly dangerous husband,
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Speaker 1: and any unrevealed peccadillo in the previous life of a
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Speaker 1: woman he married might mean the loss of her head.
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Speaker 1: There was another reason than this, however, that made the
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Speaker 1: King's addresses especially embarrassing to Catherine. The younger of the
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Speaker 1: two magnificent Seymour brothers. Sir Thomas had thus early also
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Speaker 1: approached her with offers of love. He was one of
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Speaker 1: the handsomest men at court, and of similar age to Catherine.
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Speaker 1: He was already very rich with the Church plunder, and
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Speaker 1: was the King's brother in law, so that he was
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Speaker 1: in all respects a good match for her. He must
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Speaker 1: have arrived from his mission to Germany immediately after Lord
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Speaker 1: Latimer's death, and remained at court until early May, about
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Speaker 1: three months, during which time, from the evidence of Catherine's
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Speaker 1: subsequent letters, she seems to have made up her mind
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Speaker 1: to marry him. It may be that the King noticed
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Speaker 1: signs of their courtship, for Sir Thomas Seymour was promptly
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Speaker 1: sent on an embassy to Flanders in company with Doctor Wotton,
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Speaker 1: and subsequently with the English contingent to the Emperor's army
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Speaker 1: in France, where he remained until long after Henry's sixth marriage.
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Speaker 1: That Henry himself lost no time in approaching the widow
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Speaker 1: after her husband's death is seen by a tailor's bill
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Speaker 1: for dresses for Lady Latimer being paid out of the
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Speaker 1: exchequer by the King's orders as early as the sixteenth
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Speaker 1: February fifteen forty three, when it would seem that her
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Speaker 1: husband could not have been dead much more than a month.
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Speaker 1: This bill includes Linnen and Buckram, the making of Italian gowns,
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Speaker 1: pleats in sleeves, a slope, hood and Tippet, Kurtle's French,
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Speaker 1: Dutch and Venetian gowns, Venetian sleeves, French hoods, and other
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Speaker 1: feminine fripperies, the amount of the total being eight pounds
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Speaker 1: nine shillings five d and as showing that even before
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Speaker 1: the marriage, considerable intimacy existed between Catherine and the Princess Mary.
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Speaker 1: It is curious to note that some of the garments
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Speaker 1: appear to have been destined for the use of the latter.
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Speaker 1: By the middle of June, the King's attentions to Lady
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Speaker 1: Latimer were public, and already the lot of the sickly
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Speaker 1: disinherited Princess Mary was rendered happier by the prospective elevation
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Speaker 1: of her friend. Mary came to court at Greenwich, as
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Speaker 1: did her sister Elizabeth, and Catherine especially mentioned as being
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Speaker 1: with him in a letter from Dudley, the new Lord
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Speaker 1: Lyle to Catherine's brother, Lord Parr. The Warden of the
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Speaker 1: Scottish Marches. The King had then twentieth June, just returned
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Speaker 1: from a tour of inspection of his coast defenses, and
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Speaker 1: three weeks later Cranmer as Primate, issued a license for
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Speaker 1: his marriage with Katherine, Lady Latimer, without the publication of bands,
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Speaker 1: on the twelfth July fifteen forty three. The marriage took
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Speaker 1: place in the upper oratory called the Queen's Preevy Closet
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Speaker 1: at Hampton Court. When Gardiner, the celebrant, put the canonical
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Speaker 1: question to the bridegroom, his Majesty answered with a smiling
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Speaker 1: face yay, and taking his bride's hand, firmly recited the
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Speaker 1: usual pledge. Katherine, whatever her inner feelings may have been,
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Speaker 1: made a bright buxom bride and from the first endeavored
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Speaker 1: as none of the other wives had done, to bring
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Speaker 1: together into some semblance of family life with her the
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Speaker 1: three children of her husband, The Lord was that she
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Speaker 1: was beloved and respected by all of them, and Princess Mary,
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Speaker 1: who was nearly her own age, continued her constant companion
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Speaker 1: and friend as she began so she remained amiable, tactful
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Speaker 1: and clever throughout her life with Henry her influence was
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Speaker 1: exerted wherever possible in favor of Concord, and I have
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Speaker 1: not met with a single disparaging remark with regard to her,
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Speaker 1: even from those who, in the last days of the
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Speaker 1: King's life became her political opponents. Her character must have
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Speaker 1: been an exceedingly lovable one, and she evidently knew to
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Speaker 1: perfection how to manage men by humoring their weak points.
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Speaker 1: She could be firm too, on occasions where an injustice
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Speaker 1: had to be remedied. A story is told of her
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Speaker 1: in connection with her brother, Parr, Earl of Essex, in
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Speaker 1: the Chronicle of Henry the Eighth, which so far as
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Speaker 1: I know, has not been related by any other historian
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Speaker 1: of the reign. Parr fell in love with Lord Cobham's daughter,
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Speaker 1: a very beautiful girl, who, as told in our text,
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Speaker 1: was mentioned as one of the King's flames. After Catherine
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Speaker 1: Howard's fall. Parr had married the Great Boorshier Heiress, but
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Speaker 1: had grown tired of her, and by suborned evidence charged
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Speaker 1: her with adultery, and she was found guilty and sentenced
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Speaker 1: to death. The Good Queen his sister, threw herself at
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Speaker 1: the feet of the King and would not rise until
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Speaker 1: he had promised to grant her the boon she craved,
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Speaker 1: which was the life of the Countess of Essex. When
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Speaker 1: the King heard what it was, he said, but madam,
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Speaker 1: you know that the law enacts that a woman of
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Speaker 1: rank whoso forgets herself shall die unless her husband pardon her.
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Speaker 1: To this, the queen answered, your majesty is above the law,
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Speaker 1: and I will try to get my brother to pardon. Well,
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Speaker 1: said the King. If your brother be content, I will
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Speaker 1: pardon her. The queen then sends for her brother and
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Speaker 1: upbraids him for bringing perjured witnesses against his wife, which
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Speaker 1: he denies and says he has only acted in accordance
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Speaker 1: with the legal evidence. I could promise you, brother that
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Speaker 1: it shall not be as you expect. I will have
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Speaker 1: the witnesses put to the torture, and then, by God's help,
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Speaker 1: we shall know the truth. Before this could be done,
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Speaker 1: Parr sent his witnesses to Cornwall out of the way,
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Speaker 1: and again Catherine insisted upon the countess's pardon by virtue
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Speaker 1: of the promise that the king had given her. This
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Speaker 1: somewhat alarmed Parr and Catherine managed to effect a mutual renunciation,
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Speaker 1: after which Parr married Lord Cobham's daughter. Gardiner had been
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Speaker 1: not only the prelate who performed the ceremony, but had
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Speaker 1: himself given the bride away, so that it may fairly
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Speaker 1: be concluded that he at least was not discontented with
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Speaker 1: the match. Riathlously, his obedient creature, moreover, must have been
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Speaker 1: voicing the general feeling of Catholics when he wrote to
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Speaker 1: the Duke of Suffolk in the North his eulogy of
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Speaker 1: the bride a few days after the wedding quote, The
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Speaker 1: King's Majesty was married one Thursday last to my Lady Latimore,
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Speaker 1: a woman in my judgment for virtue, wisdom and gentleness.
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Speaker 1: Most MATI for his Highness, and sure I am his
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Speaker 1: Majesty had never a wife more agreeable to his heart,
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Speaker 1: and she is our Lord. Send them long life in
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Speaker 1: much joy together. End quote. Both the King's daughters had
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Speaker 1: been at the wedding, Mary receiving from Catherine a handsome
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Speaker 1: present as bridesmaid, but Henry had the decency not to
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Speaker 1: bid the presence of Anne of Cleaves. She is represented
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Speaker 1: as being somewhat disgusted at the turn of events. Her friends,
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Speaker 1: and perhaps she herself, had never lost the hope that
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Speaker 1: if the Protestant influence became paramount, Henry might take her back.
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Speaker 1: But the Imperial Alliance had made England an enemy of
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Speaker 1: her brother of Cleaves, whose territory the Emperor's troops were
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Speaker 1: harrying with fire and sword, and her position in England
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Speaker 1: was a most difficult one. She would, says Chapoos, prefer
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Speaker 1: to be with her mother, if with nothing but the
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Speaker 1: clothes on her back, rather than be here now, having
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Speaker 1: specially taken great grief and despair at the King's espousal
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Speaker 1: of his new wife, who was not nearly so good
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Speaker 1: looking as she is. Besides that, there is no hope
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Speaker 1: of her Katherine having issue, seeing that she had none
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Speaker 1: by her two former husbands. As we have seen, Katherine
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Speaker 1: had all her life belonged to the Catholic Party, of
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Speaker 1: which the Northern nobles were the leaders, and doubtless this
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Speaker 1: fact had secured for her marriage the ready acquiescence of
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Speaker 1: Gardiner and his friends, especially when coupled with the attachment
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Speaker 1: known to exist between the bride and the Princess Mary.
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Speaker 1: But Katherine had studied hard and was devoted to the
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Speaker 1: new learning which had suddenly become fashionable for high born ladies.
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Speaker 1: The Latin classics of Erasmus, of Juan Louis Vives, and
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Speaker 1: others were the daily solace of the few ladies in
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Speaker 1: England who had at this time been seized with the
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Speaker 1: new craze of culture. Catherine the King's daughters, his grand nieces,
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Speaker 1: the Grays, and the daughters of Sir Anthony Cook, being
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Speaker 1: especially versed in classics, languages, philosophy, and theology. The new
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Speaker 1: learning had been and was still to be, for the
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Speaker 1: most part, promoted by those who sympathized with the reformed doctrines,
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Speaker 1: and Catherine's devotion to it brought her into intimate contact
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Speaker 1: with the learned men at court, whose zeal for the
24:45
Speaker 1: spread of classical and controversial knowledge was coupled with the
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Speaker 1: spirit of inquiry, which frequently went with religious heterodoxy. Not
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Speaker 1: many days after the marriage, Gardiner scented danger in this
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Speaker 1: foregathering of the Queen with such men as Cranmer and Latimer,
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Speaker 1: and at the encouragement and help given by her to
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Speaker 1: the young princesses in the translation of portions of the
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Speaker 1: scriptures and of the writings of Erasmus. There is no
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Speaker 1: reason to conclude that Catherine as yet had definitely attached
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Speaker 1: herself to the reform party. But it is certain that
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Speaker 1: very soon after her marriage, her love of learning, or
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Speaker 1: her distrust of Gardiner's policy and methods, caused her to
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Speaker 1: look sympathetically towards those at court who went beyond the
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Speaker 1: king in his opposition to Rome. Gardiner dared not as
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Speaker 1: yet directly attack either Katherine or Cranmer, for the King
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Speaker 1: was personally much attached to both of them, whilst Gardiner
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Speaker 1: himself was never a favorite with him. But indirectly these
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Speaker 1: two persons in privileged places might be ruined by attacking
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Speaker 1: others first, and the plan was patiently and cunningly laid
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Speaker 1: to do it before a new party of reformers led
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Speaker 1: by Cranmer, reinforced by Catherine, could gain the King's ear
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Speaker 1: and reverse the policy of his present adviser. At the
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Speaker 1: instance of Gardiner's creature Doctor London, a canon of Windsor
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Speaker 1: a prosecution under the Six Articles was commenced against a
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Speaker 1: priest and some choristers of the Royal Chapel and one
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Speaker 1: other person, who were known to meet together for religious discussion.
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Speaker 1: For weeks, london spies had been listening to the talk
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Speaker 1: of those in the castle and town who might be
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Speaker 1: suspected of reformed ideas, and with the evidence so accumulated
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Speaker 1: in his hand, Gardiner moved the King in Counsul to
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Speaker 1: issue a warrant authorizing a search for unauthorized books and
27:04
Speaker 1: papers in the town and castle of Windsor, Henry, whilst
27:10
Speaker 1: allowing the imprisonment of the accused persons. With the addition
27:14
Speaker 1: of Sir Philip Hoby and Doctor Haynes, both resident in
27:18
Speaker 1: the castle, declined to allow his own residents to be
27:22
Speaker 1: searched for heretical books. This was a setback for Gardiner's plan,
27:28
Speaker 1: but it succeeded to the extent of securing the conviction
27:32
Speaker 1: and execution at the stake of three of the accused.
27:37
Speaker 1: This was merely a beginning, and already those at court
27:41
Speaker 1: were saying that the Bishop of Winchester aimed at higher
27:45
Speaker 1: dear than those that had already fallen to his bow.
27:50
Speaker 1: Hardly had the ashes of the three martyrs cooled than
27:54
Speaker 1: a mass of fresh accusations was formulated by London against
27:59
Speaker 1: several members of the royal household. The reports of spies
28:03
Speaker 1: and informers were sent to Gardiner by the hand of Ocum,
28:08
Speaker 1: the clerk of the court that had condemned the martyrs,
28:12
Speaker 1: but one of the persons accused, a member of Catherine's household,
28:17
Speaker 1: received a secret notice of what was intended and Waylay Dockholm.
28:22
Speaker 1: Perusal of the documents he bore showed that much of
28:26
Speaker 1: the information had been suborned by doctor London and his
28:30
Speaker 1: assistant Simmons, and Catherine was appealed to for her aid.
28:36
Speaker 1: She exerted her influence with her husband to have them
28:39
Speaker 1: both arrested and examined. Unaware that their papers had been
28:44
Speaker 1: taken from Ocam, they forswore themselves and broke down when
28:49
Speaker 1: confronted with the written proofs that the case against the
28:53
Speaker 1: accused had been trumped up on false evidence with ulterior
28:58
Speaker 1: objects disgrace and imprisonment for the two instruments. London and
29:04
Speaker 1: Simmons followed, but the prelate who had inspired their activity
29:10
Speaker 1: was too indispensable to the King to be attacked, and he,
29:15
Speaker 1: firm in his political predominance, bided his time for yet
29:19
Speaker 1: another blow at his enemies, amongst whom he now included
29:24
Speaker 1: the Queen whose union with the King he and other
29:28
Speaker 1: Catholics had so recently blessed Cranmer, secure as he thought
29:34
Speaker 1: in the King's regard and in his great position as Primate,
29:39
Speaker 1: had certainly laid himself open to the attacks of his
29:42
Speaker 1: enemies by his almost ostentatious favor to the clergy of
29:47
Speaker 1: his province who were known to be evading or violating
29:51
Speaker 1: the six Articles. The chapter of his own cathedral was
29:55
Speaker 1: profoundly divided, and the majority of its members were opposed
30:01
Speaker 1: to what they considered the injustice of their Archbishop. Cranmer's commissary,
30:07
Speaker 1: his nephew Nevinson, whilst going out of his way to
30:12
Speaker 1: favor those who were accused before the Chapter of false doctrine,
30:17
Speaker 1: offended deeply the majority of the clergy by his zeal,
30:21
Speaker 1: which really only reflected that of the archbishop himself in
30:25
Speaker 1: the displacing and destruction of images in the churches, even
30:30
Speaker 1: when the figures did not offend against the law by
30:34
Speaker 1: being made the objects of superstitious pilgrimages and offerings. For
30:40
Speaker 1: several years past, the Cathedral Church of Canterbury had been
30:44
Speaker 1: a hotbed of discord in consequence of Cranmer's having appointed,
30:50
Speaker 1: apparently on principle, men of extreme opinions on both sides
30:54
Speaker 1: as canons, prebendaries and preachers, and so great had grown
31:01
Speaker 1: the opposition in his own chapter to the primates known
31:04
Speaker 1: views in the spring of fifteen forty three that it
31:07
Speaker 1: was evident that a crisis could not be long delayed,
31:12
Speaker 1: especially as the clergy opposed to the prelate had the
31:16
Speaker 1: letter of the law on their side, and the countenance
31:20
Speaker 1: of Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, all powerful as he was
31:25
Speaker 1: in the lay councils of the king. Some of the
31:29
Speaker 1: Kentish clergy who resented the Archbishop's action, had laid their
31:33
Speaker 1: heads together in March fifteen forty three and formulated a
31:37
Speaker 1: set of accusations against him. This, the two most active
31:42
Speaker 1: movers in the protest had carried to the metropolis for
31:46
Speaker 1: submission to Gardener. They first, however, approached the doctor London
31:52
Speaker 1: already referred to, who rewrote the accusations with additions of
31:56
Speaker 1: his own in order to bring the accused within the
32:00
Speaker 1: penal law. The two first movers, Willoughby and Searle, took
32:05
Speaker 1: fright at this, for it was a dangerous thing to
32:08
Speaker 1: attack the archbishop, and hastily returned home. But doctor London
32:14
Speaker 1: had enough for his present purpose. And handed his enlarged
32:18
Speaker 1: version of their depositions to Gardiner. London's disgrace, already related,
32:25
Speaker 1: stayed the matter for a time, but a few months afterwards,
32:29
Speaker 1: a fresh set of articles alleging illegal acts on the
32:33
Speaker 1: part of the Archbishop was forwarded by the discontented clergy
32:38
Speaker 1: to Gardener, and the accusers were then summoned before the
32:42
Speaker 1: Privy Council, where they were encouraged to make their testimony
32:46
Speaker 1: as strong as possible. When the depositions were complete, they
32:51
Speaker 1: were sent to the King by Gardener in the hope
32:54
Speaker 1: that now the great stumbling block of the Catholic Party
32:58
Speaker 1: might be cleared from the path, and that the new
33:01
Speaker 1: Queen's ruin might promptly follow that of the Primate. But
33:06
Speaker 1: they reckoned without Henry's love for Cranmer rowing on the
33:11
Speaker 1: Thames one evening in the late autumn, soon after the
33:14
Speaker 1: depositions had been handed to him, the King called it
33:17
Speaker 1: the pier by Lambeth's Palace and took Cranmer into his barge. Ah,
33:23
Speaker 1: my chaplain, he said jocosely, as the Archbishop took his
33:28
Speaker 1: seat in the boat, I have news for you. I
33:31
Speaker 1: now know who is the greatest heretic in Kent, and
33:35
Speaker 1: with this he drew from his sleeve and handed to
33:38
Speaker 1: Cranmer the depositions of those who had sought to ruin him.
33:43
Speaker 1: The archbishop insisted upon a regular commission being issued to
33:48
Speaker 1: test the truth of the accusations, but Henry could be
33:52
Speaker 1: generous when it suited him, and he never knew how
33:56
Speaker 1: soon he might need Cranmer's pliable ingenuity again. So although
34:02
Speaker 1: he issued the commission, he made Cranmer its head and
34:06
Speaker 1: gave to him the appointment of its members, with the
34:10
Speaker 1: natural result that the accusers and all their abettors were
34:14
Speaker 1: imprisoned and forced to beg the Primate's forgiveness for their action.
34:20
Speaker 1: But the man who gave life to the whole plot,
34:23
Speaker 1: Bishop Gardiner of Winchester, still led the king's political councils,
34:29
Speaker 1: much as Henry disliked him personally, for the armed alliance
34:33
Speaker 1: with the Emperor could only bring its full harvest of
34:37
Speaker 1: profit and glory to the King of England if the
34:40
Speaker 1: Catholic powers on the continent were convinced of Henry's essential orthodoxy,
34:46
Speaker 1: notwithstanding his quarrel with the Pope. So though Cranmer might
34:51
Speaker 1: be favored privately, and Catherine's coquetting with the new learning
34:56
Speaker 1: of its professors, winked at Gardener, whose Catholicism was stronger
35:01
Speaker 1: than that of his master, had to be the figurehead
35:05
Speaker 1: to impress foreigners. End of Section twenty six