reverence. To whom my lord said, “Father Abbot, I am come hither to leave my bones among you," riding so still until he came to the stairs of his chamber, where he alighted from his mule, and then Master Kingston took him by the arm, and led him up the stairs; who told me afterwards, he never felt so heavy a burden in all his life. And as soon as he was in his chamber, he went incontinent to his bed, very sick. This was upon Saturday at night; and then continued he sicker and sicker.

Upon the Monday, in the morning, as I stood by his bedside, about 8 o'clock, the windows being close shut, and having wax lights burning upon the cupboard, I beheld him, as me seemed, drawing fast towards death. He perceiving my shadow upon the wall by the bed-side, asked who was there? Sir," quoth I, "I am here." "How do you?" quoth he to me. "Very well, Sir," quoth I, "if I might see your grace well." "What is it o'clock?" said he to me. "6 Sir," said I, "it is past eight in the morning.' "Eight o'clock?" quoth he, "that cannot be," rehearsing divers times "eight o'clock-eight o'clock." "Nay, nay," quoth he at last, "it cannot be eight o'clock: for eight o'clock shall you lose your master, for my time draweth near that I must depart this world." With that one Dr. Palmes, a worshipful gentleman, being his chaplain and ghostly father, standing by, bade me secretly demand of him if he would be shriven, and to be in readiness towards God, whatsoever should chance. At whose desire I asked him that question. "What have ye to do to ask me any such question ?" quoth he, and began to be very angry with me for my presumption; until at the last the Doctor took my part, and talked with him in Latin, and so pacified him. Howbeit my lord waxed very sick, most likely to die that night, and often swooned, and as me thought drew on fast to his end, until it was four o'clock, a. m. at which time I spake to him, and asked him how he did. "Well," quoth he, " if I had any meat, I pray you give me some.' "Sir, there is none ready," said I, "I wist," quoth he, "ye be the more to blame for you should have always meat for me in readiness, to eat when my stomach serveth me; therefore I pray you get me some, for I intend this day to make me strong, to the intent that I may occupy myself in confession, and make me ready to God." After he had eaten of a cullace made of chicken, a spoonful or two, at the

last quoth he, "Whereof was this cullace made?" "Forsooth, Sir," quoth I, "of a chicken." "Why," quoth I, "it is fasting day," (being St. Andrew's even.) What, though it be," quoth Dr. Palmes, "ye be excused by reason of your sickness?" "Yea," quoth he, "what though? I will eat no more."

Then was he in confession the space of an hour. And when he had ended his confession, Master Kingston came to him, and bade him good morrow; for it was about six o'clock, and asked him how he did. "Sir," quoth he, “I tarry but the pleasure of God, to render up my poor soul into his hands." "Not so, Sir," quoth Master Kingston, "with the grace of God, ye shall live, and do very well; if ye will be of good cheer." "Nay, in good sooth, Master Kingston, my disease is such that I cannot live; for I have had some experience in physic. Thus it is: I have a flux with a continual fever; the nature whereof is, that if there be no alteration of the same within eight days, either must ensue excorrition of the entrails, or phrensy, or else present death; and the best of these three, is death. And as I suppose, this is the eighth day: and if ye see no alteration in me, there is no remedy, save that I may live a day or two after, but death, which is the best of these three, must follow." "Sir," said Master Kingston, "you be in such pensiveness, doubting that thing that in good faith ye need not." "Well, well, Master Kingston," quoth my lord, "I see the matter maketh you much worse than you should be against me; how it is framed I know not. But if I had served God as diligently as I have done the King, he would not have given me over in my grey hairs!* But this is the just reward that I must receive for my diligent pains and study, that I have had, to do him service, not regarding my service to God, but only to satisfy his pleasure. I pray you have me most humbly commended unto his royal majesty; and beseech him iụ my behalf, to call to his princely remembrance all matters proceeding between him and me from the beginning of the world, and the progress of the same; and most especially in his weighty matter;" (meaning the matter between Queen Katherine and him) "and then shall his grace's conscience know whether I have offended him or not. He is a prince of royal courage, and hath a princely heart;

* See the fine passage in Shakspeare.

and rather than he will miss or want any part of his will or pleasure, he will endanger the loss of one half of his realm. For I assure you, I have often kneeled before him, the space sometimes of three hours, to persuade him from his will and appetite: but I could never dissuade him therefrom. Therefore, Mr. Kingston, I warn you, if it chance you hereafter to be of his privy council, as for your wisdom, ye are very meet, be well assured and advised, what ye put in his head, for ye shall never put it out again.

"And say, furthermore. that I request his grace, on God's name, that he have a vigilant eye to depress this new sort of Lutherans, that it do not increase, through his negligence, in such sort, as he be at length compelled to put on harness upon his back to subdue them, &c. Master Kingston, farewell. I can no more say, but I wish, ere I die, all things to have good success. My time draweth on fast. I may not tarry with you. And forget not what I have said and charged you withal: for when I am dead, ye shall peradventure remember my words better." And even with those words he began to draw his speech at length, and his tongue to fail; his eyes being presently set in his head, and his sight failed him. Then began we to put him in remembrance of Christ's passion; and caused the yeomen of the guard to stand by secretly to see him die, and to be witnesses of his words at his departure; who heard all his said communication: and, incontinent, the clock struck eight, and then gave he up the ghost, and thus departed this present life.* And calling to remembrance how he said the day before, that at 8 o'clock we should lose our master, as it is before rehearsed, one of us looking upon another, supposing that either he knew or prophesied of his departure, yet before his departure we sent for the Abbot of the house to annoyle him,† who made all the speed he could, and came to his departure, and so said certain prayers before the breath was fully out of his body..

After that he was thus departed, Mr. Kingston sent a post to the King, advertising him of the departure of the Cardinal, by one of the guard, that saw and heard him die.

And then Mr. Kingston and the Abbot calling me

* He died Nov. 29, 1530. Le Neve's Fasti, p. 310.

+ (1.E.) To administer extreme unction.

Ff

unto them went to consultation of the order of his burial. It was thought good that he should be buried the next day following; for Mr. Kingston would not tarry the return of the post. And it was further thought good, that the mayor of Leicester and his brethren should be sent for, to see him personally dead, to avoid false rumours that might happen to say that he was still alive. Then was the mayor and his brethren sent for; and in the mean time, the body was taken out of the bed where he lay dead; he had upon him next his body, a shirt of hair, besides his other shirt, which was very fine holland; which was not known to any of his servants being con tinually about him in his chamber, saving to his ghostly father: which shirts were laid in a coffin made for him of boards; having upon his corpse all such ornaments as he was possessed in when he was made Bishop and Archbishop as mitre, cross, ring, and pall, with all other things due to his order and dignity. And lying thus all day in his coffin open and barefaced, every man that would might see him there dead, as the mayor, his brethren, and other did.

Lying thus until 4 or 5 o'clock at night, he was carried down into the Church with great solemnity by the Abbot, and conducted with much torch-light, and service sung due for such funerals. And being in the Church the corpse was set in our Lady Chapel, with divers tapers of wax, and divers poor men sitting about the same, holding torches in their hands, who watched about the corpse all night, while the canons sang dirige,' and other devout orisons. And about 4 o'clock in the morning, Mr. Kingston, and we his servants, came into the Church and there tarried the executing of divers ceremonies in such cases used, about the corpse of a Bishop. Then went they to mass, at which mass the Abbot and divers other did offer. And that done, they went about to bury the corpse in the midst of the said Chapel, where was made for him a grave. And by the time that he was buried, and all ceremonies ended, it was 6 o'clock in the morning. And thus ended the life of the right triumphant Cardinal of England: on whose soul Jesus have mercy! Amen.

Who list to read and consider with a clear eye this history, may behold the mutability of vain honours, and brittle assurance of abundance; the uncertainty of dignities, the flattering of feigned friends, and the fickle favour

of worldly princes. Whereof this lord Cardinal hath felt and tasted both of the sweet and sour in each degree; as fleeting from honours, losing of riches, deposed from dignities, forsaken of friends, and the mutability of princes' favour; of all which things he had in this world the full felicity, as long as fortune smiled upon him: but when she began to frown, how soon was he deprived of all these mundane joys, and vain pleasures.

That which in twenty years with great travail and study he obtained, was in one year and less, with great care and sorrow lost and consumed! O madness! O fond desire O foolish hope! O greedy desire of vain honors, dignities, and riches! Oh what inconstant hope and trust is it in the false feigned countenance and promise of fortune! Wherefore the prophet saith full well, The+ saurizat, et ignorat, cui congregabit ea. Who is certain that he shall leave his riches which he hath gathered in this world unto them whom he hath purposed? The wise man saith, That another, whom peradventure he hated in his life, shall spend it out, and consume it!"

[Here terminates the re-print of Cavendish's Life of Wolsey.]

ADDENDA.

THE enemies of the Cardinal have alleged that his foundation of Christ Church, Oxford, was effected by spoliation and rapine. It is easier to bring charges than to substantiate them. The truth is, that the immense riches which he derived from the various preferments bestowed on him by the partiality of his sovereign, were the means of his founding that magnificent edifice, which has so deservedly immortalized his genius and spirit; and in the midst of luxurious pleasures and pompous revellings, he was meditating the advancement of science by a munificent use of those riches, which he seemed to accumulate only for selfish purposes.

With respect to his seizing the property and revenues of many priories and nunneries, which are alleged to have served as a fund for building and endowment, we are to remember that the Cardinal did not alienate the FfQ