1553.

carrying on of the design'. But understanding by their espials AN. DOM.
that the Princess Mary was retired—a message was sent on
Saturday, the 8th of July, to Sir George Barns, the Lord
Mayor of London, requiring him, in the name of the Lords of
the Council, to give his attendance at the court, and bring with
him six of the principal aldermen, six merchants of the staple,
and as many of the company of merchant-adventurers. No
haste was wanting on their parts; and, coming at the time
appointed, they were privily informed by some of the council
(but in the name of all the rest) that the King was dead, and
that he had declared by his letters patents, under the great
seal of England, subscribed by all the Lords of the Council and
almost all the peers of the realm, that his cousin the Lady
Jane Gray was to succeed him in the crowns of England and
Ireland, as the most true, certain, and undoubted heir of all
his dominions. Which being signified unto them, it was no
hard matter to obtain their consent to that which they were
not able to deny. And so, upon a promise of their best assist-
ance to promote the cause, and to keep secret the King's
death until further order, they were dismissed unto their
houses.

16. It is an ancient custom of the Kings of England, immediately on the death of their predecessors, to provide their lodgings in the Tower2; taking possession, as it were, by that royal fortress, of the rest of the kingdom; and from thence passing in a solemn and magnificent manner through the principal streets of London to their coronation. According to which ancient custom, the lodgings in the Tower being fitted and prepared for the Queen's reception, the Lords of the Council 1573 passed over from Greenwich on Monday, the 10th of the same [155] month. A letter had been brought the night before from the Princess Mary, who had received advertisement of her brother's death', notwithstanding all their care and diligence in labouring to conceal it from his nearest servants; which made them meet the earlier and in greater numbers, to return an answer thereunto. The Princess knew her own right, and the wrong which

1 Thuan. xiii. 2. (T. i. 439.)

2 Ib.

3 In the numbering of the old editions, pp. 155-6 are omitted, and pp. 159-160 are doubled.

4 By a note from the Earl of Arundel.-Lingard, vii. 111.

[HEYLYN, II.]

C

AN. DOM. was intended to her; both which she signified unto them in these following words:

1553.

Letter of
Mary to the
Council

"MY LORDS,

"WE greet you well; and have received sure advertisement that our dearest brother the King, our late Sovereign Lord, is departed to God's mercy. Which news, how woeful they be unto our heart, he only knoweth, to whose will and pleasure we must and do humbly submit us and our wills. But in this so lamentable a case, that is to wit, [now] after his Majesty's departure and death,-concerning the crown and governance of this realm of England, with the title of France, and all things thereto belonging, what hath been provided by Act of parliament, and the testament and last will of our dearest father, besides other circumstances advancing our right, you know, the realm and the whole world knoweth: the rolls and records appear, by the authority of the King our said father, and the King our said brother, and the subjects of this realm. So that we verily trust that there is no good true subject that is, can, or would pretend to be ignorant thereof: and of our part, we have of ourselves caused, and, as God shall aid and strengthen us, shall cause, our right and title in this behalf to be published and proclaimed accordingly. And albeit this so weighty a matter seemeth strange, that our said brother dying1 upon Thursday at night last past, we hitherto had no knowledge from you thereof;-yet we consider your wisdom and prudence to be such, that, having eftsoons amongst you debated, pondered, and well weighed this present case, with our estate, your own estate, the common wealth, and all our honours, we shall and may conceive great hope and trust with much assurance in your loyalty and service; and therefore for the time interpret and take things not to the worst, that ye yet will, like noble men, work the best. Nevertheless we are not ignorant of your consultations to undo the provisions made for our preferment; nor of the great bands and provisions forcible wherewith you be assembled and prepared: by whom and to what end God and you know; and nature cannot but fear some evil. But be

1 Holinshed, iii. 1066, and Heylyn read "the dying of our said brother."

2 Edd. 1, 2, "hands."

1553.

it that some consideration politic or whatsoever thing else hath AN. DOM.
moved you thereto; yet doubt ye not, my Lords, but we can
take all these your doings in gracious part; being also right
ready to remit and fully pardon the same, and that [freely], to
eschew1 bloodshed and vengeance against all those that can or
will intend the same; trusting also assuredly that ye will take
and accept this grace and virtue in good part, as appertaineth;
and that we shall not be enforced to use the service of other
our true subjects and friends: which, in this our just and right
cause, God, in whom all our affiance is, shall send us. Wherefore,
my Lords, we require you and charge you that every of you,
of your allegiance which you owe to God and us, and to none
other, for our honour and the surety of our person only employ
yourselves; and forthwith, upon receipt hereof, cause our right
and title to the crown and governance of this realm to be pro-
claimed in our city of London and other places, as to your
wisdoms shall seem good, and as to this case appertaineth;
not failing hereof, as our very trust is in you. And this our
letter, signed with our hand, shall be your sufficient warrant in
that behalf.

2

"Given under our signet, at our manor of Kenning-hall, the 9th of July, 15533."

158 17. This letter seemed to give their Lordships no other 156] trouble than the returning of an answer. For well they knew that she could do no less than put up her claim; and they conceived that she was not in a condition for doing more. Only it was thought fit to let her know what she was to trust to— the better to prevent such inconveniences as might otherwise happen. And to that end an answer was presently dispatched, under the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor Goodrick, Bishop of Ely, the Dukes of Northumberland and Suffolk, the Marquesses of Winchester and Northampton, the Earls of Arundel, Shrewsbury, Huntington, Bedford, and Pembroke, the Lords Cobham and Darcie, Sir Thomas Cheny, Sir Robert Cotton, Sir William Petre, Sir William

1 "Pardon the same; and that to eschew."-Holinshed and edd. Heylyn.

2 Edd. Heyl. read "and" for "that."

3 Fox, vi. 385.

AN. DOM. Cecil, Sir John Cheek, Sir John Mason, Sir Edward North, Sir Robert Bowes1. The tenor whereof was as followeth :

1553.

"WE have received your letters the 9th of this instant, declaring your supposed title which you judge yourself to have to the imperial crown of this realm, and all the dominions thereunto belonging. For answer whereof this is to advertise you, that, forasmuch as our Sovereign Lady Queen Jane is, after the death of our Sovereign Lord King Edward the Sixth (a Prince of most noble memory) invested and possessed with the just and right title in the imperial crown of this realm— not only by good order of old ancient laws of this realm, but also by our late Sovereign Lord's letters patents, signed with his own hand, and sealed with the great seal of England, in presence of most part of the nobles, counsellors, judges, with divers others grave and sage personages assenting and subscribing the same: we must, therefore, as of most bounden2 duty and allegiance, assent3 unto her said Grace and to none other; except we should (which faithful subjects cannot) fall into grievous and unspeakable enormities. Wherefore we can no less do, but for the quiet, both of the realm and you also, to advertise you, that, forasmuch as the divorce made between the King of famous memory, King Henry the Eighth, and the Lady Katharine your mother, was necessary to be had, both by the everlasting laws of God, and also by the ecclesiastical laws, and the most part of the noble and learned universities in Christendom, and confirmed also by the sundry Acts of parliaments remaining yet in force, and thereby you justly made illegitimate and unheritable to the crown imperial of this realm, and the rule and dominions and possessions of the same;you will, upon just consideration hereof, and of divers other causes lawful to be alleged for the same, and for the just inheritance of the right line and godly order taken by the late

1 Lord Rich and Sir John Gates are among the subscribers in Fox and Holinshed.

2 Edd. Heyl. "bound."

3 Edd. 1, 2, "and assent."

4 Edd. Heyl. "both for the quiet of the realm," (omitting "but "). 5 Edd. 1, 2, "rules."

1553.

King, our Sovereign Lord King Edward the Sixth, and agreed AN. Doм.
upon by the nobles and greatest personages aforesaid, surcease
by any pretence1 to vex or molest any of our Sovereign Lady
Queen Jane her subjects from their true faith and allegiance
due unto her Grace: assuring you that, if you will for respect
shew yourself quiet and obedient (as you ought) you shall find
us all and several ready to do you any service that we with
duty may; and be glad with your quietness to preserve the
common state of this realm, wherein you may be otherwise
grievous to us, to yourself, and to them.

"And thus we bid you most heartily well to fare, &c.2"

18. These letters being thus dispatched, and no further danger seeming to be feared on that side, all things are put in

readiness against the coming of the Queen, who, the same day, 159 about three of the clock in the afternoon, was brought by water 157] to the Tower, attended by a noble train of both sexes, from Durham-house, in the Strand, where she had been entertained as a part of Dudley's family ever since her marriage. She could not be ignorant of that which had been done in order unto her advancement to the royal throne; and could not but conceive that her being conducted to the Tower in that solemn manner did portend somewhat which looked toward a coronation. But still she hoped that either she should hear some good news of the King's recovery, or of the altering of his purpose; and that she might be suffered to enjoy those divine contentments which she had found in the repose of a studious life. But when she came into the presence of the two Dukes, her father and her father-in-law, she observed their behaviour towards her to be very different from that which they had used before. To put her out of which amazement it was signified to her by the Duke of Northumberland, that "the King was dead, and that he had declared her for his next successor in the crown imperial. That this declaration was approved by all the Lords of the Council, most of the peers, and all the judges of the land, which they had testified by the subscription of their names, and all this ratified and confirmed by letters patents, under the great seal of England: that the Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, and some of the principal citizens had 1 Edd. 1, 2, "pretents." 2 Fox, vi. 385.