into, proved a religious Cheat, which ended in the publick Execution of the Principal and feveral of her 0 2 Aiders effectually have done that; which here take as Hall has handed it to us: • Hither am I come to die, and I have not only been the Cause of mine own Death, which moft juftly I • have deserved, but also I am the Caufe of the Death of all thefe Perfons, which at this • Time here fuffer; and yet, to fay the Truth, I am not fo 'much to be blamed, confidering it was well known unto thefe learned Men, that I was Wench without Learna poor ing; and therefore they might have eafily perceived that the 'Things that were done by me, ⚫ could not proceed in no fuch Sort, but their Capacities and Learning could right well judge from whence they proceeded, and that they were altogether feigned. But becaufe the Things I feigned were profitable unto them, therefore they much praised me, and bare me in Hand that it was the Holy Ghoft, and not 'I, that did them; and then I, being puffed up with their. 'Praises, fell into a certain Pride and foolish Phantafy with my་ felf, and thought I might feign what I would, which Thing ' has brought me to this Cafe; and for the which now I cry It is allowed Archbishop Warham, in particular, was impofed upon by the Woman, in the Courfe of her Vagaries, and was even prevailed upon to intercede with Cardinal Wolfey to admit her into his Prefence; for there is now to be feen in the Exchequer Record office, an Original Letter from Warham to Wolfey on that Head, which runs thus, A Letter from WARHAM to WOLSEY, concerning the Holy Maid of Kent. Please it your Grace, fo it is, that Elizabeth Barton, being a Religious Woman, profeifed in St. Sepulchre's in Canterbury, which had all the Vifions at our Lady of Courte at Strete in the aforefaid Parish of Aldington in Kent, a very ⚫ well-difpofed and virtuous Woman, as I am informed by her Sifters, is very defirous to fpeak with your Grace perfonally: What she has to fay, whether it be Good or Ill, I do not know; but she has de 6 fired of me to write to your 'Grace, to defire the fame, as I do, that he may come to · your Grace's Prefence; whom, 'when your Grace hath heard, you may order as ye fhall 'God's and the King's High-please the fame: For, I affure • nefs most heartily Mercy on • me, and all them that here fuffer with me.' This is the Place fhe pretended the Virgin Mary had, in a Vifion, directed her to repair to, for the Recovery of her Health, Aiders and Abettors, as more fully appears from our Notes extracted from Hall, Stow, Rapin, &c. An Account of Dr. Pace's Sickness, &c. 6 6 Fox, one of the Cardinal's Enemies, exhibits a great Complaint against him, because, as he alledges," Dr. Richard "Pace,* about this Time, fell under his high she may speak with you. At Canterbury, the 1ft Day of October, At your Grace's Commandment, WILL. CANTUAR. Whether the Woman was introduced to his Eminency does not appear, but it is agreed, that it was not in her Power to impose upon him, as fhe had done upon others; though fhe pretended to have the Gift of Prophecy, whence may be juftly - prefumed, fhe did not meet with the leaft Countenance from Wolfey, which made her afterwards feek for the Revenge, that proved fatal to her and her Counsellors. *As this Gentleman made a great Figure in the World, it induces us here to give fome Account of him, and to anfwer what Fox has objected against Wolfey. Richard Pace was, by Dr. Thomas Langton, Bishop of Winchefter, trained up at School, with others, at his Lordship's Charge, who, perceiving him to profit in Mufick more than could be expected for his Years, often expreffed to his Attendants, that fince he fo eafily became Mafter of that Science, his Genius might extend to greater Attainments. Some Time afterward 66 he fent him to Padua, in Italy, which was then the most flourishing University in the World, to improve in Literature, and was by him allowed a yearly Penfion. There he commenced in feveral Degrees, and was much advanced in his Study by the famous and learned Bishop Tunftal and William Latimer, whom he called his Preceptors. After his Return into England, he ftudied in Queen's College, Oxon, of which his Patron, Thomas Langton, was Provost, and foon after was received into the Service of Dr. Chriftopher Baynbridge, who fucceeded his faid Patron in that Provostfhip; from whence he proceeded with him to Rome, after he had been made Archbishop of York; and, upon his Matter's Death, he returning into England, the King took him into Employ, wherein his Parts being foon difcovered, and his Accomplishments made known, his Majesty in a fhort Time made him Secretary of State, and repofed great Confidence in him. He was early recommended by Erafmus for his Learning, who, among other Encomiums on him, fays,He was Utriufq; Li terature Callentiffimi;' exceedingly well verfed in Divine and Human Literature, Whilst he was abroad, in the Year 1514, he was ad 36 high Displeasure, and, thro' his ill Treatment, ran "mad; being then in the Service of his Country "abroad, admitted Prebendary of Bugthorp, in the Church of York, in the room of our Thomas Wolfey, and on the 20th of May, the fame Year, he was made Archdeacon of Dorfet, upon the Refignation of Dr. Robert Langton, fome time of Queen's College, Oxford. This Gentleman difcharged the great Trufts repofed in him, in several Ambaffies, with very great Honour to the English Nation. In 1519 he became Deacon of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, on the Death of Dr. John Colet, and about that Time Dean of Exeter: But whether he was ever Dean of Salisbury does not appear from the Registers of that Church; though Lord Herbert fays, in the Life and Reign of Henry the VIIIth, That, in the Year 1526, Peter Vannes, Archdeacon of Worcester, was made · Co-adjutor to RichardPace, Dean of Salisbury, upon the Account of his unhappy Condition.' and readily heard in Matters of Weight; was eftecmed by all the Learned and Eloquent, and very expert in foreign Languages. So great a Mafter was he of the Italian Tongue, that he feemed not inferior to the famous Peter Vannes, the King's Secretary, nor any of the most learned among the Venetians: So that his Fame for Literature and great Abilities fpread itself thro' all the Courts of Europe. Cardinal Wolfey, Lynacre, Grocyn, Sir Thomas More, and others, were his great Favourites in England; and Erafmus wrote more Epistles to him than to any other Gentleman. 6 Dr. Fiddes fays, The Cardinal had no fooner heard of the Calamity that had attend ed Pace, who was then the King's Minister at Venice, but he wrote in very strong Terms to the Doge of that Republick in • Favour of him; and that, when Wolfey received an Answer, 'Pace was honourably conduct⚫ed Home, where he partly re'covered his Senfes, and ended his Days in his own Coun After Pace was made Prebendary of Coombe and Harnham, in the Church of Sarum, he proved ferviceable to the University of Oxford, the Members whereoftry.' would have had him adorned in their Lyceum with a Degree, but certain Cuftoms relating thereto, and which could not eafily be difpenfed with, hindered it. His general Character handed to us is, that he was a worthy Man, endowed with many excellent Qualities and Gifts of Nature; courteous and pleafant; was highly in the King's Favour, And, in fupport of Dr. Fiddes's Relation, which must invalidate Fox's, there are at this Time, in the Exchequer Record-office, Letters from Venice to the Cardinal, relating to Pace's unhappy Condition, wrote in fuch strong Terms, and fo much in his Favour, that it is evident Pace was far advanced in the Cardinal's Efteem; and there is not the leaft In ftance "abroad, and died in that unhappy Condition, fome "Time after he returned to England." The Cardinal's Enemies endeavour ftill more to defame him. Many Authors relate, that the Revenues of the Cardinal accruing from the Privileges of his Vifitorial Power, of making Abbots, proving Wills, granting Faculties, Licences, and Difpenfations; from his Penfions, Preferments, and other visible Advantages, were thought at this Time to be equal to the Revenues of the Crown; but, it seems, the above Article did not contribute fo much to enrich him, as his Chaplain, John Allen ;* who, Hall fays, was a Man of more Learning, than Virtue or good Confcience: And whofe Manner of Proceeding, according to Fiddes, " was to ride, accompanied with a great Train, in a perpetual Progrefs "from one religious Houfe to another, and draw from "them very large Sums for his Master's Service." How true this may be we cannot fay, nothing of it appearing in the Letters from the Principals of the religious Houfes, now to be seen in the Exchequer Record-office, which are filled with high Encomiums on the Cardinal's Merit, but make no mention of either Money or Gifts fent to him: But it was otherwise, when Cromwell (the Cardinal's Solicitor) came into the Miniftry, who fcarce received a Letter that did not advise him of fome Gift or Prefent. ftance to be found, that can be relied on, why he should do him any ill Office: And, if we reflect on the great Truft that Wolfey always repofed in Pace, from the firft Beginning of his Knowledge of him, it feems inconfiftent to think, that he would do him any Prejudice, for whom he had, upon many Occafions, expreffed fo much Regard; and more efpecially, as there is no How Proof of his having neglected the true Interest of his Country, or that he had in any manner betrayed the Confidence Wolfey had, in feveral important Affairs, placed in him. * Allen was a Judge of the Cardinal's Court, and made Archbishop of Dublin in 1528; but was foon barbaroufly murdered by James Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare's eldest Son. However, upon the whole, Lord Herbert and other Authors fay, that what had been tranfacted gave fo much Offence, that heavy Complaint was made thereof to the King, which had like to have proved fatal to the Cardinal; (but their Accounts were chiefly taken from Wolfey's inveterate Enemy, Polydor Virgil) for his Majefty was fo well fatisfied with the Charges brought against his Primier, that he reprimanded him in fo fharp a Manner, the Cardinal thought it beft to excufe himself with much Submiffion, and to promife to be more careful for the future; at the fame Time, to paliate the King's Refentment, affuring him he had made his Will, and therein left him great Part of his Eftate, which in fome meature foftened his Majesty's Anger: And, to fhew that he was before really out of Temper with Wolfey, Lord Herbert introduces a Letter from the King to him. The King's Letter to the Cardi nal. "As touching the Matter of Wilton, feeing "it is in no other Strain than you write of, "and you being alfo fo fuddenly (with the "Falling Sickness of your Servants) afraid " and troubled, I marvel not it overflipped you as it "did; but it is no great Matter, ftanding the Cafe as "it doth; for it is yet in my Hand, as I perceive "by your Letter, and your Default was not fo great, seeing the Election was but conditional. Where"fore, My Lord, feeing the Humbleness of your Sub"miffion, though the Cafe was much more heinous, "I can be content to remit it, being right glad, that, "according to my Intent, my Monitions and Warn ings have been benignly and lovingly accepted in your Behalf, promifing you, that the very Affection. "I bear you caufed me thus to do. "As touching the Help of Religious Houses to the building of your College, I would it were more, fo "it were lawful; for my Intent is none but that it "fhould appear to all the World, and the Occafion "of all their Mumbling might be fecluded and put (c away; |