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"tholicks attack him as being the grand Promoter "of the Divorce; Proteftants inveigh against him

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as one of the great Enemies of the Reformation: "Laymen reprefent him as a proud Prelate, and "take an Occafion to wound all the Clergy through "his Sides; the Clergy exclaim against him for his "exorbitant Power, which obftructed the ordinary Jurifdiction of the Epifcopal Order; the Monks were provoked with his Project of alienating fo "much of their Lands; the Nobility defpifed him as 66 a Court-meteor of no folid Extraction; the Common People opened against him as the Author of a great many Taxes, to fupport the Pride of an expensive Ministry, and an arbitrary Prince. I "fhall not pretend to determine how far the Car"dinal was fingular or reprehenfible in the Cafes a"bove-mentioned: Thus much I dare venture to "fay in general, Never did any Statefman manage a "Prince with greater Dexterity, and one who threw Jo many Riders; none ever held the Reins with more Steadiness; he had a capacious Soul, replenished with "the highest Ideas of Show and fplendid Greatness. "No Subject ever appeared more like a King, or left ર greater Monuments of a princely Genius. As no Prelate poffeffed larger Revenues, so none

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Kath. Prythee, good Griffith, tell me how he dy'd, If well, he stept before me happily,

For my Example.

Grif. Well, the Voice goes, Madam.

For, after the ftout Earl of Northumberland

Arrested him at York, and brought him forward

(As a Man forely tainted) to his Answer,

He fell fick fuddenly, and grew fo ill
He could not fit his Mule.

Kath. Alas, poor Man!

Grif. At laft, with easy Rides, he came to Leicesters
Lodged in the Abbey; where the rev'rend Abbot,
With all his Convent, honourably receiv'd him;
To whom he gave these Words.

none em

"O Father Abbot!
Z 2

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ployed them with greater Credit, both to Church and "State. He was a Man of prodigious Parts, and was no less induftrious to make them useful to Mankind: "For he was Mafter of all thofe Qualifications, which were capable of making him both agreeable and fer"viceable to a Prince. He was perfonable, learned,

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eloquent, affable, penetrating, industrious, generous, "and had the Intereft of his Country purely at Heart. "Nothing was wanting to compleat his Character, bad "not this noble Structure been erected upon the Bafis "of an ignoble and obfcure Birth, which Custom bas "made a fufficient Confideration to depretiate true and genuine Merit. If he gathered with one Hand, he as freely bestowed it with the other. He entertained 800 " Domef

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"An old Man, broken with the Storms of State,
"Is come to lay his weary Bones among ye;
"Give him a little Earth for Charity."
So went to Bed; where eagerly his Sickness
Purfued him ftill, and three Nights after this,
About the Hour of eight, (which he himself
Foretold fhould be his laft) full of Repentance,
Continual Meditations, Tears, and Sorrows,
He gave his Honours to the World again,
His beft Part to Heav'n, and flept in Peace.

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Kath. So may he reft, his Faults lie bury'd with him,
Yet thus far Griffith, give me leave to speak him,
And yet with Charity; he was a Man

Of an unbounded Stomach, ever ranking
Himself with Princes: One that by Suggestion
Ty'd all the Kingdom; Simony was fair Play:
His own Opinion was his Law. I'th' Prefence
He would fay Untruths, and be ever double
Both in his Words and Meaning. He was never,
But where he meant to ruin, pitiful.

His Promifes were, as he then was, mighty;
But his Performance, as he now is, nothing.
Of his own Body he was ill, and gave
The Clergy ill Example.

Grif Noble Madam;

Men's evil Manners live in Brafs, their Virtues

We write in Water. May it please your Highness

To hear me speak his Good now.

Kath

"Domefticks, whereof 9 or 10 were Lords, 15 Knights, "and 40 Efquires. The Clergy that were preferred "by him were generally confidered upon Account of their "Parts and Merits; and the Poor, according to their

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Neceffities, received more or less. He never engaged "the King into any Alliance that was not for bis "Honour and Advantage: The Character of Juft can"not be denied the Cardinal in all Affairs of publick Judicature. He laid the Foundation of two of the "noblest Colleges in the World, had his Idea been purfued. He established feven Univerfity Lectures, and "built the two Palaces of White-hall and Hampton66 court. In fine he was as great Abroad, as he was "at Home; for, while he was Chief Minifter, be "played

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Kath. Yes, good Griffith,

I were malicious elfe.

Grif. This Cardinal,

Though from an humble Stock, undoubtedly

Was fashion'd to much Honour. From his Cradle
He was a Scholar, and a ripe and good one;
Exceeding wife, fair fpoken, and perfuading;
Lofty and four to them that lov'd him not,
But to thofe Men that fought him fweet as Summer.
And though he were unfatisfy'd in getting,
(Which was a Sin) yet in bestowing, Madam,
He was most princely. Ever witness for him
Thofe Twins of Learning that he rais'd in you,
Ipfwich and Oxford! one of which fell with him,
Unwilling to out-live the Good he did it :
The other, though unfinish'd, yet so famous,
So excellent in Art, and ftill fo rifing,
That Christendom fhall ever fpeak his Virtue.
His Overthrow heap'd Happiness upon him;
For then, and not till then, he felt himself,
And found the Bleffedness of being little :
And, to add greater Honour to his Age,
Than Man could give him, he dy'd fearing God.
Kath. After my Death I wish no other Herald,
No other Speaker of my living Actions,
To keep mine Honour from Corruption,
But fuch an honest Chronicler as Griffith.
Whom I moft hated living, thou haft made me,
With thy religious Truth and Modefty,
Now in his Afhes, honour. Peace with him!

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played what Game he pleafed upon two of the greatest Powers of Europe, who retired or approached according as the Cardinal moved his Hand. The Errors of his private Life were in great measure Ca"lumnies raised by his Enemies, upon his declining Fortune, and what publick Mifcarriages he was charged with were entirely owing to a paffionate "and ungovernable Prince; but it is hoped they "were all atoned for by a timely Repentance. "From the whole, it will appear how unreasonably "fome of our Hiftorians are tranfported in his "Disfavour, efpecially Mr. Fox, and his Copier, "Dr. Burnet.

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There is fomething fo very applicable, Bruyère. in one of Monf. Bruyere's Fables, to the Cardinal's Original and End, that we shall conclude with it.

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"THERE HAS APPEARED IN THE WORLD, 66 FROM TIME ΤΟ TIME, SOME ADMIRABLE EXTRAORDINARY MEN, WHOSE VIRTUE AND EMINENT QUALITIES HAVE CAST A PRODI66 GIOUS LUSTRE, LIKE THOSE UNUSUAL STARS IN THE HEAVENS, THE CAUSES OF WHICH 66 WE ARE IGNORANT OF, AND KNOW AS LIT86 TLE WHAT BECOMES OF THEM AFTER THEY 66 DISAPPEAR. THESE MEN HAVE NEITHER "ANCESTORS NOR POSTERITY, THEY ALONE 66 COMPOSE THEIR WHOLE RACE."

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*Holling fhead, Hall, Grafton, Echard, Rapin, and many

others.

MEMOIRS of King HENRY the VIIIth, from WOLSEY's Death to the End of his Reign.

H

ENRY at laft was become Wolfey's Heir and Executor, and the Wealth he gained thereby was very agreeable to his voracious and extravagant Difpofition. Hitherto, or at least to Wolfey's Fall, the King's Reign had been glorious; but was much otherwise afterwards.

The King takes
Poffeffion of St.
James's House.

1531.

This Year the King took into his Hands the Hofpital of St. James near Charingcross, which he obtained, as Stow relates, by allowing the Sifters of that House yearly Penfions for their Lives. As foon as the King was in Poffeffion thereof he built a handfome Palace, and gave it the Name of St. James's House, which it retains to this Day, and alfo made the Meadows, that lay between this new Palace and White-ball, into a Park, planted it with Trees, and walled it round; yet it has ever fince been open for all People to walk in at convenient Times, which, doubtlefs, greatly contributes to the Health of the Inhabitants of Westminster, &c.

The Palia

ment meets.

1532.

And as the King found he could not obtain what he hoped for from Rome, he called a Parliament, which met on the 4th of Feb. who paffed an Act, forbidding all Appeals to that Court, upon Pain of incurring a Premunire.

He

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