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

as one of the great Enemies of the Reformation ;

Laymen represent him as a proud Prelate, and “ take an Occasion to wound all the Clergy through “ his Sides; the Clergy exclaim against him for his “ exorbitant Power, which obstructed the ordinary

Jurisdiction of the Episcopal Order ; the Monks

were provoked with his Project of alienating fo “ much of their Lands; the Nobility despised him as

a Court-meteor of no folid Extraction; the Conmon People opened against him as the Author of a great many Taxes, to support the Pride of an

expensive Ministry, and an arbitrary Prince. I " shall not pretend to determine how far the Car“ dinal was singular or reprehensible in the Cases a« bove-mentioned: Thus much I dare venture to

say in general, Never did any Statesman manage a “ Prince with greater Dexterity, and one who threzer

so many Riders ; none ever beld the Reins with more

Steadiness ; he had a capacious Soul, replenished with " the highest Ideas of show and Splendid Greatness. “ No Subject ever appeared more like a King, or left

greater Monuments of a princely Genius. As no Prelate polesed larger Revenues, so none em

ployed
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 stout Earl of Northumberland
Arrested him at York, and brought him forward
(As a Man forely tainted) to his Answer,
He fell fick suddenly, and grew fo ill
He could not fit his Mule.

Kath. Alas, poor Man !

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

Za

ployed them with greater Credit, both to Church and “ State. He was a Man of prodigious Parts, and was

. no less industrious to make them useful to Mankind: “ For he was Master of all those Qualifications, which

were capable of making him both agreeable and ser66 viceable to a Prince. He was perfonable, learned,

eloquent, affable, penetrating, industrious, generous, “ and had the Interest of his Country purely at Heart.

Nothing was wanting to compleat his Charaxter, had not this noble Stručture been ereEted upon the Basis

of an ignoble and obscure Birth, which Custom has “ made a sufficient Consideration to depretiate true and

genuine Merit. If he gathered with one Hand, he as freely bestowed it with the other. He entertained 800

Domef

“ 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
Pursued him ftill, and three Nights after this,
About the Hour of eight, (which he himself
Foretold should be his last) full of Repentance,
Continual Meditations, Tears, and Sorrows,
He gave his Honours to the World again,
His best Part to Heav'n, and slept in Peace.

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' Presence
He would say Untruths, and be ever double
Both in his words and Meaning. He was never,
But where he meant to ruin, pitiful.
His Promises 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 Brass, their Virtues
We write in Water. May it please your Highness
To hear me speak his Good now.

Kath

“ Domesticks, whereof 9 or 10 were Lords, 15 Knights, “ and 40 Esquires. The Clergy that were preferred “ by bim were generally considered upon Account of their “ Parts and Merits ; and the Poor, according to their “ Necefflies, received more or less. He never engaged “ the King into any Alliance that was not for bis “ Honour and Advantage: The Character of Just 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, bad bis Idea been parsued. He established seven University Lectures, and “ 'built the two Palaces of White-hall and Hamptor

In fine he was as great Abroad, as be was at Home ; for, while he was Chief Minister, be

played

court.

Kath. Yes, good Griffith,
I were malicious else.

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 wise, fair spoken, and persuading;
Lofty and four to them that lov'd him not,
But to those Men that fought him sweet as Summer.
And though he were unsatisfy'd in getting,
(Which was a Sin) yet in beltowing, Madam,
He was most princely. Ever witness for him
Those Twins of Learning that he rais'd in you,

Ipf wich 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 still so rising,
That Christendom shall ever speak his Virtue.
His Overthrow heap'd Happiness upon him ;
For then, and not till then, he felt himself,
And found the Blessedness 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 such an honest Chronicler as Grifith.
Whom I most hated living, thou hast made me,
With thy religious Truth and Modesty,
Now in his Alhes, honour. Peace with him!

played what Game be pleased 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 declin“ ing Fortune, and what publick Miscarriages he was

charged with were entirely owing to a passionate " 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 Historians are transported in his “ Disfavour, especially Mr. Fox, and his Copier, « Dr. Burnet.

There is something so very applicable, Bruyère.

in one of Monf. Bruyere's Fables, to the Cardinal's Original and End, that we shall conclude with it.

1

C

" THERE HAS APPEARED IN The World,
FROM TIME TO TIME, SOME ADMIRABLE
EXTRAORDINARY MEN, WHOSE Virtue AND
EMINENT QUALITIES HAVE CAST A PRODI-
GIOUS LUSTRE, LIKE THOSE UNUSUAL STARS
IN THE HEAVENS, THE CAUSES OF WHICH
WE ARE IGNORANT OF, AND KNOW AS LIT-
TLE WHAT BECOMES OF THEM AFTER THEY

DISAPPEAR. THESE MEN HAVE NEITHER « ANCESTORS NOR POSTERITY, THEY ALONE

COMPOSE THEIR WHOLE RACE.

*

• Hollingsvead, Hall, Grafton, Echard, Rapin, and many others.

MEMOIRS of King Henry the

VIIIth, from Wolser's Death to the
End of his Reign.

ENRY at last was become Wolfey's Heir

and Executor, and the Wealth he gained H

thereby was very agreeable to his voracious and extravagant Disposition. Hi

therto, or at leait to Wolsey's Fall, the King's Reign had been glorious ; but was much otherwise afterwards. This Year the King took into his Hands

The King takes the Hospital of St. James near Charing- pofleffion of St. cross, which he obtained, as Stow relates, James's House. by allowing the Sisters of that House

1531. yearly Pensions for their Lives. As soon as the King was in Poffeffion thereof he built a handsome Palace, and gave it the Name of St. James's House, which it retains to this Day, and also 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 since been open for all People to walk in at convenient Times, which, doubtless, greatly contributes to the Health of the Inhabitants of Westminster, &c.

And as the King found he could not The Palia. obtain what he hoped for from Rome, he

ment meets.

1532. called a Parliament, which met on the 4th of Feb. who passed an Act, forbidding all Appeals to that Court, upon Pain of incurring a Premunire.

He