Offence she was charged with. In answer the affirmed, she was wronged, and begged to see the King. This was refused, the Lords not Queen Anna committed to having any such Commission. When she the Tower. came into the Tower she fell upon her Knees, beseeching God to help her, as she was not guilty. William Brereton, and another Gentleman of the King's Privy-chamber, with one Mark Smeeten, were also committed. The Queen found it difficult to get even a Letter delivered to the King, Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower, at first refusing to carry it. However, on the 6th of May, he was prevailed upon to deliver the Letter. * But this made no Impression on the QUEEN ANNA BULLEYN's last Letter to King HENRY. a ISIR, • much as a 'Thought thereof preOUR Grace's Displea- ceded : And, to Ipeak a Truth, • sure, and my Imprison- never Prince had Wife more ment, are Things so strange loyal in all Duty, and in all unto me, as what to write, or • true Affection, than you ever what to excuse, I am altoge- ! found in Ann Bulleyn ; with ther ignorant. Whereas you which Name and Place I could send unto me (willing me to willingly have contented myconfess a Truth, and so obtain (self, if God and your Grace's your Favour) by such an one, • Pleasure had been so pleased. whom you know to be mine • Neither did I at any time fq antient professed Enemy, I no far forget myself in my Ex• sooner received this Meffage - altation, or received Queen by him, than I' rightly con. • ship, but that I always looked ceived your Meaning; and if, • for such an Alteration as now I as you say, confefling a Truth • find : For the Ground of my ' indeed may procure my Safety, • Preferment being on no surer I shall with all Willingness Foundation than your Grace's and Duty perform your Com- Fancy, the leaft Alteration, I mand. • knew, was fit and fuficient to • But let not your Grace ever • draw that Fancy to some other imagine, that your poor Wife • Subject: You have chosen me, will ever be brought to acknow- " from a low Estate, to be your ledge'a Fault, where not for Queen and Companion, far be yond 6 а The Manuscript is still extant in the Cotton Library. Otho. 10 ed. the King; for, May the 15th, she was ar- Arraigned raigned in the Tower, and the Duke of and convictNorfolk sitting as High Steward, assisted by the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Suffolk, an dother Peers, (and among whom, as some affirm, even the Queen's Father appeared) she was found guilty of defiling the King's Bed. Her Brother also Her Bro. with the others were tried, &c. found guil ther, &c. ty of Treason, and, on the 17th, execu- executed. ted. It seems the King had a mind to have made an Evidence of Norris, for whom he had some Kindness but the Man declared he could not accuse the Queen, which being told the King, he cried out, Hang him up then! ; yond my on I am 6 on your Desert or Desire. If • and mine Offence being so lawa • then you found me worthy of • fully proved, your Grace is at • such Honour, good your Grace, Liberty, both before God and • let not any light Fancy, or bad • Man, not only to execute wor• Counsel of my Enemies, with- • thy Punishment on me as an • draw your princely Favours • unlawful Wife, but to follow from me; neither let that Stain, your Affection, already settled • that unworthy Stain, of a dif- that Party, for whose Sake • loyal Heart towards your good now as I am, whose Grace, ever caft so foul a Blot • Name I could some good while molt dutiful Wife, and • since have pointed unto, your • the Infant-princess your Daugh. Grace being not ingnorant of • • ter. Try me, good King, but my Suspicion therein. • let me have a lawful Trial, • But if you have already de' and let not my sworn Enemies • termined of me, and that not ' fit as my Accusers and Judges ; only my Death, but an infa yea, let me receive an open mous Slander must bring you • Trial, for my Truth shall fear • the enjoying of your Happi‘no open Shame; then shall • ness ; then I desire of God, · you see, either mine Innocence that he will pardon your greac cleared, your Suspicion and • Sin therein, and likewise mine • Conscience satisfied, the Igno- • Enemies, the Instruments there 6 miny and Slander of the World of ; and that he will not call • stopped, or my Guilt openly you to a strict Account for your • declared. So that, whatsoever unprincely and cruel Usage • God or you may determine of me, at his general Judg. • of me, your Grace, may be ' ment-seat, where both you and * freed from an open Censure, myself muit shortly appear, • * and 6 * the::! as he, to be sure, thought he justly deserved, who, for the Sake of Truth, would be so impudent as to spoil all his Measures, by hindering him from having a new Wife. The Queen's Death, as a Mark of particular Favour, (as it was then termed) was respited till the 19th, on which she was brought to a Scaffold erected in the Tower of London, where, before a large Company, among other Things, she said, If any one intends an inquisitive Survey of my A&tions, I intreat bim to judge favourably of me, and not rasply to admit any berd, censoricus Conceit . Then, kneeling whilst she was at Prayers, the Executioner struck Herself be off her Head with a Sword. Observe beaded. how swift the Wheel of Providence turned round this Month ! The sudden Fall of this Lady made many call to 6 6 6 • and in whose Judgment I doubt · fon in the Tower, this 6th of not (whatsoever the World May, may think of me) mine Inno. • Your most local, cence shall be openly known, and fufficiently clcared. • And ever faithful Wife, My lalt and only Request • ANN BULLEYN.' • shall be, that myself may only • bear the Burther of your Grace's Mr. Banks, in his Tragedy of Displeasure, and that it may Anna Bulleyn, or Virtue betray'd, not touch the innocent Souls makes Wolley to be the Author • of those poor Gentlemen, who of the Disgrace and Death of (as I understand) are likewise this Queen: Whereas nothing is • in flrait Imprisonment for my more notorious, than that the • Sake. If ever I have found Fact was quite otherwise ; for • Favour in your Sight, if ever the Cardinal had been gone to • the Name of Ann Bulleyn hath his quiet Repose near fix Years • been pleasing in your Ears, before this. Therefore we pre• then let me obtain this Re- sume, this Tragedian must have • queit, and I will so leave to picked up this Piece of Slander • trouble your Grace any fur- from some infamous Defamer, ther, with mine earnelt Prayers such as Polydor Virgil, Rapin, • to the Trinity to have your and other Writers of the same • Grace in his good Keeping, Stamp. • and so direct you in all your * Great Favour truly, con: Actions. From my dolcful Pri- demned the 15th. to mind her Behaviour to Wolfey in his Adversity, her Case at last proving worse than his, he only dying under his undeserved AMictions, but she by the Hands of a vile Executioner; though, perhaps fally accused too. But no sooner was she dif Lady Jane the patched than the Lady Jane Seymour was King's third in Poffeffion of her Royal Bed. Wife. The People in general were greatly The People gediscontented at seeing so many Religious nerally disconHouses, which were had in high Venera- tented. tion, destroyed ; and the Nobility and Gentry took it ill, that the King should have the Lands belonging thereto ; for by this Means they were deprived of the Conveniency of providing for their younger Children, and of being well entertained when they travelled. The Poor murmured ftill louder, because Multitudes lived by the Alms which were daily distributed by those Houses. The Devout thought the Souls of their Ancestors must now lie in Purgatory, since so many Masses, that were to be said for their Deliverance, were abolished by the Suppression of the Monafteries. The Court hearing of this, by Crom- The King sells well's Advice, the King speedily endeavoured to allay in some measure these Discontents, by selling the Lands at very easy Rates, and obliging the Purchasers under a Penalty to keep up the wonted Hospitality Notwithstanding this a Rebellion broke A Rising in Lincolnshire. out in Lincolnshire, headed by Dr. Mackarel, Prior of Barking, and the Revolters immediately sent an Account of their Grievances to the Court, which related to the Suppression of the Religious Houses, as well as other Innovations. To which the King answered by a Manifesto ; the Duke of the Lands. a * We cannot say how the Pur- very certain, that Time has worn chasers first behaved, but it is out the Cuttom. a Terms. of Suffolk, who was employed to suppress the Rebellion, finding himself too weak to encounter them, Appeased upon entered into a Negotiation with the Heads, instead of fighting; and, upon the King's granting them a Pardon, the Uproar was appeased. A fecond Re This was no sooner effected, but anovolt. ther broke out in Yorkshire, of a much more dangerous Nature, headed by one Aske, a Man of Authority and great Abilities. The Earl of Shrewsbury mustered his Forces in the King's Behalf, but he was not able to Stop their Progress ; for they took not only York but Hull, and their Chief even obliged the Archbishop of York and the Lord D'Arcy to accompany him. The Duke of Norfolk also marched to oppose the Revolters, but, his Forces being much inferior to them, he took the same Method as the Duke of Suffolk had done, by entering into a Treaty with them, and a Conference was held on both sides at Doncaster, and this at last happily ended, they ac cepted of a Pardon, and the King proSuppressed. mising to redress their Grievance, every Man returned to his House, and the King to taking the most effectual Measures for suppressing all the Religious Houses. As the King broke his Word with Breaks out a his People, by not calling a Parliament gain. 1537 in the North, according to Promise, a new Insurrection was raised in Yorkshire. Upon this Afke, who commanded the Malecontents, was ordered to Court, and well received; but the Lord D'Arcy, who had received the like Order, not attending so soon as was expected, was sent to the Tower. Suppressed, Shortly after two Gentlemen of the and many exe. North, Nicholas Musgrave and Thomas Tilby, put themselves at the Head of 8000 People, and appeared before Carlisle, which they en dea cuted. |