"world to do it.

66

And next unto the King's grace, of one thing I make you "full promise, to be assured to have it, "and that is my hearty love unfeignedly

during my life. And being fully deter"mined, with God's grace, never to change "this purpose, I make an end of this my

rude and true meaned letter, praying "our Lord to send you much increase of "honour, with long life. Written with "the hand of her that beseeches your "Grace to accept this letter, as proceed

ing from one that is most bound to be,
"Your humble and obedient servant,
"ANNE BOLEYN."

In reading this letter, we must either conclude that Anne Boleyn had pardoned Wolsey's former offence, or that she was a practiced adept in duplicity; a quality which in no other instance she was ever found to possess, and for which she even appears to have been incapacitated by the

facility and even the impetuosity of her temper. It is unlikely that the woman,

who in no other instance evinced a vindictive character, should have cherished eternal hatred against Wolsey, for a disappointment in which she must long since have discovered the basis of her spendid fortune. It, is, however, not improbable that she had been disgusted by Wolsey's forwardness in promoting the King's dishonorable addresses; and that, as the Cardinal's personal conduct was such as to preclude esteem, his professions might naturally inspire distrust. In justice to Anne Boleyn, it should be remembered, that she had employed no artifice to obtain that preeminence in the King's regard, for which she was now alternately envied and flattered, hated and caressed. Compelled by his preference to renounce a prior attachment, she had rejected his passion with disdain, till it assumed the character of honorable love. Even after Henry approached her

with a legitimate object, she is said to have expressed repugnance to the idea of supplanting her Queen, and of uniting her destiny to one so far removed from her own station; but her scruples respecting Catharine, if they ever existed, soon yielded to theological arguments against the marriage, or political reasons in favour of the divorce: even her prophetic fears of Henry's inconstancy, or caprice, submitted to the passion for aggrandizing her family, to dreams of regal greatness, and romantic anticipations of fame and glory.*

Some, with the ladie herself, plotted to break, "or stay at the least, till something might fall be"tweene the cup and the lip, that might break all "this purpose; with one of them, if it might have "bin, and verily one of them might seem, for this "present occasion, not unmeet to be recounted, "which was this: Ther was conveyed to her a book "pretending old prophecies, wherein was repre"sented the figure of some personages, with the letter "H. upon one, and A. upon another, and K. upon "the third, which an expounder therupon took upon "him to interpret by, the King and his wives; and

It is worthy of remark, that even Cavendish, the servant and eulogist of Wolsey, although he complains of her ill offices to his master, adduces against her no other proof of arrogance, or malevolence, and far from insinuating suspicions injurious to

"to her personage certain destruction, if she married "the King. This book coming into her chamber, "she opened, and finding the contents, called to her “maid, of whom we have spoken afore, and who also "bore her name. Come hither, Nan, said she; see "here a book of prophecies; this, he said, is the "King; this the Queen, mourning and wringing her "hands; and this is myself with my head off. The "maid answered, If I thought it true, though he were "an Emperor, I would not myself marry him, with "that condition. Tut, Nan, replied the lady, I "think the book a babel; yet for the hope I have, "that this realm may be happy by my issue, I am "resolved to have him, whatever might become of "me."-Wiatt's Queene Anne Bolen. This circumstance is also adverted to by Fox.

*By Cavendish, her chastity is unimpeached, and he expressly says, she flourished in general estimation. Yet Cavendish composed his memoirs of Wolsey during the reign of Mary, to whom nothing could be so acceptable as abuse of Anne Boleyn.

her fame, contents himself with alluding to her habits of dress, and magnificence, and her keen relish for gaiety and luxury. In Anne Boleyn, the love of power appears to have been tempered, if not corrected, by benevolence. Of the mercenary calculation usually discovered in female favourites, she was absolutely incapable. She might be susceptible of flattery, or caprice, but spurned the meanness of either seeking or accepting a venal recompence, and never were her services bartered for gold. With her vanity was mingled a pardonable enthusiasm, inspired by the persuasion, that she was predestined to achieve some great object, a persuasion carefully fostered by the partisans of the Reformation, who hovered round her with demonstrations of zeal and devotion. *

* Anne was a devout admirer of Tindall's works, and particularly of his Christian Obedience, which, with other heretical books, had been proscribed by