Search York
Yüklə 12,09 Mb.
|
| On the same ]6th day, in the morning, some, to shew 4
their good-will to the Lady Mary, ventured to fasten up £ v ^ p r e J f in upon Queenhith church- wall a writing in way of a declara- Queen Ma- rion, importing, that the Lady Mary was proclaimed in ]J JjjJfJJj^ every country Queen of England, France, and Ireland, hith. (being an officious lie to do her service,) and likewise treat- ing of divers matters relating to the present state of affairs.
letters to the Lady Mary, advising her to make no disturb- ™ se J heLa " ance, but to be quiet. To which, nevertheless, she gave be quiet, little heed. And because the Emperor's ambassadors would be very apt to bestir themselves for their master's kinswo- man, and did begin already to intermeddle, the Council sent the Lord Cobham and Sir John Mason to them, to give them notice of the Lady Mary's proceedings against the state of the realm, and to put them in remembrance of the nature of their office; which was, not to meddle in these causes of polity, neither directly nor indirectly : and so to charge them to use themselves, as they gave no occa- sion of unkindness to be ministered unto them, whereof they would be most sorry ; for the amity which, on their parts, as they sent them word, they meant to conserve and maintain with the Emperor. Now did Queen Jane (for so let me call her for a few She sends days) despatch her letters and messengers to foreign princes, princesf ° siffnifvinsr her title and possession of the crown ; and her and , t0 the
their respective behaviours. courts - At the Emperor's court at Brussels now were Sir Philip Hoby, Sir Richard Morison, and the Bishop of Norwich, that had been appointed Commissioners by the late King for mediating a peace between the said Emperor and the French King. To them letters were sent from the Council, dated July the 8th and 9th, informing them of the heavy b 4 8
MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL INTROD. news of the King's death, with the disease that took him Anno 1553. awa y> namely, the putrifaction of his lungs; and willing them to declare the same to the Emperor, not doubting that he would remember the ancient amity between the two crowns ; and to assure him, that nothing should be wanting Shelley de- in them to continue and maintain the same. July 11, was tile Enipe- despatched to the Emperor one Shelley, with the Council's ror - letters to the ambassadors there, and Queen Jane's to the Emperor ; in which letters of the Council they styled her, Our sovereign Lady. The coun- The import of the Council's said letters to the ambassa- to the Mm- dors was, to shew the cause of the present message, and bassadois what was then to be done by them : namely, first, to signify to the Emperor the King's death : next, the possession of Queen Jane in the crown of this realm : thirdly, that Sir Philip Hoby was placed there as ambassador resident: fourthly, to make offer to the Emperor of both the other ambassadors remaining there, as they had done before, to proceed in the treaty of the peace, if it should like the Em- The state peror. By this letter they informed the ambassadors of the honie. nSS a sta te of things at home ; viz. " that although the Lady 1 Mary [for no other title they bestowed upon her yet] ' had been writ unto from them to remain quiet ; yet, ' nevertheless, they saw her not so to weigh the matter, ' but that, if she might, she would disturb the state of the ' realm ; having thereunto as yet no manner of appearance ' of help or comfort, but only the concurrence of a few ' lewd base people : all other the nobility and gentlemen ' remaining in their duties to their sovereign Lady Queen ' Jane. And yet, nevertheless, because the conditions of ' the baser sort of people were known to be unruly, if they were not governed and kept in order, therefore, for the ' meeting with all events, the Duke of Northumberland's ' Grace, accompanied with the Lord Marquis of Northamp- ' ton, had proceeded with a convenient power into the ' parts of Norfolk, to keep those countries in stay and obe- ' dience." A letter also from Queen Jane, dated July 12, was UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 9 brought to the said ambassadors ; wherein she declared at INTROD. large her intentions : where her title is set out to the best Amu) 1553# advantage, the better to instruct the ambassadors in their ^ ueei > Jane
would not be very acceptable unto him. The letter, in my judgment, ought not to be epitomised or curtailed, but for the material contents thereof to be delivered to the reader at length ; which was in these words :
" dread cousin of famous memory, King Edward VI. out B - 12 - " of this life, to our very natural sorrow, that we, both by " our said cousin's lawful determination in his lifetime, " with the assent of the nobility and states of this our " realm, and also "as the lawful heir and successor in the " whole bloud royal, are possessed of this our realm of " England and Ireland : wherefore, we have presently sent " to our good brother, the Emperor, this present bearer " here, our trusty servant Mr. Richard Shelley, with letters " of recommendations and credence from us ; thereby sig- " nifying unto him, as wel the sorrowful death of our said " cousin the King, as also our succession in the crown of " this realm : motioning unto our said good brother the " continuance in such amity and league, as our said cousin " and predecesser had with him. For which purpose we " have furthermore signified, by our said letters, not only " our order, that you, Sir Philip Hoby, shall there remain " and reside with our good brother the Emperor, as our " ambassador resident ; praying you to give him credit ap- " pertaining to such an office ; but also, that for the like " zele and desire we have to the weal of Christendom, as " our said cousin King Edward had, wherin we do covet " to follow his steps, we have given order, that ye, the " whole number of our ambassadors, shall remain, to con- " tinue to procede in the former commission which ye had " from our auncester the King, if it shal please our said " good brother. The copy of which our letters we send to " you herewith, for your more ample understanding of our
10 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL INTROD. " determination ; which considered and pondered, we would Anno 1553. " y e made your most speedy acces to our said good bro- " ther, in order to execute the matters contained in the " said letters, on your parts to be declared : first, the signi- 6 " fication of the death of our said auncester and cousin the " King ; wherof as we by nature must take great grief, so " we doubt not but our said good brother wil, for friend- " ship and great amity, sorrow and condole with us : next, " that you Sir Philip Hoby have expres order there to re- " side, and attend upon our good brother as our minister, " for the continuance and entertainment of the intelligence " and firm amity, heretofore had and concluded between " our said auncester and cousin the King, and our said good " brother; the maintenance wherof, we, with the assent of " our nobility and Council, do much desire ; and for our " parts will not fail, but confirm and maintain the same. " In the end you shal shew to our said good brother, " that as we do, by God's providence, succede to our said " auncester and cousin King Edward, in this our crown and " dominion, so do we find in our heart and mind the very " descent and inheritance of his most Christian devotion " and affection to the commonwealth of Christendom : " which moveth us, with the advice of our nobility and " Council, to offer to our said good brother the ministry " and office of you, our ambassadors, to remain there, and " proceed in the former commission, for the conciliation of " some good peace between our said good brother and the " French King; wherin we refer our good purpose and " meaning to the mind and contentation of our said good " brother. " Thus don, whatsoever our good brother shal answer, " ye may thereunto reply as ye think expedient, tending to " the continuance of our auncester's amity. For the rest of " the proceedings ye shal understand by the bearers : to " whom we would ye should give credit. Yeven under " our signet at our Tower of London, the xiith of July, « 1553."
UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 11 England being as yet not come to hand, while Hoby and INTROD. Morison were walking together in their host's garden, Don Anno 1553 Diego, one of the Emperor's servants, came to them, and The ambas- entered into a long talk, how much he was bound to owe s i te d by his good- will and service to England : and therefore that DoQ Die S°- he could not but at one time both sorrow with them for the loss of their old master, a Prince of such virtue and to- wardness; and also rejoice with them, that their master, which was departed, had, ere he went, provided them of a King, [meaning, as it seems, Queen Jane's husband, the Lord Guilford Duddley,] in whom they had so much cause to re- joice. He made his excuse, that he had not come to them the day before, laying the stay thereof in De Arras : to His kind whom, when he said that he would go to the English am-^ 11 10 bassadors, and shew himself a partaker both of their sorrow and gladness, and offer to the King's Majesty by them both as much service as could lie in him, and as much as his friends and kinsmen were able to do, in case the said De Arras did think such his offer could not offend the Emperor his master; he advised him, that he should for a season defer his going to them. Which he told them now, that as he did somewhat against his will, so was he then very glad that he so did. For Arras now told him, that he might come to them, and sorrow with them, and rejoice 7 with them ; and make all the offers he could to the King's Majesty. For he should not only not offend him in so do- ing, but should much please his Majesty therewith. And therefore, said Diego to the ambassadors, as he was sorry that they lost so good a King, so he did much rejoice that they had so noble and so toward a Prince to succeed him : and promised them, by the word of a gentleman, that he would at all times serve his Highness himself, and as many as he should be able to bring with him, if the Emperor called him to serve him. The ambassadors told him, they had received the sorrow- Their an- ful news, but the glad tidings were not, as yet, come untOjJ ert0 them by any letters: that they were glad to hear thus much, and wished they were able to tell him all how things 12
MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL
INTROD
He relates to them
the news of the suc- cession.
Don Fran- cisco's address to the ambas- sadors.
The ambas- sadors have audience of the Em-
peror. The Empe- ror's words to them. went at home. He answered, he could tell them thus much, " that the King's Majesty, for the discharge of his conscience, wrote a good piece of his testament with his own hand ; barring both his sisters of the crown, and leaving it to the Lady Jane, niece [he means grandaughter] to the French Queen. Whether the two daughters were bastards or no, or why it was -done, they, he said, that were strangers, had nothing to do with the matter ; but they, the ambassadors, were bound to obey and serve his Majesty: and that, there- fore, it was reason they should take him for their King, which the nobles of the country had, with their consent, al- lowed for their King. He added, that he, for his part, of all others, was bound to be glad that his Majesty was set in that office. For he [Diego] was his god-father ; and would as willingly spend his blood in his service, as any subject that he had, as long as he should see the Emperor, his master, so willing to embrace his Majesty's amity. And Don Francisco d'Est, General of all the foot Italians, who was newly gone to his charge in Milain, at his depar- ture made the like offer, as long as his master and theirs should be friends ; which he trusted should be ever ; and prayed the ambassadors, at their return, to utter it to the King's Majesty. And this was all the concern now that the nobles at the Emperor's court had for the Lady Mary, being resolved to make a fair compliment to the English court; though the Emperor must needs have been in no such indifferency for his cousin. It was not before the 16th day of July the ambassadors waited upon the Emperor, and declared their heavy and sorrowful news. After which, they set forth the Lords' good- wills, and readiness at all times to observe and maintain the amities which had been always between the realm of Eng- land, and those of Burgundy, and other the Emperor's do- minions. For answer whereunto, the Emperor said, " that " he was right sorry, for his part, for those heavy news, " whereby he perceived the loss of such a brother, and so " good a friend both to him and his countries : and, consi- " dering that he was of such a great towardness, and of
UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 13 " such a hope to do good, mid to be a stay to Christendom, INTROD. " his loss was so much the greater : and used, in this be- Anno ,553. " half, many good words to his commendation, and declara- " don of his grief for his death. And, touching the amity " which had been between him and his late good brother, 8 " their countries and subjects, as he always had a good-will " to the observance of the same, according to such treaties " as had been between them ; so now understanding by " them, the ambassadors, the Lords of the Council's good " inclination and minds to entertain and observe this amity " for correspondence, he had at that present, and should " have like good-will to keep and continue the same." He thanked them also for making him understand their good- will therein ; with compliment of many other good words to this purpose. This answer of the Emperor the ambas- Their re- sadors signified the next day, viz. July 17, by letters to the thereof in Lords, telling them, that, as far as they could perceive, by their letters the Emperor's words, he minded assuredly to keep amity council, with them. Yet, to decipher him better herein, they judged it not amiss, in their opinions, if their Lordships should feel him either with some new league, or to tempt him, what he would say to the old, or by some other means, as their wisdoms could better devise: for it was, in effect, taken for granted, that the Emperor would be not well pleased, when he should be informed that the Lady Mary should be put by the crown. Shelley, before spoken of, being now arrived at the Em- Upon peror's court, seemed to make no haste of the delivery of Marys . 1 ' J access to his letters from Queen Jane and the Council to him ; wait- the throne, ing to see the issue and success of the contests in England, j eturn g • between her party and that of the Lady Mary : which latter soon prevailing, he delivered not his letters at all. Nor did the three ambassadors make any repair to the Emperor on Queen Jane's account, whereof they had their instructions, mentioned before.
ing of the kingdom, Shelley returned, and brought with ^ a ™_ m him a short letter to the Lords from the ambassadors at hassadors.
14 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL INTROD. that court ; importing, " that since it had pleased God to Anno i553~. " ca ^ m y Lady Mary her Grace to the state and possession " of the realm, according to the King's Majesty her father's " last will, and the laws of the realm, they being there in " great discourage, for that they could not know the cer- " tainty of these so great and weighty matters, but by the " report of them there," [for from July 12, hitherto, they had not a word sent them, till August 5, when Queen Mary was surely settled,] " did humbly beseech their Lord- " ships, that they might not only be advertised of the same, " but also, that they might know her Majesty's pleasure, " what they should do : whereunto they should conform " themselves most willingly, as they wrote, according to " their most bounden duties." This bore date July 29. But now let us turn our eyes more directly to the history of Queen Mary, and consider the first attempts she made to invest herself in her just possessions.
9 CHAP. I. Queen Marijs access to the crown. How the people stood affected to her. Proclaimed. Many taken up, and sent to the Tower. King Edward' 's funerals.
to her world, the Lady Mary thought it worth bestirring herself friends for f or jjg,. crowns t na t were now fallen to her. To all her aid; viz. »•¦,¦,» friends therefore, and such as were of interest, she wrote letters, to recognize and own her for their Sovereign, and to assist her in the instating of herself in the kingdom. And being at her manor of Kenningale in Norfolk, she began to prepare for action, and to gather to herself what countenance To Somer- and strength she could from the gentry of those parts. On Waidgrave' tne 8tn °f Jul J> sne wrote to Sir George Somerset, Sir Wil- Higham. Ham Drury, Sir William Waidgrave, Knights, and Clement Higham, Esq. signifying unto them the King's death, and thereby her right to the crown ; requiring them to obey no UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 15 commandment to be issued out upon any pretence or gloss CHAP, of the deceased King's authority, being bound now to be '_ true liegemen to her only: and lastly, charging them, in all Anno 1553. haste possible, to prepare and put themselves in order to re- pair to her at Kenningale; where, at their coming, they should know further of her pleasure.
was proclaimed Queen,) she wrote another letter from Ken- ^ ings ' ningale to Sir Edward Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon's brother, and a zealous Papist. Therein " she asserted her " right to inherit, both by Parliament and her father's will : " and gave him to understand, that he was obliged no " longer to observe or execute any command heretofore or " hereafter to be addressed to him, from or in the name, or " by colour of authority, of the late King Edward. She re- " quired him to have a diligent regard to her honour, and " the surety of her person, in the counties of Middlesex " and Bucks, where he dwelt : and charged him, that he " should not stir in any forcible array by the command of " any, except of herself only, unless in case of any attempts « to her prejudice: and, to the best of his power, to pre- " pare himself to serve her at her command. And this letter " should be his warrant and discharge." Thus she wrote, without taking any notice at all of King Edward's late will, or the pretences of the Lady Jane, throughout her letter ; which, if the reader please, he may read at length in the Ca- Numb. 1. talogue of Records, at the end of this volume. To the same purport with this did her letters, I suppose, to other noble- men and gentlemen run.
time had got together in Buckinghamshire, by Sir Edward jj£jjj e aty Hastings's means, and some other of the Lady Mary's friends in those parts, that they became very formidable to 10 the ruling side. And great consultation was had to send strong forces thither. On the 18th day a letter was sent from Jane to Sir John St. Lowe, and Sir Anthony King- stone, Knights, signed Jane the Queen; therein asserting her lawful possession of the crown, by the free consent of
16 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL CHAP, the nobility, and the other states of the realm. Requiring _ them, therefore, to raise all the power they could of horse Anno i5&3. and foot round about them, (yet excepting the tenants and servants of the Earls of Arundel and Pembroke,) and, with the same, to repair to the said shire, to repress and subdue certain tumults and rebellions moved there against her and her crown. And the like orders she sent to divers other gen- tlemen, whom she looked upon to be true to her. She aggra- vated to them, how these, that now appeared in hostility, sought the destruction of their native country, and the sub- version of all men in their degrees, being a base multitude, as she styled them, stirred in rage : which, as by former ex- perience it had been proved, must needs be the confusion of the whole commonwealth. Wherefore, she trusted in their courage, wisdom, and fidelities, to undertake this enterprize, as by the nobility and Council should be prescribed them. And to bear their charges, she shewed them, that she had directed her Council to take order for their satisfaction; Yüklə 12,09 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|