1536.

was married to the queen's brother, but who lived on bad C H A P. terms with her fifter-in-law, infinuated the moft cruel XXXI. fufpicions into the king's mind; and as she was a woman of a very profligate character, the paid no regard either to truth or humanity in those calumnies which the fuggefted. She pretended, that her own hufband was engaged in a criminal correfpondence with his fifter; and not contented with this imputation, the poifoned every action of the queen, and reprefented each inftance of favour, which the conferred on any one, as a token of affection. Henry Norris, groom of the ftole, Weston, and Brereton, gentlemen of the king's chamber, together with Mark Smeton, groom of the chamber, were obferved to poffefs much of the queen's friendship; and they ferved her with a zeal and attachment, which, though chiefly derived from gratitude, might not improbably be feafoned with some mixture of tenderness for fo amiable a princess. The king's jealoufy laid hold of the flightest circumstance; and finding no particular object on which it could faften, it vented itself equally on every one who came within the verge of its fury.

HAD Henry's jealousy been derived from love, though it might on a fudden have proceeded to the most violent extremities, it would have been fubject to many remorfes and contrarieties; and might at last have ferved only to augment that affection, on which it was founded. But it was a more stern jealoufy, fostered entirely by pride: His love was wholly transferred to another object. Jane, daughter of Sir John Seymour, and maid of honour to the queen, a young lady of fingular beauty and merit, had obtained an entire afcendant over him; and he was determined to facrifice every thing to the gratification of this new appetite. Unlike to moft monarchs, who judge lightly of the crime of gallantry, and who deem the young damfels of their court rather honoured than difgraced by their paffion, he feldom thought of any other attachment than that of marriage; and in order to attain this end, he underwent more difficulties, and committed greater crimes, than those which he fought to avoid, by forming that legal connexion. And having thus entertained the defign of raifing his new mistress to his bed and throne, he more willingly hearkened to every fuggeftion, which threw any imputation of guilt on the unfortunate Anne Boleyn.

THE

СНАР. THE king's jealousy appeared openly in a tilting at XXXI. Greenwich, where the queen happened to drop her handkerchief; an incident probably cafual, but interpret1536. ed by him as an instance of gallantry to fome of her paift May. ramours G. He immediately retired from the place; fent orders to confine her to her chamber; arrested Norris, Brereton, Weston, and Smeton, together with her brother, Rocheford; and threw them into prifon. The queen, astonished at these inftances of his fury, thought that he meant only to try her; but finding him in earneft, the reflected on his obftinate unrelenting fpirit, and The prepared herself for that melancholy doom, which was awaiting her. Next day, fhe was fent to the tower; and on her way thither, the was informed of her fuppofed offences, of which fhe had been hitherto ignorant; She made earneft proteftations of her innocence; and when the entered the prifon, fhe fell on her knees, and prayed God fo to help her, as she was not guilty of the crime imputed to her. Her furprize and confufion threw her into hysterical diforders; and in that fituation, she thought that the best proof of innocence was to make an entire confeffion, and the revealed fome indifcretions and levities, which her fimplicity had equally betrayed her to commit and to avow. She owned, that she had once rallied Norris on his delaying his marriage, and had told him, that he probably expected her, when she should be a widow: She had reproved Wefton, she said, for his affection to a kinfwoman of hers, and his indifference towards his wife: But he told her, that she had mistaken the object of his affection, for it was herself: Upon which, the defied him ". She affirmed, that Smeton had never been in her chamber but twice, when he played on the harpsichord: But the acknowledged, that he had once had the boldness to tell her, that a look fufficed him. The king, instead of being fatisfied with the candour and fincerity of her confeffion, regarded these indifcretions only as preludes to greater and more criminal intimacies.

Of all thofe multitudes, whom the beneficence of the queen's temper had obliged, during her profperous fortune, no one durft interpofe between her and the king's fury; and the perfon, whofe advancement every breath had

Burnet, vol. i. p. 198.

H

Strype, vol. i. p. 281.

1536.

had favoured, and every countenance had smiled upon, C H A P. was now left neglected and abandoned. Even her uncle, XXXI. the duke of Norfolk, preferring the connexions of party to the ties of blood, was become her most dangerous enemy; and all the retainers to the catholic religion. hoped, that her death would terminate the king's quarrel with Rome, and leave him again to his natural and early bent, which had inclined him to fupport the most intimate connexions with the apoftolic fee. Cranmer alone, of all the queen's adherents, ftill retained his friendship for her; and, as far as the king's impetuofity permitted him, he endeavoured to moderate the violent prejudices, entertained against her.

THE queen herself wrote Henry a letter from the tower, full of the moft tender expoftulations, and of the warmest proteftations of innocence. It contains fo much nature and even elegance, as to deferve to be tranfmitted to pofterity, without any alteration of the expreffion. It is as follows.

66

"SIR, your grace's displeasure and my imprisonment are things fo ftrange unto me, as what to write, or "what to excufe, I am altogether ignorant. Whereas you send unto me (willing me to confefs a truth, and "fo obtain your favour) by fuch an one, whom you "know to be mine antient profeffed enemy, I no fooner "received this meflage by him, than I rightly conceived your meaning; and, if, as you fay, confeffing a truth "indeed may procure my fafety, I fhall with all willing"nefs and duty perform your command.

66

"BUT let not your grace ever imagine, that your "poor wife will ever be brought to acknowledge a fault, "where not fo much as a thought thereof preceded. "And to speak a truth, never prince had wife more loy"al in all duty, and in all true affection, than you have "ever found in Anne Boleyn: With which name and "place I could willingly have contented myfelf, if God "and your grace's pleasure had been fo pleafed. Neither "did I at any time fo far forgot myself in my exaltation "or received queenship, but that I always looked for "fuch an alteration as I now find; for the ground of my "preferment being on no furer foundation than your

grace's fancy, the leaft alteration I knew was fit and "fufficient to draw that fancy to fome other object. "You have chofen me from a low eftate to be your 66 queea

XXXI.

1536.

66

66

CHAP. " queen and companion, far beyond my defert or defire. "If then you found me worthy of fuch honour, good your grace let not any light fancy, or bad council of "mine enemies, withdraw your princely favour from me; neither let that ftain, that unworthy ftain, of a "difloyal heart towards your good grace, ever caft fo "foul a blot on your most dutiful wife, and the infantprincess your daughter. Try me, good king, but let "me have a lawful trial, and let not my fworn enemies "fit as my accufers and judges; yea, let me receive an open trial, for my truth shall fear no open fhame; then "fhall you fee either mine innocence cleared, your fuf"picion and confcience fatisfied, the ignominy and slan"der of the world stopped, or my guilt openly declared. "So that whatfoever God or you may determine of me, "your grace may be freed from an open cenfure, and "mine offence being fo lawfully proved, your grace is "at liberty, both before God and man, not only to exe"cute worthy punishment on me as an unlawful wife, "but to follow your affection, already fettled on that

66

party, for whofe fake I am now as I am, whofe name "I could fome good while fince have pointed unto, your grace not being ignorant of my fufpicion therein. "BUT if you have already determined of me, and "that not only my death, but an infamous flander must "bring you the enjoying of your defired happiness; then "I defire of God, that he will pardon your great fin "therein, and likewife mine enemies, the inftruments "thereof, and that he will not call you to a ftrict ac"count for your unprincely and cruel ufage of me, at "his general judgment-feat, where both you and myself "muft fhortly appear, and in whose judgment I doubt "not (whatsoever the world may think of me) mine in"nocence fhall be openly known, and fufficiently cleared.

"My laft and only request shall be, that myfelf may "only bear the burden of your grace's difpleasure, and "that it may not touch the innocent fouls of those poor gentlemen, who (as I understand) are likewise in strait imprisonment for my fake. If ever I have found favour in your fight, if ever the name of Anne Boleyn hath been pleafing in your ears, then let me obtain "this requeft, and I will fo leave to trouble your grace "any further, with mine earnest prayers to the Trinity

to have your grace in his good keeping, and to direct

"you in all your actions. From my doleful prifon in CHA P. "the Tower, this fixth of May.

Your most loyal

"and ever faithful wife,

"ANNE BOLEYN."

XXXI.

1536.

THIS letter had no influence on the unrelenting mind of Henry, who was determined to pave the way for his new marriage by the death of Anne Boleyn. Norris, Wefton, Brereton, and Smeton, were tried; but no le gal evidence was produced against them. The chief proof of their guilt confifted in a hear-fay report from one lady Wingfield, who was dead. Smeton was prevailed on, by the vain hopes of life, to confef a criminal correfpondence with the queen '; but even her enemies expected little advantage from this confeffion; For they never dared to confront him with her; and he was im mediately executed; as were alfo Brereton and Weston, Norris had been much in the king's favour; and an offer was made him of life, if he would confefs his crime, and accufe the queen: But he generously rejected that propofal; and faid, that in his confcience he believed her entirely guiltless: But, for his part, he could accuse her of nothing, and he would die a thousand deaths rather than calumniate an innocent perfon.

THE queen and her brother were tried by a jury of Her trial. peers, confifting of the duke of Suffolk, the marquis of Exeter, the earl of Arundel, and twenty-three more: Their uncle, the duke of Norfolk, prefided as high ftew ard. Upon what proof or pretence the crime of incest was imputed to them is unknown; The chief evidence, it is faid, amounted to no more than that Rocheford had been seen to lean on her bed before fome company. Part of the charge against her was, that the had affirmed to her minions, that the king never had her heart; and had faid to each of them apart, that she loved him better than any perfon whatfoever: Which was to the flander of the iffue begot between the king and her: By this trained interpretation, her guilt was brought under the ftatute of the 25th of this reign; in which it was declared criminal to throw any flander upon the king, queen, or their iffue, Such palpable abfurdities were, at that time, admitted; and they were regarded by the peers of England as a fufficient P. 202.

I Burnet, vol. i.