"What the whole body of the Kingdom hath fuffered," fays Sir Henry, "fince these acts "of confifcation of the Monafteries and their Churches, is very remarkable. Let the Monks "and Fryers shift as they deserved, the good (if

you will) and the bad together, my purpose is "not to defend their iniquities; the thing I la"ment is, that the wheat perifhed with the dar"nel; things of good and pious institution with "those that abused and perverted them; by "reafon whereof, the fervice of God was not "only grievously wounded, and bleedeth at this "day, but infinite works of charity (whereby "the poor were univerfally relieved through the kingdom) were utterly cut off and extin

"guished; many thousand mafterless servants "turned loofe into the world, and many thou"fands of poor people, who were actually fed,

clad, and nourished by the Monafteries, now "like young ravens feek their meat from Heaven.

"have any thing that I require of them? If there be abuses "in any Monafteries, I will reform them. There be ftill "many that are very good." Bishop Latimer, who fat in the Parliament that diffolved Monasteries, gave it as his opinion, that two or three of the greater Abbies fhould be preferved in every County of England for pious and charitable purposes." This," fays Spelman, " was a wife and

a godly motion, and was perhaps the occafion that King "Henry did convert some (in part) to good uses."

"Every Monastery, according to its ability, had "an Ambery, (greater or less,) for the daily re"lief of the poor about them. Every principal 66 Monastery an hospital commonly for travellers, "and an infirmary (which we now call a Spital) "for the fick and diseased persons, with officers "and attendants to take care of them. Gen"tlemen and others having children without "means of maintenance, had them here brought up and provided for. These and fuch other mi"feries falling upon the meaner fort of people, "drove them into fo many rebellions as we spake “of,

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of, and rung fuch loud peals in King Henry's ears, that on his death-bed he gave back the "Spital of St. Bartholomew's in Smithfield, and "the Church of the Gray Friars, with other "Churches, and 500 marks a-year added to them,

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to be united, and called Christ Church founded

by King Henry the Eighth, and to be Hofpitals "for relieving the poor; the Bishop of Rochef"ter declaring his bounty at St. Paul's Crofs on "the third day of January, and on the twentyeighth day following the King died.”

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"What in Henry the Seventh," fays Lord Herbert," is called covetoufness by fome per"fons, was a royal virtue; whereas the exceffive

and needlefs expences of Henry the Eighth "drew after them thofe miferable confequences "which the world hath often reproached. How"beit,

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"beit, here may be occafion to doubt whether "the immense treasure which Henry the Seventh " left behind him was not accidentally the cause "of those ills that followed; while the young "Prince his fon, finding fuch a mafs of money, "did first carelessly fpend, and after ftrive to "fupply as he could."

"One of the liberties," fays Lord Herbert, "which our King took at his fpare time, was to "love. For as recommendable parts concurred "in his perfon, and they again were exalted in "his high dignity and valour, so it must seem "less strange, if amid the many faire Ladies "which lived in his Court he both gave and "received temptation."

Puttenham, in his "Art of Poetry," gives the following account of a vifit this Prince paid to fome Lady of his Court :

The King (Henry the Eighth)," fays Puttenham, having Sir Andrew Flamack his "standard-bearer (a merry-conceited man, and

apt to fcoffe) with him in his barge, paffing "from Westminster to Greenwich, to vifit a fair "Lady whom the King loyed, and who was lodged in the tower of the park; the King

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.

coming within fight of the tower, and being disposed to be merry, faid, Flamack, let us

"rhyme. As well as I can, faid Flamack, if it "please your Grace.

"The King began thus:

"Within this towre

"There lieth a floure

"That hath my hart."

"Flamack anfwered," adds Puttenham, "in "fo uncleanlie terms as might not now become "me by the rules of decorum to utter, writing

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to so great a Majestie (Queene Elizabeth); but "the King took them in fo evil part, as he bid "Flamack, Avaunt, varlet! and that he should "be no more neere ùnto him."

"Her Majefty's noble father," fays Puttenham, speaking of Henry the Eighth, father of Queen Elizabeth, "caufed his own head and all "his courtiers to be polled, and his beard to be cut fhort. Before that time," adds he, "it was thought more decent both for old and

young to be all fhaven, and to weare long haire, either rounded or fquare. Now again at this time the young Gentlemen of the Court "have taken up the long haire trayling upon "their shoulders, and think it more decent; for "what refpect I should be glad to knowe."

According to Hollinfhed, this Prince thus addreffed the Court at Black Fryers, on his conjugal fcruples:

66 YE REVEREND FATHERS,

"I have in marriage a wyfe to me most deere, " & entirely beloved, both for hyr fingular vir"tues of mynde, & alfo for her nobilities of "birth. But fith I am the king of a mightie

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kingdom, I must provide that it may be law"ful for me to lye with hyr duely, lawfully, "&godlye, & to have children by her, unto "the whiche the inheritance of the kingdome "maie by righte mofte juftlie descend; which "two things fhall follow, if you by juste judge"ment approve our marriage lawful: if there "be any doubte, I shall defyre you by your au"thoritie to declare the fame, or fo to take it "awaie, that in this thing both my confcience " & the mynds of the people may be quieted "for after."

"After this," adds Hollinfhed," cometh the 56 Queen, the which there, in prefence of the "whole Court, accufeth the Cardinal of un

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trouth, deceit, wickedneffe & malice, which "had fowen diffention betwixt her & the King "her husbande, & therefore openly protested "that fhe did utterly abhorre, refuse, and for"fake fuch a judge as was not only a moft ma

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