and sceptre of Anne Boleyn; the castle and phoenix of Jane Seymour; and the maiden's head and rose of Katherine Parr.

Badges of Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Katherine Parr.

As the prominent actor in the final breach between England and the Church of Rome, the character of Henry has ordinarily been estimated more according to the feeling of writers in favour of or against that great change, than with a due regard to other matters. His actions, however, shew that his temper was most impetuous, that he was vain of his learning, jealous of his power, and alternately avaricious and prodigal; it is also evident that these defects were fostered by interested advisers, who thus served their own ends, but exhibited

their king as a capricious tyrant, who threw off the yoke of Rome only to be as absolute himself. His alliance was so sedulously courted by foreign princes that he was led to believe himself the arbiter of Europe, yet his various allies repeatedly deserted him without ceremony whenever they had an opportunity of making peace without him, and while they did adhere to him they usually managed to make him pay far more than his due proportion of the costs of their joint enterprises.

In his private character, Henry must be regarded with abhorrence. A boast is attributed to him that "he never spared a woman in his lust, or a man in his anger," and his conduct justifies the remark. Those who had served him but "too well" (as Wolsey1 and Cromwell) were abandoned to destruction when no

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"Cardinal Wolsey had been an honest man if he had had an honest master," was a part of the "treasonable discourses" for which Lord Montacute (the brother of Reginald Pole,) was convicted and executed; it is, perhaps, a just estimate of Wolsey's character. His correspondence, which is preserved in the State Paper Office, shews that Henry only took the cardinal's advice when it pleased him; he does not appear to have changed any of his own purposes.

Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith, was born about 1490. He was employed in the English factory at Antwerp, was afterwards engaged in the service of Henry VIII., but at length became a soldier, and was present at the sack of Rome in 1527. He soon after returned to England, entered the family of Cardinal Wolsey, was much esteemed by him, and, as the redeeming feature in a bad character, had the honesty and courage to adhere to him when fallen. He perhaps thus recommended himself to the favour of Henry VIII., who bestowed many lucrative offices on him, and received in return all the services that a bold, artful, and utterly unscrupulous agent could render, whether in divorcing his queen, plundering the Church, or establishing his own opinions as standards of doctrine. In 1539 he was created earl of Essex, but soon after, for no very apparent cause, he lost the royal favour, was committed to prison, attainted without a hearing, after a fashion which he had lately employed against his opponents, and beheaded July 28, 1540, in spite of supplications of the most abject nature. He concludes one letter thus:

longer useful; the pious and faithful Katherine suffered a living martyrdom; his five other wives fared little better; and his daughters were made to feel that their lives and fortunes depended on his absolute will. Thus destitute of gratitude and natural feeling, it is not wonderful to find him also without the honesty to pay his debts, or the honour to adhere to his public engagements P. Yet, with all his vices, he was the instrument of good to posterity which is not always appreciated as it ought to be; for his hand overthrew the power which had long denied to England a Bible and Service-book in the common tongue, and had endeavoured to render the word of God of none effect by its traditions. He was

too, at least in the earlier part of his reign, a popular favourite; he occasionally mixed with the humble classes, and admitted them to a rude kind of familiarity; they admired his handsome person, and his skill in athletic and martial sports; and, unlike those above them, they had little to apprehend from his cruelty or his avarice.

A.D. 1509. Henry succeeds to the throne, April 22a. A proclamation issued promising redress to persons who had been injured in the former reign by the rigorous execution of obsolete statutes, under the management of

"Written at the Tower this Wednesday, the last of June, with the heavy heart and trembling hand of your Highness' most heavy and most miserable prisoner, and poor slave, Thomas Cromwell.

"Most gracious prince, I cry for mercy, mercy, mercy."

P His parliaments relieved him from the first in 1529 and 1544, and he was alternately the ally and the enemy of both Charles V. and Francis I.; but these princes were equally regardless of treaties with himself.

4 His regnal years are dated from this day.

Empson and Dudley, who, with many of their subordinates, are committed to prison.

Henry, by advice of his council', marries Katherine of Arragon, June 7; they are crowned at Westminster, June 24.

Empson and Dudley are brought to trial, and pronounced guilty of high treason3.

A.D. 1510. Thomas Wolsey is introduced to the court by Richard Fox', bishop of Winchester, and soon becomes a favourite with the king.

It was found upon enquiry that a much larger sum than the young king was inclined to part with would be necessary to afford compensation, and he contented himself instead with punishing the chief delinquents as traitors; their subordinates escaped with imprisonment and the pillory.

r Wareham, archbishop of Canterbury, and lord chancellor, strenuously opposed the marriage, but without effect.

They were charged with a design to "hold, guide and govern the king and his council," to subjugate the nobility, and to destroy all who resisted. The indictments state that, when the late king lay on his death-bed, Empson retained in Northamptonshire John Stalworth, Robert Warwick and others, by a fee of one penny each, and they came to London, where Dudley by letters to Sir Edward Sutton and others, on the 22nd April assembled "a great force of men and armed power," to carry their purposes into effect. Dudley was tried at London, July 18, and Empson at Northampton, Oct. 1; they were executed together on Tower-hill, Aug. 18, 1510. An act was passed to prevent such vexatious suits as they had prosecuted; it provided that all suits on penal statutes should be commenced within three years after the time of the alleged offence [1 Hen. VIII. c. 4.1

t Richard Fox was born at Grantham, and was educated at both Universities. He was early attached to the court, and was employed by Henry VII. on several important embassies, and particularly in the negotiations for the marriage of the princess Margaret with James IV. of Scotland. In 1487, being then the king's secretary, he was made bishop of Exeter, and afterwards held the sees of Bath and Wells, Durham and Winchester. Beside founding Corpus Christi College, Oxford, Bishop Fox endowed several grammar schools, (particularly one in his native town,) and exhibited great liberality in adorning his cathedral of Winchester, which see he held for twenty-seven years. He died Sept. 14, 1528, and was buried in his church, where his elegant chantry still attracts attention equally with those of Wykeham, Beaufort, and Wayneflete.

The statutes against costly apparel modified, [1 Hen. VIII. c. 14].

Andrew Barton, the Scottish privateer", is killed, and his ships captured in the Downs, by Sir Edward Howard, the admiral.

A.D. 1511. Henry forms a league with Ferdinand of Spain, for the purpose of attacking France, Nov. 10. St. John's College, Cambridge, founded in pursuance of the will of Margaret, countess of Richmondy.

A.D. 1512. James of Scotland forms a league with France, May 22.

Physicians and surgeons forbidden to practise unless licensed by the bishop of the diocese, [3 Hen. VIII. c. 11].

Fortifications ordered to be erected on the coast between Plymouth and the Land's End, [4 Hen. VIII. c. 22].

Benefit of clergy taken from murderers and felons, [4 Hen. VIII. sess. 2, c. 2].

An English force sent under the marquis of Dorset to Spain; it remains inactive on the borders of France from June to December, waiting for the Spaniards, and then returns home greatly weakened by sickness.

Sir Edward Howard ravages the French coast, and defeats the French fleet near Brest, Aug. 10.

The son of the earl of Surrey, and grandson of the duke of Norfolk who was killed at Bosworth.

y This, like Jesus College, was the conversion of an existing establishment to collegiate purposes.

This statute directs the justices of peace to survey Cornwall, and compel the inhabitants to labour in the erection of "bulwarks" without pay, the land and materials being provided in like manner without remuneration.

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