Lady whom the King loved, and who was lodged in the tower of the park; the King ❝ 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 to fo great a Majeftie (Queene Elizabeth); but "the King took them in fo evil part, as he bid "Flamack, Avaunt, varlet! and that he fhould "be no more neere unto him."

"Her Majefty's noble father," fays Puttenham, fpeaking 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 fhoulders, "and think it more decent; for what refpect I

"

Thould be glad to knowe."

3

According

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 kingdom, I "must provide that it may be lawful for me to

lye with hyr duely, lawfully, & godlye, & to "have children by her, unto the whiche the inhe"ritance of the kingdome maie by righte moste

cr

juftlie defcend; which two things fhall follow, "if you by jufte judgement approve our marriage "lawful: if there be any doubte, I fhall defyre

you by your authoritie 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 Queen, the which there, in prefence of the whole "Court, accufeth the Cardinal of untrouth, deceit, wickedneffe & malice,, which had fowen "diffention betwixt her & the King her husbande, " & therefore openly protested that he did ut

terly abhorre, refuse, and forfake fuch a judge "as was not only a moft malicious enemie to her, but alfo a manifeft adverfarie to all right & justice, and therefore fhe did appeale unto the Pope,

Pope, committynge hir whole caufe to be judged of him:-& thus for that day the matter refted."

The following lines, written by Henry, were (according to the Editor of the "

Nuga Antiquæ,") prefented and fung to Anne Boleyn during the time of their courtship. Byrd, in Queen Elizabeth's time, set to music.

The eagle's force fubdues each byrde that flies,
What metal can refifte the flamynge fire?
Does not the funne dazzle the clearest eyes,

And melte the ice, and make the fnowe retire?
The hardeste stones are peirced thro' with tooles ;
The wifeft are, with princes, made but fooles.

This Monarch's character was, perhaps, never better defcribed than in the dying words of Cardinal Wolfey to Mafter Kingston, the Lieutenant of the Tower, who was fent to arreft him: "Hee " is a Prince of a moft royall carriage & hath a princely heart, & rather than be will miffe er "want any part of his will, he will endanger the one half of his kingdom. I do affure you, Master Kingston, that I have often kneeled before him "for three hours together to perfuade him from "his will and appetite, but could never prevail. "Therefore let me advife you, if you be one of "the Privie Counsell, (as by your wisdome you "are fit) take heed what you put into the King's "head, for you can never put it out again."

It appears by a Letter of Gerard de Plaine, that Henry entered into a treaty with the Emperor Maximilian, by which, for a certain fum of money given to him by Henry, Maximilian was to furrender the Imperial dignity to him. It feems as if Henry had not the money ready at the time that the diftreffed Emperor wifhed to exchange his fplendid honour for more fubftantial profit.

"I have heard," fays Puttenham, in his Art of Poetry, "that King Henry the Eighth, her Ma

jefties father, though otherwise the most gentle "and affable Prince of the world, could not abide "to have any man stare in his face, or to fix his

eye too steadily upon him, when he talked with "them; nor for a common fuitor to exclame or "cry out for justice, for that is offensive, and as it "were a fecret impeachment of his wrong-doing, "as happened once to a Knight in this realm, of great worship, speaking to the King.

King Henry the Eighth, to one that entreated "him to remember one Sir Anthony Roufe with "fome reward, for that he had spent much and ." was an ill begger; the King aunswer'd, (noting

his infolencie) If he be afhamed to begge, we "are afhamed to give; and was nevertheleffe one "of the moft liberal Princes of the world.”

56

PRINCESS MARY,

SISTER TO HENRY THE EIGHTH, AFTERWARDS QUEEN OF FRANCE, MARRIED TO LOUIS THE TWELFTH, AND THEN TO CHARLES BRANDON, DUKE OF SUFFOLK.

The following account of this Princefs is taken from a Letter of Gerard de Plaine to Margaret of Auftria.

"MADAME,

"Londres, Juin 20, 1514.

Je vous ay riens vouloir efcrire de Madame "la Princeffe jufques à ce que je l'ai veu plufieurs "fois: je vous certiffie que c'eft une des plus "belles filles que l'on fcauroit voir, & me femble

point en avoir oncques vu une fi belle. Elle "n'eft riens melancholique, ains toute recreative, " & a le plus beau maintien foit en devifes, en "danfes ou autrement. Je vous affure qu'elle "eft bien norrie (nourrie) & fault bien qu'on lui "ait toujours parlé de Monf*, en telle bonne "forte, car par la parole & les manieres qu'elle "tient, & par ce que j'ai entendu de ceulx qui "font autour d'elle, il me femble qu'el aime "Monf merveilleufement. Elle a ung tableau, " ou il eft tres mal contrefait, & n'eft jour au "monde, qu'elle ne le veuille voir plus de dix fois, "comme l'on m'a affermé, & ce me femble que qui "lui veult faire plaifir, que l'on lui parte de Monf'. J'euffe cuydé qu'elle eut été de grande ftature & venue, mais elle fera de moyenne ftature."

* Prince of Caftile.