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thefe Difficulties, Lanoy arrived at Naples with a Body of Spanish Troops, and began his Artifices by amufing the Pope with a new Negotiation, that tended only to hinder him from taking Meafures to preserve himself and the State. But as foon as he had heard of Fronfperg's Arrival, and that Milan was out of Danger, he changed his Note; and, in refpect to Francifco Sforza, whom he had promifed fhould be brought to his Trial, with no other Intention than to fave the Honour of the Empire, for that the Judges

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By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

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to his Highness-Mafter King-felf, and give your Friends and fton, quoth he, and clapped his Hand on his Thigh, and gave a great Sigh.

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May it please your quoth I, I would you take all Things well, it

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Grace,
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poor Servants great Comfort and "Content-Well, quoth he, I perceive more than you can imagine, or do know.

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be much better for you; tent yourself, for God's Sake, and think that God and your good • Friends have wrought for you, according to your own Defires: And, as I conceive, you have • much more Cause to rejoice than lament or miftruft the Matter; < for, I affure you that your Friends more afraid of you, than you need be of them: And his Majefty, to fhew his Love to you, bath fent Mafter Kingston to honour you, with as much Hoas is your Grace's Due, • and to convey you in fuch eafy Journeys as is fitting for you, and you shall command him to < do, and that you shall have your Requeft. And I humbly intreat you to imprint this fuafion in your Highness's Difcretion, and to be of good Cheer, ' wherewith you shall comfort your

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Presently after came my Lord to acquaint him with that I had fo lately related. My Lord thanked the Earlfor his great Love, and ⚫ called Mafter Kingston, who came to him prefently, and, kneeling down before him, faluted him in the King's Behalf, whom my Lord bare-headed 'offered to take up, but he would not: Then, quoth my Lord, Mafter Kingston, I pray you ftand up, and leave your Kneeling to me; for I am a Wretch replete with Mifery, efteeming myself but as a meer Object utterly caft away, but without Defert, God he knows therefore, good Mr. Kingston, Stand up.

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Judges fhould have private Orders to declare him innocent, he altered his Mind; for he now demanded fuch a pecuniary Reparation from Sforza, that he was in no Condition to pay; fo that the Pope's Expectations were thereby frustrated, and Sforza still kept out of his Dukedom.

Here we fhall introduce Rapin's Summary of thefe different Tranfactions. "The Pope and the

Venetians, fays he, had begun the War in Italy on "the fole Expectation, that France would fend thither

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The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

and he hath him commended unto and commanded me to bid be of good Cheer, for he beareth you as much good Will as ever he did. And, whereas Report hath been made unto him, that you should commit against his Majesty certain heinous Crimes, which he thinketh not to be, but yet he for Miniftration of Justice, in fuch Cafes requifite, could do no less than fend for you, that you might have your Trial, mistrusting nothing your Truth and Wif dom, but that you shall be able to acquit yourself of all Complaints and Accufations extended against you; and you may take your Journey to him at your Pleafure, commanding me to at

tend you.

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Mafter Kingfton, quoth my
Lord, I thank you for your good

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News: And, Sir, hereof af fure yourself, if I were as able and lufty as ever I was to ride, • I would go with you post; but, alas! I am a difeafed Man, having a Flux, (at which Time it was apparent that he had poifoned himself+) and it hath made me very weak; but the comfortable News you bring is of purpose, I doubt, to bring me to a Fool's Paradise, for I • know what is provided for me. Notwithstanding I thank you for your good Will, and Pains taken about me, and I shall with Speed make ready to ride with you. After this I was commanded to make all Things ready for our Departure the Morrow after.

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• When my Lord went to Bed, he fell very fick of the Lafk, which caufed him to ' go

Very great Comfort to be fure, after he had broke his Heart with ill Utage.

We do not believe thefe Words were wrote by Cayendish, no more than fome others, here and there unnaturally foifted in by fome ill-minded Perfon, we doubt, on purpose to lessen the Magnanimity of the Cardinal's Mind: Nor does it any ways follow, That, because he had a Flux, he had taken Poison.

"a powerful Army, and the King of England make a "Diverfion in the Low Countries; or, at least, ac"cording to Custom, to furnish Money for maintain

ing the War: The Eafinefs wherewith he had been "amufed in the former Wars caufed his Money to be "relied on as a fure Aid; tho' when a Peace or Truce "was concluded, this was never thought on. But the "Scene was changed; Henry, being grown more wife "by Experience, was no longer willing to find Money for the Affairs of others. Besides, the Treasure • left

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By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

· go to Stool from time to time all that Night, infomuch that, from that time till Morning, he had 50 Stools, and the • Matter that he voided was, very black, which the Physicians called Aduftive; whofe Opini6 ons were, That he had not above four or five Days to live. Notwithstanding, he would • have ridden with Mr. Kingston the next Day, had not the Earl of Shrewsbury advised him to the contrary; but the Day following he took his Journey with Mr. Kingston, and them of the Guard, who, efpying him, could not abstain from weeping, confidering he was

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next Day he waxed fo very fick, that he had almost fallen 'from his Horse, so that it was Night before he got to LeicesterAbbey; where, at his coming in at the Gates, the Abbor ' with all their Convent met him ' with lighted Torches, whom they honourably received and 'welcomed with great Reverence. To whom my Lord faid, Father Abbot, I am come to lay my Bones amongst you; riding still on his Mule till he came to the 'Stairs of his Chamber, where 'he alighted: Master Kingston,

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holding him by the Arm, led him up Stairs; who told me afterwards, That he never felt

their old Mafter, and now info heavy a Burthen in all his.

fuch a miferable Cafe, whom my Lord took by the Hand, ⚫ and would, as he rode by the "Way, fometimes talk with one,

and fometimes with another, ⚫till he came to a Houfe of my Lord's standing in the Way, calld Hardwick-hall, where. ⚫ he lay all that Night very ill at eafe. The next Day he came to Nottingham, and the next Day to Leicester-abbey; and the

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Life: And as foon as he was in his Chamber he went straight to Bed: This was upon Saturday, and fo he continued.

On Monday in the Morning, as I ftood by his Bed-fide about eight o'Clock, the Windows. being close fhut, and having Wax-lights burning upon the Cupboard, I thought I per⚫ceived him drawing on towards Death. He, perceiving my Sha

"left him by the King, his Father, was long fince ex"haufted. He could now raife Money only by Means “of the Parliament, which always framed Difficulties, or made him purchase his Subsidies with some extraordinary Favour.*

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"So Francis, finding him not in the fame Difpofi"tion as formerly, feared to engage too far before "he was fecure of his Affiftance. He perceived he was no longer inclined to favour the Emperor as be"fore; but that did not fuffice, it was alfo necessary

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The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

Shadow upon the Bed-fide, afked, Who was there? Sir,

quoth I, it is I. How do you? quoth he. Well, Sir, quoth I, if I might fee your Grace well. • What is it d'Clock? quoth he. I answered, It was about eight o'Clock. Quoth he, That cannot be, rehearfing eight o'Clock • fo many times. Nay, quoth he, that cannot be for at eight of • the Clock you fall fee your Maf ter's Time draw near, that 1 muft depart this World. With that, Doctor Palmer, a worthy Gentleman, ftanding by, bid me afk him, If he would be 5fhriven, to make him ready for God, whatever chanced to fall out? which I did: But he was very angry with me, and asked, • What I had to do to ask him fuch a Question? Till at the laft Mr.

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Doctor took my Part, and talked with him in Latin, and pacified him.

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After Dinner Mafter Kingfton fent for me, and faid, Sir, the King hath fent unto me Letters by Mafter Vincent, our old. Companion, who hath been in • Trouble in the Tower for Money

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that my Lord should have at his Departure, a great Part of which Money cannot be found; wherefore the King, at Master Vincent's Requeft, for the Declaration of the Truth, bath fent " me hither with his Grace's Letter, that I should examine my Lord, and have your Counfel therein, that he may take it well and in good Part. And this is the Caufe of my fending for you, therefore I defire your Counfel therein for Acquittal of this poor. Gentleman, Mafter Vincent.

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* Here Rapin falls upon the Parliament, tho' in the Year 1522

he talked in another Manner.

'Tis but too evident, that glorious Wolfey's Difgrace and Fall were more owing to his Master's vicious and wantonly lucrative Difpofition, than to any real Crimes in him deferving fuch Treatment: And a ftronger Inftance of strict Uprightness cannot be related of him, nor of any Man, than is here fubjoined.

"to perfuade him to join in the League of Italy, "otherwise the whole Charge of the War was to "fall upon France, which was already too much "drained of Men, Money, and Generals; for this "Reason his Aim was to induce the Emperor (thro' "Fear of the League) to accept of the Equivalent "offered him for Burgundy, and to continue the War "in Italy only till that Prince was refolved, or the "King of England entirely engaged. To that End "he made the Pope and Venetians large Promises,

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

•munication break the Matter un

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to him: And if he will not tell you the Truth therein, then may you certify the King thereof; but in any Cafe name not nor Speak of my Fellow Vincent: Alfo, I would not have you detract the Time, for he is very fick, and I fear that he will not live past a Day or Accordingly, Mafter Kingston went to my Lord, and demanded the Money, faying, That my Lord of Northumberland found a Book at Caywood-house, and fays, that you had lately • borrowed 10,000 Pounds, and there is not fo much as one Penny to be found, who hath made the King privy to the fame; wherefore the King hath written to me, to know what is become thereof, for it were pity that it should be holden from you • both: Therefore I require you, in the King's Name, to tell me the Truth, that I may make a juft Report thereof unto his Majefty of your Anfer.

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With that, quoth my Lord,

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Oh good Lord! how much doth it grieve me, that the King Should think any fuch Thing in me, * that I should deceive him of one Penny, feeing I have nothing, nor never had, God be my Judge! that I ever efteemed fo • much my own as his Majefty's, having but the bare Ufe of it during my Life, and after my Death to leave it wholly to him; wherein his Majesty hath prevented me. But for this Money • that you demand of me, I affure it is none of my own; for I borrowed it of divers of my Friends to bury me, and to bestow amongst my Servants, who have taken great Pains about me. Notwithstanding, if it be your Pleafure to know, I must be content; yet, I beseech his Majefty to fee it fatisfied, for the Dif charge of my Confcience to them that I owed it to. Who be they? quoth Mafter Kingston.That fhall I tell you, quoth my Lord, I borrowed 200 l. of John • Allen of London, another 200 1. of Sir Richard Gresham, and • 2001.

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*As any Man furely would have been, who had ferved his King

fo well; therefore this is no Inftance of Pufillanimity.

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