Constance Sherwood: An Autobiography of the Sixteenth Century
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house, and that he will take occasion to petitionher grace to release his father from the Tower; and he hath drawn upan address to that effect, which is marvellous well expressed; and,since 'tis written, he makes no more doubt that her majesty willaccede to it than if the upshot was not yet to come, but already past.And he hath set himself with a skill beyond his years, and altogetherwonderful in one so young, to prepare all things for the queen'sreception; so that when his grandfather did depute my Lord Berkeleyand my Lady Lumley to assist us (he himself being too sick to go outof his house) in the ordering of the collation in the banqueting-room,and the music wherewith to greet her highness on her arrival, as wellas the ceremonial to be observed during her visit, they did find thatmy lord had so disposedly and with so great taste ordained therules to be observed, and the proper setting forth of all things, thatlittle remained for them to do. And he will have me to be richlydressed, and to put on the jewels which were his mother's, which,since her death, have not been worn by the two Duchesses of Norfolkwhich did succeed her. Ah me, Mistress Constance, I often wish my lordand I had been born far from the court, in some quiet country place,where there are no queens to entertain, and no plots which do bringnobles into so great dangers."
"Alack," I cried, "dear lady, 'tis not the highest in the land that bealone to suffer. Their troubles do stand forth in men's eyes; and whena noble head is imperilled all the world doth know of it; but blood isspilt in this land, and torments endured, which no pen doth chronicle,and of which scant mention is made in palaces."
"There is a passion in thy speech," my lady said, "which betrayeth asecret uneasiness of heart. Hast thou had ill news, my Constance?"
"No news," I answered, "but that which my fears do invent andwhisper;" and then I related to her the cause of my disturbance, whichshe sought to allay by kind words, which nevertheless failed tocomfort me.
Before I left she did propose I should come to the Charter House onthe morning of the queen's visit, and bring Mistress Ward and mycousins also, as it would pleasure them to stand in the gallery andwitness the entertainment, and albeit my heart was heavy, methought itwas an occasion not to be overpast to feast my eyes with the sight ofmajesty, and to behold that great queen who doth hold in her hands hersubjects' lives, and who, if she do but nod, like the god of theheathen which books do speak of, such terrible effects ensue, greaterthan can be thought of; and so I gave my lady mine humble thanks, andalso for that she did gift me with a dainty hat and a well-embroideredsuit to wear on that day; which, when Kate saw, she fell into awonderful admiration of the pattern, and did set about to get itcopied afore the day of the royal visit to Howard House. As I returnedto Holborn in my lady's coach there was a great crowd in the Cornhill,and the passage for a while arrested by the number of persons on theirway to what is now called the Royal Exchange, which her majesty was tovisit in the evening. I sat very quietly with mine eyes fixed on thefoot-passengers, not so much looking at their faces as watching theirpassage, which, like the running of a river, did seem endless. But atlast it somewhat slackened, and the coach moved on, when, at thecorner of a street, nigh unto a lamp over a shop, which did throw alight on his face, I beheld Edmund Genings. Oh, how my heart did beat,and with what a loud cry I did call to the running footmen to stop!But the noise of the street was so great they did not hear me, and Isaw him turn and pursue his way down another street toward the river.My good uncle, when he heard I had verily seen my father's new page inthe city, gave more heed to my suspicions, and did promise to gohimself unto the Marshalsea on the next day, and seek to verify thename of the prisoner Mr. Hart had made mention of.
CHAPTER IX.
On the next morning Mr. Congleton called me into the library from thegarden, where I was gathering for Muriel a few of such hardy flowersas had survived the early frost. She was wont to carry them with herto the prisons; for it was one of her kindly apprehensions of thesufferings of others to divide the comfort wherewith things seeminglyindifferent do affect those that be shut out of all kinds ofenjoyments; and where a less tender nature should have been content toprovide necessaries, she, through a more delicate acquaintanceship andlight touch, as it were, on the strings of the human heart, everbethought herself when it was possible to minister if but one minute'spleasure to those who had often well-nigh forgotten the very taste ofit. And she hath told me touching that point of flowers, how it hadonce happened that the scent of some violets she had concealed in herbosom with a like intent did move to tears an aged man, who for manyyears past had not seen, no not so much as one green leaf in hisprison; which tears, he said, did him more good than anything elsewhich could have happened to him.
I threw down on a bench the chrysanthemums and other bold blossoms Ihad gathered, and running into the house, opened the door of thelibrary, where, lo and behold, to my no small agitation and amaze, Idiscovered Edmund Genings, who cried out as I entered:
"O my dear master's daughter and well-remembered playmate, I do greetyou with all mine heart; and I thank God that I see you in so good acondition, as I may with infinite gladness make report of toyour good father, who through me doth impart to you his paternalblessing and most affectionate commendations."
"Edmund," I cried, scarce able to speak for haste, "is he in London?is he in prison?"
"No, forsooth," quoth Mr. Congleton.
"No, verily," quoth Edmund; both at the same time.
"Thy fears, silly wench," added the first, "have run away with thywits, and I do counsel thee another time to be at more pains torestrain them; for when there be so many occasions to be afraid ofveritable evils, 'tis but sorry waste to spend fears on presentfancies."
By which I did conjecture my uncle not to be greatly pleased withEdmund's coming to his house, and noticed that he did fidget in hischair and ever and anon glanced at the windows which opened on thegarden in an uneasy manner.
"And wherefore art thou then in London?" I asked of Edmund; who thusanswered:
"Because Mr. James Fenn, who is also called Williesden, was taken andcommitted close prisoner to the Marshalsea a short time back; which,when my dear master did hear of, he was greatly disturbed andturmoiled thereby, by reason of weighty matters having passed betwixthim and that gentleman touching lands belonging to recusants, and thatextraordinary damage was likely to ensue to several persons of greatmerit, if he could not advertise him in time how to answer to thoseaccusations which would be laid against him; and did seek if by anymeans he could have access to him; but could find no hope thereofwithout imminent danger not to himself only, but to many beside, if hehad come to London and been recognized."
"Wherein he did judge rightly," quoth my uncle; and then Edmund--
"So, seeing my master and others of a like faith with him in so greatstraits touching their property and their lives also, I did mostearnestly crave his licence, being unknown and of no account in theworld, and so least to be suspected, to undertake this enterprise,which he could not himself perform; which at last he did grant me,albeit not without reluctance. And thus resolved I came to town."
"And has your hope been frustrated?" Mr. Congleton asked. To whomEdmund--"I thank God, the end hath answered my expectations. Icommitted the cause to him to whom nothing is impossible, anddetermined, like a trusty servant, to do all that in me did liethereunto. And thinking on no other means, I took up my abode near tothe prison, hoping in time to get acquainted with the keeper; forwhich purpose I had to drink with him each day, standing the cost,beside paying him well, which I was furnished with the means to do. Atlast I did, by his means, procure to see Mr. Fenn, and not only cometo speak to him, but to have access to his cell three or four timeswith pen and ink and paper to write his mind. So I have furnished himwith the information he had need of, and likewise brought away with mesuch answers to my master's questions as should solve his doubts howto proceed in the aforesaid matters."
"God reward thee, my good youth," Mr. Congleton said, "for this thingwhich thou hast done; for verily, under the laws lately set forth,recusants be in
such condition that, if not death, beggary doth starethem in the face, and no remedy thereunto except by such assistance aswell-disposed Protestants be willing to yield to them."
"And where doth my father stay at this present time?" I asked; andEdmund answered:
"Not so much as to you, Mistress Constance, am I free to reply to thatquestion; for when I left, 'Edmund,' quoth my master, 'it is a part ofprudence in these days to guard those that be dear to us from dangersensuing on what men do call our perversity; and as these new lawsenact that he which knoweth any one which doth hear mass, be itever so privately, or suffers a priest to absolve him, or performs anyother action appertaining to Catholic religion, and doth not discoverhim before some public magistrate