X.
Of the Brief Advantage gained by the Queen and the Cardinal.
As the king, wholly unattended--for he had left the archers at theCurfew Tower--was passing at the back of Saint George's Chapel, near thenorth transept, he paused for a moment to look at the embattled entranceto the New Commons--a structure erected in the eleventh year of his ownreign by James Denton, a canon, and afterwards Dean of Lichfield, forthe accommodation of such chantry priests and choristers as had no placein the college. Over the doorway, surmounted by a niche, ran (and stillruns) the inscription--
"AEDES PRO SACELLANORUM CHORISTARUM COVIVIIS EXTRUCTA, A.D. 1519."
The building has since been converted into one of the canons' houses.
While he was contemplating this beautiful gateway, which was glimmeringin the bright moonlight, a tall figure suddenly darted from behind oneof the buttresses of the chapel, and seized his left arm with aniron grasp. The suddenness of the attack took him by surprise; but heinstantly recovered himself, plucked away his arm, and, drawing hissword, made a pass at his assailant, who, however, avoided the thrust,and darted with inconceivable swiftness through the archway leading tothe cloisters. Though Henry followed as quickly as he could, he lostsight of the fugitive, but just as he was about to enter the passagerunning between the tomb-house and the chapel, he perceived a person inthe south ambulatory evidently anxious to conceal himself, and, rushingup to him and dragging him to the light he found it was no other thanthe cardinal's jester, Patch.
"What does thou here, knave?" cried Henry angrily.
"I am waiting for my master, the cardinal," replied the jester,terrified out of his wits.
"Waiting for him here!" cried the king. "Where is he?"
"In that house," replied Patch, pointing to a beautiful bay-window,full of stained glass, overhanging the exquisite arches of the northambulatory.
"Why, that is Doctor Sampson's dwelling," cried Henry; "he who waschaplain to the queen, and is a strong opponent of the divorce. What dothhe there?"
"I am sure I know not," replied Patch, whose terror increased eachmoment. "Perhaps I have mistaken the house. Indeed, I am sure it must beDoctor Voysey's, the next door."
"Thou liest, knave!" cried Henry fiercely; "thy manner convinces methere is some treasonable practice going forward. But I will soon findit out. Attempt to give the alarm, and I will cut thy throat."
With this he proceeded to the back of the north ambulatory, and findingthe door he sought unfastened, raised the latch and walked softly in.But before he got half-way down the passage, Doctor Sampson himselfissued from an inner room with a lamp in his hand. He started on seeingthe king, and exhibited great alarm.
"The Cardinal of York is here--I know it," said Henry in a deep whisper."Lead me to him."
"Oh, go not forward, my gracious liege!" cried Sampson, placing himselfin his path.
"Wherefore not?" rejoined the king. "Ha! what voice is that I heard inthe upper chamber? Is she here, and with Wolsey? Out of my way, man,"he added, pushing the canon aside, and rushing up the short woodenstaircase.
When Wolsey returned from his interview with the king, which had beenso unluckily interrupted by Anne Boleyn, he found his ante-chamberbeset with a crowd of suitors to whose solicitations he was compelled tolisten, and having been detained in this manner for nearly half an hour,he at length retired into an inner room.
"Vile sycophants!" he muttered, "they bow the knee before me, and pay megreater homage than they render the king, but though they have fed uponmy bounty and risen by my help, not one of them, if he was aware of mytrue position, but would desert me. Not one of them but would lend ahelping hand to crush me. Not one but would rejoice in my downfall. Butthey have not deceived me. I knew them from the first--saw through theirhollowness and despised them. While power lasts to me, I will punishsome of them. While power lasts!" he repeated. "Have I any powerremaining? I have already given up Hampton and my treasures to the king;and the work of spoliation once commenced, the royal plunderer will notbe content till he has robbed me of all; while his minion, Anne Boleyn,has vowed my destruction. Well, I will not yield tamely, nor fallunavenged."
As these thoughts passed through his mind, Patch, who had waited fora favourable moment to approach him, delivered him a small billetcarefully sealed, and fastened with a silken thread. Wolsey took it,and broke it open; and as his eye eagerly scanned its contents, theexpression of his countenance totally changed. A flash of joy andtriumph irradiated his fallen features; and thrusting the note intothe folds of his robe, he inquired of the jester by whom it had beenbrought, and how long.
"It was brought by a messenger from Doctor Sampson," replied Patch, "andwas committed to me with special injunctions to deliver it to your graceimmediately on your return, and secretly."
The cardinal sat down, and for a few moments appeared lost in deepreflection; he then arose, and telling Patch he should return presently,quitted the chamber. But the jester, who was of an inquisitive turn, anddid not like to be confined to half a secret, determined to follow him,and accordingly tracked him along the great corridor, down a windingstaircase, through a private door near the Norman Gateway, across themiddle ward, and finally saw him enter Doctor Sampson's dwelling, at theback of the north ambulatory. He was reconnoitring the windows of thehouse from the opposite side of the cloisters in the hope of discoveringsomething, when he was caught, as before mentioned, by the king.
Wolsey, meanwhile, was received by Doctor Sampson at the doorway ofhis dwelling, and ushered by him into a chamber on the upper floor,wainscoted with curiously carved and lustrously black oak. A silver lampwas burning the on the table, and in the recess of the window, whichwas screened by thick curtains, sat a majestic lady, who rose on thecardinal's entrance. It was Catherine of Arragon.
"I attend your pleasure, madam," said Wolsey, with a profoundinclination.
"You have been long in answering my summons," said the queen; "butI could not expect greater promptitude. Time was when a summons fromCatherine of Arragon would have been quickly and cheerfully attended to;when the proudest noble in the land would have borne her message to you,and when you would have passed through crowds to her audience-chamber.Now another holds her place, and she is obliged secretly to enter thecastle where she once ruled, to despatch a valet to her enemy, to attendhis pleasure, and to receive him in the dwelling of an humble canon.Times are changed with me, Wolsey--sadly changed."
"I have been in attendance on the king, madam, or I should have beenwith you sooner," replied Wolsey. "It grieves me sorely to see youhere."
"I want not your pity," replied the queen proudly. "I did not send foryou to gratify your malice by exposing my abject state. I did not sendfor you to insult me by false sympathy; but in the hope that your owninterest would induce you to redress the wrongs you have done me."
"Alas! madam, I fear it is now too late to repair the error I havecommitted," said Wolsey, in a tone of affected penitence and sorrow.
"You admit, then, that it was an error," cried Catherine. "Well, thatis something. Oh! that you had paused before you began this evilwork--before you had raised a storm which will destroy me and yourself.Your quarrel with my nephew the Emperor Charles has cost me dear, but itwill cost you yet more dearly."
"I deserve all your reproaches, madam," said Wolsey, with feignedmeekness; "and I will bear them without a murmur. But you have sent forme for some specific object, I presume?"
"I sent for you to give me aid, as much for your own sake as mine,"replied the queen, "for you are in equal danger. Prevent thisdivorce--foil Anne--and you retain the king's favour. Our interests areso far leagued together, that you must serve me to serve yourself. Myobject is to gain time to enable my friends to act. Your colleague issecretly favourable to me. Pronounce no sentence here, but let the causebe removed to Rome. My nephew the emperor will prevail upon the Pope todecide in my favour."
"I dare not thus brave the king's displeasure, madam;" replied Wolsey.
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p; "Dissembler!" exclaimed Catherine. "I now perceive the insincerity ofyour professions. This much I have said to try you. And now to my realmotive for sending for you. I have in my possession certain letters,that will ruin Anne Boleyn with the king."
"Ha!" exclaimed the cardinal joyfully; "if that be the case, all therest will be easy. Let me see the letters, I pray you, madam."
Before Catherine could reply, the door was thrown violently open, andthe king stood before them.
"Soh!" roared Henry, casting a terrible look at Wolsey, "I have caughtyou at your treasonable practices at last! And you, madam," he added,turning to Catherine, who meekly, but steadily, returned his gaze, "whatbrings you here again? Because I pardoned your indiscretion yesterday,think not I shall always be so lenient. You will leave the castleinstantly. As to Wolsey, he shall render me a strict account of hisconduct."
"I have nothing to declare, my liege," replied Wolsey, recoveringhimself, "I leave it to the queen to explain why I came hither."
"The explanation shall be given at once," said Catherine. "I sent forthe cardinal to request him to lay before your majesty these two lettersfrom Anne Boleyn to Sir Thomas Wyat, that you might judge whether onewho could write thus would make you a fitting consort. You disbelievedmy charge of levity yesterday. Read these, sire, and judge whether Ispoke the truth."
Henry glanced at the letters, and his brow grew dark.
"What say you to them, my liege?" cried Catherine, with a glance oftriumph. "In the one she vows eternal constancy to Sir Thomas Wyat, andin the other--written after her engagement to you--he tells him thatthough they can never meet as heretofore, she will always love him."
"Ten thousand furies!" cried the king. "Where got you these letters,madam?"
"They were given to me by a tall dark man, as I quitted the castle lastnight," said the queen. "He said they were taken from the person of SirThomas Wyat while he lay concealed in the forest in the cave of Hernethe Hunter."
"If I thought she wrote them," cried Henry, in an access jealous fury,"I would cast her off for ever."
"Methinks your majesty should be able to judge whether they are true orfalse," said Catherine. "I know her writing well--too well, alas!--andam satisfied they are genuine."
"I am well assured that Wyat was concealed in the Lady Anne's chamberwhen your majesty demanded admittance and could not obtain it--when theEarl of Surrey sacrificed himself for her, and for his friend," saidWolsey.
"Perdition!" exclaimed the king, striking his brow with his clenchedhand. "Oh, Catherine!" he continued, after a pause, during which sheintently watched the workings of his countenance, "and it was for thislight-hearted creature I was about to cast you off."
"I forgive you, sire--I forgive you!" exclaimed the queen, clasping hishands, and bedewing them with grateful tears. "You have been deceived.Heaven keep you in the same mind!"
"You have preserved me," said Henry, "but you must not tarry here. Comewith me to the royal lodgings."
"No, Henry," replied Catherine, with a shudder, "not while she isthere."
"Make no conditions, madam," whispered Wolsey. "Go."
"She shall be removed to-morrow," said Henry.
"In that case I am content to smother my feelings," said the queen.
"Come, then, Kate," said Henry, taking her hand. "Lord cardinal, youwill attend us."
"Right gladly, my liege," replied Wolsey. "If this mood will onlyendure," he muttered, "all will go well. But his jealousy must not beallowed to cool. Would that Wyat were here!"
Doctor Sampson could scarcely credit his senses as he beheld the augustpair come forth together, and a word from Wolsey explaining what hadoccurred, threw him into transports of delight. But the surprise of thegood canon was nothing to that exhibited as Henry and Catherine enteredthe royal lodgings, and the king ordered his own apartments to beinstantly prepared for her majesty's reception.
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