A. C. 1509. English throne. HE ENRY VIII. the fole furviving fon of the late king, afcended the throne in the eigh afcends the teenth year of his age, with all the advantages that fuch a young prince could enjoy. His kingdom was free from all domeftic troubles; his neighbours, courted his friendship; his coffers were full of money; and he fucceeded a prince, whofe avarice ferved as a foil to his liberality: fo that his acceffion to the throne could not but be agreeable to the English nation. His father, with a view to detach him from the confideration of state-affairs, had engaged him in the ftudy of fchool-learning, and he made confiderable progrefs in the languages, theology, and the philofophy of Ariftotle. The consciousness of this learning, added to the impetuofity of a paffionate temper, and the contemplation of his own personal accomplishments, which were really extraordinary, infpired him with such a share of felf-conceit as laid him open to the penetration and artifice of other potentates. He was frank, open, and oftentatious. His father was not more penurious than he was prodigal; and what was ftill more remarkable, the earl of Surrey, who had enjoyed the poft of lord high treasurer in the former reign, on account of his refembling the king in parfimony and backwardness to part with money, still maintained his place, by his conformity to the expenfive difpofition of young Henry; fo that he feemed to change his nature with his fovereign. While preparations were making for the funeral of the deceased king, who was interred with incredible magnificence, the new monarch retired to the the Tower, in order to confult his father's minifters, A. C. 1509 about the measures neceffary to be taken in the beginning of his reign. The lord Stafford, brother to the duke of Buckingham, was arrested upon fome falfe information; but foon released, and created earl of Wiltshire. The bishopric of Durham being vacant, by the tranflation of Christopher Bambridge to the fee of York, the king beftowed it on Thomas Ruthal doctor of law, and member of the privy council. He likewife confirmed an amnesty in favour of his fubjects, which his father had granted on his death bed: tho' this did not extend to all delinquents; for, he foon published a proclamation, inviting his people to prefer complaints against thofe who had oppreffed them, on pretence of maintaining the prerogative; and immediately an infinite number of petitions was prefented against Empfon and Dudley, who, being examined before the council, were committed to the Tower, as victims devoted to deftruction. As Empfon they had sheltered themfelves in fuch a manner, condemned and Dudley under the fhadow of the law, that they could not to death. be condemned for their exactions, they were tried on a frivolous accufation, of a defign to rebel against the reigning prince; and received fentence of death for a crime of which they were intirely innocent. Dudley was tried in July at London, and Empfen convicted at Northampton in October; but the fentences were not executed, until the parliament confirmed them by an act of attainder. The next affair that employed the king's attention, was his marriage with his brother's widow, which he had not yet confummated. Notwithstanding the pope's difpenfation, young Henry, at the defire of his father, who had in all probability laid fome scheme for deceiving Ferdinand, no fooner attained to the fourteenth year of his age, NUMB. XLVIII. Z than Polyd. A. C. 1509. than he protefted in a formal manner against the confent he had given to this match; though this proteftation was kept fo fecret, that it never came to light until it was thought neceffary that the public fhould be made acquainted with the tranfaction. Ferdinand, as foon as he was informed of old Henry's death, invefted the count de Fuenfalida, his ambaffador in England, with full power to renew the treaty of alliance which had been concluded between him and the late king; and at the fame time, he ordered him to demand the confir mation and execution of that relating to his daughter's fecond marriage. When the ambaffador delivered his memorial on this fubject, the council was affembled, to deliberate and give their advice,, whether or not the king ought to confummate the marriage. Warham archbishop of Canterbury, affirmed, that it was without precedent in a chriftian land; that he doubted, whether the pope had power to dispense with the former marriage; and therefore he looked upon this as unnatural inceft.. His opinion was ftrongly oppofed by Fox bishop of Winchester, who infifted upon the unlimited power vefted in the vicar of Jefus Chrift; and expatiated upon the conveniencies of the match, as well as upon the danger of incenfing Ferdinand, and the virtues of the princefs, who declared she was still a virgin: and referred to the examination of matrons for the truth of her allegations. The king himself espoused the fentiments of Fox, and the archbishop defifting from his oppofition, through fear of exafperating pope Julius II. one of the moft enterprifing pontiffs Henry con- that had ever filled the papal chair, the council dehis nuptials creed, that the marriage fhould be confummated, with Cathe- though not before the princefs fhould have renounrine of Ar- ced for herself and her heirs, her dower of two fummates hundred thousand crowns, as a fum belonging to the king her husband. She complied with this article |