number of acolytes and chaplains, and forty apof- A. C. 1521. tolical notaries: to legitimate baftards, grant the doctor's degree in all the faculties, as well as all forts of difpenfations: nay, to all the honours, wealth, and power he already poffeffed, be this year received the addition of the rich abbey of St. Alban's in commendam. No wonder that a prelate of his ambition, thus forwarded by every gale of profperity, fhould afpire at the higheft dignity of the church. He is even faid to have been fo impatient to poffefs St. Peter's chair, that he was concerned in abridging the days of Leo by poison. Be that as it may, he was certainly fo arrogant as to affect contempt for the nobility of the kingdom; and fo vindictive, that the most powerful peer in England could not disoblige him with impunity.

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His revengeful difpofition appeared too plainly in the fate of the duke of Buckingham, a weak nobleman of strong paffions and the most childish vanity; who was fo unguarded as to fay, in a private company, that should the king die without iffue, he would lay claim to the crown as the defcendant of Anne of Gloucefter, grand-daughter of Edward III. and that, fhould he ever afcend the throne, he would punish Wolfey according to his demerit. This expreffion was reported to the cardinal, who forthwith devoted him to destruction. He bribed fome of his domeftics to betray the private life and converfation of their mafter. From their information, the cardinal learned that he correfponded with one Hopkins, a monk in the priory of Hinton, who pretended to the gift of prophecy; and flattered the duke with affurances of his fucceeding to the throne of England. Wolfey, having thus collected fufficient matter for an impeachment, deprived him of his two principal fupports, the earl of Northumberland, his father-in-law, who Dd 4

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A. C. 1521, was committed to the Tower, on the frivolous pretence of his claiming fome wards to which he had no title; and his fon-in-law the earl of Surrey, who was appointed governor of Ireland, that he might be at a diftance from London. These previous steps being taken, Edward Stafford duke of Buckingham was arrested and accused of high-treafon. The chief evidence against him was one Knevit, whom he had difmiffed from his fervice for fome mifdemeanors. He was taxed with having frequently confulted Hopkins the monk, touching the fucceffion of the crown, as well as with having affected popularity; with having declared to Knevit, that if he were ill ufed he would execute against Henry the scheme which his father had projected against Richard III. whom that nobleman meaned to have affaffinated with a knife, had he been admitted into his prefence; and with having faid to lord Abergavenny, that fhould the king die he would af fume the rule of the realm, in fpite of all oppofition; adding, that fhould the lord Abergavenny difclofe his purpofe, he would call him to account in fingle combat. He was tried by one duke, one marquis, feven earls, and twelve barons, before the duke of Norfolk, appointed high-steward for the occafion. When he heard the indictment read, he faid it was a falfe forged confpiracy: nevertheless, he was convicted upon the evidence of Knevit, Hopkins, and two others; and condemned to die the death of a traitor. The duke of Norfolk could not help fhedding tears when he pronounced his fen-, tence to which the duke replied, "My lord of "Norfolk, you speak to me as to a traitor; but, "traitor was I never. My lords, I malign you "not for what you have done; but, may the eter"nal God forgive you my death, as I do. I fhall "never fue to the king for life: however, he is a gracious prince, and more grace may come from

Duke of Buckingham convicted of high treafon, and beheaded,

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Herbert.

"him than I defire; and fo I intreat you, my A. C. 1521. "lords, and all my fellows, to pray for me.' He Hall. was carried back to the Tower, where he received Hollingfhed. a message from the king, intimating, that his nishment was mitigated into a decapitation; and he fuffered death accordingly, to the univerfal regret of the people, who did not fcruple to impute his fate to the ill offices of the cardinal, whom they openly libelled as the fon of a butcher, delighting in blood.

Henry now wanted nothing but a pretext for A. C. 1522. declaring his junction with the emperor. He alledged, in his own juftification, that Francis had been the aggreffor in the affair of Robert de la Marck; but, he was really incensed against the French king, for allowing the duke of Albany to return to Scotland from France, where he had been detained for fome years at the request of the Englifh monarch, that he might intermeddle the more fuccefsfully in the Scottish affairs during the abfence of the regent. Befides, he imagined the duke intended to marry his fifter, the queen dowager of Scotland, because she had fued for a divorce from her husband the earl of Angus; and the duke of Albany had fupported her fuit at the court of Rome. Notwithstanding the pains which the regent took to clear himself of this fufpicion, by affuring Henry he had no fuch intention; and that his own wife was alive, the king of England wrote a letter to the Scottish parliament, accufing the duke of a defign upon the crown, to the prejudice of the lawful fovereign; and defiring them to expel him from the realm. To this charge they answered, That he had been misinformed touching the defigns of the duke of Albany, which were upright and honourable; that he himself had acted against the interests of his own nephew in fomenting disturbances in his kingdom; and, that if he was not inclined to re

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