the time of his Sickness, being divers times pressed to put his hand to the Will written, he refused to do it. And it seemed God would not suffer him to proceed in an Act so injurious and prejudicial to the right Heir of the Crown, being his Niece. Then his death approaching, some as well known to you as to me, caused William Clarke, sometimes Servant to Thomas Henneage, to sign the supposed Will with a stamp (for otherwise signed it was never); and yet notwithstanding some respecting more the satisfaction of their ambition, and others their private commodity, than just and upright dealing, procured divers honest Gentlemen, attending in divers several Rooms about the King's Person, to testifie with their hard writings the Contents of the said pretended Will, surmised to be signed with the King's own hand. To prove this dissembled and forged signed Testament, I do refer you to such Trials as be yet left. First; The Attestation of the late Lord Paget, published in the Parliament in Queen Mary's time, for the restitution of the Duke of Norfolk. Next I pray you, on my Sovereigns behalf, that the Depositions may be taken in this matter of the Marquess of Winchester, Lord Treasurer of England, the Marquess of Northampton, the Earl of Pembroke, Sir William Petre, then one of King Henry's Secretaries, Sir Henry Nevill, Sir Maurice Barkley, Doctor Buts, Edmond Harman Baker, John Osborn, Groom of the Chamber, Sir Anthony Dennis, if he be living, Terris the Chirurgion, and such as have heard David Vincent and others speak in this case; and that their Attestations may be enrolled in the Chancery, and in the Arches, in perpetuam rei memoriam.

Thirdly; I do refer you to the Original Will surmised to be signed with the King's own hand, that thereby it may most clearly and evidently appear by some differences, how the same was not signed with the King's hand, but stamped as aforesaid. And albeit it is used both as an Argument and Calumniation against my Sovereign to some, that the said Original hath been embezzled in Queen Mary's time, trust God will and hath reserved the same to be an Instrument to relieve the Truth, and to confound false Surmises, that thereby the Right may take place, notwithstanding the many Exemplifications and Transcripts, which being sealed with the great Seal, do run abroad in England, and do carry away many Mens minds, as great presump. tions of great verity and validity. But, Sir, you know in cases of less importance than the whole Realm of England, Transcripts and Exemplifications be not of so great force in Law to serve for the recovery of any thing, either

real or personal: "And in as much as my Soveraign's Title in this case shall be little advanced, by taking exceptions to others pretended and crased Titles, considering her precedency, I will leave it to such as are to claim after the issue of Hen. the 7th, to lay in Bar the Poligamy of Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk; and also the vitiated and clandestine Contract (it it may be so called) having no witness nor solemnization of Christian Matrimony, nor any lawful matching, of the Earl of Hertford and the Lady Katharine. Lastly; The semblably compelling of Mr. Key and the Lady Mary, Sister to the Lady Katherine.

:

And now, Sir, I have to answer your desire said somewhat briefly to the Matter, which indeed is very little, where so much may be said; for to speak truly, the Cause speaketh for it self. I have so long forborn to deal in this matter, that I have almost forgotten many things which may be said for Roboration of her Right, which I can shortly reduce to my remembrance, being at Edinburgh where my Notes are: So that if you be not by this satisfied, upon knowledg from you of any other Objection, I hope to satisfy you unto all things may be said against her. In the mean time I pray you so counsel the Queen, your Soveraign, as some effectual reparation may follow without delay, of the many and sundry traverses and dis-favourings committed against the Queen, my Sovereign as the publishing of so many exemplifications of King Henry's supposed Will, the secret embracing of John Halles Books, the Books printed and not avowed the last Summer, one of the which my Mistris hath sent by Henry Killigrew to the Queen your Soveraign; The Disputes and Proceedings of Lincoln's-Inn, where the Case was ruled against the Queen my Soveraign; The Speeches of sundry in this last Session of Parliament, tending all to my Soveraigns derision, and nothing said to the contrary by any Man, but the Matter shut up with silence, most to her prejudice; and by so much the more as every Man is gone home settled and confirmed in his Error. And, Lastly, The Queen, your Soveraign's resolution to defend now by Proclamations, all Books and Writings containing any discussion of Titles, when the whole Realm hath engendered by these fond proceedings, and other favoured practices, a settled opinion against my soveraigns, to the advancement of my Lady Katherines Title. I might also speak of an other Book lately printed and set abroad in this last Session, containing many untruths and weak Reasons, which Mr. Wailing desired might be answered before the Defence were made by Proclamation. I trust you will so hold hand to the Reformation of all these things, as

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A COLLECTION OF RECORDS.

the Queen, my Soveraign, may have effectual occasion to esteem you her Friend; which doing, you shall never offend the Queen your Mistris, your Country, nor Conscience, but be a favourer of the Truth against Errors, and yet deserve well of a Princess who hath a good heart to recognize any good turn, when it is done her, and may hereafter have means to do you pleasure. For my particular, as I have always honoured you as my Father, so do I still remain of the same mind, as one, whom in all things not touching the State, you may direct, as your Son Thomas Cecil, and with my hearty commendations to you and my Lady both I take my leave. From Strivelling, the 14th of January, 1566.

AN

APPENDIX,

CONCERNING

SOME OF THE ERRORS AND FALSEHOODS

IN

SANDERS'S BOOK

OF

THE ENGLISH SCHISM.

THOSE Who intend to write romances, or plays, do commonly take their plot from some true piece of history; in which they fasten such characters to persons and things, and mix such circumstances and secret passages, with those public transactions and changes, that are in other histories; as may more artificially raise these passions and affections in their readers' minds, which they intend to move, than could possibly be done, if the whole story were a mere fiction and contrivance and though all men know those tender passages to flow only from the invention and fancy of the poet; yet, by I know not what charm, the greatest part that read or hear their poems, are softened and sensibly touched.

Some such design Sanders seems to have had in his book, which he very wisely kept up as long as he lived: he intended to represent the Reformation in the foulest shape that was possible, to defame Queen Elizabeth, to stain her blood, and thereby to bring her title to the crown in question; and to magnify the authority of the See of Rome, and celebrate monastic orders, with all the praises and high characters he could devise: and therefore, after he had writ several books on these subjects, without any considerable success, they being all rather filled with foul calumnies and detracting malice, than good arguments, or strong sense, he resolved to try his skill another way; so he intended to tell a doleful tale, which should raise a detestation of heresy, an ill opinion of the Queen, cast a stain on her blood, and disparage her title, and advance VOL. I, PART II.

2 G

the honour of the Papacy. A tragedy was fitter for these ends, since it left the deepest impressions on the graver and better affections of the mind; the scene must be laid in England, and King Henry the Eighth and his three children, with the changes that were in their times, seemed to afford very plentiful matter for a man of wit and fancy, who knew where he could dexterously shew his art, and had boldness enough to do it without shame, or the reverence due, either to crowned heads, or to persons that were dead. Yet because he knew not how he could hold up his face to the world, after these discoveries were made, which he had reason to expect, this was concealed as long as he lived and after he had died for his faith (that is, in rebellion, which I shall shew is the faith in his style) this work of his was published. The style is generally clean, and things are told in an easy and pleasant way; only he could not use his art so decently, as to restrain that malice which boiled in his breast, and often fermented out too palpably in his pen.

The book served many ends well, and so was generally much cried up, by men who had been long accustomed to commend any thing that was useful to them, without troubling themselves with those impertinent questions, whether they were true or false; yet Rishton, and others since that time, took the pencil again in their hands, and finding there were many touches wanting, which would give much life to the whole piece, have so changed it, that it was afterwards reprinted, not only with a large continuation, that was writ by a much more unskilful poet, but with so many and great additions, scattered through the whole work, whereby it seemed so changed in the vamping, that it looked new.

If any will give themselves the trouble to compare his fable with the History that I have written, and the certain undoubted authorities I bring in confirmation of what I assert, with the slender, and (for the most part) no authorities, he brings, they will soon be able to discern where the truth lies: but because all people have not the leisure or opportunities for laying things so critically together, I was advised by those whose counsels directed me in this whole work, to sum up, in the Appendix, the most considerable falsehoods and mistakes of that book, with the evidences upon which I rejected them. Therefore I have drawn out the following extraction, which, consists of errors of two sorts. The one is, of those in which there is indeed no malice, yet they shew the writer had no true information of our affairs, but commits many faults, which though they leave not such foul imputations on the author, yet tend