Death of queen Elis traffic of lending money to fuch a beggarly poten. A. C, 1502. tate. Nevertheless, he concluded a treaty of commerce, friendship, and confederation with him, to continue in force for one year after the decease of the laft liver: Maximilian and his fon the archduke were admitted into the order of the garter, and the emperor created Henry knight of the golden fleece*. Rymer. About the beginning of February, Henry's queen A. C. 1503. Elizabeth died in childbed, very little lamented by her husband, from whom she had never received any marks of tenderness or affection. He even zabeth. rejoiced at her death, as an event that freed him from a hateful rival in his title to the throne. He was now raised to the very fummit of profperity. He lived in peace with all his neighbours, and all domeftic troubles had ceased. But he was refolved that his fubjects fhould not share in his felicity; for his avarice becoming every day more and more infatiable, he employed all his invention in devising new methods of extortion. For thefe fordid purposes The king he retained two infamous minifters called Empfon and Dudley and Dudley, who followed the profeffion of the as the inlaw, and practifed all its fubterfuges and chicanery, oppreffion. in oppreffing the subjects with falfe accufations and imprisonment, until they were fain to purchase what was called a mitigation, with the best part of their fubftance. Such was their infolence, that they did not even obferve the common forms of juftice; but proceeded with the most arbitrary licence, to attack pretended delinquents, and try them in I private, without fair examination or verdict of jury': and thefe acts of violence they exercised under the authority of the king, who fhared the fruits of their jects of the king of Portúgal, to make * On the ninth day of December 1502, the king granted a patent to James Elliot and Thomas Afhhuift merchants of Bristol, and to Jehn_flag, Act, Pub. Gonzales and Francis Fernandez, subY No. 47. oppreffion ufes Emefon ftruments of 1 A.C1503. oppreffion. He even infifted upon their keeping Bacon. regular accompts of this fcandalous commerce, and maintained a kind of diftributive juftice, even in the practice of corruption †. He let flip no occafion for amaffing money, howfoever mean or ungrateful it might be. One day when he was magnificently entertained by the earl of Oxford, to whofe fervices he was in a great measure indebted for the crown he enjoyed, he perceived a greater number of domeftics in livery than the law allowed him to maintain; and turning to the earl, "My "Lord (faid he) I have heard much of your hofpi Earl of Suf against the tality, but it exceeds report. Are all these gen"tlemen and yeomen your menial fervants?" Oxford answering, that they were retained upon fuch extraordinary occafions only, Henry affected furprize, and replied with fome warmth, "By my faith! my lord, I thank you for my good "chear; but I may not endure to have my laws "broken in my fight. My attorney must speak with you. The earl was afterwards obliged to compound for this misdemeanor by the payment of fifteen thousand marks. Such conduct in the king and his minifters could folk forms a not fail to render them extremely odious to the peoconfpiracy ple, who murmured inceffantly against the government; and this difcontent encouraged the earl of Suffolk, whofe fortune was by this time greatly reduced by his own extravagance, to form new projects against the person and government of Henry, He had acquired a degree of popularity as the furviving branch of the houfe of York: he privately engaged fome perfons of confideration in his intereft; and then retired to Flanders, in hope of receiv- 4. C. 1503. ing countenance and fuccour from the old dutchefs of Burgundy. The king, alarmed at his retreat, and eager to know his fcheme, with the names of his affociates, repeated the expedient he had used in the cafe of Perkin Warbeck. Sir Robert Curfon, governor of the caftle of Hammes, being properly inftructed, abandoned his charge, on pretence of having been injured by the king; and retiring to Flanders, offered his fervice to the earl of Suffolk. He acted his part with fuch dexterity, that in a little time he infinuated himself into the confidence of that nobleman; and foon discovered all his affociates. The intelligence was forthwith His accom conveyed to Henry, who immediately iffued war- plices are rants for arrefting his own brother-in-law William punished, Courtney earl of Devonshire, husband to the prin cefs Catherine, daughter of Edward IV. William de la Pole, brother to the earl of Suffolk, Sir James Tyrrel, and Sir John Wyndham. George lord Abergavenny, and Sir Thomas Green, were apprehended at the same time, upon flight fufpicion, but foon discharged. The earl of Devonshire, and de la Pole, tho' nothing material appeared against them, were detained prifoners during the king's life. Tyrrel, who had been concerned in the death of Edward V. was beheaded, together with Wyndham; and several others of inferior note were executed as traitors. Henry, willing to be still better informed touching the particular designs of the earl of Suffolk, took a very extraordinary method to maintain Curfon in the confidence of that nobleman. He published in St. Paul's church, the bull of pope Innocent VIII. denouncing the cenfures of the church against all thofe who fhould difturb his government; and caufed the earl of Suffolk and Sir Robert Curfon to be excommunicated by name. When this emiffary had discovered A. C. 1503 The king projects a all the earl's fecrets, he returned to England; and was readmitted into the king's favour, which, however, he did not enjoy without the curfes of the people, who abhorred his perfidy. Suffolk finding himself betrayed, led for fome time a vagrant life in Germany, and at length returned to Flanders, where the archduke took him under his protection, after the death of the dutchefs dowager. Henry being unwilling to refund one half of Camarriage be- therine's dower, which he had already received tween Hen- and extremely eager to touch the other moiety, Wales and propofed to Ferdinand that the young widow should his brother's be married to Henry prince of Wales, brother to ry prince of widow. A&t. Pub. her late husband; and the propofal was embraced by the lady's parents, provided the pope's difpenfation could be procured. In the convention fettled between the two courts on this fubject, one reafon alledged for demanding the difpenfation, was, that the marrage between Arthur and Catherine had been formally folemnized and confummated; and pope Pius IV. the fucceffor of Alexander, when he granted this difpenfation, exprefly mentioned in the bull, that Catherine in her petition acknowledged her former marriage had been folemnized in due form, and perhaps confummated. That this was really the cafe, we may gather from the declaration of Arthur himfelf to fome of his attendants, on the morning after he had been bedded with the princess. A.C. 1504- On the fixteenth day of January the king af fembled a parliament, on pretence of enacting new laws, but in effect to demand a fubfidy for the portion of his eldeft daughter, which he accordingly received to a much greater value than that he paid to the king of Scotland; fo that he was every way a gainer by the marriage. That he was now quite fance of the abfolute in his dominions, appears from the conparliament. defcenfion of the commons, who chose for their fpeaker that very Dudley whom the whole nation. Complai detefted detefted as the inftrument by which they were fo 4. C. 154. grievously oppreffed. This complaifant parliament defired him to accept of forty thousand pounds, in lieu of aids, for knighting his eldest son Arthur, and the marriage of his daughter Margaret; and he, in token of his moderation and regard to his fubjects, remitted one fourth of that fum, the rest being levied on the cities, boroughs, towns, and landholders of the kingdom. He likewife filled his coffers by an act of parliament paffed in this feffion, attainting a great number of persons who had been concerned in the infurrections from the very beginning of his reign; as well as by another, dif. annulling all patents and grants enjoyed by thofe who either refused to appear, when fummoned, in the king's defence against enemies and rebels, or retired from that fervice without licence. The patents of jails were likewife refumed and re annexed to the fheriffwicks; foreign manufactures of filk were prohibited; a law was enacted against the currency of diminished filver pieces, which underwent a recoinage and feveral regulations were made for the maintenance of civil policy. Notwithstanding these fources of wealth, Henry, before the expiration of the year, iffued commiffions for a general benevolence, though he could not affign the the least fhadow of a reafon for this impofition; and the city of London was fain to pay five thoufand marks for the confirmation of its liberties. fatisfied with the payment of the second moiety of Catherine's portion, the fubfidy granted by parliament, the confifcation of eftates, the profits of recoinage, the benevolence, and redemption of the city's liberties, he ftill continued to grind the face of the fubjects by means of Empfon and Dudley, who amaffed great fortunes, as the tools of his rapacity. Y 3 Not IA |