Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/118

104 Chapel of our Lady of Court-street. Accordingly, the day being made public, a mob of about 3000 people attended her there, as did likewise several persons of quality of both sexes, and the commissioners made a part of the procession.

At her entrance, she was saluted in a hymn with Ave regina cœlorum; when she came before the image she fell down in one of her trances, delivering therein rhimes, speeches, &c. all tending to the honour of that saint and the Popish religion, and that she was called, by the inspiration of God, to be a religious, and that it was the will of our lady that Bocking should be her ghostly father.

It was now given out, that she was miraculously recovered of her former distemper; and, on the report made by the commissioners, the archbishop ordered her to be placed in the nunnery of St. Sepulchre, in Canterbury, where she still carried on the imposture; but the Romish clergy being apprehensive, that the king's marriage with Anne Boleyn would be detrimental to their religion, they set every instrument at work to prevent it; and among the rest, Bocking and her other associates prevailed upon her to threaten the king with death, or the loss of his crown.

Elated with her former success, and the credit she had in the world for sanctity, she was hardy enough to be governed by this advice, and made no scruple to declare publicly, that in case the king proceeded in the divorce, and married another wife, while queen Catherine was living, he should not be king of England a month longer, but should die a villain's death. This she said was revealed to her in answer to a prayer she made to God, to know whether he approved of the king's proceeding or not. This was blazed by the bishop