Page:The Queens of England.djvu/304

 264 THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. with. "It being possible," said Charles, "that I have more just occasion to make war against the king your master than he hath -against me, especially if it be true (which is said in Eng- land, France, and other parts) that your king will be divorced from the queen his wife, and marry with another (notwith- standing the dispensations granted on that behalf). Since, besides all other injuries done herein, it will be made manifest his intention was to make the lady (he pretended to give me in marriage) a bastard." Then followed a severe censure on Cardinal Wolsey, whose ambition and covetousness Charles the Fifth exposed in no measured terms, and whom he blamed for all. How heavily must this have fallen on the heart of Kath- arine, tortured as she was by all the pangs of jealousy at wit- nessing Henry's unconcealed passion for her rival, Anne Boleyn, to whom the courtiers now paid that homage which they had before laid at her feet. In vain did Katharine endeavor to win back the truant heart of her cruel husband, by affecting a cheer- fulness that was foreign to her character. The attempt was utterly unsuccessful ; and the natural gaiety and coquetry of Anne, increased by her long residence in the court of France, formed a dangerous contrast to the staid and matronly decorum of the unhappy queen. But, though tortured by jealousy, Kath- arine maintained her dignity, by forbearing to reproach or mark her disapprobation of Anne Boleyn. On one occasion only did she betray her knowledge of the position of Anne, when the latter, playing at cards, hesitated a moment about playing a king. "My Lady Anne," said the queen, "you have the good luck to stop at a king; but you are like others, you will have all or none." Henry used his utmost dissimulation towards the queen, while urging on the divorce by every means in his power. He tried to make her believe for some time, that he only agitated the question of the validity of his marriage with her in order to silence forever all doubts of the legitimacy of their daughter, the Princess Mary. But when she discovered that he was really bent on obtaining a divorce, she openly declared her determina- tion of opposing it. Henry had privately sent William Wright, doctor of law, to Rome, to negotiate for the divorce ; but the pope being then a prisoner, and whollv in the power of Charles the Fifth, offered a great obstacle to the wish of Henry. In this state of affairs, Henry demanded whether Katharine could not be persuaded to become a nun ; and whether if he, in order to