Page:The Works of Francis Bacon (1884) Volume 1.djvu/500

 372 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. could not come to fetch them. For which pur- j having no galleys, nor the experience of his pose was sent into England, Jasper Pons, a Spaniard, the pope s commissioner, better chosen than were the commissioners of Pope Leo, after wards employed for Germany ; for he carried the business with great wisdom, and semblance of holiness : insomuch as he levied great sums of money within this land to the pope s use, with little or no scandal. It was thought the king shared in the money ; but it appeareth by a letter which Cardinal Adrian, the king s pensioner, wrote to the king from Rome some few years after, that this was not so. For this cardinal, being to persuade Pope Julius, on the king s behalf, to expedite the bull of dispensation for the marriage between Prince Henry and the Lady Catharine, finding the pope difficile in granting thereof, doth use it as a principal argu ment concerning the king s merit towards that see, that he had touched none of those deniers which had been levied by Pons in England. But that it might the better appear, for the satis faction of the common people, that this was con secrated money, the same nuncio brought unto the king a brief from the pope, wherein the king was exhorted and summoned to come in person against the Turk : for that the pope, out of the care of a universal father, seeing almost under his eyes the successes and progresses of that great enemy of the faith, had had in the con clave, and with the assistance of the ambassa dors of foreign princes, divers consultations about a holy war, and a general expedition of Christian princes against the Turk: wherein it was agreed and thought fit, that the Hungarians, Polonians, and Bohemians, should make a war upon Thracia; the French and Spaniards upon Graecia; and that the pope, willing to sacrifice himself in so good a cause, in person, and in company of the King of England, the Venetians, and such other states as were great in maritime power, would sail with a puissant navy through the Mediterranean unto Constantinople. And that to this end, his holiness had sent nuncios to all Christian princes, as well for a cessation of all quarrels and differences amongst themselves, as for speedy preparations and contributions of forces and treasure for this sacred enterprise. To this the king, who understood well the court of Rome, made an answer rather solemn than serious : signifying, &quot; That no prince on earth should be more for ward and obedient, both by his person, and by all his possible forces and fortunes, to enter into this sacred war, than himself. But that the distance ot place was such, as no forces that he should laise for the seas, could he levied or prepared but with double the charge, and double the time, at the least, that they might be from the other princes, that had their territories nearer adjoining. pilots and mariners, could be so apt for those seas as theirs. And therefore, that his holiness might do well to move one of those other kings, who lay fitter for the purpose, to accompany him by sea. Whereby both all things would be no sooner put in readiness, and with less charge, and the emulation and divis on of command, which might grow between those Kings of France and Spain, if they should both join in the war by land upon Greecia, might be wisely avoided ; and that for his part he would not be wanting in aids and contribution. Yet, notwith standing, if both these kings should refuse, rather than his holiness should go alone, he would wait upon him as soon as he could be ready : always provided, that he might first see all differences of the Christian princes amongst themselves fully laid down and appeased, as for his own part, he was in none, and that he might have some good towns upon the coast in Italy put into his hands, for the retreat and safeguard of his men.&quot; With this answer Jasper Pons returned, nothing at all discontented : and yet this declaration of the king, as superficial as it was, gave him thai reputation abroad, as he was not long after elected by the Knights of Rhodes the protector of their order: all things multiplying to honour in a prince, that had gotten such high estimation for his wisdom and sufficiency. There were these last two years some proceed ings against heretics, which was rare in this king s reign, and rather by penances, than by fire. The king had, though he were no good schoolman, the honour to convert one of them by dispute, at Canterbury. This year also, though the king were no more haunted with sprites, for that by the sprinkling, partly of blood, and partly of water, he had chased them away ; yet nevertheless, he had cer tain apparitions that troubled him, still showing themselves from one region, which was the house of York. It came so to pass, that the Earl of Suffolk, son to Elizabeth, eldest sister to King Edward the Fourth, by John, Duke of Suffolk, her second husband, and brother to John, Earl ot Lincoln, that was slain at Stokefield. being of a hasty and choleric disposition, had killed a man in his fury; whereupon the king gave him his pardon. But, either willing to leave a cloud upon him, or the better to make him feel hi? grace, produced him openly to plead his pardon This wrought in the earl, as in a haughty stomach it useth to do; for the ignominy printed deepei than the grace. Wherefore he being discontent fled secretly into Flanders, unto his aunt, the Duchess of Burgundy. The king startled at it, but, being taught by troubles to uie fair and timely remedies, wrought so with him by mes- fiesides. mat neither the manner of his ships, | sages, the Lady Margaret also growing, by often