Page:Walks in the Black Country and its green border-land.pdf/172

158 under the new spirit of the age, it may yet present a goodly roll of names which the world may have motive to remember pleasantly. The history of the reigning family presents many unique and some very interesting vicissitudes. One of them—George Dudley—was mixed up in Cardinal Pole's plot against Henry VIII, and was caught and kept by Sir William Paget in France, who felt sure of sending him to punishment in England. But the sturdy knight was baffled in a manner which he thus piteously describes in a letter to his sovereign:

""This false, traitorous boy Dudley, I being at my supper, and straungers with me, and he having one of his kepars with him, and the dore of the place where he was standing negligently open, made semblant to walk up and down, while his kepar looked upon a booke, and whipping out of the dore, plucked the same after him, and to go so as, before the beastely foole could open the door and folowe him thother, was gone clene out of sight. I made after of all handes, and sent bye-and-bye to all the gates of the town, and kept that night fyve watches in searchie; but all woull not helpe, for in Paris (as they know that have been in it) a thousand false sherews may hyde themselves and not be founde. I beseech your Majestie moost humbly to think nothing els in me but folye, which I assure you. Sir, hath grieved me more thenne would have done the losse of all that ever I have, and take my children withall.""

Young Dudley made his way into Italy, where Bishop Bonner, then on a mission to the Pope, had him arrested and confined in the castle at Milan. But he succeeded in effecting his escape from this duress still more ingeniously, and never was heard