An English Garner: Ingatherings from Our History and Literature (4 of 8)
History
An English Garner: Ingatherings from Our History and Literature (4 of 8)
English literature
"Why," said I, "it is now ten o'clock in the night; ye cannot, now,
carry me unto them!"
"No, Sir," said he, "you shall go with me to my house to London, where
you shall have a bed: and to-morrow, I will bring you unto them at the
Tower."
"In the name of GOD! [=_most certainly_]," said I: and so went with
him, requiring [_inquiring of_] him, "If I might understand the cause."
He said, "He knew none."
"This needed not, then," said I; "any one messenger might have fetched
me unto them": suspecting the cause to be, as it was indeed, the ballet.
On the morrow [_5th of August, 1553_], the Sheriff, seeing me nothing
dismayed, thinking it to be some light matter, went not with me
himself: but sent me unto the Tower with two of his men, waiting upon
me with two bills [_men with halberts_], prisoner-like, who brought me
unto the Council Chamber; being commanded to deliver me unto Secretary
BOURNE.
Thus standing waiting at the Council Chamber door, two or three of my
fellows, the Pensioners, and my cousin-german GILBERT WYNTER, Gentleman
Usher unto the Lady ELIZABETH [_see p._ 120], stood talking with me.
In the meantime, cometh Sir EDWARD HASTINGS [_see Vol. III. p. 147_],
newly made Master of the Horse to the Queen, and seeing me standing
there prisoner, frowning earnestly upon me, said, "Are you come? We
will talk with you or your party, I warrant you!" and so went into the
Council.
With that, my fellows and kinsman shrank away from me, as men greatly
afraid.
I did then perceive the said Sir EDWARD bare in remembrance the
controversy that was betwixt him and me in talk and questions
of religion at Calais, when the Right Honourable the Earl of
HUNTINGDON, his brother, went over, General of 6,000 men: with whom
I went the same time, and was Controller of the Ordnance.
The Earl being visited with sickness when he came thither, for that
I went over in his company, and could play and sing to the lute,
therewith to pass away the time, on the nights being long, for
we went over in Christmas [1552], would have me with him in his
chamber; and had also a great delight to hear his brother reason
with me in matters of religion. Who would be very hot, when I did
overlay him with the texts of the Scripture concerning the natural
presence of CHRIST in the sacrament of the altar; and would swear
great oaths, specially, "by the Lord's foot!" that after the words
spoken by the priest there remained no bread, but the natural body
that MARY bare.
"Nay, then, it must needs be so," would I say, "and [_if_] you
prove it with such oaths!"
Whereat the Earl would laugh heartily, saying, "Brother, give him
over! UNDERHILL is too good for you!" Wherewith he would be very
angry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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