The first news of the terms made Henry exceedingly angry[96]. A letter was at once drawn up addressed to Fitzwilliam and Russell, in which he scolded them roundly. He was amazed that they could not achieve the thing that the King most desired, namely, the reservation of certain persons for punishment. As for the monasteries, so long as he wore the crown of England he would never give them up. Various persons from the north had been interrogated by the King[97], in particular Steward, the Scot of whom Norfolk had given warning[98], and they all reported that the commons of the north were weary of the rebellion, penitent and ready to submit unconditionally. He would have been a brave man who dared to say otherwise, when face to face with Henry. The King desired Russell and Fitzwilliam to send a detailed account of all the negotiations. It is very much to be wished that they had done so, but in all probability the King’s letter was never sent. It is undated and endorsed by Wriothesley “The minute that was devised to have been sent to my lord Admiral and Master Russell,” which implies that it never was despatched[99]. When it was drawn up Henry must have expected that the negotiations would last at least a week, as he had suggested in his instructions. The minute cannot have been written before 8 December, as it alludes to a letter from Norfolk to Suffolk dated Thursday 7 December and forwarded to the King[100]. The despatch of the King’s letter may have been prevented by further letters from Doncaster, announcing that the conference was over, or it may be simply that the King had changed his mind. As soon as his first outburst of rage was over, he must have become aware of the great advantage which he had gained. He had been thwarted for the moment, which his passionate self-will could hardly bear, but cunning was really more in accordance with his tastes than violence. A very little reflection would show him that it only required time, patience and diplomacy for him to recover everything that he had yielded for the moment, and to recover it, moreover, without the risk and expense of war. Therefore his angry letter was cancelled, and the King gave no sign as to his opinion of the terms made at Doncaster. He did not ratify them, but on the other hand he did not repudiate them. One of the heralds who was sent to the north with the pardons, as we have seen, encouraged the people to believe that the monks were to remain in their houses for the present. It is here that a charge of treachery will fairly lie. Henry had no intention of keeping the unauthorised promise which Norfolk as his representative had made, but he did not repudiate it. He permitted and encouraged those whom it most concerned to believe that he regarded the promise as binding, until he found a favourable opportunity for denying it altogether, and punishing those who had trusted him. NOTES TO CHAPTER XV