The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol. I., Part C.: From Henry VII. to Mary — David Hume — John Shaqi
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol. I., Part C.: From Henry VII. to Mary
David Hume · en
{1515.} The numerous enemies whom Wolsey’s sudden elevation, his
aspiring character, and his haughty deportment had raised him, served
only to rivet him faster in Henry’s confidence; who valued himself
on supporting the choice which he had made, and who was incapable of
yielding either to the murmurs of the people or to the discontents
of the great. That artful prelate, likewise, well acquainted with the
king’s imperious temper, concealed from him the absolute ascendant which
he had acquired; and while he secretly directed all public councils,
he ever pretended a blind submission to the will and authority of
his master. By entering into the king’s pleasures, he preserved his
affection; by conducting his business, he gratified his indolence; and
by his unlimited complaisance in both capacities, he prevented all
that jealousy to which his exorbitant acquisitions and his splendid
ostentatious train of life should naturally have given birth. The
archbishopric of York falling vacant by the death of Bambridge, Wolsey
was promoted to that see, and resigned the bishopric of Lincoln. Besides
enjoying the administration of Tournay, he got possession, on easy
leases, of the revenues of Bath, Worcester, and Hereford, bishoprics
filled by Italians, who were allowed to reside abroad, and who were glad
to compound for this indulgence, by yielding a considerable share of
their income. He held “in commendam” the abbey of St. Albans, and many
other church preferments. He was even allowed to unite with the see of
York, first that of Durham, next that of Winchester; and there seemed to
be no end of his acquisitions. His further advancement in ecclesiastical
dignity served him as a pretence for engrossing still more revenues:
the pope, observing his great influence over the king, was desirous of
engaging him in his interests, and created him a cardinal. No churchman,
under color of exacting respect to religion, ever carried to a greater
height the state and dignity of that character. His train consisted of
eight hundred servants, of whom many were knights and gentlemen; some
even of the nobility put their children into his family as a place of
education; and in order to gain them favor with their patron, allowed
them to bear offices as his servants. Whoever was distinguished by any
art or science paid court to the cardinal; and none paid court in vain.
Literature, which was then in its infancy, found in him a generous
patron; and both by his public institutions and private bounty, he gave
encouragement to every branch of erudition.[*] Not content with this
munificence, which gained him the approbation of the wise, he strove
to dazzle the eyes of the populace by the splendor of his equipage and
furniture, the costly embroidery of his liveries, the lustre of his
apparel. He was the first clergyman in England that wore silk and gold,
not only on his habit, but also on his saddles and the trappings of his