The Wives of Henry the Eighth and the Parts They Played in History
David Hume · en
[98] The Duke of Norfolk was apparently delighted to be absent from his
niece's triumph, though the Duchess followed Anne in a carriage. He
started the day before to be present at the interview between Francis and
the Pope at Nice. He had two extraordinary secret conferences with Chapuys
just before he left London, in which he displayed without attempt at
concealment his and the King's vivid apprehension that the Emperor would
make war upon England. Norfolk went from humble cringing and flattery to
desperate threats, praying that Chapuys would do his best to reconcile
Katharine to Cranmer's sentence and to prevent war. He praised Katharine
to the skies "for her great modesty, prudence, and forbearance during the
divorce proceedings, as well as on former occasions, the King having been
at all times inclined to amours." Most significant of all was Norfolk's
declaration "that he had not been either the originator or promoter of
this second marriage, but on the contrary had always been opposed to it,
and had tried to dissuade the King therefrom." (_Spanish Calendar Henry
VIII._, vol. 6, part 2, 29th May 1533.)
[99] Norfolk, on the morning of the water pageant, told Chapuys that the
King had been very angry to learn that Katharine's barge had been
appropriated by Anne, and the arms ignominiously torn off and hacked; and
the new Queen's chamberlain had been reprimanded for it, as there were
plenty of barges on the river as fit for the purpose as that one. But Anne
would bate no jot of her spiteful triumph over her rival; and, as is told
in the text, she used Katharine's barge for her progress, in spite of all.
[100] _Spanish Chronicle of Henry VIII._, edited by the present writer,
1889.
[101] _Spanish Calendar Henry VIII._, Chapuys to the Emperor, 11th and
30th July 1533.
[102] _Chronicle of Henry VIII._, edited by the present writer.
[103] _Chronicle of Henry VIII._ Cranmer, in his letter to Hawkins giving
an account of the festivities on this occasion (Harl. MSS., Ellis's
Original Letters, vol. 2, series 1), says that after the banquet in the
hall of the old palace, "She was conveyed owte of the bake syde of the
palice into a barge and, soe unto Yorke Place, where the King's Grace was
before her comyng; for this you must ever presuppose that his Grace came
allwayes before her secretlye in a barge as well frome Grenewyche to the
Tower, as from the Tower to Yorke Place."
[104] Stow gives some curious glimpses of the public detestation of the
marriage, and of the boldness of Friar Peto in preaching before the King
at Greenwich in condemnation of it; and the letter of the Earl of Derby
and Sir Henry Faryngton to Henry (Ellis's Original Letters, vol. 2, series
1) recounts several instances of bold talk in Lancashire on the subject,
the most insulting and opprobrious words being used to describe "Nan
Bullen the hoore."
[105] Lord Herbert of Cherbury.
[106] _Spanish Calendar Henry VIII._, 11th July 1533.