ture living, and in especial, remembering how wretched and unworthy I am in comparing to his highness; and for you I do know myself never to have deserved by my deserts that you should take this great pain for me: yet daily of your goodness I do perceive by all my friends; and though that I had not knowledge by them, the daily proof of your deeds doth declare your words and writing toward me to be true. Now, good my Lord, your discretion may consider, as yet, how little it is in my power to recompense you, but all only with my good will, the which I assure you that, after this matter is brought to pass, you shall find me as I am bound. In the mean time, to owe you my service, and then look what thing in this world I can imagine to do you pleasure in, you shall find me the gladdest woman in the world to do it. And next unto the King's grace, of one thing I make you full promise, to be assured to have it, and that is my hearty love unfeignedly during my life. And being fully determined, with God's grace, never to change this purpose, I make an end of this my rude and true meaned letter, praying our Lord to send you much increase of honour, with long life. Written with the hand of her that beseeches your Grace to accept this letter, as proceeding from one that is most bound to be, "Your humble and obedient servant, "ANNE BOLEYN."

In reading this letter, we must either conclude that Anne Boleyn had pardoned Wol

sey's former offence, or that she was a practiced adept in duplicity; a quality which in no other instance she was ever found to possess, and for which she even appears to have been incapacitated by the facility and even the impetuosity of her temper. It is unlikely that the woman, who in no other instance evinced a vindictive character, should have cherished eternal hatred against Wolsey, for a disappointment in which she must long since have discovered the basis of her splendid fortune. It is, however, not improbable that she had been disgusted by Wolsey's forwardness in promoting the King's dishonorable addresses; and that, as the Cardinal's personal conduct was such as to preclude esteem, his professions might naturally inspire distrust. In justice to Anne Boleyn, it should be remembered, that she had employed no artifice to obtain that pre-eminence in the King's regard, for which she was now alternately envied and flattered, hated and caressed. Compelled by his preference to renounce a prior attachment, she had rejected his passion with disdain, till it assumed the character of honorable love. Even after Henry approached her with a legitimate object, she is said to have expressed repugnance to the idea of supplanting her Queen, and of uniting her destiny to one so far removed from her own station; but her scruples respecting Catherine, if they ever existed, soon yielded to theological arguments against the marriage, or political reasons in favor of the divorce: even her prophetic fears

of Henry's inconstancy, or caprice, submitted to the passion for aggrandizing her family, to dreams of regal greatness, and romantic anticipations of fame and glory.*

It is worthy of remark, that even Cavendisht, the servant and eulogist of Wolsey, although he complains of her ill offices to his master, adduces against her no other proof

"Some, with the ladie herself, plotted to break, or stay at the least, till something might fall betweene the cup and the lip, that might break all this purpose; with one of them, if it might have bin, and verily one of them might seem, for this present occasion, not unmeet to be recounted, which was this:-Ther was conveyed to her a book pretending old prophecies, wherein was represented the figure of some personages, with the letter H. upon one, and A. upon another, and K. upon the third, which an expounder thereupon took upon him to interpret by, the King and his wives; and to her personage certain destruction, if she married the King. This book coming into her chamber, she opened, and finding the contents, called to her maid, of whom we have spoken afore, and who also bore her name. Come hither, Nan, said she; see here a book of prophecies; this, he said, is the King; this the Queen, mourning and wringing her hands; and this is myself with my head off. The maid answered, If I thought it true, though he were an Emperor, I would not myself marry him, with that condition. Tut, Nan, replied the lady, I think the book a babel; yet for the hope I have, that this realm may be happy by my issue, I am resolved to have him, whatever might become of me."-Wiatt's Queene Anne Bolen. This circumstance is also adverted to by Fox.

By Cavendish, her chastity is unimpeached, and he expressly says, she flourished in general estimation. Yet Cavendish composed his memoirs of Wolsey during the reign of Mary, to whom nothing could be so acceptable as abuse of Anne Boleyn.

of arrogance, or malevolence, and far from insinuating suspicions injurious to her fame, contents himself with alluding to her habits of dress, and magnificence, and her keen relish for gaiety and luxury. In Anne Boleyn, the love of power appears to have been tempered, if not corrected, by benevolence. Of the mercenary calculation usually discovered in female favorites, she was absolutely incapable. She might be susceptible of flattery, or caprice, but spurned the meanness of either seeking or accepting a venal recompence, and never were her services bartered for gold. With her vanity was mingled a pardonable enthusiasm, inspired by the persuasion, that she was predestined to achieve some great object, a persuasion carefully fostered by the partisans of the Reformation, who hovered round her with demonstrations of zeal and devotion.*

Anne was a devout admirer of Tindall's works, and particularly of his Christian Obedience, which, with other heretical books, had been proscribed by Cardinal Wolsey; of this work a curious anecdote, related by Wiatt, is corroborated in Strype's Memorials. In reading books, she made, on such passages as she most relished, private marks, which could be understood only by her familiar friends. Tindall's volume lying in her gentlewoman's apartment, was by her lover purloined, and carried to another house, and afterwards accidently fell into the hands of Wolsey's chaplain, by whom it came into the Cardinal's possession. Observing Anne Boleyn's annotations, he instantly carried the book to the King, thinking his affections would be alienated on discovering her heretical principles; but Anne, who had anticipated his intentions, had already not only obtained Henry's abso

Amidst all these brilliant prospects, it was impossible that she should always forget her privations in exchanging, for dry disquisitions of polemics and politicians, the wit and eloquence of Wiatt, the vivacity of Sir Francis Brian, or the gaiety and elegance of her brother's conversation. That she passionately admired Wiatt's poems is well known; and it may fairly be presumed, she was at least equally sensible to the charms of his conversation, which was confessedly still more attractive but the influence of his society must have inflamed her ambition to signalize herself as a reformer, since the arrogance and corruption of the Roman hierarchy formed his favorite theme of satire, on which he wrote, and spoke with equal spirit; and the sentiments expressed in the following lines, though written ten years after, had long been habitual to his mind.

I am not now in France, to judge the wine,
With savoury sauce and delicates to feed,
Nor yet in Spain, where one must him incline,
Rather than to be, outwardly to seem:

I meddle not with wits that be so fine.

lution for reading the book, but prevailed on him to read it with her, and to become its advocate. There is some discrepancy in the account given by Strype and Wiatt. Thelatter is palpably incorrect, since he represents Anne as being already married, which was not till after the Cardinal's death; but both persist in attributing the motive to Wolsey. It is notorious, that the persecution for heresy was considerably remitted after her marriage, which may in part be ascribed to her influence.