The Reign of Mary Tudor | Page 9

nightfall, a letter was brought in to
them from Mary. The lords ordered the messenger into arrest. The seal
of the packet was broken, and the letter read aloud. It was dated the day
before, Sunday, July 9:--
"My lords," wrote Mary, "we greet you well, and have received sure
advertisement that our deceased brother the king, our late Sovereign
Lord, is departed to God's mercy; which news how they be woeful to
our heart He only knoweth to whose will and pleasure we must and do
submit us and all our wills. But in this so lamentable a case that is, to
wit, now, after his majesty's departure and death, concerning the crown
and governance of this realm of England, that which hath been
provided by act of parliament and the testament and last will of our
dearest father, you know--the realm and the whole world knoweth. The
rolls and records appear, by the authority of the king our said father,
and the king our said brother, and the subjects of this realm; so that we
verily trust there is no true subject that can pretend to be ignorant
thereof; and of our part we have ourselves caused, and as God shall aid
and strengthen us, shall cause, our right and title in this behalf to be
published and proclaimed accordingly.

"And, albeit, in this so weighty a matter, it seemeth strange that the
dying of our said brother upon Thursday at night last past, we hitherto
had no knowledge from you thereof; yet we consider your wisdom and
prudence to be such, that having eftsoons amongst you debated,
pondered, and well-weighed the present case, with our estate, with your
own estate, the commonwealth, and all our honours, we shall and may
conceive great hope and trust, with much assurance in your loyalty and
service; and therefore, for the time, we interpret and take things not for
the worst; and that ye yet will, like noblemen, work the best.
Nevertheless, we are not ignorant of your consultation to undo the
provisions made for our preferment, nor of the great banded provisions
forcible whereunto ye be assembled {p.009} and prepared, by whom
and to what end God and you know; and nature can fear some evil. But
be it that some consideration politic, or whatsoever thing else, hath
moved you thereunto; yet doubt ye not, my lords, but we can take all
these your doings in gracious part, being also right ready to remit and
also pardon the same, with that freely to eschew bloodshed and
vengeance against all those that can or will intend the same; trusting
also assuredly you will take and accept this grace and virtue in good
part as appertaineth, and that we shall not be enforced to use the service
of other our true subjects and friends which, in this our just and rightful
cause, God, in whom our whole affiance is, shall send us.
"Whereupon, my lords, we require and charge you, and every of you,
on your allegiance, which you owe to God and us, and to none other,
that for our honour and the surety of our realm, only you will employ
yourselves; and forthwith, upon receipt hereof, cause our right and title
to the crown and government of this realm to be proclaimed in our city
of London, and such other places as to your wisdom shall seem good,
and as to this cause appertaineth, not failing hereof, as our very trust is
in you; and this our letter, signed with our own hand, shall be your
sufficient warrant."[16]
[Footnote 16: Holinshed.]
The lords, when the letter was read to the end, looked uneasily in each
other's faces. The ladies screamed, sobbed, and were carried off in

hysterics. There was yet time to turn back; and had the Reformation
been, as he pretended, the true concern of the Duke of Northumberland,
he would have brought Mary back himself, bound by conditions which,
in her present danger, she would have accepted. But Northumberland
cared as little for religion as for any other good thing. He was a great
criminal, throwing a stake for a crown; and treason is too conscious of
its guilt to believe retreat from the first step to be possible.
Another blow was in store for him that night, before he laid his head
upon his pillow. Lady Jane, knowing nothing of the letter from Mary,
had retired to her apartment, when the Marquis of Winchester came in
to wish her joy. He had brought the crown with him, which she had not
sent for; he desired her to put it on, and see if it required alteration. She
said it would do very well as it was. He then told her that, before her
coronation, another crown was to be