Volume III Part 21 (1/2)

[Sidenote: The fishermen of St. Kevern, in Cornwall, will have a banner.]

[Sidenote: They will rise in Christ's name.]

[Sidenote: Sir William G.o.dolphin places Cromwell on his guard.]

The parish of St. Kevern had already earned a reputation for turbulence.

Here had been born and lived the famous blacksmith Michael Flammock, who forty-five years before had led the Cornish men to Blackheath; and the inhabitants were still true to their character--a wild, bold race, fit instruments for any enterprise of recklessness. A painter from the neighbourhood came one day to Sir William G.o.dolphin, and told him that he had been desired by one of these St. Kevern men to ”make a banner for the said parish, in the which banner they would have, first, the picture of Christ, with his wounds, and a banner in his hand; our Lady on the one side, holding her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in her hand, St. John the Baptist on the other; the King's Grace and the queen[394] kneeling, and all the commonalty kneeling, with scrowls above their heads, making pet.i.tions to Christ that they might have their holy-days.” The painter said he had asked what they intended to do with such a banner. The man gave him an incoherent account of certain people whom he had seen at Southampton, when he had been up selling fish there, and who had asked him why the Cornish men had not risen when the north rose; and now, he said, they had promised to rise, and were sworn upon the book. They wanted the banner to carry round among the neighbouring parishes, and to raise the people in Christ's name.[395] G.o.dolphin would not create an alarm by making sudden arrests; but he despatched a private courier to London, and meanwhile held himself in readiness to crush any mutinous meetings on the instant of their a.s.semblage: ”If there be stirring among them,”

he said, ”by the precious body of G.o.d I will rid as many as be about the banner, or else I and a great many will die for it.”[396]

[Sidenote: Intention of declaring Lord Exeter heir-apparent.]

Conspiracies against Henry VIII. met usually with ill luck. Lord Exeter had traitors among his domestic servants, who had repeatedly warned the council that all was not right, and that he was meditating some secret movement.[397] At length particular information was given in, which connected itself with the affair at St. Kevern. It was stated distinctly that two Cornish gentlemen named Kendall and Quyntrell had for some time past been secretly employed in engaging men who were to be ready to rise at an hour's warning. When notice should be given they were to a.s.semble in arms, and declare the Marquis of Exeter heir-apparent to the throne.

Here was the key to the high promises of Reginald Pole. The government were on the eve of a fresh Pilgrimage of Grace--a fanatical mult.i.tude were about to rise again, with a Plantagenet pretender for a leader.

[Sidenote: Private inquiries are made in Cornwall.]

But Henry would not act without clearer proof against a n.o.bleman of so high blood and influence. Cromwell sent orders to G.o.dolphin to secure the man who had ordered the banner.[398] The king despatched two gentlemen of the bedchamber into Cornwall, to make private inquiries, directing them to represent themselves as being merely on a visit to their friends, and to use their opportunities to discover the truth.[399]

[Sidenote: Evident proof of Exeter's intended treason.]

[Sidenote: Possible explanation of the conduct of his adherents.]

The result of the investigation was an entire confirmation of the story.

For several years, even before the divorce of Queen Catherine, a project was found to have been on foot for a movement in favour of Exeter. The object had sometimes varied. Originally the enterprise of Blackheath was to have been renewed under more favourable auspices; and the ambition of Cornwall and Devons.h.i.+re was to avenge their defeat by dethroning Henry, and giving a new dynasty to England. They would be contented now to set aside the Prince of Wales, and to declare Exeter the next in succession.

But the enlistment was as certain as it was dangerous. ”Great numbers of the king s subjects were found to have bound themselves to rise for him.”[400] We have here, perhaps, the explanation of these counties remaining quiet during the great insurrection. Exeter himself might have been willing (if the a.s.sistance of the Emperor was contemplated he must have been willing) to acknowledge the higher claims of the Princess Mary. But his adherents had possessed themselves of larger hopes, and a separate purpose would have embarra.s.sed their movements. This difficulty existed no longer. Mary could have no claims in preference to Prince Edward; and the fairest hopes of the revolutionists might now be to close the line of the Tudor sovereigns with the life of the reigning king.

[Sidenote: October. Arrest of an agent of the Poles.]

[Sidenote: The prisoner is seen by Sir Geoffrey Pole.]

The meshes were thus cast fairly over Exeter. He was caught, and in Cromwell's power. But one disclosure led to another. At or near about the same time, some information led to the arrest of a secret agent of the Poles; and the att.i.tude and objects of the whole party were drawn fully into light. The St. Kevern fisherman had mentioned two men at Southampton who had spoken to him on the subject of the new rebellion.

Efforts were made to trace these persons; and although the link is missing, and perhaps never existed, between the inquiry and its apparent consequences, a Southampton ”yeoman” named Holland was arrested on suspicion of carrying letters between Cardinal Pole and his mother and family. There is no proof that papers of consequence were found in Holland's custody; but the government had the right man in their hands.

He was to be taken to London; and, according to the usual mode of conveyance, he was placed on horseback, with his feet tied under his horse's belly. On the road it so happened that he was met and recognized by Sir Geoffrey Pole, Reginald's younger brother. The worthlessness of conspirators is generally proportioned to their violence. Sir Geoffrey, the most deeply implicated of the whole family, except the cardinal, made haste to secure his own safety by the betrayal of the rest. A few words which he exchanged with Holland sufficed to show him that Cromwell was on the true scent. He judged Holland's cowardice by his own; and ”he bade him keep on his way, for he would not be long after.”[401]

[Sidenote: A pardon is promised to Exeter if he will make a free confession.]

Lord Exeter's chances of escape were not yet wholly gone. His treasons were known up to a certain point, but forgiveness might generally be earned by confession and submission; and Cromwell sent his nephew Richard to him, with an entreaty that ”he would be frank and plain.”[402] But the accused n.o.bleman would make no revelation which would compromise others. His proud blood perhaps revolted against submission to the detested minister. Perhaps he did not know the extent to which his proceedings had been already discovered, and still less antic.i.p.ated the treachery by which he was about to be overwhelmed.

[Sidenote: Sir Geoffrey Pole betrays the conspiracy.]

[Sidenote: Intentions of the Poles.]

Sir Geoffrey Pole made haste to London; and, preventing the accusations which, in a few days, would have overtaken him, he secured the opportunity which had been offered to Exeter of saving himself by confession. He presented himself to the Privy Council, and informed them that he, with Lord Montague, the Marquis and Marchioness of Exeter, Sir Edward Neville, and other persons whom he named, were in treasonable correspondence with his brother Reginald. They had maintained a steady communication with him from the time of his legacy into Flanders. They were watching their opportunities. They had calculated the force which they could raise, the Marquis of Exeter's power in the west forming their especial reliance. The depositions survive only in portions. It does not appear how far the Poles would have supported Exeter's ambition for the crown; they intended, however, this time to avoid Lord Darcy's errors, and not to limit themselves to attacks upon the ministers.[403]

The death of Lord Abergavenny had been inopportune;[404] but his brother, Sir Edward Neville, with Lady Salisbury, would supply his place in rallying the Neville powers. The Yorks.h.i.+re rising had proved how large was the material of an insurrection if adequately managed; and the whole family, doubtless, shared with Reginald, or rather, to them Reginald himself owed the conviction which he urged so repeatedly on the Emperor and the Pope, that, on the first fair opportunity, a power could be raised which the government would be unable to cope with.

[Sidenote: November. Combination of dangers driving the government to severity.]

If it is remembered that these discoveries occurred when the Bull of Deposition was on the point of publication--when the ”Liber de Unitate”

was pa.s.sing into print--when the pacification of Nice had restored the Continent to the condition most dangerous to England--when the Pope was known to be preparing again a mighty effort to gather against Henry the whole force of Christendom, this was not a time, it will be understood easily, when such plottings would be dealt with leniently by a weaker hand than that which then ruled the destinies of England.