Robin Tremayne Part 16

"And hath he met again with Mistress Lake," said Isoult, "and restored unto her her thirty pounds?"

"That I cannot tell," returned John.

A letter came before long from Mr Barry, written at Christmas, and informing his sister that matters were now settled and peaceable.

Indeed, at Wynscote they had heard nothing of the rioters. But Potheridge had been surrounded, and in answer to the rebels' summons to surrender, Mr Monke had sent them a dauntless message of defiance: upon which they had replied with threats of terrible vengeance, but had retired, discomfited at the first trial of strength, and never came near the place more.

Darker grew the clouds, meanwhile, over the prisoner in the Tower. His enemies drew up twenty-nine articles against him, and, going to him in his captivity, read them to him, and informed the world that he had humbly confessed them.

"Well," said John Avery, "some of these be but matter for laughter. To wit, that the Duke did command multiplication [coining] and alc.u.mistry, whereby the King's coin was abated. As though my Lord of Somerset should take upon him to abate the King's coin!"

"Nay, better men than he have dealt with alc.u.mistry," answered Dr Thorpe. "The former charge moveth my laughter rather,--That my said Lord hath done things too much by himself: to wit, without the knowledge and sage avis.e.m.e.nt of these my Lords of the King's Council. Is there so much as one of them that would not do the same an' he had the chance?"

"Why," said Avery, "he had the chance, and therein lieth his offence.

They had not, and therein lieth their virtue."

From two poor innocent lambs cruelly pent up by the Protector, now that he was himself in durance, there came a great outcry for relief. These were the imprisoned prelates, Bonner and Gardiner. The latter said that "he had been in prison one year and a quarter and a month; and he lacked air to relieve his body, and books to relieve his mind, and good company (the only solace of this world), and lastly, a just cause why he should have come thither at all." How well can the wolf counterfeit the lamb!

Had none of his prisoners lacked air, and books? And had my Lord Bishop of Winchester been so careful to see to a just cause in the case of every man he sent to Tower or Fleet?

On the 27th of January the leaders of the Devon riots were hanged at Tyburn; the chief of whom was Humphrey Arundel. And on the 6th of February the Duke of Somerset was delivered from the Tower, and suffered to go home; but four days before a change had been made in the Council, the Earls of Arundel and Southampton being dismissed and ordered to keep their houses in London during the King's pleasure.

Mrs Rose and Thekla came several times to visit Isoult, and she returned the compliment. And one day in February came Philippa Ba.s.set, who was about to go into Cheshire, to visit her sister, Lady Bridget Carden, with whom she pa.s.sed nearly a year before Isoult saw her again. Lady Bridget really was not her sister at all, she being Lord Lisle's daughter, and Philippa Lady Lisle's; but they had been educated as sisters, and as sisters they loved. Not long afterwards, Sir Francis Jobson resigned his office at the Tower, and went home to his own estate of Monkwich, in Ess.e.x. His wife was the Lady Elizabeth, sister of Lady Bridget; and with her Philippa had lived ever since she came to London.

When she came back, therefore, she was forced to look out for another home, for she did not wish to follow them into Ess.e.x: and she went to her own youngest brother, Mr James Ba.s.set, who had a house in London.

All this while the Reformation was quietly progressing. On the 19th of April, Bishop Ridley came to Saint Paul's Cathedral, in communion-time, and received the sacrament, together with Dr May, the Dean, and Dr Barne; both the Dean and the Bishop took the consecrated bread in their hands, instead of holding out the tongue, for the priest to put the wafer upon it. And before the Bishop would come into the choir, he commanded all the lights that were on the Lord's Table to be put out.

The Dean, who was a Lutheran, was well pleased at all this; but not so other men who were more kindly disposed towards Popery; and there was much murmuring and disputing.

At this time the Princess Mary was hanging between life and death at Kenninghall. We know now how all things had been changed had she died.

But G.o.d could not spare her who was to be (however unwittingly or unwillingly) the purifier of His Church, to show which was the dross, and which the gold.

Some turmoil was also made concerning Joan Boucher, an Anabaptist girl who had been condemned for heresy, and was burned in Smithfield on the 2nd of May. The Papal party, ever ready to throw stones at the Protestants, cried that "the old burning days were come again," and that Archbishop Cranmer was just as much a persecutor as Bishop Gardiner.

They saw no difference between a solitary victim of the one (if Joan Boucher can be called so), and the other's piles of martyrs. Isoult, rather puzzled about the question, referred it to her husband--the manner in which she usually ended her perplexities.

"Dear heart," said he, "there be so few that can keep the mean. When men take G.o.d's sword in hand, is it any wonder that they handle it ill?"

"But wouldst thou leave such ill fawtors unchastened, Jack?" exclaimed Dr Thorpe rather indignantly.

"That were scantly the mean, I take it," quietly returned he.

Mr Underhill was just then busied in presenting before the Archbishop of Canterbury his parish priest, Mr Alb.u.t.t, Vicar of Stepney, for his unseemly behaviour to the Lutheran clergy who came, by order of the King and the Archbishop, to preach in his church. For he disturbed the preachers in his church (writes Underhill), "causing bells to be rung when they were at the sermon, and sometimes began to sing in the choir before the sermon were half done, and sometimes would challenge [publicly dispute his doctrines] the preacher in the pulpit; for he was a strong stout Popish prelate. But the Archbishop was too full of lenity; a little he rebuked him, and bade him do no more so."

"My Lord," said Mr Underhill, "I think you are too gentle unto so stout a Papist."

"Well," said he, "we have no law to punish them by."

"No law, my Lord!" cried Mr Underhill; "If I had your authority, I would be so bold as to un-vicar him, or minister some sharp punishment unto him and such other. If ever it come to their turn, they will show you no such favour."

"Well," said the Archbishop in his gentle manner, "if G.o.d so provide, we must all bide it."

"Surely," answered Mr Underhill in his manner, which was blunt and fearless, "G.o.d shall never con you thanks [owe you thanks] for this, but rather take the sword from such as will not use it upon his enemies."

[Note 2.]

Mr and Mrs Rose, Thekla, and Mr Underhill, dined at the sign of the Lamb one day in June. Unfortunately, their conversation turned upon the succession: and owing to the warmth of the weather, or of Mr Edward Underhill, it became rather exciting. Mr Rose was unexpectedly found to hold what that gentleman considered heretical political views: namely, that if the King should die childless, it would be competent to the Gospellers to endeavour to hinder the succession of the Princess Mary in favour of the Princess Elizabeth. This, Underhill hotly protested, would be doing evil that good might come.

"And," said he, "if it come to that pa.s.s, I myself, though I would a thousand times rather have my Lady Elizabeth to reign, yet would I gird on my sword over my buff jerkin, and fight for the Lady Mary!"

Mr Rose shook his head, but did not speak.

"Right is right, Thomas Rose!" cried Underhill, somewhat hotly.

"Truth, friend," answered he, "and wrong is wrong. But which were the right, and which were the wrong, of these two afore G.o.d, perchance you and I might differ."

"Differ, forsooth!" cried Underhill again. "Be two and two come to make five? or is there no variance in your eyes betwixt watchet [pale blue]

and brasil [red]? The matter is as plain to be seen as Westminster Abbey, if a man shut not his eyes."

"I have known men do such things," said Mr Rose, with his quiet smile.

"I thank you, my master!" responded Underhill. "So have I."

"Now, Ned Underhill, leave wrangling," said Avery. "We be none of us neither prophets nor apostles."

"'Brethren, be ye all of one mind,'" repeated Dr Thorpe.

"I am ready enough to be of one mind with Rose," said Underhill, "an' he will listen to reason."

"That is," answered John, smiling, "an' he will come over to you, and look through your spectacles."

"Man o' life! we can't be both right!" cried Underhill, striking his hand heavily on the table.

"You may be both wrong, Ned," gently suggested John.

"Come, Rose!" said Underhill, cooling as suddenly as he had heated, and holding out his hand. "We are but a pair of fools to quarrel. I forgive you."

"I knew not that I quarrelled with you, friend," said Mr Rose, with his quiet smile; "and I have nothing to forgive."

But he put his hand in Underhill's readily enough.

"You are a better Christian than I, methinks," muttered Underhill, somewhat ashamed. "But you know what a hot fellow I am."

"We will both essay to be as good Christians as we can," quietly answered Mr Rose; "and that is, as like Christ as we can. Methinks He scantly gave hot words to Peter, whether the Emperor Tiberius Caesar should have reigned or no."

"Ah!" said John, gravely, "he that should think first how Christ should answer, should rarely indeed be found in hot words, and in evil, never."

"Well," replied Mr Underhill, "I am of complexion somewhat like Peter.

I could strike off the ear of Malchus an' I caught him laying hands on my Master (yea, I know not if I should stay at the ear); and it had been much had I kept that sword off the High Priest himself. Ay, though I had been hanged the hour after."

"The cause seemeth to lack such men at times," said John, thoughtfully, "and then the Lord raiseth them up. But we should not forget, Ned, that 'they which take the sword shall perish with the sword.'"

"Well!" cried Underhill, "I care not if I do perish with the sword, if I may first mow down a score or twain of the enemies of the Gospel."