The plain Englishman's historian, or, A compendious chronicle of England from its first being inhabited to this present year 1679 but more especially containing the chief remarques of all our Kings and Queens since the conquest, their lives and reigns, policies, wars, laws, successes, and troubles : with the most notable accidents, as dearths, tempests, monstrous births, and other prodigies that happened in each of their times respectively / by H.C.

CHAP. XXI. King Henry the Eighth

SUcceeded his Father, and was with much joy and solemnity Crowned. In the third Year of his Reign a War was conclu∣ded in Parliament with France, for with∣holding

our King's Inheritance, and the King of Spain promises Aid, but fails there∣in; so that little was done in the first Ex∣pedition. But afterwards the King going in Person, besieges the City of Terwin, where the Emperour Maximilian fought under his Banner, and received Wages, a hundred Crowns a day, an honour never done to any English King before. To re∣lieve the Town with Victuals, came eight thousand brave French Horse, but were beat off by the English, and glad to fly so fast, that it was call'd the Battel of Spurs, as making more use of them in running away, than of their weapons in fighting: so that King Henry took the Place, and also the Ci∣ty of Tourney. In the mean time the Scots invade England with an hundred thousand men, but by the Earl of Surrey at Flodden field are routed, and their King valiantly fighting, slain with above ten thousand of his People.

In May 1514. the Pope being offended with the French King, transferred by Au∣thority of the Lateran Council the Title of most Christian from him to King Henry, which with great solemnity was published at St. Pauls, but continued not long in use.

1515, A Peace is concluded with France, the Lady Mary King Henry's Sister being married to the French King, who eighty two days after, dyes; whereupon the Lady is sent for back, and married to the Duke of Suffolk.

Thomas Woolsey, the Son of a Butcher of Ipswich, having by Learning and Diligence got to be King Henry the seventh's Chaplain, grew the grand Favourite of Henry the Eighth, being made Arch-Bishop of York, Chancellor of England by the King, and Cardinal by the Pope; who to honour his Brother Cardinal Campejus, coming hither from the Pope, sent store of red Cloth over to Callice, to make his Retinue fine, and re∣ceived him on Black-heath, in a Tent of Cloth of Gold; eight Mules he had laden with Necessaries, but Woolsey not thinking them enough, sent him twelve more; but see the shame of Pride! in Cheapside they overthrew their Coffers, whose Lids flying open, instead of rich Treasures discovered nothing but old ragged Cloths, broken Meat, marrow Bones, and Crusts of Bread, &c. to the great Laughter of the People. This was that Woolsey whose Pride used to write I and my King, and falling into dis∣favour had all his vast Estate seized, and

was arrested for Treason, and thereupon died for Grief; or, as some will suppose, poi∣soned himself.

Anno 1522. King Henry for writing against Luther, by a Bull from Pope Adrian the sixth, had the Title of Defender of the Faith given him; the same Year a quarrel happens with France, but no extraordinary matters done.

Anno 1528. Upon an overture of a Match between King Henry's Daughter, the Lady Mary, and the Duke of Orleance, se∣cond Son to the French King, a question was started, whether the King's Marriage to the Lady Katharine, her mother, having been his Brother's Wife, were lawful or not? upon this (though some alleadg other Reasons) the King begins to declare his scruple, after twenty Years living together, the Opinions of the Universities abroad are desired, the King appoints Commissioners and the Pope sends a Legate to hear the Cause, from whom the Queen modestly ap∣peals to the Pope; At whose delays the K. be∣ing offended, and at Woolsey, as some occa∣sion thereof, first strips him of his Dignities, who thereupon dyes as you have heard, then casts off the Popes Jurisdiction, passes an Act that none should appeal to the See of

Rome, and takes upon himself the Title of Supream Head of the Church. Then in a Parliament his Marriage is dissolved, and decreed that she should no longer be called Queen, but Princess Dowager, after which time the King never saw her more, though she lived four Years.

Soon after the King married Anne Bul∣len, and by her had Elizabeth, afterwards Queen, born Septemb. 7. 1534. between three and four a clock i'th' afternoon; but after she had been his Wife three years and three months, she was on a sudden seized with her Brother the Lord Rochford, and four of the Privy Chamber, were all behead∣ed: who on her Tryal, being charged with pretence of Adultery and Incest, she made such discreet modest Answers, as seemed to clear all she was charged with, and so did all the rest when they came to dye. How∣ever she was condemned, and took her Death most patiently, desiring to be Com∣mended to the King, and that they would tell him, His Majesty had been constant in his course of Advancing her, having from a private Gentlewoman made her a Marchio∣ness, and from that a Queen; and now having left no higher degree of Worldly Honour, he would make her a Martyr. For

indeed she was a very pious, vertuous Lady, and a Favourer of the Reformed Religion, which, together with the Kings affection to Jane Seymour, whom he married the very next day, were thought to be the only occa∣sions of her misfortune. For though the King had cast off the Popes Authority, yet he retained his Doctrine; so that great numbers on each side were put to death, Papists (as witty Sir Thomas More and o∣thers) for denying the Kings Supremacy, and Protestants for denying the real Pre∣sence, or holding that the Sacrament ought to be in both kinds, that Priests might mar∣ry, that Monks Vows need not be kept, that private Masses were not useful, or Au∣ricular Confession necessary; which points were called the six Articles. By Queen Jane the King had Prince Edward, but she died in Child-bed of him. The Lord Crom∣well being grown a great Favourite, pro∣motes the Reformation in some things, and all the Religious houses as they call'd them, that is, Abbeys, Fryeries and Nunneries, those Hives of Drones, were dissolved, whereby the King got vast Estates, yet in short time was never the Richer; though the Revenues of those Houses then seized amounted in the whole to 183707 l. 13. s. per Annum.

Having continued a Widdow two Years, the King married Ann the Daughter of the Duke of Cleve, a Protestant Prince; but (as 'tis said) not liking her Person, and con∣sequently displeased with Cromwel that made the Match, was divorced from her, and caused him to be apprehended, and at∣tainted by Parliament; and without ever being call'd to answer (by a Law he him∣self had caused to be made) he was behead∣ed, but for what is scarce known, only, the Record in general mentions, Heresy and Treason. He was a Smith's Son at Putney, and raised by Woolsey.

About two Months after Ann of Cleves Divorce, the Lady Katharine Howard was openly shewed as Queen, and about a Year after was beheaded for scandalous living with one Deerham, whom she had formerly been contracted to, and with one Thomas Culpeper of the privy Chamber, who 'tis said both confest their Indictments, the lat∣ter being beheaded and the other hang∣ed.

In his Thirty fourth Year he had Warrs with Scotland, where the Earl of Hart∣ford took Leith, and did other considerable Services.

Next year, the King took for his sixth Wife, Katharine Parr the Widdow of the Lord Latimer, how she would have sped had he lived long, is not known; for, being a Protestant, she was accused of having Heretical Books, and a Warrant granted once for her Commitment; but pacifying the King with modest Excuses, she for the pre∣sent escaped, he dying shortly after, and then she was married to Thomas Seymour Lord Admiral.

Anno 1545, the Earl of Lenox coming in∣to England, the King received him kindly, and gave him in marriage the Lady Marga∣ret his, Sisters Daughter, by whom he had Henry, Father to King James. The same year King Henry in Person went into France, and took Bulloigne, and several other exploits were done by his Forces, but by the media∣tion of the Emperour a Peace is Conclu∣ded.

And now King Henry, grown extream fat, fell into a languishing Fever, and ha∣ving by Will appointed his Successor and Council, died on the twenty eighth of Ja∣nuary 1547. in the fifty sixth Year of his Age, and thirty eighth of his Reign; leav∣ing Issue by Queen Jane, Prince Edward; by his first Wife Katharine of Spain, the

Lady Mary, and by Ann of Bullen the La∣dy Elizabeth, who all successively came to the Crown.

In the fifteenth Year of his Reign divers things were newly brought into England, whereof was made this Rhyme.

Turkeys, Carps, Hopps, Piccarel and Beer, Came first into England all in one Year.

In his thirty seaventh Year one William Foxley, a Potmaker for the Mint in the Tower, fell asleep, and could not with pinching or burning be awaked for full fourteen days, and then was in all respects as if he had slept but one Night, and lived fourty Years after. Nor could the Cause be found out, though he were examined strictly by the Kings Physicians, and the King himself. Now flourished the Learn∣ed men beyond Sea, as Vives, Erasmus, Cornelius Agrippa, &c. and in England, John Collet Dean of Pauls, who founded that School, William Lilly first School-master there; whence our Grammar takes its name, though supposed to be composed by Eras∣mus and many others.