great matter, in the reputation of the world, as you know well. As for occurrents, I have no other than your mastership shall perceive, by my letters sent herewith to her majesty. And thus I beseech Almighty God to conserve your mastership in long and prosperous From Rome, the last of December, 1559.1 life. "Your most assured to command, 2o. A few days after the date of this letter, Carne must have received the order from the council, mentioned by Strype (Annals ii. 36). It was drawn up and despatched on the first of December, and, instead of authorising him to deliver any such message as that described by Sarpi and his copyists, actually directed him to abstain from the prosecution of an ecclesiastical suit, in which, as ambassador, he had already engaged (ibid.). This proceeding was sufficiently indicative of the temper of the English court. Yet it produced no effect on the mind or conduct of the pontiff. To the solicitations of France, that he would vindicate his authority, and resort to measures of severity against Elizabeth, he resolutely refused to listen: while, so late as the middle of February, the cardinals in Rome were still looking for a communication from England, and actually contemplating the possibility of sending an embassy in return. The letter, from which the following is extracted, was addressed by Carne to the queen, on the sixteenth of that month. It is taken from the Burleigh Papers, i. 245. "Pleaseth it your most excellent majesty to be advertised that, sithence my letters of the eleventh of this, addressed to your highness 1 To reconcile this date with the real time, the reader must remember that, at Rome, the year began on the twenty-fifth of December. Hence the proper date of this letter is December 31, 1558. by the post of Venice, I have nothing to write of any great importance: but for because now goeth a post with diligence to the court of Flanders, I thought good to send the effect of all that I sent by the ordinary of Flanders, the ninth of this, and by the post of Venice the eleventh of this, which is as followeth,-that the French here can obtain nothing at his holiness' hands against your majesty, and that his holiness hath such respect to your majesty and to your realms, that he will attempt nothing against you or your realms, unless the occasion be given first therehence, as I am credibly informed. One of the cardinals, that is greatest with his holiness, shewed me that he, and other that be chief with his holiness, do mind to move his holiness to send his nuncio to your majesty thither, but that they stay till your majesty doth send hither first to his holiness, whereof I thought good to advertise your majesty of. And thus I beseech Almighty God, &c. From Rome, the 16th of February, 1559. "Your majesty's most humble * * "and obedient subject, "EDWARD CARNE." 3o. In the letter to Cecil of the thirty-first of December, Carne, renewing an application which he had frequently urged during the late reign, had requested that he might be permitted to return home. This letter would arrive in England about the second of February. Seven days later, an order for his recall was made out and despatched; and, on the tenth of the following month, the paper containing it reached his hands. The consequences of this, as well as the fact itself, are detailed by Carne in the following letters addressed to the queen. The originals are preserved, the first in the Cotton Library (Nero, B VI. 9), the second in the State Paper Office : "Pleaseth it your most excellent majesty to be advertised that, sithence the receipt of your highness' most gracious letters of the ninth of February addressed to me, and received here the tenth of the last, wherein your majesty, of your most accustomed benignity and good ness, licensed me to return home herehence, according to my long suit made in that behalf, the receipt whereof I advertised your majesty herehence, the eleventh of the said last, and also of my return thitherward, as soon as I could; nevertheless, in putting myself in order to depart, I was warned earnestly by divers not to depart herehence, without putting the pope in knowledge thereof. Whereupon I made suit to move him thereof, and to declare to him the long suit that I had made, as well to your majesty's sister, the late queen Mary, as also to your majesty, for license to return home herehence, seeing I had been so long here from my wife and children and my poor house; and that now your highness, of your accustomed goodness, had given me license to return thither; and thereupon, with such accommod . . . as might serve me for the purpose, to take my leave from him. But, for all the suit that I could make, I could in no wise have audience appointed me; but fair words, with declaration that he would . . . hear me,-howbeit he was sick, and as yet could have no time convenient thereto. Notwithstanding, I continued my suit therein to the cardinal of Naples, to whom all men commonly do sue to speak with the pope but, seeing that I had but fair words of him, I said to the cardinal Trani, who is chief of council with the pope, and ruleth all now under him, desiring him to declare to the pope how that your majesty had licensed me to depart herehence thitherwards, praying him to declare to the pope that gladly I would depart herehence, as speedily as I could, that I might pass out of Italy before the extreme heats; and therefore would gladly first take my leave of him ; and desired the said cardinal that, if he perceived that the pope made any difficulty to speak with me, to declare unto him that I could tarry no longer conveniently, and was minded to depart as soon as I might be in readiness, which I would not do, without putting him in knowledge thereof. The said cardinal said that the pope knew well that I was revoked, before the cardinal of Naples moved him of any audience for me, and said that he would speak to him, and know his pleasure, according to my desire. The twentieth of the last, the said cardinal Trani (I giving attendance upon him for the said purpose) called me unto him, and told me that he had moved the pope for me, but he found him, as he said, when he spake of my going away, sore 1 . [John Bernardinus Scotus, afterwards cardinal bishop of Placentia.—T.] moved, in such sort that he durst not wade further with him therein, and said that he thought he would not suffer me to depart herehence. Yet I told him that I must need depart, first for my duty toward your majesty, and next for necessity, and therefore I beseeched him to excuse me to him. He promised me to do the best he could. The mean season, I made me ready, as well as I could, to get me herehence. The morrow of the Easter-day, being the twenty-seventh of the last, the said cardinal sent for me to come to him, to whom I went. As soon as I came, I was called before him. Being there, he showed me that he had been in hand with the pope, concerning my departing, who answered, he said, that it stood not with his holiness' to suffer me to depart herehence, your majesty and the realm being revolted from his obedience; and this so as he was informed and therefore gave him strait commandment to send for me, and to charge me, of his behalf, not to depart herehence without his special commandment, and to appoint me to stay, in the mean time, in the English house here and so the said cardinal did charge me, in the pope's behalf, not to depart herehence without his special commandment. I told him I was very ill handled for my service here so long, to be kept here as a prisoner, when I am sent for home by my sovereign. He said, "content yourself: this is the pope's pleasure," and would hear me no further :-so that I dare not out of the gates of this city, which be straitly kept, night and day, with soldiers, that it is not possible for me to escape untaken, if I should attempt it, being known as I am here; and wholly able to make no shift in this case, I stand here beseeching your most excellent majesty to be good and gracious to me, or else I am undone. I have served your majesty's father of most noble memory, and brother, and sister, these thirty-six years, wherein I did consume all the substance that I had, without any expense; but lived with my diet only, with the hardiest :—and now brought to this captivity, whereby, without your highness' goodness and mercy, I shall have nothing in respect to live upon. I am an old man,—almost at my grave, and can make little shift. Nevertheless, I shall omit no occasion, which I shall think expedient for my deliverance herehence, unattempted. I have no place to lament my case but to your majesty ; beseeching your highness to pardon me, and to take it graciously and in good part. "I have no other occurrents to advertise your majesty of, but that the pope hath driven all the bishops, that lay here, to depart herehence to their bishoprics; that they say here that the peace is concluded; and that there shall be a general council kept, within this year, out of Italy,-where is not yet spoken of. Other occurrents I can hear of none at this present. And thus I beseech Almighty God to conserve your most excellent majesty in long and most prosperous life. From Rome the first of April, 1559. "Your majesty's most humble "and obedient subject, "EDWARD CARNE." "Pleaseth it your most excellent majesty to be advertised, where, in my letter of the first of this, addressed to your highness, I advertised your majesty how the pope's council did send for me, and, of the pope's behalf, charged me not to depart herehence without his special license, as more fully in my said letters appeareth, sithence, not omitting my continual suit to be suffered to depart herehence, and not being heard in that behalf, neither to have audience of the pope himself, I desired cardinal Trani, that is chief of council here, to let me have a copy of their charge in staying me here, in writing; who said that he would move the pope thereof, and thereupon I should have an answer. Whereupon he sent me the commandment in writing, subscribed with his hand, and sealed with his seal, whereof I thought good to send a copy to your majesty herewith.' In the which commandment also is adjoined, that I should take charge and order of the English hospital here, with the profit thereof to my necessary use: which is, as the said cardinal told me, for that I declared to the council here that, if they kept me here, I could not tell how to live; and for that they had so declared to the pope, he willed them to appoint me that house, which is but a small thing, the charge thereof deducted ; and such that I will no otherwise meddle with, than shall stand with your majesty's pleasure and will: otherwise, I had rather beg my bread, and suffer what shall happen. I have no other resource, but to God and to your majesty's accustomed goodness. I might have provided better, if I had known your majesty's pleasure, to return in time herehence. "I have no other occurrent to advertise your majesty of, at this 1 1 [It will be printed hereafter in connection wi b the life of Carne.-T.] 1 |
