CHAP. the dutchefs of Somerfet, who, uneafy that the younger XXXIV. brother's wife fhould have the precedency, employed all her intereft with her husband, which was too great, first 1548. to create, and then to widen a breach between the two brothers *. THE firt fymptoms of this mifunderstanding appeared when the protector commanded the army in Scotland. Secretary Paget, a man devoted to Somerfet, remarked, that Seymour was forming feparate intrigues among the counfellors; was corrupting, by prefents, the king's fervants; and even endeavouring, by improper indulgencies and liberalities, to captivate the affections of the young monarch. Paget reprefented to him the danger of this conduct; defired him to reflect on the numerous enemies, whom the sudden elevation of their family had created; and warned him that any diffenfion between him and the protector would be greedily laid hold of, to draw on the ruin of both. Finding his remonftrances ineffectual, he conveyed intelligence of the danger to Somerfet, and engaged him to leave the enterprize upon Scotland unfinished, in order to guard against the attempts of his domeftic enemies. In the enfuing parliament, the admiral's projeas appeared fill more hazardous to public tranquillity; and as he had acquired many partizans and retainers, he made a direct attack upon his brother's authority. He reprefented to his friends, that formerly, during a mino-rity, the office of protector of the kingdom had been kept feparate from that of governor of the king's perfon; and that the prefent union of thefe two important trusts, conferred on Somerfet an authority, which could not fafely be lodged in any fubject L. He even prevailed on the young king, to write a letter to the parliament, defiring that Seymour might be appointed his governor ; and he had formed a party in the two houfes, by which he hoped to have effected his purpose. The defign was ditcovered before its execution; and fome common friends were fent to remonitrate with him, but had fo little influence, that he threw out many menacing expreffions, and rafhly threatened, that, if he was thwarted in his attempt, he would make this parliament the blackest that ever Hayward, p. 301. Heylin, lib. vi. c. 5. Haynes, p. 69. was D. 72. Camden. Thuanus, 1548. was in England ". The council fent for him, to answer C H A P. for his conduct; but he refused to attend: They then XXXIV. began to threaten in their turn, and informed him, that the king's letter, inftead of availing him any thing to the execution of his purpote, would be imputed to him as a criminal enterprize, and be conttrued as a defign to difturb the government, by forming a feparate intereft with a child and minor. They even let fall fome menaces of fending him to the tower for his temerity; and the admiral, finding himself prevented in his defign, was obliged to submit, and to defire a reconciliation with his brother. THE mild and moderate temper of Somerset made him willing to forget these enterprizes of the admiral; but the ambition of that turbulent ipirit could not be to eafily appeafed. His fpoufe, the queen-dowager, died in child-bed; but fo far from regarding this event as a check to his afpiring views, he founded on it the scheme of a more extraordinary elevation. He made his addreffes to the lady Elizabeth, then in the fixteenth year of her age; and that princefs, whom even the hurry of bufinefs, and the purfuits of ambition, could not, in her more advanced years, difengage entirely from the tender paffions, feems to have liftened to the infinuations of a man, who poffeffed every talent proper to captivate the affections of the fair C. But as Henry the eighth had excluded his daughters from all hopes of fucceflion, if they married without the confent of his executors, which Seymour could never hope to obtain; it was concluded, that he proposed to effectuate his purpofe by expedients ftill more rash and more criminal. All the other measures of the admiral tended to confirm this fufpicion. He continued to attack, by prefents, the fidelity of all fuch as had more immediate access to the king's perfon: He endeavoured to feduce that young prince into his interefts: He found means of holding a private correfpondence with him: He openly decried his brother's administration; and afferted, that, by enlifting Germans, and other foreigners, he intended to form a mercenary army, which endangered the king's authority, and the liberty of the people: By promifes, and perfuafion he brought over to his party many of the principal nobility; and had diftributed his intereft all over England: He neglected not Haynes, p. 75. even Haynes, p. 95, 96, 101, 103. CHAP. even the most popular perfons of inferior rank; and had XXXIV. computed, that he could, on occafion, raise an army of 10,000 men, compofed of his fervants, tenants, and re1548. tainers: He had already provided arms for their use; and having engaged in his interefts Sir John Sharington, a very corrupt man, mafter of the mint at Bristol, he flattered himself that money would not be wanting. Somerfet was well apprized of all thefe alarming circumstances, and endeavoured by the most friendly expedients, by intreaty, reason, and even by heaping new favours upon the admiral, to make him depart from his pręcipitate councils: But finding all his endeavours ineffectual, he began to think of more fevere remedies. The earl of Warwic was an ill instrument between the brothers; and had formed the defign, by inflaming the quarrel, to raise his own fortune on the ruins of both. Dudley, DUDLEY, earl of Warwic, was the fon of that Dudearl of ley, minister to Henry the feventh, who having, by raWaruic. pine, extortion, and perverfion of law, incurred the hatred of the public, had been facrificed to popular animofity, in the beginning of the subsequent reign. The late king, sensible of the iniquity, at leaft illegality of the sentence, had afterwards restored young Dudley's blood by act of parliament; and finding him endowed with ability, induftry, and enterprize, he had entrufted him with many important commands, and had ever found him fuccessful in all his undertakings. He raised him to the dignity of viscount Lifle, conferred on him the office of admiral, and gave him by his will a place among his executors. Dudley made ftill farther progress during the minority; and having obtained the title of earl of War'wic, and undermined the credit of Southampton, he bore the first rank among the protector's counsellors. The victory, gained at Pinkey, was much afcribed to his courage and conduct; and he was univerfally regarded as a man equally endowed with the talents of peace and of But all thefe virtues were obfcured by ftill greater vices; an exorbitant ambition, an infatiable avarice, a neglect of decency, a contempt of juftice: And as he found, that lord Seymour, whose ability and enterprize he chiefly dreaded, was involving himself in ruin by his rafh councils, he was determined to push him on the pre war. Haynes, p. 105, 106. cipice; cipice; and thereby remove the chief obstacle to his own CHA P. projected greatness. E WHEN Somerset found that the public peace was endangered by his brother's feditious, not to fay rebellious, schemes, he was the more easily perfuaded by Warwic, to employ the extent of royal authority against him; and after depriving him of the office of admiral, he figned a warrant for committing him to the tower. Some of his accomplices were alfo taken into cuftody; and three privy countellors, being fent to examine them, made a report, that they had met with very full and important difcoveries. Yet ftill the protector fufpended the blow, and fhewed a reluctance to ruin his brother. He offered to depart from the prosecution, if Seymour would promife him a cordial reconciliation; and relinquishing all ambitious hopes, be contented with a private life, and retire into the country. But as Seymour made no other anfwer to thefe friendly offers than menaces and defiances, he ordered a charge to be drawn up against him, confisting of thirty-three articles ; and the whole to be laid before the privy-council. It is pretended, that every particular was fo inconteftably proved, both by witnesses and his own hand-writing, that there was no room for doubt; yet did the council think proper to go in a body to the tower, in order more fully to examine the prisoner. He was not daunted by the appearance: He boldly demanded a fair trial; required to be confronted wth the witneffes; defired that the charge might be left with him, in order to be confidered; and refused to answer terrogatories, by which he might accuse himself. IT is apparent, that, notwithstanding what is pretended, there must have been fome deficiency in the evidence against Seymour, when fuch demands, founded on the plaineft principles of law and equity, were abfolutely rejected. We fhall indeed conclude, if we carefully examine the charge, that many of the articles were general, and scarce capable of any proof; many of them, if true, fufceptible of a more favourable interpretation; and that, though, on the whole, Seymour appears to have been a very dangerous fubje&t, he had not advanced far in those treasonable projects imputed to him. The chief part of his guilt feems to have confifted in fome VOL. IV. unwarrantable T any * Burnet, vol. ii. Coil. 31. 2 & 3 Edw. VI. c. 18. in XXXIV. 1548. CHAP. unwarrantable practices in the admiralty, by which pyXXXIV. rates were protected, and illegal impofitions laid upon the merchants. 1548. BUT the adminiftration had, at that time, an easy inftrument of vengeance, to wit, the parliament; needed not to give themselves any concern with regard either to the guilt of the perfons whom they profecuted, or the evidence which could be produced against them. A parlia- A feffion of parliament being held, it was proposed to proceed againit Seymour by bill of attainder; and much 4th Nov. perfuafion being employed to engage the young king to ment. confent to it, a confiderable weight was put on his approbation. The matter was first laid before the upper house; and feveral peers, rifing up in their places, gave an account of what they knew concerning lord Seymour's conduct and his criminal words or actions. These narraAttainder tives were received for undoubted evidence; and though of lord the prifoner had formerly engaged many friends and parSeymour. tizans among the nobility, no one had either the courage $549. or equity to move, that he might be heard in his own defence, that the teftimony against him fhould be delivered in a legal manner, and that he should be confronted with the witneffes. A little more fcruple was made in the house of commons: There were even fome mem-* bers who objected against the whole method of proceeding by bills of attainder, paffed in abfence; and required, that a formal trial fhould be given to every man before March 20, his condemnation. But upon receiving a meffage from the king, requiring them to proceed, and offering that the fame narratives fhould be laid before them which had fatisfied the peers, they were easily prevailed on to acquiefce. The bill paffed in a full houfe. Near four hundred voted for it; and not above nine or ten against it G. The fentence was foon after executed, and the priHis execu- foner was beheaded on tower hill. The warrant was tion. figned by Somerfet, who was exposed to much blame, on account of the violence. of thefe proceedings. The attempts of the admiral feemed chiefly to be levelled against his brother's ufurped authority; and though his ambitious, enterprizing character, encouraged by a marriage with the lady Elizabeth, might have proved hazardous to public tranquillity, the prudence, of forefee F2 & 3 Edw. VI. c. 18. G Burnet, vol. ii. p. 99. ing |