CHAP. July 1. and the donations of the people should be expended in the purchase of arms and provisions within the realm.90 But soon a transaction occurred most disgraceful to all the parties concerned. For a bribe of one thousand marks the cardinal consented that the men, whom he had raised for the crusade, should be led against the king's enemies in France: and the council on their part engaged to indemnify him to the pontiff for this breach of his duty. He received their bonds but promised to keep this part of the transaction secret, and not to apply for payment from them, till he should fail in his attempt to Aug. 11. procure it from the regency of France.91 When Charles found the crusaders arrayed against himself, he complained most bitterly to the pontiff, who loudly protested his ignorance of this fraudulent transaction, and upbraided the cardinal with having injured the cause of religion, and stained the reputation of the holy see. Beaufort attempted to justify himself by allegations which it is difficult to believe that the orders of his sovereign were intimated to him in such terms that he durst not disobey; and that the men themselves declared to his face, that they would 90 Rym. x. 419-423. 91 Id. 424-426. I suspect that the whole business was a fraud from the very beginning. The cardinal's petition to raise men was granted, and the agreement signed on the 18th of June: and yet on the 15th and 16th of the same month, orders had been given to prepare quarters for him ind his army in Kent, and to provide a fleet for their passage to foreig parts, on the king's service: in obsequium nostrum. Id. 418. II. not march against the Hussites, but were deter- CHAP. mined to restore the superiority of the English arms in France.92 He be comes po pular. 1429. If the conduct of the cardinal on this occasion irritated the court of Rome, it served to add to his popularity in England; and when the parliament assembled, both houses seemed to contend which should heap on him the most distinguished Sept. 22. honours. The same objection which excluded him from the feast of St. George, had also excluded him from the king's council: but the lords now requested him, for the service of the Dec. 18. king, and the benefit of the nation, to resume his seat at that board, and to absent himself only when subjects were debated which concerned the court of Rome.95 To this flattering request he willingly assented: and two days later the com- Dec. 20. mons, when they presented to the king a grant of a second supply, took the opportunity to preface it with a panegyric on the virtues and services of the cardinal.94 It is generally believed that the duke of Glo- Charges cester, finding himself unable to exclude his against rival from the cabinet by force, undertook to re 92 Raynald, vi. 73, 74. 93 Rot. Parl. iv. 338. Facta prius speciali recommendatione reverendissimi in Christo patris et domini, domini Henrici, permissione divina titulo S. Eusebii, presbyteri cardinalis de Anglia vulgariter nuncupati, per prolocutorem suum ulterius declarabant, &c. Ibid. p. 337. I quote the words of the record, because they have generally been misunderstood to mean, that the commons granted a second subsidy at the recommendation of the cardinal. II. 1431. Νον. 6. CHAP. move him by policy. So much is certain, that Beaufort, at the repeated instances of the council, consented to accompany the young king to France and that during his absence, an ungenerous attempt was made to ruin him for ever. In a numerous meeting of the peers, the king's attorney, on the ground that the dignity of cardinal was incompatible with the possession of a bishopric, proposed that he should be removed from the see of Winchester, and condemned to refund its revenues from the day of his promotion in the court of Rome. Glocester immediately arose, charged his uncle with having obtained for himself and his diocese a bull of exemption from the jurisdiction of Canterbury, and contended that by such act he had incurred the penalties of præmunire. But of this charge no satisfactory evidence was produced: and the lords after a long debate resolved, that the cardinal should be heard in his own defence, and that in the interval the records should be searched for precedents, and the judges be required to deliver their opinions.95 This attack, which was 95 Rym. x. 497. The objections now made were the cause, that when Eugenius in 1440 named the archbishops of York and Rouen cardinals, both these prelates refused that dignity: and to relieve them from all apprehension, Henry granted them the royal licence to retain their bishoprics together with the cardinalate, and the pope solemnly declared that it had not been his intention, by introducing them into the sacred college, to remove them from their churches of York and Rouen. The writs issued on this occasion shew how difficult it was for ecclesiastics at this period to secure themselves from the operation of the statutes of præmunire. Rym. x. 758. 840. II. 1432. May 12, followed by the seizure of his jewels at Sand- CHAP. wich, valued at twelve thousand pounds, alarmed Beaufort. Instead of returning to England, he took his leave of Henry at Calais, under pretence that he had received orders from the pope to visit him at Rome: but remained for several months in Flanders, watching the motions of his enemies, and directing those of his friends. A conditional bill of indemnity, to protect him from the penalties of præmunire, if they had been incurred, was brought into the commons, and met with no opposition in its progress through either house. Shortly afterwards he appeared in his place, on a day when Henry was present. He had obtained, he said, the king's leave to proceed to Rome at the requisition of the sovereign pontiff, when he heard that it was intended to charge him with treason in his absence. As his reputation was dearer to him than any other treasure, he was returned to face his accuser. Let him come forth, whoever he might be, and he should find him ready to answer. After some deliberation between the duke and the lords, it was replied: that no one appeared to make such a charge, and that the king held him to be a good and faithful subject. Beaufort thanked his sovereign for his gracious declaration, and demanded that it might be delivered to him in writing under the king's signature: not that he meant to plead it on a future occasion-he scorned to depend on any thing but his own in II. CHAP. nocence; but that it might be publicly known, that no one dared to support such an accusation against him. His request was granted: and the declaration was entered on the rolls.96 From this period during several years, the uncle and nephew, equally jealous of each other, laboured to strengthen their own influence by the advancement of their dependants. Glocester on all occasions brought forward Richard duke of York, in whom were now centred the rights of the family of Clarence: the cardinal espoused on all occasions the interests of his nephew, Henry Beaufort, earl, and afterwards duke, of Somerset. The former continued to preside in the cabinet, and to enrich himself by obtaining grants from the crown: the latter annually aided the government with loans, and conducted in person almost every negociation 96 Rot. Parl. iv. 390, 391. Rym. x. 516, 517. He next complained of the illegal seizure of his jewels at Sandwich, and demanded their restitution from the justice of his sovereign. The duke, and many of the council pleaded the poverty of the crown, and resisted this demand. Proposals were made and rejected: and at last both parties assented to the following most singular compromise. The jewels were restored to the cardinal, who in return advanced to Henry six thousand pounds, on condition that when he should demand payment within the course of six years, the reasons on each side should be laid before the king, and on his decision as to the legality of the seizure, should depend the retention or repayment of the money. At the same time he lent the government another sum of six thousand pounds, in addittion to eight thousand which he had advanced during Henry's residence in France, the repayment of which was secured by parliament on the next supply which should he granted. Ibid. |