The Project Gutenberg EBook of Privy Seal, by Ford Madox Ford

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Title: Privy Seal
His Last Venture

Author: Ford Madox Ford

Release Date: September 24, 2008 [EBook #26698]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note.

This is the Second book of the trilogy, The Fifth Queen, by
Ford Madox Ford. The other books are The Fifth Queen and The
Fifth Queen Crowned.

PRIVY SEAL

_His Last Venture_

_"Ille potens ... et laetus cui licet in diem
Dixisse: Vixi!..."_

* * * * *

PART ONE
The Rising Sun, 1

PART TWO
The Distant Cloud, 75

PART THREE
The Sunburst, 153

* * * * *

To

Frau Laura Schmedding

who has so often combated
my prejudices and corrected
my assertions
this with affection

* * * * *

PART ONE

THE RISING SUN

I

The Magister Udal sat in the room of his inn in Paris, where
customarily the King of France lodged such envoys as came at his
expense. He had been sent there to Latinise the letters that passed
between Sir Thomas Wyatt and the King's Ministers of France, for he
was esteemed the most learned man in these islands. He had groaned
much at being sent there, for he must leave in England so many
loves--the great, blonde Margot Poins, that was maid to Katharine
Howard; the tall, swaying Katharine Howard herself; Judge Cantre's
wife that had fed him well; and two other women, with all of whom he
had succeeded easily or succeeded in no wise at all. But the mission
was so well paid--with as many crowns the day as he had had groats for
teaching the Lady Mary of England--that fain he had been to go.
Moreover, it was by way of being a favour of Privy Seal's. The
magister had written for him a play in English; the rich post was the
reward--and it was an ill thing, a thing