r great and
prodigal honour by so serving her for groom. 'This too I set to thy
account as my good omen. And that thou art. No woman shall have such
honours as thou in this land, save only the Mother of God.' And, after
touching his green and jewelled bonnet, he cast it from his head on to
the table.

'Sir,' she cried out, and clasping her hands uttered her words in
anguish and haste. 'Great kings and lords upon their affiancing day
have ever had the habit of granting their brides a boon or twain--as
the conferring of the revenues of a province, or the pardoning of
criminals.'

'Why, an thou come not to me to pardon Privy Seal----' he began.

'Sir,' she cut in on his words, 'I crave no pardon for Privy Seal; but
let me speak my mind.'

He said tenderly:

'Art in the mood to talk! Talk on! for I know no way to hinder thee.'

'Sir,' she said, 'I ask thee no pardon for Privy Seal, neither his
goods ne his life. I maintain this man hath well served thee and is no
traitor; but since that he hath ground the faces of the poor, hath
made thee to be hated by bringing of false witness, hath made the
thirsty earth shrink from drinking of blood, hath cast down the
Church--since that this man in this way hath brought peril upon the
republic and upon the souls of poor and witless folk, this man hath
wrought worse treasons than any that I wot of. If ye will adjudge him
to die, I am no fool to say: No!'

Henry wrinkled his brows and said:

'Grinding the faces of the poor is in law no treason. Yet I may not
slay him save upon the occasion of treason. I would a man would come
to me that could prove him traitor.'

Kneeling before the King she grasped each of his knees with one of her
hands.

'Sir,' she said, 'this is your occasion, none of mine. I would ye
would reconcile it to your conscience so to act to him as I would have
you, for his injustice to the poor and for his cogged oaths. But yet
grant me this: to cog oaths for the downfall of Privy Seal upon the
occasion of treason ye must have many other innocents implicated with
him; such men as have had no idea, no suspicion, no breath of treason
in their hearts. Grant me their lives. Sir, let me tell you a tale
that I read in Seneca.' She moved her body nearer to him upon the
floor, set her hands upon his two arms and gazed, beseeching and
piteous, up into his face.

'Sir,' she said, 'you may read it in Seneca for yourself that upon the
occasion of Cinna's treachery bein