ose
before alledged in her favour. Tho' I do not profess giving many dates,
yet as I think it proper to give some and shall of course make choice
of those which it is most necessary for the Reader to know, I think it
right to inform him that her letter to the King was dated on the 6th of
May. The Crimes and Cruelties of this Prince, were too numerous to be
mentioned, (as this history I trust has fully shown;) and nothing can
be said in his vindication, but that his abolishing Religious Houses and
leaving them to the ruinous depredations of time has been of infinite
use to the landscape of England in general, which probably was a
principal motive for his doing it, since otherwise why should a Man who
was of no Religion himself be at so much trouble to abolish one which
had for ages been established in the Kingdom. His Majesty's 5th Wife
was the Duke of Norfolk's Neice who, tho' universally acquitted of the
crimes for which she was beheaded, has been by many people supposed to
have led an abandoned life before her Marriage--of this however I have
many doubts, since she was a relation of that noble Duke of Norfolk who
was so warm in the Queen of Scotland's cause, and who at last fell a
victim to it. The Kings last wife contrived to survive him, but with
difficulty effected it. He was succeeded by his only son Edward.

EDWARD the 6th

As this prince was only nine years old at the time of his Father's
death, he was considered by many people as too young to govern, and the
late King happening to be of the same opinion, his mother's Brother the
Duke of Somerset was chosen Protector of the realm during his minority.
This Man was on the whole of a very amiable Character, and is somewhat
of a favourite with me, tho' I would by no means pretend to affirm that
he was equal to those first of Men Robert Earl of Essex, Delamere, or
Gilpin. He was beheaded, of which he might with reason have been proud,
had he known that such was the death of Mary Queen of Scotland; but
as it was impossible that he should be conscious of what had never
happened, it does not appear that he felt particularly delighted with
the manner of it. After his decease the Duke of Northumberland had the
care of the King and the Kingdom, and performed his trust of both so
well that the King died and the Kingdom was left to his daughter in law
the Lady Jane Grey, who has been already mentioned as reading Greek.
Whether she really understood that language or whethe