g
Cheapside at midnight behind the Holy Sacrament, and five hundred poor
men and women from the almshouses walked two and two, telling their
beads in their withered fingers: then all the boys of all the schools
were set in motion, and the ushers and the masters came after them;
clerks, canons, bishops, mayor, aldermen, officers of guilds.[468]
Such marching, such chanting, such praying was never seen or heard
before or since in London streets. A profane {p.210} person ran one
day out of the crowd, and hung about a priest's neck, where the beads
should be, a string of puddings; but they whipped him, and prayed on.
Surely, God would hear the cry of his people.

[Footnote 468: Machyn's _Diary_.]

In the midst of the suspense the papal chair fell vacant again. The
pontificate of Marcellus lasted three weeks, and Pole a third time
offered himself to the suffrages of the cardinals. The courts were
profuse of compliments as before. Noailles presented him with a note
from Montmorency, containing assurances of the infinite desire of the
King of France for the success of so holy a person.[469] Philip wrote
to Rome in his behalf, and Mary condescended to ask for the support of
the French cardinals.[470] But the fair speeches, as before, were but
trifling. The choice fell on Pole's personal enemy, Cardinal Caraffa,
who was French alike in heart and brain.

[Footnote 469: Noailles to Montmorency, May 15:
_Ambassades_, vol. iv.]

[Footnote 470: Philip and Mary to Gardiner,
Arundel, and Paget: Burnet's _Collectanea_.]

The choice of a pope, however, would signify little, if only the child
could be born; but where was the child? The queen put it off
strangely. The conference could be delayed no longer. It opened
without the intended makeweight, and the court of France was less
inclined to make concessions for a peace. The delay began to tell on
the bourse at Antwerp. The Fuggers and the Schertzes drew their
purse-strings, and made difficulties in lending more money to the
emperor.[471] The plenipotentiaries had to separate after a few
meetings, having effected nothing, to the especial mortification of
Philip and Mary, who looked to the pacification to enable them to cure
England of its unruly humours. The Duke of Alva (so rumour insisted)
was to bring across the Spanish troops which were in the Low
Countries, take possession of London,