d brought with it no increase of
freedom, and less of charity. The prisons were crowded, as before,
with sufferers for opinion, and the creed of a thousand years was made
a crime by a doctrine of yesterday; monks and nuns wandered by hedge
and highway, as missionaries of discontent, and pointed with bitter
effect to the fruits of the new belief, which had been crimsoned in
the blood of thousands of English peasants. The English people were
not yet so much in love with wretchedness that they would set aside
for the sake of it a princess whose injuries pleaded for her, whose
title was affirmed by act of parliament. In the tyranny under which
the nation was groaning, the moderate men of all creeds looked to the
accession of Mary as to the rolling away of some bad black nightmare.

On Monday Northumberland made another effort to move forward. His
troops followed him as far as Bury, and then informed him decisively
that they would not bear arms against their lawful sovereign. He fell
back on Cambridge, and again wrote to London for help. As a last
resource, Sir Andrew Dudley, instructed, it is likely, by his brother,
gathered up a hundred thousand crowns' worth of plate and jewels from
the treasury in the Tower, and started for France to interest
Henry--to bribe him, it was said, by a promise of Guisnes and
Calais--to send an army into England.[42] The duke foresaw, and dared
{p.018} the indignation of the people; but he had left himself no
choice except between treason to the country or now inevitable
destruction.[43] When he called in the help of France he must have
known well that his ally, with a successful army in England, would
prevent indeed the accession of Mary Tudor, but as surely would tear
in pieces the paper title of the present queen and snatch the crown
for his own Mary, the Queen of Scots, and the bride of the Dauphin.

[Footnote 42: Renard to Charles V.: _Rolls House
MSS._]

[Footnote 43: La peine ou se retreuve ledict due
est qu'il ne se ose fier en personne, pour n'avoir
faict ou donne occasion a personne de l'aimer,--que
a meu envoyer en France le Millor Dudley son frere,
pour l'assurer du secours que luy a este promis par
le roy de France, et le prier en faire
demonstration pour intimider ceulx de par deca. Car
enc