ho expressed some
resentment but was satisfied after explanation; and no suspicion exists,
except, perchance, the Queen may have communicated with the Emperor."[50]
Charles had, indeed, heard the whole story, as far as Katharine knew it,
from the lips of Felipe before this was written, and was not to be put off
with such smooth lies. He wrote indignantly to his ambassador Mendoza in
London, directing him to see Henry and point out to him, in diplomatic
language veiling many a threat, the danger, as well as the turpitude, of
repudiating his lawful wife with no valid excuse; and more vigorously
still he let the Pope know that there must be no underhand work to his
detriment or that of his family. Whilst the arrogant Cardinal of York was
thus playing for his own hand first, and for Henry secondly, in France,
his jealous enemies in England might put their heads together and plot
against him undeterred by the paralysing fear of his frown. His pride and
insolence, as well as his French political leanings, had caused the
populace to hate him; the commercial classes, who suffered most by the
wars with their best customers, the Flemings and Spaniards, were strongly
opposed to him; whilst the territorial and noble party, which had usually
been friendly with Katharine, and were traditionally against bureaucratic
or ecclesiastical ministers of the crown, suffered with impatience the
galling yoke of the Ipswich butcher's son, who drove them as he listed.

Anne was in the circumstances a more powerful ally for them than
Katharine. She was the niece of the Duke of Norfolk, the leader of the
party of nobles, and her ambition would make her an apt and eager
instrument. The infatuation of the King for her grew more violent as she
repelled his advances,[51] and, doubtless at the prompting of Wolsey's
foes, it soon began to be whispered that if Henry could get rid of his
wife he might marry his English favourite. Before the Cardinal had been in
France a month, Mendoza, the Spanish ambassador, first sounded the new
note of alarm to the Emperor, by telling him that Anne might become the
King's wife. It is hardly possible that no hint of the danger can have
reached Wolsey, but if it did he was confident of his power over his
master when he should return to England. Unfortunately for him his ideas
for the King's divorce were hampered by the plans for his own advancement;
and the proposals he wrote to Henry were all founded on the idea of
exerti