it." The letter is extremely illiterate in style and
spelling. (_Henry VIII. Calendar_, vol. 16.)

[223] _Spanish Calendar_, vol. 6, part 1.

[224] Marillac Correspondence, ed. Kaulec. There is a transcript in the
Record Office and abstracts in the _Henry VIII. Calendar_, vol. 16.

[225] They were soon afterwards pardoned.

[226] This difficulty seems to have been met by sending to the unhappy
girl a committee of the Council to invite her to appear in person and
defend herself if she pleased; but she threw herself entirely upon the
King's mercy, and admitted that she deserved death. This facilitated her
condemnation, and there was no more difficulty. The Duke of Suffolk in the
House of Lords and Wriothesley stated that she had "confessed her great
crime" to the deputation of the Council, but exactly what or how much she
confessed is not known. She most solemnly assured the Bishop of Lincoln
(White) in her last hours that she had not offended criminally after her
marriage; and as has been pointed out in the text, she is not specifically
charged with having done so in the indictment. This might be, of course,
to save the King's honour as much as possible; but taking all things into
consideration, the probability is that no guilty act had been committed
since the marriage, though it is clear that Katharine was fluttering
perilously close to the flame.

[227] This was Anne Bassett. Lord Lisle, the illegitimate son of Edward
IV., was at this time released from his unjust imprisonment in the Tower,
but died immediately.

[228] Chapuys to the Emperor, 29th January 1542.

[229] The accounts of Chapuys, Hall, and Ottewell Johnson say simply that
she confessed her faults and made a Christian end. The _Spanish Chronicle
of Henry VIII._ gives an account of her speech of which the above is a
summary.

[230] The book which, although it was largely Gardiner's work, was called
"The King's Book," or "The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition of any
Christian Man," laid down afresh the doctrines to be accepted. It was
authorised by Parliament in May 1543, and greatly straitened the creed
prescribed in 1537. Just previously a large number of persecutions were
begun against those who questioned Transubstantiation (see Foxe), and
printers were newly harried for daring to print books not in accordance
with the King's proclamation. Strict inquests were also held through
London for any householders who ate meat in Lent, the young, turbulent