time, one of the greatest
precursors of the Reformers, or rather, in full sense, a great
reformer himself. We have now to take up the course of secular events.
In 1514, Pope Leo X. sent young King Henry VIII. a "sword and cap of
maintenance" as a special honour, and he, "in robe of purple, satin,
and gold in chequer, and jewelled collar," came to the Bishop's
palace, and from thence there was a grand procession of
gorgeously-arrayed nobles and clerics round the church, with joyous
hymns.

Four years later came Wolsey, and sang High Mass to celebrate eternal
peace between England, France, and Spain. The King's beautiful
sister, Mary, was betrothed at the same time to Louis XII., who was
fifty-three years old, while she was sixteen. Within three months he
died, and she married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and became
grandmother of Lady Jane Grey. Again one comes on a full description
of the gorgeous ceremonial. A year later, the accession of Charles V.
was announced by the Heralds in St. Paul's, and Wolsey pronounced a
benediction. The great Cardinal was now in full hopes of the papal
tiara; the same year he came in state (May 12th, 1521) with the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Warham, to hear Bishop Fisher denounce
Luther at Paul's Cross, with accompanying appropriate ceremonies. An
account on a broad-sheet in the British Museum tells how Wolsey came
with the most part of the bishops of the realm, "where he was received
with procession and censed by Mr. Richard Pace, Dean of the said
church." Pace was a native of Winchester, who had won the favour of
two successive bishops of that See, and been educated by them. One of
them sent him to the Continent to complete his course. He took Orders
in 1510, and his evident ability induced Wolsey to employ him in more
than one delicate and difficult case of foreign diplomacy, and also
brought him to the favourable notice of the King, who, after many
other preferments, made him Dean of St. Paul's on the death of Colet.
He was held to be the very ablest of diplomatists, was a friend of
Erasmus, and followed Colet in favouring "the new learning." It was he
and Sir T. More who persuaded the King to found Greek professorships
at Oxford and Cambridge.

But to return to the ceremony at St. Paul's. "After the Dean had duly
censed him, the Cardinal, while four doctors bore a canopy of gold
over him, went to the high altar, where he made his obligation; which
done, he went, as before, to t