5 II VIII. papers show that the king often required Wolsey to CHAP state and re-state the grounds on which he had advised any particular course, not unfrequently refusing to agree to it after all. Cavendish also relates several anecdotes which show how violent and obstinate the king had become towards Wolsey Self-will while the divorce business was being carried on: and of Henry the Cardinal himself declared on his deathbed, "He is a prince of royal courage, and hath a princely heart, and rather than he will miss or want any part of his will or pleasure, he will endanger the loss of the one-half of his realm. For I assure you, I have often kneeled before him, the space sometimes of three hours, to persuade him from his will and appetite; but I could never dissuade him therefrom."6 In still later days, Henry was known to have boxed the ears of Lord Cromwell; and the passionate wilfulness which had then developed into such an extreme form was at work, long before, in the days of Wolsey's government. Wolsey's thwarted These particulars are mentioned here to show that Wolsey was far from having everything his own plans thus way; and that, at least during his latter years, he was much thwarted by the king. It thus becomes extremely probable that he was obliged to modify his course in several important matters from a conviction that it would be impossible to gain the king's 5 It is worth notice that, even as early as 1518, the King overruled Wolsey's wishes about the appointment to a bishopric. Wolsey wished Bolton, the Prior of St. Bartholomew's, to be nominated Bishop of St. Asaph, but the King refused his consent, and appointed instead Standish, Provincial of the Friars Observants, the great foe of Erasmus, and afterwards the great 6 Cavendish, in Wordsworth's position to that of Ximenes CHAP acquiescence to his plans; and in some other cases II to take a line different from that pointed out by his own judgment, for the sake of reconciling the king to his continuance in office. Such appears to have been the case with regard to Wolsey's plans for the Reformation of the Church, his condemnation of "Lutheran" books, and his treatment of the divorce question; and even his astute policy could not prevent the shipwreck of his fortunes and happiness. Similarity The political position accorded to Wolsey was no of Wolsey's doubt suggested by that which Cardinal Ximenes was occupying in the kingdom of Spain, and which he occupied for nearly twenty years, almost up to the time of his death in 1517. It is also probable that Wolsey's ideas on the subject of Church Reform were derived in some degree from the course taken by his great Spanish contemporary, who founded an university, made vigorous efforts to revive a better discipline among the clergy and monks, and encouraged with a noble liberality the establishment of a sound scriptural school of theology. But the necessity for such reforms was evident to all good and observant men of that time and we have already seen how vigorously Dean Colet urged it upon the bishops at the opening of the Convocation of Canterbury in 1512. Possibly Wolsey, being then Dean of Lincoln and Canon of Windsor, was present at this Convocation, and if so, the earnest words of one with whom he had some personal acquaintance, if not friendship, may have had their effect in consolidating his own opinions on the subject. 7 See also page 9. 8 Colet and Wolsey were con temporaries at Magdalen College, Oxford and there seems to be His own great mind was, some indication of private friendship, in the fact that Colet preached at Westminster Abbey on the occasion of Wolsey's installation as II however, of too original a cast to make it necessary CHAP for us to look much elsewhere for the origin of his ideas, and what those ideas were we may gather from his subsequent acts. That which we shall thus gather it will be convenient to state in a summary form at the outset ; and, supposing that Wolsey had, in the early pt of his public life, formed a complete and definite lan of his intentions as to the Reformation of the C...ch of England, we might imagine him to have condensed them into the following plan." 1. To provide a better educated class of clergy by His profounding professorships at the Universities, by build-scheme for ing new colleges, and by establishing schools similar Reformato Winchester and Eton as feeders for them. 2. To have a general visitation of the clergy and the monks by a central and supreme authority, which could not be resisted, for the purpose of restoring sound discipline as to morals, and for enforcing strict performance of duties. 3. To found new bishoprics in the large towns out of the great monasteries already existing there. 4. To conciliate the king, the old-fashioned Cardinal, Warham and Fisher go D death, he wrote to Wolsey asking This summary may be com- tion. II CHAP bishops, and the obstructive party generally, by opposing the importation of foreign elements, such as Lutheranism, into the Universities or elsewhere. Its com character 5. To practise toleration as far as possible towards hot-headed reformers, and to give employment in the new colleges to the best and most learned of them. 6. To promote theological learning by encouraging the study of Greek, and by enriching the libraries of the Universities. 7. To obtain the fullest authority possible from the Pope and the King for carrying out these reforms, and to seek the Popedom itself, that they might be extended to the Church at large. The splendour of this noble programme is not prehensive lessened by the consideration that it was very unlikely Wolsey would form so full and definite a plan at the outset of his career. Even if we extend it over fifteen years, from 1514 to 1529, and allow that it formed only a portion of the great schemes which passed through the brain of one who was far the greatest political ruler England had yet seen, we must still acknowledge that it was the most comprehensive view of Church reform that was ever contemplated, and one before which the actual Reformation shrinks into a confused mass of half accomplished good and unobstructed evil. Perhaps the very magnitude of Wolsey's plans was one element in their failure; and with all his far-sightedness, he had not made sufficient allowance for human weakness.1 1 There is a touching letter from Wolsey to the University of Oxford, dated October 22, 1522, in which he says, "I have often applied my thoughts to arranging the affairs of your University, but business after business has come upon me of the most important kind, so that I have never found sufficient leisure for devoting myself entirely to this object." [Fiddës' Wolsey, Collect., No. 63.] II Lincoln In the year 1514, Wolsey was appointed to the CHAP See of Lincoln, that being the first English Bishopric that had fallen vacant since Henry VIII.'s accession Appointed to the throne, five years before. He was consecrated Bishop of at Lambeth on March 26, but held the see only a few months, being advanced to that of York on the death of Cardinal Bainbridge, which occurred on July 14, 1514, and a new Bishop of Lincoln being consecrated in the beginning of November. At this time ecclesiastical benefices were used by the English sovereigns as a means by which to provide salaries for their great officers, and several others of lower degree were held by Wolsey to enable him to keep up the state and expense incident to his position. Immediately on hearing of the death of Cardinal ArchBainbridge, the King wrote to the Pope requesting York and him to appoint Wolsey, now to be Archbishop of Cardinal York, to the vacant English Cardinalate; and in September of the same year, Pace wrote from Rome to Wolsey telling him that Leo X. had been making *secret inquiries respecting the Archbishop's character, and himself suggesting how much good service the latter could render to the King if resident as Cardinal at the Court of Rome. It was possibly the knowledge that Wolsey would not reside there, 2 Ruthal, the King's secretary, was consecrated Bishop of Durham on June 24, 1509, two months after the accession of Henry VIII., but the see had been vacated, by Cardinal Bainbridge's appointment to York, in the previous year, and probably Ruthal's consecration was delayed by Henry VII.'s death. 3 The letter of Henry VIII., entitled "Angliæ Regis ad Leonem |