Autographs of royal, noble, learned, and remarkable personages conspicuous in English history, from the reign of Richard the Second to that of Charles the Second; with some illustrious foreigners; containing many passages from important letters. Engraved under the direction of Charles John Smith. Accompanied by concise biographical memoirs, and interesting extracts from the original documents / by John Gough Nichols.

John Gough Nichols

Date:: 1829

Credit: Autographs of royal, noble, learned, and remarkable personages conspicuous in English history, from the reign of Richard the Second to that of Charles the Second; with some illustrious foreigners; containing many passages from important letters. Engraved under the direction of Charles John Smith. Accompanied by concise biographical memoirs, and interesting extracts from the original documents / by John Gough Nichols. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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HENRY THE EIGHTH AND HIS SISTERS. 1. Henry Tudor, second son of King Henry the Seventh by Elizabeth of York, was born at Greenwich, June 28, 1491. It has been supposed that his frugal fa:her gave him a learned education, intending him for a future Archbishop of Canterbury; he was, however, at the time of his creation as Duke of York, in 1494, styled Constable of Dover Castle, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Earl Marshal of England, and Lieute¬ nant of Ireland. In 1503, the year after his brother Arthur’s death, he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester; and in 1509, at the age of eighteen, he succeeded to the Crown of England, a peaceful, flourish¬ ing, and undisputed inheritance. The first years of his reign were chiefly distinguished by splendour and extravagance; the latter by profligacy, plunder, and tyranny. His marriage with the Protestant Anne Boleyn commenced the Reformation of religion about 1533; and the dissolution of the monasteries continued from that time until 1539, when nearly all had surrendered. Henry died at Westminster, Jan. 28, 1546, in the thirty-eighth year of his reign, and fifty-sixth of his age; and was buried at Windsor, where a most mag¬ nificent monument was commenced to his memory, but, having never been finished, was totally destroyed at the great rebellion. [Several Jine Portraits by Cornelius Matsis, Hollar, Houbraken, and an exquisiite plate by T. A. Dean, from Holbein, in Lodge's “ Illustrious Portraits,” £fc.] The specimen of his Autograph is taken from the following letter in the Cotton. MSS. Vesp. F. xm. fol. 71: “ Myne Awne good Cardinally I recomande unto you with all my hart, and thanke yow for the grette payne and labour that yow do day/y take in my bysyness and maters, desyryng yow (that wen you have well establyshyd them) to take summe pastyme and comfort, to the intent yow may the longer endure to serve us; for allways payne can nott be induryd. Surly yow have so substan- cyally orderyd oure maters bothe off thys syde the see and byonde, that in myne oppynion lityll or nothyng can be addyd; never- theles, accordyng to your desyre, I do send yow myne oppynyon by thys berar, the refformacion wheroff I do remyte to yow, and the remnante off our trusty consellers, whyche I am sure wyll substantially Joke on hyt. As tochyng the. mater that Syr Wyllyam Says broght answar off, I am well contentyd with what order soever yow do take in itt. The Quene my wyff hath desyryd me to make bar most harty recommendations to yow, as to hym that she lovethe very well, and both she and I wolde knowe fayne when yow wyll repayre to us. No more to yow att thys tyme, bot that with God’s helpe I trust we shall dysepoynte oure enymys off' theyre intendyd purpose. Wrytten to1 the hand of your loving master, Henry li. “ To my Lorde Cardinall.” 2. Margaret Tudor, Henry’s elder sister, was born on the 29th of November 1489, and was married to James the Fourth of Scotland in 1503. She for some years lived happily with that monarch, until his death at the field of Flodden in 1513; but afterwards exhibited a looseness of morals which never fails to affix a stigma on the character. By the King’s will she was left Regent of Scotland during the minority of her son James. As soon as possible after the birth of a posthumous son of the King (Alexander, who died young,) she married Archibald Earl of Angus; who consequently became the head of one party, while the Duke of Albany, the King’s cousin, assumed the direction of another. To recount the continued struggles of these factions is of course beyond the limits of this sketch. By Angus she gave birth to an only child, the mother of Lord Dernley. Having, almost from the commencement of the connexion been justly dissatisfied with the conduct of her consort, and having also herself in the mean time intrigued even with the Duke of Albany, about ten years after she became enamoured of a new minion, Henry Stewart, second son of Andrew Lord Avandale, by no means nearly related to the Royal branch of that house. This boy she presently made Lord Treasurer and Chancellor; and having, after long continued efforts, at last succeeded in obtaining a divorce, she married him in 1525, and he was created Lord Methven. All this, it is worthy of remark, happened before the many tricks which her brother Henry played with the marriage ceremony. Margaret would also have divorced her third husband, (by whom she had one child, who died young,) but her son James had then gained a salutary control, and judiciously prevented it. She died at Methven, in June 1541, in her 52d year, and was buried in No. 1.—A.

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