RISE OF THE SOMERSETS 



wonderful charm. It was only when those who 

 had to deal with him came to reflect on what 

 had passed that they recognised him for the very 

 slippery person he was. It is not a little amusing, 

 however, to read the letters each member of the 

 mission wrote to the king, and to see how little 

 opinion each had of the other's wisdom and pene- 

 tration. Possibly between them the king, or rather 

 Wolsey, was able to arrive at a true idea of 

 the state of affairs. It is pleasant to think that 

 all the emissaries agreed in one point — namely, 

 that Maximilian should have no English money. 



The effect of the Emperor's masterpiece of double 

 dealing was to draw England and France together, 

 and when next Worcester was employed on diplo- 

 matic business we find him on a visit to Francis I. 

 From the description given of the interview with 

 Francis, I gather that while envoys of less impor- 

 tance had carried on the preliminary negotiations, it 

 was, as usual, Worcester's duty to step in at the 

 close. 



It often happens that when an institution is 

 coming to an end its closing years are marked by 

 a strange splendour. The magnificence of the Field 

 of the Cloth of Gold might have shown thought- 

 ful minds the emptiness of chivalry. The jousts 

 had become mere games, and a tournament was 

 no more than a manly sport, such as the polo 

 or cricket of to-day. These contests were only the 

 image of war, which itself was rapidly becoming 



II 



