First Earl of Pembroke of the Present Creation, 111 



almost the entire peerage of England. Pembroke played an im- 

 portant part in the magnificent marriage ceremonial held in that city. 

 Some embarrassment occurred as to the person who should give the 

 queen away — a part of the ceremony which had not been provided 

 for. After a brief conference, it was removed by the Marquis of 

 Winchester and the Earls of Pembroke and Derby coming forward 

 and performing the office in the name of the whole realm, upon 

 which the people gave a great shout, and prayed God to send them 

 joy. Directly the hand of Queen Mary was given to King Philip, 

 the Earl of Pembroke advanced and carried before the bridegroom a 

 sword of state, the symbol of sovereignty, which he had hitherto 

 kept out of sight ; the royal pair returned hand-in -hand from the 

 high altar. 



The brilliant nuptial ceremonies could not, however, hide the 

 wide-spread discontent. The peers who had collected for the mar- 

 riage, dispersed to their counties. The Spanish followers of the 

 king were looked upon with the gravest discontent, and it was even 

 rumoured that in the month of September, Pembroke, Shrewsbury, 

 and Westmoreland contemplated raising a standard of revolt at York. 

 However this may be,it appears that two months later,Novemberl2th, 

 1554,the king and queen rode in their parliament robes to Westminster, 

 to open Parliament, the Earl of Pembroke bearing the sword of state 

 before the king. At this time Cardinal Pole obtained his long-wished- 

 for permission to return to England as the Pope's legate, and a re- 

 conciliation with Rome was effected. In the spring of the following 

 year — 1555 — the queen, who had strangely persuaded herself that 

 she was about to present the nation with an heir to the throne, 

 wished to celebrate the event by making peace between France and 

 the emperor. For thirty-five years these two great catholic powers 

 had been wrestling with but brief interruption, the advantage to 

 either had been as trifling as their quarrel was insignificant. A 

 conference was therefore agreed upon, in which England was to 

 mediate. A village within the Calais pale was selected as the 

 place of assembly, and Pole, Gardiner, Paget, and Pembroke 

 were chosen to arrange the terms of a general peace, with the 

 Bishop of Arras, the Cardinal of Lorraine, and Montmorency. 



