114 



Some Notice of William Herbert, 



lieutenant, a faithful subject, and one who has very great authority 

 in that kingdom." 1 



Soon after his return from Calais, we find Pembroke attending 

 the obsequies of the Queen of Spain, the king's grandmother, at 

 St. Paul's ; where " the hearse set up was the goodliest ever seen in 

 England ; the bare frame whereof, the work of the carpenter, cost 

 £15. After mass, a great dinner at the Bishop of London's place, 

 with great plenty. - " 



Mary's strange hallucination having now become apparent, she 

 fell into a depressed state; persecution, distrust, and famine had 

 caused grievous discontent ; Philip was now only desirous to return 

 to Flanders, nor had he long to wait for the opportunity. 



In the autumn o£ 1555 the king received a summons from his 

 father to leave England and join him in Flanders ; the cause of this 

 sudden movement was one that filled the Castilians, as it did all 

 Europe, with astonishment — the proposed abdication of Charles V. 

 On the 4th September Philip made his entry into Calais and soon 

 after resumed his journey with his splendid train of Castilians and 

 English nobles, amongst whom were the Earls of Arundell, Pembroke 

 and Huntingdon. On the road they were met by a military escort, 

 sent by his father, and so entered Brussels, where the emperor and 

 and his court were eagerly awaiting them. The royal party dis- 

 mounted at the casino near the Louvain Gate ; the king kneeling 

 before his father, begging permission to kiss his hand. He then 

 called by name the Admiral, Lord William Howard, the Earls o£ 

 Arundell and Pembroke, and some other English gentlemen, and 

 presented them to the emperor, who received them joyfully, but did 

 not allow them to kiss his hand, it being his wont never to give it 

 to such as are not his own subjects. 2 



The year 1556 opened inauspiciously. The Dudley conspiracy 

 had come to nothing, but disaffection had penetrated deeply, not 

 only amongst the people, but into the English garrisons in France, 

 where the French were still waiting for their opportunity. The 



1 Venetian State Papers, 1555-1556, No. 77. 

 2 State Papers, Venetian, 1555-1556, No. 214. 



