1810.] Letters from 
rying without their approbation, she was. 
eifectually debarred from succeeding to 
the crown. We-have some authority 
fur believing, that an attachment had 
subsisted between the queen and the 
_admiral, prior to her late marriage; and 
the additional wealth and high” rank 
which she had acquired by this union, 
powerfully incited him again to renew 
his solicitations. wg 
Dugdale bas described him as being 
“Cin fashion courtly, in personage stately, 
and in voice magnificent.” Possessed 
of these attractive qualities, and well 
versed in the art of advantageously em- 
ploying them, can we be surprised tnat 
the influence which he is said to have 
acquired over the queen and the prin- 
cess, wis, in those days of ignorance and 
superstition, ascribed to magical incan- 
tation? As a proof however how warmly 
he pressed his suit, and how artfully he 
prevailed on Kayherine to deviate from 
the strict line of prudence and propriety, 
for which her deportment had hitherto 
been so eminently conspicuous, the fol- 
lowing passage from one of her letters 
may be cited: 
“Whereas ye charge me with a pro- 
myse written with myne one hand’ to 
eliaunge the two yeres into two monethes, 
I thynke ye have no suche playne sen- 
tence wrytten with my hand. I knowe 
not wether ye be a paraphryser or not: 
yf ye be lerned in that scyence that ys 
possyble, ye may of one word make 
whule sentence, and yet nott att all 
tymes after the true meanyng of the 
wryter as yt aperyth by thys yowr ex- 
posycyon apon my wrytyng.” 
Wearied with the tyranny of her for- 
mer husband, for whom she never could 
have felt much affection, and_anticipa- 
ting years of happiness, united to one of 
the most distinguished subjects in the 
kingdom, she at length submitted to his 
importunities, and consented to a private 
marriage in the sixth month of her widow- 
hood. Thisunguarded procedure proved 
fatal to her future peace, for she now 
became embroiled in the various discords 
that agitated and perplexed the political 
parties of the day; and the short pe- 
riod of her life which was spent with 
lord Sudeley, was cruelly embittered 
_ with vexation and regret. 
haughty spirit of Seymour was © still 
restless and dissatished; feuds were 
industriously fomented between the bro- 
thers, by those who envied their ad- 
vancement; and thus, from being secret 
| Xivals, they soon became open enemies. 
The stern and 
> 
Cheltenham. 229 
During the absence-of the duke on 
the Scottish expedition, the admiral 
sought every opportunity of ingratiating 
himself with the king, He even made 
an attempt to be appointed governor of 
his person; and secretly cavalled with 
those who were imost inimical to his bro-= 
ther’s administration. The decisive con~ 
duct however of the duke, deteated these 
Malevolent schemes, and the subsequent 
submission of the admiral produced a 
temporary reconciliation. Katherine, in 
the mean time, bad many domestic dis- 
quietudes to contend with. The duke 
had disapproved of her hasty marriages 
and the duchess, a proud imperious 
woman, was mortified at being obliged 
to give precedence to the wife of the 
younger brother; although the king, as a 
mark of respectful regard, had erdered 
her to be prayed for immediately after 
himself, 
In the course of the first year of her 
marriage, Kathérine became pregnant, — 
and she probably left with much satis. 
faction the vicinity of a turbulent court, 
and retired to Sudeley to prepare for 
her approaching confinement. About 
this time the admiral is suspected of 
again aspiriig to the hand of the prine 
cess, and much:stress has been laid upon 
the familiarities) that passed between 
them at Hanworth and Chelsea; but, as 
the queen appbars to have been a party 
in these pleasantries, 1 think we have no 
right to conclude that he was actuated 
by any criminal intention, or to infer 
that the encouragement which he re- 
ceived, induced. him to’ accelerate the 
death of his wife. Katherine, however, 
was delivered of a daughter on the 3Orb 
of August, 1548, and died on the Sth of 
the following month. The circumstance 
of the admiral’s having been accessas’y te 
her death, is curiously introduced into 
the bill of attainder which was subse- 
quently passed against. him, The testi- 
mony of some of the witnesses who were 
examined on this point, is still preserved; 
but it does not appear that the charge: 
was substantiated, although from the 
evidence of lady Tyrwhil, who attended 
the queen during her alness, it should 
seem, that ‘she reproached him™ with 
** wylling her no good,” and with having 
given her “many shroud taunts;”° but’ 
these expressions may be considered as 
the wanderings of delirium, or as allu- 
sions to some former unkindness, rather 
than as iidications of a.suspicion that. 
he was guilty of so atrociqus-an! acts. 
In addition to this, it may be observed: 
thay, 
