in his life-time, of the body of the said lady Frances, lawfully begotten; and for lack of heirs males of every such son lawfully begotten, that then the said imperial crown, and all and singular other the premises, should remain, come, and be to us, by the name of the lady Jane, eldest daughter of the said lady Frances, and to the heirs male of our body lawfully begotten, and for the lack of such issue, then to the lady Katherine aforesaid, our said second sister, and the heirs male of her body lawfully begotten, with divers other remainders, as by the same letters-patents more plainly and at large it may and doth appear. Sithence the making of our letters patents, that is to say, on Thursday, which was the 6th day of this instant month of July, it hath pleased God to call unto his infinite mercy our said most dear and entirely beloved cousin Edward the Sixth, whose soul God pardon; and forasmuch as he is now deceased, having no heirs of his body begotten; and that also there remaineth at this present time no heirs lawfully begotten, of the body of our said progenitor, and great uncle, king Henry the Eighth; and forasmuch also as the said lady Frances, our said mother, had no issue begotten of her body, and born into the world, in the life-time of our said cousin king Edward the Sixth, so as the said imperial crown, and other the premises to the same belonging, or in any-wise appertaining, now be, and remain to us, in our actual and royal possession, by authority of the said letters patents: we do therefore by these presents signify, unto all our most loving, faithful, and obedient subjects, that like-as we for our part shall, by God's grace, shew ourselves a most gracious and benign sovereign queen and lady to all our good subjects, in all their just and lawful suits and causes; and to the uttermost of our power, shall preserve and maintain God's most holy word, Christian policy, and the good laws, customs, and liberties of these our realms and dominions; so we mistrust not but they, and every of them, will again, for their parts, at all times, and in all cases, shew themselves unto us, their natural liege queen and lady, most faithful, loving, and obedient subjects, according to their bounden duties and allegiance, whereby they shall please God, and do the things that shall tend to their own preservation and sureties; willing and commanding all men, of all estates, degrees, and conditions, to see our peace and accord kept, and to be obedient to our laws, as they tender our favour, and will answer for the contrary at their extreme perils. In witness whereof, we have caused these our letters to be made patents. Witness ourself, at our Tower of London, the tenth day of July, in the first year of our reign. God save the Queen. (Collection of Records, Burnet, ed. cit., ccliii.) 127. Execution of Lady Jane Grey Foxe The brief reign of Lady Jane Grey Dudley was brought to a pathetic close with her condemnation to death. Her bearing on the scaffold was marked by resignation and dignity, and the sympathies of all, even those who were opposed to her claim as queen, were given to the young girl who died so bravely. These are the words that the lady Jane spake upon the scaffold, at the hour of her death. First, when she mounted upon the scaffold, she said to the people standing thereabout, "Good people, I am come hither to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same. The fact against the queen's highness was unlawful, and the consenting thereunto by me: but touching the procurement or desire thereof by me, or on my behalf, I do wash my hands thereof in innocency before God, and the face of you, good Christian people, this day:" and therewith she wrung her hands, wherein she had her book. Then said she, "I pray you all, good Christian people, to bear me witness that I die a true Christian woman, and that I do look to be saved by no other mean, but only by the mercy of God, in the blood of his only son Jesus Christ: and I confess, that when I did know the word of God, I neglected the same, loved myself and the world; and therefore this plague and punishment is happily and worthily happened unto me for my sins; and yet I thank God, that of his goodness he hath thus given me a time and respite to repent. And now, good people, while I am alive, I pray you to assist me with your prayers." And then, kneeling down, she turned her to Fecknam, saying: "Shall I say this psalm?" And he said, "Yea." Then said she the psalm of "Miserere mei Deus" in English, in most devout manner, throughout to the end; and then she stood up, and gave her maiden, mistress Ellen, her gloves and handkerchief, and her book to master Bruges. And then she untied her gown, and the hangman pressed upon her to help her off with it; but she, desiring him to let her alone, turned towards her two gentlewomen, who helped her off therewith, and also with her frowes paste and neckerchief, giving to her a fair handkerchief to knit about her eyes. Then the hangman kneeled down and asked her forgive ness, whom she forgave most willingly. Then he willed her to stand upon the straw; which doing, she saw the block, Then she said, "I pray you despatch me quickly." Then she kneeled down, saying, "Will you take it off, before I lay me down?" And the hangman said, “No, madam." Then tied she the handkerchief about her eyes, and feeling for the block, she said, "What shall I do? Where is it? Where is it?" One of the standers-by guiding her thereunto she laid her head down upon the block, and then stretched forth her body, and said, "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit;" and so finished her life, in the year of our Lord God 1554, the 12th day of February. (Acts and Monuments, of John Foxe, ed. J. Pratt, Lond. n. d. 4th ed., VI, 423.) 128. Mary's Claim to the Throne Acts and Memorials, Foxe That the claim of Lady Jane Grey was not without strong support is shown by the following correspondence between Mary and the lords of the council. The answer of the prominent lords to the claim of Mary is very sharp in its tone, and some of the Protestants afterward paid dearly for their partisanship of Lady Jane and for their strictures upon the legitimacy of Mary. My lords, we greet you well, and have received sure advertisement, that our dearest brother the king, our late sovereign lord, is departed to God's mercy; which news how woful they be unto our heart, he only knoweth, to whose will and pleasure we must, and do, humbly submit us and our wills. But in this so lamentable a case, that is to wit now, after his majesty's departure and death, concerning the crown and governance of this realm of England, with the title of France, and all things thereto belonging, what hath been provided by act of Parliament, and the testament and last will of our dearest father, besides other circumstances advancing our right, you know, the realm and the whole world knoweth; the rolls and records appear by the authority of the king our said father, and the king our said brother, and the subjects of this realm; so that we verily trust that there is no true good subject, that is, can, or would pretend to be ignorant thereof; and of our part we have of ourselves caused, and, as God shall aid and strengthen us, shall cause, our right and title in this behalf to be published and proclaimed accordingly. And albeit this so weighty matter seemeth strange, that our said brother, dying upon Thursday at night last past, we hitherto had no knowledge from you thereof, yet we consider your wisdoms and prudence to be such, that having eftsoons among you debated, pondered, and well weighed this present case with our estate, with your own estate, the commonwealth, and all our honours, we shall and may conceive great hope and trust, with much assurance in your loyalty and service; and therefore for the time interpret and take things not to the worst, and that ye will, like noblemen, work the best. Nevertheless, we are not ignorant of your consultations, to undo the provisions made for our preferment, nor of the great bands, and provisions forcible, wherewith ye be assembled and prepared by whom, and to what end, God and you know, and nature cannot but fear some evil. But be it that some consideration politic, or whatsoever thing else hath moved you thereto; yet doubt you not, my lords, but we can take all these your doings in gracious part, being also right ready to remit and fully pardon the same, and that freely, to eschew bloodshed and vengeance, against all those that can or will intend the same; trusting also assuredly you will take and accept this grace and virtue in good part, as appertaineth, and that we shall not be enforced to use the service of others our true subjects and friends, which in this our just and right cause, God, in whom our whole affiance is, shall send us. Wherefore, my lords, we require you, and charge you and every of you, that of your allegiance which you owe to God and us, and to none other, for our honour and the surety of our person, only employ yourselves, and forthwith, upon receipt hereof, cause our right and title to the crown and government of this realm to be proclaimed in our city of London and other places, as to your wisdom shall seem good, and as to this case appertaineth; not failing hereof as our very trust is in you. And this our letter, signed with our hand, shall be your sufficient warrant in this behalf. Given under our signet, at our Manor of Kenning-hall, the ninth of July, 1553. (Acts and Monuments, of John Foxe, ed. cit., VI, 385.) 128a. Answer of the Lords of the Council unto the Lady Mary's Letter Madam, we have received your letters, the ninth of this instant, declaring your supposed title, which you judge yourself to have, to the imperial crown of this realm, and all the dominions thereunto belonging. For answer whereof, this is to advertise you, that forasmuch as our sovereign lady queen Jane is, after the death of our sovereign lord Edward the Sixth, a prince of most noble memory, invested and possessed with the just and right title in the imperial crown of this realm, not only by good order of old ancient laws of this realm, but also by our late sovereign lord's letters patent, signed with his own hand, and sealed with the great seal of England in presence of the most part of the nobles, councillors, judges, with divers other grave and sage personages, assenting and subscribing to the same: we must, therefore, as of most bounden duty and allegiance, assent unto her said grace, and to none other, except we should (which faithful subjects cannot) fall into grievous and unspeakable enormities. Wherefore we can no less do, but, for the quiet both of the realm and you also, to advertise you, that forasmuch as the divorce made between the king of famous memory, king Henry the Eighth, and the lady Katherine your mother, was necessary to be had both by the everlasting laws of God, and also by the ecclesiastical laws, and by the most part of the noble and learned universities of Christendom, and confirmed also by the sundry acts of parliaments remaining yet in their force, and thereby you justly made illegitimate and unheritable to the crown imperial of this realm, and the rules, and dominions, and possessions of the same, you will, upon just consideration hereof, and of divers other causes lawful to be alleged for the same, and for the just inheritance of the right line and godly order taken by the late king our sovereign lord king Edward the Sixth, and agreed upon by the nobles and greatest personages aforesaid, surcease by any pretence to vex and molest any of our sovereign lady queen Jane's subjects from their true faith and allegiance due unto her grace: assuring you, that if you will for respect show yourself quiet and obedient (as you ought), you shall find us all and several ready to do you any service that we with duty may, and be glad, with your quietness, to preserve the common state of this realm, wherein you may be otherwise grievous unto us, to yourself, and to them. And thus we bid you most heartily well to fare. From the Tower of London, in this ninth of July, 1553. Your Ladyship's friends, showing yourself an obedient Thomas Canterbury. subject. Shrewsbury. John Gates. The Marquis of Winchester. Pembroke. W. Peter. |