"I think," replied Madam de Cleves, "'tis said she was born

in France." "Those who imagine so are mistaken," replied the

Queen-Dauphin; "I'll give you her history in a few words.

"She was of a good family in England; Henry the Eighth was in love with

her sister and her mother, and it has been even suspected by some, that

she was his daughter; she came to France with Henry the Seventh's

sister, who married Louis XII that Princess, who was full of youth and

gallantry, left the Court of France with great reluctance after her

husband's death; but Anne Boleyn, who had the same inclinations as her

mistress, could not prevail with herself to go away; the late King was

in love with her, and she continued maid of honour to Queen Claude;

that Queen died, and Margaretta, the King's sister, Duchess of Alenson,

and since Queen of Navarre, whose story you know, took her into her

service, where she imbibed the principles of the new religion; she

returned afterwards to England, and there charmed all the world; she

had the manners of France, which please in all countries; she sung

well, she danced finely; she was a maid of honour to Queen Catherine,

and Henry the Eighth fell desperately in love with her.

"Cardinal Wolsey, his favourite and first minister, being dissatisfied

with the Emperor for not having favoured his pretensions to the Papacy,

in order to revenge himself of him, contrived an alliance between

France and the King his master; he put it into the head of Henry the

Eighth, that his marriage with the Emperor's aunt was null, and advised

him to marry the Duchess of Alenson, whose husband was just dead; Anne

Boleyn, who was not without ambition, considered Queen Catherine's

divorce as a means that would bring her to the Crown; she began to give

the King of England impressions of the Lutheran religion, and engaged

the late King to favour at Rome Henry the Eighth's divorce, in hopes of

his marrying the Duchess of Alenson; Cardinal Wolsey, that he might

have an opportunity of treating this affair, procured himself to be

sent to France upon other pretences; but his master was so far from

permitting him to propose this marriage, that he sent him express

orders to Calais not to speak of it.

"Cardinal Wolsey, at his return from France, was received with as great

honours as could have been paid to the King himself; never did any

favourite carry his pride and vanity to so great a height; he managed

an interview between the two Kings at Boulogne, when Francis the First

would have given the upperhand to Henry the Eighth, but he refused to

accept it; they treated one another by turns with the utmost

magnificence, and presented to each habits of the same sort with those

they wore themselves.




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