s of Constance. He proved himself throughout a most
bitter persecutor of heretics; and (as Van der Hardt expresses
himself) the less imbued he was with any affection towards the
disciples of Huss, or influenced by it, so much the more sincere a
censor was he of the ecclesiastical corruptions of his time. He was
bent on reforming the abuses of the church with a strong hand, and so
far the wishes of his royal master coincided with his own; but he (p. 057)
could not prevail upon the King to go hand-in-hand with him in
persecuting the heretics. Walden was bold enough, in his mistaken
zeal, to charge Henry with a culpable remissness in what was then too
generally supposed to be the duty of a Christian sovereign.[49]

[Footnote 47: Thomas Gascoyne, a contemporary
writer, born 1403, ordained 1427, who gives us a
deplorable view of the ignorance and immorality of
the clergy of his time, mentions the appointment of
Walden as Henry's chaplain, in confirmation of his
position that he never could find that any King of
England retained any bishop after consecration as
his confessor or resident chaplain till the time of
Henry VI. "When (he says) Henry IV.'s confessor was
made a bishop, he sent him to his cure and his
bishopric; and Henry V, who was a very prudent King
indeed, and terrible to many nations, had with him
one doctor proficient in divinity, Thomas Walden,
as his confessor, who was burdened with no cure of
souls. Thus were Kings and Lords accustomed to
retain as their chaplains persons who were free
from all cure of souls."]

[Footnote 48: Pell Rolls, Mich. 7 Hen. V, he is
paid for his expenses in an embassy to the King of
Poland.]

[Footnote 49: L'Estrange, Counc. Constance, vol.
ii. p. 282; and Van der Hardt, tom. i. p. 501.]

* * * * *

A communication made personally to Henry from Constance, in the
beginning of the year 1417,[50] deserves in this place our especial
attention. The letter, written by John Forester,[51] may perhaps be
considered a fair specimen of corresponde