: Under lock and
key in the King's cellary house, five from Stamford that had heard
Culpepper swear Kat Howard was his leman--these had really heard this
thing, and called for no priming; under instruction in the Well Ward
gate chamber, four that should swear a certain boy was her
child--these needed to have their tales evened as to the night the
child was born, and how it had been brought from the Lord Edmund's
house wrapped in a napkin. In his own pantry, Viridus had three under
guard and admonition of his own--these should swear that whenas they
served the Lord Edmund they had seen at several times Culpepper with
her in thickets, or climbing to her window in the night, or at dawn
coming away from her chamber door. These needed to be instructed as to
all these things.

Cromwell listened with little nods, marking each item of these
instructions.

'Listen now to me,' he said; 'give attentive ear.' Viridus dropped his
eyes to the floor, as one who lends all his faculties to be
subservient to his hearing. 'At six or thereabouts T. Culpepper shall
reach this Court. Ye shall have men ready to bring him straightway to
thee. At seven or thereabouts shall come the Lady Katharine to her
room; with her shall come the King's Highness, habited as a yeoman. Be
attentive. Next Katharine Howard's door is the door of the Lady
Deedes. Her I have this day sent to other quarters. Having T.
Culpepper with you, you shall go to this room of the Lady Deedes. You
shall sit at the table with the door a little opened, so that ye may
see when the King's Highness cometh. But you shall sit opposite T.
Culpepper that he may not see.' Viridus remained like a statue carved
of wood, motionless, his head inclined to the ground. Lascelles had
his head forward, his mouth a little open. 'Whilst you wait you shall
have with you the deeds giving to T. Culpepper his farms in Kent.
These ye shall display to him. Ye shall dilate upon the goodness of
the fields, upon the commodity in barns and oasthouses, upon the
sweetness of the water wells, upon the goodliness of the air. But when
the King shall be entered into the Lady Katharine's room you shall
give T. Culpepper to drink of a certain flagon of wine that I shall
give to you. When he hath drunk you shall begin to hint that all is
ill with the lady he would wed; as thus you shall say: "Aye, your nest
is well lined, but how of the bird?" And you shall talk of her having
consorted much with a large yeoman. A