s for the marksmen that most they deemed to have
skill or that usually seemed to enjoy the fortunate favours of chance
and the winds.

But, being alone with the King--(for when the Queen rode back to
Richmond the notable bowman in green walked, holding Katharine's
stirrup, back to Hampton at her saddle-bow)--she could not stay
herself from venting her griefs.

'_Et cognovi quod non esset melius nisi laetari et facere bene in vita
sua_'--Henry finished his quotation when they were within her room. He
sat himself down in her chair and stretched his legs apart; being
tired with his long walk at her saddle bow, the more boisterous part
of his great pleasure had left him. He was no more minded to slap his
thigh, but he felt, as it was his favourite image of blessedness to
desire, like a husbandman who sat beneath his vine and knew his
harvesting prosper.

'Body of God!' he said, 'this is the best day of my life. There doth
no cloud remain. Here is the sunburst. For Cleves hath cut himself
adrift; I need have no more truck with Anne; you have no more cause
nor power to bend yourself from me; to-morrow the Parliament meets,
such a Parliament to do my will as never before met in a Republic;
therefore I have no more need of Cromwell.' He snapped his thumb and
finger as if he were throwing away a pinch of dust, and when she fell
to her knees before his chair, placed his hand upon her head and,
smiling, huge and indulgent, spoke on.

'This is such a day as seldom I have known since I was a child.' He
leaned forward to stroke her dusky and golden hair and laid his hand
upon her shoulder, his fingers touching her flushed cheek.

'On other days I have said with Horace, who is more to my taste than
your Lucretius: "_That man is great and happy who at day's end may
say: To-day I have lived, what of storms or black clouds on the morrow
betide._"'...

He crossed his great legs encased in green, set his heavy head to one
side and, though he could see she was minded to pray to him,
continued to speak like a man uttering of his memories.

'Such days as that of Horace I have known. But never yet such a day as
to-day, which, good in itself, leadeth on to goodness and fair
prospects for a certain morrow.' He smiled again. 'Why, I am no more
an old man as I had thought to be. I have walked that far path beside
thy horse.' It pleased him for two things: because he had walked with
little fatigue and because he had been enabled to show he