yes to assure her
that these words were true.

But the King, upon his feet, marched towards the door.

'Let us arm my guard,' he said. 'I will play Nero to London town.'

Nevertheless Throckmorton kept his knees.

'Majesty,' he said, 'I have this man in my keeping.' And indeed, at
his passing London Bridge he had sent men to take the printer and
bring him to Hampton. 'I pray your pardon that I took him lacking your
warrant, and Privy Seal's I dare not ask.'

The King stayed in his pacing.

'Thou art a jewel of a man,' he said. 'By Cock, I would I had many
like thee.' And at the news that the head of this confederacy was
taken his sudden fear fell. 'I will see this man. Bring him to me.'

'Sire,' Katharine said, 'we spoke even now of Cinna. Remember him!'

'Madam,' Throckmorton dared to speak. 'This is the man that hath
printed broadsides against you. No man more hateth you in land or hath
uttered more lewdnesses of your chastity.'

'The more I will have him pardoned,' Katharine said, 'that his
Highness and all people may see how little I fear his lyings.'

Throckmorton shrugged his shoulders right up to his ears to signify
that this was a very madness of Roman pardoning.

'God send you never rue it,' he said. 'Majesty,' he continued to the
King, 'give me some safe conduct that for half-an-hour I may go about
this palace unletted by men of Privy Seal's. For Privy Seal hath a
mighty army of men to do his bidding and I am one man unaided. Give me
half-an-hour's space and I will bring to you this captain of rebellion
to your cabinet. And I will bring to you them that shall mightily and
to the hilt against all countervail and denial prove that Privy Seal
is a false and damnable traitor to thee and this goodly realm. So I
swear: Throckmorton who am a trusty knight.'

He was not minded to utter before Katharine Howard the names of his
other witnesses. For one of them was the Chancellor of the
Augmentations, who was ready to swear that Cromwell, upon the barge
when they went in the night from Rochester to Greenwich, had said that
he would have the King down if he would not wed with Anne of Cleves.
And he had Viridus to swear that Cromwell had said, before his
armoury, to the Ambassador of the Schmalkaldners, that ne King, ne
Emperor had such another armoury, yet were there twenty score great
houses in England that had better, all ready to arm to defend the
Protestant faith and Privy Seal. These things he was minde