o the emperor: but Gardiner having written to the king,
that, if he carried his opposition against the Catholic religion to
greater extremities, Charles threatened to break off all commerce with
him, the success of Cranmer's projects was for some time retarded.
Cranmer lost this year the most sincere and powerful friend that he
possessed at court, Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk; the queen dowager
of France, consort to Suffolk, had died some years before. This nobleman
is one instance that Henry was not altogether incapable of a cordial and
steady friendship; and Suffolk seems to have been worthy of the favor
which, from his earliest youth, he had enjoyed with his master. The king
was sitting in council when informed of Suffolk's death; and he took
the opportunity both to express his own sorrow for the loss, and to
celebrate the merits of the deceased. He declared, that during the
whole course of their friendship, his brother-in-law had never made one
attempt to injure an adversary, and had never whispered a word to the
disadvantage of any person. "Is there any of you, my lords, who can say
as much?" When the king subjoined these words, he looked round in all
their faces, and saw that confusion which the consciousness of secret
guilt naturally threw upon them.[*]

* Coke's Inst. cap. 99.

Cranmer himself, when bereaved of this support, was the more exposed
to those cabals of the courtiers, which the opposition in party and
religion, joined to the usual motives of interest, rendered so frequent
among Henry's ministers and counsellors. The Catholics took hold of the
king by his passion for orthodoxy; and they represented to him, that, if
his laudable zeal for enforcing the truth met with no better success,
it was altogether owing to the primate, whose example and encouragement
were, in reality, the secret supports of heresy. Henry, seeing the point
at which they aimed, feigned a compliance, and desired the council to
make inquiry into Cranmer's conduct; promising that, if he were found
guilty, he should be committed to prison, and brought to condign
punishment. Every body now considered the primate as lost; and his
old friends, from interested views, as well as the opposite party from
animosity, began to show him marks of neglect and disregard. He was
obliged to stand several hours among the lackeys at the door of the
council chamber before he could be admitted; and when he was at last
called in, he was told that t