in the castle
and of most in the realm. Beneath her she had the Archbishop and some
few of the lords of the council who met most days round a long table in
the largest hall, and afterwards brought her many papers to sign or to
approve. But they were mostly papers of accounts for the castles that
were then building, and some few letters from the King's envoys in
foreign courts. Upon the whole, there was little stirring, though the
Emperor Charles V was then about harrying the Protestant Princes of
Almain and Germany. That was good enough news, and though the great
castle had well-nigh seven hundred souls, for the most part women, in
it, yet it appeared to be empty. High up upon the upper battlements the
guards kept a lazy watch. Sometimes the Queen rode a-hawking with her
ladies and several lords; when it rained she held readings from the
learned writers amongst her ladies, to teach them Latin better. For she
had set a fashion of good learning among women that did not for many
years die out of the land. In that pursuit she missed the Magister Udal,
for the ladies listened to him more willingly than to another. They were
reading the _True History of Lucian_, which had been translated into
Latin from the Greek about that time.

What occupied her most was the writing of the King's letter to the Pope.
Down in their cellar the Archbishop and Lascelles wrought many days at
this very long piece of writing. But they made it too humble to suit
her, for she would not have her lord to crawl, as if in the dust upon
his belly, so she told the Archbishop. Henry was to show contrition and
repentance, desire for pardon and the promise of amendment. But he was a
very great King and had wrought greatly. And, having got the draft of it
in the vulgar tongue, she set about herself to turn it into Latin, for
she esteemed herself the best Latinist that they had there.

But in that again she missed the Magister at last, and in the end she
sent for him up from his prison to her ante-chamber where it pleased her
to sit. It was a tall, narrow room, with much such a chair and dais as
were in the room of the Lady Mary. It gave on to her bedchamber that was
larger, and it had little, bright, deep windows in the thick walls. From
them there could be seen nothing but the blue sky, it was so high up.
Here she sat, most often with the Lady Rochford, upon a little stool
writing, with the parchments upon her knee or setting a maid to sew. The
King had la