than a page. Truly he had been kind and
generous to me.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

EVENTS IN ANTWERP.

Once more we were in Antwerp. We stayed there, however, but a short
time, to confer with Master Clough on various financial and commercial
matters. I should mention that an attempt was made by the Papists to
stir up enmity against the new Queen of England among the people of
Antwerp, in order, if possible, to prevent Sir Thomas Gresham from
obtaining the point he required. For this purpose a friar was engaged
to preach a sermon. He furiously attacked the Queen, abused her as a
heretic and a heathen, who cared not for God nor religion, and whose
great object was to make all her people heathens, telling his hearers
that any Catholic would be justified in putting her to death; not only
that, but he would thereby perform a meritorious work, highly pleasing
to the Church and to God. The indignation, however, of the people of
Antwerp on hearing this sermon was very great, for at that time there
were fully fifty thousand professed Protestants in that city, besides
many more who secretly approved of their principles. Had the friar
ventured abroad, there would have been little doubt that he would have
been well bastinadoed by the populace. He must have suspected that such
would be his fate if he showed himself.

The following day Sir Thomas received a visit from Master Lazarus
Tucker. He came, he said, on the part of the friar to request that Sir
Thomas would throw his protection over him, to save him from the
treatment he was likely to receive. I had seldom seen my patron so
amused.

"By my troth," he answered, "this is impudence! Here is a villainous
fellow who preaches black treason in the name of religion, and then
sends to me, the envoy of the Queen's Majesty, to protect him! No, no!
let him go forth if he lists, and if he is well bastinadoed by the
people, he will only obtain his desert."

The friar, however, remained shut up in his house, but shortly
afterwards, through the aid of Cardinal Granvelle, secretly left the
city, and took refuge in Brussels. No man in authority was more hated
at that time in the Netherlands than was Cardinal Granvelle. When
Philip went to Spain, he had been left behind in Flanders. His ambition
had procured for him a cardinal's hat, and, by his insolent and
imperious bearing, he soon incurred such deep hatred, that the first
noblemen of the country conspired against him, a