n, but seeketh to do honour to the
King's Highness and to render justice.'

Viridus and Sadler, who was another of Cromwell's secretaries, had
come in whilst Privy Seal had been speaking, and Cromwell turned upon
them laughing as the knight went out, his head hanging.

'Here is another broken man,' he said, and they all laughed together.

'Well, he is another very notable swordsman,' Viridus said. 'We might
well post him at Milan, lest Pole flee back to Rome that way.'

Cromwell turned upon the Chancellor with a bitter contempt.

'Find thou for this knight some monk's lands in Kent. He shall to
Milan with them for a price.'

Viridus laughed.

'Now we shall soon have these broken swordsmen in every town of Italy
between France and Rome. Such a net Pole shall not easily break
through.'

'It were well he were done with soon,' Cromwell said.

'The King shall love us much the more; and it is time.'

'Why, there will in two days be such a clamour of assassins in Paris
that he shall soon bolt from there towards Rome,' Viridus answered.
'It will go hard if he escape all our Italy men. I hold it for certain
that Winchester shall have reported to him in Paris that this
Culpepper is on the road. Will you speak with this Howard wench?'

Cromwell knitted his brows in uncertainty.

'It was her cousin that should clamour about this murder in Paris,'
Viridus reminded him.

'Is she without?' Cromwell asked. 'Have you it for certain that she
hath reported to my lord of Winchester?'

'Winchester's priest of the bedchamber hath shewn me a copy of the
letter she wrote. I would have your lordship send some reward to that
Father Michael. He hath served us in many other matters.'

Cromwell motioned with his hand that Sadler should note down this
Father Michael's name.

'Are there many men in my antechambers?' he asked Viridus, and hearing
that there were more than one hundred and fifty: 'Why, let this wench
stay there a half-hour. It humbles a woman to be alone among so many
men, and she shall come here without a sound clout to her back for the
crush of them.'

He began talking with Sadler about two globes of the world that he had
ordered his agent to buy in Antwerp, one for himself and the other for
a present to the King. Sadler answered that the price was very high; a
thousand crowns or so, he had forgotten just how many. They had been
twelve years in the making, but the agent had been afraid of the
greatness of the exp