the privileges of the house. A vote was at length obtained with difficulty of two shillings in the pound—just half the rate demanded—on lands or goods over 20l., to be paid in two years, with lower rates on smaller incomes. Wolsey refused this as insufficient, and the house, after adjourning over Whitsuntide, was again called on to consider the matter. At last, after very stormy debates, incomes of 50l. and upwards from land were subjected to an additional tax of one shilling in the pound to be paid in the third year, and persons possessing 50l. value of goods were required to pay a shilling in the pound on them one year later.
Convocation also met at St. Paul's during the first sitting of parliament; but Wolsey as legate stopped its proceedings and summoned the convocations of both provinces before him at Westminster, where, after very serious opposition, he extracted from the clergy for their share a grant of half a year's revenue of all benefices, to be paid in five years. The summons to Westminster again provoked Skelton's satire in the distich:
Gentle Paul, lay down thy sweard,
For Peter of Westminster hath shaven thy beard.
Large provision was thus made for a war in which flatterers told Henry VIII that they hoped to see him crowned king of France at Rheims. But the king himself, though he boasted somewhat, was becoming no less convinced than Wolsey that the emperor was seeking to throw the whole expense upon him and to keep the profits to himself. Soon after he had arrived in Spain Charles expressed great gratitude to him for his assistance, by which he had been able to subdue rebellion and establish good order there. He also informed him, with much seeming frankness, that he had received overtures of peace from France through the papal legate. He was less communicative, however, about certain secret offers made to him by the Duke of Bourbon, who was even then meditating revolt from Francis, and had hopes of marrying the emperor's sister Eleanor. But Wolsey found out all about them, and did not intend, as he wrote to the king, that the emperor should ‘have more strings to his bow’ than Henry. He got Bourbon to make offers to England as well, and urged upon the emperor a joint negotiation. But Charles grew cold as England grew warm. He would have thrown over Henry and Bourbon alike if Francis would have consented to give up Milan as well as Fontarabia. Francis, however, would not give up Milan, and in the end of May 1523 the Sieur de Beaurain was sent from Spain to induce Henry to contribute at least five hundred men-at-arms and ten thousand foot in aid of the duke. But, having discharged his mission in England, Beaurain went straight to Bourbon himself at Bourg-en-Bresse and made a special compact with him for the emperor before any envoy could arrive from England, though Knight was sent from Brussels close upon his heels.
With different aims and divided counsels the allies made little progress in the invasion of France that summer. Suffolk with his large army won several places in Picardy, and spread alarm at Paris; but he was ill supported from the Low Countries. Wolsey, for reasons which we do not know, but in which, after some objections, the king fully acquiesced, abandoned a plan of campaign, beginning with the siege and capture of Boulogne, which he himself had drawn up. Possibly even Henry was already convinced that he could make no really valuable addition to his continental possessions, and meant to do like his father—‘traffick with that war to make his return in money.’ At all events, Suffolk's brilliant and unsubstantial victories were used, while the war fever was hot in England, as a reason for procuring what was called ‘an anticipation’—that is to say, for issuing commissions on 2 Nov. (Hall wrongly says in October) to persuade the wealthy to pay the subsidy voted by parliament before the term appointed, and the money was actually gathered in. That same month of November the emperor's army was disbanded for lack of payment, and the English broke discipline and compelled Suffolk to return to Calais.
Just before this, on 14 Sept., Adrian VI died, and there was again a vacancy in the papacy. The alliance of the king and emperor being in such high repute, the English ambassadors at Rome felt sure that Wolsey's presence alone was wanted to decide the new election in his favour. But the imperial ambassador laughed in his sleeve, and, Charles V acting with the same hypocrisy as before, Clement VII was elected on 19 Nov. But whoever was disappointed with the result, it was certainly not Wolsey. He congratulated the king on having so good a friend in the new pope, with whom, as Cardinal de' Medici, they had both had much correspondence; and his satisfaction was greatly increased when Clement, on 21 Jan. following, confirmed to him his legateship for life. The pope also gave him the bishopric of Durham, the temporalities
