THE DEVOTED DAUGHTER. reverently to his faithful and delectable letter, the faithful messenger of his vertuous mind," and al- most rejoices, despite her bitter grief, that he can thus triumph over all " earth-born cares." It chanced, while she was with him, on another occasion, that in their sight, Reynolds, the Abbot of. Sion, and three monks of the Charterhouse, were marched out for execution on account of the .supre- macy. He exclaimed, " Lo ! dost thou not see, Meg, that these blessed Fathers be now as cheerful going to their deaths as bridegrooms . to their mar- riage ;" and tenderly he sought to strengthen her mind for the like destiny befalling him. Asking her how the world went, and how Anne Boleyn did, " In faith, father," said she, "never better; there is nothing else in the Court but dancing and sporting." " Never better !" said he. " Alas ! Meg, it pities me to remember unto what misery, poor soul, she will shortly come. These dances' of hers will prove such dances that she will spurn our heads off like footballs ; but it will not be long ere her head will dance the like dance." Poor Anne Boleyn, angry at his firm refusal to aid her in her passage to a throne, had been mainly instrumental in bringing him to his present situa- tion, by " exasperating the King" against him. He had been in prison " some considerable time," when " my lady" visited him, with the hope of per- suading him to relax his inflexibility. She thus saluted him, " like a plain rude woman, and some- 19
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