"No, I am to have an audience of His Eminence to-morrow," said Miles, in a matter of fact tone. "Now, can you recommend me to a lodging in this neighbourhood?" he added, "for I am but now come from Oxford and know little of the ways of this town."
"Most young gallants speedily learn them, though," said the man, with a short laugh.
"Well, I have not time, seeing my business will not brook delay, so prithee tell me where I can find an hostelry that will give rest and food to me and my horse with as little delay as possible."
Miles having delivered his precious packet began to feel very hungry, for he would not wait even for breakfast before finding his way to York House; and once there he must needs complete the business he had come upon. It was fortunate for him that the Cardinal had departed from his usual custom, for he might have had to wait about all day, faint and hungry, without a chance of obtaining any food: and the guard told him this when he said he had not yet had any breakfast.
The man directed him to an hostelry close by, for the frequent coming and going of messengers between York House and all parts of the kingdom, had made it a busy centre, in spite of its being outside London, and Westminster too, for people must needs find accommodation close at hand, when so many hours were often wasted waiting for a chance to bring some case before Wolsey, either in his capacity of Lord Chancellor of England, or Cardinal Legate of the Court of Rome.
So Miles found his way to the tavern where accommodation could be had for his horse as well as himself, and where he found all the talk of the customers was about the doings of the Great Cardinal.
It seemed that, in spite of the enormous amount of business and powerful interests that were accumulated in Wolsey's hands, he gave personal attention to every case that came before him, and clients had their cases decided quickly and fairly; so that everywhere men tried to get their causes brought before the Lord Chancellor, that the wearisome delays of the Law, that were often so ruinous, might be done away with.
There was talk now of a subordinate court being set up, to be called the Rolls Court, that would relieve some of this pressure of business that so frequently hindered the Cardinal from spending as much time with the king as he wished, and which Henry the Eighth was inclined to construe into negligence on the part of his great minister.
As Wolsey held all his great offices at the will of the king, and was never weary of proclaiming that all the power vested in him, he did but wield as the king's servant, Henry was not likely to brook anything like neglect from this servant, and it would not do to let him feel that he was of less importance than some weighty concern of Church or State.
So it often happened that the Cardinal hurried away from the business of the Court of Chancery, or the considering of some ecclesiastical cause of great moment to the Church and Realm, to join in some merry frolic at Greenwich or at the Tower.