Sometimes, as the two students were walking in some lonely glade in the park, or passing through its gates, they would see the stately procession of the Cardinal and Bishop of London; for not even in the semi-retirement of Greenwich Park would Wolsey walk without a princely retinue of gentlemen being in attendance upon him.
"He is the most pompous and vainest man I ever heard of," said Tyndale one day, as he watched this gorgeous procession of clerics, as they gravely stalked up the broad avenue; the keepers of the park meanwhile hustling everybody else out of the way, for Wolsey could not endure the sight of a common person. But at the first sound of the ecclesiastical trumpet that was blown to let the keepers know the Cardinal was approaching, our friends got out of sight, though they were by no means in a hurry to do this when one of the King's hunting or hawking parties crossed their path.
Henry was at this time a good-tempered, merry-hearted man, who, so long as he could have his own way, and was not troubled about anything beyond the pleasure of the hour, did not trouble himself to keep the people of Greenwich out of the park. In fact he rather liked to see them, and the pleasant smile with which they bowed before him; and he used to think if all his subjects were like these men of Greenwich he would not have much trouble in persuading them to give him a "benevolence," which his Chancellor had proposed should now be levied on the laity. The King had agreed to this, but at the same time had insisted that the clergy should also give of their wealth, and, after a good deal of discussion, the Cardinal and Bishop had consented to tax themselves to the extent of four per cent.
When this agreement had been arrived at the conclave broke up, and the Bishop of London returned home before Master William Tyndale had an opportunity of speaking to him, but Sir Harry Guildford having spoken on his behalf to Dr. Tunstall they all thought it would be best for Master Tyndale to follow him to London and seek an audience with him at his palace.
From what he knew of the prelate Miles was not very sanguine about help being obtained from him, and so, before he returned to Westminster with the Cardinal, he wrote a letter to the curate of All Hallows Church at the corner of Honey Lane.
In his letter Miles asked Master Garrett to let his friend share his lodging if it was necessary, and he would defray all the cost of his entertainment, for he knew that the curate was poor and had many calls upon his slender purse from the poor of the neighbourhood.
He was, however, very thankful that he could make this provision for his new friend in case he should need it, and he also knew it would cheer the heart of Master Garrett to have such a man us Master Tyndale to stay with him.
For himself he expected to be very busy when they got back to York House.
It was arranged between them, during their walks in Greenwich Park, that Miles should look over and correct the sheets as they were translated, and if there was any word or sentence that seemed less clear in the English than he thought it might be made, the friends should meet and talk the matter over, and compare the difficulty with the best Greek and Latin books he could borrow from the Cardinal's library.
As the son of Sir Thomas Paton—a student of Oxford and a good Greek scholar, Miles was not one of the common people in the Cardinal's eyes, and so he was welcome to the use of any book his extensive library contained; and it was one of the advantages of residence at York House that this library was always at his disposal.