“I am prepared to die,” said Surrey, with a proud smile; “the other questions, my father, I will answer to my God.”
“Do you confess that you were a wicked traitor? And do you beg the forgiveness of your noble and righteous, your exalted and good king, for the blasphemous injury to his sacred majesty?”
Earl Surrey looked him steadily in the eye. “Do you know what crime I am accused of?”
The priest cast down his eyes, and muttered a few unintelligible words.
With a haughty movement of the head, Henry Howard turned from the priest to the lieutenant of the Tower.
“Do you know my crime, my lord?” said he.
But the lord lieutenant also dropped his eyes, and remained silent.
Henry Howard smiled. “Well, now, I will tell you. I have, as it becomes me, my father’s son, borne the arms of our house on my shield and over the entrance of my palace, and it has been discovered that the king bears the same arms that we do. That is my high treason! I have said that the king is deceived in many of his servants, and often promotes his favorites to high honors which they do not deserve. That is my offence against his majesty; and it is that for which I shall lay my head upon the block. [Footnote: These two insignificant accusations were the only points that could be made out against the Earl of Surrey. Upon these charges, brought by his mother and sister, he was executed.—Tytler, p. 492; Burnet, vol. I, p. 75; Leti, vol. I, p. 108.] But make yourself easy; I shall myself add to my crimes one more, so that they may be grievous enough to make the conscience of the righteous and generous king quiet. I have given up my heart to a wretched and criminal love, and the Geraldine whom I have sung in many a poem, and have celebrated even before the king, was nothing but a miserable coquettish strumpet!”
Jane Douglas gave a scream, and sank upon the ground as if struck by lightning.
“Do you repent of this sin, my son?” asked the priest. “Do you turn your heart away from this sinful love, in order to turn it to God?”