[153] Spanish Chronicle of Henry VIII.
[154] See letter from Sir W. Kingston, Governor of the Tower, to Cromwell, 3rd May 1536, Cotton MSS., Otho C. x.
[155] Spanish Chronicle of Henry VIII.
[156] Full account of her behaviour from day to day in the Tower will be found in Kingston’s letters to Cromwell, Cotton MSS., Otho C. x., which have been printed in several places, and especially in the Calendars Henry VIII.
[157] The beautiful letter signed Ann Bullen and addressed to the King with the date of 6th May, in which the writer in dignified language protests innocence and begs for an impartial trial, is well known, having been printed many times. It is, however, of extremely doubtful authenticity; the writing and signature being certainly not that of Anne, and the composition unconvincing, though the letter is said to have been found amongst Cromwell’s papers after his arrest. The genuineness of the document being so questionable, I have not thought well to reproduce it here.
[158] Strype’s Cranmer. Cranmer was at Croydon when Cromwell sent him news of Anne’s arrest, with the King’s command that he should go to Lambeth and stay there till further orders reached him. This letter was written as soon as he arrived there.
[159] Much appears to have been made of a certain alleged death-bed deposition of Lady Wingfield recently dead, who had been one of Anne’s attendants, and as it was asserted, the conniver of her amours. Exactly what Lady Wingfield had confessed is not now known, nor the amount of credence to be given to her declarations. They appear, however, to have principally incriminated Anne with Smeaton, and, on the whole, the balance of probability is that if Anne was guilty at all, which certainly was not proved, as she had no fair trial or defence, it was with Smeaton. The charge that she and Norreys had “imagined” the death of the King is fantastically improbable.
[160] Godwin.
[161] “Je ne veux pas omettre qu’entre autres choses luy fust objecté pour crime que sa sœur la putain avait dit a sa femme (i.e. Lady Rochford) que le Roy n’estait habile en cas de soy copuler avec femme, et qu’il navait ni vertu ni puissance.” This accusation was handed to Rochford in writing to answer, but to the dismay of the Court he read it out before denying it. (Chapuys to the Emperor, 19th May. Spanish Calendar.)
[162] Chapuys to Granvelle, 18th May 1536. See also Camden.