Now! Then! Dining at Cawood on All Hallows’ Day, Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s ex-Lord Chancellor, receives divine warning that his time is nigh

1 November 1530: Dining at Cawood on All Hallows’ Day, Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s ex-Lord Chancellor, receives divine warning that his time is nigh

John Seymour Lucas’s painting of Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer, accompanied by a death-dealing raven, confronting Cardinal Wolsey in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace (Lucas 1901).

George Cavendish. 1852. The Life of Cardinal Wolsey. London: Rivingtons. Circulated in MS from ca. 1560, first published 1641. Get it:

Excerpt

And even as the chaplains rose from the table, one doctor Augustine, a Venetian and physician to my lord, having upon him a great gown of boisterous velvet, overthrew my lord’s great cross. And trailing down along the tappet [tapestry], it fell upon doctor Bonner’s head, and the point brake his head a little, that the blood ran down. The company there standing according to their duty ready to give thanks to my lord for their dinner, were greatly astonied [astonished] with the chance. My lord sitting in his chair, and perceiving the same, demanded of them being next him, what the matter meant of their sudden amaze. I showed him of the fall of his cross upon doctor Bonner’s head. “Hath it,” quoth he, “drawn any blood?” “Yea forsooth, my lord,” quoth I. With that he cast his head aside, looking soberly upon me a certain space and said unto me, shaking his head, “malum omen;” and therewith said grace, and rose up from the table, and went into his bed-chamber. Now mark the signification, how my lord expounded this matter unto me at Pomfret, after his fall. First, ye shall understand that the cross, which he bare as Archbishop of York, signified himself, and Augustine, the physician, who overthrew the cross, was only he that accused my lord, whereby his enemies caught an occasion to overthrow him. It fell upon master doctor Bonner’s head, who was master of my lord’s faculties and spiritual jurisdictions, and was then damnified by the overthrow of the cross. Yea, and moreover, drawing of the blood of him betokened death, which shortly after did ensue. About which time of this mischance, the same very day and season, Mr Walsh [sent with the Earl of Northumberland to arrest Wolsey] took his horse at the court gate, as nigh as it could be judged. And so it must needs be taken for a sign or token of that which after followed, if the circumstance be equally weighed and considered; wherein, as I suppose, God showed him some more secret knowledge of his latter days and end of his troubles.

Order the book

Subscribe to the free daily email

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

A different version of this story is incorporated into the second (but not the first) published version of the prophecies attributed (after their fulfilment) to the mythical Mother Shipton, which appeared in the same year as the first published version of Cavendish’s biography:

In Henry the 8th’s time the King having made Cardinal Wolsey Bishop of York, and he purposing to come and live in the north, Mother Shipton hearing of it replied and said, “He must see York, but never come to it.” King Henry and the Cardinal heard tell of her saying, and were very angry, and sent three lords down to see if she would stand to her words, viz. Lord Duke, Lord Percy, and Lord Darcy. So they and their men came down disguised from London to Dringhouses near York, and left there their men, and came to York themselves to one Master Beasley’s House in Conistreet in York late at night, and knocked at his door and asked if Master Beasley was within, who were answered, he was, and they requested to speak with him, who forthwith came unto them, and they whispering in his ear, told him he must go with them to Shipton wife’s house, which accordingly he did, and knocking at her door, she said, “Come in, Master Beasley, and those three honourable lords with you.” Upon which words Master Beasley would have put the lords in first, and she said, “No, Master Beasley, come you in, you know the house and they do not.” Then said they one to another, this is a strange thing, that she should know us and never saw us.

So they came in, and there was a fair fire prepared, Master Beasley saying, “with your leave Mother Shipton.” “Welcome,” quoth she, so said all the Lords in order; and she said, “Welcome, my Lord Duke, welcome, my Lord Percy, and welcome, my Lord Darcy. Sit you here, my Lord Duke, sit you here my Lord Percy, and sit you here my Lord Darcy, and you M. Beasley sit here, for you are as one of the house.” And when they all were set down, she bade her maid fetch some ale, and go to the cupboard and bring short cakes, (for she had prepared them before hand) and she did so, and they all did eat and drink thereof, and were very merry. Then said my Lord Duke, “Mother Shipton, if you knew what we were come about, you would not make us thus welcome.” And she said, “My Lord Duke, the Messenger must neither be headed, nor hanged.” “But Mother Shipton,” said the Duke, “my Lord Cardinal says you must be burned, for saying, he might see York, but never come into it. And when he comes to York, he purposeth to effect the same.” And she answered him, she did say so, and that he should see anon whether she might be burned or no then she took a kerchief which she had on her head, that had a yard of cloth in it, and spread it on her knee, and her head was as white as wool, and cast it upon the fire and let it lie thereon a great while, which not burning, she took her staff and turned it over, and it would not burn: then took she it out of the fire and shaked it, and put it on her head again. Then my Lord Duke asked her what she meant by that, and she gave him answer and said, “If this had burned I might have been burnt, but because it doth not, I must not.”

Then said my Lord Duke, “Mother Shipton, I understand you are woman of knowledge and judgement, tell me, what shall be the event of me?” She answered him, “My Lord, the time shall come when you will be in as low an estate and case as I am in, and in as mean an office, and that is both a mean one and a low one.” Then required Lord Percy of her, what should become of him. “My Lord,” said she, “shoe your horse in the quick, and you will do well enough, but if you do not, your body will be buried in Cruse-Church after you be beheaded on the pavement in York, and your head will be stolen into France.” And they laughed, and said, “That will be a great hop betwixt the head and the body.” Then said my Lord Darcy, “Mother Shipton, what must I do?” Who answered him, “You my Lord, who is going for warfare, God speed you well, you have made a great gun, shoot it off in time, for it will come to pass, that you will pyne many, but kill few.” So they drank and gave her money and thanks, and returned to M. Beasley’s house, and the next morning posted to the court, and declared their conference with her, which several passages came to be incident to the several parties.

Presently afterwards the Lord Cardinal came to Cawood Castle near York, and resided there three days and three nights. Upon the third day the cross upon the top of the castle fell down, and sore hurt the steward upon his head. Lord Cardinal being told thereof replied, “I fear and doubt a greater cross than this will follow.” In the afternoon the Cardinal went up to the top of the castle, and many knights with him, and when he was at the top upon the leads walking, he demanded of them where York stood, and they showed it to him. And he demanded how many miles it was thither, and they told him seven miles. “Then,” said he, “that will be soon ridden, not past two hours work, I will go thither because yonder witch said, I might see York but never come thither,” and vowed he would burn not only her, but also three priests which were at table with her, if when he came there they lacked their vestments. The priests hearing tell thereof were sore affrighted, but she encouraged them, saying, “Content yourselves, for if need require, you shall have twenty vestments, but his purpose will be altered.” The night following, after supper, the Lord Cardinal fearing some evil towards him to approach, charged his household and all his officers, that no manner of person should that night more be suffered to come in, but immediately after the charge was passed, came Lord Percy and knocked at the gates, importuning the porter to let him in, who answered him, none could that night come in, for the cardinal had charged him to suffer none to come in more then was in the house. Then Lord Percy changed his voice, pretending to be a near kinsman and favourite to the Cardinal, and must needs speak with him, so that the porter let him in. And when the Cardinal saw Lord Percy, he cried out, “Mercy, Lord Percy, I am no traitor.” “If not,” said Lord Percy, “yet must you with speed go with me to London.” But before he came thither, for all the haste by the way, he ended his life, and against Mother Shipton his threats were past. Then Mother Shipton, after the cardinal had poisoned himself by the way, sent to M. Beasley and said to him, “M. Beasley, the cardinal builded a goodly closet in the minster for him to sit in, with pillars of silver and gold, with pearls and rich stones enamelled, go and pull down one or two of them, and present them to King Henry.” Which accordingly he did, and was made in recompense thereof an officer to the King, and the rest the King caused to be taken down.

(Shipton 1642)

In the 1641 version “Lord Duke” is the Duke of Suffolk, i.e. Charles Brandon, which makes no historical sense: Brandon was never “in as low an estate and case” as Shipton. Ma Shipton Inc. on the other hand makes him Henry Grey, which is also historical nonsense: Grey was executed by Mary, but at the time of Wolsey’s fall and death he was 13 and didn’t become Duke of Suffolk until 1551, four years after Henry VIII’s death.

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

My lord sitting at dinner upon All-hallowne day, having at his borde end diverse of his worshipful chapleines, sitting at dinner to keep him company, for lacke of strangers, ye shall understande, that accustomably my lord his great crosse stoode in a corner, at the table’s ende, leaning against the tappet or hanging. And when the borde’s ende was taken up, and a convenient time for the chapleines to arise, they forsed themselves to arise from the table; and even as they rose one doctor Augustine, a Venetian and physitian to my lorde, rising from the table with the other, having upon him a greate gowne of boysterous velvet, overthrew my lorde’s great crosse, which stode in the way at the borde’s ende; and trayling downe along the tappet, it fell upon doctor Bonner’s head, who stood by the tappet; and the point brake his head a little, that the blode ran downe. The company there standing according to their duty ready to give thanks to my lord for their dinner, were greatly astonied with the chaunce. My lord sitting in his chaire, and perceiving the same, demaunded of them being next him, what the matter meant of their sodaine amase. I shewed him of the fall of his crosse upon doctor Bonner’s head. “Hathe it,” quoth he, “drawne any bloud?” “Yea forsothe my lord,” quoth I. With that he cast his heade aside, loking soberly upon me a cer- taine space and sayd unto me (shaking his heade), “malum omen;” and therewith said grace, and rose up from the table, and went into his bed-chamber; but what he did there I knowe not.

Nowe marke the signification, how my lorde expounded this matter unto me at Pomfret, after his fall. Firste ye shall understande, that the crosse, which he bare as archebishope of Yorke, signified himselfe; and Augustine, the physitian, who overthrewe the crosse, was only he that accused my lord, whereby his enemies caught an occasion to overthrowe him. It fell upon master doctor Bonner’s heade, who was master of my lord’s Faculties and Spirituall Jurisdictions, and was then damnified by the overthrowe of the crosse; yea, and moreover, drawing of the bloud of him betokened deathe, which shortly after did ensue; about which time of this mischaunce, the same very day and season, Mr. Walche tooke his horse at the courte gate, as nighe as it could be judged. And so it must needes be taken for a signe or token of that which after followed, if the circumstaunce be equally weighed and considered; wherein, as I suppose, God shewed him some more secrette knowledge of his latter daies and ende of his troubles: wherein it was thought that he had further inspiration, than all men did knowe; which appeared righte well by diverse speciall communications that he had with me at diverse times of his last ende. And nowe that I have made manifest to you the effect of this prodigie and signe, I will retourne againe to my matter.

518 words.