" Item} To know hÏ9 pleasure touching- Maister More [Sir Thomas More]. "Item, When Maister Fisher shall go to his execution. *' Item, To send unto the King hy Kaffe the behaviour of Maister Fisher. " Item, To send Gurdon to the Tower, to be rakked." The execution of Cromwell, though he had been condemned without trial or jury, was for a time so popular, that poems were written, and largely circulated, in commemoration of the event, From one of these, entitled " A new Ballad, made of Thomas Crumwel, called ' Troll on away,' and printed at London in 1540," wo extract the following pleasing stanzas :— " Both man and child are glad to hear tell Of thee, faine traitor, Thomas Cromwell, Now that thou art sent to learn to spell, Sing troll on away. When fortune looked thee in the face, Thou hadst fair time, but thou lackydst grace, Thy coffers with gold thou fylldsl a pace. Sing troll on away. Both plate and chalice came to thy fist, Thou lockydst them up where no man wist, Till in the King's treasure such things were missed, Sing troll on away. Thou did not remember, false heretic, One God, one faith, one King catholic, For thou hast been so long a schismatic, Sing troll on away. Thou wouldst not learn to know these three, But ever was full of iniquity, Wherefore all this land hath been troubled with tliee. Sing troll on away. Thou mightest hare learnt thy cloth, to flock, Upon thy greasy fuller's* stock, Wherefore lay thy head down upon this block, Sing troll on away. Yet save that soul which God hath bought, And for thy carcass care thee nought ; Let it suffer pain as it hath wrought, Sing troll on away." The measures for the divorce of Anne were carried on at the same time with the attainder against Cromwell. About the twentieth of June, Henry sent the * Cromwell's father is generally said to have been a blacksmith at Putney ; but the author of this ballad would insinuate that either he himself, or some of his ancestors, were fullers by trade. Queen to Kichmond, under pretence of benefiting her health, but for the real purpose of securing her absence whilst the divorce was effected. After the King's case had been prepared by the council, the Chancellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Durham, the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, and the Karl of Southampton," proceeded to the House of Lords on the first of July, and stated that, as they now doubted the validity of the royal marriage they had lately been instrumental in negotiating, they would move that, for the security of the succession, its legality should, with the royal permission, be determined by a convocation of the clergy. Accordingly, a deputation of the lords, in conjunction with the commons, proceeded to the palace, and after obtaining permission, presented a petition to the King, desiring that he would allow his marriage to be examined, Henry answered, from the mouth of the Chancellor, that the subject was one of great delicacy and importance, but as the estates of the realm deemed the examination needful, and as the clergy were too learned and upright to decide unjustly, he would willingly grant the petition ; and, as far as himself was concerned, readily answer any question that might be put to him, for he had no other object in view but the glory of God, the welfare of the realm, and the triumph of truth. On the subsequent day, the matter was brought before the convocation, and by them referred to a committee, consisting of two archbishops, four bishops, and eight divines. The committee commenced their labours on the seventh of July, and such was their eagerness to comply with the known wish of their monarch, that they went through the whole business in two days. All the evidence was on one side—not a voice was heard in favour of the Queen, or the marriage. The first day, three bishops and two divines were deputed to examine the witnesses, and the next was devoted to the receipt of depositions and the decision of the case. Amongst those who gave in depositions or were examined, may be mentioned the lords of the privy council, η a