and heir of Herbert Croft, eldest son of Francis Croft', brother of Sir Archer, the second baronet. The name of this gentleman is too well known in the literary world to render any observations on his character necessary. He died without male issue in April, 1816, and was succeeded by his brother,

Sir Richard Croft, the sixth Baronet?, who died in February, 1818, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

Sir Thomas Elmsley Croft, the seventh and present Baronet3, to whose valuable and extensive collection of materials for a history of his family, we are indebted for the far greater part of the facts contained in this article.

EARLY POETRY.

LYDGATE'S VERSES ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.

[From Baker's MSS. in the Public Library, Cambridge, vol. xxiv. p. 249.4]

By trew recorde of the Doctor Bede

That some tyme wrotte so mikle with his hand

And specially remembringe as I reede

In his Cronicles made of England

Among other thyngs as ye shall understand

Whom for myne awthour I dare alleage

South the translation and building of Cambridge.

Francis Croft, described of London, merchant, fifth son of Sir Herbert Croft, first Baronet, had issue by Grace, daughter and heiress of Thomas Bramston of Water House, Essex, Esq. an only son, Herbert Croft, Esq., born 10th June, 1722: he married, first, 10th May, 1749, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Young, of Midhurst, Sussex, Esq. who died 27th April, 1763; and secondly, Mary, daughter of Thomas Chawner of Sudbury Wood, Derbyshire, Esq. by whom he had an only daughter, Elizabeth, now living, unmarried. By his first wife he had, first, the Rev. Sir Herbert Croft, fifth Baronet; Sir Richard Croft, sixth Baronet; Mary, married Thomas Ryder of Hendon, Middlesex, Esq. and died 27th March, 1821; Grace, born 9th December, 1753, who died unmarried, in 1810; and James, John Thomas, Francis, Craggs, Herbert, and two Elizabeths, who were all dead without issue, on the 2nd September, 1795. (Family Memoranda.)

2 Sir Richard Croft, sixth Baronet, by Margaret, daughter of Thomas Denman, M. D., had issue Herbert, first son, born 10th February, 1793, died 25th August, 1802; Richard, second son, born 9th February, 1797, died 19th December, 1798; Sir Thomas Elmsley, third son, present and seventh Baronet, born 2nd September, 1798; Frances Elizabeth, married at Lille, in France, 19th September, 1822, Louis Marie de Chanteau, Knight of the Legion of Honour, of Saint Louis, and of other Orders; Archer Denman, born 7th December, 1801, now living; Joseph, born 17th November, 1804, died an infant; and Richard, born 22nd August, 1808, now living.

3 Sir Thomas Elmsley Croft, seventh and present Baronet, married 9th September, 1824, Sophia Jane Lateward, only child and heiress of Richard Lateward Lateward of Grove House, Ealing, Middlesex, Esq. and has issue Grace, born 3rd June, 1826.

4 Ritson says there is a copy of these verses in the Harleian MS. 1704, but he is in error.

With hym accordynge Alfride the Croniclere
Seriouslye who lyst his booke to see
Made in the tyme when he was Thresurere
Of Beverly an old famous cytye.
Affirme and seyne the universitie
Of Cambridge and studye fyrst began
By this wrytinge as I reporte can.

He rehersing first for commendacion
By this wrytinge how that old cytie
Was stronglie whalled with towers
Builte and finished with greate libertie
Notable and famous of greate authoritie
As their Authors accordinge sayne the same
Of Cantabro takyng first his name.

Like as I finde reporte I can none other
This Canteber tyme of his lyvynge
To Pertholyne he was germayne brother
Duke in tho dayes in Ireland a great Kynge
Chieffe and principall cause of that buildyng
The wall about the towers as they stoode
Was sett and builte upon a large floode,

Named Cantebro a large brode Ryver
And after Cante called Cantebro

This famous citie this write the Cronicler
Was named Cambridge; rehersing eke also
In that booke their authors bothe twoe

Towching the Date, as theare can
Fro thilke tyme that the world began

Fower thowsand complete by accompts clere
And three hundreth by computacion
Joyned therto eight and fortie yeare
When Cantebro gave the foundacion
Of thys cytie and this famous towne
And of this noble universitie

Sett on this ryver which is called Cante.

And fro the greate transmigracion
Of Kyns reconned in the byble of old
Fro Gerusalem to Babylon

Two hundreth wynter and thirtee years

told

Thus to write myne author maketh me bold. When Cantebro, as it well knoweth

At Atheynes scoled in his youth.

All his wytts greatlye did applie

To have acquayntance by great affection
With folke experte in philosophie

From Atheynes he brought with him downe
Philosophers most sovereigne of renowne

Unto Cambridge playnlye this is the case
Anaxamander and Anaxagoras.

With many other myne Authours dothe fare
To Cambridge can hym spede

With philosophers, and let for no cost spare
In the scholes to studdye and to reede

Of whoes teachynge great profit that gan spread
And great increase rose of his doctrine
Thus of Cambridge the name gan first shyne.

As chieffe schoole and universitie
Unto this tyme fro the daye it began
By clere reporte in many a far countre
Unto the reigne of Cassibellan

A worthie prynce and a full knightlie man
As sayne Cronicles, who with his might hand
Let Julius Cesar to arryve in this land.

Five hundreth yere full thirtie yere and twentie
Fro Babylons transmigration

That Cassibelane reigned in Britaine
Which by his notable Royall discrecion
To increase that studdie of great affection
I meane of Cambridge the Universitie
Franchized with manye a libertie.

By the meane of this Royall favor
From Countries about manye one
Divers scollers by diligent labour
Made that resorte of great affection

To that stooddie great plentye there cam downe
To gather fruits of wysedome and science
And sondrie flowers of sugred eloquence.

And as it is put eke in memorie

Howe Julius Cesar entring this region
On Cassybellan after his victorye

Tooke with him clarks of famous renowne

Fro Cambridge and ledd them to Rome towne Thus by process remembred here to forme Cambridg was founded long or Cryst was borne.

Five hundreth thirtie and eke nyn

yere

In this matter ye gett no more of me
Reherse I wyll no more at this tyme
Thus remembrancs have great authoritie
To be preferred of long antiquitie

For which by recorde all clarks seyne the same
Of heresie Cambridge bare never blame.

ORIGINAL LETTERS.

WE place among our Original Correspondence three royal letters which we have reason to think have never before been printed; and which cannot but be very acceptable to our readers, as well on account of the exalted rank of the parties, as of the interesting nature of their contents. The two addressed to Cardinal Wolsey, then in the plenitude of his power, are copied from the autographs in a private collection. The other, to the Lord Admiral, is from the original in a public library.

QUEEN KATHERINE OF ARRAGON TO CARDINAL WOLSEY.

The object of this letter is to obtain from the Cardinal leave of absence for one of his retinue named Arundell, that he might visit his father to arrange respecting a jointure for his intended wife, who was one of the ladies attending on the Queen.

The name of the lady is not mentioned: but if "Thomas Arundell, one of the gentlemen of my Lord Legate's prevy chambre "" is the gentleman intended, he married a daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, and sister of Queen Katherine Howard. The "Arondell" of the letter is, however, called "the heyre," which is inconsistent with what is stated in the peerages of Thomas Arundell, where it is said that he was a younger son of his father. The house of Arundel became divided at this period into the two branches of Lanherne and Wardour, to neither of which has justice yet been done by the writers on our gentilitial antiquities.

That it was the fashion of those times for eminent persons to interest themselves in the marriages of their dependants appears by many relics of the period. In one of the letters published by Mr. Lodge, in his truly valuable "Illustrations of British History, Biography, and Manners," it is said "S Will'm Compton shewed unto me, my Lord Cardinall wrote unto Mastres Vernon, if she wold atteyne the Kynge's favor, to berr her good mynd to his servand Tyrwyt; and Mr Coffyn, by the meanes of Caro, upon Thursday last gotte the Kynge's lettre after the same manner." To provide husbands for the ladies of their court appears to have been regarded by our queens as one of their principal duties, and an anxiety respecting the performance of that duty has been felt on a death-bed. This was experienced by Queen Katherine, who, in her last message to the King, recommended to him her women, in terms but slightly altered by Shakspeare:

See Cavendish's Life of Wolsey, Singer's edit. App. Vol. ii. 246.

2 I. 29.

"My next poor petition

Is, that his noble grace would have some pity
Upon my wretched women, that so long
Have followed both my fortunes faithfully:
Of which there is not one, I dare avow,
(And now I should not lie) but will deserve,
For virtue, and true beauty of the soul,
For honesty, and decent carriage,

A right good husband; let him be a noble:

And, sure, those men are happy that shall have 'em."

The anxiety which this amiable and injured woman felt ou the subject is very strongly marked in this letter.

My Lord, it hathe pleased the King to be so good lord unto me as to speke unto Arondell the heyre for a maryage to be had betwene hym and oone of my mayds; and upon this I am aggreed w' hym, havyng a some of money that is offered unto hym he shall make her sure joyntor duryng her lief; the whiche she cannot be sure of, w' oute the license and good will of his fader being on lyve. For the whiche cause I beseche you good my lord to be good and gracious lord unto the said Aronndell, for busynesse whiche he hathe nowe to doo before you, so that w' right you will make a short ende, to th' entent that he may have a tyme to goe to his fader and make me sure of his said joyntor in this present terme tyme. And if this be payneful unto you, I pray yo my lord p'donne me; for the uncertaintie of my lief and the goodnes of my woman causithe me to make all this hast: trusting that she shal have a good husband and a sure lieving, and [if] God wold call me the nexte day after, the surer it shal appere before hym that I entende to helpe theym that be good and takythe labor doing me s'vece. And so I make an ende recommendyng me unto you. At Ampthill the xxv day of January. "Katherine THE QWENE."

KING HENRY VIII. TO CARDINAL WOLSEY.

This letter, like the foregoing, is without date. What the "news" was in which the distinguished persons mentioned in it were expected to be so deeply interested, can only be conjectured. The whole letter is strikingly illustrative at once of the policy of Henry, and of the jealousy and suspicion which haunt the mind of a tyrannical prince.

Myne awne good Cardinall, I recommande me unto yow as hartely as hart can thynke. So it is that by cause wryttyng to me is sumwhat tedius and paynefull, therfor for the most part off thes bysynesses I have commytted to our trusty conseler thys berrar to be declaryd to yow by mowthe, to whyche we wollde yow shude gyff credens. Nevertheles to thys that folowith I thowght nott best to make hym pryve nor non other but yow and I, whyche is that I wolde yow shulde make good wache on the Duke off Suffolke, on the Duke off Bukyngam, on my Lord off Northecomberland, on my Lord off Darby, on my Lord off Wylshere, and on others whyche yow thynke suspecte, to see what they do w' thes nwes. No more to yow