york00orns

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YORK.
lands, and goods ;
and, above all, the Lord Cromwell
and Sir Robert Rich were to " have condign punishment
as subverters of the good laws of this realm
and maintainers of the false sect of these heretics
and first inventors and bringers in of them. ' They
prayed also that a due meed of punishment should
be awarded to Doctors Legh and Layton for their
extortions, their bribery, and their abominable
conduct in connexion with the suppression of the
religious houses.
The king was on the eve of starting for the north
to take the personal direction of affairs when the
messengers arrived. He was politic enough to receive
them graciously, and kept them by his side for a
fortnight. By the end of that time he had brought
them over to his own views, and sent them back
with private letters to the leaders of the insurrection,
expressive of his hope that they would return to their
allegiance, and merit thereby the exercise of his
clemency towards them. But there was an evident
mistrust of the sincerity of Henry's smooth words
and promises of clemency. The whole of the country
north of the Humber was in a feverish and unsettled
state. Hull was strongly garrisoned under Sir Robert
Constable, and Aske took every possible care to keep
the communications open between Hull and York,
and between that city and the bishopric of Durham
as far north as Newcastle. It was rumoured that
Lord Darcy intended to advance upon Doncaster.
and that Aske and Constable would cross over into
Lincolnshire, and prevent Suffolk from reinforcing
Lord Shrewsbury.