The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-05 00:00:00

Ll 7 ERA 1'

MR. AINSWORTH'S NEW STORY.

Tho following brilliant portraitures are taken
from the first instalment of the new historical
Romance just commenced by Mr. Ainsworth in the
December number of Bentley's Miscellany. " Car-
dinal Pole"—is the title of it—" or the Di%ys of
Philip cud Mary." Here is the novelist's sketch
of the Hero of the nairative—

TEE CARDINAL.
Nu man of his time por-,snssed higher and nobler'qualities
than the illustrious Reginald Pole. Sanctity of manners,
erudition, wisdom, eloquence, combined to render him one
of the most shining lights of the age. Devout without
bigotry, tolerant, strictly conscientious, and pure-minded,
he was utterly free from debasing passions. Guile and

-pocrisy formed no part of his character. SGlfTdenying,

abstinent, and laborious, ho was ever generous and chant ablo.
Descended from the royal house of York, his mother being
Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, daughter of the Duko of
Clarence, brother to Edward IV., Pole attached no undue
importance to this adventitious circumstance, but main-
tained an almost apostolic meakness of deportment. At
the advanced period of life he had attained at the period

of cur history, his looks were in the highest degree vener-
able and impressive, offering a complete index to his cha-
racter. A master of the Latin language, which hr
spoke and wrote with facility and classical elegance,
he had delighted in earlier years in the Greek poets
and philosophers, but of late had confined his studies wholly
to theology. At one time ho had enjoyed the favour of
Henry VIII., who was fully alive to his great merits, but
he incurred the displeasure of the tyrant by the bold
opinions he delivered as to the injustice of Katherine of
Aragon's divorce and the king's marriage with Anne
Boleyn. This opposition to his 'will was never forgiven by •
the implacable monarch, and unable to get Polo, who had
taken refuge in Italy, into his power, he deprived him of
his benefice and possessions, declared him guilty of high
treason, laid a price on his head, and sought to procure his
assassination. At last, unable to accomplish his fell pur-
pose, Henry wreaked his vengeance on the Cardinal's
mother, the venerable Countess of Salisbury—the last of
the whole blood of the royal line of Plantagenet—on his
brother, Henry Polo, Lord Montague, Sir Edward Nevil,
Sir Nicholas Carew, and other of his friends, all of whom
were attainted of high treason, and brought to the block. The
slaughter of the aged and unoffending Countess, whr) was
only put to death because she was Pole's mother, ' is, per-
haps. the deepest stain on Henry's character. These whole-
sale murders deeply afflicted Pole, and cast a gloom over
the rest of his days ; but he did not cry out for ven-
geance upon the perpetrator of the foul crimes, knowing
that Heaven would requite him in due season.
How requited his eminence was, shortly afterwards
the romancist immediately goes on to relate, by the
election of Cardinal Pole as the new Pope on the
death of Paul 111. in 1549—an offer of the tiara
snatched back from his reach, however, during his
momentary hesitation about the acceptance of it!
Another still more startling recompense to Cardinal
Pole for his past misfortunes being the astounding
offer to him by Queen Mary of her hand, and, of
course, with it a share of her throne ! The Cardinal
(like Antonelli nowadays) being only a Deacon :
and a dispensation being talked of at the time as
just possibly capable of being procured from the
reigning Pontiff. Cardinal Pole himself, however,
is described as simplifying the ditficulv by respect-
fully, though gratefully, declin.,og the alliance•
Here, however, is Mr. Ainswocth's first mention Of
he royal hero of his new story :--