New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-20
CARDINAL WOLSEY.
A NEW LIGHT ON TIE MAN.


CARDINAL woLsEY. BY Mandcll Creighton
N. A., D. c. L.. LII. D. l6mo, PIP :so mac
milan a Co.
Though the fate Of Cardinal Wolsey has oecoml
\ stock illustration Of the ingratitude OF princes
no man at once great and so unfortunate ha
obtained less sympathy. either from his con'cm
poraries or posterity. Even now. when the eNami
nation Of the state papers OF Henry the b'gh'h
reion has thrown so much new light upon Tho
neriod and has rendered it necessary to rcmodc
the current estimates Of Wosey's work, the per
sonality of the Minister remains unattractive and
whatever admiration may be the due OF his talents
will probably continue unminCled with esteem
Yet Mr. Creighton in this monograph has shown
that Wolsey with all his faults, and they were
M. venial ones was not only one OF the first OF
English statesmen. but true patriot. and that
The apparent futiiity Of most Of his undertakings
was caused not by mistakes on his part. but by
the intractable nature of the conditions under
which he worked II. moreover he left behind
him no large specific accomplishments which could
be pointed to his special contrib itions to the
growth Of his country, he impressed himself upon
the whole foreign policy of England in an endur-
ing manner, and he trained up school Of admin
jstrators who carried forward the development OF
the kingdom not indeed upon the lines he had laid
down. but on lines the following of which he had
suggested or made possible He was not an insular
statesman All his plans were drawn with refer
encc tn Englands European relations He sought
to elevate and give weight and influence abroad
to the country which. during the Wars OF the
Roses had been withdrawn from the politics of
the Continent and had. through internal exhaus-
tion dropped to the rank Of thrd-rate power
lie had no illusions the subject of EnGand's
physical capacity. He knew she was not prepared
to make war upon equal terms with France or
Germany lie therefore strove to erect her into
mediator whose skilful diplomacy should main
tain the balance of power and whose decisions
would be sought by all the strong Governments.
This scheme of foreign politics was frustrated By
Henry the Eighths youthful righteousness at first,
and later by his vainglorous pride. lie would
pose as a warror-prince. hero and palaGin. He
would wrest France from Francis. He would
make war splenddly. Wolsey had no predec
ton for fighting All his bent was toward peace
full methods and bis ecclesiastical training had
strengthened this tendency But he was the Min
lister Of an intensely egostic sefwilled sovereign
who from the beginning Of his reign grew steadily
more despotic. and who gradually evolved the
theory that the whole machinery and power Of
the State existed for no other purpose thon the
satisfaction Of his personal desires Henry was
not narrow minded in the common meaning OF the
term. He could and did learn much from Wosey.
Put whatever he learned of statecraft was adapted
to his selfish ends and became something wholly
unlike what the Minister had designed,
The Cardinals task was a thankless one. Com
PEELED, in order to retain his hold on the King to
take on himself the entire burden Of raising the
revenues which Henry expended irresponsibly;
unable &c check the military extravaganza which
the Kings vanity urged him into; Wolsey became
the target Of popular hatred, and raised so many
powerful enemies that when the crisis came he
found himself helpless. He devoted to the
King, for whose sake he incurred unpopularity |
for whose sake he committed the crime of trying
to trample on the privileges of Parliament and
who at the first solicitation from his leman Anne
Boleyn, deserted, turned upon and ruined his |
most faithful and capable servant The one in |
applicable feature Of Wolseys case Is his failure |
TO make any provision against the defeat Of his |
plans. The age was of intrigue and violent |
partisanship. Every man Of consequence had his
following Every such man threw out anchors to
windward. All but Wolsey. He, occupying the
most dif1cu1t delicate and unstable of positions;
dependent altogether upon the support of prince
whose ickleness and heartlessness were proverbal;
seeing clearly that the moment failure overlook
his policy he must expect overthrow; yet appears
TO have made no provision against tho evil day in
any form. When the blow fell Wolsey's fortune
was instantly swept away and be was reduced to
Indulgence. The magnate who for so many years
had consorted terms Of equality with the kings of
the earth, wanted sheets to his bed covers to his
table, and the bare necessaries of life when once
the shadow of the Kings frown had fallen upon
him. He died. in effect pauper The Royal
Henry, whose bluff manhood it has been the
fashion to extol, was little and base enough to
iofa fo1la Mimic
and even to display greedy and indecent haste to
seize small sum of money left by the dying Car
dinal. The latter had no friends and resources
at the last. and had death not come to his relief
the tragedy of his downfall must have been even
deeper and darker than it was.
His isolation was to some extent inevitable.
though his trust in Henry's steadfastness seems
nearly fatuous In the position he occupied, next
the throne in power yet compelled to abase himself
before the King lest the jealousy of the
after should be aroused, he unable to defend
himself against the Vaccinations of his enemies
among the mobiles or to make friends among the
people Hated for the taxes he imposed, all the
dislike which should have fallen upon the prin-
,ipal was transferred to the agent, and
The latter thus stood alone and without
my secondary support Everything depended
lpon Henry. II he abandoned his Minister there
Was no recourse. Henry was beginning TO be |
enated from the Cardinal before the question of
his divorce from Katherine arose. Wolseys con-
lection with that shameful transaction has stained
lis fame in the eyes of posterity. and yet there is
great deal to be said for the Minister. lie
night have resigned his place. it has often enough
cen said. 1t is true. but it is no less true that
e would have riszed and quite probably have lost !
lis head by so doing. Henry the Eighth was not
he king to make allowances at such a time He
elieved that Wolsey could help him with the !
'ope. Had Wolsey refused to do this directly
r indirectly he would almost certainly have been
ccounted an enemy by the King. and the latter !
would have had cause of anger against bin far
trongcr than existed in the case OF Buckingham