the cardinal resorted thither, and kept there the said feast
very solemnly. In which season my lord caused this Joachin
divers times to dine with him, whose talk and behaviour seemed
to be witty, sober, and wondrous discreet."

My note on this passage says:--

"The name of this person was Giovanni Joacchino Passano, a
Genoese; he was afterwards called Seigneur de Vaux. The emperor,
it appears, was informed of his being in England, and for what
purpose. The cardinal stated that Joacchino came over as a
merchant; and that as soon as he discovered himself to be sent
by the lady regent of France, he made De Præt (the emperor's
ambassador) privy thereto, and likewise of the answer given to
her proposals. The air of mystery which attached to this mission
naturally created suspicion; and, after a few months, De Præt,
in his letters to the emperor, and to Margaret, governess of the
Netherlands, expressed his surmise that all was not right,
alleging his reasons. His letters were intercepted by the
cardinal, and read before the council. Charles and Margaret
complained of the insult, and the cardinal explained as well as
he could: at the same time protesting against the
misinterpretation of De Præt, and assuring them that nothing
could be further from his wish than that any disunion should
arise between the king his master and the emperor; and
notwithstanding the suspicious aspect of this transaction, his
dispatches, both before and after this fracas, strongly
corroborate his assertions. Wolsey suspected that the Pope was
inclined toward the cause of Francis, and reminded him of his
obligations to Henry and Charles. The Pope had already taken the