_CHAPTER II_

_How Brandon Came to Court_


When we learned that Brandon was coming to court, every one believed
he would soon gain the king's favor. How much that would amount to
none could tell, as the king's favorites were of many sorts and taken
from all conditions of men. There was Master Wolsey, a butcher's son,
whom he had first made almoner, then chief counselor and Bishop of
Lincoln, soon to be Bishop of York, and Cardinal of the Holy Roman
Church.

From the other extreme of life came young Thomas, Lord Howard, heir to
the Earl of Surrey, and my Lord of Buckingham, premier peer of the
realm. Then sometimes would the king take a yeoman of the guard and
make him his companion in jousts and tournaments, solely because of
his brawn and bone. There were others whom he kept close by him in the
palace because of their wit and the entertainment they furnished; of
which class was I, and, I flatter myself, no mean member.

To begin with, being in no way dependent on the king for money, I
never drew a farthing from the royal treasury. This, you may be sure,
did me no harm, for although the king _sometimes_ delighted to give,
he always hated to pay. There were other good reasons, too, why I
should be a favorite with the king. Without meaning to be vain, I
think I may presume to say, with perfect truth, that my conversation