Then spake the lord chamberleine to them in French, and they rounding him in the eare, the lord chamberlein said to my lord cardinall: Sir (quoth he) they confesse, that among them there is such a noble personage, whome, if your grace can appoint him out from the rest, he is content to disclose himselfe, and to accept your place. With that the cardinall taking good aduisement among them, at the last (quoth he) me séemeth the gentleman with the blacke beard, should be euen be: and with that he arose out of his chaire, and offered the same to the gentleman in the blacke beard with his cap in his hand.He taketh [...] marks [...] and is decei|ued. The person to whom he offered the chaire was sir Edward Neuill, a comelie knight, that much more resembled the kings person in that maske than anie other.

The king perceiuing the cardinall so deceiued,The king dis|uisardeth his face and is ve|rie pleasant. could not forbeare laughing, but pulled downe his visar and master Neuels also, and dashed out such a pleasant countenance and [...]héere, that all the noble estates there assembles, perceiuing the king to be there among them, reioised verie much. The cardi|nall eftsoons desired his highnesse to take the place of estate. To whom the king answered, that he would go first and shift his apparell, and so departed into my lord cardinals chamber, and there new apparelled him: in which time the dishes of the banket were cleane taken vp, and the tables spred againe with new cleane perfumed cloths, euerie man and wo|man sitting still, vntill the king with all his maskers came among them againe all new apparelled.

Then the king tooke his seat vnder the cloth of e|state,A new banket vpon the sud|den of 200 dishes. commanding euerie person to sit still as they did before: in came a new banket before the king, and to all the rest throughout all the tables, wherein were serued two hundred diuerse dishes, of costlie deuises and subtilties. Thus passed they foorth the night with banketting, dansing, and other triumphs, to the great comfort of the king, and pleasant regard of the nobilitie there assembled. And thus spent this cardinall his time from daie to daie, and yeare to yeare, in such wealth, ioie, triumph, and glorie, hauing alwaies on his side the kings especiall fa|uour, vntill fortune enuied his prosperitie, and ouerthrew all the foundations of his glorie; which as they were laid vpon sand, so they shroonke and slipt awaie; whereby insued the ruine of his estate, euen to the verie losse of his life, which (as a man of a guiltie conscience, and fearing capitall punishment due by law for his vndutifull demeanour against his souereigne) Edward Hall saith (vpon report) he part|lie procured, willinglie taking so great a quantitie of a strong purgation, as nature was therewith op|pressed, and vnable to digest the same; so that in fine he gaue vp the ghost, and was buried in Leicester abbeie: of whome to saie more I will surceasse, con|cluding onelie with a description which I find of him not impertinent for this place, sith wholie concerning his person.