On the first day of the term, Oct. 9, 1529, while he was opening the court of chancery at Westminster, the attorney-general indicted him in the court of King's Bench for procuring a bull from Rome appointing him legate, contrary to the statute, by which he had in- curred a pi-a>Tnunire, and forfeited all his goods to the king and might be imprisoned. The king immediately seut and demanded the great seal from him, and or- dered him to leave his magnificent palace at York Place. Before leaving this place he made an inventory of the furniture, plate, and other works of art, which he had added, and it is said to have amounted to the im- mense sum of five hundred thousand crowns. From thence he started to Eshcr, near Hampton Court, and was met on the way, as ho was riding from I'utney on his mule, by a messenger who assured him that he still retained his place in the royal favor, and presented him with a ring which the king employed as a token to give credit to the bearer. The message was received by Wolsey with the humblest expressions of gratitude; but he seems not to have credited the mockery, as he proceeded on his way to Esher. Wolsey might have produceil in his own defence against the indictment the king's letters-patent authorizing him to accept the pope's bull ; but he merely instructed his attorney to
plead, in his absence, his entire ignorance of the statute, and that he acknowledged other parlicidars with which he was charged, and submitted himself to the king's mercy. The court, however, passed the sentence that he was "out of the protection, and his lands, goods, and chattels forfeit, and his person might be seized." His enemies continued their prosecutions. Forty-four ar- ticles were presented against him to the House of Lords, which were to serve as the basis of his utter ruin. But he had already suffered almost as much ])unishment as it was possible to inflict upon him, and Barliamcnt could do little more than sanction wliat had already been done. Wolsey also found a friend in Thomas Cromwell, formerly his steward, subsequently earl of Essex, who defended him with such spirit and elo- quence as materially to change the tide of his fortunes. His speech had the effect to cause the Commons to re- ject the articles, and this brought the proceedings of the lords to a standstill. During his residence at Esh- er, the cardinal's health was found to be declining rap- idly, and the king was induced, from the impression that it was mental rather than physical trouble that was preying upon his vitality, to show him such kind- ness as revived his spirits at once. Henry also granted him, F'eb. 12, 1530, a free pardon for all crimes and mis- demeanors, a few days afterwards restored to him a large part of his revenues, and allowed him to remove frcjm Esher to Richmond. From thence he was removed to the archbishop's seat at Southwell; and then bis resi- dence was fixed at Cawood Castle, which he began to repair, and was beginning to gain favor with the peo- ple when the king had him arrested for high-treason, and ordered him to be brought to London. He set out on Nov. 1, 1530, but on the road he was seized with a disorder which ended his life at Leicester Abbey on the 28th of the month. During his last hours he gave utterance to the expression, "If I had served my God as diligently as I have served my king, he would not have given me over to my enemies."
" Wolsey attained his elevation by a winning address, combined with shrewdness, talent, and learning. His ambition was unlimited, his rapacity great; he was ar- rogant and overbearing, and extremely fond of splendor and parade. But he was a great minister, enlightened beyond the age in which he lived, diligent in business, and a good servant to the king; for when his author- ity was established, he checked the king's cruelty, re- strained many of his caprices, and kept his passion within bounds. The latter part of Henry's reign was very far more criminal than that during which the cardinal presided over his counsels." See Henkv YIIL
See the Life of Wolsei/ bv Cavendish, his gentleman- usher (Loud. 1041), Gait (1812), Howard (1824), and Martin (1862) ; Williams, Lives of the Eiu/Ksh Cardinals (Lond. 18G8) ; Brewer, Letters and Paj)ers, Foreign and Domestic, of Henry VIII (1870-75) ; and the several Histories of England.
"Womb (usually 'tiS) yaarljp, both meaning belli/, as ol'ten rendered; but the distinctive term is tH'^). The fruit of the womb is children (Gen. xxx, 2), and the Psalmist describes them as the blessing of marriage (Psa. cxxvii, 3-5). See Child.
"Wood (usually yS, also rendered " tree ;" ^rAoj'). The East, especially Egypt (Hasselquist, p. 70; Xorden, p.SGl), is remarkablydestituteof forests, and Palestine is nearly as barren of them, except in some of the northern and eastern districts. See Trek. Consequently the inhab- itants are obliged to use. instead of fire-wood, dried grass (jMatt. vi.30 ; l.uke xii, 28), or plants, leaves, straw (JMatt, iii, 12 ; Mishna, Slitihb. iii, 1), and, in the absence of these, dung (Ezek. iv, 12, 15; see Prokesch, Erinner. ii, 248), and in Babylon mineral pitch (Diod. Sic. ii, 12). Comp. Korte, lieis. p. 577; Taverner, i, 280; Arvieux, i, 152; Robinson, i, 342; iii, 293 ; Wellsted, ii, CO. Sec Fuel.