Cromwell wrote to Thomas Wolsey for the last time, with Wolsey only two weeks away from his next arrest. If Cromwell wrote to Wolsey again before Wolsey’s death on 29 November, or if Wolsey wrote back, nothing has survived. This letter itself has barely survived, a mutilated partial letter, which shows no sign of concern. Cromwell writes ‘if anything shall fall,’ suggesting that something may soon go well for the cardinal, and Cromwell talks of several people he wishes the cardinal to favour should he prove successful, including the’ Cambridge scholars’ Gregory Cromwell, Christopher Wellyfed and Nicholas Sadler. After the last few letters, with Cromwell’s suggestions to Wolsey to be humble to avoid King Henry’s wrath, this letter is far calmer. If this was the last correspondence between these two friends, it is benign after all they have been through. After Wolsey’s popularity in the North, along with his arrogant behaviour, and writing to the Pope and Queen Katharine, neither Cromwell nor anyone could save the cardinal from King Henry. But these surviving notes show that Cromwell had no part in Wolsey’s eventual treasonous behaviour, rather, that he urged Wolsey to stop his actions to reclaim his titles and money. That could be why these letters remain in the archive, as a letter dated December 1530 by Eustace Chapuys describes Cromwell becoming an official councillor to the King, and Cromwell would have needed to clear his name.^[1] These surviving letters would have proved Cromwell’s innocence.

CROMWELL TO THOMAS WOLSEY, 21 October 1530 (Jesus Coll. in Bibl. Bodl. Oxon. c.74, pp. 262 ff)

. . . . even three months in Chancery, howbeit your Grace shall be so provided for that you shall be out of all doubts, for all the King’s officers in the main season…

… I most humbly beseech your Grace to be a good lord to my poor kinsman Doctor Carbott and let him have some little office under your Grace. I doubt not he be somewhat simple in appearance, yet he shall discharge himself if you put him in a place of trust and a little authority. I beseech your Grace also to be a good lord to your servant Nicholas Gifford when anything shall happen to fall which may do him good, remember him for my sake. Your Grace shall find him, in my opinion, though he be young and somewhat wild youth, disposed both to truth honest and hardiness, and he is one that will love you with all his heart…

…If anything falls, I beseech your Grace to remember my scholars in Cambridge and both they and I shall pray to our lord Jesus Christ to preserve you in long life good health with increase of honour…

…The Emperor will be at Cologne in the Feast of… without fail…

…the Parliament is prorogued until the 6th day of January. The prelates shall not appear in the premunire. There is another way devised in place thereof as your grace shall further know.

The Princes of Germany will not agree with the Emperor…

…I beseech the Holy Trinity preserve your Grace . . . in quietness and contention. I beseech your . . . for this letter . . . Written for lack of . . . haste, the xxi of October

[1] Spanish Calendar 5 i no.228