He tended greatly to promote the arts and learning of his
country. His personal character displayed as great a variety of opposite
qualities, as the fortunes to which he had been exposed; his magnanimity
was oftentimes clouded by the greatest meanness, and with an urbanity of
manners, he combined an intolerable degree of pride and arrogance; he
was frank and generous, but his overwhelming ambition greatly tended to
obscure these nobler qualities of his mind, and as he rose, he became
haughty and overbearing. His character has been obscured by the envy and
partiality of his contemporaries, who have generally endeavoured to load
his memory with reproaches. "This Cardinall," says Holinshed, "was
of great stomach, for he compted himselfe equall with princes, and by
craftie suggestion got into his hands innumerable treasure; he forced
little on simonie, and was not pittiful, and stood affectionate in his
owne opinion; in open presence he would lie and saie vntruth, and was
double both in speech and meaning; he would promise much and performe
little; he was vicious of his bodie, and gaue the clergy euill example;
he hated sore the Citie of London and feared it. It was told him that
he should die in the waie toward London, wherefore he feared lest the
commons of the citie would arise in riotous maner and so slaie him, yet
for all that he died in the waie toward London, carrieng more with him
out of the worlde than he brought into it, namellie, a winding sheete,
besides other necessaries thought meet for a dead man, as a Christian
comelinesse required.
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