"The name of this person was Giovanni Joacchino Passano, a
Genoese; he was afterwards called Seigneur de Vaux. The emperor,
it appears, was informed of his being in England, and for what
purpose. The cardinal stated that Joacchino came over as a
merchant; and that as soon as he discovered himself to be sent
by the lady regent of France, he made De Præt (the emperor's
ambassador) privy thereto, and likewise of the answer given to
her proposals. The air of mystery which attached to this mission
naturally created suspicion; and, after a few months, De Præt,
in his letters to the emperor, and to Margaret, governess of the
Netherlands, expressed his surmise that all was not right,
alleging his reasons. His letters were intercepted by the
cardinal, and read before the council. Charles and Margaret
complained of the insult, and the cardinal explained as well as
he could: at the same time protesting against the
misinterpretation of De Præt, and assuring them that nothing
could be further from his wish than that any disunion should
arise between the king his master and the emperor; and
notwithstanding the suspicious aspect of this transaction, his
dispatches, both before and after this fracas, strongly
corroborate his assertions. Wolsey suspected that the Pope was
inclined toward the cause of Francis, and reminded him of his
obligations to Henry and Charles. The Pope had already taken the
alarm, and had made terms with the French king, but had
industriously concealed it from Wolsey, and at length urged in
his excuse that he had no alternative. Joacchino was again in
England upon a different mission, and was an eye-witness of the
melancholy condition of the cardinal when his fortunes were
reversed. He sympathised with him, and interested himself for
him with Francis and the queen dowager, as appears by his
letters published in _Legrand, Histoire du Divorce de Henry
VIII_."
I think it is from this interesting book, which throws much light upon
many of the intricate passages of the history of the times, that I
derived my information. It is in all respects a work worth consulting.