Lady Ripley and the Earl of Essex walked through the ornately decorated underground passage to the Bishop's Wharf by the River Thames, and Isabel Walton, Lady of Ripley, gazed at the Thames River, which occupies a pivotal place in English history and is affectionately called the "Mother River" by the English, and couldn't help but say with emotion, "I think this is the most beautiful river in the world." It is, so to speak, a flowing English history book. ”

William Parr, Earl of Essex, stood beside him and nodded with a smile, "Isabel, you're right. However, for merchant sailors, the river was always called 'London River', and Londoners often referred to it simply as 'The River'. ”

Isabel just shifted her gaze from the city of London on the other side of the river to London Bridge on the right side of the pier, and turned around and walked slowly in the direction of London Bridge. As the Earl of Essex walked slowly beside him, he pointed to London Bridge in front of him on the left and said with a smile, "You see, Isabel, what a strange bridge it is. Not only was there a drawbridge, but houses and churches were built on the bridge. ”

"Well, maybe for Londoners, it's just a road built over the river." Isabel looked curiously at the various two- or three-story houses and churches on London Bridge and shook her head, "I don't understand, why should houses and churches be built on it, since it is a stone bridge used to pass the banks of the river?" ”

William was also a foreigner who had only recently come to the city, so he only knew the story of the bridge as one of the symbols of the city and the history of the Romans who built it. Gazing at London Bridge, he gently spat out a sentence that lacked historical common sense, "Perhaps, these houses were built after the Romans left." ”

At this moment, a manservant, dressed in a liak with the coat of arms of the Earl of Essex, came up behind them, stopped and saluted them three or four paces away. William and Isabel glanced at the valet as they turned around, and their tones were a little dissatisfied, "What's the matter?" Didn't you see me talking to Lady Ripley? ”

The manservant bowed his head slightly, and said cautiously, "My lord, Lord Lyle has come to visit Lady Ripley. He said... He had some urgent matters to discuss with the Lady. ”

"Why did this admiral find here?" Isabel muttered to herself, and when she turned to look at William, she said, "Your Excellency, we should go back." ”

William was attached to her, and he was a little worried that he would not be able to see each other easily in the future. But the disgusting manservant, who seemed to be able to hear what they were talking about, stood a few steps away. William didn't say what he was worried about, just nodded, "Well, hopefully Lord Lyle won't disturb the divine tranquility between us." ”

Born in 1504, John Dudley, Viscount of Lyle, went to Calais in France with his guardian, Sir Edward Guilford, to serve in the military at the age of 15. During the cardinal's diplomatic visits in 1521 and 1527, John served as the cardinal's chamberlain and was subsequently knighted. In 1523, when Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk I, led an army to invade France, John gained his first military experience in the war. His first entry into the war laid the military foundation for Viscount Lyle, and it also allowed him to step by step to the pinnacle of his military and political career.

In 1525, his guardian married his daughter, Jane Guildford, to him. After all, his wife was only four years younger than him, so the two had a happy married life and raised 13 children. In terms of religious thought, the guardians of Viscount Lyell embraced early evangelical religious ideas during their service in France (during the European Reformation in the 16th century, Martin Luther's followers called themselves evangelicals and evangelists). Influenced by the religious ideas of the guardian family, Viscount Lyle and all his family members became evangelical evangelicals in the early 1530s, and also exposed their 13 children to Renaissance humanism and science.

The term evangelicalism began in the 16th century, when Reformers used this term to express their opposition to Roman Catholicism, which did not belong to a denomination. The word "evangelical" is derived from the Greek word "ευαγγελιον," which originally meant "good news." Evangelicals, as a whole, adhere to traditional doctrine and value biblical authority and scholarship rather than being seen as stubborn and ignorant. He likes to position himself as a "sect that emphasizes doctrine" and is more willing to listen to different perspectives than other denominations. For example, evangelicals work with different churches, but also believe that the church's influence on political decision-making and social, scientific developments should be limited, and even accommodate ideas that do not emphasize that the Bible is perfect.

Viscount Lyle was a little strange about Henry VIII's conferral of Isabel Walton as Lady Ripley. However, the evangelical thinking in his head told him that it was good news. Therefore, he thought that Isabelle, the daughter of Baron Walton of Yorkshire in the north, must have been knighted for reasons he could not have imagined.

It was the willingness of evangelicals to listen to different points of view that led to a greater interest in Viscount Lyle's desire to get to know Isabel personally. Especially after listening to what the Duke of Richmond had to say about her, he was even more surprised to find that the other party had already fulfilled his dream of an overseas adventure that he had always wanted to achieve. Although Henry VIII appointed him vice admiral in January 1537 and devoted him to naval affairs, he never had the opportunity to sail overseas.

As time passed, the invasion of England by Francis I's French army became urgent. On the one hand, John Dudley was instructed by Henry VIII to actively prepare for defensive work against the French. On the other hand, he was eager to win again in the fight against the French invasion.

Although the Duke of Richmond and his royal fleet had won some partial victories in the previous Scottish campaigns, he was not satisfied with this. He hoped to increase his influence and position in Henry VIII's court through a very large and completely victorious battle, so as to win the favor of Henry VIII and his court ministers.

At this moment, Henry VIII's spies had not yet obtained a specific time for the French invasion of England. Ambitious and apprehensive, Viscount Lyle fidgeted in the Admiralty and walked restlessly about his room. As he pondered, he recalled the words of the Duke of Richmond, with whom he had commanded the fleet together.