proceed on their commiffion. A. C. 1529. to give an advice so contrary to the interest and inclinations of his master, is not easy to determine. The legates Mean while Henry preffed the legates to proceed on their commiffion; and they met on the thirty-first day of May, when they nominated adjuncts to affift them in examining the evidences. Wolfey, in order to fhew his impartiality, yielded the chair of prefidency to Campejus, though he was an older cardinal to that legate, who fummoned the king and queen to appear in court on the eighteenth day of June. When that day arrived, the queen's agents excepted to the authority of the legates; but their exceptions were over-ruled, and the king and queen perfonally appeared on the twenty-first day of the month. Henry, when called upon, anfwered, Here, but, the queen being cited, arose and falling on her knees before Henry, "I am (faid she) "a poor woman, and ftranger in your dominions, where I can neither expect difinterefted coun"fel, nor impartial judges. I have been your "wife twenty years and upwards, have bore you "feveral children, and ever ftudied to please 66 you. I proteft you found me a true maid, concerning which I appeal to your own confciIf I have done amifs, let me be put away with fhame. Our parents were esteemed wife princes, and no doubt had good counfel"lors, when they agreed upon our marriage. I "therefore will not fubmit to the court. My ❝ence. 66 66 lawyers are your fubjects, and dare not speak freely in my behalf; for which reason, I defire "to be excufed until I fhall hear from Spain." So faying, fhe rofe, and making a low reverence to the king, retired from court, paying no regard to the crier, who required her to stay. After her departure Henry declared, that she had been always a true and obedient wife, and was poffeffed of many excellent qualities; but, that his confcience being difquieted by a remark which had been made 4. C. 1529. by the bishop of Tarbe the French ambassador, he had refolved to try the lawfulness of his marriage, for the ease of his mind and the benefit of the fucceffion. He faid he had mentioned this fcruple in confeffion to the bishop of Lincoln; and defired the archbishop of Canterbury to procure the opinions of all the prelates, who had under their hands and feals difapproved of the marriage. The bishop of Rochefter declaring, that he had not fet his hand to this writing, the metropolitan of Canterbury faid, he had confented to let another write his name; but this circumftance he of Rochester pofitively denied. The queen being again cited to appear, appealed to the pope, and was declared contumacious. Then the legates drew up twelve articles to be difcuffed by the examination of evidence. They declared, that prince Arthur and the king were brothers: that prince Arthur had married Catherine, and confummated the marriage; that upon the death of Arthur, Henry, by virtue of a difpenfation, had married the widow: that this marriage with his brother's wife was forbidden both by human and divine law: and that upon the complaints which the pope had received, his holinefs had fent them to try and decide in the affair. The king's council infifted chiefly on the confummation of Arthur's marriage; and in the courfe of their pleadings spoke fo indecently, that the bishop of Rochefter fignified his disapprobation and difguft. He was checked by Wolfey for prefuming to interpofe; and fome fevere altercation paffed between these prelates. The evidence, however, produced many ftrong prefumptions, that Arthur had carnally known the queen, though the herself declared, and even fwore the contrary. While the legates proceeded very flowly in this The cause is process, the emperor's minifters preffed the pope to evoke evoked to Rome. A.C.1529. evoke the caufe to Rome; and the English envoys exerted all their influence to prevent this evocation. Both fides threatened to depofe him on account of his baftardy; and he pretended to be intimidated. by their menaces, which however furnished him. with a reason for poftponing his declaration, until he had concluded his treaty with the emperor. Then he plainly told the English agents, that he had refolved to evoke the caufe of the divorce to Rome; and though they affured him that fuch a ftep would certainly difmember the holy fee of the fpiritual dominion of England, he refused to retract his refolution. The emperor had engaged by treaty to re-establish the house of Medicis in the fovereignty of Florence; and this circumftance alone over-balanced every other confideration in the mind of Clement. On the fifteenth day of July he figned the bull of evocation, which he forthwith dispatched by a courier to England, where the process of divorce had been strangely protracted by the artifice of Campejus, who found means to adjourn the feffion from time to time, under various pretences. How incensed foever the king must have been at the arrival of this bull of evocation, in which he was cited to appear at Rome in forty days, on pain of ecclefiaftical cenfure, he diffembled his refentment; and though he would not allow the bull to be intimated to him in form, he gave the legates to understand that they were at liberty to obey the pope's order. Clement afterwards, by way of reparation, revoked the cenfures by a new brief, and prolonged the term of the citation till Christmas. Herbert, Strange con- fey. All those who were acquainted with Henry's dif dinal Wol- pofition dated the difgrace of the cardinal from this æra; and indeed he had, through the whole of this process, behaved with such langour and indifference as cannot be eafily explained, when we confider how much it imported him to gratify his mafter mafter in this interefting affair. Perhaps he was A. C. 1529- Henry, in order to amufe his impatience, and divert his chagrin, made a progrefs through some counties; and, in his return, lay at Waltham Crofs, in the house of Mr. Creffey. This gentleman had committed the education of his two fons to proposed by A. C. 1529. to Thomas Cranmer, a doctor in theology, whơ had been profeffor at Oxford, and loft his office on account of his being married. He was eminent for his learning, piety, and moderation; and secretly favoured the doctrine of Luther, whose books Expedient he had read in Germany. At fupper he was defired by Fox and Gardiner to give his fentiments of the divorce; and, being preffed on the fubject, he propofed that the king fhould procure the opinions of all the univerfities, theologifts, and civilians of Christendom; who would either judge the difpenfation of pope Julius II. valid, or infufficient: if valid, the king's confcience would be at eafe; if infufficient, the pope could never venture to declare himself against the opinion of all the able men in Chriftendom. When this propofal was communicated to the king, he teftified his fatisfaction, by exclaiming, Aye, now we have the right fow by the ear." He defired to hear it from Cranmer's own mouth, and was fo pleased with his converfation, that he commanded him to follow the court, and ever after confulted him in Sir Thomas all emergencies. On the king's return from this More crea progrefs, he fent a meffage to the cardinal, delor in the manding the great feal, which he at first refused to deliver; but, Henry writing to him next day; he gave it to the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, and it was offered to Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, who had formerly been chancellor; but, he declining the offer, on account of his great age, it was given to Sir Thomas More, who had fignalized himself for his learning and integrity. ted chancel room of Campejus quits the kingdom. Campejus not a little alarmed at this prelude to Wolfey's fall, took leave of the king, in order to return to Italy; and Henry expreffed no difpleafure at parting with that prelate. Before he embarked in perfon, the custom-house officers rummaged all. his baggage, on pretence of fearching for contra band |