the final order and determination of the Premisses, in all things, unto the King's Highness. So that if it may seem to his high wisdom, and most prudent discretion, meet to move the Pope's Holiness, and the Court of Rome, amicably, charitably, and reasonably, to compound, other to extinct and make frustrate the payments of the said Annates, or First-Fruits; or else by some friendly, loving, and tolerable composition to moderate the same in such wise as may be by this Realm easily born and sustained; That then those ways and compositions once taken, concluded, and agreed, between the Pope's Holiness and the King's Highness, shall stand in strength, force, and effect of Law, inviolably to be observed. And it is also further ordained, and enacted by the Authority of this present Parliament, That the King's Highness at any time, or times, on this side the Feast of Easter, which shall be in the Year of our Lord God, a thousand five hundred and three and thirty, or at any time on this side the beginning of next Parliament, by his Letters Patents under his Great Seal, to be made, and to be entred of Record in the Roll of this present Parliament, may and shall have full power and liberty to declare, by the said Letters Patents, whether that the Premises, or any part, clause, or matter thereof, shall be observed, obeyed, executed, and take place and effect, as an Act and Statute of this present Parliament, or not. So that if his Highness, by his said Letters Patents, before the expiration of the times above-limited, thereby do declare his pleasure to be, That the Premises, or any part, clause, or matter thereof, shall not be put in execution, observed, continued, nor obeyed, in that case all the said Premises, or such part, clause, or matter, as the King's Highness so shall refuse, disaffirm, or not ratifie, shall stand and be from henceforth utterly void and of none effect. And in case that the King's Highness, before the expiration of the times afore-prefixed, do declare by his said Letters Patents, his pleasure and determination to be, that the said Premisses, or every clause, sentence, and part thereof, that is to say, the whole, or such part thereof as the King's Highness so shall affirm, accept, and ratifie, shall in all points stand, remain, abide, and be put in due and effectual execution, according to the purport, tenour, effect, and true meaning of the same; and to stand and be from henceforth for ever after, as firm, steadfast, and available in the Law, as the same had been fully and perfectly established, enacted, and confirmed, to be in every part thereof, immediately, wholly, and entirely executed, in like manner, form, and effect, as other Acts and Laws; The which being fully and determinately made, ordained,

and enacted in this present Parliament: And if that upon the foresaid reasonable, amicable, and charitable ways and means, by the King's Highness to be experimented, moved, or compounded, or otherwise approved, it shall and may appear, or be seen unto his Grace, that this Realm shall be continually burdened and charged with this, and such other intollerable Exactions and demands, as heretofore it hath been; And that thereupon, for continuance of the same, our said Holy Father the Pope, or any of his Successors, or the Court of Rome will or do or cause to be done at any time hereafter, so as is above rehearsed, unjustly, uncharitably, and unreasonably vex, inquiet, molest, trouble, or grieve our said Sovereign Lord, his Heirs or Successors, Kings of England, or any of his or their Spiritual or Lay-Subjects, or this his Realm, by Ex-communication, Excomengement, Interdiction, or by any other Process, Censures, Compulsories, Ways, or means; Be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the King's Highness, his Heirs and Successors, Kings of England, and all his Spiritual and Lay-Subjects of the same, without any scruples of Conscience, shall and may lawfully, to the honour of Almighty God, the encrease and continuance of vertue and good example within this Realm, the said Censures, Excommunications, Interdictions, Compulsories, or any of them notwithstanding, minister, or cause to be ministered, throughout this said Realm, and all other the Dominions or Territories belonging or appertaining thereunto; All and all manner Sacraments, Sacramentals, Ceremonies, or other Divine Services of the Holy Church, or any other thing or things necessary for the health of the Soul of Mankind, as they heretofore at any time or times have been vertuously used or accustomed to do within the same; and that no manner such Censures, Excommunications, Interdictions, or any other Process or Compulsories, shall be by any of the Prelates, or other Spiritual Fathers of this Region, nor by any of their Ministers or Substitutes, be at any time or times hereafter published, executed nor divulged, nor suffered to be published, executed, or divulged in any manner of ways. Cui quidem Billa Prædicta etad plenum intellecte per dictum Dominum Regem ex assensu et Autoritate Parliamenti prædicti taliter est Responsum.

Le Roy le Volt.

Soit Baille aux comunes A cest Bille Les comunes sont assentes.

MEMORAND. quod nono die Julii, Anno Regni Regis Henrici vicesimo quinto, idem Dominus Rex per Literas suas Patentes sub magno sigillo suo sigillat. Actum præ

dictum ratificavit et confirmavit, et actui illo assensum suum regium dedit, prout per easdem Literas Patentes cujus tenor sequitur in hæc verba, magis apte constat.

Here follows the King's Ratification, in which the Act is again recited and ratified.

XLII.

The King's last Letter to the Pope. A Duplicate.
(Cotton Libr. Vitel. B. 13).

To the Pope's Holiness, 1532.

After most humble commendations, and most devout kissing of your blessed Feet. Albeit that we have hitherto differed to make answer to those Letters dated at Bonony, the 7th day of October; which Letters of late were delivered unto us by Paul of Cassali: Yet when they appear to be written for this Cause, that we deeply considering the Contents of the same, should provide for the tranquillity of our own Conscience, and should purge such Scruples and Doubts conceived of our Cause of Matrimony; We could neither neglect those Letters sent for such a purpose, nor after that we had diligently examined and perpended the effects of the same, which we did very diligently, noting, conferring, and revolving every thing in them contained, with deep study of mind, pretermit ne leave to answer unto them. For sith that your Holiness seemeth to go about that thing chiefly, which is to vanquish those Doubts, and to take away inquietations which daily do prick our Conscience; insomuch as it doth appear at the first sight to be done of Zeal, Love, and Piety, we therefore do thank you of your good will. Howbeit sith it is not performed in Deed, that ye pretend, we have thought it expedient to require your Holiness to provide us other Remedies; wherefore forasmuch as your Holiness would vouchsafe to write unto us concerning this Matter, we heartily thank you, greatly lamenting also both the chance of your Holiness, and also ours, unto whom both twain it hath chanced in so high a matter of so great moment to be frustrated and deceived; that is to say, That your Holiness not being instructed, nor having knowledg of the Matter, of your self, should be compelled to hang upon the Judgment of others, and so put forth and make answers, gathered of other Men, being variable and repugnant among themselves. And that we being so long sick,

and exagitate with this same Sore, should so long time in vain look for Remedy; which when we have augmented our ægritude and distress, by delay and protracting of time, ye do so cruciate the Patient and Afflicted, as who seeth it should much avail to protract the Cause, and thorough vain hope of the end of our desire to lead us whither ye will. But to speak plainly to your Holiness; Forasmuch as we have suffered many Injuries, which with great difficulty we do sustain and digest; albeit that among all things passed by your Holiness, some cannot be laid, alledged, nor objected against your Holiness, yet in many of them some default appeareth to be in you, which I would to God we could so diminish, as it might appear no default; but it cannot be hid, which is so manifest, and tho we could say nothing, the thing it self speaketh. But as to that that is affirmed in your Letters, both of God's Law, and Man's, otherwise than is necessary and truth, let that be ascribed to the temerity and ignorance of your Counsellors, and your Holiness to be without all default, save only for that ye do not admit more discreet and learned Men to be your Counsellors, and stop the mouths of them which liberally would speak the Truth. This truly is your default, and verily a great fault, worthy to be alienate and abhorred of Christ's Vicar, in that ye have dealt so variably, yea rather so inconstantly and deceivably. Be ye not angry with my words, and let it be lawful for me to speak the Truth without displeasure; if your Holiness shall be displeased with that we do rehearse, impute no default in us, but in your own Deeds; which Deeds have so molested and troubled us wrongfully, that we speak now unwillingly, and as enforced thereunto. Never was there any Prince so handled by a Pope, as your Holiness hath intreated us. First; When our Cause was proponed to your Holiness, when it was explicated and declared afore the same; when certain Doubts in it were resolved by your Counsellors, and all things discussed, it was required that answer might be made thereunto by the order of the Law. There was offered a Commission, with a promise also that the same Commission should not be revoked; and whatsoever Sentence should be given, should streight without delay be confirmed. The Judges were sent unto us, the Promise was delivered to us, subscribed with your Holiness's hand; which avouched to confirm the Sentence, and not to revoke the Commission, nor to grant any thing else that might lett the same; and finally to bring us in a greater hope, a certain Commission Decretal, defining the Cause, was delivered to the Judges hands. If your Holiness did grant us

all these things justly, ye did injustly revoke them; and if I good and truth the same was granted, they were not ma frustrate nor annihilate without fraud; so as if there were no deceit nor fraud in the Revocation, then how wrongfully and subtilly have been done those things that have been done! Whether will your Holiness say, That ye might do those things that ye have done, or that ye might not do them? If ye will say that ye might do them, where then is the Faith which becometh a Friend, yea, and much more a Pope to have, those things not being performed, which lawfully were promised? And if ye will say that ye might not do them, have we not then very just cause to mistrust those Medicines and Remedies with which in your Letters ye go about to heal our Conscience, especially in that we may perceive and see those Remedies to be prepared for us, not to relieve the Sickness and Disease of our Mind, but for other means, pleasures, and worldly respects? And as it should seem profitable, that we should ever continue in hope or despair, so always the Remedy is attempted; so that we being always a-healing, and never healed, should be sick still. And this truly was the chief cause why we did consult and take the advice of every Learned Man, being free, without all affection, that the Truth (which now with our labour and study we seem partly to have attained) by their judgments more manifestly divulged, we might more at large perceive; whose Judg ments and Opinions it is easy to see how much they differ from that, that those few Men of yours do shew unto you, and by those your Letters is signified. Those few Men of yours do affirm the prohibition of our Marriage to be inducted only by the Law positive, as your Holiness hath also written in your Letters; but all others say the prohibition to be inducted, both by the Law of God and Nature: Those Men of yours do suggest, that it may be dispensed for avoiding of slanders; The others utterly do contend, that by no means it is lawful to dispense with that, that God and Nature hath forbidden. We do separate from our Cause the Authority of the See Apostolick, which we do perceive to be destitute of that Learning whereby it should be directed; and because your Holiness doth ever profess your ignorance, and is wont to speak of other Mens mouths, we do confer the sayings of those, with the sayings of them that be of the contrary Opinion: for to confer the Reasons it were too long. But now the Universities of Cambridg, Oxford, in our Realms; Paris, Orleance, Biturisen, Andegavon, in France; and Bonony in Italy, by one consent; and also divers other of the most famous and