alium aliquem virum exterum ullo pacto consentientes, sed solum pro eodem Domino Staphyleio instantes, ejus Sanctitatem summis precibus vehementissime rogantes, et rationibus omnibus suadentes, ne alium ullum nominare velit, asserentes quod quum in Instructionibus vestris non contineatur, nec de alio ullo fiat mentio, nisi illo, me recusato, iterum atq; iterum ab eadem Sanctitate petetis, ut nomine hujus Auditoris Rotæ hæc fiat et expediatur commissio, vos nec audere nec posse vobis præscriptos fines transgredi.

De Regii vero desiderii ac petitionis frustratione super dicta Commissione obtinenda, dicetis unum et idem esse, hanc illi denegare, vel alii concedere quam in vestris Instructionibus contineatur, non quod Regia Majestas de aliorum rectitudine aut indifferentia quicquam suspicetur, vel quod judicet eorum aliquem affectibus obnoxium; sed quod pro re certissima credidit, quod Sanctissimus Dominus noster in neminem tam facile condescenderet, quam in dictæ Rotæ Decanum, ob idque de eo Instructionibus vestris mentionem fecit: sed Commissiones in debita forma cum his nominibus fieri et conscribi jussit, quod si hic credidissemus, Dom. Staphileum habitum istic iri pro suspecto, affirmare potetis me fuisse omnino missurum consimilem Commissionis formulam, spatio relicto pro aliquo alio inscribendo nomine, aliquamq; aliam super ea re Instructionem me daturum fuisse, et haud dubie; si de nominibus duntaxat fuerit controversia, hæ rationes facile poterunt Pontificem attrahere, ut in me consentiat, vel in Staphyleum. De aliis vero neminem admittetis, nec tamen Pontifici aperietis vos, ne id faciatis habere in mandatis, sed superius enarratas Causas in vestram excusationem allegantes, omnino ut vobis injungitur ea in re insistetis.

Quod si nullis modis dictam Commissionem, et Dispensationem impetrare poteritis, ad idq; nequiverit Pontifex adduci, nisi rem prius alicui ex Cardinalibus vel Officiariis communicaverit, in eo tunc casu, ejus Sanctitati in memoriam reducite, quot et quam gravia mala ex hujus negotii propalatione possent provenire, si ex ea occasione aliquæ contrarietates vel impedimentum suboriretur, unde Regiæ Majestatis expectatio postmodum frustaretur: Quo igitur, si ullæ injiciantur in hac re tractandæ difficultates, ut Pontifex etiam facilior ad Regium votum concedendum promptiorq; reddatur, alias etiam præter has literas seorsim ad vos scripsi, quas una cum his accipietis, in quibus copiose aggessi, quam multas magni momenti rationes, ob quas sententia judiciumq; meum est, ne ullo pacto Pontifex hanc petitionem Regiæ Majestatis deneget; quas literas,

quum in eis argumentum vehemens est, nee ob prolixitatem tædiosum aut molestum quod legatur, modum aliquem ipsius Sanctitati legendi invenietis; spemq; certam habeo, si earum summa, tenor, atq; sententia profunde perpendatur, quam satis id esse poterit ad omnem tollendam difficultatem, quæ possit obversari in dicta Commissione Dispensationeque obtinenda, in eis contenta sigillatim exponetis adeo, quod hoc negotium confici queat, Arbitris aut Consiliaribus ad id neutiquam accitis, si fieri possit: si tamen Pontifex speraverit se posse hæc omnia eos celare qui huic rei forsan voluerint refragari, et omnino decreverit aliquos Cardinales vel Officiarios istius causæ participes facere, omnem tunc industriam statim adhibebitis, ut his cognitis eorum gratiam et favorem ea in re vobis comparetis, partim eis respectus, et causas omnes in meis literis contentas, etiam in causæ commodum facientes, uberius exponentes, partim vero eam remunerationem illis dantes, quæ judicio vestro conveniens habebitur, dummodo optatum res sortiatur effectum. Et ut omnia queatis præstare commodius cum his, meas literas accipietis quas ad Cardinalem Sanctorum Quatuor et Collegium Cardinalium scribo, easque reddetis ut expedire censueritis, plane confidens nihil a vobis omissum iri, ut hac in re eorum gratiam atq; favorem queatis obtinere, in quem eventum ea munera offeretis, quæ convenientia visa fuerint, Regiaq; Majestas quicquid ejus nomine promiseritis, id fidelissime, uberrimeq; præstabit, pro quarum rerum expeditione, illis pecuniis uti poteritis per literas Cambii Venetias transmissis, quousq; suffecerint, necessariumq; vos existimaveritis rei impetrandæ. Et quum ambiguum sit an vobis licuerit hoc tempore ad Pontificis præsentiam accedere, hujusmodi accessus defectus, si aliæ rem ad bonum exitum perducendi rationes non excogitarentur, causa esse posset longioris moræ, et totius rei impedimento; proinde Regia Majestas, ut modos omnes experiatur, nec uni soli inhæreat, hæc eadem in mandatis dedit Domino Secretario, quem non procul ab Urbe esse intelleximus, quemadmodum in his aliisq; meis brevioribus literis continentur, ita quod alter vestrum, vel uturque, și fieri possit, ad Pontificis præsentiam accessum habeat; nihil tamen, sub spe Domini Secretarii, vestræ vos diligentiæ aut industriæ omittetis, nec ille sub spe vestra, in re hac modis omnibus promovenda, remissior erit, sed nihil conjunctim aut divisim intentatum relinquetis. Quod si uterq; vestrum ad Pontificem admittatur, alter de altero nescius, id non oberit, sed multum proficiet, etiam si ante alterius adventum negotium hoc alter impetrasset; sed si aliquis vestrum cognoverit causam hanc expeditam esse, VOL. I, PART II.

D

omniaq; pro certo impetrata esse, tunc labori et sumptibus Pontificem pro eadem re accedendi parcere poteritis, neq; in eam amplius ingerere, neq; necessarium aut opportunum erit, ut pro ulla alia re în præsentia quam pro hac apud Sanctissimum Dominum nostrum agatis, sed solum nunc procurabitis de Commissione et Dispensatione juxta formam ad vos missam obtinenda, necnon de profestinatione illa, quam compendio ad vos dedi, in quibus omnibus et singulis apte tractandis Regia Majestas magnam fiduciam in vestra prudentia collocavit, in quibus, cum tam magni sint momenti, ex Regiæ Majestatis sententia nunc vobis maxime elaborandum est.

Deniq; quum intelligam Dominum Lautrek nonnihil mirari, quod Regiæ Majestatis istic agentes, nullam suorum mandatorum partem cum eo conferunt, ad eum nunc scribo, et nonnulla Domino Roberto Jernyngham ei exponenda committo concernentia actiones cum Ferrariæ Duce, et alia quædam eodem Domino Lautrek; significans, vos missos esse ad dictas causas juvandos, et Pontificis liberationem promovendam, quemadmodum ex literarum ad Dominum Jernyngham exemplo cognoscetis: expediens itaq; fuerit, ut præ se feratis, vos dictæ rei gratia missos esse, ne forsan Dominus Lautrek in falsam aliquam conjecturam aut suspicionem incideret, quæ communibus rebus nocere posset, et in vestrarum quoq; actionum impedimentum redundare.

Illud deinde reticere nolui, quod si ullo pacto vobis liceat ad Sanctissimi Domini nostri præsentiam accedere, nihil omittatis in favorem et gratiam Reverendi Domini Datarii, de cujus animo nihil dubitamus, comparandam, eiq; asse retis, quod quum in nostris omnibus occurentiis illius opera ac Patrocinio semper usi fuerimus, ipse vero tanta semper fide ac sedulitate omnia effecerit quæ nobis grata et optata esse cognovit, ut nostram omnem operam suis rebus reddiderit, promptissimam, et suæ utilitatis et exaltationis cupidissimam. Quocirca hæc Regia Majestas hac in re, qua nullam magis cordi habet, nec gravioris momenti quicquam sibi accidere posse judicat, ex animi sui sententia conficienda, post Sanctissimum Dominum nostrum, in Domino Datario spem omnem collocavit, qui ex hac occasione, si operam suam ad optatum usq; exitum interponere non gravetur, Regiæ Majestatis animum et pectus, sic omni ex parte promerebitur, ut dicta Majestas non solum omnia curatura sit, quæ ex Domini Veronensis commodo et ornamento fuerint, sed eam etiam munificentiam et gratitudinem addet, quæ majorem vel integram partem, a captivitate Redemtionis persolvendæ compensabit; In me vero non

aliam fidem et amicitiam experietur, quam ab ullo fratre posset expectare. Et bene valete. Londini ex meis Ædibus. Die quinto Decemb. M.D.XXVII.

Vester tanquam frater Amantiss.

IV.

T. CARDINALIS EBORAC.

Two Letters of Secretary Knight's to the Cardinal and the King, giving an account of his Conference with the Pope about his Divorce. Taken from the Originals.

(Cotton Libr. Vitell. B. 10.)

Rome, Jan. 1, 1528.

PLEASE it your Grace to understand, That immediately upon the receipt of your Graces Letters, severally directed unto Mr. Gregory and me; he and I resorted unto the Pope his Holiness, making congratulation of his restitution unto liberty on yours and his behalf, to his singular comfort and consolation; and so much the more, because that I was the first that made like salutation in any great Princes Name; He being well assured that I spake the same on the behalf of his two chief, sincere, and unfeigned Friends: Wherefore with great high thanks, and long discourse, with rehearsal of the King's and your Merits and Acts, in most vertuous and Catholick manner, employed for his restitution, and your continual and effectual study how the See Apostolique might recover the pristine Reputation and Dignity; He confirmed as much as I had spoken. After this Mr. Gregory and I entred into our Charge, shewing at length the high deserts of the Princes and Realm of England, the devotion of the same towards the Church; how expedient it was, as well for the See Apostolique, as for the said Realm, to foresee and provide that all occasions of Dissension and War were extinct and put away; which for lack of Heir Male of our Sovereign's Line and Stem, should undoubtedly follow, with other considerations at length contained in our Instructions. We desired his Holiness to commit the knowledg of the Dispensation that was obtained in time of Julius, of famous memory, for Matrimony to be had between the King and the Widow, Relict late of Prince Arthur; and that we might have it in form as that was that your Grace sent hither. His Holiness answered, That our sayings had great likelihood of truth, for lacking of Issue Male of the King's Stem, considering the nature of Men being prone unto Novelties,

and disposed unto Parties and Factions. The Realm of England would not only enter into their accustomed Divisions, but also would owe or do small devotion unto the Church; Wherefore his Holiness was right well content and ready to adhibit all Remedy that in him was possible, as this time would serve. And because he was not expert in making of Commissions, he would consult with the Cardinal Sanctorum Quatuor, and use his advice, which we should shortly know.

We perceiving that the obtaining of our Charges after the King's and your Graces pleasure, depended much upon the Advice of Sanctorum Quatuor, did prevent his going unto the Pope; and delivering your Grace's Letters with Recommendations accordingly, we desired him to be good and favourable unto our Requests in the King's behalf; and for the better obtaining of our desires, we promised to see unto him with a competent reward. And this communication had, we shewed unto him the Commission, which he said could not pass without perpetual dishonour unto the Pope, the King and your Grace; and a great part of such Clauses as be omitted, he hath touched and laid reason for the same in a Writing, which I do send unto your Grace with this. Considering his great Experience, Wisdom, Learning, and the entire affection that he beareth unto the King and your Grace; and that it was far from the King's desire, and nothing for your purposes, that I should first have sent the said Cardinal's Sayings unto your Grace, and abide answer, and eft-soons prevent to do the same: Considering also that the said King desireth a Commission convenient and sufficient, we desired him to make the minute of one, which he gladly did: When it was made, the Pope said. That at his being in the Castle of St. Angelo, the General of the Observants in Spain required his Holiness, in the Emperor's Name, not to grant unto any Act that might be preparative, or otherwise, to Divorce to be made between the King and the Queen and moreover desired an Inhibition, that the said Cause should not come in knowledge before any Judg within the King's Dominions. The Pope answered that Inhibitio non datur nisi post litem motam. And as unto the first his Holiness was content, if any like thing were demanded, to advertise the Emperor before that he did let it pass; and this was in a manner for his Holiness being in Captivity. But his Holiness being yet in Captivity, as your Grace reports, and esteemeth him to be as long as the Almaines and Spaniards continueth in Italy; he thought if he should grant this Commission, that he should have the Emperor