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BOOK gratitudes which the same hath exhibited to the Pope's Person II. in particular, and to the See Apostolick m in general: the magnitude and importance of this Cause, with the Consequences that may follow, by the good or " evil entreating of the King's Highness in the same; wherein ye shall say, I have so largely written, so plainly for my discharge declared the truth unto his Holiness, and so humbly, reverently, and devoutly, made intercession, that more can I not add or accumulate thereunto, but only pray unto God that the same may be perceived, ° understonden, and taken, as the exigence of the Case, and the merits of this Noble Prince doth require; trusting always, and with fervent desire, from day to day, abiding to hear from his said Holiness some such thing as I shall now be able constantly to justifie and defend, the great things which I and my said Lord Legate have said and attested on his Holiness's behalf.

This, with all other such matter as may serve to the purpose, ye shall extend as well as ye can, and by that means get and attain as much to your purpose for the corroboration and surety of all things to be done here as is possible, leaving to speak any more, or also to take or admit any rescripts for exhibition of the Brief, advocation of the Cause, or other of the former degrees, seeing that all which shall or can be done or attained there, shall hang meerly upon the Emperor's Will, Consent, and Arbitre: and therefore nothing is now or hereafter to be procured, that may tend to any Act to be done, in decision of the Cause or otherwise there, or which may bring the adverse Party to any advantage to be taken by the favour or partiality, that the same may have in that Court; but to convert and employ all your suit, to that thing which may be to the most convalidation and surety of the Process, and things to be done here, as well by attaining as ample, large, and sufficient words, clauses and sentences as ye can get, for ampliation of the new Commission; as for the defeating of any thing that may be procured to the Impeachment of the Process thereof, and the corroboration of the things to be passed, and done, by virtue of the same.

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II.

And amongst other things, whereas ye with these last Plet- BOOK ters, sent the Pope's Pollicitation, for the non-inhibition or avoking of the Cause, the ratifying and confirming of the Sentence by us his Legates herein to be given, and other things mentioned in the same, ye shall understand, that the said Pollicitation is so couched and qualified, as the Pope's Holiness whensoever he will may 9 reserve (q?); like as by certain Lines and Annotations, which in the Margin of a Copy of the said Pollicitation I send you herewith, ye shall perceive more at large: And therefore after your other suits, for the ampliation of the new Commission, if any such may be attained, brought unto as good a purpose as ye can, ye shall by some good way find the mean to attain a new Pollicitation, with such, or as many of the words and additions newly devised as ye can get; which ye may do under this form and colour, that is to say, to shew unto the Pope's Holiness, by way of sorrow and doleance, how your Courier, to whom ye committed the conveyance of the said Pollicitation, so chanced, in wet and water in the carriage thereof, as the Pacquet wherein it was, with such Letters as were with the same, and amongst other the Rescripts of Pollicitation, was totally wet, defaced, and not legible; so as the Pacquet and Rescript was and is deteined by him to whom ye direct your Letters, and not delivered amongst the other unto the King's hands; and unless his Holiness, of his goodness unto you, will grant you a Double of the said Pollicitation, ye see not but there shall be some notable blame imputed unto you for not better ordering thereof, to the conservation of it from such chance. And thus coming to a new Pollicitation, and saying, ye will devise it as nigh as ye can remember, ac cording to the former, ye by your Wisdoms, and namely ye Mr. Stevins, may find the means to get as many of the new and other pregnant, fat, and available words as is possible, the same signed and sealed as the other is, to be written in Parchment; the Politick handling whereof, the King's Highness and I commit unto your good discretions; for therein, as ye Mr. Stevins know, resteth a great strength and corroboration of all that

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BOOK shall be done there, in decision of the King's said Cause; and as ye write may be in manner as beneficial to the King's purpose, as the Commission Decretal.

And to the intent ye may the better know how to proceed in this Business, I advertise you that the King's Highness hath now received fresh Letters out of Spain, answering to those sent by Curson jointly with a Servant of the Queen's, for exhibition of the Original Brief here, of whose expedition you Mr. Stevins were privy before your departure. The Letters "be of sundry dates, the last whereof, is the 21st day of April, at which time the Emperor was at Cæsar Augusta, upon his departure toward Barselona. In effect, the Emperor minding by his y repair thither, and other his Acts, to make a great demonstration of his coming into Italy, who is to nothing, as the King's Ambassadours write, more unmeet and unfurnished than to that Voyage, not having any Gallies there but three, which lay on dry Land unrigged, as they have done a long time past, none assembly of the States of that Land, none order, provision of Victual, towardness in conscription of Men of War, or appearance of such thing, but that his going to Barselona, is chiefly under such pretext to attain certain old Treasure there remaining, and to give the better reputation to his Affairs in Italy. As a to matter of Peace bor Truce, he seemeth not so alien from it, but that he would, under colour thereof, be glad to separate and dis-join other from the sincerity of confidence that is between them, working somewhat with the French King, which he himself confesseth to be but abuses. On the other side, he maketh overture of Peace or Truce to be had with the King's Highness apart; and in the mean time entertaineth the Pope's Holiness as one whom, won from the residue of the Confederates, he thinketh himself most assured of: Howbeit in all this his Business, ye may constantly affirm, that his Compasses cannot prevail in any thing that may be excogitate to the separation of the King's Highness and the French King, who so intirely proceed together, that the Emperour coming or not coming into Italy, the said French King intendeth to pro

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II.

secute him in the place where his Person shall be. To whom BOOK the King's Highness now sendeth the Duke of Suffolk, with the Treasurer of his honourable Houshold; who, if the Pope will not really and actually intend to the maynyng of the

Peace, coming to the convention of his Holiness, moved as the case shall require, shall be furnished of a substantial number of Men of War out of d this Realm to the assistance of the said French King, if the Emperor happen to descend in Italy. So as his things there, be not like to be in such surety as might bring the Pope's Holiness to this extremity of fear and respect. And all the Premisses touching this knowledg had out of Spain, and the French King's Interest with the King's Concurrence, as afore, it shall be well done ye declare to the Pope's Holiness, whereby peradventure the same shall be removed from some part of his said overmuch respect to that part.

As to sending of the Breve, the Emperor refusing to send it into England, sheweth some towardness of sending it to Rome, minding and intending to have the King's Matter decided there and not here; howbeit all be but vain Collusions: For as ye shall perceive by such things as be extracted out of the Letters of the King's Orators Resident in Spain, a Copy whereof I send you herewith, the more the said Breve cometh unto light and knowledge, the more falsities be deprehended therein; and amongst other, one there is specially to be noted; making, if it be true, a fcleare and manifest proof of the same falsity ; which because if it were perceived by the adverse Party, or any of their Friends, Counsellers, or Adherents, it might soon by a semblable falsity be reformed, is above all other things to be kept secret, both from the Pope, and all other there, except to your selves: for in computation of the Year of our Lord is a diverse order observed in the Court of Rome in Bulls and Breves; That is to say, in the 8 Bulls beginning at the Incarnation of our Lord, in the Breve at the Nativity; so as the thing well searched, it is thought it shall be found, that the date presupposed to be of the Breve, which is 26. Decemb. Anno Dom. 1503. Pontificatus Julii Anno primo, well

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BOOK conferred with the manner and usages of that Court: He that counterfeited the Breve, not knowing such diversity between the Date of the h Bulls and Breves, and thinking to make both Dates of one day, dated the Breve at a day before Pope Julius was Pope; which ye shall more plainly perceive by the said Copy, and specially if under some good colour ye ripe your selves there, whether the year in the date of Breves change upon Christmas day, or upon New-years day, wherein the King's pleasure is, that ye ensearch and certifie here what ye shall know and perceive. And if ye shall by such inquiry find matter making to the purpose, as it is not doubted but ye shall do, then for the more sure justification and proof thereof before the Judges; It shall be expedient ye in writing make mention of such a doubt, finding the means that it may be answered and declared in the same Writing, by certain expert persons of the Secretaries, and other Officers of that Court, with subscription of their Answer, and Names; whereby it may appear here kafore us as Judges, as a thing true and approved: Howbeit, great dexterity is to be used for the secrecy thereof; for if such Exceptions might come to the Knowledge of the Adverse Party, they might, as the said Orators write, soon reform that default by detrahing one Letter, or Title, or forging a new Breve, alledging error in the Transumpts, which might be the total disappointment of deprehension of the falsity in that chief and principal point. I pray you therefore to regard that matter substantially, and to order it by your good Wisdoms accordingly.

Vitell.

XXIV.

The two Legates Letter to the Pope, advising a Decretal Bull.
A Duplicate.

Cotton Lib. PRIORIBUS nostris ad Sanctitatem Vestram literis quid hic ageremus, quove in statu causa hæc esset exposuimus; postea quum, et res ipsa, et desiderium Regis admodum urgeret, ut ad

B. 11.
Fol. 235.

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