BOOK causas in vestram excusationem allegantes, omnino ut vobis injungitur, ea in re insistetis.

II.

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 propalatiore possent provenire, si ex ea occasione daliqua contrarietas vel impedimentum suboriretur, unde regiæ majestatis expectatio postmodum frustraretur; Quo igitur, si ullæ injiciantur in hac re tractanda 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, nec 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 fposset obversari in dicta commissione dispensationeq; obtinenda, in geisque 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 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

aliquæ contrarietates

⚫tractandæ

f possit g eis

II.

accipietis quas ad cardinalem Sanctorum Quatuor et colle- BOOK gium cardinalium scribo, easque reddetis ut expedire censu-, eritis, plane confidens nihil à vobis omissum iri, ut hac in re eorum gratiam, atq; favorem queatis obtinere, in quem eventum ea munera offeretis, quæ convenientia visa fuerint, regiaque majestas quicquid ejus nomine promiseritis, id fidelissime, uberrimeq; præstabit, pro quarum rerum expeditione, illis pecuniis uti poteritis per literas Cambii Venetias transmissis, hquos ut 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 uterque si 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 impetrâsset, sed si aliquis vestrum cognoverit causam hanc expeditam esse, omniaq; pro certo impetrata esse, tunc labori et sumptibus pontificem pro eadem re accedendi parcere poteritis, neq; in ea amplius ingerere, neq; necessarium aut opportunum erit, ut pro ulla alia re in 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 compendii ad vos dedi, in quibus omnibus et singulis apte tractandis regia majestas magnam

hquosq; suffecerint VOL. I. P. 2.

ieam
D

k compendio

BOOK fiduciam in vestra prudentia collocavit, in quibus cum tam magni sint momenti, ex regiæ majestatis sententia nunc vobis maxime elaborandum est.

II.

Deniq; quum intelligam dominum Lautrek nonnihil mirari, quod regiæ majestatis istic agentis, 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 juvandas, 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; asseretis quod quum in nostris omnibus occurrentiis 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 reddideret 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 lac 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, à captivitate redemptionis persolvendæ compensabit; in me vero non aliam fidem et

I et

II.

amicitiam experietur, quam ab ullo fratre posset expectare. BOOK Et bene valete. Londini ex meis ædibus. Die mV. Decemb. MDXXVII.

Vester tanquam frater amantiss."

T. cardinalis Eborac.

IV.

Rome Jan. 1. 1528.

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.

Vitell.

PLEASE it your grace to understand, That immediately Cotton lib. upon the receipt of your grace's letters, severally directed b. 10. unto Mr. a Gregori and me; he and I resorted unto the fol. 2. pope his holiness, making congratulation of his restitution unto liberty on the king's and your 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 prince's 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 cunto liberty, 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. Gregori and I enter'd 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 dissention and war were extinct and put away; which for lack of heir male of our sovereign's line, and

II.

BOOK stemm, should undoubtedly follow, with other considerations at length contained in our instructions. We desired his holiness to commit the knowledge of the dispensation that was obtained in time of Juli, of famous memory, for matrimony to be had between the king and the widow, relict late of prince Arthur; and that he 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 stemm, considering the nature of men being prone unto novelties, and disposed unto parties and factions, the realm of England would notonly 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 fremedies 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 grace's 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 gbeth 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