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I.

And therefore as the next of bloud, and the true and just heirs of our laws, the crown ought to descend to the heirs of the French queen; which be the daughters of the lady Frances and the lady Eleanor. And presently to the lady Katharine, being the eldest daughter to the eldest sister, the lady Frances.

Against these heirs of the French queen is objected: say they, These cannot inherit. Why so? Because they were not lawfully born. For Charles, duke of Suffolk, had at that time, when he maried the French queen, another wife living; that is, the lady Mortymer. To this I answer, that altho' it were true, that the lady Frances and the lady Eleonor were not lawfully born, (as it is not true, as ye shall hear hereafter,) yet it hurteth not the title of the heirs given by king Henries will. For it is appointed to the heirs of them, not to themselves, as the will plainly declareth. But verily, this is a mere slander grown altogether on malice; and no accusation made upon any just presumption. For I beseech you tell me, is it like, or can any reasonable man think, if duke Charles had had another wife living, when he had maried the French queen, that king Henry would have consented, that his sister should have received so great an injury, that she should have been kept for a concubine? Would the council have suffered so great infamy to have come to their master's stock? Would the nobility of the realm with so great triumph have honoured so unlawful an act? Would the common people, who many times are ready to speak evil of weldoing, have holden their tongue in so manifest adultery? Is it like, that in so long time as the French queen and the duke lived together, as man and wife, (that is, all the days of the French queen,) that she should not have heard of it? Was it possible, that among so many women, that daily resorted unto her, (whose natures are to seek for all such things, be they never so secret, and to communicate them to others,) that none should have told her? Is it to be believed, that she, contrary to the nature of all women, would have content that another should be partaker of that flesh, that she, according

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to God's word, took only to be her own? Or can any man BOOK think, that any woman can be content to live in mean degree, when she may be a dutchess; as the lady Mortymer should have been justly, if she had been the duke's wife? Surely, methinks, there is no reason to make any man to think, how much less to report so.

But suppose that the duke had another wife living, at what time he maried the French queen; yet forasmuch as he and she were maried openly, continued together all their lives, as lawful man and wife; and nothing said against them; and every man took them for man and wife: and that the lady Frances and the lady Eleonor were not, 19 during their lives, taken to be bastards; now, after their death, neither they, nor their children may by the laws of this realm, be convented therefore. For the laws of the realm say thus, Nec justum est aliquando mortuum facere bastardum, qui toto tempore suo tenebatur pro legitimo: as appeareth by judgment given at Westminster, 13 E. I.

But for the declaration of the truth of this matter, and to pluck out of the heads of the people their fond opinion and consideration; and maintained of such as pass not so much of the truth, as they desire to satisfy their fond affections; yee shall understand, that the duke being sir Charles Brandon, living in the court, being sole and unmaried, made a contract of mariage with a gentlewoman called Anne Brown; and before any solemnization of mariage, not only had a daughter by her, which after was maried to the lord Powis; but also brake promise with her, and openly and solemnely maried the lady Mortymer. Which mariage the said Mrs. Anne Browne judicially accused to be unlawful. For that the said sir Charles Brandon had made a precontract with her, and had carnally known her. Which being duely proved, sentence of divorse between the said sir Charles and the lady Mortymer was given. And he maried solemnely the said Mrs. Anne Browne. At which mariage all the nobility was present, and did honour it. And after had by her another daughter: which was maried to the lord Mounteagle.

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After this the said Mrs. Anne Browne continued with him all her life as his wife, and dyed his wife, without any impeaching of that mariage. After whose death, king Henry, having the said Charles Brandon in great favour, meant he should, for his better preferment, have maried the lady Lisle, being a young madam, and an inheritrix. Whereupon the said Charles Brandon was created viscount Lisle: but that mariage, by reason of her youth, took no place. After this he was created duke of Suffolk. And Lewis the French king dyed; and leaving the said lady Mary, king Henry the Seventh's daughter, a widow, the said duke Charles being sent into France for her, with consent of king Henry maried her twice: first, secretly in France; and after openly here in England, as before is declared. And then lived together quietly, as man and wife, all their lives. They were so accepted, and taken of all persons. No person impugned, or gainsayed the said mariage. For there was no cause. And had issue between them, the said lady Frances and lady Eleonor.

Against whom the said lady Powis, their base sister, in the time of king Edward VI. alledged bastardy: but they were, by the laws of the realm, and the canon laws, declared to be legitimate, and born in lawful matrimony. So that no man that hath understanding, can say they be bas tards: and if they could, yet at this present, (because it was once adjudged for them; and also that they both be dead; and dyed taken as legitimate,) he ought not to be heard by order of any law in the world, if he would object against De Consul- them. But having no true ground of occasion; but spew22 Ed.iv. ing out his malice, is rather as a slanderer to be reproved; going about to sow sedition in the common weal, as a seditious person to be punished; minding to sow civil warrs in the realm, and to bring it to destruction and dissolution, as a traytor to the realm, to be taken; persuading to subvert the providence of Almighty God, as God's enemy to be adjudged and used.

tatione,

Thus have I declared my judgment unto you, touching the right heirs of the crown in remainder and reversion:

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which is, as I take it presently, the lady Katharine, daugh- BOOK ter to the lady Frances; both by the will of king Henry, and also by the common laws of the realm. And that we be bound both by our oaths, and also by the law, so to take her. If we shall for any affection take away the right from those that have the right, let us remember the saying of the Holy Ghost, Propter injustitias et injurias transferetur regnum a gente in gentem. This have I put in writing, that I may be the better and more perfectly answered. If any man will take the pains to do it, I require it may be don in writing: so it shall quickly come to an issue. If he can confound by just argument that I have said, he shall satisfy many; and find me ready to say as he saith. If he cannot, then do I desire him for God's 20 sake, and for the love of his country, to give place to truth quickly.

Number XI.

A letter of Mr. Randolph, the queen's agent in Scotland, to the lords Graunge and Lyddington: exciting them to leave the Scottish queen's party.

WHERE we see how little our dealing with you by Int. Epist. Randolph. mouth can do, to bring you unto that which we know is best for your selves; having spent a great deal of time to little effect; wee thought good to try another way: which is, to prove by our advice in writing, if we can win that out of you, that by word we are not hable to do: because we will have nothing undon that we may do, or at the least minded to do. That we be not charged hereafter by you, not to have don as much as in friendship we might do.

We are commanded to deal with you in two principal points: the one for your obedience to the king. The other, to acknowledge the regent. Against these you alledge conscience, honour, and saufty. If in all these you be reasonably answered, I trust you will remain satisfied.

For the first, she is not worthy to live, whose cause ye defend, having committed so horrible offence. Ergo, No

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BOOK conscience, by order to put her down and less not to obey I. her; least, to obey her unjust quarrel. This you know your selves: this you have spoken your selves: this you have allowed your selves. Your selves wrot against her, fought against her, and were the chiefest cause of her apprehension, and imprisonment, and dimission of the crown; with somewhat more than we might say, if it were not to grieve you too much herein. But plainness argueth friendship, and so do I trust yee take it. If at that time there was nothing don against conscience, what moveth you to take conscience to leave her; but alledge conscience for your defence in setting up of her, that hath been the overthrow of your country, shame, and cause of all the misfortunes that have fallen unto you, or shall fall hereafter, if ye remain in the will ye be of?

Can either of you believe, that your lives shall be happier under her, if she be at home again in her former estate, whom ye have so many ways offended, than now it may be under her son, a babe ignorant and without malice or will to revenge, if ye dutifully live under him, and yield your obedience unto him? If ye doubt the time to come, when he shall be of lawful years, ye may well think it easier by good deserts in the mean time to obtain his favour at that time, than you can at any time, if this woman, whose nature ye know how vindicative it is, full of malice, and presently (whatsoever ye judge of her your selves) as evil disposed and bent towards you two, as to none worse in Scotland. So that you two were the chief occasions of all the calamities, as she hath said, that she is fallen into. You, lord of Liddington, by your persuasion and counsil to others to apprehend her, to imprison her; yea, to have taken presently the life from her. And you, lord of Graynge, by your solicitation, travail, and labour, to bring in others to allow thereof, and to put in execution that which by the other you, lord of Liddington, was devised.

Set apart therefore all conscience in this matter, where we believe that neither of you both is touched in this matter, so much as you pretend, or wish that we should believe.