" in the Face of the whole Court, and in the Pre"fence and Hearing of the King himself, called the "great God of Heaven and Earth to witnefs, That ་ he was a pure Virgin when he came into the "King's Bed; and now the put it unto his Conscience, fpeaking unto him Face to Face; and, if it were "otherwife, we cannot imagine the Queen durft "fo appeal unto him, or the King fo fpoke unto, "if unworthily, would not have contradicted her: Befides, we have here the Teftimony of a most "Reverend Father, who hath depofed upon Oath, "how the Queen had often, fub Teftimonio Confcientiæ "fuæ, faid unto him, That he never had any carnal Knowledge of Prince Arthur. Now, my Lords, that "fuch a Frolick or Jeft, as that about a Cup of Ale

or the Midst of Spain, with all the reft that hath "been faid, that are but mere Conjectures and Prefump❝tions, fhould ftand in Competition with fo great "a Tefti

Wolf. Pray hear me

Queen, Would I had never trod this English Earth,
Or felt the Flatteries that grow upon it!

Ye've Angels Faces, but Heav'n knows your Hearts.
What fhall become of me now! wretched Lady!

I am the most unhappy Woman living!

Alas, poor Wenches! where are now your Fortunes? [To the Wom.
Ship wreck'd upon a Kingdom, where no Pity,

No Friends, no Hope! no Kindred weep for me!
Almoft no Grave allowed me! Like the Lilly,
That once was Mittress of the Field and flourish'd,
I'll hang my Head, and Perish!

Wolf. If your Grace

Could but be brought to know our Ends are honest,
You'd feel more Comfort. Why fhould we, good Lady,

Upon what Caufe, wrong you? Alas! our Places,

The Way of our Profeffion is against it:

We are to cure fuch Sorrows, not to fow 'em.

For Goodness Sake, confider what you do,

How you may hurt yourself, nay, utterly

Grow from the King's Acquaintance, by this Carriage.
The Hearts of Princes kifs Obedience,

So much they love it: But, to ftubborn Spirits,

They fwell and grow as terrible as Storms.

I know

"a Testimony as a fovereign Princefs's folemn At"teftation of her Caufe upon the King's Confcience, " and that Confcience clearing her from fuch Pre

દર

fumption by its own Silence, fhould caufe us to "lay afide all Reverence, which we owe to former "Power and Authority, as if all their Determina65 tions, Confultations, and Confirmations, and even "of the See Apoftolick itself, fhould become void by 66 your calling this Matter again into Queftion, is a Thing, in my Conceit, moft deteftable to be re"hearfed, and a great Shame to this honourable "Court to hear fuch Stuff repeated for no other Purpose, but in Contempt of former Power, and calling the Wisdom of our Ancestors and Prede"ceffors, together with our own, in Question and De"rifion." Then the Court adjourned.

Now we leave the Reader to judge, whether he

I know you have a gentle, noble Temper,
A Soul as even as a Calm; Pray think us,

Those we profess, Peace-makers, Friends, and Servants.
Cam, Madam, you'll find it fo: You wrong your Virtues
With these weak Women's Fears.
A noble Spirit,

As yours was put into you, ever cafts
Such Doubts, as falfe Coin, from it. The King loves you;
Beware you lose it not: For us (if you please
To truft us in your Bufinefs) we are ready
To use our utmoft Studies in your Service.

Queen. Do what you will, my Lords; and pray forgive me,

If I have us'd myself unmannerly.

You know I am a Woman lacking Wit,

To make a feemly Anfwer to fuch Perfons.

Pray do my Service to his Majefty.

He has my Heart yet; and fhall have my Prayers,
While I shall have my Life. Come, rev'rend Fathers,
Beftow your Counfels on me. She now begs,

That little thought, when. fhe fet Footing here,
She fhould have bought her Dignities fo dear.

If we may be allowed to form a Judgment of the Cardinal's Temper from his Speeches to the King, to the Queen, to the Duke of Suffolk, and on many other

will

[Exeunt.

Occafions, we cannot help being of Opinion, that he did not want Spirit to vindicate the Honour of his Character, and the Justice of his Caufe.

will believe the Depofitions, or Queen Catherine's Proteftation.

In the mean time the Queen continued to fend to the Lady Margaret, Regent of the Low Countries, a Detail of the Proceedings of the Legatine Court, which she tranfmitted to the Emperor Charles; and his Brother Ferdinand, with Intreaties to affift their Aunt. Thefe Princes thereupon fent fresh Inftructions to their Ambaffadors at his Holiness's Court, to take a particular Care of the Queen's Intereft, and they had likewise a Commiffion to give his Holiness a Copy of the Bull, and Brief, of Julius the IId, together with the Queen's Declaration, That the Marriage between Prince Arthur and herself was not confummated. Though fome conceived, that, had not the Queen appealed to Rome, the Marriage had been confirmed this Seffion, as it was afterwards by the Pope himself, when too late.

The King, being now fully fatisfied that the Emperor and his Brother were endeavouring to carry the Procefs to Rome, fent fresh Inftructions to his Ambaffadors, to prevent the Avocation of the Cause, and to remind the Pope, that, by consenting to fuch an Expedient, his Holinefs would put a great Difgrace upon his Legates, contradict his late Bull and Commiffion, break through his own Order, and difoblige the King and Kingdom in a very notorious Manner: But all this Remonftrance fignified nothing, the Pofture of Affairs in Italy was changed, and the Pope fallen into new Meafures, by his entering into an advantageous Treaty with the Emperor, which we have before mentioned. In fine, the Ambaffadors of the Houfe of Auftria made a Proteftation, in the Queen's Name, against the Proceedings of the Legates in England, every Page of which Inftrument was fubfcribed by the Queen's Hand, and the Purport of it was, to entreat the Pope to null the Proceedings in England, to admonish the King to ftop the Procefs, or confent that the Trial of the Caufe might be at Rome, which was received with the utmost Respect.

So that his Holinefs, forgetting the many Favours he had received from Henry, as well as his own great Acknowledgments and Promifes, ventures the breaking with the King, rather than lofe the Advantage propofed by his new Alliance with the Emperor, figned an Avocation of the Caufe, and forbid all further Proceedings in England under great Penalties.

"How

The Pope's

Letter to Wolfey.

Our Ambaffadors upon this extraordinary News let his Holiness know, that, as the King's Request had been denied, their Mafter would apply other Remedies, which did not a little ftartle him; and therefore, as he knew it would poffibly be attended with ill Confequences in refpect to his fpiritual Affairs, he endeavoured to fhew, by an extenuating Letter to the Cardinal, that he was dragged into this Expedient, in which he tells him, "much he was affected at the Neceflity "of the Juncture: That nothing was more averse to "his Inclination, than the Avocation of the Cause: "That he was fo fenfible of the King's Merit and "kind Offices, that nothing but mere Juftice could "have forced him to have done any thing against his "Highnefs's Inclination:" And defires the Cardinal to represent his Regret to the King, to put the best Complexion upon the Matter he could, to ufe his Intereft to continue him in his cuftomary Friendship and Efteem to the Apoftolick See, and to acquaint his Highness, that he had the fame Regard for him as formerly.

Before the Avocation was figned at Rome, the Pope inftructed Campeius, unknown to Wolfey, to draw out the Matter at Length, and the Cardinal managed the Business with Dexterity enough.

The Legatine Court fits for the laft Time.

The King, being perfectly acquainted with the Pope's Defigns, and hopeless of the Queen's Confent, haftened the Commiffioners to forward the Divorce, which cordingly did with that Difpatch, that only the definitive VOL. IV. I i

Campeius ac

Sen

Sentence was now wanting, for giving which a folemn Day was appointed, Sept. 28, which caufed many of the Nobility, and a Multitude of the Commonalty to repair to the Court, expecting that Judgment would have been given for the King; and he himself, conceiving fome Hopes of the Legates good Intent towards him, caufed a Seat to be placed for him behind the Hangings, where, without being feen, he might conveniently hear what paffed in Court. The Cardinal being feated, the King's Advocates earnestly required, that Sentence might be given on their Side. Upon which Campeius, ftanding up as well as he could for the Gout, informed them, that his Holiness had referved the further Hearing of the Cause to himself, and therefore declared their Commiffion to be diffolved But before this he made the Speech that Cavendish has already recited, as well as what paffed on the Duke of Suffolk's infulting Cardinai Wolfey. A bad Retaliation this, for doing him two fuch signal Services, the faving of his Life, and bringing about his grand Marriage. See Vol. IId, p. 257, &c.

In Confequence of what Campeius had declared at the Clofe of the Legatine Court, Pope Clement the VIIth iffued forth a Brief of Avocation of the Caufe from England to the Confiftorial Court at Rome, where Paulus Capiffanus, Mafter of the Rolls, was to prefide under his Holinefs: And it having been fignified, by the Queen's Party, that the King of England would not answer to any fuch Appeal, the Brief takes notice of this Rumour, and threatens the King with Excommunication, if he should prefume to proceed to another Marriage, before the Caufe was decided in the Confiftorial Court. This Brief by particular Directions was fixed upon the great Church-doors at Bruges, Tournay, and Dunkirk, inafmuch as no one durft take the Liberty of fixing it up any where in England.

The Caufe being ordered to Rome, and the King's Expectation baulked, he threw his Difappointment

upon