« 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 witness, That She was a pure Virgin when she came into the King's Bed; and now she put it unto his Conscience,

speaking unto him Face to Face; and, if it were “ otherwise, we cannot imagine the Queen durft “ fo appeal unto him, or the King so spoke unto, “ if unworthily, would not have contradicted her : “ Besides, we have here the Testimony of a most " Reverend Father, who hath deposed upon Oath, “ how the Queen had often, fub Testimonio Conscientia

fuæ, faid unto him, That he never had any carnal « Knowledge of Prince Arthur. Now, my Lords, that “ such a Frolick or Jest, as that about a Cup of Ale “ or the Midst of Spain, with all the rest that hath “ been said, that are but mere Conjectures and Presump" tions, should stand in Competition with so great

a Testi

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 shall 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!
Almost no Grave allowed me! Like the Lilly,
That once was Mistress 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 should we, good Lady,
Upon what Cause, wrong you ? Alas ! our Places,
The Way of our Profession is against it :
We are to cure such Sorrows, not to low 'em.
For Goodness Sake, consider what you do,
How you may hurt yourself, nay, utterly
Grow from the King's Acquaintance, by this Carriage.
The Hearts of Princes kiss Obedience,
So much they love it: But, to ftubborn Spirits,
They (well and grow as terrible as Storms.

I know

" a Testimony as a sovereign Princess's solemn At“ teftation of her Cause upon the King's Conscience, “ and that Conscience clearing her from such Pre“ sumption by its own Silence, should cause us to “ lay aside all Reverence, which we owe to former “ Power and Authority, as if all their Determina« tions, Consultations, and Confirmations, and even “ of the See Apoftolick itself, should become void by

your calling this Matter again into Question, is a « Thing, in my Conceit, moft detestable to be re“ hearsed, and a great Shame to this honourable “ Court to hear such Stuff repeated for no other “ Purpose, but in Contempt of former Power, and “ calling the Wisdom of our Ancestors and Predea “ ceffors, together with our own, in Question and De“ rifion.” Then the Court adjourned. Now we leave the Reader to judge, whether he

will

6C

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 so : You wrong your Virtues
With these weak Women's Fears. A noble Spirit,
As yours was put into you, ever casts
Súch Doubts, as false Coin, from it. The King loves you ;
Beware you lose it not : For us (if you please
To trust us in your Business) we are ready
To use our utmost 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 seemly Answer to such Persons,
Pray do my Service to his Majesty.
He has my Heart yet ; and shall have my Prayer's,
While I shall have my Life. Come, rev'rend Fathers,
Bestow, your Counsels on me. She now begs,

That little thought, when she set Footing here,
She should have bought her Dignities so dear. [Exeunt.

If we may be allowed to form Occasions, we cannot help being a Judgment of the Cardinal's of Opinion, that he did not want Temper from his Speeches to the Spirit to vindicate the Honour King, to the Queen, to the Duke of his Character, and the Justice of Suffolk, and on many other of his Cause.

a

will believe the Depositions, or Queen Catherine's Protestation.

In the mean time the Queen continued to send to the Lady Margaret, Regent of the Low Countries, a Detail of the Proceedings of the Legatine Court, which the transmitted to the Emperor Charles, and his Brother Ferdinand, with Intreaties to assist their Aunt. Thefe Princes thereupon sent fresh Instructions to their Ambassadors at his Holiness's Court, to take a particular Care of the Queen's Interest, and they had likewise a Commifsion to give his Holiness a Copy of the Bull, and Brief, of Julius the Ild; together with the Queen's Declaration, That the Marriage between Prince Arthur and herself was not consummated. Though some conceived, that, had not the Queen appealed to Rome; the Marriage had been confirmed this Session, as it was afterwards by the Pope himtelf; when too late.

The King; being now fully satisfied that the Emperor and his Brother were endeavouring to carry the Process to Rome, fent fresh Instructions to his Ambassadors, to prevent the Avocation of the Cause; and to remind the Pope, that, by consenting to such an Expedient, his Holiness would put a great Difgrace upon his Legates, contradict his late Bull and Commission, break through his own Order, and disoblige the King and Kingdom in a very notorious Manner : But all this Remonstrance fignified nothing, the Posture of Affairs in Italy was changed, and the Pope fallen into new Measures, by his entering into an advantageous Treaty with the Emperor, which we have before mentioned. In fine, the Ambassadors of the House of Austria made a Protestation, in the Queen's Name, against the Proceedings of the Legates in England, every Page of which Initruinene was subscribed 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 stop the Process, or consent that the Trial of the Caufe might be at Rome, which was received with the utmost Respect.

So

So that his Holiness, forgetting the many Favours he had received from Henry, as well as his own great Acknowledgments and Promises, ventures the breaking with the King, rather than lose the Advantage proposed by his new Alliance with the Emperor, signed an Avocation of the Cause, and forbid all further Proceedings in England under great Penalties.

Our Ambassadors upon this extraordinary News let his Holiness know, that, as the King's Request had been denied, their Matter would apply other Remedies, which did not a little startle him; and therefore, as he knew it would possibly be attended with ill Consequences in respect to his spiritual Affairs, he endeavoured to shew, by an extenuating Letter to the Cardinal, that he was dragged into this

The Pope's

Letter to Expedient, in which he tells him, “ How

Wolfey. " 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 so sensible of the King's Merit and “ kind Offices, that nothing but mere Justice could « have forced him to have done any thing against his

Highness's Inclination :” And desires the Cardinal to represent his Regret to the King, to put the best Complexion upon the Matter he could, to use his Interest to continue him in his customary Friendship and Esteem to the Apoftolick See, and to acquaint his Highness, that he had the same Regard for him as formerly.

Before the Avocation was signed at Rome, the Pope instructed Campeius, unknown to Wolsey, to draw out the Matter at Length, and the Cardinal managed the Business with Dexterity enough.

The King, being perfectly acquainted The Legatine with the Pope's Designs, and hopeless of Court fits for

the last Time. the Queen's Consent, haftened the Commissioners to forward the Divorce, which Campeius accordingly did with that Dispatch, that only the definitive Vol. IV.

I i

Sen

a

Sentence was now wanting, for giving which a folemn Day was appointed, Sept. 28, which caused 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, caused a Seat to be placed for him behind the Hangings, where, without being seen, he might conveniently hear what passed in Court. The Cardinal being feated, the King's Advocates earnestly required, that Sentence might be given on their Side. Upon which Campeius, standing up as well as he could for the Gout, informed them, that his Holiness had reserved the further Hearing of the Cause to himself, and therefore declared their Commission to be difsolved : But before this he made the Speech that Cavendish has already recited, as well as what passed on the Duke of Suffolk's insulting Cardinai Wolfey. A bad Retaliation this, for doing him two such signal Services, the saving of his Life, and bringing about his grand Marriage. See Vol. IId, p. 257, &c.

In Consequence of what Campeius had declared at the Close of the Legatine Court, Pope Clement the VIIth issued forth a Brief of Avocation of the Cause from England to the Consistorial Court at Rome, where Paulus Capisanus, Master of the Rolls, was to preside under his Holiness : And it having been signified, by the Queen's Party, that the King of England would not answer to any such Appeal, the Brief takes notice of this Rumour, and threatens the King with Excommunication, if he should presume to proceed to another Marriage, before the Cause was decided in the Consistorial Court. This Brief by particular Directions was fixed upon the great Church-doors at Bruges, Tournay, and Dunkirk, inasmuch as no one durft take the Liberty of fixing it up any where in England.

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

upon