II. nourable houshold; who, if the pope will not really and BOOK actually intend to the amaynyng 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 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 dcleare 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 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 conferred with the manner and usages of that court: II. BOOK he that counterfeited the breve, not knowing such diversity between the date of the fbulls 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 gripe 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 hafore 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. Cotton lib. 11. fol. 235. XXIV. The two legates letter to the pope, advising a decretal bull. 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 ur II. geret, ut ad causæ ipsius merita agnoscenda accingeremur, BOOK quando in suspenso, non modo horum regum vota, sed nec hujus regni firmandi ratio, diutius haberi potest, omni suasionis genere horum animis prius adhibito, ut alterius voluntati alter cederet, eique morem gererent, cum nihil profecerimus, ad judicii institutionem accedentes, de modo causam ipsam pertractandi, multa longioribus colloquiis inter nos commentati sumus; qua in re, dum quæ necessaria sunt adornantur, exhibitum est per reginam exemplum brevis Julii 2. eodem tempore quo et bulla super hac materia, dati et scripti, sed attentiore cura et longe consideratiore mente confecti, quod, quia in substantialibus etiam ab ipsa bulla diversum est, non modo regium, sed nostrum quoq; animum, mire suspensum habuit, usq; adeo ut de ejus veritate plurimum suspicari libeat; nam præter insperatam in tanta opportunitate ejus apparitionem, incredibile videtur, ut eodem tempore idem author, eisdem partibus, in eadem causa, diversa admodum ratione caverit, et permansuro diplomati ejusq; decreto, ad perpetuam rei memoriam, proferendo, et plumbeo charactere excudendo dormitaverit, brevioribus vero literis molli cera communiendis exactissimi studii et sobriæ cogitationis speciem impresserit: ne tamen majestas hæc rem hanc damnatam priusquam exploratam habeat, quippe quæ magis in veritate quam in voto suo, causæ hujus eventum susceptura videtur, ad ipsius brevis exhibitionem instat, quod, quia honestum et rationi consonum videtur, à nobis etiam probatur, propterea omni studio curamus, ut breve ipsum, quod in Hispaniis esse dicitur, et à quo exemplum hoc effigiatum aiunt proferatur ; atq; ut hoc expeditiore cura, et majore compendio assequamur, præter primam et summam illam de causa cognoscendi potestatem, quam à sanctitate vestra habemus, aliam quoq; ad hunc specialiter articulum habendam putamus, per quam possimus etiam per censuras, omnes etiam regia et imperiali authoritate fulgentes, monere et adigere ut dictum breve nobis exhibeant, sine quo causa hæc nedum absolvi, sed nec commode tractari queat. Atque hoc primum est, quod majestas hæc, in tanta animi fluctuatione qua nunc æstuat, à II. BOOK nobis curandum putat, quo impetrato, judicii via insistentes ad causæ cognitionem procedemus; quod si non proferatur, vel inutile et vitiatum, et fide sua facile rejiciendum, prolatum fuerit, nihil prohibebit, hoc sublato obice, quin ex officio nostro reliqua prosequamur: sin vero exhibeatur, et veritate sua, vel adeo scite conficta fallacia, ita se tueatur ut acriori examine id inquiri debeat, patefacto jam patronorum cavillis et calumniis foro, quibus undis et judicii fluctibus non solum articulum hunc brevis, sed universam causam implicaturi simus, nullus non viderit; neque enim deerunt quæ suspectam ipsius brevis fidem faciant, vel ex hoc maxime, quod cum maxime regis et regni hujus intersit, nihil prorsus de eo antehac auditum fuerit, nec ejus memoria aut ratio ulla extet in scriniis regiis, in quibus etiam minima quæque ad regnum spectantia asservari solent: nam verisimile non est in Hispaniis majorem Anglicæ rei curam fuisse quam in ipsa Anglia, neq; quempiam solerti et acri adeo ingenio fuisse, qui hujuscemodi dissidium vigesimo quinto abhinc anno suboriturum, et hac sola ratione sublatum iri posse divinaverit, nulla ut diximus apud hunc regem, et in hoc regno talis rei memoria extante. Porro si ex brevi ad bullam, et ex bulla ad breve transitus fiat, atq; illius jejunitatem et ariditatem insectemur, hujus prægnantia verba, et ad omnes fere exceptiones tollendas, superstitiosam quodammodo vigilantiam conferamus, et quæ utrinq; deduci poterunt in rescriptis apostolicis æquo animo audiamus, periclitaturi certe sumus, ne, quod minime cupimus, sedis apostolicæ authoritatem patientia nostra in discrimen rapiamus, atque dum regno, et regi hinc suppetias ferre volumus, rem, dignitatemq; nostram multo minorem faciamus, cui a tamen posita etiam anima, favere et adesse semper cupimus et debemus. Propterea, beatissime pater, non solum pro regis et causæ hujus commodo, sed pro dignitate quoq; ecclesiastica et sanctitatis vestræ autoritate hic tuenda et conservanda, nullo pacto committendum ducimus, ut nobis spectantibus et audientibus, de potestate Romani pontificis, de literarum apostolicarum sub plumbo et sub annulo scripta a tum II. rum fide, et repugnantia, deque juris divini abrogatione dis- BOOK ceptetur, maxime in regnum causa oppugnanda et defendenda, qui, ut sublimiore sunt fastidio collocati, ita biniquiori animo patiuntur causæ suæ casum, cum qua et dignitatem et existimationem suam diminutam iri intelligunt, quæ si ignobilium etiam animos quosque exulcerare, ipsa rerum experientia docti cernimus, qualiter quæso putamus regios et generosos affectura? Itaque quoniam hanc charybdim et hos scopulos evitasse semper tutum erit, propterea hujusmodi incommoda quodammodo prætervecti, ubi ad litis molestias et incertas fori fluctuationes causam deducendam perspicimus, suadere, rogare, et summis precibus parique reverentia contendere non desinemus, ut si exhibito brevi pura veritas ita latitaverit, quod rectumne an falsum, vitiatum, seu adulterinum fuerit judicare ac decernere minime valeamus, sanctitas vestra causam hanc ad se avocet, non solum ut tanto discrimini, et dperplexitati nos eximat, sed ut paterno affectu, causæ et regi huic optimo subveniat, et opem ferat, atque ex potestatis suæ plenitudine et summa prudentia finem huic rei optatum imponat, quæ non sine magno hujus regni et ecclesiasticæ dignitatis periculo diutius trahi potest: speramus autem serenissimum hunc regem in hujusmodi avocandæ causæ consilio facile quieturum, salebrosa hæc litium itinera et labyrinthos evitaturum, modo in fide sanctitatis vestræ chirographo manus suæ testata, cognoverit, se diutius suspenso in hac re animo detinendum non fore, atq; ab hujusmodi matrimonio se tandem liberandum, in quo nec humano nec divino jure permanere se posse putat, ex causis sanctitati vestræ forsan notis, et per hos suos nuntios longioribus verbis explicandis. Quod si sanctitas vestra commodius existimaverit, avocatione hujusmodi posthabita, per decretalis unius concessionem huic causæ occurri et succurri posse, in hanc quoq; rationem regis animum paratum dabimus; et propterea concepto quodam decretalis modulo, eum per hos ipsos majestatis suæ nuntios mittimus, ex quibus abunde intelliget, quodque non absque exemplo istiusmodi auxilia proponantur, et quam non temere c discrimine, d perplexitate b iniquiore |