II. by the contrary: and semblably it shall be expedient that BOOK ye win and make sure to the same purpose, as many of the officers of the 9rote and other as ye can, who as ye write be not accustomed, 'ne will give counsel to any person but 'to the pope's holiness; for albeit ye cannot have them to be of the king's council, yet nevertheless they may do as much good, or more, in training and counselling the pope's holiness, upon the great reasons that tye can shew unto them, to hearken unto your overtures "in this behalf. To which purpose you shall *adquire, make, and win, as many friends of the cardinals, of them, and other, as ye possibly may, as for the thing which the king's highness and I more esteem than twenty papalities; and amongst other, ye shall insist, by all means and good persuasions ye can, for the continuance there of the said bishop of Verone, so as he may countervail the arch-bishop of Capuan; who, as it seemeth, is continually about the pope's person, and were necessary to be met with in the labours and persuasions, which by likelyhood he maketh to the hindrance of the king's purpose: For the better y conteignyng of the which bishop of Verone, not only the king's highness and I write unto him at this time, as by the copy of the same several letters being herewith ye shall perceive, but also the French king will do the semblable. And furthermore, to the intent that the pope's holiness may well perceive that not only the said French king mindeth the king's said cause, and taketh it to heart as much as it were his own, and will effectually join and concur with the king's highness therein, but that also he is and will be conformable to the said indication; He will send thither, with all speed, the bishop of Bayon to further, sollicite, and set forth the same; who, before his departure from hence, which was a good season passed, was and is sufficiently and amply instructed in all things requisite to this purpose; and not only in these matters, but also in such other as were written unto you by Vincent de Cas II. BOOK salys, and Hercules, upon advertisement given hither that the pope's holiness was deceased; so as ye may be sure to have of him effectual concurrence and advise in the furtherance and sollicitation of your charges, whether the pope's holiness amend, remain long sick, or (as God forbid) should fortune to die; trusting, that being so well furnished by all ways that can be devised, ye will not fail to use such diligence as may be to the consecuting and attaining of the king's purpose: wherein, tho' ye be so amply and largely instructed, that more cannot be; yet nevertheless having lately received from the bishop of Worcester a memorial of diverse great things to be well noted and considered, for trial of the falsity of the said breve, I send you herewith a copy of the same memorial, to the intent ye substantially visiting and perusing the same, may follow and put in execution such part thereof, for better trial of the falsity, as is to be done there, like as the rest meet to be done here, shall not fail to be executed with diligence accordingly. Thus be ye with these, and other former writings, sufficiently instructed what is to be done by you there, whether the pope's holiness continue long in his sickness, or whether the same fortune to decease, or soon, God willing, to amend. There resteth no more, but that ye always take for a perfect ground, That tho' to every new chance not before known, sufficient provision and instruction could not be given to you at your departure, ye always note, remember, and regard, That this the king's cause admitteth ane suffereth any manner negative, tract, or delay; wherefore knowing that so well as ye do, and also how much the bindication of the truce shall be commodious and necessary, both to the king's highness in particular, and to all Christendom in general, by means whereof his grace shall avoid contribution, and other charges of the war, ye must now, if ever you will have thanks, laud, or praise for your service, imploy your selves opportune et importune to put an end to these ij points to the king's satisfaction and desire; and in every difficulty to study, by your wisdoms, the best and next re II. medy, and not always to tract your doings, till upon your BOOK advertisement hither, ye shall have new knowledge from hence: for thereby the matter it self, and also your demurr there, be of over long a continuance, and infinite inconveniences by the same may ensue. I therefore require you according to the special trust and confidence that the king's highness and I have in you, now for ever to acquit yourselves herein with all effect possible, accordingly so as the king's highness be not longer kept in this perplexity and suspence, to his grace's intolerable inquietness, and the great heaviness of all those that observe and love the same. Furthermore, tho' it so be that the king's trust, and also mine is, Ye will by your dwisdomes find such good means and ways as ye shall not fail, God willing, to open and declare unto the pope's holiness, the whole of the king's mind, and all and singular the premisses, with the residue mentioned in your former instructions and letters sent unto you: yet nevertheless considering what ye wrote of the doubt of continuance of the pope's sickness, and to make sure for all events and chances, in case his holiness (as God forbid) should long remain in such state, as he might either take upon him the fmayning of the peace, journeying and repairing to the said diet, hne also hear the whole of the things by you to be opened and propounded touching the king's said cause: It hath been thought to the king's highness convenient rather than these great and weighty matters should hang in longer suspence, to excogitate some other good mean and way how these matters, so necessary, may by some ways be conduced and brought to an end and it is this; That the pope's holiness not being able to travel to the place devised, where the princes may be near him for treaty, and mayning of the peace, he do depute me and my lord cardinal Campegius, conjunctim et divisim, as his legates for that purpose, to do and execute all such things in his holiness's name, as the same should do in that behalf if he were there present; whereunto, for the 'wele of Christf naming d wisdom e residue above mentioned : sacred I well II. BOOK endom, we shall be contented to condescend. So always, that as hath been written heretofore unto you, before I pass or set forth to any convention or place, to the intent before specified, the king's highness be fully satisfied and pleased in his said matter of matrimony, without which, neither with nor without the pope's presence, I will ever begin or take that voyage: for performance whereof, this article following is of new devised, to be by you propounded unto his holiness, if the decretals cannot be obtained, or some other thing, that ye shall well know and perceive, by advice of expert counsel there, to be better to the king's purpose than this thing now devised, and that may without tract be passed mand granted; that is to say, That his holiness do enlarge, extend, and amplify his commission given to me and my lord legate Campegius, whereby we jointly and severally may be sufficiently furnished and authorized, to do as much in this cause of matrimony, with all the emergents and dependencies upon the same, as his holiness may do of his ordinary and absolute power, with sufficient and ample clauses, ad decernend. declarand. et impetrand. jura, leges, et rescripta quæcunque hoc matrimonium concernentia, una cum omnibus et singulis dubiis in eadem causa emergentibus. And further, to make out compulsories to any princes, or persons of what preheminence, dignity, state, or condition soever they be, etiamsi imperiali, regali, vel alia quacunque dignitate perfulgeant, sub quibuscunq; pœnis, and in what countries and places soever they be, to exhibit and produce any manner witness, records, "original rescripts or other thing, in what place, or time we, or the one of us shall require them, or any of them in this behalf, with all and singular the circumstances requisite and necessary to such a commission, after such ample and assured manner, as the same once had, we shall not need for any objections, doubt, or other thing that might infringe or lack, to send of new to the pope's holiness for other provision, whereby the king's said cause might hang in any longer tract or delay. In which case of coming to this commis II. sion, ye Mr. Stevins must have special regard to see the BOOK same sufficiently and substantially penned, by advice of the most expert men that ye can find to that purpose: For the better doing whereof, I send unto you herewith a copy of the Pformer commission 9 given to me and my 'said lord Campegius, with certain additions thereunto noted in the margin, such as have been here devised; and also a copy of certain clauses in a bull, to the intent ye may see how amply the same be couched, to avoid appellations and other delays in causes of far less moment and importance than the king's is. Nevertheless ye must, if it shall come to the obtaining of this new commission, see to the penning and more sfull perfecting thereof, so as the same may be in due perfection, without needing to send eftsoons for remedying of any thing therein, as is aforesaid; looking also substantially whether the chirograph of pollicitation, being already in your hands, be so couched, as the date, and every thing considered, it may sufficiently oblige and astringe the pope's holiness to confirm all that we, or one of us, shall do, by virtue of this new or the old commission: and if it be not of such efficacy so to do, then must ye in this case see, that either by sufficient and ample words to be put in this new commission, if it may be so had, or by a new chirograph the pope's holiness may be so astringed; which chirograph, with the commissions before specified, if ye obtain the same, the king's pleasure is, That ye sir Francis Brian shall bring hither, in all possible diligence, after the having and obtaining thereof, solliciting nevertheless, whether the pope be to be facilly spoken with, or not, the immediate indication of the truce, as is aforesaid, without which in vain it were for me, either with or without the pope, to travel for labouring and conducing of the peace. And so by this way should the pope's holiness, with his merit and sufficient justification, proceed for the trucê, as a fundament of universal peace, satisfy the king's desires, and avoid any doubt of the emperor; forasmuch as his holiness might alledg, That being so extreamly sick, that he was not able to know of the cause a given om. fully P said r said om. |