II. ledge is had from you, which is not meet in a these so BOOK weighty matters, specially considering that sometime by such as pass to Lyons, ye might find the means to send your letters, which should be greatly to the king's and my consolation, in hearing thereby from time to time, how the things succeed there; I pray you therefore to use more diligence therein, as the king's and my special trust is in you. And heartily fare you well. From my bplace besides Westminster, the sixth day of April. The French king hath sent hither an ambassiate, monsieur de Langes, brother to the said bishop of Bayon, with certain clauses in his instructions, concerning the said treaty of confederation, the copy whereof ye shall receive herewith, for your better riping in that matter. Praying God to speed you well, and to give you grace to make a good and short end in your matters. And eft-soons fare ye well. Your loving friend, T. Cardin. Eborac. XXIII. Another dispatch to the ambassadours, to the same purpose. A duplicate. Vitell. b. II. RIGHT well beloved friends, I commend me unto you in Cotto lib. my hearty manner letting you wit, that by the hands of Thadeus bearer hereof, the king's highness hath received fol. 126. your several letters to the same directed with the pope's pollicitation mentioned in the same, and semblably I have received your conjunct and several letters of the dates of the 18. and 29. days of March; the 8, 19, 20, and 21. of April, to me directed, wherein ye at right good length have made mention of such discourses, conferences, audiences, and communications as ye have had concerning your charge, II. BOOK since the time of your former advertisements made in that behalf, with all such answers and replications as have been made unto you by the pope's holiness, and other on his behalf concerning the same. In the circumstances whereof ye have so diligently, discreetly, and substantially, acquitted your selves, as not only your firm and fervent desire, to do unto the king's highness special and singular service in this his great and weighty cause; but also your wisdomes, learning, and perfect dexterities, heretofore well known, hath every one for his part thereby been largely of new shewed, comprobate and declared to the king's good contentment, my rejoice and gladness, and to your great laud and praise. For the which his grace giveth unto you right hearty thanks, and I also for my part do the semblable; assuring you, in few words, tho' the time and state of things hath not suffered that your desires might at this time be brought unto effect; yet the king's grace well knoweth, perceiveth, and taketh, that more could not have been done, excogitated, or devised, than ye have largely endeavoured your self unto for conducing the king's purpose, which his grace accepteth, as touching your merits and acquittal in no less good and thankful part, than if ye finding the disposition of things in more direct state, had dconsecuted all your pursuits and desires: ne ye shall doubt or think, that either the king's highness or I have conceived, or thought any manner negligence in you for such things as were mentioned in the last letters sent unto you by Alexander, messenger, but that albeit his highness had cause, as the same wrote, to marvel of your long demor, and lack of expedition of one or other of the things committed to your charge; yet did his highness right well perswade unto himself the default not to be in you, but in some other cause, whereof his grace not knowing the same, might justly and meritoriously be brought unto admiration, and marvel: And therefore be ye all of good comfort, and think your perfect endeavours used, and services done, to be employed there, as it can be right well, in every part regarded and considered. e nor f be om. c wisdom, d consecute your II. In effect coming to the specialties of the things now to be BOOK answered, The king's highness having groundly noted and considered the whole continue and circumstances of all said letters and advertisements, findeth and perceiveth evidently, that whatsoever hpursuits, instances, and requests have been, or shall be for this present time, made there by you on his grace's behalf to the pope's holiness, for the furtherance of his said great and weighty cause; and how much soever the necessity of Christendom for the good of peace, the importance of this matter, the justness of the thing it self, reason, duty, respect to good merits, detecting of falsities used, evident arguments and presumptions to the same, or other thing whatsoever it be, making for the king's purpose, do weigh; the times be now such, as all that shall be done in any of the premisses there, is apparent by such privy intelligence and promise as is between the pope and the emperor, to hang and depend upon the emperor's will, pleasure, and arbitre, as whom the pope's holiness neither dare nor will in any part displease, offend, or miscontent, 1ne do by himself any thing notable therein, which he shall think or suppose to be of moment, the said emperor first inconsulted, or not consenting thereunto. And for that cause, since the emperor not only is the adversary of universal peace, letter, and impeacher thereof, but also, as hath appeared by sundry letters heretofore, and now of new sent out of Spain, doth shew himself adverse, and enterponing himself as a party against the king's said great matter; it were in manner all one to prosecute the same at the emperor's hands, as at the pope's, which so totally dependeth upon the emperor; and as much fruit might be hoped of the one as of the other, so as far discrepant it were from any wisdom in a thing so necessary, and which as ye know must needs be brought unto an end without any further m delay, consume and spend time, where such express contrariety and in manner despair appeareth to do "any good therein, and BOOK where should be none other but continual craft, colour, II. abuses, refuses and delays, but rather to proceed unto the same in place, and after such form as may be appearance of some good and brief effect to insue. Wherefore to shew you in counsel, and to be reserved unto your selves, the king's highness finding this ingratitude in the pope's holiness, is minded for the time to dissemble the matter, and taking as much as may be had and attained there to the benefit of his cause, to proceed in the decision of the same here, by vertue of the commission already granted unto me and my lord legate Campegius. And for because that ye Mr. Stevins be largely oriped and acquainted in this matter, and that both the king's highness and I have right large experience of your entire zeal and mind to the studying and setting forth of such things concerning the law, as may be to the furtherance hereof; considering also that for any great thing like to be done there herein, such personages as be of good Pactivity, wisdom, and experience, tho' they be not learned in the law, may with such counsel as ye have retained there, right well serve to the accomplishment of such other things as shall occur, or be committed unto them on the king's behalf, tho' so many ambassadors do not there remain and continue: his grace therefore willing and minding to revoke you all by little and little, except you sir Gregory, being his ambassadour there continually residing, willeth, that after such things perfected and done, as hereafter shall be mentioned, ye Mr. Stevins, and you sir Francis Brian, shall take your leave of the pope's holiness, and with diligence return home. For if ne had been the absence of you Mr. Stevins, seeing that there is small appearance of any fruit to be obtained there, the king's highness would have entred into process here before this Whitsuntide: but because his grace would have you here present, as well for the forming of the said process, and for such things as be trusted that ye shall obtain and bring with you, as also for the better knowledge to be had in sundry matters, wherein you may be the better authority, P he • ripened II. ripened and informed by means of your being in that court, BOOK And forasmuch as at the 'depeche of your said last letters, ye had not opened unto the pope's holiness, the last and uttermost device here conceived, and to you written in my letters sent by the said Alexander, but that ye intended, as soon as ye might have time and access, to set forth the same; wherein it is to be trusted, since that thing could by no colour or respect to the emperor be reasonably denied, ye have before this time done some good, and brought sit unto perfection; I therefore remitting you to such instructions as ye received at that time, advertise you that the king's mind and pleasure is, ye do your best to attain the ampliation of the said commission, after such form as is to you, in the said last letters and instructions, prescribed; which if ye cannot in every thing bring to pass, at the least to obtain as much to the king's purpose, and the benefit of the cause as ye can; wherein all good policy and dexterity is to be used and the pope's holiness by all persuasions to be induced thereunto; shewing unto the same how ye have received letters from the king's highness and me, responsives to such as ye wrote of the dates before rehearsed; whereby ye be advertised that the king's highness, perceiving the pope's strange demeanour in this his great and weighty cause, with the little respect that his holiness hath, either to the importance thereof, or to do unto his "highness at this his great necessity, gratuity and pleasure; not only cannot be a little sorry and heavy to see himself frustrate • dispatch ⚫it om. t debates " holiness |