other of the things committed to your charge; yet did his Highness right well persuade 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 right well, in every part regarded and considered.

In effect coming to the Specialities of the things now to be answered, The King's Highness having groundly noted and considered the whole continue and circumstances of all your said Letters and Advertisements, findeth and perceiveth evidently, that whatsoever Pursuits, and 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 the said great and weighty Cause; and how much soever the necessity of Christendom for the good of Peace, the importance of the Matter, the justness of the thing itself, 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, nor 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 Émperor's hands, as at the Pope's, which so totally dependeth upon the Emperor; and as much Fruit might be hoped of the one 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 delay, to consume and spend the time, where such express contrariety and in manner dispair appeareth to do good therein, and where should be none other but continual craft, colour, abuses, refuses and delays, but rather to proceed unto the same in place, and after such form as may

be a appearance of some good and brief effect to ensue. 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 virtue of the Commission already granted unto me and my Lord Legate Campegius.

And for because that ye Mr. Stevins be largely ripened 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 Authority, 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 entered 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 ripened and informed by means of your being in that Court: And otherwise his Highness will somewhat the longer defer the commencement of the said Process, and respite the same, only for your coming; which his Grace therefore desireth you so much the more to accelerate, as ye know how necessary it is, that all diligence and expedition be used in that Matter. And so ye all to handle and endeavour your selves there, for the time of your demor, as ye may do the most benefit and advantage that may be to the speedy furtherance of the said Cause.

And forasmuch as at the dispatch of your said last Let

ters, 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 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 perswasions 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 of the future hope and expectation that his Grace had, to have found the Pope's Holiness a most loveing, fast, near and kind Father, and assured Friend, ready and glad to have done for his Grace, that which of his Power Ordinary or Absolute, he might have done in this thing, which so near toucheth the King's Conscience, Health, Succession. Realm, and Subjects; But also marvelleth highly, That his Holiness, both in Matters of Peace, Truce, in this the King's Cause, and in all other, hath more respect to please and content him of whom he hath received most displeasures, and who studieth nothing more than the detriment of the See, than his Holiness hath either to do that which a good common Father, for the well of the Church, Himself, and all Christendom, is bounden, and eweth to do, or also that which every thing well pondered, it were both of Congruence, Right, Truth, Equity, Wisdom, and conveniency for to do. Thinking verily that his Highness deserved to be far otherwise entreated, and that not at his most need in things nearest touching his Grace, and where the same had his chief and principal confidence, thus to have his just and reasonable Petitions rejected and totally to be converted, to the arbitre of his

Enemy, which is not the way to win, acquire, and conserve Friends to the Pope's Holiness and See Apostolick, nor that which a good and indifferent, Vicar of Jesus Christ, and common Father unto all Princes, oweth and is bound to observe. Nevertheless ye shall say the King's Highness, who always hath shewed, and largely comprobate himself a most devout Son unto the See Apostolick, must and will take patience; and shall pray to God to put in the Pope's mind a more direct and vertuous intent, so to proceed in his acts and doing, as he may be found a very Father, upright, indifferent, loving and kind; and not thus for partial respect, fear, or other inordinate Affection, or cause, to degenerate from his best Children, showing himself unto them as a Step-Father, nor the King's Highness ye shall say can persuade unto himself, that the Pope's Holiness is of that nature and disposition, that he will so totally fail his Grace in this Matter of so high importance, but that by one good mean or other, his Holiness will perfectly comprobate the intire love that always the same hath shewed to bear towards his Highness, wherein ye shall desire him now to declare by his Acts the uttermost of his intent and disposition; so as ye Mr. Stevins and Mr. Brian, who be revoked home, do not return with void hands, or bring with you things of such meagerness, or little substance, as shall be to no purpose: And thus by these, or like words, seconding to the same effect, which as the time shall require, and as he shall have cause, ye by your Wisdoms can qualifie and devise, It is not to be doubted, but that the Pope's Holiness perceiving how the King's Highness taketh this Matter, and that two of you shall now return, will in expedition of the said Ampliation of the Commission, and other things requisite, strain himself to do unto the King's Highness as much gratuity and pleasure as may be; for the better attaining whereof, ye shall also shew, how heavy and sorry I with my Lord Legate Campegius be, to see this manner of proceeding, and the large promises which he and I so often have made unto the King's Highness, of the Pope's fast and assured mind, to do all that his Holiness, etiam ex plenitudine potestatis, might do, thus to be disappointed; most humbly beseeching his Holiness on my behalf, by his high Wisdom to consider, what a prince this is; the infinite and excellent gratitudes which the same hath exhibited to the Pope's Person in particular, and to the See Apostolick in the general; the magnitude and importance of this Cause, with the Consequences that may follow, by the good or ill entreating of the King's Highness in the same; wherein ye shall say, I

have so largely written, so plainly for my discharge declared the truth unto his Holiness, and so humbly, reverently, and devoutly, made intercession, that more can I not add or accumulate thereunto, but only pray unto God that the same may be perceived, understood, and taken, as the exigence of the Case, and the merits of this Noble Prince doth require; trusting always, and with fervent desire, from day to day abiding to hear from his said Holiness some such thing as I shall now be able constantly to justifie and defend, the great thing which I and my said Lord Legate have said and attessed on his Holiness' behalf.

This, with all other such matter as may serve to the purpose, ye shall extend as well as ye can, and by that means get and attain as much to your purpose for the corroboration and surety of all things to be done here as is possible, leaving to speak any more, or also to take or admit any rescripts for exhibition of the Brief, advocation of the Cause, or other of the former degrees, seeing that all which shall or can be done or attained there, shall hang meerly upon the Emperor's Will, Consent, and Arbitre: and therefore nothing is now or hereafter to be procured, that may tend to any Act to be done, in decision of the Cause or otherwise there, or which may bring the adverse Party to any advantage to be taken by the favour or partiality, that the same may have in that Court; but to convert and employ all your suit, to that thing which may be to the most convalidation and surety of the Process, and things to be done here, as well by attaining as ample, large and sufficient words, clauses and sentences as ye can get, for ampliation of the new Commission.

As for the defeating of any thing that may be procured to the impeachment of the Process thereof, and the corroboration of the things to be passed, and done, by virtue of the same. And amongst other things, whereas ye with these last Letters, sent the Pope's Pollicitation, for the non-inhibition or avoking of the Cause, the ratifying and confirming of the Sentence by us his Legates herein to be given, and other things mentioned in the same, ye shall understand, that the said Pollicitation is so couched and qualified, as the Pope's Holiness whensoever he will may resile; like-as by certain Lines and Annotations, which in the Margin of a Copy of the said Pollicitation I send you herewith, ye shall perceive more at large: And therefore after your other suits, for the ampliation of the new Commission, if any such may be attained, brought unto as good a purpose as ye can, ye shall by some good way find the mean to attain a new Pollicitation, with such, or as many