cardinal sent Ormanet thither, who gave an account of his audience to Priuli, the legate's great and generous friend, which will be found in the Collection (No. xxiv). The bishop of Arras told him how much the emperor had the matters of religion at heart, and that he would be always ready to promote them. But when Ormanet pressed him for a present dispatch, he said they had no news from England since the marriage; and that, before any other step was made, it would be necessary to know what ply the affairs of that kingdom were like to take. It was fit to consider, whether the powers of securing the goods of the church should come from the legate, or from the king and queen. Then he desired to see the copy of the cardinal's faculties. As to the point of time, Ormanet said it was not fit to lose a moment, since so many souls were endangered by the delay; and the first coming of the prince of Spain ought not to be let slip, by which the honour of the work would be chiefly due to him. As for his faculties, all things necessary were committed to the cardinal in the amplest manner; and more particular resolutions could not be taken but upon the place. Somewhat further passed between them, which Örmanet reserves till he saw the cardinal. The bishop of Arras promised to lay all before the emperor, and to do all good offices. The emperor was at that time so well, that he was often on horseback to view his army, which had then marched to St. Amand, and the two armies were very near one another. This is dated the last of July.

On the 3d of August the bishop of Arras wrote to the cardinal, "that the emperor received his congratulations on the marriage very kindly; but did not think it was yet proper for him to go to England, till they had a perfect account of the present state of affairs there. To know that, he had that day sent an express thither: upon his return he should be able to give him a more positive answer. He knew the zeal of the king and queen was such, that they would lose no time; but yet they must proceed with such moderation, that the way to a true remedy might not be cut off by too much haste." This is in the Collection (No. xxv). The cardinal had a letter from Bartholomew de Miranda, a friar, who (I suppose) was King Philip's confessor, and afterwards archbishop of Toledo, from Winchester, July 28. It is only a letter of respect desiring his commands. The cardinal wrote to the bishop of Arras on the 5th of August. He sent him the copy of his faculties, and expressed a great earnestness in his design of going speedily into England, as soon as the courier sent by the emperor should return. He

showed himself as impatient of the delays, as in good manners he could well do. This is also in the Collection (No. xxvi).

King Philip stayed at Winchester some days after the marriage; for on the 4th of August he sent the count of Horn over to the emperor from thence, and by him he wrote a letter, partly of respect, partly of credit, to the cardinal. To this the cardinal wrote an answer, which I have put in the Collection (No. xxvii): though, besides such high compliments as are usually given to princes, there is nothing particular in it, only he still insists earnestly for leave to come over. On the 11th of August the bishop of Arras wrote to him, "that he had seen the copy of his faculties, and he joins with him in his wishes to see that kingdom restored to its ancient obedience: he assures him, the emperor was pressing the dispatch of the matter, and he did not doubt but that it would be speedily accomplished." Pole wrote on the 2d of September to Soto, the emperor's confessor," thanking him for those pressing letters that he had written, both to the emperor and to Duke Alonso d'Aquilara; with which the legate was so delighted, that he writes as one in a rapture upon it; and he animates him to persist in that zeal for promoting this great work.".

He was still put off with new delays, of which the best account I can give is, that this being the decisive stroke, there was a close canvassing over England for the elections to this parliament. Since nothing can effectually ruin this nation but a bad choice, therefore, as it is the constant character of a good ministry, who design nothing but the welfare and happiness of the nation, to leave all men to a due freedom in their elections; so it is the constant distinction of a bad ministry, that have wicked designs, to try all the methods of practice and corruption possible to carry such an election, that the nation being ill represented by a bad choice, it may be easy to impose any thing on a body of vicious, ignorant, and ill-principled men, who may find their own mercenary account in selling and betraying their country. It appeared in the two former parliaments who they were that could not bear the returning to their old servitude to the papacy. It was, no doubt, spread over England, that they saw the legate was kept in Flanders, and not suffered yet to come over: this seems the true cause why his coming was so long. put off. It might be likewise an artifice of Gardiner's, to make the difficulties appear the greater, and by that to enhance his own merit the more. It is plain, that, till the election was over, and till the pulses of the majority were first tried, it was resolved

not to suffer the legate to come over. This seems to be that which he insinuates in his letter to the confessor, when he says, that "the wisdom of the wise has kept the gate so long shut against him."

On the 13th of October Pole wrote the pope an account (Collect. No. xxviii) of what had passed between him and the bishop of Arras and the emperor himself: the bishop of Arras, as he writes, came to him and assured him, that the emperor was in the best disposition possible; but it was necessary to come to particulars, to examine all the impediments, and the best methods to put them out of the way. The legate said he had full powers, and desired to know from England what impediments were suggested. He added, this was not a negotiation like that in making a peace, where both sides did conceal their own designs all they could, till they discovered those of the contrary side: here all had but one design, and he was ready to enter into particulars when they pleased. He had an audience of the emperor, none but the nuncio and the bishop of Arras being present. In it, after usual compliments, the impediments proposed were two; the first related to the doctrine, in which there was no abatement to be made, nor indulgence to be showed. The other was concerning the lands; for the usurpers of them, knowing the severity of the ecclesiastical laws, were afraid to return to the obedience of the church: to this the legate answered, that the pope was resolved to extend his indulgence in this case; first as to all the mean profits already received, and the censures incurred by that, which was a great point; the pope was willing freely to discharge that entirely: nor did he intend to apply any part of these to himself, or to the apostolical see, as many feared he would, though that might seem reasonable, as a compensation for damages sustained, but he would convert all to the service of God, and to the benefit of the kingdom: and he had such regard to the piety of those princes, that he had empowered him to grant such favours as they should intercede for, and to such persons as they should think worthy to be gratified, and were capable to assist him in the matter of religion. The emperor understanding all this, thanked the pope very heartily for his favour in that matter he said he had granted enough; he excused himself, that, being wholly taken up with the present war, he had no sooner applied himself to consider the matter: now he knew it well: he had already written to England, and he expected a speedy answer from thence, by which he would know the state of affairs there. He knew, by his own experience in Germany, that this of the church-lands

was the point that was most stood on: as to matters of doctrine, he did not believe that they stood much upon that, they neither believing the one nor the other: yet those lands (or goods) being dedicated to God, he thought it was not fit to yield all up to those who possessed them: he added, that though the legate had told him the whole extent of his powers, yet he would do well not to open that to others. He then desired to see his faculties. The legate upon that, apprehending this would give a handle to a new delay, said he had already showed them to the bishop of Arras, and he told the emperor what a scandal it would give to the whole world, if the reconciliation should not be settled by this parliament. The queen did not think fit to press it formerly, till she had received that mighty assistance which was now come to her by her marriage; yet if this, which ought to have been the beginning and the foundation of all the rest, were delayed any longer, it must give great offence both to God and man. The emperor said, regard was to be had to the ill disposition of the people concerned, who had formed in themselves and others an aversion to the name of obedience, and to à red cap, and a religious habit. He said, some friars, whom his son had brought with him out of Spain, were advised to change their habits. They had not indeed done it, nor was it convenient that they should do it. He also touched on the ill offices that would be done them by their enemies abroad, in order to the raising of tumults (meaning the French). The legate answered, if he must stay till all impediments were removed, that would be endless. The audience ended with this, that he must have a little patience till the secretary whom he had sent into England should return.,

Mason was then the queen's ambassador at the emperor's court he, in a letter on the 5th of October, writ towards the end of it (the rest being a long account of the war between the emperor and the French king) concerning the cardinal (which will be found in the Collection, No. xxix); that he was sent by the pope on two designs; the one to mediate a peace between those two powers, the other to mediate a spiritual peace, as he called it, in the kingdom of England; but seeing no hope of succeeding, either in the one or the other, he began to despair and if he did not quickly see some appearance of success in the last, he would go back to Rome a sorrowful man: and here Mason runs out, either to make his court to the queen, or to the legate, or that he was really possessed with a very high opinion of him, which seems the more probable, as well as the more honest motive: he says, "All the world adores him

for his wisdom, learning, virtue, and godliness. God seems to dwell in him; his conversation, with his other godly qualities, was above the ordinary sort of men. It would be a strong heart that he would not soften in half an hour's talk.'

At this time the cardinal wrote a long letter to King Philip in Latin (Collect. No. xxx): he tells him he had been now for a year knocking at the gates of the palace, and nobody opened to him: though he is the person that was driven from his country into an exile of above twenty years? continuance, because he was against shutting the queen out of that palace in which he now lived with her but he comes with a higher authority, in the name of the vicar of the great king and shepherd, St. Peter's successor, or rather St. Peter himself, who was so long driven out of England: upon this he runs out into a long allegory, taken from St. Peter's being delivered out of prison, from Herod's cruel purpose, and coming to the gate of Mary, where, though his voice was known, yet he was kept long knocking at the door, Mary not being sure that it was he himself. He dresses this out with much pomp, and in many words, as a man that had practised eloquence much, and had allowed himself in flights of forced rhetoric; liker indeed to the declamation of a student in rhetoric, than the solemn letter of so great a man on such an occasion. It is true that this way of writing had been early practised, and had been so long used, even by popes themselves, that these precedents might seem to warrant him to copy after such originals.

At last the queen sent the Lord Paget and Lord Hastings to bring him over: their letter upon their coming to the emperor's court is dated from Brussels, the 13th of November (Collect. No. xxxi). In it they gave an account of their waiting upon the emperor with the king and queen's compliments. The emperor had that day received the sacrament, yet they were admitted to audience in the afternoon : he expressed great joy when he heard them give an account how matters were in England, and roused himself up in a cheerful manner, and said, that, among many great benefits, he was bound to thank God for this as a main one, that he now saw England brought back to a good state. He had seen what the kingdom liad once been, and into what calamities it fell afterwards; and now he thanked God for the miracles showed to the queen, to make her the minister to bring it again to its ancient dignity, wealth, and renown. He also rejoiced that God had given her so soon such a certain hope of succession: these tidings of the state of her person, with the report of the consent of the noblemen and others touching the cardinal, and their obedience and union