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he was taken ill of fo violent a Distemper, that his Phyficians fufpected he was poifoned.

Wolfey tries Cardinal Wolfey, having notice of the a 3d time for Pope's dangerous Illness, difpatched an Exthe Papacy. prefs to Gardiner, with full Inftructions how to conduct himself, and not to neglect any thing that he thought capable of procuring him the Papacy. Henry himself alfo writ to feveral Cardinals in his Behalf, and the King of France, who was not yet fecure of a Peace, had given him all those of his Faction; and it is affirmed, that Wolfey would have been fure of a third of the Votes, in cafe the Pope had died, which, though not fufficient to make him Pope, was enough to hinder any other from being so.

The two Letters* fubjoined are the Subftance of fome of the Arguments made ufe of by Cardinal Wolfey,

WOLSEY's Letter to GARDINER

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Mr. Stephen, LBEIT ye fhall be fufficiently with your Colleagues, by fuch Inftructions as be given to Monfieur Vincent, informed of the King's Mind and mine concerning my Advancement unto the Dignity Papal, not doubting but that, for the fingular Devotion which you bear towards the King and his Affairs, both general and particular, and perfect Love which ye have toward me, ye * will omit nothing that may be excogitate to ferve and conduce to that Purpose; yet I thought convenient, for the more fervent Expreffion of my mind in that Behalf, to write unto you, as to the Perfon whom I do most entirely truft, and by whom this Thing fhall be moit pithily fet forth, thefe

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'few Words following of mine Hand. I doubt not but ye 'do profoundly confider as well the State wherein the Church and all Christendom doth stand now prefently, as alfo the State of this Realm and the King's fecret Matter; which, if it fhould be brought to pass by any other Means than by the Authority of the Church, I account this Prince and Realm 'utterly undone; and that it • fhall be now incommodious in this mine old Age to be the faid common Father; yet when all things be well confidered, and the Qualities of all the ⚫ Cardinals well confidered, (abfit verbum jactante) there fhall be none found that can and • will fet Remedy in the afore

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faid thing, but only the Car⚫dinal of York, whose Good-will and Zeal is not to you of all Men unknown: And were it

not

in order to get himself elected Pope, on the Demife of Clement the VIIth.

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• Nevertheless conforming my felf to the Neceffity of the Time, and the Will and Pleasure of these two Princes, I am content to approve all my Wit and Study, and to fet forth all • Means and Ways (ut benefaciam rebus Chriftianitatis) for ⚫ the attaining the said Dignity; for the atchieving and attaining ⚫ whereof, for as much as thereupon dependeth the Healths ⚫ and Wealth not only of these two Princes and their Realms, but of all Christendom, nothing is to be omitted that may ⚫ conduce to the faid End and • Purpose. Wherefore, Mafter

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for that Purpose, you and your Colleagues do not want ample Powers, limited by no Bounds, Conditions, or Reftrictions; and whatever you • tranfact, I would have you know, will be agreeable and acceptable to the King and me; for, to speak briefly, we repofe all in your Addrefs and Fidelity. I have nothing elfe to add but humbly to pray the great and good God to affift you in all your Proceedings. Cordially farewel.

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From our Houfe at Westminster, 7th February.

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'Sir Gregory, and Mr. Peter Vannes, Health:

S nothing could be more

A unfeafonable to the Chri

ftian Commonwealth, but particularly to the Affairs of the King's Majefty, than the • Death of his Holiness, I there⚫fore am of Opinion, that it can

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be no Secret to you of what • Danger and Hazard the Choice of a future Pope may prove to the moft ferene King's Health, Honour, and the Repofe of his Kingdom, and how much you are to endeavour, and with your Care, Diligence and Induftry,

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The King likewise fent Instructions to his Ambaffadors and others at Rome, upon this Occafion, which were couched as under mentioned*: But, before they could

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to be regarded to every of the Cardinals of the Church of Rome, both present now in the Court there, and absent from the fame, it cannot be found that there is any Perfon fufficiently furnished with the Requifites before specified, but 'only the moft Reverend Father in God, and his moft trufty Counsellor, the Lord Legate, Cardinal, Archbishop of York, 'Primate and Chancellor of this Realm, who being well known to have a fervent Zeal, fteady Mind, and Defire to the uni⚫verfal Weal, Repose, and Tranquillity of Christendom, to the Reintegration and Restoration of the Dignity, Authority, Reputation, and Right of the Church and See Apoftolick; to 'the Surety, Weal, and Exalta⚫tion of the King's Highness, the

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French King, and other Confe⚫derates; and, finally, to the Per⚫fection of the King's faid great and weighty Caufe, whereupon dependeth the Surety of his Royal Perfon, Succeffion, Realm, People, and Dominions, as any Perfon living can or may have: And that the faid moft Rev. Father hath the faft affured Favour herein of the faid French King, who, of his own meer Motion, hath frankly and liberally offered all that by himself, his Friends, his Power, his Agents, otherwise he may or can poffibly do, for his Advancement to the faid Dignity Papa!,

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Could be well put in Execution, the Pope unexpectedly recovered, on which Wolfey's Hopes were again fruftrated.

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The Treat

ment the

French Prin

ces met with in Spain.

The French Princes, Prifoners in Spain, were first delivered to the Custody of the Conftable of Caftile, and kept at Vallalpando, where their French Servants were taken from them; then they were carried to the Fortress of Pedraza de la Sierra; however, in November, the Emperor fent Orders to allow their Preceptor to have Access to them, in the Prefence of fome trusty Perfon; because before this a Letter, from

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is the Perfon, who, for his fingular Virtue, his entire Devo⚫tion to Peace, and Restoration of the faid See, the Excellency of his Wisdom, Learning, and Experience, the Magnanimity in his Actions and Doings, the Dignity wherein he is already conftituted, the Promotion which he hath obtained, the • Substance that he is of, his Reputation, his Conduct, his Diligence, his Dexterity, his Difcretion, his Policy, and, finally, the notable and high Fayour that the King's Highness and the faid French King bear unto him, is only he; that he, ⚫ being called unto the faid Dig'nity Papal, may, can, and will

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meet with the inordinate Ambition of the faid Emperor, ⚫ and confequently with the Esta• blifhment of Tranquillity among Chriftian Princes; and is, by the Affiftance of his Friends, mete, convenient, and able to fuccour, retrieve, and 'clearly to repair the piteous Jacture and Decay that the

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1530.

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Church and See Apoftolick hath fo long fuffered, and to defend the fame from the imminent Danger now apparent to enfue, if the faid Emperor, who, as the King's Highness is afcertained, is determined, in the beginning of January, to take his Journey towards Rome, 'fhould, upon this Vacation of the faid See chanced, as is, upon many evident Prefumptions, to be thought, by fome deteftable A&t committed for the faid late Pope's Deftruction, now, by Force, Violence, Cautele, Blandifhing, Promifes, or otherwise, have the Election to proceed at his Will, Favour and Devotion, whereby, having a Pope at his Arbitrate, either he fhould not fail to ufurp and take from him the Right, Title, and Patrimonies of the Church, ufing him as his Chaplain and Vaffal, or elfe by little and little 'utterly to exclude and extinguish him and his Authority ⚫ for ever."

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one of their Servants to the King of France, had been intercepted, complaining of the Princes hard Ufage, and imploring his Compaffion, to exchange them for others of the Emperor's Subjects. Then they were removed to Berlanga, and thence again to Pedraza de la Sierra; being always maintained at the Charge of the Conftable and his Brother, for which, as the Spanish Writers fay, neither the Emperor nor the King of France, ever made them any Satisfaction.

Upon the Treaty of Peace being fet on Foot, between France and the Emperor, the King's Mother obtained a Pafs for a Gentleman to vifit the Children, and fee what Condition they were in. This Meffenger, after a long Relation of his Journey, fays, "He found the Princes in a Room that had "but little Light, without any Hangings; that

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they fat on Stone-feats made in the Wall, at a "Window fecured within and without with ftrong "Iron Bars; the Walls were eight Foot thick, and the "Window fo high they could scarce fee the Sky; "that their Cloaths were very mean and old; and "that they had forgot their French;" befides mentioning many other Circumftances to fhew how hardly they were used.

But, after the Peace was proclaimed, the Empress, at the request of Queen Eleanor, ordered the French Servants to be reftored to the two Princes that they should be permitted the Liberty of the Town; caused them to be well cloathed, and their Lodgings handfomely furnished.

The Marshal de Montmorency, then in high Station, was pitched upon to go and receive the two Princes and Queen Eleanor on the Frontiers of Spain; and, though he was at Bayonne by the 10th of March, 1530, the Ranfom was not paid, nor the Princes delivered, till towards the End of June.

*

An Indication of much Poverty or great Neglect.

Francis,

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