The empe upon the if we lose, we shall lose no more than we must lose with hunger though we fight not. And so they concluded to set upon the Frenchmen by night. The king of France and his lords supposing that the moon would sooner have fallen out of the sky, than that the emperor's host durst have fought with them, were somewhat negligent, and went the same night a mumming that Bourbon set upon them. The emperor's host therefore with their sudden ror setteth coming upon them, amazed the Frenchmen, and drave them upon heaps together one on another, so that they never could come in array again; and took the king, and divers of his lords, and slew many and won the field. And there came out all the cardinal's privy treason: for in the French king's tent (say men) were letters found; and beside that, in the French king's treasure, and in all the host, among the soldiers were English ships found innumerable, which had come sailing a thousand miles by land. But what wonder! ships be made to sail over the sea; and wings to fly into far countries, and to mount to the top of high hills. French king by night. These ships were English angels of gold. At the taking of the French king Te Deum was sung, and great tri. umph made in England. When the French king was taken, we sang Te Deum. But for all that singing we made peace with Frenchmen. And the pope, the Venetians, France, and England, were knit together; lest the emperor's army should do any hurt in France. Whereby ye may conjecture of what mind the pope and the cardinal were toward the emperor; and with what heart our spiritualty with their invisible secrets, sang Te Deum. And from that time hitherto, the emperor and our cardinal have been twain. After that when the king of France was delivered home again, and his sons left in pledge; many ways were sought to bring home the sons also: but in vain, except the French king would make good that which he had promised the emperor. For the bringing home of those children, no man more busied his wits than the cardinal. He would in any wise the emperor should have sent them home; and it had been but for our king's pleasure for the great kind the cardi practices of nal. ness that he shewed him in times past. He would have Subtle The mart should have been at Calais. WHY THE QUEEN MUST BE DIVORCED. IF the cardinal could by such means have made us French, the queen had been queen yet; yea, though she had not been his wife. Neither would he have been more about to separate her, than he hath been to separate other that indeed were not his wives, but hath been rather diligent to couple them to him, to pluck him from his right wife: lest if she had been (as right is) in his favour, she should have given his grace better counsel for the realm than he hath followed; and lest also the prince's grace should have been moved, through her, more to have favoured the emperor. of Lincoln. But when there was found not other way, he inspired the king that the queen was not his wife, by the bishop of The bishop Lincoln his confessor: as the saying was, by whom he hath breathed many things into his grace, and by whom he hath heard his confession, and by whom, and like hypocrites, he hath long betrayed him to have married him unto the king's sister of France, as the fame went, by that means at the last to make us French. And then the cardinal's doctors I laid their heads together to seek subtle arguments and And the car- riddles to prove his divorcement. But all the chancellors of England (say men) which be all lawyers, and other doctors mumpsimuses of divinity were called up suddenly to dispute the matter (under a colour to condemn Bilney and Arthur heard I say) which is their old cast and subtilty to pretend a contrary thing, and to cast a mist before the eyes of the people, to hide their juggling; that no man should once surmise whereabout they went. dinal's secretaries ministered reasons unto them. the matter was discussed with a plain conclusion that he must be divorced. When the queen was warned, she desired learned counsel to defend her quarrel, that she should have no wrong; and it was granted her. And she chose, but alas what choice is there among the fox's whelps? All that be shaven be sworn together. And all that be promoted by them must play the Judases with them. may, to blind the world withal, dispute one against another, but the conclusion shall be the pope's profit, prelates' pleasure, and the lusts of princes, which are their defenders. Finally, it is concluded that the queen is not his wife, and the cause why they be not divorced, is peradventure that our prelates are afraid. If they could have brought any marriage about to join us unto France, it had been done long since; but because they cannot (for the French king's sister knew too much of Christ to consent unto such wickedness) haply they would it were undone. I doubt not but they bear the king's grace in hand that the pope dare not confirm it for fear of the emperor; but I doubt not, if they feared not the emperor and the lords and commons, it had been done already. They After that my lord cardinal with More, his sworn secretary, and the bishop of London, that still Satan, the imaginer of all mischief, went to France to juggle secretly, and carried with him more than he brought home again. This is of a truth that he carried great treasure with him. The French gallies lay long in Thame's mouth, and not for nought. The fame went plain, yea, and I know also one that saw in my lord cardinal's court letters sealed with the king's great seal, wherein was contained that the French king should have of us money sufficient for to find twenty thousand men against the emperor in Italy, from the second day of July, in the year of our Lord fifteen twentyseven, forward. But among all other, as soon as the pope was taken, the cardinal wrote unto the emperor that he should make him pope. And when he had got an answer that pleased him not, but according unto his deservings toward the emperor, then he was furious mad, and sought all means to displease the emperor, and imagined this divorcement between the king and the queen, and wrote sharply unto the emperor with menacing letters that if he would not make him pope he would make such ruffling between the princes as was not this hundred year, to make the emperor repent: yea, though it should cost the whole realm of England. The Lord Jesus be our shield. What a fierce wrath of God is this upon us that a misshapen monster should spring out of a dunghill into such a height that the dread of God and man laid apart, he should be so malapert not only to defy utterly the majesty of so mighty an emperor, whose authority both Christ and all his apostles obeyed, and taught all other to obey, threatening damnation to all them that would not: but should also set so little by the whole realm of England, which hath bestowed so great cost and shed so much blood, to exalt and maintain such proud, churlish, and unthankful hypocrites, that he should not care to destroy it utterly for the satisfying his villanous lusts. A ruffler. The pride and arrocardinal Wolsey. gance of The empe against the cardinal. The emperor sent forth a little book in print both in Spanish and also in Dutch, in which he answereth unto the ror writeth cardinal's menacing, and unto many articles that the cardinal layeth against him, and among all other repeateth this threatening of the cardinal. Ye will (saith the emperor) to do me displeasure, if I will not make you pope, set such a ruffling among christian princes as was not this hundred year, though it should cost you the whole realm of England. Whereunto the emperor answereth, saying, Ye go about to give your king another wife, which if you do, it may be the next way to cost you the realm of England. And I believe verily, that the prophecy of this caitiff Caiphas the cardinal, through the mischief that he hath wrought for the divorcement of the marriage, shall be fulfilled, and that it will cost the whole realm of England, if it be not seen to betimes. By what means I will show you after that I have spoken a word or two of his divorcement. OF THE DIVORCEMENT. IF the king's most noble grace will needs have another wife, then let him search the laws of God, whether it be lawful or not, forasmuch as he himself is baptized to keep the laws of God and hath proposed them and hath sworn them. If the law of God suffer it, then let his grace put forth a little treatise in print, and even in the English tongue, that all men may see it, for his excuse and the defence of his deed, and say, Lo, by the authority of God's word do I this. And then let not his grace be afraid either of the emperor, or of his lords, or of his commons, and subjects. For God hath promised to keep them that keep his laws. If we care to keep his laws, he will care for the keeping of us, for the truth of his promises. If it be found unlawful, then let his grace fear God and cease to shame himself and his blood, his lords, his subjects, and his realm, and specially the blessed name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and his holy doctrine, and the profession of our faith. For whosoever professeth the faith of Christ and liveth contrary unto his doctrine, shameth the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Moreover, whatsoever God |