meanes to comfort al mankind: for euen so this king (him selfe) the greatest heyre of all menne, whiche are in the eatrhe, leauyng hys fathers kyngdomes that are moste greate, is come into thys lytle kyngdome and is become bothe the spouse, and sonne of this virgin (for he so behaueth him selfe as thoughe he were a sonne, whereas in deede hee is an housbande) that he might (as he hath in effecte alredye performed) shewe him selfe an ayde and helper to reconcile this people to Christ, and his body which is the church. Which thinge, seing they are so: what may not our mother the church her selfe looke for at his hands that hath brought this to passe to conuerte the hartes of the fathers towardes their sonnes, and the vnbeleuers to the wisdōe of the righteous, which vertue truly doth wonderfully shine in him. But the quene, which at that time when your holines sent me legate vnto her did rise vp, as a rod of incense springinge out of the trees of mirre and as frankēcense out in the desert: she I say, which a little before was forsaken of all menne, howe wonderfully doth she nowe shyne? What a sauoure of Myrre and Frankensence dooeth she geue foorth vnto her people? whiche (as the Prophete sayeth, of the mother of Christe,) brought foorth before she laboured, before she was delyuered broughte foorth a manne Chylde. who euer hearde of suche a thynge? and who hathe seen the lyke of this? shall the earthe brynge foorth in one daye, or shall a whole Natyon bee broughte foorth together? But she hath nowe broughte foorth a whole Nation, before the tyme of that deliuerye, whereof wee are in moste great hope.

Howe greate cause is geuen to vs to reioyce? Howe greate cause haue we to geue thankes to Goddes mercye, youre holynesse, and the Emperours Maiestye, whiche haue bene causers of so happye and so Godlye a Maryage, by whiche we beynge reconcyled, are ioyned to GOD the father, to Chryste, and to the Churche? of the whiche, althoughe I cannot comprehende in woordes the ioye that I haue taken, yet I cannot keepe sylence of it. And to this my reioysyng, this also was ioyned: (whiche when I hadde perceyued by the letters of the Reuerende Archebyshoppe of Consane, youre holynesse Nuncio, with the Emperours Maiestye) broughte me marueylouse greate gladnesse, that youre sayde holynesse beganne to restore to the aunciente beawtye, those thynges which in the Church of Rome through the corruption of tymes were deformed, whiche truelye when it shalbee finished, then in deede maye we well crye oute wyth the Prophete, and speake vnto your holines with these woordes. Exue te stola luctus, & vexationis, & indue te decore, qui a deo tibi est in gloria sempiterna: nominabitur enim tibi nomen tuum a deo sempiternum, pax iustitiæ, & honor pictatis. Tum autem dicetur, circumspice & vide collectos filios tuos ab oriente sole, vsque in occidentem, verbo sancto gaudentem. That is: Putte of the stole of sorrowe and vexation, and putte on comelynesse, whyche thou haste of GOD in euerlastyng glorye. for thy name shall bee named of GOD euerlastynge, peace of righteousnesse, and honoure of Godlynesse: and

then it shall bee sayde: looke aboute and see thy sonnes gathered together from the sonne rysyng to the goyng downe of the same. reioysing in the holye woorde. There is nothyng truely (to speake of thy chyldren gathered together in the Weste, whiche prepare themselues to meete theyr mother) whiche they hadde rather see, then her, apparayled (that I maye vse the woordes of the Prophete) in that garment of ryghteousnesse, wherewith God adourned her in tymes paste. This one thing remaineth, that youre holinesse ioye, and the ioye of all the vniuersall Churche maye be perfyted, which together with vs her vnworthy children, ceaseth not to praie to God for it.

The almightye God preserue your holinesse long to continue in health, for the profit of hys Church. Frō Londō the last of Nouēbre. 1554.

Your most humble seruant
Reginald Poole, Cardynall.

MarginaliaNouember 28The. xxviii. day of Nouember, there was a generall Procession in Paules Churche, with Masse, and te Deum solemnely songe, because the Queene was quicke (as they sayde) wyth Childe: whiche thing was commaunded by the Quenes Counsaile, as appeareth by theyr letters sent to the Bishoppe. There were dyuers also whiche made and published sondry prayers for her safe deliueraunce, the copies wherof ensue.

¶ A copie of a letter (printed by Iohn Cawod) whiche was sente from the Councel, vnto the ryght reuerend father in God Edmonde Byshoppe of London.  

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A letter from Privy Council to Edmund Bonner announcing that Mary was pregnant was moved in the 1570 edition from its place after Pole's letter to Julius III to before Pole's oration to Parliament. This minor rearrangement was merely to place these materials in their proper chronological order. Foxe's note that the letter was printed by John Cawood (a note printed only in 1563, p. 1014) shows that Foxe's source was a printed copy of the letter, not an archival source.

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AFter our hartie commendatiōs vnto your good Lordship. wheras it hath pleased almighty god, amongs other his infinite benefites of late most graciously powred vpon vs, and this whole Realm, to extend his benediction vpon the Quenes maiestie, in suche sorte, as she is conceaued, and quicke of childe: Whereby (her maiestie being our naturall liege ladie, Quene, and vndoubted inheriter of this Imperiall crowne) good hope of certaine succession in the crowne is geuen vnto vs, and consequently the great calamities, whiche (for want of suche succession myght otherwyse haue fallen vpon vs, and our posteritie) shall by Gods grace be well auoyded, if we thankefully acknowledge this benefite of almightie God, endeuouring our selues with earnest repentaunce to thanke, honoure, and serue hym, as we be most boūdē. These be not only to aduertise you of these good newes, to be by you published in all places within your diocesse, but also to praie and require you, that both your selfe do geue God thankes with vs for this his especiall grace, and also geue order, that thankes may be openly geuen by synging of Te deum, in all the churches within