MarginaliaAn. 1554. Nouember.euen, by hys Bulles he set foorth a generall pardon to all such as dyd truly reioyce for the same.

¶ A copy of king Philips letter, writtē with his own hand to Pope Iulius, touching the restoring of the Realme of England.  

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Philip's letter to Julius III, announcing the reconciliation of England to the catholic church, was printed in all four editions (1563, pp. 1011-12; 1570, p. 1650; 1576, pp. 1407-08; 1583, p. 1478). Pole's letter to Julius III, announcing the same reconciliation, was also printed in all four editions (1563, pp. 1012-14; 1570, pp. 1650-51; 1576, p. 1408; 1583, pp. 1478-4179 [recte 1479]), although the original Latin version of the letter was printed only in the 1563 edition. The source of both letters was a contemporary tract, the Copia delle lettre del Serenissimo Re d'Inghilterra et del Reverendissimo Card. Polo Legato della S. Sede Apostolica alla Santita di N. S. Iulio Papa III sopra la reduttione di quel Regno alla unione della Santa Madre chiefa et obedienza della Sede Apostolica (Rome, 1554). Pole's letter is printed on sigs. A3v-A5r and Philip's letter, in its original Spanish, on sig. A2r-v, in an Italian translation on sigs. A2v-A3r. (Foxe states that he had the letter translated from Spanish. His willingness to go to this trouble is an indication of the importance he attached to this letter).

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MarginaliaNouemb. 30.
K. Phillips letter to the Pope, translated out of Spanish into English.MOst holy Father, I wrote yesterday vnto Don Iohn Maurique, that he should declare by word of mouth or els write to your holines, in what good state þ^e matter of religion stoode in thys Realme, and of the submission to your holynes, as to the chiefe. As this day, whych is the feast of S. Andrew, late in the euenyng, we haue done God that seruice, (to whose onely goodnes we must inpute it, and to you holynes, who haue taken so great payne to gayne these soules) that this Realme wyth ful and generall consent of all them that represent the state, being very penitent for that was past, and well bent to that they come to do, submitted them selues to your holynes, and to that holy Sea, whom, at the request of the Queene and me, your Legate dyd absolue. And for as much as the sayd Don Iohn, shall signifie vnto your holines, all that passed in this matter, I wyll wryte no more thereof, but onely that the Queene and I, as most faythfull and deuout children of your holynes, haue receyued the greatest ioy and comfort hereof, that may be expressed wyth tounge: Considering, that besides the seruice done to God hereby, it hath chaunced in the tyme of your holynes, to place as it were in the lap of the holy & catholike Church, such a kingdome as thys is. And therefore I thinke I can not be thankefull inough for that is done thys day. And I trust in hym, that your holynes shall alway vnderstād, that the holy Sea hath not had a more obedient Sonne then I, nor more desirous to preserue and encrease the authoritie of the same. God guyde and prosper the most holy personage of your holynes, as I desyre. From London the. xxx. of Nouember. 1554.

Your holinesse most humble
Sonne, the Kyng. &c.

¶ Here foloweth lykewise the Cardinals letter to the sayd Pope concernyng the same matter.  

Commentary     Close

Philip's letter to Julius III, announcing the reconciliation of England to the catholic church, was printed in all four editions (1563, pp. 1011-12; 1570, p. 1650; 1576, pp. 1407-08; 1583, p. 1478). Pole's letter to Julius III, announcing the same reconciliation, was also printed in all four editions (1563, pp. 1012-14; 1570, pp. 1650-51; 1576, p. 1408; 1583, pp. 1478-4179 [recte 1479]), although the original Latin version of the letter was printed only in the 1563 edition. The source of both letters was a contemporary tract, the Copia delle lettre del Serenissimo Re d'Inghilterra et del Reverendissimo Card. Polo Legato della S. Sede Apostolica alla Santita di N. S. Iulio Papa III sopra la reduttione di quel Regno alla unione della Santa Madre chiefa et obedienza della Sede Apostolica (Rome, 1554). Pole's letter is printed on sigs. A3v-A5r and Philip's letter, in its original Spanish, on sig. A2r-v, in an Italian translation on sigs. A2v-A3r. (Foxe states that he had the letter translated from Spanish. His willingness to go to this trouble is an indication of the importance he attached to this letter).

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MarginaliaThe Cardinalls letter to the Pope for the reclaming agayne of England to hys Sea.THose thynges which I wrote vnto your holynes of late, of that hope, which I trusted woulde come to passe, that in short space this Realme would be reduced to the vnitie of the Church and obedience of the Apostolicke Sea, though I did write them not without great cause: yet neuerthelesse, I could not be voyde of all feare, not onely for that difficultie, whiche the myndes of our coūtrey men did shew, beyng so long alienated from the Sea Apostolicke, and for the old hatred, which they had borne so many yeares to that name: but much more I feared, lest the first entrye into the cause it selfe, shoulde be put of by some other bye matter or conuention commyng betwixt.

For the auoydyng wherof, I made great meanes to the Kyng and Queene, which litle needed, for theyr own Godly forwardnes, and earnest desire to bring the thing to passe, farre surmounted my great and earnest expectation. This day in the euenyng, beyng S. Andrewes day, (who first brought his brother Peter to Christ) it is come to passe by the prouidence of God, that this Realme is reclaymed to geue due obedience to Peters Seate & your holynes, by whose meanes it may be cōioyned to Christ the head, and his body, which is the Church. The thyng was done and concluded in Parlament (the Kyng and Queene beyng present) with such full consent and great reioycing, that incontinently after I had made my Oration, and geuen the Benediction, with a great ioye and shout, there was diuers tymes sayd, Amen, Amen: which doth euidently declare, that that holy seede, although it hath bene long oppressed, yet was not vtterly quenched in them: which chiefly was declared in the *Marginalia* The Popes authoritie as much welcome to the Nobilitie of England, as water into the shippe. Nobilitie. Returnyng home to my house, these thynges I wrote vnto your holynes vppon the sodeyne reioysing that I had of so weyghty a matter, so luckely brought to passe by the Diuine prouidence, thinkyng to haue sent my letters by the Kynges Post, who (as it was sayd) should haue departed shortly: but afterwardes chaungyng my purpose, when I had determined to send one of myne owne men, I thought good to adde thus much to my Letters, for the more ample gratulation and reioysing at that good chaūce: which thing as it was ryght great gladnes to me, through the euent of the same (beyng it selfe very great, and so holy, so pro-

fitable to the whole Churche, so healthsome to this my Countrey, which brought me forth, so honourable to the same, which receiued me) so lykewise I tooke no lesse reioysing of the Princes thē selues, through whose vertue and Godlines, the matter dyd take successe and perfection. Of how many and how great thinges may the Church (which is the spouse of Christ and our mother) make her accompt through these her Childrē? MarginaliaOh dissimulation of a flattering Cardinall.Oh notable zeale of Godlynes, Oh auncient Fayth, which vndoubtedly doeth so manifestly appeare in them both, that who so seeth them, must nedes (whether he will or no) say the same which the Prophet spake of, of the first children of the Church: Isti sunt semen, cui benedixit Dominus. Hæc plantatio Domini ad gloriandum. That is: These are the sede which the Lord hath blessed. This is the Lordes plantyng to glory in. How holyly dyd your holines with all your authoritie & earnest affection fauour this mariage? Which truly semeth to expresse a great similitudeMarginaliaWhat similitude is betwixte light and darknes. 2. Cor. 6. of that highest king, which beyng heyre of þ^e world, was sent down by his father, frō the Regal Seate, to be spouse & sonne of þ^e Virgin, & by this meanes to comfort all mākynd: for euen so this kyng him selfe, the greatest heyre of all men which are in the earth, leauyng his fathers kingdomes that are most great, is come into this litle kyngdome and is become both the spouse, and sonne of this virgine (for he so behaueth hym selfe as though he were a sonne, whereas in dede he is an husband) that he might (as he hath in effect already performed) shew him selfe an ayde and helper to recōcile this people to Christ, and his body which is the Church. MarginaliaCardinall Poole flattereth the kyng.Which thynges, seyng they are so, what may not our mother the Church her selfe looke for at his handes that hath brought this to passe to conuerte the hartes of the fathers towardes their sonnes, and the vnbeleuers to the wisedome of the righteous, which vertue truly doth wonderfully shine in hym. But the Queene, which at that tyme when your holynes sent me Legate vnto her, did rise vp as a rod of incense springyng out of the trees of Myrre and as Frankencense out in the desert: she I say, which a litle before was forsaken of all mē, how wonderfully doth she now shyne? What a sauour of Myrre and Frankensence doth she geue foorth vnto her people? which (as the Prophet sayth of the mother of Christ) brought foorth before she laboured,MarginaliaScripture well applyed. before she was deliuered brought forth a mā child. Who euer heard of such a thyng? and who hath sene the lyke of this? shall the earth bryng forth in one day, or shall a whole nation be brought forth together? But she hath now brought forth a whole nation before the tyme of that deliuery, wherof we are in most great hope.

How great cause is geuen to vs to reioyce? How great cause haue we to geue thankes to Gods mercy, your holynes, and the Emperours Maiesty, which haue bene causers of so happy and so Godly a Mariage, by which we beyng recōciled, are ioyned to God the father, to Christ, and to the Church? of the which, although I can not comprehend in wordes the ioy that I haue takē, yet I can not kepe silence of it. And to this my reioysing, this also was ioyned (which when I had perceiued by the letters of the Reuerend Archbyshop of Consane, your holynes Nuncio, with the Emperours Maiesty, brought me marueilous great gladnes) that your sayd holynes began to restore to the auncient beauty, those thynges whiche in the Church of Rome through the corruption of tymes were deformed, which truely when it shalbe finished, then in dede may we wel cry out with the Prophet, and speake vnto your holynes with these wordes. Exuete stola luctus & vexationis, & iudue te decore, qui a deo tibi est in gloria sempiterna: nominabitur enim tibi nomen tuum a deo sempiternum, pax Iustitiæ, & honor pietatis. Tum autem dicetur, circumspice & vide collectos filios tuos ab oriente sole, vsq; in occidentem, verbo sancto gaudentē. MarginaliaThe scripture speaking of Syon and Ierusalē, vnaptly applyed to the Pope.That is: Put of the stole of sorow and vexation, and put on comelynes, which thou hast of God in euerlastyng glory. For thy name shalbe named of God euerlastyng, peace of righteousnes, and honour of Godlines: and then it shalbe sayd: looke about and see thy sonnes gathered together from the sonne rysing to the goyng downe of the same, reioysing in the holy worde. There is nothyng truly (to speake of thy children gathered together in þ^e West, which prepare them selues to meete theyr mother) whiche they had rather see, then her, apparelled (that I may vse the wordes of the Prophet) in that garmēt of righteousnes, wherwith God adourned her in tymes past. This one thyng remaineth, that your holynes ioy, and the ioy of all the vniuersall Church may be perfited, whiche together with vs her vnworthy children, ceaseth not to pray to God for it.