MarginaliaAn. 1556. March.to make it appeare to the king, that they of them selues had deuised that meanes: the kyng then sayd, where is that Doct. Cranmer? is he still at Walthā? They aunswered that they left hym there. Mary, sayd the kyng, I will surely speake with hym, & therfore let hym be sent for out of hand. I perceiue, quoth the kyng, that that mā hath the sow by the right eare. And if I had knowē this deuise but ij. yeare agoe, it had bene in my way a gret peece of money, and had also ryd me out of much disquietnes.

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MarginaliaD. Cranmer sent for to the King.Whereupon Doct. Cranmer was sent for, and being remoued from Waltham to Cambridge and so towardes his frends in Notingham shiere, a Post went for hym. But when he came to London, hee began to quarell with those two his acquaintaunces, that he by their meanes was thus troubled and brought thither to be combred in a matter wherein hee had nothing at all trauayled in study, MarginaliaD. Cranmer seeketh excuses loth to come vnto the Kinges presence.and therefore most instantly intreated them, that they would make his excuse in such sort that he might be dispatched away from comming in the Kings presence. They promised and tooke the matter vpon them so to do if by any meanes they might compasse it. But all was in vayne, for the more they began to excuse Doct. Cranmers absence, the more the King chid with them for that they brought hym not out of hand to his presēce, MarginaliaD. Cranmer brought to the King.so that no excuse seruing, he was faine vndelaiedly to come to þ^e Court vnto þ^e king, whō the gentle Prince benignely accepting, demaunded his name, and sayd vnto hym: Were you not at Waltham such a tyme, in the company of my Secretary and and my Almosiner? Doctor Cranmer affirming the the same, MarginaliaTalke betwen the King and D. Cranmer.the King sayd agayne: had you not conference with thē concerning our matter of diuorce nowe in question after this sort, repeting the maner and order thereof? That is right true, if it please your highnes, quoth D. Cranmer. Well sayd the king, I well perceiue that you haue the right scope of this matter. You must vnderstand, quoth the king, MarginaliaThe King troubled in conscience.that I haue ben long trroubled in conscience , and now I perceyue that by this meanes I might haue bene long agoe releaued one way or other, from the same, if we had this way proceded. And therefore Master Doctour I pray you, and neuertheles because you are a subiect I charge and commaūd you (all your other busines and affayres set apart) to take some paines to see this my cause to be futhered according to your deuyse, asmuch as it may lye in you, so that I may shortly vnderstand whereunto I may trust. MarginaliaMarke thys you Papistes, which so rashly iudge the Kinges diuorce, and the Popes ouerthrow to haue sprong of light causes.For this I protest before God and þ^e world, that I seke not to be deuorced from the Queene, if by any meanes I were iustly persuaded that our matrimony were inuiolable, and not against the Lawes of God: for otherwyse there was neuer cause to moue me to seeke any such extremity. Neither there was euer Prince had a more gentleler, a more obedient and louing companion & wife then þ^e Queene is, nor I neuer fantised womā in all respectes better, if this doubt had not risen: assuring you that for the singular vertues wherwith she is indued, besydes þ^e cōsideration of her noble stocke, I could be right well contented still to remayne w^t her, if so it would stand with þ^e wil & pleasure of almighty God. And thus greatly cōmending her many & singular qualities, þ^e king said: I therfore pray you with an indifferent eye, and with asmuch dexeritie as lyeth in you, that you for your part do handle the matter for the discharging of both our consciences.

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MarginaliaD. Cranmer excusing and disabling himselfe to the King.Doct. Cranmer much disabling himselfe to medle in so weighty a matter, besought the kinges hyghnes to commit the tryall and examining of this matter by the worde of GOD, vnto the best learned men of both his Vniuersities Cambridge and Oxford. You say well, sayd the kyng, and I am content therewith. But yet neuertheles, I will haue you specially to wryte your mynd therin. And so calling the Earle of Wiltshiere to hym, sayd: I pray you my Lord, let D. Cranmer haue intertaynement in your house at Dur-

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ham place for a tyme, to the entent hee may bee there quyet to accomplish my request, and let hym lacke neither bookes ne any thing requisite for hys studye. MarginaliaD. Cranmer assigned by the King to search the scriptures in the cause of his diuorce.And thus after the kings departure, D. Cranmer wēt with my Lord of Wiltshiere vnto his house, where he incōtinent wrote his mynde concerning the kings questiō: adding to þ^e same besides, the authorities of scriptures, of general Councels, and of auncient writers: also hys opinion, which was this: Marginalia
The King first geuen to vnderstand that the Pope hath no authoritie to dispense with the word of God.
The Kinges matter remoued from the Popes Cannon law, to the triall of the scriptures.that the Bishop of Rome had no such authoritie, as whereby hee might dispence with the word of God and the Scriptures. When D. Cranmer had made thys booke, and committed it to the kyng, the king sayd to hym: wyll you abide by thys, that you haue here written before the bishop of Rome? That wil I doe, by Gods grace, quoth D. Cranmer, if your maiesty do send me thether. Mary quoth þ^e king, I will send you euen to him in a sure Ambassage.

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And thus by meanes of D. Cranmers handlyng of this matter wyth the king, not onely certaine learned men were sent abroade to the most part of the vniuersities in Christendome to dispute the question, but also the same being by Commission disputed by the diuines in both the vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxford, MarginaliaThe Kinges mariage found by gods word vnlawfull.it was there concluded that no such matrimony was by þ^e word of God lawfull. MarginaliaDoctour Cranmer with other sent to Rome ambassadour to the Pope.Whereupon a solemne ambassage  

was then prepared and sent to the bishop of Rome then being at Bonony, wherein went the Earle of Wiltshiere, D. Crāmer, D. Stokesly, D. Carne. D. Benet, and diuers other learned men and gentlemen. And when the tyme came that they should come before the bishop of Rome to declare the cause of their ambassage, the Bishop sitting on high in hys cloth of estate, and in hys rich apparell, wyth hys sandales on hys feete, offering, as it were, his foote to be kissed of þ^e Ambassadors, MarginaliaThe English ambassadours not hasty to kisse the Popes foote.the Earle of Wiltshere disdayniug thereat, stoode styll, and made no countenaunce therunto, so that al the rest kept them selues from that Idolatry.

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Howbeit, one thing is not here to be omitted, as a prognosticate of our seperation from the sea of Rome, which then chaūced by a Spaniel of the Earle of Wiltshere. For hee hauyng there a great Spaniell which came out of England with him, stoode directly betwene the Earle and the bishop of Rome. When the sayd bishop had aduaunced forth his foote to bee kyssed, MarginaliaThe vnmannerly nature of a Dogge presuming to kisse the Popes foote.nowe whether the Spaniell perceaued the Byshops foote of an other nature then it ought to be, and so takyng it to be some kynde of repast, or whether it was the wyll of God to shew some tokē by the Dog vnto the bishop of hys inordinate pride, that hys feete were more meete to be bitten of dogges, then kyssed of Christen men: the spaniell (I say) when the bishop extended hys foote to bee kyst, no man regarding the same, straight way (as though hee had bene of purpose appointed there unto) went directtly to the Popes feete, and not onely kyssed the same vnmanerly, but as some plainly reported and affirmed, tooke fast with hys mouth the great toe of the Pope, so that in hast he pulled in hys glorious feete from the Spaniell. Whereat our men smyling in their sleeues, what they thought, God knoweth. But in fine the pontificall bishop after that sought no more at that present for kyssing of hys feete, but without any further ceremony gaue eare to the Ambassadours, what they had to say.

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MarginaliaArguing to þ^e Popes face, that contrary to the word of God he had no power to dispense.Who entryng there before the bishop, offered on the kynges behalfe to be defended, that no man Iure diuino coulde or ought to marry hys brothers wyfe: and that the bishop of Rome by no meanes ought to dispēce to the contrary. Diuers promises were made, and sundry dayes appointed, wherin the question should haue bene disputed, and when our parte was ready to aunswer, no man ther appeared to dispute in that behalfe. So in the end the bishop making to our Ambassadours good countenaunce, MarginaliaDoctour Cranmer made the Popes Penitentiary.and gratifiyng D. Cranmer wyth the office of the Penitenciariship, dismissed them vndisputed wythall.

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