profyte we applyed to the vse of his frendes largely bestowing vpon such as euill deserued it. Moreouer (accepting aswell persons as mony) contrary to our mind, and his othe of fidelitie made vnto vs: he admitted vnto publique offices throughout our dominiōs, persons vnworthy, neglecting those that had wel deserued. Many other thinges he rashly tooke in hand, to the detriment of our state, the hurt of our dignitie royall, & no small damage of our subiectes, by abusing hys authoritie and office committed vnto him. MarginaliaThe archb. abuseth hys office.But if he persiste in his proud obstinacie and stoute rebellion, we shall hereafter in conuenient time & place, cause it to be more openly knowen: willing and commaunding you to publishe and cause to be published, all and singular the premisses openlye & distinctly in places where you whall thinke it expediēt, and to set forth (as shall seme best to your godly wisedomes) our good entent for the suppressing of incōmodities, and furthering of the commodities of our subiectes, that we may worthely commend your circumspect care herein. Test meipso VVestm. x. die Februar. Anno regni nostri Angliæ. xv. Regni vero Franciæ Secundo.

By these foresayd obiections and accusations of the kyng premised, and layd agaynst the archbishop of Canterbury: what is to be thought of the doyngs of the sayd archbishop, I leaue it to thy iudgement gentle reader (as I said before) to be cōiected: For so much as our histories somewhat bearing w^t the said archbishop, seme either to be vncerteyn of the truth of the mater, or els couertly to dissemble some part of that they knew. And especially of Polydor. Vergil. I mervaile, who hauyng so good occasion to touche the matter, dothe so sleightlye passe it ouer wythout any word mentiōing. In which mater if probable coniecture (beside history) might here be hard, it is not vnlyke: But that some olde practise of prelates hath herein been put in vre, through some craftie cōspiracie betwene the pope and the archbishop. And the rather to be gathered, for that as the pope was enemie vnto the kyng in this his chalenge to the crowne of Fraunce: So the archbishop agaynst his prince (as for the most part alwayes they haue been) was a frend, as no man nede to doubt therof, vnto the pope. Which thyng also more probable may be supposed, because of the coming downe of the two Cardinals the same tyme, from the pope to the kyng of England, about the matter of farther truce: wherof (christ willing) more hereafter shal folow. Albeit, the archbishop (this yet notwithstandyng) subtelye and featly excuseth him selfe to the kyng of the foresayde obiections, and conningly handleth the matter in woordes by his letter directed to the kyng, as foloweth.

MarginaliaThe letter of the Archbishop to the king.REdoubted sir, may it please your maiesty to vnderstand: that the most chiefest and speciall thyng that keepeth kinges and princes in the fauour of God, & best preserueth them in their estate: is sage, wise, and deliberate counsel And therfore saith the wise mā, concerning counsell in this wise: Good men haue thereby their safetie. MarginaliaGood counsailors necessary about a king.And it is written in the booke of kings, howe Salomon which was the wisest prince that euer was, tooke vnto him the most auncient and sage men of his realme to be his counsailours: By whose aduisemēt and discretion, he alwaies kept the land of Israell in quiet and in peace, and besides that had all other kinges and princes that bordered vpon him at his wil and cōmaundement. After whose death raigned Ieroboham his sonne, who neglecting the good counsell of his father, and good aduise of his sage and discrite counsailours: harkened to such counsel as lighter and yonger men perswaded him vnto, that sought rather how to please and flatter hym, then the quiet state of his realme: whereby he lost all the whole land of Israel, the. xij. part onelye excepted. In like maner haue many kinges of Israel and other kingdomes besyde, by rash and euill counsell come to great ruine and mischiefe. And sir (sauing your princely pacience) you may cal to remembraunce your own time: for by the wicked and sinister counsel to our late soueraygnLord your father geuen (whom God forgeue) which hee tooke and folowed: both against the law of his land, and graund charter of the peeres and other his people of the land: some he put to shamefull death, from other some he tooke their goods, and such as fled, he put vnto theyr raunsome: and what enemies he purchased therby, your grace wel vnderstādeth. And after this syr, you know (euē in your own time) how by folowing and beleuing ouer light counsel: you your self lost the harts of many of your subiectes, from the which God deliuer you, if it be his wyll. And after that time againe vntill nowe, by the good aduisemēt of your Prelates, Pieres, and sage coūseilours of your land, your graces busines and affayres haue bene so demained and ordered: that you haue had the hartes againe of all your subiectes, as well spirituall as temporall, as much or rather more, then any of your graces predicessours, kinges of England haue had. So that, by meanes of the said good counsell, the good wyll and ayde of your people, and speciall grace of God: you haue had the victorye ouer all your enemies, as well in Scotland as in Fraunce, and all other places besides: That vnto this day (gods name be blessed therfore) your grace hath bene esteemed as one of the most noblest princes in al Christendome. And now your grace (by the euil and peruerse counsail of some such within thys realme, which are not so wise as they might be, and suche also as consider and respect rather their owne priuate commoditie, then your graces honour and safetye of your realm) beginneth to apprehend diuers Clerkes, Pieres, and other people of the lande, & to direct proces against them, not beseeming: but contrary to the law of the lād, which to keepe and maintaine you are bound by the oth you tooke at your coronation: and contrary to the graūd charter, whereof all the realme are witnesses, and al the prelates of the same: and contrarye to the sentence confirmed by the Bull of our holye father the Pope, which we haue to shewe. All which thinges, as they are to the great perill and danger of your soule: so are they also to þ^e vtter debasing of your regal state and honor. And syr, although such as be your graces gouernours and coūsailers (being a calling aboue their degree) do geue your grace to vnderstand that their enterprises and yours do please and content your subiectes and cōmons: yet your grace shall know for certaine, and proue it your owne selfe to be farre other wyse, then that they beare you in hande. And that vnlesse God do remedy the same if you prosecute your purpose begun in this order: you wil lese the hartes of all your subiectes, as also your good and rightfull enterprise, and shall see such discorde about the same: that you shall not bee able to performe that you haue begun, but rather enforce your ennemies to seeke your destruction, to loose your noble & renoumed fame, and in the end your kingdome it selfe, which God forbid. Wherefore soueraigne Lorde and king, I beseeche you: that for the safegarde of your honour and realme, and enterprise begonne: that you will take vnto you the most descret and wisest men, within your realme, and worke by their aduise and counsell, as before thys tyme you haue been accustomed: without the ayde and coūsell of whom you can neither mainteine your enterprise, nor gouerne your realme. MarginaliaExcommunication in his own priuate cause abused.And for that, some such as are about your grace, falsly deuise agaynst vs, treason and such like troubles (and therfore are of vs excōmunicate, and as persons excommunicate do so esteme of them) as your spirituall pastour, we also desire you so to esteme & thinke of them: which also, make lyke reporte of other that haue been with your grace beyōd the seas, that they haue naughtly and falsly serued you, whereby you haue lost the towne of Tourney, and much honour els, which you might haue wonne, and gotten there. May it please your grace to call before you, the prelates and Pieres of your realme in some cōuenient place, where we & others