Marginalia1549.

THe fault is great in any subiect to disallow a lawe of the kyng, a Lawe of a Realme, by long study, free disputation, and vniforme determination of the whole Clergie, consulted, debated, and concluded. But the greater fault is in her grace, beyng next of any subiecte in bloud and estate to the kinges Maiestie her brother and good Lorde, to geue example of disobedience, being a subiecte, or of vnnaturalnesse, beyng his Maiesties sister, or of neglectyng the power of the crowne, shee beyng by limitation of lawe nexte to the same. The example of disobedience is most perylous in this tyme, as shee can wel vnderstande, her vnkindnesse resteth in the kinges owne acceptation, the neglecting of the power, before God is answearable, and in the worlde toucheth he honour.

It is true, they were sworne to hym, his Lawes, his heyres, and successours, whiche othe they duely obserue, and shoulde offende if they should breake any one iote of the kinges lawes now being, without a dispensation by a law, and herein her grace shall vnderstande, that it is no lawe, which is dissolued by a lawe: Neither may her grace doo that iniurie to the kinges maiestie her brother, to diminish his authoritie so farre, that he may not by the free consente of a Parlament, amende and alter vnprofitable lawes, for the number of inconueniences whiche hereof might folowe, as her grace with consideration may wel perceiue.

If her grace consider the first letters of that purpose, they will declare our good meanyng to her, & our gentle vsage, requiring the presence of her trusty seruant, because shee might geue more trust to our message.

It is well liked her grace shoulde haue her house or flocke, but not exempt from the kynges orders: neyther may there be a flocke of the kynges subiectes, but suche as wyll heare and folowe the voyce of the kyng their sheepeheard. God disalloweth it, lawe and reason forbyddeth it, policie abhorreth it, and her honour may not require it.

Shee could in no one saying more disallowe the authoritie of the kyng, the maiestie of his crowne, and the state of the Realme. For herein shee suspendeth his kingdome, and esteemeth his authoritie by his age, not by his right and title. Her grace must vnderstand he is a king by the ordinaunce of God, by descent of Royal bloud, not by the nūbering of his yeares.

As a creature subiect to mortalitie, he hath youth, and by Gods grace shall haue age: but as a kyng he hath no difference by dayes and yeares. The Scripture plainly declareth it, not only young children to haue bene kynges by Gods speciall ordinaunce, but also (whiche is to be noted) to haue had best successe in their raigne, & þ^e fauour of God in their proceedynges. Yea, in their first yeares haue they most purely refourmed the Churche and state of Religiō. Therfore her grace hath no cause thus to diminish his maiesties power, and to make hym as it were no king, vntyl she thinke him of sufficient yeares. Wherin howe much his maiestie may be iustly offended, they be sory to thinke.

If her grace vnderstandeth it of vs in that acceptation as we be priuate men, and not Counsailours, sworne to the kings maiesty, we knowledge vs not to be superiours: but if shee vnderstand her writinge of vs as Counsailors and magistrates, ordeined by his maiestie, her grace muste be contented to thinke vs of authoritie sufficient by the reason of our office to chalenge a superioritie, not to rule by priuate affection, but by Gods prouidence, not to our estimatiō, but to the kinges honour, & finally to encrease the kings estate with our coūsaile, our dignitie and vocation: and we thinke her grace wyl not forget the saying of Salomon, in the sixt Chapter of the boke of Wisdome, to moue a king to rule by counsaile and wisedome, and to builde his estate vpon them. Wherefore her grace must be remembred, the kinges maiesties politike body is not made onely of his owne Royall material body, but of a Coūsaile, by whom his maiestie ruleth, directeth, and gouerneth his Realme. In the place of which Counsaile her grace is not ignoraunt, that we be set & placed. Wherfore the reputation shee shall geue vs, shee shall geue it to the kinges honour, and that which shee shal take from vs, shee shal take from his maiestie, whose maiesty we thinke if it might take encrease of honour, as God geueth a dayly abundaūce, it should receiue rather encrease from her beyng his maiesties sister, then thus any abatement.

All the Counsaile remembreth well her refusall to haue her house charged with any more number, alleging the smal proportion for her charge, and therefore it was thought to come of their earnest suite, meanyng to be priuiledged subiectes from the lawe, then of her desire, which refused very often to encrease her number. Their cautel the king might not suffer, to haue his law disobeyed, their countreys where they should serue by them to be destitute, and hauyng bene seruantes to his maiestie, þ^e circumstances of their departure might in no wise be liked.

It is an answeare more of wyl then of reason, & therefore her grace must be admonished neither to truste her own opinion without grounde, neither mislike al others, hauyng groūd. If hers be good, it is no hurt, if she heare the worse. If it be yl, shee shal do wel to heare the better. Shee shall not alter by hearyng, but by hearing the better. And because shee shal not mislike the offer, let her grace name of learned men whome shee wyll, and further then they by learnyng shal proue, shee shall not be moued. And so far it is thought reason wyl compel her grace.

The good wylles and myndes of the Lord Protectour and the Counsayle is so muche toward her grace, that how soeuer shee would her selfe in honour be esteemed, how soeuer in conscience quieted, yea howe soeuer benefited, sauyng their dueties to God and the kyng, they woulde as muche, and in their doinges (if it please her to proue it) wyl be nothing inferiours, assuryng her grace, that they be most sorye shee is thus disquieted: and if necessitie of the cause, the honour and surety of the kyng, and the iudgement of their owne conscience moued them not, thus farre they woulde not haue attempted. But their trust is, her grace wil alow them the more, when shee shal perceiue the cause, & thinke no lesse could be done by them, where shee prouoked them so farre.

MY Lorde, I perceyue by letters directed from you and other of the kinges maiesties Counsaile, to my Controller, my Chaplayne, and master Englefeld my seruaunt, that ye wyl them vpon their allegeaunce, to repayre immediatlye to you, wherein you geue me euident cause to chaunge myne accustomed opinion of you al, that is to say, to thinke you careful of my quietnesse and wel doinges, consideryng howe earnestly I write to you for the stay of two of them, and not without very iust cause. And as for maister Englefeld, as soone as he could haue prepared hym selfe, hauyng his horses so farre of, although ye had not sent at this present, would haue perfourmed your request. But in dede I am much deceyued. For I supposed ye would haue wayed and taken my letters in better part, if ye haue receiued thē: if not, to haue tarryed myne answeare, and I not to haue founde so litle frendship, nor to haue bene vsed so vngently at your handes in sendyng for hym, vpon whose trauaile doth rest the onely charge of my whole house, as I wryt to you lately, whose absence therefore shalbe to me and my sayd house no litle displeasure, especially being so farre of.