Marginalia1550. then after such promise made, and to such a person, to seeme to go from it which my lordes, as your very friend I hartily desire you to consider, and to geue me no cause to think you otherwyse then my friends, considering I haue alwayes, and yet do (God is my iudge) wish to you all no worse neyther in soules nor bodies then to my selfe. And so wyth my harty commendations I commit you all to God. From Beaulien the 11. of May.

Your assured friend to my power, Mary.

AFter our due commendations to your grace, although þ^e same receiueth not answere so soone, as perchance was looked for vpon the returne of your graces seruaunt: Yet we doubt not but your grace vnderstandeth that where wee haue matters of estate pertayning to the kings Maiesty in hand, as in deed we haue had of late, the differring of the answere in a matter being no greater, requireth to bee borne withal. And touching the answere of your graces letter for D. Mallet, we pray your grace to vnderstand that although you write he was indyted, but not condemned, and so seeme to take exception at the maner of his imprysonmente, yet if they which enformed your grace of that maner of reason in the law, were as well disposed to please your grace with truth, as the reason in deede is not true, then shoulde they haue told your grace that by the acte of parliament, if either Mallet haue bene conuicted by the othes of 12. men, or that the fact hath bene notorious, then the punishmente doth follow iustly. The truth of the one and the other way of conuiction in his case is notorious enough, besides his flyinge from the proces of the law. And where your grace, to releue him, would take the fault vpon your selfe, we are sory to perceiue your grace so ready to be a defence to one that þ^e kings law doth condemne. Neuerthelesse he is not punished beecause your grace bad him, and willed him to doe that whiche was an offence: but he is punished for doyng it, and if wee should not so see the kinges lawes executed without respect it might appeare that we to much neglected our duety, and for that your grace taketh it as a discredit to your selfe, that he should be punished for that you bad him doe, alledging to him that you had authority so to doe, and so promise made to the Emperour, it hath been both written and sayd to youre grace, what is the truth in that behalfe: and howsoeuer that your grace pretendeth your licence to haue masse said before your selfe, for a time of your reconciliation, it had been so far out of reason for to haue desired that who soeuer was your Chaplein might say Masse in any house that was youres, when your graces selfe was not there. For so is D. Mallets offence, for saying masse at one of your houses, where your grace was not, which thing as it was neuer graūted, so do we not remember that euer it was demaunded. The sute that hath been at any time made, eyther by themperors Embassadour that dead is, or by him that now is, was neuer but in respect of your grace, and not to be taken that þ^e Emperor or his Embassadoure ment to priuiledge maister D. Mallet or any other to say masse out of your presence. Wherfore as we do playnly write to your grace, so doe wee pray you to take it in good part, & think we be as ready to doe our due reuerence towards your grace in any thing wee may do with our duty to our master as any your grace may commaund: and of such wisedome we know your grace to be, that ye should iudge the better of vs, for that we be diligent to see the lawes of the Realme executed, wherein resteth the strength and sauegard of the kinges M. our soueraign Lord and Master.

MY Lords, although I receiued by my seruant this bearer (who lately deliuered vnto you my letters, wherin I desired to haue my Chaplaine Doctor Mallet discharged of hys imprisonment) your gentle message in generall wordes, for the which I geue you my harty thankes: yet haue I no knowledge whether you wyll set hym at liberty or no: But I thinke that your waighty affayres at that tyme, was the let and cause ye did not write. For els I doubt not you woulde haue aunswered me. Wherfore not beyng satisfied, and vnderstandyng ye would gladly pleasure me, I thought good eftsoones to desire you that my said Chaplayne may haue hys liberty, wherin I assure you, ye shall much gratifie me, beyng not a little troubled, that he is so long in prison, wythout iust cause, seyng the matter of hys imprisonment is discharged by the promise made to the Emperours maiesty, as in my late letters I declared vnto you. Wherfore my Lordes I pray you let me haue knowledge by this bearer how ye wyll vse me in this matter, wherin if ye do pleasure me accordingly, then shall it well appeare that ye regard the foresayde promise, and I wyll not forget your gentlenes therin (God willyng) but reaquite it to my power. And thus with my harty commendations to you all, I bid you farewel. From Beaulien the 21. of Iune.

Your assured friend to my power, Mary.

AFter our humble commēdations to your grace, we haue receiued your graces letter of the 21. hereof, wherin is receaued the same requeste that in your former letters hath been made for the release of Doctor Mallet, and therin also your grace semeth to haue looked for the same aunswere of your former letter the which in deed partly was omitted (as your grace coniectureth) by the reasō of the kings maiesties affayres: wherwith we be throughly occupied, partlye for that we had no other thing to answere, then you had heretofore heard in the same matter. And therefore where youre grace desireth a resolute answere we assure the same we be right sory for the matter, and that it shoulde be your graces chaunce to moue it, as wee cannot with our dueties to the kinges Maiesty, accomplishe your desire. So necessary a thing it is to see the lawes of the Realme executed indifferently in all manner of persons, and in these cases of contempt of the Ecclesiastical Orders of this church of England, the same may not without the great displeasure of god the slaunder of þ^e state be neglected, and therfore your grace may please to vnderstand we haue not onely punished youre Chaplein but all such others whom we finde in like case to haue disobeyed the lawes of the kinges maiestye. And touthing the excuse your grace oftentimes vseth, of a promyse made, we assure your grace, none of vs all, nor any other of the Counsell as your Grace hath beene certified, hath euer bene priuy to any such promise, otherwise then hath beene written. And in that matter your grace had playne answere both by vs of the kinges maiesties Councell, at your being last in hys maiesties presence, and therein also your grace might perceiue his maiesties determination, wherunto we beseech your grace not onely to incline your selfe but also to iudge wel of vs that doe addict our selues to do our duties. And so also shall we be ready to doe with all our hartes our due reuerence toward your grace, whose preseruation wee commend to almighty God with our prayer.

MY duty most hūbly remēbred vnto your maiesty, it may please the same to be aduertised, that I haue receiued by my seruauntes, your most honourable letters, the contentes wherof doe not a little trouble me, and so much the more, for that any of my said seruantes should moue or attempte me in matters touching my soule, which I thinke the meanest subiect within your hyghnes realme, coulde euill beare at theyr seruauntes handes, hauyng for my part vtterly refused heretofore to talke with them in such matters, and of all other persons least regarded them therin, to whome I haue declared what I thinke, as she which trusted that your maiestie would haue suffred me your poore sister and beadwoman to haue vsed the accustomed masse, which the king your father and myne with all hys predecessoures dyd euermore vse wherin also I haue bene brought vp from my youth. And thervnto my conscience doth not onely bynd me, which by no meanes will suffer me to thinke one thyng and do an other, but also the promise made to the Emperour by your Maiesties counsaile, was an assurance to me, that in so doyng I should not offend the lawes, although they seme nowe to qualifie and deny the thyng. And at my last wayting vppon your maiesty, I was to bold to declare my mynde and conscience to the same, and desired your highnes, rather then you should constraine me to leaue Masse, to take my lyfe. Wherunto your maiestie made me a very gentle answer. And now I most hūbly besech your highnes to geue me leaue to write what I thinke touching your maiesties letters. In deede, they be signed with your owne hand, & neuertheles in myne opinion not your Maiesties in effect, because it is wel knowen (as heretofore I haue declared in the presence of your highnesse) that although, our Lorde be praysed, your Maiestie hath farre more knowledge, and greater giftes then others of your yeares, yet it is not possible that your highnesse can at these yeares be a iudge in matters of religion: and therefore I take it that the matter in your letters proceedeth from