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Yesterday, while he was with the King, their letters of the 3rd and 21st arrived. Has not received their letters of the 14th with the bulls for Winchester. Desires them to find out what has become of them. Has made a fresh arrangement with Vivalde for the money. The King received yesterday letters from the bp. of Worcester and Mr. Almoner, dated the 12th ult., stating that the nuncio who was resident in Spain is dead. Encloses a copy of the letter. The Pope's rescripts to the Emperor for exhibition of the original brief here or at Rome must therefore be sent to some other person favorable to the King's cause. Desires Gardiner to write to the Bp. and Almoner that they may make the certificates accordingly, and also to endeavor to procure the appointment of a nuncio of another sort than the late one, whose death they think will be no "demore" to the King's cause. The King and he are glad to hear of the Pope's recovery, and hope they have already been with him.
The letters sent by Casale and Hercules (Missolus) will tell them what to do if the Pope dies. Doubts the truth of their reports about the strength of the Imperialists. The friendly Cardinals must be the more solicited to look unto themselves, lest they fall into the power of the Imperialists. The Emperor's ambassador has just brought to the Queen a transumpt of the brief alleged to be in the Emperor's hands, passed by the archbishop of Toledo and the late nuncio. Encloses a copy. The King summoned his Council to decide upon the efficacy of the transumpt, and divers notable defaults have been found in it, which give more suspicion than ever. Sends a book giving the particulars of these faults. The Pope or any other person will easily see that all is craft, color and falsity, and that by making the transumpt before it is required, and in an insufficient manner, they intend to prevent their being called upon to show the original. All this they are to show to the Pope. As they have gone about to supply the defaults of the bull by a brief alleged to be in their hands, they in manner confess the bull to be of no effect. Their recurring to the allegation of a thing forged, feigned and untrue, is a proof that the whole matter of matrimony is void and of none effect. The Pope, therefore, while God gives him time, should put an end to this just cause, lest, wilfully suffering a thing of such high importance to be unreformed, to the doing whereof Almighty God worketh so openly, he should incur God's displeasure. They must remind him of the danger to his soul if he die without reforming it. Charges them to see the matter speedily and effectually executed. The errors in the brief in writing the King's name, his father's, the Queen's and prince Arthur's, make the King and all other wise men here think it is forged; for no person can think that such errors could pass the secretaries or the Chancery, especially as Sigismunde was a man of such experience, and no such errors are found in his writings. It is thought that the Pope can make no reasonable difficulty in the matter. Fears that the letters with the bulls of Winchester have miscarried, and desires them to send duplicates. Hampton Court, 14 March. Signed. The King hears from his ambassadors in Spain that the Emperor's voyage into Italy is laid asleep for this year, and that the biscuit and other victuals provided for the voyage are put to sale. Wishes them to inform the Pope thereof. The French king is making fresh preparations to invade Spain, and has gone towards Bloys. He intends to reinforce his armies in Naples and Milan, that the Pope may the less regard the Emperor's power, and have the better commodity to bring about a peace at the convention. Signed. |