sovereign, that they cannot, in this point, find themselves satisfied, except your gracious bounty therein declared, put away the scruple of their timorous minds, and animate and encourage them and put them out of doubt. It may therefore like your most abundant grace, our most benign and godly king, to give to all your Commons here assembled your most gracious license and pardon, freely without doubt of your dreadful displeasure, every man to discharge his conscience, and boldly in every thing incident among us, to declare his advice; and, whatsoever happeneth any man to say, that it may like your noble majesty of your inestimable goodness to take all in good part, interpreting every man's words, how uncunningly soever they be couched, to proceed yet of good zeal towards the profit of your realm and honour of your royal person, the prosperous estate and preservation whereof, most excellent sovereign, is the thing which we all your humble loving subjects, according to the most bounden duty of our natural allegiance, most highly desire and pray for."

At this Parliament Cardinal Wolsey found himself much grieved with the burgesses thereof, for that nothing was so soon done or spoken therein but that it was immediately blown abroad

in

every alehouse. It fortuned at that Parliament a very great subsidy to be demanded, which the Cardinal fearing would not pass the Commons'

House determined for the furtherance thereof to be there present himself. Before whose coming after long debating there, whether it were better but with a few of his lords, as the most opinion of the house was, or with his whole train royally to receive him there amongst them: 'Masters, quoth Sir Thomas More, forasmuch as my Lord Cardinal lately, ye wot well, laid to our charge the lightness of our tongues for things uttered out of this house, it shall not in my mind be amiss to receive him with all his pomp, with his maces, his pillars, his pollaxes, his crosses, his hat and the great seal too; to the intent that if he find the like fault with us hereafter, we may be the bolder from ourselves to lay the blame on those that his grace bringeth hither with him.' Whereunto the house wholly agreeing, he was received accordingly. Where after he had in a solemn oration by many reasons proved how necessary it was the demand there moved to be granted, and further showed that less would not serve to maintain the prince's purpose, he seeing the company sitting still silent and thereunto nothing answering, and contrary to his expectation showing in themselves towards his request no towardness of inclination 20, said unto them, Masters, you

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20 This show of resistance to the will of the monarch and his minister, was then uncommon. The members, were, in a great measure, named by the crown or the lords, and Henry found them so obsequious to his will, that he convoked them frequently to sanction his despotic measures.

have many wise and learned men amongst you, and sith I am from the king's own person sent hither unto you for the preservation of yourselves and all the realm, I think it meet you give me some reasonable answer." Whereat every man holding his peace, then began he to speak to one Master Marney, afterward Lord Marney, "How say you, quoth he, Master Marney?" who making him no answer neither, he severally asked the same question of divers others accounted the wisest of the company: to whom when none of them all would give so much as one word, being agreed before, as the custom was, to answer by their Speaker, "Masters, quoth the Cardinal, unless it be the manner of your house, as of likelihood it is, by the mouth of your Speaker whom you have chosen for trusty and wise, (as indeed he is) in such cases to utter your minds, here is without doubt a marvellous obstinate silence," and thereupon he required answer of Master Speaker. Who first reverently on his knees excusing the silence of the house, abashed at the presence of so noble a personage able to amaze the wisest and best learned in a realm, and after by many probable arguments proving that for them to make answer was neither expedient nor agreeable with the ancient liberty of the house; in conclusion for himself showed that though they had all with their voices trusted him, yet except every one of them could put into his one head all

their several wits, he alone in so weighty a matter was unmeet to make his grace answer. Whereupon the cardinal, displeased with Sir Thomas More, that had not in this parliament in all things satisfied his desire, suddenly arose and departed.

And after the parliament ended, in his gallery at Whitehall in Westminster he uttered unto him all his griefs, saying: "Would to God you had been at Rome, Master More, when I made you Speaker." Your grace not offended so would I too, my lord," quoth Sir Thomas More. And to wind such quarrels out of the cardinal's head, he began to talk of the gallery, saying, "I like this gallery of yours, my lord, much better than your gallery at Hampton Court." Wherewith so wisely broke he off the cardinal's displeasant talk, that the cardinal at that present, as it seemed, wist not what more to say him; but, for the revengement of his displeasure 21, counselled the king to send him ambassador to Spain, commending to his highness his wisdom, learning and meetness for that voyage. And, the difficulty of the cause considered, none was there, he said, so well able to serve his grace therein. Which when the king had broken to Sir Thomas More, and that he had declared unto his grace how unfit a journey it was for him, the nature of the country, the disposition of his complexion so

21 Cardinalis dum viveret Moro parum æquus erat, eumque metuebat verius quam amabat.-Erasmi Epist.

disagreeing together, that he should never be able to do his grace acceptable service there, knowing right well that if his grace sent him thither he should send him to his grave; but showing himself nevertheless ready according to his duty, all were it with the loss of his life, to fulfill his grace's pleasure in that behalf. The king allowing well his answer, said unto him: "It is not our pleasure, Master More, to do you hurt, but to do you good we would be glad: we therefore for this purpose will devise upon some other, and employ your service otherwise." And such entire favour did the king bear him, that he made him Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster upon the death of Sir Richard Wingfield who had that office before. And for the pleasure he took in his company would his grace suddenly sometimes come home to his house at Chelsea to be merry with him, whither, on a time, unlooked for he came to dinner, and after dinner, in a fair garden of his, walked with him by the space of an hour, holding his arm about his neck. As soon as his grace was gone, I rejoicing thereat, said to Sir Thomas More, how happy he was whom the king had so familiarly entertained, as I never had seen him do to any before, except Cardinal Wolsey, whom I saw his grace walk once with arm in arm. "I thank our lord, son, (quoth he) I find his grace my very good lord indeed, and I believe he doth as singularly favour