myssarye, beyng untrewe, wherby yt may well appere, that
he more pondereth and more regardeth hys owne privat causes,
than he dothe the prosperous advauncyng of the Kynges moost
noble armye, or the common weale and defence of the reame;
and yff he may have audience from tyme to tyme gevyn unto
hym of the Kynges Hyghnesse and of yowr Grace yn makyng
suche lyght and untrewe surmyses a yenst me, be woll seke
occasions y nowgh to trouble me from tyme to tyme, as
well before Hys Grace as yowrs, so as
he nother be yn
reste and peace hym selfe, ne yett woll suffre the Kynges
Hyghnesse, nor yowr Grace, ne yett me to be yn reste.
And all thys he doth to none other intente, but only as
muche as yn hym lyeth, by suche untrewe surmyses, to bryng
me without just cause oute of the Kynges Graces favor and
yowrs, which I have never deserved nor ever shall intende to
deserve; and hys princy pall study and drifte ys to cause the
Kynges Hyghness to take thys mater as thowgh it shulde
apperteyne to hys Grace, but I doubt not but that bys Grace,
lyke a noble, wyse, and a just prynce, woll stande indifferent
betwixte the sayde Busshoppe and me, the rather for the
devocion and love that hys Grace and hys noble progenitowrs
have borne to the holy Martyr Sancte Thomas of Cantrebury,
thewhich hys progenitowrs, from the tyme of Kyng Henry the
Secunde untyll this daye, have alwey favored and defended the
sayde Churche of Sancte Thomas. And so my veray synguler
trust ys, that hys Grace woll be as good and as favourable to the
same as ever was any of hys noble progenitowrs. At Lamehethe,
the xiiij. daye off Auguste (anno Domini 1513.)

And so ende the aunsuers of My Lorde of Cantrebury to the foresayde tryd lettres of the Kynges, concernyng the prerogatyff yn probat of

testaments.

Here folowyth the copy off the fourth lettre sent from the Kynge to My Lorde of Canturbury, concernyng the prerogatyff of the Church of Canturbury in probat of testaments.

[BY THE KING.]

fourth letter

bishop.

Moost reverende Fadre in God, ryght trusty and ryght wel- The King's belovyd, we grette yow well, and where as we, by owr other addressed letters severally, have twyse wylled yow to conforme you to to the Archthordinaunce that we made betwyxt yow and owr ryght trusty and welbeloved counseillour the Busshoppe' off Wynchestre, Keper of owr prevey scale, and his adherentes, and that ye shulde by yowr letters certyfie us that ye wolde conforme yow to the same, lyke as owr sayde Prevay Seale and hys sayde adherentes have doon every off them for his parte, and over this, where we have also wrytyn to owre moost dere and most entierly wel.

beloved wyfe the Quene to wyll and desyre yow, yn owr behalfe, to make to us the sayde certificate, the which we be informed she hath doo, yet owr sayde three requests to yow made, as ys before sayde, notwithstondyng, ye have not made us the sayde certyficate, contrary to owr sayde two letters and the commaundment made to yow by owr sayde wyfe the Quene, wherin ye make small demonstracion of any good obeysaunce that ye bere unto us. Wherefor, seeyng that, by yowr assente and to yowr advantage, we toke the mater of difference betwixt yow and yowr sayde parties yn to owr handys, and assigned certeyne of owr courseyle to hir the same, and finally by thayre advysys made the sayde ordinaunce, we woll and, eftsones which ys the fourth tyme, estraictly charge yow, that ye not only conforme yow to the sayde ordinaunce, but also certyfye us by yowr wrytyng, immediately uppon the receipte of thes owr lettres, that ye wol so; do not fayling hereof as ye wol avoyde owr grevouxe displeasure. Yeven undre owr Signet at owr Citye of Tourney, the xxix. daye off Septembre (anno Domini Mo quingentesimo terciodecimo).

Here folowe the aunswers of My Lorde of Canturbury to the foresayde fourth lettres of the Kyngs, concernynge the prerogatyffe yn probat of

testaments.

The Archbishop's reply to

[BY THE LORD ARCHBISHOP.]

Please yt yowr Grace to undrestond, that I, the xxvij. daye of this present moneth, receyved yowr moost honorable lettres, the King's datyd at yowr Cytie of Tourney, the xxix. daye of Septembre

fourth

letter.

Salvo or

dine meo repeated.

last passed, wherin yowr Grace wrytith, that notwithstonding yowr several lettres to me directed, and also the Quenys commaundment yn yowr Graces behalve to be gyven that, I shulde obeye yowr Gracis commaur dment, made yn the mater of variaunce betwene the Bushoppe of Wynchester and his adherents and me, and to have certifyed yowr Grace by my lettres of my conformyte therin (as yowr Grace hath be informed) I. have not so doon, &c.

Plese yt yowr Grace to call to yowr gracious remembraunce, how that to all suche lettres as yowr Highnesse hath directed to me for that mater I have at large made aunswers, yn suche maner and forme as I trust lawe, reason, and good conscience can requyre; and yn the same aunswers I have offerd my selfe (as I do now yn this) to obey al yowr Graces commaundments, my solempne othe made by me to my Churche saved, and the possession and ryghts of my sayde Churche, by the space of three hundred yerys and more contynued, not dymynyschid nor

hurtid; and I trust that yowr Hyghnesse wol not thynke that to save myne othe, and to defende the ryghtys of my Churche, ys nother an unreasonable aunswer ne yet aunswer of any delaye; for this aunswer ys thowght, as wel to my counsayle as to other wyse and wel lerned men, both ryght, resonable, and also withowt delayes, so as a more reasonable, a more perfecte, or playner answer (as they thynkyth) can not be by me, yn this behalfe, conveniently be made, except I shulde declare my selfe to be wilfully perjured; yn to the which inconvenience the sayde Bushoppe wol be glad to brynge me yf he cowde; and yf I shulde be compelled to make aunswer until he wolde be contentid with myne aunswer, I thynke I shulde lose muche tyme yn vayne, for he wold be contentyd with none other aunswer but with suche as may be for his profecte, and for my hurte, and prejudice of my Churche. And as touchynge yowr Graces commaundment yeven to me by the Quenes Grace, trowth yt ys that, accordyng to the same yowr commaundment, I have made aunswer to her Grace, the which myne aunswer, as I suppose undoubtebly, to have be sent to yowr Hyghnes from her1 Grace. In makyng whereof I trust I have behaved my selfe accordyngly, as her Grace can indifferently make reaporte to yowr Hyghnesse of the same; and, consyderyng the gret besynes that yowr Grace was then yn the partyes of by yende the see, aftyr my mynde yt had be ful unfyttynge for me to have troubled yowr Grace, at that tyme, with any particular matters of the Bushoppe of Wynchester or other causes lyke; and therfore I made my hole aunswer yn that behalve to the Quenes Grace, or ellys I shulde have troubled both yowr Highnes ther, and also her Grace her, with one mater, the which I thought it not convenyent to be don. Where as, by the surmyses of the sayde Bushoppe of Wynchester, yowr Grace wrytyth, that ye take the sayde mater of variaunce yn to yowr handys to my greate advantage; yowr Grace not offended, my Church of Cantrebury to be dispossessed of suche ryghtes as the sam hath ben in possession of three hundred yeres and more, and myne adversaries to be put in possession of that that they never had before, I thinke it not to be for my profecte, but rather to the greate damage of me and also of my sayde Church. In moost humble wyse, besechyng yowr Grace to geve no credence to the sayde Bushoppe in makyng informacion or surmyses ayenst me until suche tyme as it may stande with yowr Graces pleasure that I shall cum to yowr mooste honorable presence; and yn caas the sayde Bushoppe shall hereafter sue to yowr Grace for thobteynyng of any moo lettres a yenst me for the sayde mater, I moost humble beseche yowr Hyghnes

then to commaunde hym to wryte lettres unto me yn his owne name, and that I yn lyke maner may make aunswer to hym yn myne owne name, with owt any furthar troublyng of yowr Grace yn that behalve. My very special truste ys yn yowr Grace, that ye of yowr syngular wysedome and greate goodnesse wol take no displeasure a yenst me for any cause concernyng the Bushoppe of Wynchester, for yn yowr owne causes, both my body and also my goodis shall be ever at yowr Gracys commaundment From Mortelake, the xxix. of Octobre (1313).

And so ende the aunswers of My Lorde of Cantrebury to the foresayde four lettres of the Kynges, concernyng the prerogatyff yn probat off testamentys.

INDEX.