Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. However, though the king had scruples at that time, yet he concealed them carefully from the world for some years; and the immediate occasion of their breaking out seems to have been given by the French ambassadors, who came to England to treat of several matters, and particularly of a marriage between the Princess Mary and the French king, or the duke of Or leans, his second son. This alternative was at last agreed, though it remained sometime in sus pense, because the president of the parliament of Paris doubted, whether the marriage be tween the king and her mother, being his broth er's wife, were good or no. The bishop of Tarbe made the same objection, and renewed it to theking's ambassadors in France, as appears by King Henry's speech to the mayor and citizens of London, concerning his scruples, where he says, When our ambassadors were last in France and motion was made that the duke of Orleans should marry our said daughter, one of the chief counsellors to the French king said, It were well done to know whether she be the king of England's lawful daughter, or not; for well known it is, that he begat her on his broth er's wife, which is directly contrary to God's law, and his precept. That this counsellor was the Bishop of Tarbe, is afirmed by the bishop of Bayonne, in the account he gives of this speech to the court of France, in a letter dated the 27th of November, I 528; yet this very bish op of Tarbe was afterwards advanced to be a cardinal, and was so far from retracting his opinion, that, when he was cardinal of Grande mont, in a letter dated the 27th of March, I 530, he writes to the French court, That he had served the Lord Rochford (anne Boleyn's fa ther) all he could, and that the pope had three several times said to him in secret, that he wished the marriage had been already made in England, either by the legate' s dispensation, or otherwise, provided it was not done by him.

However, though the king had scruples at that time, yet he concealed them carefully from the world for some years; and the immediate occasion of their breaking out seems to have been given by the French ambassadors, who came to England to treat of several matters, and particularly of a marriage between the Princess Mary and the French king, or the duke of Or leans, his second son. This alternative was at last agreed, though it remained sometime in sus pense, because the president of the parliament of Paris doubted, whether the marriage be tween the king and her mother, being his broth er's wife, were good or no. The bishop of Tarbe made the same objection, and renewed it to theking's ambassadors in France, as appears by King Henry's speech to the mayor and citizens of London, concerning his scruples, where he says, When our ambassadors were last in France and motion was made that the duke of Orleans should marry our said daughter, one of the chief counsellors to the French king said, It were well done to know whether she be the king of England's lawful daughter, or not; for well known it is, that he begat her on his broth er's wife, which is directly contrary to God's law, and his precept. That this counsellor was the Bishop of Tarbe, is afirmed by the bishop of Bayonne, in the account he gives of this speech to the court of France, in a letter dated the 27th of November, I 528; yet this very bish op of Tarbe was afterwards advanced to be a cardinal, and was so far from retracting his opinion, that, when he was cardinal of Grande mont, in a letter dated the 27th of March, I 530, he writes to the French court, That he had served the Lord Rochford (anne Boleyn's fa ther) all he could, and that the pope had three several times said to him in secret, that he wished the marriage had been already made in England, either by the legate' s dispensation, or otherwise, provided it was not done by him.