With that quoth Wolseie the cardinall: Sir,The cardinall requireth to haue that de|clared which was well en|ough known. I most humblie require your highnesse, to declare be|fore all this audience, whether I haue béene the chéefe and first moouer of this matter vnto your maiestie or no, for I am greatlie suspected heerein. My lord cardinall (quoth the king) I can well excuse you in this matter, marrie (quoth he) you haue béene rather against me in the tempting héereof, than a setter for|ward or moouer of the same. The speciall cause that mooued me vnto this matter, was a certeine scrupu|lositie that pricked my conscience, vpon certeine words spoken at a time when it was, by the bishop of Baion the French ambassador, who had béene hither sent, vpon the debating of a marriage to be conclu|ded betweene our daughter the ladie Marie, and the duke of Orleance, second son to the king of France.

Upon the resolution and determination whereof, he desired respit to aduertise the king his maister thereof, whether our daughter Marie should be legi|timate in respect of this my marriage with this wo|man, being sometimes my brothers wife. Which words once conceiued within the secret bottome of my conscience, ingendered such a scrupulous doubt,The king confesseth that the sting of conscience made him mislike this mariage. that my conscience was incontinentlie accombred, vexed, and disquieted; whereby I thought my selfe to be greatlie in danger of Gods indignation. Which appeared to be (as me seemed) the rather, for that he sent vs no issue male: and all such issues male as my said wife had by me, died incontinent after they came into the world, so that I doubted the great dis|pleasure of God in that behalfe.

Thus my conscience being tossed in the waues of a scrupulous mind, and partlie in despaire to haue EEBO page image 908 anie other issue than I had alredie by this ladie now my wife, it behooued me further to consider the state of this realme, and the danger it stood in for lacke of a prince to succéed me, I thought it good in release of the weightie burthen of my weake conscience, & also the quiet estate of this worthie relme, to attempt the law therin, whether I may lawfullie take another wife more lawfullie, by whome God may send me more issue, in case this my first copulation was not good, without anie carnall concupiscence, and not for anie displeasure or misliking of the queenes person and age,The state of the question. with whome I would be as well contented to continue, if our mariage may stand with the laws of God, as with anie woman aliue.