He hauing there a iust occasion to be in the sight of the king dailie, by reason he said masse before him in his closet, and that being doone, he spent not the daie in idlenesse, but would attend vpon those whom he thought to beare most rule in the councell, the which at that time was doctor For, bishop of Win|chester, secretarie, and lord of the priuie seale: and al|so sir Thomas Louell knight, a sage councellor, ma|ster of the wards, and constable of the Tower: these graue councellors in processe of time perceiued this chapleine to haue a verie fine wit, and thought him a méet person to be preferred to wittie affaires. It chanced at a certeine season that the king had an vr|gent occasion to send an ambassador vnto the empe|ror Maximilian, who laie at that present in the low countrie of Flanders, not farre from Calis.

The bishop of Winchester, and sir Thomas Lo|uell, whome the king counselled and debated with vpon this ambassage, saw they had a conuenient oc|casion to prefer the kings chapleine, whose wit, elo|quence, and learning, they highly commended to the king. The king commanded them to bring his chap|leine before his presence, with whome he fell in com|munication of great matters, and perceiuing his wit to be verie fine, thought him sufficient, com|manding him therevpon to prepare himselfe to his iournie; and hauing his depeach, he tooke his leaue of the king at Richmond about noone; & so comming to London about foure of the clocke, where the barge of Graues end was readie to lanch foorth,Thomas Wolseie am|bassador to the emperor. both with a prosperous tide and wind, without anie abode he en|tered the barge.

Hauing so doone, he passed foorth with such spéed, that he arriued at Graues end within little more than thrée houres, where he tarried no longer than his post horsses were a prouiding, and then trauelled so spéedily that he came to Douer the next morning, whereas the passengers were readie vnder saile to Calis, into the which passenger, without tarrieng, he entered, and sailed foorth with them, that long before noone he arriued at Calis, and hauing post horsses,The [...] verie [...] and readie [...] his ambas|sage. departed from thense with such speed, that he was that night with the emperor, and disclosed the whole summe of his ambassage to the emperor, of whome he required speedie expedition, the which was granted him by the emperor; so that the next daie he was cléerlie dispatched with all the kings requests fullie accomplished.