Thom. Aud|lie speaker for the commons.Wherevpon Thomas Audleie speaker for the commons, with a conuenient number of the com|mon house, came to the kings presence, and there elo|quentlie declared to the king, how the commons sore lamented and bewailed their chance, to thinke or imagine themselues to be out of his gratious fauor, bicause that he had gratiouslie giuen his pardon of the premunire to his spirituall subiects and not to them: wherefore they most humblie besought his grace of his accustomed goodnesse and clemencie to include them in the same pardon.The summe of the kings wise answer. The king wiselie answered that he was their prince and souereigne lord, and that they ought not to restraine him of his libertie, nor to compell him to shew his mercie; for it was at his pleasure to vse the extremitie of his laws or mitigate and pardon the same: wherefore sith they denied to assent to the pardon of the spirituall per|sons, which pardon (he said) he might giue without their assent by his great seale, he would be well adui|sed yer he pardoned them, bicause he would not be noted to be compelled to it.

With this answer the speaker and the commons departed verie sorowfull and pensiue, and some light persons said that Thomas Crumwell, which was newlie come to the fauour of the king, had disclosed the secrets of the commons, which thing caused the king to be so extreame. The king like a good prince considered how sorowfull his commons were of the answer that he made them,The kings voluntarie inclination to pardon the premunire. and thought that they were not quiet: wherefore of his owne motion he caused a pardon of the premunire to be drawne, and signed it with his hand, and sent it to the common house by Christopher Hales his atturneie, which bill was soone assented to. Then the commons louinglie thanked the king, and much praised his wit, that he had denied it to them when they vnworth [...]lie deman|ded it, and had bountifullie granted it when he per|ceiued that they sorrowed and lamented.

While the parlement sat on the thirtith daie of March at afternoone, there came into the common house the lord chancellor and diuerse lords of the spi|ritualtie and [...]emporaltie, to the number of twelue, and there the lord chancellor said: You of this wor|shipfull house (I am sure) be not so ignorant, but you know well,Touching the kings mari|age. that the king our souereigne lord hath married his brothers wife, for she was both wedded and bedded with his brother prince Arthur, and there|fore you may suerlie saie that he hath married his brothers wife [...]f this marriage be good or no manie clerkes doo doubt. Wherefore the king like a ver|tuous prince willing to be satisfied in his conscience, & also for the suertie of his realme, hath with great deliberation consulted with profound clerkes, & hath sent my lord of London here present,Namelie Ed|mund Bon|ner. to the chiefe v|niuersities of all christendome, to know their opini|on and iudgement in that behalfe. And although that the vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxford had béene sufficient to discusse the cause, yet bicause they be in his realme, and to auoid all suspicion of parcia|litie he hath sent into the realme of France, Italie, the popes dominions and Uenecians, to know their iudgement in that behalfe, which haue concluded, written, and sealed their determinations according as you shall heare read. Then sir Brian Tuke tooke out of a box certeine writings sealed, and read them word by word as after insueth, translated out of La|tine into the English toong.