finde, double the perill in the recidiuacion that was in the first sicknes, with which disease nature, being forelaborid foreweried and weaked, waxeth the lesse able to beare out a new surfet. And albeit there might be founden other, 5 that would happely doe theyr best vnto him; yet is there none that either knoweth better how to order him, then I that so long haue kept him; or is more tenderly like to cherishe him, then hys own mother that bare him.

No man denieth, good madam, (quod the Cardinal) but 10 that your grace were of all folke most necessary aboute your children; and so woulde al the counsell not onely be content, but also glad that ye were, if it might stand with your pleasure to be in such place as might stande with their honour. But yf you appoint your selfe to tary here, then 15 thinke they yet more conuenient that the duke of Yorke wer with the king honorably at his liberte to the comfort of them both, then here as a saintuary man to their both dishonour and obloquy; sith there is not alwaye so great necessitie to haue the childe bee with the mother, but that 20 occasion may sometime be such, that it should be more expedient to kepe him els where. Which in this well appereth that at suche time as your derest sonne, then prince and now king, should for his honour and good order of the countrey kepe householde in Wales farre out of your 25 company, your grace was well contente therewyth your selfe.

Not very well content, quod the Quene. And yet the case is not like; for the tone was then in helthe, and the tother is now sike. In which case I merueile greatly 30 that my lord protectour is so disirous to haue him in his keping, where if the child in his sicknes miscaried by nature, yet might he runne into slaunder and suspicion or fraude. And where they call it a thinge so sore against my childes

honour and theirs also that he bydeth in this place; it is all their honours there to suffer him byde, where no manne doubteth hee shall be beste kepte. And that is here, while I am here, whiche as yet intende not to come forthe and jubarde my selfe after other of my frendes; 5 which woulde God wer rather here in suertie with me, then I were there in jubardy with them.

Whye Madame (quod another Lorde) know you any thing why thei should be in jubardye? Nay verely sur, quod shee, nor why they should be in prison neither, as they now be. 10 But it is I trow no great maruaile though I fere, lest those that haue not letted to put them in duresse without colour wil let as lytle to procure their distruccion without cause.

The Cardinall made a countinance to the tother Lord, that he should harp no more vpon that string. And then 15 said he to the Quene, that he nothing doubted, but that those lordes of her honorable kinne, which as yet remained vnder arrest, should vpon the matter examined do wel ynough. And as toward her noble person, neither was nor coulde be any maner jubardy. Whereby should I truste that 20 (quod the Quene), In that I am giltles? As though they were gilty. In that I am with their enemies better beloued then thei? When they hate them for my sake. In that I am so nere of kinne to the king? And how farre be they of, if that would helpe, as God send grace it hurt not. 25 And therfore as for me, I purpose not as yet to departe hence. And as for this gentilman my sonne, I mynde that he shal be where I am till I see further. For I assure you, for that I se some men so gredye withowte any substaunciall cause to haue him, this maketh me much the 30 more farder to deliuer him. Truely madame, quod he, and the farder that you be to delyuer him, the farder bene other men to suffer you to kepe hym, lest your causeles

fere might cause you ferther to conuay him. And many be there that thinke that he can haue no priuelege in this place, which neither can haue wil to aske it, nor malyce to deserue it. And therefore they recken no pryuilege broken, 5 though thei fetche him out. Which, if ye fynally refuse to deliuer him, I verely thynke they will. So much drede hath my Lorde his vncle, for the tender loue he bereth him, lest your grace shold hap to send him awaye.

ΙΟ

The Quene.

A syr, quod the Quene, hath the protectour so tender zele to him, that he fereth nothing but lest he should escape hym? Thinketh he that I would sende hym hence, which neyther is in the plight to sende out, and in what place coulde I recken him sure, if he be not sure in this, the sentuarye whereof was there neuer 15 tiraunt yet so deuelish, that durste presume to breake? And I trust God [is] as strong now to withstande his aduersaries, as euer he was. But my sonne can deserue no sentuary, and therefore he cannot haue it. For soth he hath founden a goodly glose, by whiche that place that 20 may defend a thefe, may not saue an innocent. But he is in no jupardy nor hath no nede therof. Wold God he had not. Troweth the protector (I pray God he may proue a protectour) troweth he that I parceiue not whereunto his painted processe draweth? It is not honorable 25 that the duke bide here: it were comfortable for them both that he wer with his brother, because the king lacketh a playfelowye, be ye sure. I pray God send them both better playfelowes than hym, that maketh so high a matter vpon such a trifling pretext: as though they coulde 30 none be founden to playe with the kyng, but if his brother,

that hath no lust to play for sicknes, come oute of sanctuary, out of hys sauegarde, to play with him. As though princes, as yonge as thei be, could not play but with their peres,

or children could not play but with their kyndred, wit[h] whom for the more part they agree much worse then wyth straungers. But the childe cannot require the priuelege. Who tolde hym so? He shal here him aske it and he will.

5

Howbeit this is a gay matter: Suppose he could not aske it, suppose he woulde not aske it, suppose hee woulde aske to goe owte, if I saye hee shall not, if I aske the priuilege but for my selfe, I say he that agaynst my wyll taketh out him, breaketh the sanctuary. Serueth this liberty for 10 my person onlye, or for my goodes to? ye maye not hence take my horsse fro me; and maye you take my childe fro me? he is also my warde, for, as my lerned counsell sheweth mee, syth he hath nothing by discent holden by knightes seruice, the law maketh his mother his gardaine. Then 15 may no man, I suppose, take my warde fro me oute of sanctuarye, wythout the breche of the sanctuary. And if my pryuelege could not serue hym, nor he aske it for hymselfe, yet sythe the lawe committeth to me the custody of him, I may require it for hym, excepte the lawe giue a 20 childe a gardayne onely for his goodes and hys landes, discharging hym of the cure and saufe kepyng of hys body, for whych only both landes and goodes serue. * And if examples be sufficient to obtayne priueledge for my chylde, I nede not farre to seeke. For in thys place in which we now be (and whych is now in questyon whyther my chylde may benefyte of it) myne other sonne now kyng was born, and kept in hys cradle, and preserued to

take

This that is

here betwene
and this marke 25

this marke *

*

was not writ

ten by M. More

in this history written by him in Englishe,

but is trans

lated oute of
this history

in Laten.

a more prosperous fortune, which I pray God which he wrote 30 long to continu. And as all you know, this is

not the first tyme that I haue taken sanctuarye, for when my lord my husbande was banished and thrust out of his

ΙΟ

kingdom, I fled hither being great with child, and here I bare the prynce. And when my lorde my husbande retourned safe again and had the victorye, than went I hence to welcome him home, and from hence I brought my babe 5 the prynce vnto hys father, when he fyrste toke hym in hys

armes. And I praye God that my sonnes palace may be as great sauegard to him now rayning, as thys place was sometime to the kindes enemye. In whych place I entend to kepe his brother sith, &c.*

Wherfore here intend I to kepe him, sins mans law serueth the gardain to kepe the infant. The law of nature wyll the mother kepe her childe. Gods law pryuelegeth the sanctuary, and the sanctuary my sonne, sith I fere to put hym in the protectours handes that hath hys brother 15 already, and were, if bothe fayled, inheritour to the crowne. The cause of my fere hath no man to doe to examine. And yet fere I no ferther then the law fereth which, as lerned men tell me, forbiddeth euery man the custody of them, by whose death he may inherite lesse lande then a 20 kingdome. I can no more, but whosoeuer he be that breketh this holy sanctuary; I pray God shorttly sende him nede of sanctuary, when he may not come to it. For taken out of sanctuary would I not my mortall enemy

25

were.

The lord Cardinall perceiuing that the quene waxed euer the lenger the farder of, and also that she began to kindle and chafe, and speke sore biting wordes against the protectour, and such as he neither beleued, and was also loth to here, he said vnto her for a finall conclusion, that 30 he woulde no lenger dispute the matter. But if she were

content to deliuer the duke to him and to the other lordes there present, he durst lay his owne body and soule both in pledge, not onely for his suerty but also for hys estate.