ee articles moved by the pope and his cardinals, we think it not
convenient to attend the pleasure of the pope, to go or to abyde. We
could have been content to have received and taken at the pope's hand,
jointly with our good brother, pleasure and friendship in our great
cause; [but] on the other part, we cannot esteem the pope's part so
high, as to have our good brother an attendant suitor therefore ...
desiring him, therefore, in anywise to disappoint for his part the said
interview; and if he have already granted thereto--upon some new good
occasion, which he now undoubtedly hath--to depart from the same.

[Sidenote: He has found by experience that the friendship of the pope is
not vital to England.]

[Sidenote: King Henry knows the pope and himself also.]

"For we, ye may say, having the justness of our cause for us, with such
an entire and whole consent of our nobility and commons of our realm and
subjects, and being all matters passed, and in such terms as they now
be, do not find such lack and want of that the pope might do, with us or
against us, as we would for the obtaining thereof be contented to have a
French king our so perfect a friend, to be not only a mediator but a
suitor therein, and a suitor attendant to have audience upon liking and
after the advice of such cardinals as repute it among pastymes to play
and dally with kings and princes; whose honour, ye may say, is above
all things, and more dear to us in the person of our good brother, than
is any piece of our cause at the pope's hands. And therefore, if there
be none other thing but our cause, and the other causes whereof we be
advertised, our advice, counsel, special desire also and request is,
[that our good brother shall] break off the interview, unless the pope
will make suit to him; and [unless] our said good brother hath such
causes of his own as may particularly tend to his own benefit, honour
and profit--wherein he shall do great and singular pleasure unto us;
_giving to understand to the pope, that we know ourselves and him both
and look to be esteemed accordingly_."

Should it appear that on receipt of this communication, Francis was
still resolved to persevere, and that he had other objects in view to
which Henry had not been made privy, the ambassadors were then to remind
him of the remaining obligations into which he had entered; and to
ascertain to what degree his assistance might be calculated upon, should
the pope pronounce Henry