God and his gospel that
will ever favour her, but must hate her above all other; and the more
they favour the gospel, the more they will hate her; for there never was
creature in our time that so much slandered the gospel. And God hath
sent her this punishment for that she feignedly hath professed his
gospel in her mouth, and not in heart and deed. And though she hath
offended so that she hath deserved never to be reconciled to your
Grace's favour, yet Almighty God hath manifoldly declared his goodness
towards your Grace, and never offended you. But your Grace, I am sure,
acknowledgeth that you have offended Him. Wherefore, I trust that your
Grace will bear no less entire favour unto the truth of the gospel than
you did before; forasmuch as your Grace's favour to the gospel was not
led by affection unto her, but by zeal unto the truth. And thus I
beseech Almighty God, whose gospel he hath ordained your Grace to be
defender of, ever to preserve your Grace from all evil, and give you at
the end the promise of his gospel. From Lambeth, the third of May."

[Sidenote: He is sent for to the Star Chamber.]

[Sidenote: The postscript of his letter.]

The letter was written; it was not, however, sent upon the instant; and
in the course of the morning the archbishop was requested to meet the
Lord Chancellor, Lord Oxford, Lord Sussex, and the Lord Chamberlain, in
the Star Chamber. He went, and on his return to Lambeth he added a few
words in a postscript. In the interview from which he had at the moment
returned, those noblemen, he said, had declared unto him such things as
his Grace's pleasure was they should make him privy unto; for the which
he was most bounden unto his Grace. "What communications we had
together," he added, "I doubt not but they will make the true report
thereof unto your Grace. _I am exceedingly sorry that such faults can be
proved by the queen, as I heard of their relation._"[574]

If we may believe, as I suppose we may, that Cranmer was a man of sound
understanding, and of not less than ordinary probity, this letter is of
the greatest value; it shows the impression which was made upon a
sensible person by the first rumours of the discovery; it shows also the
archbishop's opinion of the king's character, with the effect upon his
own mind of the evidence which the chancellor, at the king's command,
had laid before him.

[Sidenote: Friday, May 5. Henry writes to the queen with a promise of
pardon if she