calling noble.[993] Others, as the Lords Marny and Darcy,
were scant well-born gentlemen, and yet of no great lands till (p. 356)
they were promoted by us. The rest were lawyers and priests.... How
came you to think that there were more noble men in our Privy Council
then than now?" It did not become them to dictate to their sovereign
whom he should call to his Council; yet, if they could prove, as they
alleged, that certain of the Council were subverters of God's law and
the laws of the realm, he would proceed against them. Then, after
denouncing their rebellion and referring to their request for pardon,
he says: "To show our pity, we are content, if we find you penitent,
to grant you all letters of pardon on your delivering to us ten such
ringleaders of this rebellion as we shall assign to you. Now note the
benignity of your Prince, and how easily bloodshed may be eschewed.
Thus I, as your head, pray for you, my members, that God may enlighten
you for your benefit."

[Footnote 992: _Ibid._, xi., 957.]

[Footnote 993: The records of the Privy Council for
the greater part of Henry's reign have disappeared,
and only a rough list of his privy Councillors can
be gathered from the _Letters and Papers_. Surrey,
of course, was one of the two nobles, and probably
Shrewsbury was the other, though Oxford, whose
peerage was older than theirs, seems also to have
been a member of the Privy Council (_L. and P._,
i., 51). The complaint of the rebels applied to the
whole Tudor period; at Henry's death no member of
his Privy Council held a peerage twelve years old.]

A conference was held at Doncaster in December,[994] and towards the
end of the year Aske came at Henry's invitation to discuss the
complaints with him.[995] No one could be more gracious than the King,
when he chose; no one could mask his resentment more completely, when
he had an object to gain. It was important to win over Aske, and
convince him that Henry had the interests of the rebels at heart. So
on Aske were lavished all the royal arts. They were amply (p. 357)
rewarded. In January, 1537, the rebel leader went down to Yorkshire
fully convinced of the King's goodwill, and anxious only that the
commons should observe his conditi