er to dispense, was incestuous, and the offspring of it
illegitimate. God had made the peaceful settlement of the kingdom
dependent {p.066} on submission to the Holy See,[151] and for
parliament to interfere and give an opinion upon the subject would be
but a fresh act of schism and disobedience.

[Footnote 150: "Quanto grave peccato et irreparabil
danno sia il differir cosa che pertenga alle salute
di tante anime, le quale mentre quel regno sta
disunito dalla Chiesa, si trovano in manifesto
pericolo della loro dannatione."--Pole to the
Emperor's Confessor: _MS. Germany_, bundle 16,
State Paper Office.]

[Footnote 151: God, he said, had joined the title
to the Crown, "con l'obedientia della Sede
Apostolica, che levata questa viene a cader in
tutto, quella non essendo ella legitime herede del
regno, se non per la legitimation del matrimonio
della regina sua madre, et questa non valendo senon
per l'autorita et dispensa del Papa."--Pole to the
Emperor's Confessor: _MS. Germany_, bundle 16,
State Paper office.]

The original letter, being in our own State Paper Office, was probably
given by the confessor to Charles, and by Charles sent over to
England. Most logical it was; so logical that it quite outwitted the
intention of the writer. While it added to the queen's distress, it
removed, nevertheless, all objections which might have been raised by
the anti-papal party against the act to legitimatise her. So long as
there was a fear that, by a repeal of the Act of Divorce between her
father and mother, the pope's authority might indirectly be admitted,
some difficulty was to be anticipated; as a new assertion of English
independence, it could be carried with unanimous alacrity.

What parliament would or would not consent to, however, would soon
cease to be a mystery. The advice of the emperor on the elections had
been, for the most part, followed. It was obvious, indeed, that a
sovereign who was unable to control her council was in no position to
dictate to constituencies. There were no circulars to the
lords-lieutenant of counties, such as Northumberland had issued, or
such as Mary herself, a year later, was able to issue;