sserted that the Bishop had first started
the question of the validity of Henry's marriage with his wife, with
special reference to the legitimacy of the Princess Mary, who was to be
betrothed to Francis I. or his son. It may be accepted as certain,
however, that the matter had been secretly fermenting ever since Wolsey
began to shift the centre of gravity from the Emperor towards France.
Katharine may have suspected it, though as yet no word reached her. But
she was angry at the intimate hobnobbing with France, at her daughter's
betrothal to the enemy of her house, and at the elevation of Henry's
bastard son to a royal dukedom. She was deeply incensed, too, at her
alienation from State affairs, and had formed around her a cabal of
Wolsey's enemies, for the most part members of the older nobility
traditionally in favour of the Spanish alliance and against France, in
order, if possible, to obstruct the Cardinal's policy.[41]

The King, no doubt fully aware of Wolsey's plan, was as usual willing to
wound, but yet afraid to strike; not caring how much wrong he did if he
could only gloze it over to appear right and save his own responsibility
before the world. The first formal step, which was taken in April 1527,
was carefully devised with this end. Henry, representing that his
conscience was assailed by doubts, secretly consulted certain of his
councillors as to the legality of his union with his deceased brother's
widow. It is true that he had lived with her for eighteen years, and that
any impediment to the marriage on the ground of affinity had been
dispensed with to the satisfaction of all parties at the time by the
Pope's bull. But trifles such as these could never stand in the way of so
tender a conscience as that of Henry Tudor, or so overpowering an ambition
as that of his minister. The councillors--most of those chosen were of
course French partisans--thought the case was very doubtful, and were
favourable to an inquiry.

On the 17th May 1527, Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, who, it will be
recollected, had always been against the marriage; with Wolsey, Stephen
Gardiner, and certain doctors-of-law, held a private sitting at the York
House, Westminster, at which the King had been cited to appear and answer
the charge of having lived in incest with his sister-in-law. The Court was
adjourned twice, to the 20th and 31st May, during which time the sham
pleadings for and against the King were carefully directed to the