erdinand, at the time
of her first marriage, satisfied himself, after curious inquiry, that he
might hope for a grandchild; and that the fact of the consummation was
asserted in the treaty between England and Spain, which preceded the
marriage with Henry, and in this supposed brief of Pope Julius which
permitted it.[426] We cannot in consequence be surprised that the
convocation accepted the conclusion which was sanctioned by so high
authority, and we rather wonder at the persistency of Catherine's denials.
With respect to this vote, therefore, we need notice nothing except that
Dr. Clerk, Bishop of Bath and Wells[427] was one of an exceedingly small
minority, who were inclined to believe that the denial might be true, and
this bishop was one of the four who were associated with Cranmer when he
sate at Dunstable for the trial of the cause.

The ground being thus opened, and all preparations being completed, the
archbishop composed a formal letter to the king, in which he dwelt upon the
uncertain prospects of the succession, and the danger of leaving a question
which closely affected it so long unsettled. He expatiated at length on the
general anxiety which was felt throughout the realm, and requested
permission to employ the powers attached to his office to bring it to some
conclusion. The recent alterations had rendered the archbishop something
doubtful of the nature of his position; he was diffident and unwilling to
offend; and not clearly knowing in the exercise of the new authority which
had been granted to him, whether the extension of his power was accompanied
with a parallel extension of liberty in making use of it, he wrote two
copies of this letter, with slight alterations of language, that the king
might select between them the one which he would officially recognise. Both
these copies are extant; both were written the same day from the same
place; both were folded, sealed, and sent. It seems, therefore, that
neither was Cranmer furnished beforehand with a draught of what he was to
write; nor was his first letter sent back to him corrected. He must have
acted by his own judgment; and a comparison of the two letters is singular
and instructive. In the first he spoke of his office and duty in language,
chastened indeed and modest, but still language of independence; and while
he declared his unwillingness to "enterprise any part of that office"
without his Grace's favour obtained, and pleasure therein first known,