Owing to these visits having been paid before, a little room had been set apart for this use, so that strangers were not taken to the little bare closet where his work of translation was being done; and to this room Master Tyndale was summoned.
The stranger placed before him the case of Miles and Lady Audrey, but carefully suppressed all names, or any allusion to that of the King. The priest, however, at once pointed out that the two were almost precisely similar, further observing,—"And I do not hesitate to say that such marriages are against the law of the Church and the law of the land. For State policy this royal marriage was allowed to take place, but God bath not prospered it, for the King has no heir to live. There is but the Lady Mary, and how know we that the distaff can rule in this realm of England?"
"I care not who rules England so that my son may rule a goodly estate by-and-bye," growled the old man. He was by no means grateful for such an outspoken opinion upon the matter, and he rose from his seat and went down the winding stair, forgetting to leave the customary gift for the priest in his anger.
He only vouchsafed a grunt to the merchant, as he asked if he had seen Master Tyndale, and then hurried away towards Temple Bar.
Nothing seemed to come of these enquiries, but men's minds were turned to consider the King's marriage with his deceased brother's widow, and thus prepare the way for events in the future which at present were undreamed of by any, unless it was the man who ruled England both in Church and State matters.
Miles was startled by the announcement that his father made to him a day or two after their visit to Greenwich. Sir Thomas sent for him one day, and announced that he was going home at once. He had met with a party of gentlemen who were to start with their servants from "The Magpie" the next morning, and Sir Thomas had decided to journey with them as far as Oxford.
"But why should you be in such haste, father?" said Miles. "The business that brought you to the Chancellor's Court is not quite settled yet,—why not stay a day or two longer? There is no lack of travellers going from 'The Magpie' to Oxford."
But Sir Thomas shook his head. "I must get back," he said, "for it may be I shall have business with the Pope."
"Then it will go through my master's hand," said Miles, "for, as Cardinal Legate, he has the settlement of all disputes, and the granting of all dispensations for this realm. But, my father, be wary how you invoke the help of the law in any quarrel. You say our estate is sorely impoverished by the changes that are going on; do not waste the substance that remains for any shadow the law can give you of future benefits." Miles ventured to say this much, because he knew how many poor men were made poorer by seeking the help they thought the law ought to give them. His father said nothing of having visited a lawyer and Master Tyndale on the subject of his marriage, but Miles shrewdly guessed that he had been somewhere, and that the advice he had received had not been in accordance with his wishes; and the Lady Audrey was not mentioned during their last interview.
Sir Thomas had succeeded in getting some abatement in his taxes, but the old man would rather the business had failed and the marriage proposals prospered, for now he would most certainly have to hand over the dowry of the Lady Audrey, and this would compel him to sell a good many sheep, for it was to stock the farms that had been turned into pasture that the lady's money had been expended, and he had not been able to save more than half of it by the sale of the wool the sheep had produced. And it was for the sake of this money he was so anxious Miles should marry the young widow.