On the 18th March, Edward made the following entry in his Journal:—
“The Lady Mary my sister came to me at Westminster, where after salutations, she was called with my Council into a chamber, where was declared how long I had suffered her Mass, in hope of her reconciliation and how now being no hope, which I perceived by her letters, except I saw some short amendment, I could not bear it. She answered that her soul was God’s, and her faith she would not change, nor dissemble her opinion with contrary doings. It was said I constrained not her faith, but willed her not as a king to rule, but as a subject to obey, and that her example might breed too much inconvenience.”
On the 19th and 20th he added:—
“The Emperor’s ambassador came with a short message from his master, of war if I would not suffer his cousin, the princess to use her mass. To this was no answer given at this time. The bishops of Canterbury, London and Rochester did consider [that] to give licence to sin was sin; to suffer and wink at it for a time might be borne, so all haste possible might be used.”[271]
Already the Council had written to Sir Richard Morysine, their envoy extraordinary at the court of Charles V., to inform him that “of late the Emperor’s ambassador has moved them that the Lady Mary might freely retain the ancient religion in such sort as her father left it in this realm, according to a promise made to the Emperor, till the King should be of more years. They denied that such promise had been made, except to this extent, that the King was content to bear with her infirmity, that she should for a season hear the mass in her closet or privy chamber only, whereat there should be present no more than they of her chamber, and no time appointed, but left to the King’s pleasure. But in spite of their repeated assurances, that no promise had been made, he would not receive their flat denial.”[272]
But Morysine was not a persona grata with the Emperor, and the Council sent over Dr. Wotton in the hope of propitiating him. From Augsburg, where the imperial court was then residing, Morysine wrote to the Council saying that he was in no better favour than any in his case would be, though the Emperor had changed his testiness for a more gentle behaviour towards him. But he does not desire to buy the Emperor’s love at the price at which he holds it, and he is certain that he shall not hereafter be able to live on it. The fault, he begs their Lordships to believe, lies in the matter and not in him, and he continues: “Mr. Wotton hath a more mannerly nay than I had, but even as flat a nay as mine was. The Emperor’s choler spent upon me hath taught him to use others with more gentleness.”[273]
Wotton’s account of his interview with Charles is extremely interesting. The Emperor said: “Ought it not suffice you that ye spill your own souls, but that ye have a mind to force others to lose theirs too? My cousin, the Princess is evil-handled among you, her servants plucked from her, and she, still cried upon to leave Mass, to forsake her religion, in which her mother, her grandmother, and all our family have lived and died.” Wotton told him that when he left England, she was honourably entertained, in her own house, with such about her as she best liked, and he thought she must be so still, since not hearing to the contrary, he was driven to think there was no change. “Yes, by St. Mary,” saith he, “of late they handle her evil, and therefore, say you hardly to them, I will not suffer her to be evil-handled by them. I will not suffer it. Is it not enough that mine aunt, her mother was evil entreated by the King that dead is, but my cousin must be worse ordered by councillors now? I had rather she died a thousand deaths, than that she should forsake her faith and mine. The King’s Majesty is too young to skill of such matters.” Hereupon, Wotton, professing that it became him not to dispute with his Majesty, yet being forced somewhat to answer him, said that he knew the King was young in years, but yet “the Lord be praised for his gifts poured upon him, as able to give an account of his faith as any prince in Christendom being of thrice his years. And as for the Lady Mary, tho’ she had a king to her father, hath a king to her brother and is akin to the Emperor, yet in England there is but one king, and the king hath but one law to rule all his subjects by. The Lady Mary being no king must content herself to be a subject.”
“A gentle law I tell you,” said he, “that is made, the King’s majesty being no ——” (illegible).
Wotton then asked, that Chamberlain, the English ambassador in ordinary, might have the service of the Book of Common Prayer in his house, without access of strangers. But the Emperor exclaimed, “English service in Flanders! speak not of it. I will suffer none to use any doctrine or service in Flanders that is not allowed of the Church.” If his cousin the Lady Mary might not have her Masses, he would provide for her a remedy, and in case his ambassador were restrained from serving of God, he had already given him order that if the restraint come to-day, that he should to-morrow depart.[274]
The Council replied to Wotton’s letter, that the Lady Mary might no longer do as she had done, and that the laws would be henceforth executed in her house. They concluded their ultimatum by saying that “his Majesty also considers the Emperor’s demands for his ambassador in England to use the Mass, and his denial to suffer his Majesty’s ambassador within his dominions to use the Communion, too much unequal and unreasonable, and therefore he doubts not the Emperor will otherwise consider this matter”.