The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

330 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII.
After consultation with the ambassadors, who " And the better to open your understandings
brought him no other news than he expected be- in this affair, the king hath commanded me to say
fore, though he would not seem to know it till then, somewhat to you from him, of the persons that do
he presently summoned his parliament, and in intervene in this business; and somewhat of the
open parliament propounded the cause of Britain consequence thereof, as it hath relation to this
to botk houses, by his chancellor, Morton, Arch- kingdom, and somewhat of the example of it in
bishop of Canterbury, who spake to this effect. general; making nevertheless no conclusion or' My lords and masters, the king's grace, our judgmrent of any point, until his grace hath resovereign lord, hath commanded me to declare unto ceived your faithful and politic advices.
you the causes that have moved him at this time to "First, for the king our sovereign himself, who
summon this his parliament; which I shall do in is the principal person you are to eye in this busifew words, craving pardon of his grace, and you ness; his grace doth profess, that he truly and
all, if I perform it not as I would. constantly desireth to reign in peace. But his
", His grace doth first of all let you know, that he grace saith he will neither buy peace with disretaineth in thankful memory the love and loyalty honour, nor take it up at interest of danger to enshown to him by you, at your last meeting, in sue; but shall think it agood change, if it please
establishment of his royalty; freeing and dis- God to change the inward troubles and seditions
charging of his partakers, and confiscation of his wherewith he hath been hitherto exercised into
traitors and rebels; more than which could not an honourable foreign war. And for the other
come from subjects to their sovereign in one action. two persons in this action, the French king and
This he taketh so well at your hands, as he hath the Duke of Britain, his grace doth declare unto
made it a resolution to himself to communicate yol, that they be the men unto whom he is of all
with so loving and well-approved subjects, in all othec friends and allies most bounden: the one
affairs that are of public nature at home or abroad. having held over him his hand of protection from
"T Two therefore are the causes of your present the tyrant; the other having reached forth unto
assembling: the one a foreign business, the other him his hand of help for the recovery of his kingmatter of government at home. dom. So that his affection toward them in his
", The French king, as no doubt ye have heard, natural person is upon equal terms. And wheremaketh at this present hot war upon the Duke of as you may have heard that his grace was enBritain. His army is now before Nantz, and forced to fly out of Britain into France for doubts
holdeth it straitly besieged, being the principal of being betrayed, his grace would not in any sort
city, if not in ceremony and pre-eminence, yet in have that reflect upon the Duke of Britain in destrength and wealth of that duchy. Ye may facement of his former benefits; for that he is
guess at his hopes, by his attempting of the hard- thoroughly informed, that it was but the practice
est part of the war first. The cause of this war of some corrupt persons about him, during the
he knoweth best. t-le allegeth the entertaining time of his sickness, altogether without his conand succouring of the Duke of Orleans, and some sent or privity.
other French lords, whom the king taketh for his " But howsoever these things do interest his
enemies. Others divine of other matters. Both grace in this particular, yet he knoweth well that
parts have, by their ambassadors, divers times the higher bond that tieth him to procure by all
prayed the king's aids: the French king aids or means the safety and welfare of his loving subneutrality; the Britains aids simply; for so their jects, doth disinterest him of these obligations of
case requireth. The king, as a Christian prince, gratitude otherwise than thus; that if his grace
and blessed son of the holy church, hath offered be forced to make awar, he do it without passion
himself as a mediator to treat of a peace between or ambition.
them. The French king yieldeth to treat, but ",For the consequence of this action towards
will not stay the prosecution of the war. The this kingdom, it is much as the French king's inBritains that desire peace most hearken to itleast; tention is. For if it be no more, but to range his
not upon confidence or stiffness, but upon distrust subjects to reason, who bear themselves stout
of true meaning, seeing the war goes on. So as upon the strength of the Duke of Britain, it is nothe king, after as much pains and care to effect a thing to us. But if it be in the French king's
peace as ever he took in any business, not being purpose, or if it should not be in his purpose, yet
able to remove the prosecution on the one side if it shall follow all one, as if it were sought, that
nor the distrust on the other, caused by that pro- the French king shall make a province of Britain,
secution, hath let fall the treaty; not repenting and join it to the crown of France; then it is
of it, but despairing of it now as not likely to suc- worthy the consideration, how this may import
ceed. Therefore by this narrative you now under- England, as well in the increasement of the greattand the state of the question, whereupon the ness of France, by the addition of such a country,!ng prayeth your advice; which is no other, but that stretcheth his boughs unto our seas, as in dewhether he shall enter into an auxiliary and de- priving this nation, and leaving it naked of so
fensive war for the Britains against France? firm and assured confederates as the Britains have