Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 3.djvu/583

1543.] his own lips convince the King of his sincerity. The remains of Sadler's scepticism yielded before so confident audacity. 'The Queen, as I take her,' he wrote, when he left her presence, 'earnestly desireth the marriage of her daughter to my Lord Prince's Grace.'

On the other hand, if parties had changed sides on the English alliance, they kept their places on the sister question of religion. The Cardinal continued constant to the Church. The Regent was still liberal towards the Protestants. The contradiction was obvious. The uncertainty returned, and was increased by other causes. The minister had been instructed to urge on Arran's Grovernment three especial requests. The first, for a license for the general use of the Bible, had been at once fulfilled. The second, for the abolition of the Papal supremacy and the suppression of the monasteries, was under consideration, and appeared to be desired. The Earl declared, without reserve, that 'he thought all monasteries were founded to pray for souls in purgatory; and, if there were no purgatory, as he was clearly of opinion that there was not, their foundation was vain and frustrate.' The third point in the commission, which had been hitherto reserved, tested the truth of the queen-mother's story that Arran entertained a private design in the marriage question. It was a