Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 4.djvu/514

494 of the imprisoned bishops remained unnoticed. Gardiner wrote a second time more formally, 'which the Lords took in good part, and laughed very merrily at, saying he had a pleasant head;' but they preferred to leave him where he was. A third letter met the same neglect, written in a tone of dignified and large moderation, which would have earned some respect for Gardiner, had not he too, in his turn of authority, violated the principles to which he appealed. Finally, he prepared a petition to Parliament, on its assembling in November, which the council would not permit to be presented.

The measures brought forward by the Government in the session which followed close upon the change, left no doubt indeed that, with respect to religion, the