Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/177

 Lord sende his Grace comfortable spede, me thinking in my pore minde it coulde be no furtherance thereunto his Grace's cause, if his Highnes should in his own realme before, either by lawes making, or bokes putting forth, seeme to derogate and deny, not onely the primacye of the see apostolike, but also the aucthorite of the general counsailes to. Which I verely truste his Highnes intendeth not. For in the next general counsail it may well happen, that this pope may be deposed and another substitute in his rome, with whom the Kinge's Hignes may be very wel content. For albeit that I haue for mine own part such opinion of the Pope's primacie as I haue shewed you, yet neuer thought I the Pope aboue the general counsaile, nor neuer haue in anye boke of mine, put forth among the Kinge's subjects in our vulgare tonge, auaunced gretly the Pope's auctorite. For albeit that a man maye paraduenture finde therein, that after the comen maner of al cristen realmes, I speke of him as primate, yet neuer do I stick theron with resoning and prouing of that point. And in mi booke against the Masker, I wrote not I wote wel v. times, and yet of no mo but only Saint Peter himself, from whose person many take not the primacy, euen of those that graunt it none of his successours. And yet was that boke made, printed, and put forth of very trouth, before that any of the bokes of the counsaile was either printed or spoken of. But wheras I had written therof at length in my confutacion before, and for the proofe thereof had compiled together all that I could finde therefore, at such times as I little loked that there should fall betwene the Kinge's Highnes and the Pope, such a breche as is fallen sins, when I after that sawe the thinge likely to draw toward such displeasure betwene them, I suppressid it vtterly, and neuer put worde therof into my booke, but put out the remenant without it. Which thing well declareth, that I neuer entended any thing to medel in that mater against the Kinge's gracious plesure, whatsoeuer mine owne oppinion were therein. And thus haue I good Maister Cromwel, long troubled your maistership, with a long proces of these matters with which I neither durste, nor it coulde become me, to encomber the Kinge's noble grace. But I beseche you for our Lorde's loue, that ye be not so wery of my most cumberouse sute, but that it may like you at such