Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/73

 sovereign, that they cannot, in this point, find themselves satisfied, except your gracious bounty therein declared, put away the scruple of their timorous minds, and animate and encourage them and put them out of doubt. It may therefore like your most abundant grace, our most benign and godly king, to give to all your Commons here assembled your most gracious license and pardon, freely without doubt of your dreadful displeasure, every man to discharge his conscience, and boldly in every thing incident among us, to declare his advice; and, whatsoever happeneth any man to say, that it may like your noble majesty of your inestimable goodness to take all in good part, interpreting every man's words, how uncunningly soever they be couched, to proceed yet of good zeal towards the profit of your realm and honour of your royal person, the prosperous estate and preservation whereof, most excellent sovereign, is the thing which we all your humble loving subjects, according to the most bounden duty of our natural allegiance, most highly desire and pray for."

At this Parliament Cardinal Wolsey found himself much grieved with the burgesses thereof, for that nothing was so soon done or spoken therein but that it was immediately blown abroad in every alehouse. It fortuned at that Parliament a very great subsidy to be demanded, which the Cardinal fearing would not pass the Commons'