Page:The Queens of England.djvu/312

 2-J2 THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. of the king, and named by him, could not properly defend her right." Having thus said, she arose from her knees, made a deep courtesy to the king, and, without noticing the legates, withdrew. "Madam," said Griffiths, her receiver-general, on whose arm she leant, "you are called back" (for the crier made the hall ring with the summons) ; "Katharine, queen of England, come again into court!" The queen replied to Griffiths, "I hear it well enough ; but, on — on— go you on ; for this is no court wherein I can have justice; proceed, therefore." When she had retired, Henry declared that "he had always been well satisfied with the queen, and that in desiring to sep- arate from her he was actuated solely by motives of religion and conscience. He added, that the scruples he entertained had been suggested by those of the Bishop of Tarbes, and had been confirmed by all the bishops of England." The Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed this statement relative to the bishops ; but Fisher* bishop of Rochester, with a courage that did him honor, stood forth and denied having- signed the paper pre- sented to the king — a denial which cost him his life. The queen was again cited to appear on the 25th of June; but she did not attend, and sent an appeal to the legates against all their proceedings. She was therefore declared contumacious. While this matter was proceeding, the emperor was using all his endeavors to induce the pope to remove the case to Rome, and menacing to depose him, on the plea of his illegitimacy, unless, he complied with his wishes. The conclusion of the treaty between Charles the Fifth and Clement the Seventh, whereby the emperor bound himself to re-establish the house of Medici at Florence, to restore Ravenna and Servia to Clement, and to give him possession of Modena and Reggio, vanquished the fears and scruples of the wily pontiff; and in July, 1529, Clement announced to the English ambassadors at Rome his determination to remove the case to that capital. On the 18th of July he dispatched the bull of citation to England, requiring the presence of the king and queen at Rome before the expira- tion of forty days, the said bull containing certain censures in case of disobedience, as unceremoniously expressed as if ap- plied to any simple individual instead of to a great sovereign. The indignation of Henry may be well imagined. To attend the citation would be to act contrary to the laws of England ; and to have the. contents of the bull made generallv known.