Page:The religious life of King Henry VI.djvu/108

82 Collegiate Church of Windsor Castle, where at present his body, bones, and relics rest."

Now, however, the Abbot and Convent of Westminster claim that the Abbey Church is the only fitting place for his tomb. It is the place where the Kings of England are crowned and in which many of them lie buried. It is also the place where the chief nobles of the kingdom meet, which is most frequently visited by Englishmen, and which is best known by other nations. Henry VII, therefore, prays the Pope "to permit the translation of his relics to this monastery of Westminster, where they may rest near to the tomb of his parents at a spot to which the ever-increasing crowds of pilgrims may conveniently come, and thus help the religious sentiments of the country and render more famous the merits of this holy man."

Meanwhile, however, it would appear that Henry VII had not fully made up his mind about the translation of the relics from Windsor. In the same year, 1494, he had applied to the Pope for leave to suppress the two religious houses of Mottisfont in Hampshire