The secretary had no interest in deceiving Henry, and it is quite certain that, whether honestly or not, the Pope had led him to believe that his sympathies were again on the English side, and that he was using his best endeavours to subdue the Emperor's opposition.
On the 26th of December, two days later, Sir Gregory Cassalis, who had also followed the Papal Court to Bologna, wrote to the same effect. He, too, had been with the Pope, who had been very open and confidential with him. The Emperor, the Pope said, had complained of the delay in the process, but he had assured him that it was impossible for the consistory to do more than it had done. The opinion of the theologians was on the whole against the Papal power of dispensation in cases of so close relationship; of the canon lawyers part agreed with the theologians, and those who differed from them were satisfied that such a power might not be exercised unless there were most urgent cause, unless, that is, the safety of a kingdom were dependent upon it. Such occasion he had declared that he could not find to have existed for the dispensation granted by his predecessor. The Emperor had replied that there had been such occasion: the dispensation had been granted to prevent war between Spain and England; and that otherwise great calamities would have befallen both countries. But this was manifestly untrue; and his Holiness said that he had answered, It was a pity, then, that these causes had not been submitted at the time, as the reason for the demand, which it was clear that they had not been; as the case stood, it was impossible for
