archdeacons, & other learned men of good accompt to the number of 15. to
passe in ambassage vnto the pope, that they might excuse his dooings,
and burden the archbishop with the note of rebellion, whereof he had
good proofe.

[Sidenote: Roger archbishop of Yorke with others are sent to the pope.]
Being admitted to declare their message in the consistorie before the
pope, they opened the whole circumstance of the matter, from the
beginning to the end, declaring that betwixt Thomas the archbishop of
Canturburie and the king there was a controuersie moued, and by both
their consents a daie appointed for the hearing and determining thereof,
as iustice should require. At the which daie (by the kings commandement)
all the chéefest lords of the realme both spirituall and temporall were
assembled, to the end that the more generall the méeting should be, the
more manifest might the discouerie of the fraud and malice of the
archbishop appéere.

"At the daie appointed (saie they) there came before the catholike
prince his presence, the Nobles of his realme: and amongst other, the
archbishop the disquieter both of the kingdome & church, who (as one not
well assured of the qualitie of his owne deseruings) blessed himselfe
with the signe of the crosse at his comming into the court, as though
he should haue come before some tyrant or schismaticall person.
Notwithstanding all which contemptuous and ambitious behauiour, the
kings maiestie was nothing offended, but committed the iudgement of his
cause to the faithfull order of the bishops, meaning so to deliuer
himselfe of all suspicion of wrong dealing. Then it rested in the
bishops hands to make an end of the controuersie, and to set a finall
vnion and agréement betwixt them. But the archbishop would none of that,
alleging how it should be a derogation to the sée apostolike and his