HISTORY OF KINO HENRY VII. 257 



risen, fell to bitter invectives against the person and 

 actions of the French king. And, by how much he was 

 the less able to do, talking so much the more, 

 spake all the injuries he could devise of Charles, 

 saying : That he was the most perfidious man upon 

 the earth, and that he had made a marriage com 

 pounded between an advowtry and a rape; which 

 was done, he said, by the just judgement of God ; to 

 the end that, the nullity thereof being so apparent 

 to all the world, the race of so unworthy a person 

 might not reign in France. And forthwith he sent 

 ambassadors as well to the King of England as to 

 the King of Spain, to incite them to war, and to 

 treat a league offensive against France, promising to 

 concur with great forces of his own. Hereupon the 

 King of England, going nevertheless his own way, 

 called a parliament, it being the seventh year of his 

 reign ; and the first day of opening thereof, sitting 

 under his cloth of estate, spake himself unto his 

 lords and commons in this manner : 



&quot; My lords, and you the commons, when I pur- 

 &quot; posed to make a war in Britain by my lieutenant, 

 &quot; I made declaration thereof to you by my chan- 

 &quot; cellor. But now that I mean to make a war upon 

 tf France in person, I will declare it to you myself. 

 &quot; That war was to defend another man s right, but 

 &quot; this is to recover our own ; and that ended by 

 &quot; accident, but we hope this shall end in victory. 



&quot; The French king troubles the Christian world: 

 &quot; that which he hath is not his own, and yet he 

 &quot; seeketh more. He hath invested himself of Bri- 

 &quot; tain : he maintaineth the rebels in Flanders : and he 



