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Protestantism in England From the Times of Henry VIII - James Aitken Wylie

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<strong>the</strong> hands <strong>of</strong> Campeggio, who was dispatched to<br />

<strong>England</strong> with <strong>in</strong>structions to show <strong>the</strong> bull to no<br />

one save to <strong>Henry</strong> and Wolsey. Whe<strong>the</strong>r it should<br />

ever be made public would depend upon <strong>the</strong> course<br />

<strong>of</strong> events. If <strong>the</strong> emperor were f<strong>in</strong>ally beaten, <strong>the</strong><br />

decretal was to be acted upon; if he recovered his<br />

good fortune, it was to be burned. Campeggio set<br />

out, and traveled by slow stages, for he had been<br />

<strong>in</strong>structed to avail himself <strong>of</strong> every pretext for<br />

<strong>in</strong>terpos<strong>in</strong>g delay, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> hope that time would<br />

br<strong>in</strong>g a solution <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> matter. At last Campeggio<br />

appeared, and his arrival with <strong>the</strong> bull dissolv<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> marriage gave unbounded joy to <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>g. This<br />

troublesome bus<strong>in</strong>ess was at an end, <strong>Henry</strong><br />

thought. His conscience was at rest, and his way<br />

opened to contract ano<strong>the</strong>r marriage. The New<br />

Testament was separat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>England</strong> from <strong>the</strong><br />

Papacy, but <strong>the</strong> decretal had come to b<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and <strong>the</strong> realm more firmly to Rome than ever.<br />

Never<strong>the</strong>less, a Higher than man's wisdom made<br />

<strong>the</strong> two -- Tyndale's New Testament and Clement's<br />

decretal -- comb<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> issue to effect <strong>the</strong> same<br />

result.<br />

132

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