Thus was the great renunciation made. It was probably the worst thing that Mary did in her whole life, for there is nothing in her history on record to compare with this violation of her conscience, and of all that she held most sacred. To excuse her on the score that she never gave interior consent to the sacrifice of her mother’s honour and her own faith would be but a miserable apology. She yielded indeed less to Cromwell’s threats, than to the Emperor’s specious arguments, and to the wretchedness of her own forlorn condition; but her intellect and mental and moral training were such that she was able to appreciate to the full the extent of her fall, and it would be doing her a poor service to attempt to palliate her guilt. Cromwell prepared yet another letter for the hapless victim to copy, for having drunk the bitter cup to the dregs, she was now required to thank her father humbly for the boon. The passionless utilitarian mind of the Chief Secretary was not bent on causing Mary more pain than was necessary to bring about and perfect the reconciliation which he had set himself to accomplish. He was not wantonly cruel; but he understood Henry, and knew that neither his own head nor Mary’s was safe, until the royal vanity was fed to repletion. He therefore caused her to write the following letter to her father on the 15th June, after having signed the articles:— “Most humbly prostrate before the feet of your most excellent Majestie, your most humble, faithfull and obedient subject, which hath so extremely offended your most gracious Highness that mine heavy and fearfull heart dare not presume to call you father, ne your Majesty hath any cause by my deserts, saving the benignity of your most blessed nature doth surmount all evils, offences and trespasses, and is ever mercifull and ready to accept the penitent calling for grace in any convenient time. Having received this thursday at night certain letters from Mr. Secretary, as well advising me to make mine humble submission immediately to your self, which because I durst not without your gracious licence presume to do before I lately sent unto him, as signifying that your most mercifull heart and fatherly pity had granted me your blessing, with condition that I should persevere in that I had commenced and begun, and that I should not eftsones offend your Majesty by the denyal or refusal of any such articles and commandments as it may please your Highness to address unto me for the perfect tryal of mine heart and inward affection. For the perfect declaration of the bottom of my heart and stomack, first I knowledge my self to have most unkindly and unnaturally offended your most excellent Highness, in that I have not submitted myself to your most just and vertuous laws, and for mine offence therein, which I must confess were in me a thousand fold more grievous,