And this truly was the chief cause why we did consult and take the advice of every learned man, being free without all affection, that the truth (which now with our labour and study we seem partly to have attained) by their judgements more manifestly divulged, we might more at large perceive; whose judgements and opinions it is easy to see how much they differ from that, that those few men of yours do shew unto you, and by those your letters is signified. Those few men of yours do affirm the prohibition of our marriage to be inducted only by the law positive, as your Holiness has also written in your letters; but all others say the prohibition to be inducted, both by the law of God and Nature. Those men of yours do suggest, that it may be dispensed for avoiding all slanders. The others utterly do contend, that by no means it is lawful to dispense with that, that God and Nature have forbidden. We do separate from our cause the authority of the See Apostolic, which we do perceive to be destitute of that learning whereby it should be directed; and because your Holiness doth ever profess your ignorance and is wont to speak of other men's mouths, we do confer the sayings of those, with the sayings of them that be of the contrary opinion; for to confer the reasons it were too long. But now the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford in our realms; Paris, Orleans, Biturisen,[44] Andegavon[45] in France; and Bonony[46] in Italy, by one consent; and also divers other of the most famous and learned men, being freed from all affection, and only moved in respect of verity, partly in Italy, and partly in France, do affirm the Marriage of the brother with the brother's wife to be contrary both to the Law of God and Nature, and also do pronounce that no dispensation can be lawful or available to any Christian man in that behalf. But others think the contrary by whose counsels your Holiness hath done that, that since you have confessed you could not do, in promising to us as we have above rehearsed, and giving that Commission to the Cardinal Campeggio to be shewed unto us; and after, if it so should seem profitable to burn it, as afterwards it was done indeed as we have perceived. Furthermore, those which so do moderate the power of your Holiness, that they do affirm that the same cannot take away the Appellation which is used by man's law and yet is available to Divine matters everywhere without distinction. No princes heretofore have more highly esteemed, nor honoured the See Apostolic than we have, wherefore we be the more sorry to be provoked to this contention which to our usage and nature is most alienate and abhorred. Those things so cruel we write very heavily, and more glad would have been to have been silent if we might, and would have left your authority untouched with a good will and constrained to seek the verity, we fell, against our will into this contention, but the sincerity of the truth prohibited us to keep silence and what should