Wolsey writes the letter, but he is only giving Henry's "message".

The letter is undated, but it refers to the "shameless sentence sent from Rome," _i.e._, sentence of divorce which is dated 11th March, 1527.] * * * * * Dr.Knight had comparatively little difficulty in obtaining the dispensation for Henry's marriage with Anne Boleyn; but it was only to be effective after sentence had been given decreeing the nullity of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon; and, as Wolsey saw, that was the real crux of the question.[584] Knight had scarcely turned his steps homeward, when he was met by a courier with fresh instructions from Wolsey to obtain a further concession from Clement; the Pope was to empower the Cardinal himself, or some other safe person, to examine the original dispensation, and, if it were found invalid, to annul Henry's marriage with Catherine.

So Knight returned to the Papal Court; and then began that struggle between English and Spanish (p.

211) influence at Rome which ended in the victory of Charles V.and the repudiation by England of the Roman jurisdiction.

Never did two parties enter upon a contest with a clearer perception of the issues involved, or carry it on with their eyes more open to the magnitude of the results.