ville, the
bearer of these presents.

May all happiness attend you.
From our Palace at Hampton Court,
The 22nd day of November, 1530.
Your good friend,
HENRY REX.

No. VI.

Henry by the Grace of God, King of England and France, Defender
of the Faith, and Lord of Ireland, to our Reverend Father in
Christ, Don Pierino de Ponte, Grand Master of Jerusalem.

Our most dear friend--Greeting:

We had conceived so great a hope and opinion of the probity,
integrity, and prudence of your predecessor, that, from his care
and vigilance, we securely trusted that the business and affairs
of this your Order, which hitherto has always wont to be of no
slight assistance to our most Holy Faith, and to the Christian
name, would as far as was needful have been amended and settled
most quietly and effectually with God and his Holy Religion.
From the love then and affection which we have hitherto shown in
no ordinary manner to your Order, for the sake of the
propagation of the Christian Faith, we were not a little grieved
at the death of your predecessor, because we very much feared
that serious loss would in consequence be entailed on that
Religion. But since, both from your letters and from the
discourse of others, we now hear that your venerable Brethren
agreed by their unanimous voice and consent to choose your
Reverence as the {101} person to whom the care and government of
so weighty an office should be intrusted, considering this dignity
to be especially worthy of you and your spirit of Religion, we
cannot but sincerely be glad; and rejoice especially if, by your
eminent virtues, it shall be effected that only such matters
shall be undertaken, and presided over by the strength and
counsels of the Order of Jerusalem, as are most in accordance
with the True Religion of Christ our Redeemer, and best adapted
to the propagation of his doctrine and Faith. And if you shall
seriously apply your mind to this, as you are especially bound
to, we shall by no means repent of the favours which we have
bestowed neither seldom nor secretly upon this your Order, nay
rather this object shall be attained that you shall have no
reason to think that you have been foiled in that your
confidence, and in our protection and the guardianship which we
extend ove