his as a means of establishing the succession, but I do not believe
that this design would suffice to satisfy the King's desires."[525]
The Pope was equally willing to facilitate the scheme, on (p. 185)
condition that Henry abandoned his divorce from Catherine.[526] Possibly
Henry saw more objections than Pope or Cardinal to a marriage between
brother and sister. At all events Mary was soon betrothed to the
French prince, and the Emperor recorded his impression that the French
marriage was designed to remove the Princess from the Duke of
Richmond's path to the throne.[527]

[Footnote 520: _L. and P._, iii., 386.]

[Footnote 521: _Ibid._, ii., p. 1461.]

[Footnote 522: See G.E. C[okayne]'s and Doyle's
_Peerages_, _s.v._ "Richmond".]

[Footnote 523: _Sp. Cal._, iii., 109; _L. and P._,
iv., 2988, 3028, 3140.]

[Footnote 524: _L. and P._, iv., 3051. In _ibid._,
iv., 3135, Richmond is styled "The Prince".]

[Footnote 525: Laemmer, _Monumenta Vaticana_, p.
29; _L. and P._, iv., 4881. It was claimed that the
Pope's dispensing power was unlimited, extending
even to marriages between brothers and sisters
(_ibid._, v., 468). Campeggio told Du Bellay in
1528 that the Pope's power was "infinite" (_ibid._,
iv., 4942).]

[Footnote 526: _L. and P._, iv., 5072.]

[Footnote 527: _Sp. Cal._, iii., 482.]

The conception of this violent expedient is mainly of interest as
illustrating the supreme importance attached to the question of
providing for a male successor to Henry. He wanted an heir to the
throne, and he wanted a fresh wife for that reason. A mistress would
not satisfy him, because his children by a mistress would hardly
succeed without dispute to the throne, not because he laboured under
any moral scruples on the point. He had already had two mistresses,
Elizabeth Blount, the mother of the Duke of Richmond, and Anne's
sister, Mary Boleyn. Possibly, even probably, there were other lapses
from conjugal fidelity, for, in 1533, the Duke of Norfolk told Chapuys
that Henry was always inclined to amours;[528] but none are capable of
definite proof, and if Henry had other illegitimate children besides