other Men's Works to Pilgrimages or Relicts or the saying their Beads which tended to Superstition Images abused by Pilgrimages made to them were to ordered be taken away No Candle was to be before any Image but the Crucifix And they were to teach the People that it was Idolatry to make any other use of Images but meerly to put them in minde of those whom they represented And such as had formerly magnified Images or Pilgrimages were required openly to recant and confess that they had been led into an Errour which Covetousness had brought into the Church All Incumbents were required to keep Registers for Christnings and Marriages and to teach the People that it were good to omit the Suffrages to the Saints in the Litany These struck at some of the main Points of the former Superstition both about Images Pilgrimages and the Invocation of Saints But the free Use of the Scriptures gave the deadliest Blow of all Yet all the Clergy submitted to them without any Murmuring Prince Edward was this Year born Prince Edward born and this very much blasted the Hopes of the Popish Party which were chiefly built on the probability of Lady Mary's succeeding to the Crown which was now set at a greater distance So both Lee Gardiner and Stokesly seemed to vie with the Bishops of the other Party which of them should most zealously execute the Injunctions and thereby insinuate themselves most into the King's Esteem and Favour Gardiner was some Years Ambassadour in France but Cromwel got Bonner to be sent in his room who seemed then to be the most zealous Promoter of the Reformation that was then in England After that Gardiner was sent to the Emperour's Court with Sir Henry Knevet and there he gave some occasion to suspect that he was treating a Reconciliation with the Pope's Legate But the Italian that managed it being sent with a Message to the Ambassadour's Secretary he mistook Knevet's Secretary for Gardiner's and told his Business to him Knevet tried what could be made of it but could not carry it far For the Italian was disowned and put in Prison upon it And Gardiner complained of it as a Trepan laid to ruine him The King continued still to employ him but rather made use of him than trusted him yet Gardiner's Artifices and Flatteries were such that he was still preserved in some Degrees of Favour as long as the King lived but he knew him so well that he neither named him one of his Executors nor one of his Son's Council when he made his Will Gardiner used one Topick which prevailed much with the King that his Zeal against Heresy was the greatest Advantage that his Cause could have over all Europe And therefore he prest him to begin with the Sacramentaries so were those of the Helvetian Confession called and those being condemned by the German Princes he had the less reason to be afraid of imbroiling his Affairs by his Severities against them Lombert is condemned and burnt for denying the Corporal Fresence This meeting so well with the King 's own Perswasions about the Corporal Presence had a great effect on him and an occasion did quickly offer it self to him to declare his Zeal in that matter Lambert was at that time accused before the Archbishop of Canterbury He had been Chaplain to the Factory of Antwerp and there he associated himself to Tindall Afterwards he was seized on coming over to England but upon the changes that followed he was set at Liberty Dr. Taylor had preached on the Corporal Presence in his hearing This offended him and he drew up his Reasons against it and gave them to Taylor He communicated it to Barns who was a hot man and a fierce Lutheran And they thought that the venting that Opinion would stop the Progress of the Reformation give Prejudice to the People and divide them among themselves And therefore they brought this matter before Cranmer who was at that time likewise a Lutheran he dealt with Lambert to retract his Paper but he took a fatal Resolution and appealed to the King Upon which the King resolved to judge him in Person and to manage the Trial with great Solemnity and for that end many of the Nobility and Bishops were sent for When the day came there was a vast Appearance The King's Guards and Cloath of State were all in White to make it look the liker a Divine Service Lambert begun with a Complement acknowledging the King 's great Learning and his Goodness in hearing the Causes of his Subjects The King stop'd him and bad him forbear Flatteries and speak to the matter And he argued against him from Christ's Words that the Sacrament must be his Body Lambert answered in St. Austin's Words That it was his Body in a certain manner but that a Body could not be in two places at once To this the King commanded Cranmer to speak and he argued That since Christ is still in Heaven and yet he appeared to St. Paul that therefore he may be in different places at once Lambert said That was but a Vision and was not the very Body of Christ Tonstall argued That the Divine Omnipotence was not to be measured by our Notions of what was impossible Stokesly argued That one Substance may be changed into another and yet the Accidents remain So Water when it boiled did evaporate in Air and yet its Moisture remained This was received with great Applause tho it was an ill Inference that because there was an accidental Conversion therefore there might be a Substantial one in which one Substance was annihilated and another produced in its place Ten one after another disputed and their Arguments with the stern Words and Looks that the King interposed together with the length of the Action in so publick an Assembly put Lambert in some Confusion and upon his Silence a great Shout of Applause followed In Conclusion the King asked him if he was not convinced and whether he would live or die But he continued firm to his Opinion So Cromwel was commanded to read the Sentence of his Condemnation and not many days after it was executed in a most barbarous manner in Smithfield For there was not Fire enough put under him to consume him suddenly so that his Legs and Thighs were burnt away while he was yet alive He bore it patiently and continued to cry out None but Christ none but Christ He was a Man of considerable Learning and of a very good Judgment The Popish Party improved this and perswaded the King of the good effects it would have on his People who would in this see his Zeal for the Faith and they forgot not to magnify all that he had said as if it had been uttered by an Oracle which proved him to be both Defender of the Faith and Supream Head of the Church All this wrought so much on the King that he resolved to call a Parliament both for the suppressing the Monasteries and the
they did cruelly and treacherously murder him and laid out his Body in the same Window from which he had looked on Wisharts Execution Some few justified this Fact as the killing of a Robber and Murderer but it was more generally condemned by all sorts of People even by those who hated him most yet the Accomplishment of Wishart's Prediction made great Impressions on many On the other hand it was afterwards observed that scarce any of the Conspirators died an ordinary Death They kept out the Castle and about 140 came in to them and they held it near two Years being assisted both by Mony and Provisions that were sent from England They had also the Govenour at their Mercy for they kept his eldest Son whom the Cardinal had taken into his Care for his Education An Absolution was brought from Rome and a Pardon was offered them and at last being straitned both at Sea and Land they rendred the Place upon Assurance of Life This Infamous Action was a great Blemish upon the Reformers who tho they did not directly justify it yet extenuated it and gave it some Countenance for two of them went in and preached to the Garrison in the Castle In England a Parliament met Chantries given to the King in which as the Spiritualty gave a Subsidy of six Shillings in the Pound payable in two Years so the Temporalty not only gave a Subsidy for the War but confirmed all the Surrenders that had been made of Chantries Chappels Colledges Hospitals and other Foundations for saying Masses for departed Souls and they empowered the King during his Life to grant Commissions for seizing on the rest of them Yet the King found this was like to give new Discontent to the Gentry to whom these belonged so he made but a small Progress in it and many were reserved to his Sons Courtiers to feed on The King dismissed the Parliament with a long Speech In which after he had thanked them for their Bills he exhorted them to Charity and Concord in matters of Religion and to forbear all Terms of Reproach such as Papist and Heretick he complained much of the Stifness of some Church-men and of the Indiscretion of others who both gave ill Example and sowed the Seeds of Discord among the Laity He as God's Vicar thought himself bound to see these things corrected he reproved the Temporalty for the ill use they made of the Scripture for instead of being taught out of it to live better and to be more charitable to one another they only railed at one another and made Songs out of it to disgrace those that differed from them so he exhorted them to serve God and love one another which he would esteem the best Expression of their Duty and Obedience to him The King had appointed a Distribution of 550 l. a year in several Cathedrals for the Poor and about 400 l. for High-ways so this Year some Bishops were appointed to see whether those Payments were made as he had ordered or not The Universities were now in danger of having their Colledges supprest but upon their Applications to the King they were delivered from their Fears Now came on the last Year of this Reign A Peace with France the War with France was this Year unsuccesful but upon the Earl of Surrey's being recalled and the Earl of Hartford's being sent in his room things turned a little This raised such Animosity between those two Lords that they became fatal to the former The two Kings were at last brought to consent to a Peace the main Article of it was that within eight Years Bulloigne should be delivered up the taking and keeping of which cost England 1300000 l. Upon this Peace Annebault the French Admiral was sent over Ambassadour The Council of Trent was now sitting Pool was made a Legate to do the King the more Spite the Emperour and the Pope governed it as they pleased so the two Crowns resolved to unite more firmly particularly it was proposed that the Mass should be turned to a Communion and Cranmer was ordered to prepare the Office for it But this was too great a Design for two old Kings to accomplish There was at this time a new Prosecution of those that denied the Corporal Presence in the Sacrament Anne Aiscough and others burnt Shaxton was accused of some Words about it but he abjured and complied so entirely that soon after he preached the Sermon at the burning of Anne Aiscough he made no noise all King Edward's time yet in Queen Mary's Reign he was a Persecutor of Protestants but was so little esteemed that tho he had been Bishop of Salisbury he was raised no higher than to be Bishop Suffragan of Ely Several other Persons were at this time endicted upon the same Statute but most of them recanted Anne Aiscough stood firm she was descended from a good Family and had been well educated but was unhappily married for her Husband being a violent Papist drove her out of his House when he discovered her Inclinations to the Reformation she was put in Prison on the account of the Sacrament but signed a Recantation and so was set at Liberty yet not long after she was committed again upon a new Complaint and was examined before the Privy Council but answered with extraordinary Resolution yet it was thought by some that she was too forward in her manner of speaking she had been much at Court and it was believed she was supported by some Ladies there so in order to the Discovery of this she was carried to the Tower and rack'd yet she confess'd nothing Wriothesly was present and commanded the Lieutenant of the Tower to draw the Rack a little more but he refused to do it upon which the Chancellour laid aside his Gown and drew it himself with so much Force as if he had intended to rend her Body asunder and the Effects of this were so violent that she was not able to go to Smithfield but was carried thither in a Chair when she was burnt Two others were also condemned on the same account and Shaxton to compleat his Apostacy after he had in vain endeavoured to perswade them to abjure preached the Sermon at their Burning in which he inveighed severely against their Errors The Lord Chancellour came to Smithfield and offered them their Pardons if they would recant but they chose rather to glorify God by their Deaths than to dishonour him by so foul an Apostacy There were two burnt in Suffolk and one in Norfolk on the same account this Year But the Popish Party hoped to have greater Sacrifices offered up to their Revenge Designs against Cranmer They had laid a Train last Year for Cranmer and they had laid one now for the Queen They perswaded the King that Cranmer was the Source of all the Heresy that was in England but the King's Partiality to him was such that none would come in against him So they desired that he might be once
any that could might seize on their Dominions The Bishops had also this to say for their Severities that by the Oath which they took at their Consecrations they were bound to persecute Hereticks with all their might so that the Principles of that Religion working on sowre and revengeful tempers it was no wonder that Cruel Councils were more acceptable than moderate ones BOOK IV. Book IV 1558. OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE REFORMATION In the beginning of Qu. ELIZABETH's Reign THE Morning after Queen Mary died Qu. Elizabeth Proclaimed the Lord Chancellor went to the House of Lords and communicated to them the News of Her death and then sent for the Commons and declared it to them and added that the Crown was now devolved on their present Queen Elizabeth whose Title they were resolved to proclaim This was Echoed with repeated Acclamations which were so full of Joy that it appeared how weary the Nation was of the Cruel and weak administration of affairs under the former Reign and that they hoped for better times under the next And indeed the Proclaiming the new Queen both at Westminster and in the City of London was received with such unusual transports of Joy as gave the Melancholy Priests just cause to fear a new Revolution in matters of Religion and though the Queen's Death affected them with a very sensible sorrow yet the Joy in this change was so great and so Universal that a sad look was thought Criminal and the Priests were glad to vent their griefs at their forsaken Altars which were now like to be converted again to Communion Tables The Queen came from Hatfield The Queen came to London where she had lived private to London The Bishops met Her at Highgate she received them all kindly only she lookt on Bonner as defiled with so much blood that it seemed indecent to treat him with the sweetness that always attends the beginnings of Reigns for common Civility to a Person so polluted might seem some countenance to his Crimes She past through London in the midst of all the Joys that People delivered from the Terror of Fires and Slavery could express She quickly shewed that she was resolved to retain no Impressions of the hardships she had met with in her Sister's time and treated those that had used her worst with great gentleness Bennefield himself not excepted only with a sharpness of raillery she used to call him her Jaylor She gave notice of her coming to the Crown to all foreign Princes and writ particular acknowledgments to King Philip for the good offices he had done her Among the rest she writ to Sir Edward Karn that was her Sisters Ambassadour at Rome But the Pope in his usual stile told him that England was a Fee of the Papacy and that it was a high Presumption in her to take the Crown without his consent especially she being illegitimate but he said if she would renounce her Pretensions and refer her self wholly to him she might expect from him all the favour that could consist with the dignity of the Apostolick See The Queen hearing this recalled Karn's power but he being a zealous Papist continued still at Rome Philip proposed Marriage to the Queen Philip proposes marriage to the Queen but in vain and undertook to procure a Dispensation for it from Rome But the Queen as she continued all her life averse to that state of life so she knew how unacceptable a stranger and particularly a Spaniard would be to her People She did not much value the Pope's Dispensation and if two Sisters might marry the same Person then two Brothers might likewise marry the same Woman which would have overthrown all the Arguments for her Father's Divorce with Queen Catherine upon which the Validity of her Mothers Marriage and her legitimation did depend Yet though she firmly resolved not to marry King Philip she thought that during the Treaty at Cambray it was not fit to put him quite out of hopes so he sent to Rome for a Dispensation but the French sent to oppose it and set up a Pretension for the young Queen of Scotland as the righteous Heir to the Crown of England The Queen continued to imploy most of her Sisters Privy-Councellours The Counsels about changing Religion and they had turned so often before in matters of Religion that it was not likely they would be Intractable in that point but to these she added divers others the most Eminent of whom were Sir Will. Cecyl and Sir Nicolas Bacon She ordered all that were Imprisoned on the account of Religion to be set at liberty upon which one that used to talk pleasantly told her the four Evangelists continued still Prisoners and that the People longed much to see them at liberty She answered she would talk with themselves and know their own mind Some proposed the annulling all Queen Mary's Parliaments because force was used in the first and the Writs for another were not lawful since the Title of Supream Head was left out in the Summons before it was taken away by Law but it was thought a Precedent of dangerous Consequence to annul Parliaments upon Errors in Writs or particular disorders The Queen desired that all the changes that should be made might be so managed as to breed as little division among her People as was possible She did not like the Title of Supream Head as importing too great an Authority She loved Magnificence in Religion as she affected it in all other things this made her incline to keep Images still in Churches and that the Popish party might be offended as little as was possible she intended to have the manner of Christ's Presence in the Sacrament defined in general terms that might comprehend all sides A Scheme was formed of the Method in which it was most advisable for the Queen to proceed and put in Cecyl's hands It was thought necessary to do nothing till a Parliament were called A Scheme proposed The Queen had reason to look for all the mischief that the Pope could do her who would set on the French and by their means the Scots and perhaps the Irish against her The Clergy and those that were imployed in Queen Mary's time would oppose it and do what they could to inflame the Nation and the greater part of the People loved the Pomp of the old Ceremonies It was therefore proposed that the Queen should on any terms make Peace with France and encourage the Party in Scotland that desired a Reformation The Clergy were generally hated for their Cruelty and it would be easie to bring them within the Statute of Praemunire Care was also to be taken to expose the former Councellours for the ill conduct of affairs in Qu. Mary's time and so to lessen their credit It was also proposed to look well to the Commissions both for the Peace and the Militia and to the Universities Some Learned Men were to be ordered to consider what alterations
Sermons only as set Discourses which they will censure or commend as they think they see cause but are resolved never to be the better for them If to all these sad Considerations we add the gross Sensuality and Impurity that is so avowedly practised that it is become a fashion so far it is from being a reproach the Oppression Injustice Intemperance and many other Immoralities among us what can be expected but that these Abominations receiving the highest Aggravation they are capable of from the clear Light of the Gospel which we have so long enjoyed the just Judgments of Heaven should fall on us so signally as to make us a reproach to all our Neighbours But as if all this were not enough to fill up the measure of our Iniquities many have arriv'd at a new pitch of Impiety by defying Heaven it self with their avowed Blasphemies and Atheism and if they are driven out of their Atheistical Tenets which are indeed the most ridiculous of any in the World they set up their rest on some general Notions of Morality and Natural Religion and do boldly reject all that is revealed and where they dare vent it alas where dare they not do it they reject Christianity and the Scriptures with open and impudent scorn and are absolutely insensible of any Obligation of Conscience in any thing whatsoever and even in that Morality which they for Decencies sake magnify so much none are more bare-facedly and grosly faulty This is a direct Attempt against God himself and can we think that he will not visit for such things nor be avenged on such a Nation And yet the Hypocrisy of those who disguise their flagitious Lives with a Mask of Religion is perhaps a Degree above all though not so scandalous till the Mask falls off and that they appear to be what they truly are When we are all so guilty and when we are so alarmed by the black Clouds that threaten such terrible and lasting Storms what may be expected but that we should be generally struck with a deep sense of our crying Sins and turn to God with our whole Souls But if after all the loud Awakenings from Heaven we will not hearken to that Voice but will still go on in our Sins we may justly look for unheard of Calamities and such Miseries as shall be proportioned to our Offences and then we are sure they will be great and wonderful Yet if on the other hand there were a general turning to God or at least if so many were rightly sensible of this as according to the Proportion that the Mercies of God allow did some way ballance the Wickedness of the rest and if these were as zealous in the true Methods of imploring God's Favour as others are in procuring his Displeasure and were not only mourning for their own Sins but for the Sins of others the Prayers and Sighs of many such might dissipate that dismal Cloud which our sins have gathered and we might yet hope to see the Gospel take root among us since that God who is the Author of it is merciful and full of Compassion and ready to forgive and this holy Religion which by his Grace is planted among us is still so dear to him that if we by our own unworthiness do not render our selves incapable of so great a Blessing we may reasonably hope that he will continue that which at first was by so many happy concurring Providences brought in and was by a continued Series of the same indulgent care advanc'd dy Degrees and at last raised to that pitch of perfection which few things atttain in this World THE CONTENTS BOOK I. Of the Beginnings of the Reformation and of the Progress made in it by King Henry the Eighth THe Vnion of the Houses of York and Lancaster in King Hen. the 8th Pag. 1 Empson and Dudley disgraced Pag. 2 He is very Liberal Pag. 3 Is successful in his Wars ibid He is courted both by France and Spain Pag. 4 Francis the 1st is taken Prisoner Pag. 5 And afterwards the Pope Pag. 7 Scotland in disorder ibid Factions in the English Council Pag. 8 Cardinal Wolsey 's Rise ibid And Greatness Pag. 9 Charles Brandon 's Advancement Pag. 10 The King is well with his Parliament Pag. 11 The King's Education Pag. 12 His Learning and Vanity Pag. 13 The way of promoting Bishops ibid A Contest for the Ecclesiastical Immunity Pag. 14 Hunn Imprisoned Murdered and his Body burnt Pag. 16 The King much addicted to the Papacy Pag. 20 Car. Wolsey intends to reform the Clergy ibid The summoning of Convocations Pag. 21 The State of the Monasteries Pag. 22 Wolsey suppresses many Pag. 23 The Progress of Wikliff's Doctrine ibid The Cruelty of the Clergy Pag. 24 Laws made against Hereticks Pag. 25 Warham persecutes the Lollards Pag. 27 The Progress of Luther 's Doctrine Pag. 29 The King writes against him Pag. 30 The King's Marriage Pag. 32 Matches proposed for his Daughter Pag. 33 The King has scruples about his Marriage Pag. 34 1627. And applies to the Pope for a Divorce Pag. 37 Who is very favourable Pag. 38 1528. Campegio sent as Legate to try it Pag. 40 He comes into Engl. with a Decretal Bull Pag. 42 Campana sent over to deceive the King Pag. 43 The Pope resolved to join with the Emperour Pag. 44 1529. The Pope's Sickness Pag. 45 Wolsey aspires to the Popedom Pag. 46 The Pope promises to confirm the Sentence that should be given by the Legates Pag. 47 The Process begins in England Pag. 50 The Queen appeals to the Pope Pag. 51 The Pope grants an Avocation Pag. 52 Cranmer 's Rise and Wolsey 's Disgrace Pag. 54 1530. A Parliament is called Pag. 56 The King's Debts are discharged Pag. 57 Vniversities declare against the Marriage Pag. 58 It is condemned by the Sorbon Pag. 60 The Opinions of the Reformers about it Pag. 61 The English Nobility write to the Pope about it and he answers them Pag. 62 Arguments for the Divorce Pag. 63 Arguments against it Pag. 66 1531. A Session of Parliament Pag. 69 The Laws formerly made against the Pope's Bulls ibid The Clergy sued in a Premunirc Pag. 76 Poisoning made Treason Pag. 78 The King leaves the Queen ibid A Tumult among the Clergy ibid The Pope joins himself to France Pag. 79 1532. Differences betwixt the King and the House of Commons Pag. 81 The Pope writes to the King Pag. 82 The King answers Pag. 83 The King cited to Rome and Cardinals corrupted Pag. 84 The Bishops Oaths to the Pope and the King Pag. 87 More lays down his Office Pag. 88 The King of England and France meet Pag. 89 The King marries Ann Boleyn Pag. 90 1533. The Parliam condemns Appeals to Rome Pag. 91 Cranmer made Archbishop of Canterbury Pag. 92 The Convocation condemns the Marriage Pag. 93 Cranmer gives Sentence with the Censure s of it Pag. 95 The Proceedings at Rome upon it Pag. 98 Queen Elizabeth born Pag. 99
he had done nothing but only pleaded in the King's Name The Clergy pretended they did not prosecute him for his pleading but for some of his Divinity Lectures contrary to the Liberty of the Church which the King was bound to maintain by his Coronation-Oath but the Temporal Lords the Judges and the Commons prayed the King also to maintain the Laws according to his Coronation-Oath and to give Standish his Protection The King upon this being in great perplexity required Veysy afterwards Bishop of Exeter to declare upon his Conscience and Allegiance the truth in that matter His Opinion was against the Immunity so another publick Hearing being appointed Standish was accused for teaching That the Inferiour Orders were not sacred That their Exemption was not founded on a Divine Right but that the Laity might punish them That the Canons of the Church did not bind till they were received and that the study of the Canon Law was useless Of these he denied some and justified other particulars Veysy being required to give his Opinion alledged That the Laws of the Church did only oblige where they were received As the Law of the Celibate of the Clergy received in the West did not bind the Greek Churches that never received it So the exemption of the Clerks not being received did not bind in England The Judges gave their Opinion next which was That those who prosecuted Standish were all in a Premunire So the Court broke up But in another Hearing in the presence of the greatest part of both Houses of Parliament the Cardinal said in the name of the Clergy That tho they intended to do nothing against the King's Prerogative yet the trying of Clerks seemed to be contrary to the Liberty of the Church which they were bound by their Oaths to maintain So they prayed that the matter might be referred to the Pope The King answered that he thought Standish had answered them fully The Bishop of Winchester said he would not stand to his Opinion at his Peril Standish upon that said What can one poor Friar do against all the Clergy of England The Arch-bishop of Canterbury said Some of the Fathers of the Church had suffered Martyrdom upon that account but the Chief-Justice replied That many holy Kings had maintained that Law and many holy Bishops had obeyed it In conclusion the King declared that he would maintain his Rights and would not submit them to the Decrees of the Church otherwise than as his Ancestors had done Warham Arch-bishop of Canterbury desired so long time might be given that they might have an Answer returned from Rome but that was not granted yet a Temper was found Horsey was appointed to be brought to his Trial for Hun's Murder and upon his pleading not guilty no Evidence was to be brought and so he was to be discharged But upon this it was said The Judges were more concerned to maintain their Jurisdiction than to do Justice upon so horrid a Murder so the discontent given by it was raised so much higher and the Crime of a few Murderers was now transferred upon the whole Clergy who had concerned themselves so much in their Preservation and this did very much dispose the Laity to all that was done afterwards for pulling down the Ecclesiastical Tyranny This was the only uneasy stop in this King's Raign The King is much addicted to the Papacy till the suit for his Divorce was commenced In all other points he was constantly in the Pope's Interests who sent him the common Complements of Roses and such other Triffles by which that See had treated Princes so long as Children The King made the Defence of the Popedom an Article in his Leagues with other Princes and Pope Julius having called a General Council to the Lateran in opposition to that which by Lewis the Twelfth's means was held at Pisa The King sent the Bishops of Worcester and Rochester the Prior of St. John's and the Abbot of Winchelcomb to represent the Church of England thereby to give the greater Authority to a pack'd meeting of Italian Bishops and Abbots who assumed to themselves the Title of a Holy and Oecumenical Council But no Complement wrought so much on the King's Vanity as the Title of Defender of Faith sent him by Pope Leo upon the Book which he writ against Luther concerning the Sacraments The Cardinal drew upon himself the hatred of the Clergy Crrdinal Wolsey intends to reform the Clergy by a Bull which impowered him to visit all the Monasteries of England and to dispence with all the Laws of the Church for a Year He also gave out that he intended to reform the Clergy though he forgot that which ought to be the first step of all who pretend to reform others for none could be worse than himself was He lived in great Luxury and in an insolent Affectation of the highest Statepossible many of his Domesticks being men of the first Rank He intended to suppress many Monasteries and thought the best way for doing it with the least Scandal was first to visit them and so to expose their Corruptions But he was afterwards diverted from this yet the design which he laid being communicated to Cromwel that was then his Secretary it was put in Practice toward the end of this Reign when the Monasteries were all suppressed The Convocations were of two sorts The summoning of Convocations some were summoned by the King when Parliaments were called as is in use to this Day only the King did not then prefix a Day but left that to the Arch-bishops Others were called by the Archbishops and were Provincial Synods of which there were but few The Cardinal pretended that the summoning all Convocations belonged to him as Legate so that when Warham had called one he dissolved it after it was met and summoned it of new In that Convocation a great Supply was granted to the King of half a Years Rent of all Benefices payable in five Years for assisting him in his Wars with France and Scotland This was much opposed by the Cardinal's Enemies but it was agreed to at last a Proviso being made that such a heavy tax should never be made a Precedent for the future tho the Grant they made was more likely to become a Precedent than this Proviso to be a Security for the time to come This encreased the Aversion the Clergy had for the Cardinal the Monks were more particularly incensed for they saw he was resolved to suppress their Foundations and convert them to other uses In the days of King Edgar most of the Cathedrals of England were possessed by Secular Priests The State of the Monasteries who were generally married but Dunstan and some other Monks took advantage from the Vices of that Prince to perswade him to make Compensation for them and as he made Laws in which he declared what Compensations were to be made for Sins both by the Rich and Poor so it seems he thought the
Arthur and Katherine the Infanta of Spain She came into England was married in November but on the second of April after the Prince died They were not only bedded in Ceremony the night of the Marriage but continued still to lodg together and the Prince by some indecent Rallery gave Occasion to believe that the Marriage was consummated which was so little doubted that some imputed his too early end to his excess in it After his Death his younger Brother was not created Prince of Wales till ten Months had past it being then apparent that the Princess was not with Child by the late Prince Women were also set about her to wait on her with the Precaution that is necessary in such a Case so that it was generally believed that she was no Virgin when the Prince died Henry the seventh being unwilling to restore so great a Portion as two hundred thousand Ducats proposed a second Match for her with his Younger Son Henry Warham did then object against the Lawfulness of it yet Fox Bishop of Winchester was for it and the Opinion of the Pope's Authority was then so well established that it was thought a Dispensation from Rome was sufficient to remove all Objections Decemb. 1503. so one was obtained grounded upon a desire of the two young Persons to marry together for preserving Peace between the Crowns of England and Spain by which the Pope dispensed with it notwithstanding the Princess's Marriage to Prince Arthur which was as is said in the Bull perhaps consummated The Pope was then in War with Lewis the twelfth of France and so would refuse nothing to the King of England being perhaps not unwilling that Princes should contract such Marriages by which the Legitimation of their Issued epending on the Pope's Dispensation they would be thereby obliged in Interest to support that Authority upon this a Marriage followed the Prince being yet under Age but the same day in which he came to be of Age he did by his Father's Orders make a Protestation that he retracted and annulled his Marriage Henry the seventh at his Death charged him to break it off entirely being perhaps apprehensive of such a return of Confusion upon a controverted Succession to the Crown as had been during the Wars of the Houses of York and Lancaster but upon his Death Henry the Eighth being then eighteen Years of Age married her She bore him two Sons who died soon after they were born and a Daughter Mary that lived to reign after him Matches proposed for his Daughter but after that the Queen contracted some Diseases that made her unacceptable to the King so all hope of any other Issue failing several Matches were proposed for his Daughter the first was with the Dauphin then she was contracted with the Emperor and after that a Proposition was made for the King of Scotland and last of all a Treaty was made with Francis the first either for himself he being then a Widower or for his second Son the Duke of Orleans to be determin'd at his Option upon which the Bishop of Tarbe was sent over Ambassador to conclude it he made an Exception that the Marriage was doubtful and the Lady not legitimate which had been likewise made by the Cortes of Spain by whose Advice the Emperor broke the Contract upon that very account so that other Princes moving Scruples against a Marriage with his Daughter the Heir of so great a Crown the King began to make some himself or rather to publish them for he said afterwards he had them some Years before Yet the Cardinal's hatred to the Emperor was look'd on as one of the secret Springs of the King's Aversion to his Aunt which the King vindicating him in publick afterwards did not remove that being considered only as a Court Contrivance The King seemed to lay the greatest Weight on the prohibition in the Levitical Law of marrying the Brother's Wife The King has some scruples concerning his Marriage and he being conversant in Thomas Aquinas's Writings found that he and the other Schoolmen look'd on those Laws as Moral and for ever binding and that by Consequence the Pope's Dispensation was of no force since his Authority went not so far as to dispence with the Laws of God All the Bishops of England Fisher of Rochester only excepted declared under their Hands and Seals that they judged the Marriage unlawful The ill Consequences of Wars that might follow upon a doubtful Title to the Crown were also much considered or at least pretended It is not probable that the engagement of the King's Affections to any other gave the rise to all this for so prying a Courtier as Wolsey was would have discovered it and not have projected a Marriage with Francis's Sister if he had seen the King prepossessed It is more probable that the King conceiving himself upon the point of being discharged of his former Marriage gave a free scope to his Affections which upon that came to settle on Anne Bolleyn The King had reason enough to expect a quick and favourable dispatch of his business at Rome where Dispensations or Divorces in Favour of Princes used to pass rather with regard to the Merits of the Prince that desired them than of the Cause it self His Alliance seemed then necessary to the Pope who was at that time in Captivity Nor could the Emperour with any good colour oppose his Suit since he had broken his Contract with his Daughter upon the account of the doubtfulness of the Marriage The Cardinal had also given him full Assurances of a good Answer from Rome whether upon the knowledg he had of that Court and of the Pope's temper or upon any promise made him is not certain The Reasons gathered by the Canonists for annulling the Bull of Dispensation upon which the Divorce was to follow in course were grounded upon some false suggestions in the Bull and upon the Protestation which the King had made when he came to be of Age. In a word they were such that a favourable Pope left to himself would have yielded to them without any scruple Anne Bolleyn was born in the year 1507 and went to France at seven years of Age and returned twelve years after to England She was much admired in both Courts and continued to live without any Blemish till her unfortunate Fall gave occasion to some malicious Writers to defame her in all the Parts of her Life She was more beautiful than graceful and more chearful than discreet She wanted none of the Charms of Wit or Person and must have had extraordinary Attractives since she could so long manage such a King's Affection in which her being with Child soon after the Marriage shews that in the whole course of seven years she kept him at a due distance Upon her coming to England the Lord Piercy being then a Domestick of the Cardinals made love to her and went so far as to engage himself some way to
marry her and that being entertained by her shews she had then no aspirings to the Crown But the Cardinal having understood somewhat of the King 's secret Intentions did so threaten him that he made him tho not without great difficulty break off his addresses to her Knight then Secretary of State was sent to Rome to prepare the Pope in the matter And applies to the Pope and the Family of the Cassali having much of the Pope's Favour they were likewise imployed to promote it To Gregory Cassali did the Cardinal send a large Dispatch setting forth all the Reasons both in Conscience and Policy for obtaining a Commission to himself to judge the Affair Great Promises were made in the King's Name both for publick and private Services and nothing was forgot that was likely to work either on the Pope or those Cardinals that had the greatest Credit about him Knight made application to the Pope in the secretest manner he could and had a very favourable Answer for the Pope promised frankly to dissolve the Marriage but another Promise being exacted of him in the Emperour's Name not to proceed in that Affair he was reduced to great straits not so much out of regard to his Promises for he had so engaged himself that it was unavoidable for him to break one as to his Interests he was then at the Emperour's mercy so he was in fear of offending him yet he both hated him and was distrustful of him and had no mind to lose the King of England therefore he studied to gain time and promised that if the King would have a little patience he should not only have that which he asked but every thing that was in his power to grant The Cardinal Sanctorum quatuor made some Scruples concerning the Bull that was demanded till he had raised his price and got a great Present and then the Pope signed both a Commission for Wolsey to try the Cause Who was very favourable and judge in it and also a Dispensation and put them in Knights hands but with tears prayed him that there might be no proceedings upon them till the Emperour were put out of a capacity of executing his Revenge upon him and when ever that was done he would own this act of Justice which he did in the King's favour For tho the Pope on publick occasions used to talk in the language of one that pretended to be S. Peter's Successor yet in private Treaties he minded nothing but his own Security and the Interests of his Family And being a very crafty Man he proposed an Expedient which if the King had followed it had put a quicker and easier end to the Process He found his sending Bulls or a Legat to England would become publick and draw the Emperour upon him and must admit of delays and be full of danger therefore he proposed if the King was satisfied in his own Conscience in which he believed no Doctor could resolve him better than himself then he might without more noise make Judgment be given in England and upon that marry another Wife and send over to Rome for a Confirmation which would be the more easily granted if the thing were once done This the Pope desired might be represented to the King as the Advice of the Cardinals and not as his own But the King's Counsellers thought this more dangerous than the way of a Process for if upon the King 's second Marriage a Confirmation should be denyed then the Right Succession by it would be still very doubtful so they would not venture on it The Pope was at this time distasted with Cardinal Wolsey for he understood that during his Captivity he had been in an Intrigue to get himself chosen Vicar of the Papacy and was to have sate at Avignion which might have produced a new Schism Staphileus Dean of the Rota being then in England was wrought on by the promise of a Bishoprick and a Recommendation to a Cardinals Hat to promote the King's Affair and by him the Cardinal wrote to the Pope in a most earnest strain for a dispatch of this business and he desired that an indifferent and tractable Cardinal might be sent over with a full Commission to joyn with him and to judge the matter proposing to the King's Embassadours Campegio as the fittest Man when a Legate should be named he ordered Presents to be made him and that they would hasten his dispatch and take care that the Commission should be full But upon the Arrival of the Couriers that were sent from Rome Gardiner the Cardinals Secretary and Fox the Kings Almoner the one a Canonist and the other a Divine were sent thither with Letters both from the King and Cardinal to the Pope they carried orders that were like to be more effectual than any Arguments they could offer to make great Presents to the Cardinals They carried with them the draught of a Bull containing all the Clauses could be invented to make the matter sure one Clause was to declare the Issue of the Marriage good as being begotten bona fide which was perhaps put in to make the Queen more easy since by that it appeared that her Daughter should not suffer which way soever the matter went The Cardinal in his Letters to Cassali offered to take the blame on his own Soul if the Pope would grant this Bull and with an Earnestness as hearty and warm as can be expressed in Words he pressed the thing and added That he perceived that if the Pope continued Inexorable the King would proceed another way These Intreaties had such Effects Campegio sent over Legate That Campegio was declared Legate and ordered to go for England and joyn in Commission with Wolsey for judging this matter Campegio was Bishop of Saliebury and having a Son whom he intended to advance was no doubt a tractable Man but to raise his price the higher he moved many Scruples and seemed to enter upon this Employment with great fear and aversion Wolsey who knew his Temper prest him vehemently to make all the hast he could and gave him the Assurance of great Rewards from the King For whatever was to be made use of publickly for formes sake these were the effectual Arguments that were most likely to convince a Man of his Temper In which Wolsey was so sincere that in a Letter he wrote to him that of a good Conscience being put among other Motives to perswade him in the first Draught the Cardinal struck it out as knowing how little it would signify Campegio set out from Rome and carried with him a Decretal Bull for annulling the Marriage which was trusted to him and he was Authorized to shew it to the King and Wolsey but was required not to give it out of his Hands to either of them At this time Wolsey was taken with the sweating Sickness which then raged in England and by a Complement which both the King and Ann Boleyn writ him
on the same piece of Paper it appears he was then privy to the Kings Design of marrying her and intended to advance himself yet higher by his merits in procuring her the Crown This Year he settled his two great Colledges and finding both the King and People much pleased with his converting some Monasteries to such uses he intended to suppress more and to convert them to Bishopricks and Cathedral Churches which the Pope was not willing to grant the Religious Orders making great Opposition to it but Gardiner told him it was necessary and must be done so a power for doing it was added to the Legates Commission At this time the Queen engaged the Emperor to espouse her Interests which he did the more willingly because the King was then in the Interests of France and to help her Business a Breve was either found or forged the last is more probable of the same date with the Bull that dispensed with her Marriage But with stronger Clauses in it to answer those Objections that were made against some defects in the Bull though it did not seem probable that in the same Day a Bull and a Breve would have been granted for the same thing in such different strains The most considerable Variation was That whereas the Bull did only suppose that the Queens Marriage with Prince Arthur was perhaps Consummated the Breve did suppose it absolutly without a perhaps This was thought to prejudice the Queen's Cause as much as the Suspicion of the Forgery did blemish her Agents In October Campegio comes into England Campegio came into England and after the first Complements were over he first advised the King to give over the Prosecution of his Suit and then counselled the Queen in the Pope's Name to enter into a Religious Life and make Vows but both were in vain and he by affecting an Impartiality almost lost both sides But he in great measure pacified the King when he shewed him the Bull he had brought over for annulling the Marriage yet he would not part with it out of his hands neither to the King nor the Cardinal upon which great Instances were made at Rome that Campegio might be ordered to shew it to some of the King's Counsellors and to go on and end the business otherwise Wolsey would be ruined and England lost Yet all this did not prevail on the crafty Pope who knew it was intended once to have the Bull out of Campegio's hands and then the King would leave him to the Emperour's Indignation But tho he positively refused to grant that yet he said he left the Legates in England free to judge as they saw Cause and promised that he would confirm their Sentence The Imperialists at Rome pressed him hard to inhibit the Legates and to recall the Cause that it might be heard before the Consistory The Pope declined this motion and to mollify the King he sent Campana one of his Bed-chamber Campana sent to deceive the King over to England with Complements too high to gain much Credit He assured the King that the Pope would do for him all he could not only in Justice and Equity but in the fulness of his Power And that tho he had reason to be very apprehensive of the Emperour's Resentments yet that did not divert him from his Zeal for the King's Service for if his resigning the Popedome would advance it it should not stick at that He also was ordered to require the Legates to put a speedy end to the business but his secret Instructions to Campegio were of another strain he charged him to burn the Bull and to draw out the matter by all the delayes he could invent Sir Francis Brian and Peter Vannes were dispatched to Rome with new Propositions to try whether if both the King and Queen took Religious Vowes so that their Marriage were upon that annulled the Pope would engage to dispence with the King's Vow or grant him a License for having two Wives Wolsey also offered in the King's Name to settle a Pay for 2000 Men that should be a Guard to the Pope and to procure a Restitution of some of his Towns on which the Venetians had seized But the Pope did not care to have his Guards payed by other Princes which he looked on as a putting himself in their hands He was in fear of every thing that might bring a new Calamity upon him and was now resolved to unite himself firmly with the Emperour by whose means only he hoped to reestablish his Family at Florence The Pope resolved to unite with the Emperour and ever after this all the use he made of the King's Earnestness in his Divorce was only to draw in the Emperour to his Interests on the better Terms The Emperour was also then pressing him hard for a General Council of which besides the aversion that the Court of Rome had to it he had particular reason to be afraid for being a Bastard he was threatned with Deposition as uncapable by the Canons of the Church to hold such a Dignity The Pope proposed a Journey incognito to Spain and desired Wolsey to go with him for obtaining a General Peace But in secret he was making up with the Emperour and gave his Agents Assurances that tho the Legates gave Sentence he would not confirm it So the King 's Correspondents at Rome wrote to him to set on the War more vigorously against the Emperour for he could expect nothing at Rome unless the Emperour's Affairs declined The Pope went on cajoling those the King sent over and gave new Assurances that tho he would not grant a Bull by which the Divorce should be immediately his own Act yet he would confirm the Legates Sentence so he resolved to cast the Load wholly upon them if he said he did it himself a Council would be called by the Emperour's means in which his Bull would be annulled and himself deposed which would bring on a new Confusion and that considering the footing Heresy had got would ruine the Church The Pope inclined more to the dissolving the Marriage by the Queen's taking Vowes as that which could be best defended but the Cardinal gave him notice that the Queen would never be brought to that unless her Nephews advised it At this time The Pope's Sickness the Pope was taken suddenly ill and fell in a great Sickness upon which the Imperialists began to prepare for a Conclave But Farnese and the Cardinal of Mantua opposed them and seemed to have Inclination for Wolsey Whom as his Correspondents wrot to him they reverenced as a Deity Upon this he sent a Courier to Gardiner Wolsey's aspiring then on his way to Rome whith large Directions how to manage the Election It was reckoned that the King of France joyning heartily with the King of which he seemed confident there were only six Cardinals wanting to make the Election sure and besides Summes of Mony and other Rewards that were to be
dispense with the Laws of God which were not subject to him And it had been judged in the Rota at Rome when a Dispensation was asked for a King to marry his Wives Sister that it could not be granted and when Precedents were alledged for it it was answered that the Church was to be governed by Laws and not by Examples and if any Pope had granted such Dispensation it was either out of Ignorance or Corruption This was not only the Opinion of the School-men but of the Canonists tho they are much set on raising the Pope's Power as high as is possible And therefore Alexander the third refused to grant a Dispensation in a like case tho the Parent had sworn to make his Son marry his Brother's Widow others went further and said The Pope could not dispense with the Laws of the Church which several ancient Popes had declared against and it was said that the fulness of Power with which the Pope was vested did only extend to the pastoral Care and was not for Destruction but for Edification and that as St. Paul opposed St. Peter to his Face so had mnay Bishops withstood Popes when they proceeded against the Canons of the Church So both Laurence and Dunstan in England had proceeded to Censures notwithstanding the Pope's Authority interposed to the contrary and no Authority being able to make what was a Sin in it self become lawful every Man that found himself engaged in a sinful course of Life ought to forsake it and therefore the King ought to withdraw from the Queen and the Bishops of England in case of refusal ought to proceed to Censures Upon the whole matter Tradition was that upon which all the Writers of Controversy particularly now in the Contests with the Lutherans founded the Doctrine of the Church as being the only infallible Exposition of the doubtful parts of Scripture and that being so clear in this matter there seemed to be no room for any further Debate On the other hand Arguments against it Cajetan was the first Writer that against the stream of former Ages thought that the Laws of Leviticus were only Judiciary Precepts binding the Jews and were not moral his Reasons were that Adam's Children must have married in the Degrees there forbidden Jacob married two Sisters and Judah according to custom gave his two Sons and promised a third to the same Woman Moses also appointed the Brother to marry the Brother's Wife when he died without Issue But a Moral Law is for ever and in all Cases binding and it was also said that the Pope's power reached even to the Laws of God for he dispensed with Oaths and Vows and as he had the Power of determining Controversies so he only could declare what Laws were moral and indispensable and what were not nor could any Bishops pretend to judg concerning the extent of his Power or the validity of his Bulls To all this those that writ for the King answered That it was strange to see Men who pretended such Zeal against Hereticks follow their Method which was to set up private reasonings from some Texts of Scripture in opposition to the received Tradition of the Church which was the bottom in which all good Catholicks thought themselves safe and if Cajetan wrote in this manner against the received Doctrin of the Church in one Particular why might not Luther take the same liberty in other Points They also made distinction in moral Laws between those that were so from the nature of the thing which was indispensable and could in no Case be lawful and to this sort no Degrees but those of Parents and Children could be reduced other Moral Laws were only grounded upon publick Inconveniencies and Dishonesty such as the other Degrees were for the Familiarities that Persons so nearly related live in are such that unless a Terrour were struck in them by a perpetual Law against such mixtures Families would be much defiled But in such Laws tho God may grant a Dispensation in some particular Cases yet an Inferiour Authority cannot pretend to it and some Dispensations granted in the latter Ages ought not to be set up to ballance the Decisions of so many Popes and Councils against them and the Doctrine taught by so many Fathers and Doctors in former times Both sides having thus brought forth the strength of their Cause it did evidently appear That according to the Authority given to Tradition in the Church of Rome the King had clearly the Right on his side and that the Pope's Party did write with little sincerity in this matter being guilty of that manner of arguing from Texts of Scriptures for which they had so loudly charged the Lutherans The Queen continued firm to her Resolution of leaving the matter in the Pope's Hands and therefore would hearken to no Propositions that were made to her for referring the matter to the Arbitration of some chosen on both sides A Session of Parliament followed in January in which the King made the Decisions of the Universities and the Books that were written for the Divorce A Session of Parliament be first read in the House of Lords and then they were carried down by Sir Thomas More and 12 Lords both of the Spirituality and Temporality to the Commons There were twelve Seals of Universities shewed and their Decisions were read first in Latin and then Translated into English There were also an hundred Books shewed written on the same Argument Upon the shewing these the Chancellor desired them to report in their Countries that they now clearly saw that the King had not attempted this matter of his meer will and pleasure but for the discharge of his Conscience and the security of the Succession of the Crown This was also brought into the Convocation who declared themselves satisfied concerning the unlawfulness of the Marriage but the Circumstances they were then in made that their Declaration was not much considered for they were then under the lash All the Clergy of England were sued as in the case of a Premunire for having acknowledged a Forreign Jurisdiction and taken out Bulls and had Suits in the Legatine Court The Kings of England did claim such a Power in Ecclesiastical matters The Laws of England against Bulls from Rome as the Roman Emperours had exercised before the fall of that Empire Anciently they had by their Authority divided Bishopricks granted the Investitures and made Laws both relating to Ecclesiastical Causes Persons When the Popes began to extend their Power beyond the Limits assigned them by the Canons they met with great opposition in England both in the matter of Investitures Appeals Legates and the other Branches of their Usurpations but they managed all the Advantages they found either from the Weakness or ill Circumstances of Princes so steadily that in Conclusion they subdued the World And if they had not by their cruel Exactions so oppressed the Clergy that they were driven to seek Shelter under the Covert
of the Temporal Authority the World was then so over-mastered by Superstition and Credulity that not only the whole Spiritual Power but even the Temporal Power of Princes was likely to have fallen into the Pope's hands But the discontented Clergy supported the Secular Power as much as they had before advanced the Papal Tyranny Boniface the 8th had raised his Pretentions to that impudent pitch that he declared all Power both Ecclesiastical and Civil was derived from him and established that as an Article of Faith necessary to Salvation and he and his Successors took upon them to dispose of all Ecclesiastical Benefices by their Bulls and Provisions Upon which Laws were made in England restraining those Invasions on the Crown since those Endowments were made for informing the People of the Law of God and for Hospitality and Acts of Charity which were defeated 25. Ed. 1 as well as the Crown was disinherited by the Provisions which the Popes granted Therefore they condemned them for the future but no Punishment being declared for the Transgressors of that Fact the Courtiers at Rome were not frighted at so general a Law so these Abuses were still continued But in Edward the Third's time 25. Ed. 3 a more severe Law was made by which all that transgressed were to be imprisoned to be fined at pleasure and to forfeit all their Benefices By an other Act they were put out of the King's Protection Several other Confirmations of this were made both in that Reign and under Richard the Second and the former Punishments were extended not only to the Provisors themselves but to all that were imployed by them or took Farms of them and because Licences might be granted by the King for Aliens to hold Benefices in England he did bind himself to grant none Others took both Presentations in England and obtained Provisions from Rome which was likewise condemned The Right of Prefentations was tried only in the King's Courts but the Popes had a mind to take the Cognizance of that to their own Courts upon which the Parliament considering the great Prejudice the Nation was like to suffer and the Subjection that the Crown would fall under resolved to provide effectual Remedies so all the Commons declared they would live and die with the King 16. Ric. 2. and desired him to examine all the Lords whether they would uphold the Regality of the Crown The Temporal Lords declared they would do it But the Spiritual Lords made some difficulty yet in Conclusion they also promised they would adhere to the Crown So a Law passed that if any purchased Translations Excommunications or Bulls from Rome that were contrary to the King or his Crown they and all that brought them over or that received or executed them were declared to be out of the King's Protection and that their Goods and Chattels should be forfeited to the King and their Persons imprisoned And because the Proceedings upon this were by a Writ called from the most material Words of it Premunire facias this Statute carried the name of the Statute of Premunire There was also a Law passed in Henry the Fourth's Reign against some Bulls which the Cistertians had procured and against the high Rates set on Bulls in the Apostolick Chamber and whereas the King had been prevailed with to give Licences for some Bulls by which the Provisors put the Incumbents out of their Benefices these were all declared to be of no force when done in prejudice of the Subjects Rights The Invasions that both the Popes and Kings made upon Elections were by another Law condemned and the Liberty of Elections was again set up But those Kings being more concerned to preserve their own Prerogative than the Rights of their People were often prevailed with to grant Pardons and Licences to those who obtained Provisions at Rome so these were all again condemned in Henry the Fifth's time In all this time 4. Hen. 5. the weakness of the Papacy gave Princes some Advantages which they had not in former Ages for a great while the Popes sate at Avignion where they were much eclipsed of their former Greatness After that a Schism followed between the Popes that sate at Rome and those that still sate at Avignion and the Princes of Christendom being then at liberty to choose which of those they would acknowledg the Popes durst not thunder against those Laws as they had done in former times upon much less Provocation And indeed all the use that the Kings made of them was to oblige the Provisors to come and depend on them for their Licence to execute their Bulls and the King's Authority being joyned with the Popes it was hard for those who were oppressed to resist that double force Nor was there any vigorous Execution made of those Laws otherwayes than to draw Mony from the Provisors For it fell out in this case what is ordinary on all such occasions that Favourites make use of good Laws by which Power is trusted to the Prince for the Protection and Security of the Subjects only for their own ends It was a strange weakness in the Princes of Christendom to take such pains as was done at Constance for healing the Breach in the Papacy for while that continued they reigned in peace and the Clergy was less oppressed than formerly But that being once made up the Popes were beginning again to raise their old Pretentions And Pope Martin the 5th not being willing to engage with so high spirited a King as Henry the 5th was he took Advantage in the Minority of Henry the Sixth's Reign 6. Hen. 6. to propose a Repeal of those Laws and first wrote very severely to Chichely then Archbishop of Canterbury for not opposing the Statute of Provisors that had passed in the former Reign nor standing up for the Rights of St. Peter He therefore exhorted him to imitate his Predecessor Thomas Becket and required him to declare at the next Parliament the unlawfulness of it and that all who obeyed it were under Excommunication He also required him to order the Clergy to preach every where against it Yet Chichely did not proceed so zealously as the Pope expected and therefore he suspended his Legatine Power The Archbishop appealed upon this from the Pope to the next General Council or if none met to the Tribunal of God But the Pope wrote also to the Clergy requiring them to do what in them lay for the repeal of the Statute And in another Letter to the two Archbishops in which in spite to Chicheley York is first named he annulled the Statutes made by Edward the Third and Richard the Second and declared all to be excommunicated that executed them reserving the absolution of them to himself unless they were at the point of death And he required them to publish and affix this his Monitory Brief The Archbishop humbled himself to the Pope and got the other Bishops and the University of Oxford to write in his
gave the King content the late Act against Annats should not be put in Execution The Cardinal of Ravenna was then considered as an Oracle for Learning in the Consistory Some Cardinals corrupted so the King's Agents resolved to gain him with great Promises but he said Princes were liberal of their Promises till their turn was served and then forgot them so he resolved to make sure work therefore he made Bennet give him a Promise in writing of the Bishoprick of Ely or the first Bishoprick that fell till that was vacant and he also engaged that the King should procure him Benefices in France to the value of 6000 Ducats a Year for the Service he should do him in his Divorce This was an Argument of so great Efficacy with the Cardinal that it absolutely turned him from being a great Enemy to be as great a Promoter of the King's Cause tho very artificially Several other Cardinals were also prevailed with by the same Topicks The King's Agents put in his Plea of Excuse in 28 Articles and it was ordered that three of them should be discussed at a hearing before the Consistory till they should be all examined But that Court sitting once a Week the Imperialists after some of them were heard procured an Order that the rest should be heard in a Congregation or Committee of Cardinals before the Pope for greater Dispatch but Karn refused to obey this and so it was referred back to the Consistory But against this the Imperialists protested and refused to appear any more News were brought to Rome from England that a Priest that had preached up the Pope's Power was cast into Prison and that one committed by the Archbishop for Heresy appealed to the King as supream Head which was received and judged in the King's Courts The Pope made great Complaints upon this but the King's Agents said the best way to prevent the like for the future was to do the King Justice At this time a Bull was granted for suppressing some Monasteries and erecting new Bishopricks out of them Chester was to be one and the Cardinal of Revenna was so pleased with the Revenue designed for it that he laid his hand upon it till Ely should happen to fall vacant In conclusion the Pope seemed to favour the King's Plea Excusatory upon which the Imperialists made great Complaints But this amounted to no more save that the King was not bound to appear in Person Therefore the Cardinals that were gained advised the King to send over a Proxy for answering to the merits of the Cause and not to lose more time in that Dilatory Plea and they having declared themselves against the King in that Plea before the bargain had been made with them could with the better credit serve him in the other So the Vacation coming on it was resolved by the Cardinals neither to admit nor reject the Plea But both the Pope and the Colledg wrote to the King to send over a Proxy for determining the matter next Winter Bonner was also sent to England to assure the King that the Pope was now so much in the French Interest that he might confidently refer his matter to him but whereas the King desired a Commission to judg in partibus upon the place it was said that the Point to be judged being the Pope's Authority to dispense with the King's Marriage that could not be referred to Legates but must needs be judged in the Consistory At this time a new Session of Parliament was called in England The Clergy gave in an Answer to the Complaints made of them by the Commons in the former Sessions A Session of Parliament But when the King gave it to the Speaker he complained that one Temse a Member of their House had moved for an Address to the King that the Queen might be again brought back to the Court The King said it touched his Conscience and was not a thing that could be determined in that House He wished his Marriage were good but many Divines had declared it unlawful He did not make his Suit out of Lust or foolish Appetite being then past the Heats of Youth he assured them his Conscience was troubled and desired them to report that to the House Many of the Lords came down to the House of Commons and told them the King intended to build some Forts on the Borders of Scotland to secure the Nation from the Inroads of the Scots and the Lords approving of this sent them to propose it to the Commons upon which a Subsidy was voted but upon the breaking out of the Plague the Parliament was prorogued before the Act was finished The Oaths which the Bishops swore both to the Pope and the King At that time the King sent for the Speaker of the House of Commons and told him he found that the Prelates were but half Subjects for they swore at their Consecration an Oath to the Pope that was inconsistent with their Allegiance and Oath to the King By their Oath to the Pope they swore to be in no Council against him nor to disclose his Secrets but to maintain the Papacy and the Regalities of S. Peter against all Men together with the Rights and Authorities of the Church of Rome and that they should honourably entreat the Legats of the Apostolick See and observe all the Decrees Sentences Provisions and Commandments of that See and yearly either in Person or by Proxy visit the Thresholds of the Apostles In their Oath to the King they renounced all Clauses in their Bulls contrary to the King 's Royal Dignity and did swear to be faithful to him and to live and die with him against all others and to keep his Counsel acknowledging that they held their Bishopricks only of him By these it appeared that they could not keep both those Oaths in case a Breach should fall out between the King and the Pope But the Plague broke off the Consultations of Parliament at this time Soon after Sir Thomas More seeing a Rupture with Rome coming on so fast More quits his Office desired leave to lay down his Office which was upon that conferred on Sir Tho. Audley He was satisfied with the King 's keeping up the Laws formerly made in Opposition to the Papal Incroachments and so had concured in the Suit of the Premunire but now the matter went further and so he not being able to keep pace with the Counsels returned to a private Life with a Greatness of Mind equal to what the ancient Greeks or Romans had expressed on such Occasions Endeavours were used to fasten some Imputations on him in the Distribution of Justice but nothing could be brought against him to blemish his Integrity An Enterveiw followed between the Kings of France and England to which An Interview between the King of France England Ann Bolleyn now Marchioness of Pembrook was carried In which after the first Ceremonies and Magnificence was over Francis promised Henry to
second him in his Suit He encouraged him to proceed to a second Marriage without more adoe and assured him he would stand by him in it And told him he intended to restrain the payment of Annats to Rome and would ask of the Pope a Redress of that and other Grievances and if it was denied he would seek other Remedies in a Provincial Council An Enterview was proposed between the Pope and Him to which he desired the King go with him and King the was not unwilling to it if he could have assurance that his Business would be finally determined The Pope offered to the King to send a Legate to any indifferent place out of England to form the Process reserving only the giving Sentence to himself And proposed to him and all Princes a General Truce that so he might call a General Council The King answered that such was the present State of the Affairs of Europe that it was not seasonable to call a General Council that it was contrary to his Prerogative to send a Proxy to appear at Rome That by the Decrees of General Councils all Causes ought to be judged on the place and by a Provincial Council and that it was fitter to judge it in Engiand than any where else And that by his Coronation Oath he was bound to maintain the Dignities of his Crown and the Rights of his Subjects and not to appear before any forraign Court So Sir Thomas Elliot was sent over with Instructions to move that the cause might be judged in England Yet if the Pope had real Intentions of giving the King full Satisfaction he was not to insist on that And to make the Cardinal of Ravenna sure he sent him the offer of the Bishoprick of Coventry and Litchfield Nov. 14. The King marries Ann Bolleyn then vacant Soon after this the King married Ann Bolleyn Rowland Lee afterwards Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield did officiate none being present but the Duke of Norfolk and her Father her Mother and her Brother and Cranmer It was thought that the former Marriage being null of it self the King might proceed to another And perhaps they hoped that as the Pope had formerly proposed this Method so he would now approve of it But tho the Pope had joyned himself to France yet he was still so much in fear of the Emperour that he resolved not to provoke him and so was not wrought on by any of the Expedients which Bennet proposed which were either to judge the Cause in England according to the Council of Nice or to refer it to the Arbitration of some to be named by the King and the King of France and the Pope for all these he said tended to the Diminution of the Papal Power A new Citation was issued out for the King to answer to the Queen's Complaints but the King's Agents protested that he was a Soveraign Prince that England was a free Church over which the Pope had no just Authority and that the King could expect no Justice at Rome where the Empeperours Power was so great At this time the Parliament met again and past an Act The Parliament condemns Appeals to Rome condemning all Appeals to Rome In it they set forth That the Crown was Imperial and that the Nation was a compleat Body having full Power to do Justice in all Cases both Spiritual and Temporal And that as former Kings had maintained the Liberties of the Kingdom against the Usurpations of the See of Rome so they found the great Inconveniencies of allowing Appeals in Matrimonial Causes That they put them to great Charges and accasioned many Delayes Therefore they enacted That thereafter those should be all judged within the Kingdom and no regard should be had to any Appeals to Rome or Censures from it But Sentences given in England were to have their full Effect and all that executed any Censures from Rome were to incur the pains of Premunire Appeals were to be from the Arch-deacon to the Bishop and from him to the Archbishop And in the Causes that concerned the King the Appeal was to be to the upper House or Convocation There was now a new Archbishop of Canterbury Cranmer made Archbishop of Canterbury Warham died the former Year He was a great Patron of Learning a good Canonist and wise States-man but was a cruel Persecutor of Hereticks and inclined to believe Fanatical Stories Cranmer was then in Germany disputing in the King's Cause with some of the Emperour 's Divines The King resolved to advance him to that Dignity and sent him word of it that so he might make haste over But a Promotion so far above his Thoughts had not its common Effects on him He had a true and primitive Sense of so great a Charge and instead of aspiring to it he was afraid of it he both returned very slowly to England and used all his Endeavours to be excused from that Advancement But this declining of Preferment being a thing of which the Clergy of that Age were so little guilty discovered That he had Maximes very far different from most Church-men Bulls were sent for to Rome in order to his Consecration which the Pope granted tho it could not be very grateful to him to send them to one who had so publickly disputed against his Power of dispensing all the Composition that was payed for them was but 900 Ducats which was perhaps according to the Regulation made in the Act against Annats There were 9 several Bulls sent over one confirming the King's Nomination a Second requiring him to accept it a Third absolving him from Censures a Fourth to the Suffragan Bishops a Fifth to the Dean and Chapter a Sixth to the Clergy a Seventh to the Laity an Eighth to the Tenants of the See requiring all these to receive him to be their Archbishop a Ninth requiring some Bishops to consecrate him the Tenth gave him the Pall and by the Eleventh the Archbishop of York was required to put it on him The putting all this in so many different Bulls was a good Contrivance for raising the Rents of the Apostolick Chamber On the 30 of March Cranmer was consecrated by the Bishops of Lincoln Exeter and St. Asaph The Oath to the Pope was of hard Digestion So he made a Protestation before he took it that he conceived himself not bound up by it in any thing that was contrary to his Duty to God to his King or Country and he repeated this when he took it so that if this seemed too artificial for a Man of his sincerity yet he acted in it fairly The Convocation condemns the King's Marriage and above Board The Convocation had then two Questions before them the first was Concerning the Lawfulness of the King's Marriage and the Validity of the Pope's Dispensation the other was of Matter of Fact Whether P. Arthur had consummated the Marriage or not For the first the Judgments of 19 Universities were read and after a
long Debate there being 23 only in the Lower House 14 were against the Marriage and 7 for it and two voted dubiously In the upper House Stokesly Bishop of London and Fisher maintained the Debate long the one for the Affirmitive and the other the Negative At last it was carried Nemine contradicente the few that were of the other side it seems withdrawing against the Marriage 216 being present For the other that concerned matter of Fact it was referred to the Canonists and they all except five or six reported That the Presumptions were violent and these in a matter not capable of plain proof were alwayes received in Law The smal number in the Lower and the far greater number in the upper House of Convocation makes it probable that then not only Bishops but all Abbots Priors Deans and Arch-deacons sate in the upper House for they were all called Prelates and had their Writs to sit in a General Council as appears by the Records of the fourth Council in the Lateran and the Council at Vienna and so them might well sit in the upper House And perhaps the two Houses of Convocation were taken from the Patern of the two Houses of Parliament and so none might sit in the lower House but such as were chosen to represent the Inferiour Clergy The Books of Convocation are now lost having perished in the Fire of London but the Author of Antiquitaies Britannicae who lived in that time is of that great credit that we may well depend upon his Testimony Cranmer gives the final Sentence The Convocation having thus judged in the matter the Ceremoy of pronouncing the Divorce judicially was now only wanting The new Queen began to have big a Belly which was a great Evidence of her living chastly before that with the King On Easter Eve she was declared Queen of England And soon after Cranmer with Gardiner who was made upon Wolsey's death Bishop of Winchester and the Bishops of London Lincoln Bath and Wells with many Divines and Canonists went to Dunstable Queen Katherine living then near it at Ampthil The King and Queen were cited he appeared by Proxy but the Queen refused to take any notice of the Court So after three Citations she was declared Contumax and all the Merits of the Cause formerly mentioned were examined At last on the 23 of May Sentence was given declaring the Marriage to have been null from the beginning Among the Archbishops Titles in the beginning of the Judgment he is called Legate of the Apostolick See which perhaps was added to give it the more force in Law Some days after this he gave another Judgment confirming the King's Marriage with Queen Ann and on the first of June she was Crowned Queen This was variously censured It was said Censures past upon it that in the Intervals of a General Council the asking the Opinions of so many Universities and Learned Men was the only sure way to find out the Tradition of the Church And a Provincial Council had sufficient Authority to judge in this Case Yet many thought the Sentence dissolving the first Marriage should have preceded the second And it being contracted before the first was Legally annulled there was great colour given to question the Validity of it But it was answered That since the first was judged null of it self there was no need of a Sentence Declaratory but only for form Yet it was thought either there ought to have been no Sentence past at all or it should have been before the second Marriage Some objected That Cranmer having appeared so much against the Marriage was no competent Judge but it was said that as Popes are not bound by the Opinions they held when they were private Men so he having changed his Character could not be challenged on that account but might give Sentence as Judges decide Causes in which they formerly gave Counsel And indeed the Convocation had judged the Cause he only gave Sentence in form of Law The World wondered at the Pope's Stiffness but he often confessed he understood not those matters only he was afraid of provoking the Emperour or of giving the Lutherans advantage to say that one Pope condemned that with which another had dispensed All People admired Q. Ann's conduct who in a course of so many Years managed a King's Spirit that was so violent in such a manner as neither to surfeit him with too many Favours nor to provoke him with too much Rigour and her being so soon with Child gave hopes of a mumerous Issue They that loved the Reformation lookt for better dayes under her Protection but many Priests and Friars both in Sermons and Discourses condemned the King's Proceedings The King sent Ambassadours to all Courts to justify what he had done He sent also some to Queen Katherine to charge her to assume no other Title but that of Princess Dowager and to give her hopes of puting her Daughter next in the Succession to the Crown after his Issue by the present Queen if she would submit her self to his Will but she would not yield she said she would not take that Infamy on her self and so resolved that none should serve about her that did not treat her as Queen All her Servants adhered so to her Interest that no Threatnings nor Promises could work on them And the stir which the King kept in this matter was thought below his Greatness and seemed to be set on by a Woman's Resentments for since she was deprived of the Majesty of a Crown the Pageantry of a Title was not worth the noise that was made about it The Emperour seemed big with Resentments The French King was colder then the King expected yet he promised to intercede with the Pope and the Cardinals on his account But he was now so entirely gained by the Pope That he resolved not to involve himself in the King's Quarrel as a Party And he also gave over the Designs he once had of setting up a Patriarch in France for the Pope granted him so great a Power over his own Clergy that he could not desire more With this the Emperour was not a little pleased for this was like to separate those two Kings whose Conjunction had been so hurtful to him At Rome the Cardinals of the Imperial Faction The proceedings at Rome upon it complained much of the Attempt made on the Pope's Power since a Sentence was given in England in a Process depending at Rome so they prest the Pope to proceed to Censures But instead of putting the matter past reconciling there was only Sentence given annulling all that the Archbishop of Canterbury had done and the King was required under the pain of Excommunication to put things again in the state in which they were formerly and this was affixed at Dunkirk The King sent a great Embassy to Francis who was then setting out to Marseilles where the Pope was to meet him Their Errand was to disswade him from the
Journey unless the Pope would promise to give the King Satisfaction The King of France said he was engaged in Honour to go on but assured them he would mind the King 's Concerns with as much Zeal as if they were his own In September the Queen brought forth a Daughter the renowned Queen Elizabeth and the King having before declared Lady Mary Princess of Wales Sept 7. Q. Elizabeth born did now the same for her Tho since a Son might put her from it she could not be Heir Apparent but only the Heir Presumptive to the Crown At Marseilles the Marriage was made up between the Duke of Orleans and the Pope's Neece to whom the Pope gave besides 100000 Crowns many Principalities which he pretended were either Fiefs of the Papacy or belonged to him in the Rights of the House of Medici The Pope's Historian with some Triumph boasted that the Marriage was Consummated that very Night tho it was thought not credible that P. Arthur that was Nine Months older than the new Duke of Orleans afterwards Henry the Second did Consummate his There was a secret Agreement made between the Pope and Francis that if King Henry would refer his Cause to the Consistory excepting only to the Cardinals of the Imperial Faction as partial and would in all other things return to his Obedience to the See of Rome The Pore promises to satisfy K. Henry then Sentence should be given in his Favours but this to be kept secret So Bonner not being trusted with it and sent thither with an Appeal from the Pope to the next General Council made it with great boldness and threatned the Pope upon it with so much Vehemence that the Pope talked of throwing him into a Cauldron of melted Lead or burning him alive And he apprehending some danger fled away privately But when Francis came back to Paris he sent over the Bishop of that City to the King to let him know what he had obtained of the Pope in his Favours and the Terms on which it was promised This wrought so much on the King that he presently consented to them And upon that the Bishop of Paris tho it was now in the middle of Winter took Journey to Rome being sure of the Scarlet if he could be the Instrument of regaining England which was then upon the point of being lost What these Assurances were which the Pope gave is not certain but the Archbishop of York and Tenstal of Duresm in a Letter which they wrote on that Occasion say that the Pope said at Marseilles That if the King would send a Proxy to Rome he would give Sentence for him against the Queen for he knew his Cause was good and just Upon the Bishop of Paris's coming to Rome the matter seemed agreed for it was promised that upon the King 's sending a Promise under his hand to put things in their former state and his ordering a Proxy to appear for him Judges should be sent to Cambray for making the Process and then Sentence should be given Upon the notice given of this and of a Day that was prefixt for the return of the Courier the King dispatched him with all possible hast and now the Business seemed at an end But the Courier had a Sea and the Alps to pass and in Winter it was not easy to observe a limited day so exactly This made that he came not to Rome on the prefixed day upon which the Imperialists gave out that the King was abusing the Pope's Easiness so they prest him vehemently to proceed to a Sentence The Bishop of Paris moved only for a delay of six days which was no unreasonable time in that Season and in favours of such a King who had a Suit depending six Days and since he had Patience so many Years the delay of a few days was no extraordinary Favour But the design of the Imperialists was to hinder a Reconciliation for if the King had been set right with the Pope there would have been so powerful a League formed against the Emperour as would have broke all his Measures And therefore it was necessary for his Designes to imbroil them It was also said That the King was seeking Delayes and Concessions meerly to delude the Pope and that he had proceeded so far in his Design against that See that it was necessary to go on to Censures And the angry Pope was so provoked by them and by the News that he heard out of England that without consulting his ordinary Prudence he brought in the matter to the Consistory and there the Imperialists being the greater number it was driven on with so much Precipitation that they did in on day that which according to Form should have been done in three They gave the final Sentence declaring the King's Marriage with Queen Katherine good and required him to live with her as his Wife 23. March But proceeds hastily to a Sentence otherwise they would proceed to Censures Two days after that the Courier came with the King's Submission in due form He also brought earnest Letters from Francis in the King's Favours This wrought on all the indifferent Cardinals as well as those of the French Faction So they praied the Pope to recall what was done A new Consistory was called but the Imperialists prest with greater Vehemence then ever that they would not give such Scandal to the World as to recall a definitive Sentence past of the validity of a Marriage and give the Hereticks such Advantages by their unsteadiness in matters of that nature And so it was carried that the former Sentence should take place and the Execution of it was committed to the Emperour When this was known in England it determined the King in his Resolutions of shaking off the Pope's Yoke in which he had made so great a Progress that the Parliament had past all the Acts concerning it before he had the News from Rome For he judged that the best way to Peace was to let them at Rome see with what vigour he could make War All the rest of the World lookt on astonished to see the Court of Rome throw off England with so much scorn as if they had been weary of the Obedience and Profits of so great a Kingdom and their Proceedings look'd as if they had been secretly directed by a Divine Providence that designed to draw great Consequences from this Rupture and did so far infatuate those that were most concerned to prevent it that they needlesly drew it on themselves In England they had been now examining the Foundations on which the Papal Authority was built The â—rguments used for rejecting the Pope's Power with extraordinary Care for some Years and several Books being then and soon after written on that Subject the Reader will be able to see better into the Reasons of their Proceedings by a short Abstract of these All the Apostles were made equal in the Powers that Christ gave them and he often condemned
their Contests about Superiority but never declared in St. Peter's Favour St. Paul withstood him to his Face and reckoned himself not inferour to him If the Dignity of a Person left any Authority with the City in which he sat then Antioch must carry it as well as Rome and Jerusalem where Christ suffered was to be prefererd to all the World for it was truly the Mother-Church Christ said to Peter Vpon this Rock will I build my Church The Ancients understood by the Rock either the Confession Peter had made or which is all one upon the matter Christ himself and tho it were to be meant of St. Peter all the rest of the Apostles are also called Foundations that of Tell the Church was by many Doctors of the Church of Rome turned against the Pope for a General Council The other Priviledges ascribed to St. Peter were either only a precedence of Order or were occasioned by his Fall as that Feed my Sheep it being a restoring him to the Apostolical Function St. Peter had also a limited Province the Circumcision as St. Paul had the Uncircumcision that was of far greater extent which shewed that he was not considered as the Universal Pastor In the Primitive Church St. Cyprian and other Bishops wrote to the Bishops of Rome as to their fellow Bishop Colleague and Brother they were against Appeals to Rome and did not submit to their Definition and in plain Terms asserted that all Bishops were equal in Power as the Apostles had been It is true the Dignity of the City made the Bishops of Rome to be much esteemed yet in the first Council of Nice the Bishops of Alexandria and Antioch were declared to have the same Authority in the Countries about them that the Bishops of Rome had over those that lay about them It is true the East being over-run with Arrianism from which the West was better preserved the oppressed Eastern Bishops did take shelter in the Protection the Bishops of Rome gave them and as is natural to all People they magnified that Authority which was so useful to them But the second General Council indirectly condemned all Appeals to Rome for it decreed that every Province should be governed by its own Synod and allowed no higher Appeal but to the Bishops of the Diocess Constantinople being made the Imperial City the second and fourth General Council gave it equal Priviledges with Rome because it was new Rome which shews that the Dignity of the Sees flowed from the greatness of the Cities The African Churches condemned all Appeals to Rome and the Popes who complained of that pretended only to a Canon of the Council of Nice for it and then they did not talk of a Divine Right but search being made into all the Copies of the Canons of the Council that was found to be a Forgery When the Emperour Mauricius gave the Title Vniversal Bishop to the Patriarch of Constantinple Gregory the Great complained of the Ambition of that Title which he calls equal to the Pride of Lucifer and since England received the Faith by those whom he sent over it appeared from thence what was the Doctrine of that See at that time and by consequence what where the first Impressions made on the English in that matter It is true Boniface the third got the same Title by Phocas's Grant and Boniface the eighth pretended to all Power both spiritual and temporal but the Progress of their Usurpations and the Wars raised to maintain them were very visible in History The Popes swore at their Consecrations to obey the Canons of the eighth first General Councils which are manifested against Appeals and their Universal Jurisdiction small regard is to be had to the Decrees of latter Councils being Cabals pack'd and managed as the Popes pleased Several Sees as Ravenna Milan and Aquileia pretended Exemption from the Papal Authority Many English Bishops had asserted that the Popes had no Authority against the Canons and to that day no Canon the Popes made was binding till it was received which shewed the Pope's Authority was not believed founded on a divine Authority and the Contests that the Kings of England had with the Pope's concerning Investitures Bishops doing the King Homage Appeals to Rome and the Authority of Papal Bulls and Provisions shewed that the Pope's Power was believed subject to Laws and Custom and so not derived from Christ and St. Peter and as Laws had given them some Power and Princes had bin forced in ignorant Ages to submit to their Usurpations so they might as they saw cause change those Laws and resume their Rights The next Point inquired into was And for the King's Supremacy the Authority that Kings had in matters of Religion and the Church The King of Israel judged in all Causes and Samuel called Saul the Head of the Tribes David made many Rules about the Service at the Temple and declaring to Solomon what his Power was 1 Chron. 28.21 2 Chron. 8.14 15. he told him that the Priests were wholly at his Command and it is also said that Solomon appointed the Priests their Charges in the Service of God and that they departed not from his Commandment in any matter he turned out one High-Priest and put another in his room Jehoshaphat Hezekiah and Josias made also Laws about Ecclesiastical Matters In the New Testament Christ was himself subject to the Civil Powers and charged his Disciples not to affect Temporal Dominion They also wrote to the Churches to be subject to the Higher Powers and call them Supream and charge every Soul to be subject to them so in Scripture the King is called Head and Supream and every Soul is said to be under him which joyn'd together makes up this Conclusion that He is the supream Head over all Persons In the Primitive Church the Bishops only made Rules or Canons but pretended to no compulsive Authority but what came from the Civil Magistrate The Roman Emperours called Councils presided in them and confirmed them and made many Laws concerning Ecclesiastical Matters so did also Charles the Great The Emperours did also either chuse the Popes themselves or confirm their Elections Church-men taking Orders were not thereby discharged from the Obedience they formerly owed their Princes but remained still Subjects And tho the Offices of the Church had peculiar Functions in which the People were subject to them that did not deliver them from their Obedience to the King as a Father's Authority over his Children cuts not off the King's Power over him They found also that in all times the Kings of England had assumed an Authority in Ecclesiastical Matters Ina Alfred Edgar and Canetus had made many Laws about them so had also most of the Kings since the Conquest which appeared particularly in the Articles of Clarendon and the Contests that followed upon them and from the daies of King Ina they had granted Exemptions to Monasteries from the Episcopal Jurisdiction down to William the
shake him a little but he said he thought in his Conscience that it would be a Sin in him and offered to take his Oath upon that and that he was not led by any other Consideration The Abbot of Westminster told him he ought to think his Conscience was misled since the Parliament was of another Mind an Argument well becoming a rich ignorant Abbot But More said if the Parliament of England was against him yet he believed all the rest of Christendom was on his side In conclusion both he and Fisher declared that they thought it was in the Power of the Parliament to settle the Succession to the Crown and so were ready to swear to that but they could not take the Oath that was tendred to them for by it they must swear to maintain all the Contents in the Act of Succession and in it the King 's former Marriage was declared unlawful to which they could not assent Cranmer press'd that this might be accepted for if they once swore to maintain the Succession it would conduce much to the Quiet of the Nation but sharper Counsels were more acceptable so they were both committed to the Tower and Pen Ink and Paper was kept from them The old Bishop was also hardly used both in his Cloaths and Diet he had only Rags to cover him and Fire was often denied him which was a Cruelty not capable of any Excuse and was as barbarous as it was imprudent In Winter another Session of Parliament was held the first Act that pass'd Another Session of Parliament declared the King to be the Supream Head on Earth of the Church of England and appointed that to be added to his other Titles and it was enacted that he and his Successors should have full Authority to reform all Heresies and Abuses in the Spiritual Jurisdiction By an other Act they confirmed the Oath of Succession which had not been specified in the former Act tho agreed to by the Lords They also gave the King the first Fruits and Tenthes of Ecclesiastical Benefices as being the Supream Head of the Church for the King being put in the Pope's room it was thought reasonable to give him the Annats which the Popes had formerly exacted The Temporalty were now willing to revenge themselves on the Spiritualty and to tax them as heavily as they had formerly tyrannized over them Another Act past declaring some things Treason one of these was the denying the King any of his Titles or the calling him Heretick Schismatick or Usurper of the Crown By another Act Provision was made for setting up 26 Suffragan Bishops over England for the more speedy Administration of the Sacraments and the better Service of God It is also said they had been formerly accustomed to be in the Kingdom The Bishop of the Diocess was to present two to the King and upon the King 's declaring his choice the Archbishop was to consecrate the Person and then the Bishop was to delegate such parts of his Charge to his Care as he thought fitting which was to last during his Pleasure These were the same that the Ancients called the Chorepiscopi who were at first the Bishops of some Villages but were afterwards put under the Jurisdiction of the Bishop of the next City They were set up before the Council of Nice and continued to be in the Church for many Ages but the Bishops devolving their whole Spiritual Power to them they were put down and a Decretal Epistle was forged in the name of P. Damasus condemning them The great Extent of the Diocesses in England made it hard for one Bishop to govern them with that Exactness that was necessary these were therefore appointed to assist them in the discharge of the Pastoral Care In this Parliament Subsidies were granted payable in three Years with the highest Preamble of their Happiness under the King's Government all those 24 Years in which he had reigned that Flattery could dictate Fisher and More by two special Acts were attainted of Misprision of Treason five other Clerks were in like manner condemned all for refusing to swear the Oath of Succession The See of Rochester was declared void yet it seems few were willing to succeed such a Man for it continued vacant two Years This Severity against them was censured by some as Extream since they were willing to swear to the Succession in other Terms so that it was merely a point of Conscience in which the common Safety was not concerned at which they stuck and it was thought the prosecuting them in this manner would so raise their Credit that it might endanger the Government more than any Opposition which they could make But now that the King entered upon a new Scene The Progress the New Doctrines made in England it will be necessary to open the Progress that the new Opinions had made in England all the time of the King's Suit of Divorce During Wolsey's Ministry those Preachers were gently used and it is probable the King ordered the Bishops to give over their enquiring after them when the Pope began to use him ill for the Progress of Heresy was always reckoned up at Rome among the Mischiefs that would follow upon the Pope's denying the King's Desires But More coming into Favour he offered new Counsels he thought the King 's proceeding severely against Hereticks would be so meritorious at Rome that it would work more effectually than all his Treatnings had done so a severe Proclamation was issued out both against their Books and Persons ordering all the Laws against them to be put in Execution Tindall and some others at Antwerp were every Year either translating or writing Books against some of the received Errors and sending them over to England But his Translation of the New Testament gave the greatest Wound and was much complained of by the Clergy as full of Errors Tonstall then Bp of London being a Man of great Learning and Vertue which is generally accompanied with much Moderation returning from the Treaty of Cambray to which More and he were sent in the King's Name as he came through Antwerp dealt with an English Merchant that was secretly a Friend of Tindall's to procure him as many of his New Testaments as could be had for Mony Tindall was glad of this for being about a more correct Edition he found he would be better enabled to set about it if the Copies of the Old were sold off so he gave the Merchant all he had and Tonstall paying the Price of them got them in his hands and burnt them publickly in Cheapside This was called a burning of the Word of God and it was said the Clergy had reason to revenge themselves on it for it had done them more Mischief than all other Books whatsoever But a Year after this the second Edition being sinished great Numbers were sent over to England and Constantine one of Tindall's Partners hapned to be taken so More believing that some of the
the latter of it self Grace was said to be offered to all Men but was made effectual by the Application of the Free-will to it and Grace and Free-will did consist well together the one being added for the help of the other and therefore Preachers were warned not to depress either of them too much in order to the Exaltation of the other Men were justified freely by the Grace of God but that was applied by Faith in which both the Fear of God Repentance and Amendment of Life were included All curious reasonings about Predestination were condemned for Men could not be assured of their Election but by feeling the Motions of God's Holy Spirit appearing in a good and a vertuous Life and persevering in that to the end Good Works were necessary which were not the Superstitious Inventions of Monks and Friars nor only moral Good Works done by the Power of Nature but were the Works of Charity flowing from a pure Heart and Faith unfeigned Fasting and the other Fruits of Pennance were also Good Works but of an Inferiour Nature to Justice and the other Vertues Good Works were meritorious yet since they were wrought in Men by God's Spirit all boasting was excluded They ended with an account of Prayer for Souls departed almost the same that was in the Articles published before The Book was writ in a plain and Masculine Stile fit for weak Capacities The Book is published and yet strong and weighty and the parts of it that related to Practice were admirable To this they added a Preface declaring the Care they had used in examining the Scriptures and Antient Doctors out of whom they compiled this Book The King added another Preface in which he condemned the Hypocrisy and Superstition of one sort and the Presumption of another sort to correct both he had ordered this Book to be made and published and he required his People to read and print it in their Hearts and to pray to God to grant them the Spirit of Humility for receiving it aright And he charged the Inferiour People to remember that their Office was not to teach but to be taught and to practise what they heard rather than dispute about it But this Preface was not added till two Years after the Book was put out for it mentions the Approbation that was given to it in Parliament and the Restraint that was put on reading the Scriptures of which an account shall be given afterwards The Reformers were dissatisfied with many things in the Book yet were glad to find the Morals of Religion so well opened for the Purity of Soul which that might effect would dispose People to sound Opinions many Superstitious Practices were also condemned and the Gospel-Covenant was rightly stated One Article was also asserted in it which opened the way to a further Reformation for every National Church was declared to be a compleat Body with Power to reform Heresies and do every thing that was necessary for preserving its own Purity or governing its Members The Popish Party thought they had recovered much Ground that seemed lost formerly They knew the Reformers would never submit to all things in this Book which would alienate the King from them but they were safe being resolved to comply with him in every thing and without doing that it was like to be somewhat uneasy to live in England for the King's Peevishness grew upon him with his Age. Now the Correspondence between the King and the German Princes fell upon the Change that was made in the Ministry and a secret Treaty was set on foot between the King and the Emperour All the Changes that the Committee appointed for the Ceremonies made was only the Rasure of some Offices and Collects and the setting out of a new Primer with the Vulgar Devotions for the Common People But the Changes were not so great as that it was necessary to reprint the Missals or Breviaries for the old Books were still made use of Yet these Rasures were such that in Queen Mary's time the old Books were all called in and the Nation was put to the Charge of buying new ones which was considerable so great was the Number of the Books of Offices The Popish Party studied now to engage the King into new Severities against the Reformers Barnes and others fall into Trouble the first Instances of these fell on three Preachers Barnes Gerrard and Jerome who had been early wrought on by Luther's Books Barnes had during Wolsey's Greatness reflected much on him in a Sermon which he preached at Cambridg but Gardiner was then his Friend and brought him off he having abjured some Articles that were objected to him yet upon new Complaints he was again put in Prison but he made his Escape and fled to Germany and became so considerable that he was sent over to England by the King of Denmark as Chaplain to his Ambassadours but he went back again The Bishop of Hereford meeting him at Smalcald sent him over to England with a special Recommendation to Cromwell he was after that much imployed in the Negotiations which the King had with the Germans and had the misfortune to be the first that was sent with the Proposition for Anne of Cleve In Lent this Year Bonner appointed those three to have their turns at St. Paul's Cross Gardiner preached also there and fell on Justification which he handled according to the Notions of the Schools But Barnes and the other two did directly refute his Sermon when it came to their turns to preach not without indecent Reflections on his Person This was represented to the King as a great Insolence he being both a Bishop and a Privy Counsellour so the King commanded them to go and give him Satisfaction he seemed to carry the matter with much Moderation and readily forgave all that was personal tho it was believed that it stuck deep in him In Conclusion they confessed their Indiscretion and promised for the future to be more cautious and renounced some Articles of which it was thought their Sermons savoured as that God was the Author of Sin that Good Works were not necessary to Salvation and that Princes ought not to be obeyed in all their just Laws Some other Niceties were in dispute concerning Justification but the King thought these were not of such Consequence that it was necessary to make them abjure them Barnes and his Friends were required to preach a Recantation Sermon at the Spittle and to ask Gardiner's Pardon but tho they obeyed this yet it was said that in one place they justified what they recanted in another at which the King was so much provoked that without hearing them he sent them to the Tower At that time Cromwell either could not protect them or would not interpose in a matter which gave the King so great Offence When the Parliament came they were attainted of Heresy without being brought to make their Answers no particular Errors were objected to them only they were
received the new Opinions Seaton a Dominican the King's Confessor preaching in Lent set out the Nature of true Repentance and the Method to it without mixing the Directions which the Friars commonly gave on that Subject and when another Friar shewed the defectiveness of what he had taught he defended himself in another Sermon and reflected on those Bishops that did not preach and called them dumb Dogs But the Clergy would not meddle with him till they found him in ill Terms with the King and the freedom he used in reproving him for his Vices quickly alienated the King from him upon which they resolved to fall on him but he withdrew into England and wrote to the King taxing the Clergy for their Cruelty and praying him to restrain it One Forrest an ignorant Benedictine was accused for having spoken Honourably of Patrick Hamilton and was put in Prison In Confession to a Friar he acknowledged he thought he was a good Man and that the Articles for which he was condemned might be defended The Friar discovered this and it was received as Evidence and upon it he was condemned and burnt Divers others were brought into the Bishop's Courts of whom the greatest part abjured but two were more resolute one Gourley denied Purgatory and the Pope's Authority another was David Smiton who being a Fisherman had refused to pay the Tithe of his Fish and when the Vicar came to take them he said the Tithe was taken where the Stock grew and therefore he threw the tenth Fish into the Sea For this and other Opinions he was condemned and they were both burnt at one Stake Several others were accused of whom some fled to England and others went over to Germany The Changes made in England raised in all the People a curiosity of searching into matters of Religion and that was always fatal to Superstition Pope Clement the 7th wrote earnestly to the King of Scotland to continue firm to the Catholick Faith Upon which he called a Parliament and made new Laws for maintaining the Pope's Authority and proceeding against Hereticks yet the Pope could not engage him to make War on England King Henry sent Barlow Bishop of St. Davids to him with some Books that were written in Defence of his Proceedings and desired him to examine them Impartially He also proposed the Enterview at York and a Match between him and Lady Mary the King 's eldest Daughter and promised that he should be made Duke of York and Lord Lieutenant of the whole Kingdom Yet the Clergy diverted him from this and perswaded him to go in Person to France and court the Daughter of that King Magdalene He married her in January 1537 but she died in May. She had been bred in the Queen of Navarre's Court and so was well disposed towards the Reformation Upon her Death the King married Mary of Guise she was a Branch of the Family of all Europe that was most zealously addicted to the old Superstition and her Interest joined with the Clergy's engaged the King to become a violent Persecuter of all that were of another mind The King was very expensive both in his Pleasures and Buildings and had a numerous Race of Bastards A Persecution set on foot in Scotland so that he came to want Mony much The Nobility proposed to him the seizing on the Abbey-Lands as his Uncle had done The Clergy on the other hand advised him to proceed severely against all suspected of Heresy By which means according to the Lists they shewed him he might raise 100000 Crowns a Year They also advised him to provide his Children to Abbies and Priories and represented to him That if he continued stedfast in the old Religion he would still have a great Party in England and might be made the Head of a League which was then in Project against King Henry This so far prevailed with him that as he made four of his Sons Abbots and Priors so he gave way to the persecuting Spirit of the Clergy Upon which many were cited to answer for Heresy of these many abjured and some were banisht A Canon Regular a Secular Priest two Friars and a Gentleman were burnt Forrest the Canon Regular had been reproved by his Ordinary the Bishop of Dunkell for meddling with the Scriptures too much He told him he had lived long and had never known what was in the Old or New Testament but contented himself with his Portoise and Pontifical and that he might come to repent it if he troubled himself with such Fancsies The Archbishop of Glasgow was a very moderate Man and disliked cruel Proceedings Russel a Friar and Kennedy a young Man of 18 Years of Age were brought before him they expressed wonderful Joy and a steady Resolution in their Sufferings And after a long dispute between Russel and the Bishop's Divines Russel concluded This is your Hour and the Power of Darkness go on and fill up the Measures of your Iniquities The Archbishop was unwilling to give Sentence he said he thought these Executions did the Church more Hurt than Good But those about him told him He must not take a Way different from the rest of the Bishops and threatned him so that he pronounced Sentence They were burned but they gave such Demonstrations of Patience and Joy as made no small Impression on all that saw it or heard of it Among those that were in trouble George Buchanan was one who at the King's Instigations had writ a very sharp Poem against the Franciscans but was now abandoned by him He made his Escape and lived 20 Years in Forraign Parts and at last returned to do his Country Honour and what by his Immortal Poems what by his History of Scotland he shewed both how great a Master he was in the Roman Tongue and how true a Judge he was both in Wit and in the Knowledge of Human Affairs if Passion had not corrupted him towards the end of his History that he is justly to be reckoned the greatest and best of the Modern Writers So much of the Affairs of Scotland the Author 's Native Country King Henry stayed not long at York The Queen 's ill Life is discovered since his Nephew came not to him He set out a Proclamation there inviting all that had been of late oppressed to come in and make their Complaints and he promised to repair them This was done to cast the Load of all past Errours upon Cromwel The King was mightily wrought on by the Charms of his Wife so that on the First of November he gave publick thanks to God for the happy Choice he had made But this did not last long for the next day Cranmer came and gave him an account of the Queen 's ill Life which one Lassells had revealed to him as having learnt it from his Sister She had been very lewd before her Marriage both with one Deirham and one Mannock Cranmer by the Advice of the other Privy Counsellors put this in Writing
all who gave Livings by Simoniacal bargains were declared to have forfeited their right of Patronage to the King A great charge was also given for the strict observation of the Lords Day which was appointed to be spent wholly in the service of GOD it not being enough to hear Mass or Mattins in the Morning and spend the rest of the Day in drunkenness and quarrelling as was commonly practised but it ought to be all imployed either in the duties of Religion or in acts of Charity only in time of Harvest they were allowed to work on that and other Festival days Direction was also given for the bidding of Prayers in which the King as Supreme head the Queen and the Kings Sisters the Protector and Council and all the Orders of the Kingdom were to be mentioned they were also to pray for departed souls that at the last day we with them might rest both body and soul There were also Injunctions given for the Bishops that they should preach four times a year in their Diocesses once in their Cathedral and thrice in any other Church unless they had a good excuse to the contrary that their Chaplains should preach often and that they should give Orders to none but those that were duly qualified These were variously censured The Clergy were only impowered to remove the abused Images Censures on ths Injunctions and the People were restrained from doing it but this authority being put in their hands it was thought they would be slow and backward in it It had been happy for this Church if all had agreed since that time to press the Religious observation of the Lords Day without starting needless questions about the Morality of it and the obligation of the fourth Commandment which has occasioned much dispute and heat and when one Party raised the obligation of that duty to a pitch that was not practicable it provoked others to slacken it too much and this produced many sharp reflections on both sides and has concluded in too common a neglect of that day which instead of being so great a bond and instrument of Religion as it ought to be is become generally a day of idleness and loosness The Corruptions of Lay Patrons and Simoniacal Priests have been often complained of but no Laws nor Provisions have ever been able to preserve the Church from this great mischief which can never be removed till Patrons look on their right to nominate one to the charge of Souls as a trust for which they are to render a severe account to God and till Priests are cured of their aspiring to that charge and look on it with dread and great caution The bidding of Prayers had been the custome in time of Popery for the Preacher after he had named his Text and shewed what was to be the method of his Sermon desired the People to joyn with him in a Prayer for a blessing upon it and told them likewise whom they were to pray for and then all the People said their Beads in silence and he kneeling down said his and from that this was called the bidding of the Beads In this new direction for them Order was given to repeat always the Kings Title of Supream Head that so the People hearing it often mentioned might grow better accustomed to it but when instead of a bidding Prayer an immediate one is come generally to be used that enumeration of Titles seems not so decent a thing nor is it now so necessary as it then was The prayer for departed souls was now moderated to be a prayer only for the consummation of their happiness at the last day whereas in King Henry's time they prayed that God would grant them the fruition of his presence which implied a Purgatory The Injunctions to the Bishops directing them to give Orders with great caution pointed out that by which only a Church can be preserved from Errors and Corruptions for when Bishops do easily upon recommendations or emendicated Titles confer Orders as a sort of favour that is at their disposal the ill effects of that must be fatal to the Church either by the Corruptions that those vicious Priests will be guilty of or by the Scandals which are given to some good minds by their means who are thereby disgusted at the Church for their sakes and so are disposed to be easily drawn into those Societies that separate from it The War with Scotland was now in consultation The War with Scotland but the Protector being apprehensive that France would engage in the quarrel sent over Sir Fr. Brian to congratulate with the new King to desire a confirmation of the last Peace and to complain of the Scots who had broken their Faith with the King in the matter of the Marriage of their Queen The French King refused to confirm the Treaty till some Articles should be first explained and so he disowned his Fathers Embassadour and for the Scots he said he could not forsake them if they were in distress The English alledged that Scotland was subject to England but the French had no regard to that and would not so much as look on the Records that were offer'd to prove it and said they would take things as they found them and not look back to a dispute of two hundred years old This made the English Council more fearful of engaging in a War which by all appearance would bring a War on them from France The Castle of St. Andrews was surrendred and all their Pensioners in Scotland were not able to do them great fervice The Scots were now much lifted up for as England was under an Infant King so the Court of France was governed by their Queen Dowagers Brothers The Scots began to make Inroads on England and Descents on Ireland Commissioners were sent to the Borders to treat on both sides and the Protector raised a great Army which he resolved to command in person But the meeting on the Borders was soon broke up for the Scots had no Instructions to treat concerning the Marriage and the English were ordered to treat of nothing else till that should be first agreed to And the Records that were shewed of the Homage done by the Scottish Kings to the English had no great effect for the Scots either said they were forged or forced from some weak Princes or were only Homages for their Lands in England as the Kings of England did Homage to the Crown of France for their Lands there They also shewed their Records by which their Ancestors had asserted that they were free and independent of England The Protector left Commissions of Lieutenancy to some of the Nobility August and devolved his own power during his absence on the Privy Council and came to the Borders by the end of August The Scots had abandoned the Passes so that he found no difficulty in his March and the small Forts that were in his way were surrendred upon Summons When the English advanced to
Beard and the holding a Candle to his Hand till the Veins and Sinews burst and these not prevailing to make him change he was at last burnt in Smithfield One Hunter an Apprentice not above XIX Years old was condemned and burnt on the same account Bonner was so much concerned to preserve him that he offered him Forty Pound to change so mercenary did he think other Mens consciences were measuring them probably by his own Two Gentlemen Causton and Higbed one Lawrence a Priest and two meaner Persons were burnt near their own Houses in Essex The Method in these and in all the other proceedings during the rest of this reign was summary and ex officio Upon complaints made Persons were imprisoned and Articles containing the Points for which they were suspected were offered to them which they were required to answer and if their answers were Heretical they were burnt for them without any thing being objected to them or proved against them Ferrar that had been Bishop of S. Davids was dealt with in the same manner by his Successor Morgan When he was condemned he appealed to Cardinal Pool but that had no other effect save that his Execution was stopt three Weeks Rawlins White a poor Fisherman was condemned by the Bishop of Landaffe and afterwards burnt Marsh a Priest was burnt at Chester and to the ordinary Cruelty of burning they added a new Invention of pouring melted Pitch on his Head One Flower a rash and furious Man wounded a Priest at S. Margaret's Westminster as he was officiating for which being seised on and found to be an Heretick he was condemned and burnt The fact was disapproved by all the Reformed and he became sincerely Penitent for it before he died After this for some Weeks there was a stop put to those severities The Queen about this time sent for her Treasurer The Queen restores the Church-Lands and some of the other Officers of her Revenue and told them that she thought her self bound in Conscience to restore all the Lands of the Church that were then in her hands she thought they were unlawfully acquired and that they could not be held by her without a sin therefore she declared she would have them disposed of as Cardinal Pool should think fit Some imputed this to a Bull set out by the Pope excommunicating all that kept any Lands belonging to Abbies or Churches This alarmed many in England but Gardiner pacified them and told them that Bull was made only for Germany and that no Bull did bind in England till it was received But this did not satisfie Inquisitive People for a sin in Germany was likewise a sin in England and if the Pope's authority came from Christ it ought to take place every where equally Pope Julius died in March Marcellus chosen Pope Paul the IV. succeeds and Marcellus was chosen to succeed him he turned his thoughts wholly to the Reformation of abuses He suffered none of his Nephews nor Kindred to come to Court and resolved effectually to put down Non-residence and Pluralities but he found it very difficult to bring about the good designs he had projected and that the Popes power was such that it was more easie for him to do mischief than good which made him once cry out That he did not see how any could be saved that sat in that Chair These things wrought so much on him that he sickned within Twelve Days of his Election and died Ten Days after that Upon his death the Queen endeavoured to engage the French to consent to the Promotion of Cardinal Pool which she did without his knowledge or approbation but at Rome they were so apprehensive of another Pope set on Reformations that they made hast in their choice and set up Caraffa called Paul the Fourth who was the most extravagantly ambitious and insolent Pope that had reigned of a great while On the day of his Election The English Ambassadours come to Rome the English Ambassadors entred Rome in great state having in their Train 140. Horse of their own Attendants but the Pope would not admit them to an Audience till they had accepted of a Grant of the Title of the Kingdom of Ireland for he pretended it belonged only to him to confer those Titles The Ambassadours it seems knew it was the Queen's mind that they should in every thing submit to the Pope and so took that grant from him Their Publick Audience was given in great Solemnity in which the Pope declared that in token of his pardoning the Nation he had added to the Crown the Title of the Kingdom of Ireland by that Supream Power which God had given him to destroy or to build Kingdomes at his pleasure But in private discourse he complained much that the Abbey-Lands were not restored He said it was beyond his power to confirm Sacriledge and all were obliged under the pains of damnation to restore to the last farthing every thing that belonged to the Church he said likewise that he would send over a Collector to gather the Peter-Pence for they could not expect that St. Peter would open Heaven to them so long as they denied him his rights upon Earth These were heavy tidings to the Lord Mountacute Sir Anthony Brown whose Estate consisted chiefly of Abbey-Lands that was one of the Ambassadours But the Pope would endure to contradiction and repeated this every time they came to him In England The English grow backward in the Persecution Orders were sent to the Justices to look narrowly to the Preachers of Heresie and to have secret Spies in every Parish for giving them Information of all Peoples behaviour This was imputed to the sowrness of Spanish Councils and seemed to be taken from that base practice of the Roman Emperours that had their Informers or Delatores that went into all Companies and accommodated themselves to all Men's Tempers till they had drawn them into some discourses against the State and thereby ruined them People grew so averse to Cruelty that Bonner himself finding how odious he was become and observing the slackness of the other Bishops refused not to meddle any further and burnt none in five Weeks time Upon which the Queen writ to him and required him to do the Office of a good Pastor and either to reclaim the Hereticks or to proceed against them according to Law and he quickly shewed how ready he was to mend his pace upon such an admonition In the beginning of May The Queens delivery in vain lookt for the Court was in expectation of the Queen's Delivery The Envoys were named that were to carry the good News to the neighbouring Courts the tidings of it did flye over England and Te Deum was sung upon it in several Cathedrals But it proved to be a false conception and all hopes of Issue by her vanished This tended much to alienate King Philip from her and he finding it more necessary to look after his Hereditary Crowns than to
Princes Both Ferdinand and the Duke of Bavaria appointed the Chalice to be given to the Laity in their Dominions at which the Pope stormed highly and threatned to depose them for that was his common stile when he was displeased with any Prince Charles the Fifth's Resignation The Resignation of Charles the Fifth which was begun this Year and compleated the next drew the Eyes of all Europe upon it He had enjoyed his Hereditary Dominions Forty years and the Empire Thirty six He had endured great Fatigues by the many Journies he had made Nine into Germany six into Spain seven into Italy four through France he was ten times in the Netherlands made two Expeditions to Africk and was twice in England and had crossed the Sea eleven times He had unusual success in his Wars he had taken a Pope a King of France and some German Princes Prisoners and had a vast accession of Wealth and Empire from the West-Indies but now as success followed him no more so he was much afflicted with the Gout and grew to be much out of love with the Pomp and Vanities of this World and so seriously to prepare for another Life He resigned all his Dominions with a greatness of mind that was much superiour to all his other Conquests He retired to a private Lodge of seven Rooms that he had ordered to be built for him in the confines of Portugal He kept only twelve Servants to wait upon him and reserved for his Expence 100000. Crowns Pension In this retreat he lived two years His first year was spent chiefly in Mechanical Inventions in which he took great pleasure from that he turned to the cultivating his Garden in which he used to work with those hands that now preferred the grafting and pruning Tools to Scepters and Swords But after that he addicted himself more to study and Devotion and did often discipline himself with a Cord. It was also believed that in many points he came to be of the Opinion of the Protestants before he died His Confessor was soon after his death burnt for Heresie and Miranda Archbishop of Toledo that conversed much with him at this time was clapt into Prison on the same suspicions At the end of two years he died having given a great Instance of a mind surfeited with the Glories of this World that sought for quiet in a private Cell which it had long in vain searched after in Palaces and Camps In March next Year came on Cranmer's Martyrdom Cranmer's sufferings In September last Brooks Bishop of Glocester came down with authority from Cardinal Pool to judge him with him two Delegates came to assist him in the King and Queen's Name When he was brought before them he payed the respect that was due to those that sat in the King and Queen's Name but would shew none to Brooks since he sat there by an authority derived from the Pope which he said he would never acknowledge He could not serve two Masters and since he had sworn Allegiance to the Crown he could never submit to the Pope's authority He also shewed that the Pope's power had been as unjustly used as it was ill grounded that they had changed the Laws setled by Christ which he instanced in denying the Chalice in the Worship in an unknown Tongue and in their pretences to a power to depose Princes he remembred Brooks that he had sworn to maintain the King's Supremacy and when he studied to cast that back on him as an invention of his he told him that it was acknowledged in his Predecessor Warham's time and that Brooks had then set his hand to it Brooks and the two Delegates Martin and Scory objected many things to him as that he had flattered King Henry that so he might be preferred by him and that he had condemned Lambert for denying the Presence in the Sacrament and had been afterwards guilty of the same Heresie himself But he vindicated himself from all aspirings to the See of Canterbury which appeared visibly by the slowness of his motions when he was called over out of Germany to be advanced to it for he was seven Weeks on his Journey He confessed he had changed his Opinion in the matter of the Sacrament and acknowledged that he had been twice married which he thought was free to all Men and was certainly much better than to defile other Men's Wives After much discourse had past on both sides Brooks required him to appear before the Pope within Eighty Days and answer to the things that should be objected to him he said he would do it most willingly but he could not possibly go if he were still kept a Prisoner In February this Year 14 Febr. Bonner and Thirleby were sent to degrade him for his Contumacy in not going to Rome when he was all the while kept in Prison He was clothed with all the Pontifical Robes made of Canvas and then they were taken from him according to the Ceremonies of degradation in which Bonner carried himself with all the Insolence that might have been expected from him Thirleby was a good natured Man and had been Cranmer's particular friend and performed his part in this Ceremony with great expressions of sorrow and shed many tears at it In all this Cranmer seemed very little concerned he said it was gross Injustice to condemn him for not going to Rome when he was shut up in Prison but he was not sorry to be thus cut off even with all this Pageantry from any relation to that Church he denied the Pope had any authority over him so he appealed from his Sentence to a free General Council But now many Engines were set on work to make him recant both English and Spanish Divines had many Conferences with him He Recants and great hopes were given him not only of Life but of Preferment if he would do it and these at last had a fatal effect upon him for he signed a Recantation of all his former Opinions and concluded it with a Protestation that he had done it freely only for the discharge of his Conscience But the Queen was resolved to make him a Sacrifice to her resentments she said it was good for his own Soul that he repented but since he had been the chief spreader of Heresie over the Nation it was necessary to make him a publick Example so the Writ was sent down to burn him and after some stop had been made in the Execution of it now Orders came for doing it suddenly This was kept from Cranmer's knowledge for they intended to carry him to the Stake without giving him any notice and so hoped to make him dye in despair yet he suspecting somewhat writ a long Paper containing a Confession of his Faith such as his Conscience and not his fears had dictated He was on the 21. He Repents and is burnt of March carried to St. Maries where Dr. Cole preached and vindicated the Queen's Justice in condemning Cranmer
in the Sacrament Pag. 79 Arguments against the Corporal Presence Pag. 81 Anabaptists in England Pag. 85 Two were burnt Pag. 84 The Doctrine of Predestination abused Pag. 87 Tumults in several parts of England ibid The Rebellion in Devonshire Pag. 89 And in Norfolk Pag. 91 The French begin a War ibid The Rebels every where routed Pag. 92 A Visitation at Cambridge Pag. 94 Bonner's Process Pag. 95 And Deprivation Pag. 100 Ill Success of the English Pag. 101 Several Expedients proposed Pag. 105 The Emperour refuses his Assistance Pag. 106 A Faction against the Protector Pag. 108 Which turns to a Publick Breach Pag. 110 The Protector 's Fall Pag. 112 The Emperour will not assist them Pag. 114 A Session of Parliament ibid 1550. The Duke of Somerset fined but restored into Favour Pag. 116 A Progress of the Roformation ibid. The Book of Ordinations put out Pag. 117 Pool chosen Pope but lost it Pag. 120 A Treaty with France Pag. 122 Ridley made Bishop of London Pag. 123 Gardiner 's Process Pag. 124 Latimer preaches at Court Pag. 126 Hooper made Bishop of Glocester has some Scruple concerning the Vestments ibid A review of the Common-Prayer Book Pag. 128 Bucer offers some Advices to the King Pag. 130 The King 's great Knowledg ibid Altars put down Pag. 131 Affairs of Scotland Pag. 132 And Germany Pag. 133 1551. The Popish Party comply generally Pag. 134 Bucer 's Death Pag. 135 Gardiner 's Deprivation Pag. 136 The Articles of Religion agreed on Pag. 138 Changes made in the Com. Prayer Book Pag. 139 Lady Mary in trouble for having Mass said Pag. 142 The Earl of Warwick's Designs Pag. 147 A Treaty for a Marriage to the King Pag. 149 The Duke of Somerset 's Fall Pag. 150 His Tryal Pag. 151 Rich gives up the Great Seal and it was given to the Bishop of Ely Pag. 154 The Duke of Somerset 's Execution Pag. 156 The Affairs of Germany Pag. 158 1552. A Session of Parliament Pag. 161 An Act against Vsury Pag. 164 A Repeal of the Settlement of the Duke of Somerset 's Estate Pag. 165 Tonstall is imprisoned Pag. 166 A Reformation of Ecclesiastical Laws Pag. 167 The Heads of it Pag. 169 The Poverty of the Clergy Pag. 174 Affairs in Ireland Pag. 175 A Change in the Garter Pag. 177 Northumberland's Severity Pag. 178 Trade flourishes much Pag. 179 Cardan in England Pag. 180 Affaires in Scotland Pag. 183 The Affairs in Germany Pag. 185 An Account of the Council of Trent Pag. 187 The Emperours Designs are blasted Pag. 189 1553. A Bill proposed that Laymen should not hold Church Dignities Pag. 191 An Act suppressing the Bishoprick of Durham ibid Another Visitation Pag. 192 Bishops made by the King's Patent Pag. 193 Affairs in Germany Pag. 194 The King's Sickness Pag. 196 The Patents for the Succes to the Crown Pag. 197 The King's Death and Character Pag. 199 BOOK III. The Life and Reign of Queen Mary QVeen Mary succeeds Pag. 203 But Lady Jane Gray is proclaimed Pag. 205 Censures past upon that Pag. 206 Many turn to Queen Mary Pag. 208 Northumberland marches against her Pag. 209 The Council declares for her Pag. 210 She comes to London Pag. 212 Her former Life ibid The Councils then laid down Pag. 214 Northumberland 's Trial Pag. 215 And Execution Pag. 216 King Edward 's Funeral Pag. 217 A Tumult at St. Pauls Pag. 218 Severe Proceedings against the Men of Suffolk and others Pag. 220 Particularly against Judge Hales Pag. 221 Cranmer 's Imprisonment Pag. 222 The Strangers driven out of England Pag. 224 The Popular Arts used by Gardiner Pag. 225 A Parliament meets and repeals several Laws Pag. 226 The Queen's Mother's Marriage confirmed Pag. 227 King Edward 's Laws about Religion repealed Pag. 229 The Duke of Norfolk's Attainder repealed Pag. 230 A Treaty for reconciling England to the Pope Pag. 232 And for a Match with the Prince of Spain Pag. 233 Pool 's Advices to the Queen Pag. 234 The Parliament opposes the Match and is dissolved Pag. 236 A Convocation meets and dispute about the Sacrament Pag. 237 1554. The Treaty of Marriage begun Pag. 241 Which provokes some to rebel Pag. 242 Lady Jane Gray's Execution Pag. 245 Several others suffered Pag. 247 The Imposture of the Spirit in the Wall Pag. 248 Iujunctions sent to the Bishops ibid. Many Bishops turned out Pag. 249 A new Parliament Pag. 251 A Proposition to make the Queen absolute Pag. 252 New Disputations at Oxford with Cranmer Pag. 254 The Prince of Spain lands and marries the Queen Pag. 258 The Bishops visit their Diocesses Pag. 261 Another Parliament Pag. 263 The Nation is reconciled to the See of Rome Pag. 264 Gardiner 's Policy in the steps of this Change Pag. 268 Consultations about the way of proceedings against Hereticks Pag. 269 1555. A Persecution is set on foot Pag. 271 Rogers and Hooper condemned and burnt Pag. 272 The Burnings much condemned Pag. 274 Arguments against them and for them Pag. 276 The Queen restores the Church-Lands Pag. 279 Marcellus chosen Pope Paul the 4th succeeds ibid. The English Ambassadors come to Rome Pag. 280 The English grow backward to Persecution Pag. 281 The Queen's Delivery in vain looked for Pag. 282 More Hereticks burnt ibid. Religious Houses set up Pag. 285 Sir Tho. More 's Works published ibid. Ridley and Latimer burnt Pag. 286 Gardiner 's Death Pag. 289 The Parliament ill pleas'd with the Queens conduct Pag. 290 Pool 's Decrees for the Reformation of the Clergie Pag. 293 He refuses to bring the Jesuits into England Pag. 295 More of the Reformed are burnt Pag. 296 Affairs in Germany ibid. Charles the 5th 's Resignation Pag. 297 1556. Cranmer 's Sufferings Pag. 298 He repents and is burnt Pag. 301 His Character Pag. 303 More Burnings Pag. 304 The Reformed encrease upon this Pag. 306 The Troubles at Frankford ibid. Pool made Arch-bishop of Canterbury Pag. 307 More Religious Houses ibid. The Pope sets on a War between France and Spain Pag. 309 1557. A Visitation of the Vniversities Pag. 311 A severe Inquisition of Hereticks Pag. 312 More Burnings Pag. 313 Lord Stourton hanged Pag. 315 The Queen joyns in a War against France Pag. 316 The Battel at St. Quintin Pag. 317 The Pope recals Pool Pag. 318 Affairs of Germany Pag. 320 1558. Calais and other Places taken by the French Pag. 322 Great Discontents in England Pag. 324 The Parliament meets Pag. 325 The Carriage and Vsage of L. Eliz. all this Reign ibid. Ill Success and strange Accidents Pag. 329 The Dauphin and the Q. of Scotland married Pag. 331 A Parliament in England Pag. 332 The Queens Death Pag. 333 Pool 's Death and Character ibid. The Queens Character Pag. 334 BOOK IV. QVeen Elizabeth proclaimed Pag. 337 The Queen came to London Pag. 338 Philip proposes Marriage to the Queen but in vain Pag. 339 The Counsels about changing Religion Pag. 340 A Scheme proposed Pag. 341 The Impatience of some Pag. 342 Parker
to the House of Commons and read there upon which Mony was granted for a War with France At this time Fox to support his Party against the Lord Treasurer endeavoured to bring Thomas Wolsey into favour Car. Wolfey's Rise he was of mean Extraction but had great Parts and a wonderful Dexterity in insinuating himself into Men's Favours so he being brought into Business did so manage the King that he became very quickly the Master of his Spirit and of all his Affairs and for fifteen Years continued to be the most absolute Favourite that had ever been seen in England He saw the King was much set on his Pleasures and had a great Aversion to business and the other Counsellours being unwilling to bear the load of Affairs were uneasy to him by pressing him to govern by his own Counsels but he knew the methods of Favourites better and so was not only easy but assistant to the King in his Pleasures and undertook to free him from the Trouble of Government and to give him leisure to follow his Appetites He was Master of all the Offices at home And Greatness and Treaties abroad so that all Affairs went as he directed them He it seems became soon obnoxious to Parliaments and therefore he tried but one during his Ministry where the Supply was granted so scantily that afterwards he chused rather to raise Mony by Loans and Benevolences than by the free gift of the People in Parliament He became so scandalous for his ill Life that he grew to be a Disgrace to his Profession for he not only served the King but also shared with him in his Pleasures which were unhappy to him for he was spoiled with Venerial Distempers He was first made Bishop of Tournay in Flanders then of Lincoln after that he was promoted to the See of York and had both the Abby of St. Albans and the Bishoprick of Bath and Wells in Commendam the last he afterwards exchanged for Duresm and upon Foxes death he quitted Duresm that he might take Winchester and besides all this the King by a special Grant gave him power to dispose of all the Ecclesiastical Preferments in England so that in effect he was the Pope of this other World as was said antiently of an Arch-bishop of Canterbury and no doubt but he copied skilfully enough after those Patterns that were set him at Rome Being made a Cardinal and setting up a Legatine Court he found it fit for his Ambition to have the Great Seal likewise that there might be no clashing between those two Jurisdictions He had in one word all the Qualities necessary for a Great Minister and all the Vices ordinary in a Great Favourite During this whole Raign the Duke 's of Norfolk Father and Son were Treasurers but that long and strange course of Favour in so ticklish a Time turn'd fatally upon the Son near the end of the King's Life But he that was the longest and greatest sharer in the King's Favour Charles Brandon's Advancément was Charles Brandon who from the degree of a private Gentleman was advanced to the highest Honors The strength of his Body and the gracefulness of his Person contributed more to his Rise than his Dexterity in Affairs or the Endowments of his Mind for the greatest Evidence he gave of his Understanding was that knowing he was not made for Business he did not pretend to it a Temper seldom observed by the Creatures of Favour The frame and strength of his Body made him a great Master in the Diversions of that Age Justs and Tiltings and a fit Match for the King or rather a Second to him who delighted mightily in them His Person was so acceptable to the Ladies that the King's Sister the Queen Dowager of France liked him and by a strange sort of making Love prefixed him a time for gaining her Consent to marry him and assured him if that he did not prevail within that time he might for ever despair She married him in France and the King after a shew of some Displeasure was pacified and continued his Favours to him not only during his Sister's Life but to the last and in all the Revolutions of the Court that followed in which every Minister fell by turns he still enjoyed his share in the King's Bounty and Affection so much happier it proved to be loved than trusted by him The King denied himself none of those Pleasures that are as much legitimated in Courts as they are condemned elsewhere but yet he declared no Mistriss but Elizabeth Blunt and owned no Issue but a Son he had by her whom he afterwards made Duke of Richmond The King's usage of his Parliaments He took great care never to imbroil himself with his Parliaments and he met with no Opposition in any except in that one which was during Cardinal Woolsey's Ministry in which 800000 l. being demanded for a War with France to be paid in four Years the debate about it rose very high and not above the half of it was offered so the Cardinal came into the House of Commons and desired to hear the Reasons of those who were against the Supply but he was told that it was against their Orders to speak to a Debate before any that was not of the House he was much disatisfied at this and cast the blame of it upon Sir Thomas Moor that was Speaker and after that he found out other means of supplying the King without Parliaments The King had been educated with more than ordinary Care The King's Education and Learning being then in its dawning after a night of long and gross Ignorance his Father had given Orders that both his elder Brother and he should be well instructed in matters of Knowledg not with any design to make him Arch-bishop of Canterbury for he had made small progress when his Brother Prince Arthur died being then but eleven Years old perhaps Henry the seventh felt the Prejudices of his own Education so much that he was more careful to have his Son better taught or may be he did it to amuze him and keep him from looking too early into matters of State The Learning then most in credit among the Clergy was the Scholastical Divinity which by a shew of Subtilty did recommend it self to curious Persons and being very sutable to a vain and contentious Temper was that which agreed best with his Disposition and it being likely to draw the most Flattery from Divines became the chief Subject of his Studies in which he grew not only to be Eminent for a Prince whose Knowledg tho ever so moderate will be admired by Flatterers as a Prodigy but he might really have past for a Learned Man had his Quality been ever so mean He delighted in the purity of the Latin Tongue and understood Philosophy and was so great a Master in Musick that he composed well He was a bountiful Patron to all Learned Men more particularly to Erasmus and Polidore
distributed among them he was to give them assurance that the Cardinals Preferments should be divided among them These were the secret Methods of attaining that Chair And indeed it would pusle a Man of an ordinary degree of Credulity to think That one chosen by such means could be Christ's Vicar and the infallible Judge of Controversies But the Pope's Recovery put an end to those Intrigues which yet were soon after revived by a long and dangerous Relapse Then great pains was taken to gain many Cardinals to favour the King's Cause and many Precedents were found of Divorces granted in Favour of Princes upon much slighter grounds But the Imperialists were so strong at Rome that they could not hope to prevail if the Emperour was not first gained so there was a secret Negotiation set on foot with him but it had no other Effect save that it gave great Jealousy both to the Pope and the King of France Another dispatch was sent to Rome to procure a Commission with fuller powers in it to the Legates and a Promise under the Pope's hand to confirm their Sentence the latter was granted The Pope promised to confirm any Sentence the Legates should give but the former was refused for the Pope was resolved to go no further in that Matter tho Wolsey wrote to Rome that if any Justice were denied the King not only England but France likewise would withdraw their Obedience from the Apostolick See because by that it would be inferred that the Emperour had such Influence at Rome as to oblige the Pope to be partial or favourable as he pleased At this time the Cardinal was cheapning his Bulls for Winchester which were rated at 15000 Ducats but since it was a Translation from Duresm so that a new Composition would come in for that Vacancy he refused to pay above a third of what was demanded The Emperour's Ambassadour made a Protestation at Rome in the Queen's Name against the Legates as partial in the King's Favour which the Pope received Gardiner that was a Man of great Craft and could penetrate well into Secrets wrote to the King assuring him that he might expect nothing more from the Pope who was resolved to offend neither the Emperour nor him and therefore he advised him to get the Legates to give Sentence withall possible hast and then when it should come to the Emperour's turn to solicite the Pope for Bulls against the King the Pope would be as backward as he was now He was so fearful and under such irresolution that he could be brought to do nothing with Vigor This Gardiner desired might not be shewn to the Cardinal for he was now setting up for himself and had a private Correspondence with Anne Boleyn who in one of her Letters to him as a token of special Favour sent him some Cramp Rings that the King had Blessed of which the Office is extant and Gardiner in one of his Letters says They were much esteemed for the Virtue that was believed to be in them In the Promise which the Pope signed to confirm the Sentence that should be given by the Legates some Clauses were put by which he could easily break loose from it so he endeavoured to get another in fuller termes by this Artifice He told the Pope that the Courier had met with an Accident in passing a River by which the Promise was so spoiled with Water that it could not be made use of But the Pope instead of being catched with this to give a new one seemed glad that it was spoiled and positively refused to renew it And a long and earnest Letter which the Legates wrote to the Pope pressing him to end the matter roundly by a Decretal Bull assuring him it was only scruple of Conscience that wrought on the King and no desire of a new Wife and that the whole Nation was much offended with the delays of this Matter in which they were all so much concerned wrought nothing on him for he considered that as done by them only in compliance with the King who thought he had intirely gained Campegio and the scandals of his Life were so publick that the motives of Interest were likely to prevail on him more than any other but by all the Arts that were used they were not able to over-reach the Pope who whatever he might be in his Decisions seemed infallible in his Sagacity and Jealousy The Queen's Agents pressed hard for an Avocation but the Pope was unwilling to grant that till he had finished his Treaty in all other points with the Emperour and he began to complain much of the cold Proceedings of the Confederates and that they exposed him so much not only to the Emperour's Mercy but to the scorn of the Florentines by this it was visible he was seeking a Colour for casting himself into the Emperour's Arms great Objections were made to the Motion for an Avocation it was contrary to the King's Prerogative to be cited to Rome and it was said he would seek Justice of the Clergy of Engl. if the Pope denied it It was also contrary to the Promise under the Popes hand and his Faith often given by word of mouth chiefly of late by Campana to recal the Legat's Commission but verbal Promises did not bind the Pope much they vanished into Air and Campana swore that he had not made any and for the written Promise there was a Clause put in it by which he could escape so that he was at liberty from all Ingagements but those he had privately given in discourse and to these he was no Slave The Legates began the Process in England after the necessary Preliminaries the Queen appeared and protested against them as imcompetent Judges The Process begun in England endeavours were used to terrify her into some compliance it was given out that some had intended to kill the King or the Cardinal and that she had some hand in it that she carried very disobligingly to the King and used many indecent Arts to be popular that the King was in danger of his Life by her means and so could no more keep her company neither in Bed nor at Board but she was a Woman of so resolute a mind that no Threatnings could daunt her When both the King and She were together in the Court the Queen instead of answering to the Legates kneeled down before the King and spake in a manner that raised Compassion in all that were present she said She had been his Wife these twenty Years had born him several Children and had always studied to please him therefore she desired to know wherein she had at any time offended him As for their Marriage it was made by both their Parents who were esteemed wise Princes and had no doubt good Counsellours when their Match was agreed on but at present she neither had indifferent Judges nor could she expect that her Lawyers being his Subjects durst speak freely for her and therefore she could not
expect Justice there so she went out of the Court and would never return to it any more Upon this the King gave her a great Character for her extraordinary Qualities and protested he was acted by no other Principle then that of Conscience He added that Wolsey did not set him on to this Suit but had opposed it long that he first moved the matter in Confession to the Bishop of Lincoln and had desired the Archbishop of Canterbury to procure him the Resolution of the Bishops of England in his Case and that they had all under their hands declared that his Marriage was unlawful The Bishop of Rochester denied he had signed it but Warham pretended he gave him leave to make another write his Name to it Fisher denied this and it was no way probable The Legates went on according to the forms of Law The Queen appeals to the Pope tho the Queen appealed from them to the Pope and excepted both to the Place to the Judges and her Lawyers Yet they pronounced her Contumax and went on to Examine Witnesses chiefly to that particular of the Consummation of her Marriage with Prince Arthur But now since the Process was thus going on the Emperours Agents prest the Pope vehemently for an Avocation and all possible endeavours were used by the King's Agents to hinder it they spared nothing that would work on the Pope either in the way of perswasion or threatning It was told him that there was a Treaty set on foot between the King and the Lutheran Princes of Germany and that upon the Pope's declaring himself so partial as to grant the Avocation he would certainly imbark in the same Interrests with them But the Pope thought the King was so far ingaged in Honour in the Points of Religion that he would not be prevailed with to unite with Luther's Followers So he did not imagine that the Effects of his granting the Avocation would be so dismal as the Cardinal's creatures represented them He thought it would probably ruine him which might make his Agents use such Threatnings and he did not much consider that for he hated him in his heart So in Conclusion after the Emperour had engaged to him to restore his Family to the Government of Florence he resolved to publish his Treaty with him But that the granting the Avocation might not look like what indeed it was a secret Article he resolved to begin with that and with great signs of sorrow he told the English Embassadours that he was forced to it both because all the Lawyers told him it could not be denied and that he could not resist the Emperours Forces which surrounded him on all hands Their endeavours to gain a little time by delayes were as fruitless as their other Arts had been for on the 15th of July The Pope grants an Avocation the Pope signed it and on the 19th he sent it by an express Messenger to England The Legates Campegio in particular drew out the matter by all the delayes they could contrive and gained much time At last it being brought to that that Sentence was to be pronounced Campegio instead of doing it adjourned the Court till October and said that they being a part of the Consistory must observe their times of Vacation This gave the King and all his Court great offence when they saw what was like to be the Issue of a Process on which the King was so much bent and in which he was so far engaged both in Honour and Interest Campegio had nothing to lose in England but the Bishoprick of Sailisbury for which the Pope or Emperour could easily recompence him but Wolsey was under all the Terrours that an Insolent Favorite is liable to upon a change in his Fortune None being more abject in misfortune than those that are lifted up with Success When the Avocation was brought to England the King was willing that the Legates should declare their Commission void but would not suffer the Letters Citatory to be served for he looked upon it as below his Dignity to be cited to appear at Rome The King governed himself upon this occasion with more temper than was expected He dismissed Campegio civily only his Officers searched his Coffers when he went beyond Sea with design as was thought to see if the Decretal Bull could be found Wolsey was now upon the point of being disgraced tho the King seemed to treat him with the same Confidence he had formerly put in him it being ordinary for many Princes to hide their designs of disgracing their Favourites with higher Expressions of kindnesses than ordinary till their Ruine breaks out the more violently because it is not foreseen At this time Cranmer's Rise Dr. Cranmer a Fellow of Jesus-Colledge in Cambridge meeting accidentally with Gardiner and Fox at Waltham and being put on the Discourse of the King's Marriage proposed a new Method which was That the King should engage the chief Universities and Divines of Europe to examine the lawfulness of his Marriage and if they gave their Resolutions against it then it being certain that the Pope's Dispensation could not derogate from the Law of God the Marriage must be declared null This was new and seemed reasonable so they proposed it to the King who was much taken with it and said he had the Sow by the right Ear He saw this way was both better in it self and would mortify the Pope extreamly so Cranmer was sent for and did so behave himself that the King conceived an high opinion both of his Learning and Prudence and of his Probity and Sincerity which took such root in the King's mind that no Artifices nor Calumnies were ever able to remove it But as he was thus in his Rise Wolsey it disgraced so Wolsey did now decline The Great Seal was taken from him and given to Sir Thomas Moor And he was sued in a Premunire for having held the Legatine Courts by a Forraign Authority contrary the Laws of England He confessed the Indictment and pleaded Ignorance and submitted himself to the King's Mercy so Judgment passed on him Then was his rich Palace now Whitehall and Royal Furniture seized on to the King's use Yet the King received him again into his Protection and restored to him the Temporalities of the Sees of York and Winchester and above 6000 l. in Plate and other Goods And there appeared still great and clear Prints in the King's mind of that entire Confidence to which he had received him of which as his Enemies were very apprehensive so he himself was so much transported with the Messages he had concerning it that once he fell down on his knees in a Kennel before them that brought them Articles were put in against him in the House of Lords it seems for a Bill of Attainder where he had but few Friends which all insolent Favourites may expect in their Disgrace In the House of Commons Cromwel that had been his Secretary did so
to his Son Henry which was like to draw in other Princes to a League with him who would have been much better pleased to see a King's younger Son among them than either the Emperour or the King of France The King's Matter was now in a fairer way of being adjusted for the Pope's Conscience being directed by his Interests since he had now broken with the Emperour it was probable he would give the King content He saw the danger of losing England The Interest of the Clergy was much sunk and they were in a great measure subjected to the Crown Lutheranism was also making a great Progress and the Pope was out of any danger from the Emperour on whom the whole Power of the Turkish Empire was now fallen drawn in as was believed by the Practices of Francis at the Port tho that did not well agree with his Title of Most Christian King The Princes of Germany took Advantage from this to make the Emperour consent to some further liberty in matters of Religion and to secure themselves they were then also entered into a League with Francis for preserving the Rights of the Empire unto which King Henry was invited All this raised Francis again very high so he was the fittest Person to mediate an Agreement between the King and the Pope and being himself a Lover of Pleasure he was the more easily engaged to serve the King in the accomplishment of his Amours A new Session of Parliament was held A misunderstanding between the House of Commons in which the Laity complained of the spiritual Courts of their way of proceeding ex Officio and not admitting Persons accused to their Purgation But this was not much considered by reason of an ill understanding that fell in between the King and the House of Commons There was a Custom brought in of making such Settlements of Estates that the Heir was not liable to Wards and the other Advantages to which the King or the Great Lords had otherwise a Right by their Tenures So a Bill for regulating that was sent down by the Lords but the Commons rejected it which gave the King great Offence upon that they addressed to the King for a Dissolution since they had been now obliged to a long Attendance The King answered them sharply He said they had rejected a Bill in which he had offered a great Abatement of that which he might claim by Law and therefore he would execute the Law in its utmost severity He told them he had Patience while his Suit was in dependence and so they must have likewise For this Parliament was made up of Men very ill affected to the Clergy so the King kept it still in being to terrify the Court of Rome so much the more All that was remarkable that past in this Session was an Act against Annats An Act against Annats it sets forth that they were founded on no Law they were first enacted to defend Christendom against Infidels and were now kept up as a Revenue to the Papacy and Bulls were not granted till they were compounded for for 800000 Ducats had bin carried out of England to Rome on that account since the beginning of the former Reign The King was bound by his Royal Care of his Subjects to hinder such Oppressions and therefore all that were provided to great Benefices were required not to pay First Fruits for the future under the pain of forfeiting all their Goods and the profits of their Benefices and those that were presented to Bishopricks were appointed to be consecrated tho their Bulls were denied at Rome and they were required to pay no more but 5 per Cent. of the clear Profits of their Sees If the Pope should upon this proceed to censures they required all the Clergy to perform Divine Offices these notwithstanding But by an extraordinary Proviso they referred it to the King to declare at any time between that and Easter next whether this Act should take place or not and the King by his Letters Patents declared that it should take place being provoked by the Pope In January the Pope The Pope writes to the King upon the motion of the Imperialists wrote to the King complaining that notwithstanding a Suit was depending concerning his Marriage yet he had put away his Queen and kept one Anne as his Wife contrary to a Prohibition served on him therefore he exhorted him to live with his Queen again and to put Anne away Upon this the King sent Dr. Bennet to Rome with a large Dispatch The King's Answer in it he complained that the Pope proceeded in that matter upon the Suggestion of others who were ignorant and rash Men the Pope had carried himself inconstantly and deceitfully in it and not as became Christ's Vicar and the King had now for several Years expected a Remedy from him in vain The Pope had granted a Commission had promised never to recal it and had sent over a Decretal Bull defining the Cause Either these were unjustly granted or unjustly recalled If he had Authority to grant these things where was the Faith which became a Friend much more a Pope since he had recalled them If he had not Authority to grant them he did not know how far he could consider any thing he did It was plain that he acted more with regard to his Interests than according to Conscience and that as the Pope had often confessed his own Ignorance in these matters so he was not furnished with Learned Men to advise him otherwise he would not maintain a Marriage which almost all the Learned Men and Universities in England France and Italy had condemned as unlawful He desired the Pope would excuse the Freedom he used to which his Carriage had forced him He would not question his Authority unless he were compelled to it and would do nothing but reduce it to its first and ancient Limits which was much better than to let high it run on headlong and still do amiss This high Letter made the Pope resolve to proceed and end this matter either by a Sentence or a Treaty The King was cited to answer to the Queen's Appeal at Rome in Person or by Proxy so Sir Edward Karme was sent thither in the new Character of the King 's Excusator to excuse the King's Appearance upon such grounds as could be founded on the Canon Law The King cited to Rome excuses himself and upon the Privileges of the Crown of England Bonner that was a forwad and ambitious Man and would stick at nothing that might contribute to his Preferment was sent over with him The Imperialists pressed the Pope much to give Sentence but all the wise Cardinals who observed by the Proceedings of the Parliament that the Nation would adhere to the King if he should be provoked to shake off the Pope's Yoke were very apprehensive of a Breach and suggested milder Counsels to the Pope and the King's Agents assured him that if he
Conquerors time besides many other Acts that clearly imported a Supremacy over all Persons and in all Causes But they did at the same time so explain and limit this Power that it was visible they did not intend to subject Religion wholly to the Pleasure of the King for it was declared that his Power was only a Coercive Authority to defend the true Religion to abolish Heresies and Idolatries to cause Bishops and Pastors to do their Duties and in case they were negligent or would not amend their Faults to put others in their room Upon the whole matter they concluded that the Pope had no Power in England and that the King had an intire Dominion over all his Subjects which did extend even to the regulating of Ecclesiastical Matters These things being fully opened in many Disputes The Clergy submitted to it and published in several Books all the Bishops Abbots and Priors of England Fisher only excepted were so far satisfied with them or so much in love with their Preferments that they resolved to comply with the Changes which the King was resolved to make Fisher was in great esteem for Piety and strictness of Life and so much pains was taken on him A little before the Parliament met Cranmer proposed to him that he and any five Doctors he would choose and Stokesly with five on his side should confer on that point and examine he Authorities that were on both sides he accepted of it and Stokesly wrote to him to name time and place but Fisher's Sickness hindered the Progress of that motion The Parliament met the 15th of January A Session of Parliament there were but seven Bishops and twelve Abbots present the rest it seems were unwilling to concur in making this change tho they complied with it when it was made Every Sunday during the Session a Bishop preached at St. Paul's and declared that the Pope had no Authority in England Before this they had only said that a General Council was above him and that the Exactions of that Court and Appeals to it were unlawful but now they went a strain higher to prepare the People for receiving the Acts then in Agitation On the 9th of March The Pope's Power taken away the Commons began the Bill for taking away the Pope's Power and sent it to the Lords on the 14th who past it on the 20th without any dissent In it they set forth the Exactions of the Court of Rome grounded on the Pope's Power of dispensing and that as none could dispense with the Laws of God so the King and Parliament only had the Authority of dispensing with the Laws of the Land and that therefore such Licenses or Dispensations as were formerly in use should be for the future granted by the two Arch-bishops some of these were to be confirmed under the Great Seal and they appointed that thereafter all Commerce with Rome should cease They also declared that they did not intend to alter any Article of the Catholick Faith of Christendome or of that which was declared in the Scripture necessary to Salvation They confirmed all the Exemptions granted to Monasteries by the Popes but subjected them to the King's Visitation and gave the King and his Council power to examine and reform all Indulgences and Priviledges granted by the Pope The Offenders against this Law were to be punished according to the Statutes of Premunire This Act subjected the Monasteries entirely to the King's Authority and put them in no small Confusion Those that loved the Reformation rejoyced both to see the Pope's Power rooted out and to find the Scripture made the Standard of Religion After this Act The Act of the Succession another past in both Houses in six Days time without any Opposition Settling the Succession of the Crown confirming the Sentence of Divorce and the King's Marriage with Queen Anne and declaring all Marriages within the Degrees prohibited by Moses to be unlawful All that had married within them were appointed to be divorced and their Issue illegitimated and the Succession to the Crown was settled upon the King's Issue by the prefent Queen or in default of that to the King 's right Heirs for ever All were required to swear to maintain the Contents of this Act and if any refused to swear to it or should say any thing to the Slander of the King's Marriage he was to be judged guilty of misprision of Treason and to be punished accordingly The Oath is also set down in the Journals of the House of Lords by which they did not only swear Obedience to the King and his Heirs by his present Marriage but also to defend the Act of Succession and all the Effects and Contents in it against all manner of Persons whatsoever by which they were bound to maintain the Divorce both against the Pope's Censures and the Emperour if he went about to execute them At this time An Act regulating the proceedings against Hereticks one Philips complained to the House of Commons of the Bishop of London for using him cruelly in Prison upon Suspicion of Heresy the Commons sent up this to the Lords but received no Answer So they sent some of their Members to the Bishop desiring him to answer the Complaints put in against him But he acquainted the House of Lords with it and they all with one consent voted that none of their House ought to appear or answer to any Complaint at the Bar of the House of Commons So the Commons let this particular Case fall and sent up a Bill to which the Lords agreed regulating the Proceedings against Hereticks That whereas by the Statute made by King Henry the Fourth Bishops might commit Men upon Suspition of Heresy and Heresy was generally defined to be whatever was contrary to the Scriptures or Canonical Sanctions which was liable to great Ambiguity therefore that Statute was repealed and none were to be committed for Heresy but upon a Presentment made by two Witnesses None were to be accused for speaking against things that were grounded only upon the Pope's Canons Bail was to be taken for Hereticks and they were to be brought to their Trials in open Court and if upon Conviction they did not abjure or were Relapses they were to be burnt the King 's Writ being first obtained This was a great check to the Bishop's Tyrrany and gave no smal comfort to all that favoured the Reformation The Convocation sent in a Submission at the same time The Submission of the Clergy by which they acknowledged That all Convocations ought to be assembled by the King 's Writ and promised upon the Word of Priests never to make nor execute any Canons without the King's Assent They also desired That since many of the received Canons were found to be contrary to the King's Prerogative and the Laws of the Land there might be a Committee named by the King of 32 the one half out of both Houses of Parliament and the other
5 Days after the time prefixed should expire leaving only so many as might serve for Baptizing Children or giving the Sacrament to such as died in Penitence He charged all his Subjects to rise in Arms against him and that none should assist him He absolved all other Princes from their Confederacies with him and obtested them to have no more Commerce with him He required all Christians to make War on him and to seize on the Persons and Goods of all his Subjects and make Slaves of them He charged all Bishops to publish the Sentence with due Solemnities and ordained it to be affixed at Rome Tournay and Dunkirk This was first given out the 30 of August 1535 but it had been all this while suspended till the Suppression of the Monasteries and the burning of Becket's Bones did so inflame the Pope that he resolved to forbear going to Extremities no longer So on the 17 of December this Year the Pope published the Bull which he said he had so long suspended at the Intercession of some Princes who hoped that King Henry might have been reclaimed by gentler Methods and therefore since it appeared that he grew still worse and worse he was forced to proceed to his Fulminations By this Sentence it is certain That either the Popes Infallibility must be confessed to be a Cheat put upon the World or if any believe it they must acknowledge that the Power of deposing Princes is really lodged in that Chair For this was not a sudden fit of Passion but was done ex Cathedra with all the Deliberation they ever admit of The Sentence was in some particulars without a Precedent but as to the main Points of deposing the King and absolving his Subjects from their Obedience there was abundance of Instances to be brought in these last 500 Years to shew that this had been all along asserted the Right of the Papacy The Pope writ also to the Kings of France and Scotland with design to inflame them against King Henry And if this had been an Age of Croissades no doubt there had been one undertaken against him for it was held to be as meritorious if not more to make War on him than on the Turk But now the Thunders of the Vatican had lost their force The King got all the Bishops The Bishops of England assert the King's Power and the Nature of Ecclesiastical Offices and Eminent Divines of England to sign a Declaration against all Church-men who pretended to the Power of the Sword or to Authority over Kings and that all that assumed such Powers were Subverters of the Kingdom of Christ Many of the Bishops did also sign another Paper declaring the Limits of the Regal and Ecclesiastical Power that both had their Authority from God for several Ends and different Natures and that Princes were subject to the Word of God as well as Bishops ought to be obedient to their Laws There was also another Declaration made signed by Cromwel the 2 Archbishops 11 Bishops and 20 Divines asserting the Distinction betwen the Power of the Keys and the Power of the Sword The former was not absolute but limited by the Scripture Orders were declared to be a Sacrament instituted by Christ which were conferred by Prayer and Imposition of Hands And that in the New Testament no mention was made of any other Ranks but of Deacons or Ministers and of Priests or Bishops After this the use of all the Inferiour Degrees of Lectures Acolyths c. was laid down These were set up about the beginning of the 3d Century for in the middle of that Age mention is made of them both by Cornelius and Cyprian and they were intended to be degrees of Probation through which Men were to ascend to the higher Functions But the Canonists had found out so many Distinctions of Benefices and that a simple Tonsure qualified a Man for several of them that these Institutions became either a matter of Form only or were made a Colour for Laymen to possess Ecclesiastical Benefices In this and several other Books of that time Bishops and Priests are spoken of as being both one Office In the Ancient Church there were different Ordinations and different Functions belonging to these Offices tho the Superiour was believed to include the Inferiour But in the latter Ages both the School-men Canonists seemed on different grounds to have designed to make them appear to be the same Office and that the one was only a higher degree in the same Order The School-men to magnify Transubstantiation extolled the Office by which that was performed so high and the Canonists to exalt the Pope's Universal Authority deprest the Office of Bishops so low to make them seem only the Pope's Delegates and that their Jurisdiction was not from Christ that by these means these two Offices were thought so near one another that they differed only in degree And this was so well observed at Trent that the Establishing the Episcopal Jurisdiction as founded on a Divine Right was apprehended as one of the fatallest Blows that could have been given to the Papacy This being at this time so commonly received it is no wonder if before that matter came to be more exactly inquired into some of the Reformers writ more carelessly in the Explanations they made of these Offices which is so far from being an Argument that they were upon due enquiry of another mind that it is to be look'd on as a part of the Dregs of Popery flowing from the belief of Transubstantiation and the Pope's Supremacy of which all the Consequences were not so early observed This Year the English Bible was finished The Bible in English and new Injunctions The Translation was sent over to Paris to be printed there for the Workmen in England were not thought able to go about it Bonner was then Embassadour in France and he obtained a Licence of Francis for printing it but upon a Complaint made by the French Clergy the Press was stopt and many of the Copies were seized on and burnt So it was brought over to England and was undertaken and now finished by Grafton Cromwel procured a General Warrant from the King allowing all his Subjects to read it for which Cranmer wrote his thanks to Cromwel and rejoyced to see the day of Reformation now risen in England since the Word of God did shine over it all without a Cloud Not long after this Cromwel gave out Injunctions requiring the Clergy to set up Bibles in their Churches and to encourage all to read them He also exhorted the People not to dispute about the sense of difficult places but to leave that to Men of better Judgments Incumbents were required to instruct the People and teach them the Creed the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments in English And that once every Quarter there should be a Sermon to declare the true Gospel of Christ and to exhort the People to Works of Charity and not to trust to
2. That Christ was entirely in each kind and so Communion in both was not necessary 3. That Priests by the Law of God ought not to marry 4. That Vows of Chastity taken after the Age of 21 ought to be kept 5. That Private Masses were lawful and useful 6. That Auricular Confession was necessary and ought to be retained Such as did speak or write agaist the first of these were to be burned without the benefit of Abjuration and it was made Felony to dispute against the other five and such as did speak against them were to be in a Premunire for the first Offence the second was made Felony Married Priests that did not put away their Wives were to be condemned of Fellony in those that lived incontinently the first Offence was a Premunire and the second Felony Women that offended were to be punished as the Priests were Those that contemned Confession and the Sacrament and abstained from it at the accustomed times were for the first Offence in a Premunire the second was Felony Proceedings were to be made in the Forms of Common Law by Presentments and a Jury and all Church-men were charged to read the Act in their Churches once a Quarter This Act was received with great Joy by all the Popish Party Censures past upon it they reckoned that now Heresy would be extirpated and that the King was as much engaged against it as he was when he writ against Luther this made the Suppression of the Monasteries pass much the easier The poor Reformers were now exposed to the Rage of their Enemies and had no Comfort from any part of it but one that they were not delivered up to the Cruelty of the Ecclesiastical Courts or the Trials ex Officio but were to be tried by Juries yet the denying the benefit of Abjuration was a Severity without a Precedent and was a forcing Martyrdom on them since they were not to be the better for their Apostacy It was some Satisfaction to the married Clergy that the incontinent Priests were to be so severely punished which Cromwell put in and the Clergy knew not how they could decently oppose it Upon the passing the Act the German Ambassadours being set on to it by those that favoured their Doctrine in England desired an Audience of the King and told him of the Grief with which their Masters would receive the News of this Act and therefore earnestly press'd him to stop the Execution of it The King answered that he found it necessary to have the Act made for repressing the Insolence of some People but assured them it should not be put in Execution except upon great Provocation When the Princes heard of the Act they writ to the King to the same purpose they warned him of many Bishops that were about him who in their Hearts loved Popery and all the old Abuses and took this method to force the King to return back to the former Yoke hoping that if they once made him cruel to all those they called Hereticks it would be easy to bring him back to submit to that Tyranny which he had shaken off and therefore they proposed a Conference between some Divines of both sides in order to an Agreement of Doctrine The King was only concerned upon State Maxims to keep up their League in Opposition to the Emperour but they still press'd a Religious as well as a Civil League After the Act of the six Articles An Act for suppressing the Monasteries the Act for suppressing the Monasteries was brought in and tho there were so many Abbots sitting in the House none of them protested against it By it no Monastery was suppressed but only the Resignations made or to be made were confirmed and the King 's Right founded either on their Surrenders Forfeitures or Attainders of Treason was declared good in Law Houses surrendred were to be managed by the Court of Augmentations but those seized on by Attainders were to come to the Exchequer All Persons except the Founders and Donors were to have the same Rights to the Lands belonging to these Houses that they had before this Act was made All Deeds and Leases made for a Year before this to the prejudice of these Houses were annulled and all the Churches belonging to them and formerly exempted were put under the Jurisdiction of the Bishop or of such as should be appointed by the King This last Proviso has produced a great Mischief in this Church for many that purchased Abby-Lands had this Clause put in their Grants that they should be the Visitors of the Churches and by this they continue still exempted from the Episcopal Jurisdiction and this has emboldened many to break out into great Scandals which have been made use of by prejudiced Men to cast an Obloquy on the Church tho this Disorder proceeds only from the want of Authority in the Bishops to censure them A Question was raised upon this Suppression whether the Lands should have reverted to the Donors or been escheated to the Crown By a Judgment of the Roman Senate in Theodosius's time all the Endowments of the Heathenish Temples were given to the Fisc and tho the Heirs of the Donors pretended to them yet it was said that by the Gifts that their Ancestors made they were totally alienated from them and their Heirs When the Order of the Templers was suppressed their Lands went to the Lord by an Escheat This might seem reasonable in Endowments that were simple Gifts without any Conditions But the Grants to Religious Houses were of the nature of Covenants given in consideration of the Masses that were to be said for them and their Families and therefore it was inferred that when the Cheat of redeeming Souls out of Purgatory was discovered and these Houses were suppress'd then the Lands ought to revert to the Heirs of the Donors and upon that account it was thought necessary to exclude them by a special Proviso Another Bill was brought in An Act for new Bishopricks empowering the King to erect new Bishopricks by his Letters Patents it was read three times in one day in the House of Lords The Preamble set forth that the ill Lives of those that were called Religious made it necessary to change thir Houses to better Uses for teaching the Word of God instructing of Children educating of Clerks relieving of old infirm People the endowing of Readers for Greek Latine and Hebrew mending of High-ways and the bettering the Condition of the Parish Priests and for this end the King was empowered to erect new Sees and to assign what Limits and Divisions and appoint them what Statutes he pleased I have seen the first Draught of this Preamble all written with the King 's own Hand and indeed he used extraordinary Care in corecting both Acts of Parliament and Proclamations with his own Hand All Papers in matters of Religion that were set out by publick Authority in this Reign were revised by him and in many places large
England Audley the Chancellour dying at this time Wriothesly that was of the Popish Party was put in his place And Dr. Petre that was hitherto Cranmer's Friend was made Secretary of State So equally did the King keep the Ballance between both Parties and being to cross the Seas he left a Commission for the Administration of Affairs during his Absence to the Queen the Archbishop the Chancellour the Earl of Hartford and Secretary Petre And if they should have any occasion to raise any Force he appointed the Earl of Hartford his Lieutenant He gave order also to Translate the Prayers and Processions and Litanies into the English Tongue which gave the Reformers some hopes again that he had not quite cast off his Designes of corrupting such Abuses as had crept into the Worship of God And they hoped That the Reasons which prevailed with the King for this would also induce him to order a Translation of all the other Offices into the English Tongue The King crossed the Sea with great Pomp The King takes Bulloign the Sails of his Ship being of Cloth of Gold He sat down before Bulloign and took it after a Siege of two Months It was soon after very near being retaken by a Surprise but the Garison being quickly put in order beat out the French Thus the King returned Victorious and was as much flattered for taking this single Town as if he had conquered a Kingdom The Inroads that were made into Scotland this Winter were Insuccessful The King of France set out a Fleet of above 300 Ships and the King set out a hundred Sail On both sides they were only Merchant-men hired upon this Occasion The French made two Descents upon England but was beat back with loss The English made a Descent in Normandy and burnt some Towns The Princes of Germany saw their Danger if this War went on for the Pope and Emperour had made a League for procuring Obedience to the Council that was now opened at Trent The Emperour was raising an Army tho he had made Peace both with the King of France and the Turk and was resolved to make good use of this Opportunity the two Crowns being now in War So the Germans sent to mediate a Peace between them but it stuck long at the business of Bulloign Lee Archbishop of York died this Year Holgate was removed from Landaffe thither who in his Heart favoured the Reformation Kitchin was put in Landaffe who turned with every Change that was made Heath was removed from Rochester to Worcester and Holbeach was put in Rochester Day was made Bishop of Chichester All those were moderate Men and well disposed to a Reformation at least to comply with it This Year Wishart was burnt in Scotland Wishart burnt in Scotland He was Educated at Cambridge and went home the former Year In many places he preached against Idolatry and the other Abuses in Religion He stayed long at Dundee but by the means that Cardinal Beaton used he was driven out of that Town and at his Departure he denounced heavy Judgments on them for rejecting the Gospel He went and preached in many other places and Enterance to the Churchs being denied him he preached in the Fields He would not suffer the People to open the Church Doors by Violence for that he said became not the Gospel of Peace which he preached to them He heard the Plague had broke out in Dundee within four Days after he was banished so he returned thither and took care of the Sick and did all the Offices of a faithful Pastor among them He shewed his Gentleness towards his Enemies by rescuing a Priest that was coming to kill him but was discovered and was like to have been torn in pieces by the People He foretold several extraordinary things particularly his own Sufferings and the spreading the Reformation over the Land He preached last in Lothian and there the Earl of Bothwel took him but promised upon his Honour that no harm should be done him yet he delivered him to the Cardinal who brought him to St. Andrews and called a Meeting of Bishops thither to destroy him with the more Solemnity The Governour being much prest to it by a Worthy Gentleman of his Name Hamilton of Preston sent the Cardinal word not to proceed against him till he should come and hear the Matter examined himself But the Cardinal went on and in a publick Court condemned him as an Heretick upon several Articles that were objected to him which he confessed and offered to justify The Night after that he spent in Prayer next Morning he desired he might have the Sacrament according to Christ's Institution in both kinds but that being denied him he consecrated the Elements himself and some about him were willing to communicate with him He was carried out to the Stake near the Cardinal's Palace who was set in State in a great Window and looked on this sad Spectacle Wishart declared that he felt much Joy within himself in offering up his Life for the Name of Christ and exhorted the People not to be offended at the Word of God for the sake of the Cross After the Fire was set to and was burning him he said This Flame hath scorched my Body but hath not daunted my Spirits and he foretold that the Cardinal should in a few days be ignominiously laid out in that very place where he now sate in so much State but as he speak that the Executioner drew the Cord that was about his Neck so strait that these were the last Words The Clergy rejoyced much at his Death Cardinal Beason is murdered and extolled the Cardinal's Courage for proceeding in it against the Governours Orders But the People look'd on him as both a Prophet and a Martyr It was also said that his Death was no less than Murder since no Writ was obtained for it and the Clergy could burn none without a Warrant from the Secular Power so it was inferred that the Cardinal deserved to dy for it and if his Greatness set him above the Law then Private Persons might execute that which the Governour could not do Such Practices had been formerly too common in that Kingdom and now upon this occasion some Gentlemen of quality came to think it would be an Heroical Action to conspire his Death His Insolence had rendred him generally very hateful so private and publick Resentments concurring twelve Persons entred into a fatal Engagement of killing him privately in his House On the 30th of May they first surprized the Gate early in the Morning and tho there were an hundred lodged in the Castle yet they being asleep they came to them apart and either turned them out or shut them up in their Chambers Having made all sure they came to the Cardinal's Chamber-door he was fast asleep but by their Rudeness he was both awakened and perceived they had a design on his Life Upon the assurance of Life he opened his Door but
begged that he might be heard with his Accusers face to face He prayed that the King would take all his Lands and Goods and only restore him to his Favour and grant him such an Allowance to live on as he thought fit He went further and set his Hand to a Confession of several Crimes as 1. His revealing the Secrets of the King's Council 2. His concealing his Son's Treason in giving the Arms of Edward the Confessor 3. His own giving the Arms of England with the Labels of Silver which belonged only to the Prince which he acknowledged was High Treason and therefore he begged the King's Mercy But all this had no effect on the King tho his drawing so near his end ought to have begot in him a greater regard to the shedding of Innocent Blood When the Parliament met And the Duke attainted by Act of Parliament the King was not able to come to Westminster but he sent his Pleasure to them by a Commission He intended to have Prince Edward Crowned Prince of Wales and therefore desired they would make all possible hast in the Attainder of the Duke of Norfolk that so the Places which he held by Patent might be disposed of to others who should assist at the Coronation which tho it was a very slight Excuse for so high a piece of Injustice yet it had that effect that in seven Days both Houses past the Bill On the 27th of January the Royal Assent was given by those Commissioned by the King and the Execution was ordered to be next Morning There was no special Matter in the Act but that of the Coat of Arms which he and his Ancestors were used to give according to Records in the Herauld's Office so that this was condemned by all Persons as a most Inexcusable Act of Tyranny But the Night after this the King died and it was thought contrary to the Decencies of Government to begin a new Reign with so Unjustifiable an Act as the beheading of the old Duke and so he was preserved Yet both Sides made Inferences from this Calamity that fell on him The Papists said It was God's just Judgment on him for his Obsequiousness to King Henry But the Protestants said It was a just return on him for what he had done against Cromwel and many others on the account of the six Articles Cranmer would not meddle in this Matter but that he might be out of the way he retired to Croydon whereas Gardiner that had been his Friend all along continued still about the Court. The King's Distemper had been growing long upon him He was become so Corpulent that he could not go up and down Stairs but made use of an Ingine The King's Sickness when he intended to walk in his Garden by which he was let down and drawn up He had an old Sore in his Leg that pained him much the Humours of his Body discharging themselves that way till at last all setled in a Dropsy Those about him were afraid to let him know that his Death seemed near lest that might have been brought within the Statute of foretelling his Death which was made Treason His Will was made ready and as it was given out was signed by him on the 30th of December He had made one at his last going over to France All the Change that he made at this time was that he ordered Gardiner's Name to be struck out for in that formerly made he was named one of the Executors When Sir Anthony Brown endeavoured to perswade him not to put that Disgrace on an old Servant he continued positive in it for he said he knew his Temper and could govern him but it would not be in the Power of others to do it if he were put in so high a Trust The most material thing in the Will was the preferring the Children of his second Sister by Charles Brandon to the Children of his eldest Sister the Queen of Scotland in the Succession to the Crown Some Objections were made to the Validity and Truth of the Will It was not signed by the King's Hand as it was directed by the Act of Parliament but only stamped with his Name and it was said this was done when he was dying without any Order given for it by himself for proof of which the Scots that were most concerned appealed to many Witnesses and chiefly to a Deposition which the Lord Paget had made who was then Secretary of State On his Death-bed he finished the Foundation of Trinity-Colledge in Cambridge and of Christ's-Church Hospital near Newgate yet this last was not so fully setled as was needful till his Son compleated what he had begun On the 27th of January And Death his Spirits sunk so that it was visible he had not long to live Sir Anthony Denny took the courage to tell him that Death was approaching and desired him to call on God for his Mercy The King exprest in general his Sorrow for his past Sins and his Trust in the Mercies of God in Christ Jesus He ordered Cranmer to be sent for but he was speechless before he could be brought from Croidon yet he gave a Sign that he understood what he said to him and soon after he died in the 57th Year of his Age after he had reigned 37 Years and nine Months His Death was concealed three days for the Parliament which was dissolved with his last Breath continued to do business till the 31st and then his Death was published It is probable the Seimours concealed it so long till they made a Party for the putting the Government into their own Hands The Severities he used against many of his Subjects in matters of Religion An account of his Severities against the Priests made both sides write with great Sharpness of him His Temper was Imperious and Cruel He was both sudden and violent in his Revenges and stuck at nothing by which he could either gratify his Lust or his Passion This was much provoked by the Sentence the Pope thundered against him by the virulent Books Cardinal Pool and others published by the Rebellions that were raised in England and the Apprehensions he was in of the Emperour's Greatness and of the Inclinations his People had to have joined with him together with what he had read in History of the Fates of those Princes against whom Popes had thundered in former times all which made him think it necessary to keep his People under the Terror of a severe Government and by some publick Examples to secure the Peace of the Nation and thereby to prevent a more profuse Effusion of Blood which might have otherwise followed if he had been more gentle And it was no wonder if after the Pope deposed him he proceeded to great Severities against all that which supported that Authority The first Instance of Capital Proceedings upon that account was in Easter-Term 1535 in which three Priors and a Monk of the Carthusian Order The Carthusians
and wished there were more preaching and in a more lively way than he heard was then in England but above all things he prayed him to suppress that Impiety and profanity that as he heard abounded in the Nation In the end of this Year A Session of Parliament a Session of Parliament met but no Bill was finished before February the first was concerning the married Clergy which was finished by the Commons in six days but lay six Weeks before the Lords Nine Bishops and four Temporal Lords protested against it It was declared An Act for the marriage of the Clergy that it were better for Priests to live unmarried free of all worldly cares yet since the Laws compelling it had occasioned great filthiness they were all repealed The pretence of Chastity in the Romish Priests had possessed the World with a high opinion of them and had been a great reflection on the Reformers if the World had not clearly seen through it and been made very sensible of the ill effects of it by the defilement it brought into their own Beds and Families Nor was there any point in which the Reformers had enquired more to remove this prejudice that lay against them In the old Testament all the Priests were not only married but the Office descended by Inheritance In the New Testament Marriage was declared Honourable in all among the qualifications of Bishops and Deacons their being the Husbands of one Wife are reckoned up Many of the Apostles were married and carried their Wives about with them as also Aquila did Priscilla Forbidding to marry is reckoned a mark of the Apostasie that was to follow Some of the first Hereticks inveighed against Marriage but the Orthodox justified it and condemned those Churchmen that put away their Wives which was confirmed by a General Council in the fifth Century In Trullo Paphnutius in the Council of Nice opposed a motion that was made for it Hilary of Poictiers was married Basil and Nazianzen's Fathers were Bishops Heliodorus the first that wrote a Romance moved that Bishops might live singly but till then every one did in that as he pleased and even those who were twice married if the first was before their Conversion might be Bishops which Jerome himself though very partial to celibate justifies all the Canons made against the married Clergy were only positive Laws which might be repealed The Priests in the Greek Church did still live with their Wives at that time In the West the Clergy did generally marry and in Edgar's time they were for the most part married in England In the Ninth Century P. Nicolas prest the Celibate much but was opposed by many In the Eleventh Century Gregory the 7th intending to set up a new Ecclesiastical Empire found that the unmarried Clergy would be the surest to him since the married gave Pledges to the State and therefore he proceeded furiously in it and called all the married Priests Nicolaitans yet in England Lanfranc did only impose the Celibate on the Prebendaries and the Clergy that lived in Towns Anselm imposed it on all without exception but both he Bernard and Petrus Damiani complain that Sodomy abounded much even among the Bishops And not only Panormitan but Pius the 2d wished that the Laws for the Celibate were taken away So it was clear that it was not founded on the Laws of God and it was a sin to force Churchmen to vow that which sometimes was not in their power and it was found by examining the forms of Ordination that the Priests in England had made no such vows and even the vow in the Roman Pontifical to live chastly did not import a tie not to marry since a Man might live Chast in a married state Many lewd stories were published of the Clergy but none seemed more remarkable than that of the Pope's Legate in Henry the second 's time who the very same Night after he had put all the married Clergy from their Benefices was found a-bed with a Whore It was also observed that the unmarried Bishops if they had not Bastards to raise were as much set on advancing their Nephews and Kindred as those that were married could be Nor did any Persons meddle more in secular affairs than the unmarried Clergy and it might be reasonable to restrain the Clergy as was done in the Primitive Church from converting the Goods of the Church which were entrusted to their care to the enriching of their Families None appeared more zealous for procuring this liberty than several Clergy men that never made use of it in particular Ridley and Redmayn Another Act past An Act confirming the Liturgy confirming the Liturgy which was now finished Eight Bishops and three Temporal Lords only protesting against it There was a long preamble setting forth the inconvenience of the former Offices and the pains that had been taken to reform them and that diverse Bishops and Divines had by the aid of the Holy Ghost with an uniform agreement concluded on the new Book therefore they Enacted That by Whitsunday next all Divine Offices should be performed according to it and if any used other Offices for the first offence they should be imprisoned six months lose their Benefices for a second and be imprisoned during life for the third offence Some censured those words that the Book was composed by the Aid of the Holy Ghost but this did not import an Inspiration but a Divine assistance Many wondred to see the Bishops of Norwich Hereford Chichester and Westminster protest against the Act since they had concurred in composing the Book It does not appear whether they were dissatisfied at any thing in it or whether they opposed the imposing it on such severe penalties or if they were displeased at a Proviso that was added for the using of Psalms taken out of the Bible which was intended for the singing Psalms then put in Verse and much used both in Churches and Houses by all that loved the Reformation In the Primitive times the Christians used the Psalter much and the chief devotion of the Monastick Orders consisted in repeating it often Apollinarius put it in Verse and both Nazianzen and Prudentius wrote many devout Hymns in Verse Others though in Prose were much used as the Gloria in Excelsis and the Te Deum afterwards the greatest part of the Offices was put in Latin Rhimes and so now some English Poets turned the Psalter into Verse which was then much esteemed but both our Language and Poetry being since that time much improved this work has now lost its beauty so much that there is great need of a new Version Another Act past about Fasting An Act for Fasting declaring That though all days and meats were in themselves alike yet fasting being a great help to vertue and to the subduing the Body to the mind and a distinction of meats conducing to the advancement of the Fishing trade it was Enacted That Lent and all Fridays and
guilty were to be punished in the same manner The Innocent Party might marry again after a Divorce Desertion or Mortal Enmity or the constant perversness of a Husband might induce a Divorce but little quarrels nor a perpetual Disease might not do it and the separation from Bed and Board except during a Trial was never to be allowed 11. Patrons were charged to give presentations without making bargains to choose the fittest persons and not to make promises till the Livings were vacant The Bishops were required to use great strictness in the Trial of those whom they ordained all Pluralities and Non-residence were condemned and all that were presented were to purge themselves of Simony by Oath The twelfth and thirteenth were concerning the changing of Benefices The fourteenth was concerning the manner of purgation upon common fame all superstitious Purgations were condemned Others followed about Dilapidations Elections and Collations The nineteenth was concerning Divine Offices The Communion was ordered to be every Sunday in Cathedrals and a Sermon was to be in them in the afternoon such as received the Sacrament were to give notice to the Minister the day before that he might examine their Consciences The Catechism was appointed to be explained for an Hour in the afternoon on Holy-days After the Evening Prayer the Poor were to be taken care of Penances were to be enjoyned to scandalous Persons and the Minister was to confer with some of the Ancients of the People concerning the state of the Parish That admonitions and censures might be applied as there was occasion given The twentieth was concerning other Church-Officers A Rural Dean was to be in every Precinct to watch over the Clergy according to the Bishops directions Archdeacons were to be over them and the Bishop over all who was to have yearly Synods and visit every third Year His Family was to consist of Clergymen in imitation of St. Austin and other ancient Bishops these he was to train up for the service of the Church When Bishops became infirm they were to have Co-adjutors Arch-bishops were to do the Episcopal duties in their Diocess and to visit their Province Every Synod was to begin with a Communion and after that the Ministers were to give an account of their Parishes and follow such directions as the Bishop should give them Other heads followed concerning Church-Wardens Tithes Universities Visitations and several sorts of Censures In the thirtieth a large Scheme was drawn of Excommunication which was intrusted to Church-men for keeping the Church pure and was not to be inflicted but for obstinacy in some gross fault all causes upon which it was pronounced were to be examined before the Minister of the Parish a Justice of Peace and some other Church-men It was to be pronounced and intimated with great seriousness and all were to be warned not to keep company with the person censured under the like pains except those of his own Family Upon his continuing forty days obstinate under it a Writ was to be issued out for Commitment till the Sentence should be taken off Such as had the King's Pardon for Capital offences were yet liable to Church censures Then followed the Office of absolving Penitents They were to come to the Church-door and crave admittance and the Minister having brought them in was to read a long discourse concerning Sin Repentance and the Mercies of God Then the Party was to confess his sin and to ask God and the Congregation pardon upon which the Minister was to lay his hands on his Head and to pronounce the Absolution Then a thanksgiving was to be offered to God at the Communion Table for the reclaiming that sinner The other Heads of this work relate to the other parts of the Law of those Courts It is certain that the abounding of Vice and Impiety flows in a great measure from the want of that strictness of censure which was the glory of the Christian Church in the Primitive times and it is a publick connivance at sin that there have not been more effectual ways taken for making sinners ashamed and denying them the Priviledges of Christians till they have changed their ill course of life There were at this time also remedies under consideration The Poverty of the Clergy for the great misery and poverty the Clergy were generally in but the Laity were so much concerned to oppose all these that there was no hope of bringing them to any good effect till the King should come to be of Age himself and endeavour to recover again a competent maintenance for the Clergy out of their hands who had devoured their Revenues Both Heath and Day the Bishops of Worcester and Chichester were this Year deprived of their Bishopricks by a Court of Delegates that were all Lay-men But it does not appear for what offences they were so censured The Bishopricks of Gloucester and Worcester were both united and put under Hooper's care but soon after the former was made an exempted Archdeaconry and he was declared Bishop only of Worcester In every See as it fell vacant the best Mannors were laid hold on by such hungry Courtiers as had the Interest to procure the Grant of them It was thought that the Bishops Sees were so out of Measure enriched that they could never be made poor enough but such hast was made in spoiling them that they were reduced to so low a condition that it was hardly possible for a Bishop to subsist in them If what had been thus taken from them had been converted to good uses such as the supplying the Inferiour Clergy it had been some mitigation of so heinous a robbery But their Lands were snatched up by Laymen who thought of making no Compensation to the Church for the spoils thus made by them This Year the Reformation had some more footing in Ireland than formerly Affairs in Ireland Henry the VIII had assumed to himself by consent of the Parliament of that Kingdom the Title of King of Ireland the former Kings of England having only been called Lords of it The Popes and Emperours have pretended that such Titles could be given only by them The former said all power in Heaven and Earth was given to Christ and by consequence to his Vicar The latter as carrying the Title of Roman Emperour pretended that as they Anciently bestowed those Titles so that devolved on them who retained only the name and shadow of that Great Authority But Princes and States have thought that they may bring themselves under what Titles they please In Ireland though the Kings of England were well obeyed within the English Pale yet the Irish continued barbarous and uncivilised and depended on the heads of their Names or Tribes and were obedient or did rebel as they directed them In Vlster they had a great dependance on Scotland and there were some risings there during the War with Scotland which were quieted by giving the Leading-men Pensions and getting them to come and live within
affairs so well that the Ambassadours that were sent into England published very extraordinary things of him in all the Courts of Europe He had great quickness of apprehension but being distrustful of his Memory he took Notes of every thing he heard that was considerable in Greek Characters that those about him might not understand what he writ which he afterwards Copied out fair in the Journal that he kept His Virtues were wonderful when he was made believe that his Unkle was guilty of conspiring the death of the other Counsellours he upon that abandoned him Barnaby Fitzpatrick was his Favourite and when he sent him to travel he writ oft to him to keep good Company to avoid excess and Luxury and to improve himself in those things that might render him capable of Imployment at his return He was afterwards made Lord of Upper Ossory in Ireland by Queen Elizabeth and did answer the hopes that this excellent King had of him He was very merciful in his nature which appeared in his unwillingness to sign the Warrant for burning the Maid of Kent He took great care to have his debts well paid reckoning that a Prince who breaks his Faith and loses his Credit has thrown up that which he can never recover and made himself liable to perpetual distrust and extreme contempt He took special care of the Petitions that were given him by poor and opprest People But his great zeal for Religion crowned all the rest It was not only an angry heat about it that acted him but it was a true tenderness of conscience founded on the love of God his Neighbors These extraordinary qualities set off with great sweetness and affability made him be universally beloved by all his People Some called him their Josias others Edward the Saint and others called him the Phoenix that rise out of his Mothers ashes and all People concluded that the sins of England must have been very great since they provoked God to deprive the Nation of so signal a blessing as the rest of his Reign would have by all appearance proved Ridley and the other good Men of that time made great lamentations of the Vices that were grown then so common that Men had past all shame in them Luxury Oppression and a hatred of Religion had over-run the higher rank of People who gave a countenance to the Reformation meerly to rob the Church but by that and their other practices were become a great scandal to so good a work The inferiour sort were so much in the power of the Priests who were still notwithstanding their outward Compliance Papists in heart and were so much offended at the spoil they saw made of all good endowments without putting other and more useful ones in their room that they who understood little of Religion laboured under great prejudices against every thing that was advanced by such tools And these things as they provoked God highly so they disposed the People much to that sad Catastrophe which is to be the subject of the next Book BOOK III. Book III 1553. THE LIFE and REIGN OF Queen MARY BY King Edward's death Qu. Mary succeeds the Crown devolved according to Law on his Eldest Sister Mary who was within half a days Journey to the Court when she had notice given her by the Earl of Arundel of her Brother's death and of the Patent for Lady Jane's succession and this prevented her falling into the Trap that was laid for her Upon that she retired to Framlingham in Suffolk both to be near the Sea that she might escape to Flanders in case of a misfortune and because the slaughter that was made of Kets People by Northumberland begat him the hatred of the People in that Neighbourhood Before she got thither she wrote on the 9th of July to the Council and let them know she understood that her Brother was dead by which she succeeded to the Crown but wondred that she heard not from them she knew well what Consultations they had engaged in but she would pardon all that was done to such as would return to their duty and proclaim her Title to the Crown By this it was found that the Kings death could be no longer kept secret so some of the Privy Council went to Lady Jane and acknowledged her their Queen The news of the King's death afflicted her much and her being raised to the Throne rather encreased than lessened her trouble She was a very extraordinary Person both for Body and Mind She had learned both the Greek and Latine Tongues to great perfection and delighted much in study She read Plato in Greek and drunk in the Precepts of true Philosophy so early that as she was not tainted with the levities not to say Vices of those of her Age and condition so she seemed to have attained to the practice of the highest notions of Philosophy for in those sudden turns of her condition as she was not exalted with the prospect of a Crown so she was as little cast down when her Palace was made her Prison The only passion she shewed was that of the Noblest kind in the concern she exprest for her Father and Husband who fell with her and seemingly on her account though really Northumberland's ambition and her Father's weakness ruined her She rejected the offer of the Crown when it was first made her she said she knew that of right it belonged to the late King's Sisters and so she could not with a good Conscience assume it but it was told her that both the Judges and Privy Councellours had declared that it fell to her according to Law This joyned with the Importunities of her Husband who had more of his Father's Temper than of her Philosophy in him made her submit to it Upon this XXI Privy Councellours set their hands to a Letter to Queen Mary letting her know that Queen Jane was now their Soveraign and that the Marriage between her Father and Mother was null so she could not succeed to the Crown and therefore they required her to lay down her Pretensions and to submit to the settlement now made and if she gave a ready obedience to these Commands they promised her much favour The day after this they proclaimed Jane But Lady Jane Gray is proclaimed In it they set forth That the late King had by Patent excluded his Sisters that both were illegitimated by sentences past in the Ecclesiastical Courts and confirmed in Parliament and at best they were only his Sisters by the half blood and so not inheritable by the Law of England There was also cause to fear that they might marry strangers and change the Laws and subject the Nation to the Tyranny of the See of Rome Next to them the Crown fell to the Dutchess of Suffolk and it was provided that if she should have no Sons when the King died the Crown should devolve on her Daughter who was born and married in the Kingdom Upon which
Norfolk those who had purchased some parts of his Estate from the Crown opposed it much in the House of Commons but the Duke came down to the House and desired them earnestly to pass it and assured them that he would refer all differences between him and the Patentees either to Arbiters or to the Queen and so it was agreed to It set forth the pretences that were made use of to Attaint him as that he used Coats of Arms which he and his Ancestors had lawfully used There was a Commission given to some to declare the Royal assent to it but that was not signed but only stamped by the King's mark and that not at the upper end as was usual but beneath nor did it appear that the Royal Assent was ever given to it and they declared that in all time coming the Royal assent should be given either by the King in Person or by a Commission under the Great Seal signed by the King's hand and publickly declared to both Houses Cranmer Guilford Dudley and his Wife the Lady Jane and two of his Brothers were tryed for Treason they all confessed their Indictments only Cranmer appealed to the Judges who knew how unwillingly he had consented to the Exclusion of the Queen and that he did it not till they whose profession it was to know the Law had signed it They were all Attainted of Treason for levying War against the Queen and their Attainders were confirmed in Parliament so was Cranmer legally divested of his Archbishoprick but since he was put in it by the Pope's authority it was resolved to degrade him by the forms of the Canon-Law and the Queen was willing to pardon his Treason that it might appear she did not act upon revenge but Zeal she was often prevailed with to pardon Injuries against her self but was always inexorable in matters of Religion But now her Treaty with the Pope began to take vent which put the Parliament in some disorder When she came first to the Crown A Treaty for reconciling England to the Pope the Popes Legate at Brussels sent over Commendone to see if he could speak with her and to perswade her to reconcile her Kingdom to the Apostolick See The management of the matter was left to his discretion for the Legate would not trust this secret to Gardiner nor any of the other Bishops Commendone came over in the disguise of a Merchant and by accident met with one of the Queens Servants who had lived some years beyond Sea and was known to him and by his means he procured access to the Queen She assured him of her firm resolution to return to the obedience of that See but charged him to manage the matter with great prudence for if it were too early discovered it might disturb her affairs and obstruct the design By him she wrote both to the Pope and to Cardinal Pool and instructed Commendone in order to the sending over Pool with a Legatine power She also asked him whether the Pope might not dispence with Pool to marry since he was only in Deacons Orders This was a welcome Message to the Court of Rome and proved the foundation of Commendone's advancement There was a publick rejoicing for three days and the Pope said Mass himself upon it and gave a largess of Indulgences in which he might be the more liberal because they were like to come into credit again and to go off at the old rates Yet all that Commendone said in the Consistory was That he understood from good hands that the Queen was well disposed to a re-union Some of the stiffer Cardinals thought it was below the Popes dignity to send a Legate till an Embassie should come first from the Queen desiring it Yet the secret was so whispered among them that it was generally known It was said they ought to imitate the Shepherd in the Parable who went to seek the stray Sheep And therefore Pool was appointed to go Legate with ample powers Gardiner was in fear of him and so advised the Emperour to stop him in his journey and to touch the Emperour in a tender part it is said that he let him know that the Queen had some Inclinations for the Cardinal And for a Match with the Prince of Spain The Emperour had now proposed a Match with her for his Son though he was nine years younger than she was yet she being but thirty seven there was reason enough to hope for Children and the uniting England to the Spanish Monarchy seem'd to be all that was wanting to strengthen it on all hands so as to ruine the French Kingdom The Queen saw reasons enough to determine her to entertain it She found it would be hard to bring the Nation about in matters of Religion without the assistance of a soreign power Yet it is more reasonable to think that Gardiner who was always governed by his Interests would have rather promoted the match with Pool for then he had been Infallibly made Arch-bishop of Canterbury and had got Pool's Hat and the Government would have been much easier if the Queen had married a Subject than it could be under a Stranger especially one whose greatness made all people very apprehensive of him The restoring the Papal power Pool's advices to the Queen and the Match with the Prince of Spain were things of such uneasie digestion that it was not fit to adventure on both at once therefore the Emperour prest the Queen to begin with her Marriage and by that she would be powerfully assisted to carry on her other designs and at last the Queen her self was perswaded to send to Pool to advise him to stop his Journey for some time She sent over the Acts of this Parliament to let him see what progress she was making and to assure him she would make all convenient haste in the Re-union But the Parliament had expressed so great an aversion to the restoring the Popes power and were so apprehensive of losing the Abbey-Lands that it would prejudice her affairs much if he should come over before the peoples minds were better prepared She also desired him to send her a List of those that were fit to be made Bishops in the room of those that were turned out To this he writ a long and tedious answer he rejoiced at the Acts that were passed but observed great defects in them In that concerning her Mothers Marriage there was no mention made of the Popes Bull of Dispensation by which only it could be a lawful Marriage The other for setting up the Worship as it was in the end of her Fathers reign he censured more for they were then in a state of Schism and so this established Schism by a Law And he said that while the Interdict lay on the Nation it was a sin to perform Divine Offices He had been very frankly dispatched by the Pope and the Consistory with many favourable Instructions but if these were so despised and he still
carried in Parliament Gardiners policy in the steps of this change as well as the Court could wish and upon this Gardiner's reputation was much raised for bringing about so great a change in so little time with so little opposition He took much pains to remove all the Objections that were generally made use of they were chiefly two the one was the fear of coming under such Tyranny from Rome as their Ancestors had groaned under and the other was the loss of the Abbey-Lands But to the first he said that all the old Laws against Provisions from Rome should still continue in force and to shew them that Legates should exercise no dangerous authority in England he made Pool take out a Licence under the Great Seal for his Legatine power As for the other he promised both an Act of Parliament and Convocation confirming them and undertook that the Pope should ratifie these as well as his Legate did now consent to them But to all this it was answered that if the Nation were again brought under the old Superstition and the Papal authority established it would not be possible to bridle that power which would be no longer kept within limits if once they became Masters again and brought the World under a blind obedience It was objected that the Church-Lands must be certainly taken back it was not likely the Pope would confirm the alienation of them but though he should do it yet his Successors might annul that as sacrilegious And it was observed in the charge which Pool gave to all to make restitution by the repeal of the statute of Mortmain that it was intended to possess the Nation with an Opinion of the Unlawfulness of keeping those Lands which would probably work much on Men that were near death and could not resist the terrours of Purgatory or perhaps of Hell for the sin of Sacriledge and so would be easily induced to make restitution of them especially at such a time when they were not able to possess them any longer themselves Now the Parliament was at an end Consultations about the way of proceeding against Hereticks and the first thing taken into consideration was what way they ought to proceed against the Hereticks Pool had been suspected to bear some favour to them formerly but he took great care to avoid all occasions of being any more blamed for that and indeed he lived in that distrust of all the English that he opened his thoughts to very few for his chief Confidents were two Italians that came over with him Priuli and Ormaneto Secretary Cecyl who in matters of Religion complied with the present time was observed to have more of his favour than any English Man had Pool was an Enemy to all severe proceedings he thought Churchmen should have the tenderness of a Father and the care of a Shepherd and ought to reduce but not devour the stray sheep he had observed that Cruelty rather inflamed than cured that Distemper he thought the better and surer way was to begin with an effectual Reformation of the manners of the Clergy since it was the scandals given by their ill conduct and Ignorance that was the chief cause of the growth of Heresie so he concluded that if a Primitive Discipline should be revived the Nation would by degrees lay down their prejudices and might in time be gained by gentle methods Gardiner on the other hand being of an abject and cruel temper himself thought the strict execution of the Laws against the Lollards was that to which they ought chiefly to trust if the Preachers were made publick Examples he concluded the People would be easily reclaimed for he pretended that it was visible if King Henry had executed the Act of the six Articles vigorously all would have submitted he confessed a Reformation of the Clergy was a good thing but all times could not bear it if they should proceed severely against scandalous Churchmen the Hereticks would take advantage from that to defame the Church the more and raise a clamour against all Clergymen Gardiner's spite was at this time much whetted by the reprinting of his Books of true Obedience which was done at Strasburg and sent over In it he had called King Henry's marriage with Queen Catherine Incestuous and had justified his Divorce and his second Marriage with his most godly and vertuous Wife Queen Anne This was a severe exposing of him but he had brow enough and bore down these reproaches by saying Peter had denied his Master but others said a Compliance of 25. years continuance was very unjustly compared to a sudden denial that was presently expiated with so sincere a Repentance The Queen was for joining both these Councils together and intended to proceed at the same time both against scandalous Churchmen and Hereticks After the Parliament was over there was a solemn Procession of many Bishops and Priests Bonner carrying the Host to thank God for reconciling the Nation again to Saint Peter's Chair and it having been done on St. Andrew's Day that was appointed to be an Anniversary and was called The Feast of the Reconciliation But soon after began the Persecution Rogers Hooper Taylor Bradford A Persecution set on foot and seven more were brought before the Council and asked one by one if they would return to the Union of the Catholick Church and acknowledge the Pope but they all answered resolutely that they had renounced the Pope's power as all the Bishops had also done they were assured he had no authority but over his own Diocess for the first four Ages so they could not submit to his Tyranny Gardiner told them Mercy was now offered them but if they rejected it Justice would be done next so they were all sent back to Prison except one who had great Friends so he was only asked if he would be an honest man and upon that promise was dismist They began with Rogers whose Imprisonment was formerly mentioned Many had advised him to make his escape and flie to Germany but he would not do it though a Family of Ten Children was a great Temptation Both he and Hooper were brought before Gardiner Rogers and Hooper condemned and burnt Bonner Tonstall and three other Bishops They asked them whether they would submit to the Church or not but they answered that they looked on the Church of Rome as Antichristian Gardiner said that was a reproach on the Queen Rogers said they honoured the Queen and lookt for no ill at her hands but as she was set on to it by them Upon that Gardiner and the other Bishops declared that so far were they from setting on the Queen to the executing of the Law that she commanded them to do it and this was confirmed by two Privy Councellours that were present In conclusion they gave them time till next Morning to consider what they would do and then they continuing firm they declared them obstinate Hereticks and degraded them but they did
shew no favour All the distinction was that the Lord Stourton was hanged in a silken Rope This was much extolled as an Instance of the Queens Impartial Justice and it was said that since she left her Friends to the Law her Enemies had no cause to complain if it was executed on them The War breaking out between Spain and France The Queen joyns in the War against France King Philip had a great mind to engage England in it The Queen complained often of the kind reception that was given to the fugitives that fled from England to France and it was believed that the French secretly supplied and encouraged them to imbroil her affairs One Stafford had this Year gathered many of them together and landing in Yorkshire he surprised the Castle of Scarborough and published a Manifesto against the Queen that by bringing in strangers to govern the Nation she had forfeited her right to the Crown but few came in to him so he and his Complices were forced to render and four of them were hanged The English Ambassadour in France Dr. Wotton discovered that the Constable had a design to take Calais for he sent his own Nephew whom he had brought over and instructed secretly to him he pretended he was sent from a great Party in that Town who were resolved to deliver it up at which the Constable seemed not a little glad and entred into a long discourse with him of the Methods of taking it yet all this made no great Impression on the Queen All her Council chiefly the Clergy were against engaging for they saw that would oblige them to slacken their severities at home so the King found it necessary to come over himself and perswade her to it He prevailed with her and after a denunciation of War she sent over 80000. Men to his assistance who joyned the Spanish Army consisting of 50000. that was set down before St. Quintin The Constable of France came with a great force to raise the Siege The Battel of S. Quintin but when the two Armies were in view of one another the French by a mistake in the word of command fell in disorder upon which the Spaniards charged them with such success that the whole Army was defeated Many were killed on the place and many were taken Prisoners among whom was the Constable himself and the Spaniards lost only fifty Men. Had Philip followed this blow and marched straight to Paris he had found all France in a great consternation but he sat still before S. Quintin which held out till the terror of this defeat was much over The Constable lost his reputation in it and all looked on it as a curse upon that King for the breach of his Faith The French Troops were called out of Italy upon which the Pope being now exposed to the Spaniards fell in strange fits of rage The Pope recalls Pool particularly he inveighed much against Pool for suffering the Queen to joyn with the Enemies of the Apostolick See and having made a General Decree recalling all his Legates and Nuntio's in the Spanish Dominions he recalled Pool's Legatine power among the rest and neither the Intercessions of the Queen's Ambassadours nor the other Cardinals could prevail with him to alter it only as an extraordinary Grace he consented not to intimate it to him But after this he went further He made Friar Peyto a Cardinal he liked him for his railing against King Henry to his Face and thought that since the Queen had made him her Confessor he would be very acceptable to her He recalled Pool's powers and required him to come to Rome and answer to some Complaints made of him for the favour he shewed to Hereticks He also declared Peyto his Legate for England and writ to the Queen to receive him but the Queen ordered the Bulls and Briefs that were sent over to be laid up without opening them which had been the method formerly practised when unacceptable Bulls were sent over She sent word to Peyto not to come into England otherwise she would sue him and all that owned him in a Praemunire He died soon after Cardinal Pool laid aside the Ensigns of a Legate and sent over Ormaneto with so submissive a Message that the Pope was much mollified by it and a Treaty of Peace being set on foot this storm went over The Duke of Alva marched near Rome which was in no condition to resist him so the Pope in great fury called the Cardinals together and told them he was resolved to suffer Martyrdom without being daunted which they who knew that he had drawn all this on himself by his Ambition and Rage could scarce hear without laughter Yet the Duke of Alva was willing to treat The haughty Pope though he was forced to yield in the chief points yet in the punctilio's of Ceremonies he stood so high upon his honour which he said was Christ's honour that he declared he would see the whole World ruined rather than yield in a Title In that the Duke of Alva was willing enough to comply with him so he came to Rome and in his Master's name asked pardon for Invading the Patrimony of S. Peter and the Pope gave him Absolution in as Insolent a manner as if he had been the Conqueror The news of this Reconciliation were received in England with all the publickest expressions of joy In Scotland the Queen Regent studied to engage that Nation in the War all that favoured the Reformation were for it but the Clergy opposed it The Queen thought to draw them into it whether they would or not and sent in D'oisell to besiege a Castle in England But the Scotch Lords complained much of that and required him to give over his attempt otherwise they would declare him an Enemy to the Nation So after some slight skirmishes on the Borders the matter was put up on both sides This made the Queen Regent write to France pressing them to conclude the Marriage between the Dolphin and the Queen upon which a Message was sent from that Court desiring the Scots to send over Commissioners to treat about the Articles of the Marriage and some of every State were dispatched for setling that matter There was this Year great want of Money in the Exchequer of England and the backwardness of the last Parliament made the Council unwilling to call a new one It was tried what Sums could be raised by Loan upon Privy Seals but so little came in that way that at last one was Summoned to meet in January yet in the mean while advertisements were given them of the ill condition in which the Garrisons of Calais and the neighbouring places were and that the French had a design on them but either they thought there was no danger during the Winter or they wanted Money so much that no care was taken to secure them In Germany Affairs in Germany the Papists did this Year blow up the differences between the Lutherans and
were fit to be made and by what steps they should proceed It was thought fit to begin with the Communion in both kinds Now did the Exiles The Impatience of some that had fled beyond Sea return again and some zealous People began in many places to break Images and set up King Edward's Service again Upon this the Queen ordered that the Litany and other parts of the Service should be said in English and that no Elevation should be used in the Mass but required her Subjects by Proclamation 27 Decemb. to avoid all Innovations and use no other forms but those that she kept up in her Chappel till it should be otherwise appointed in Parliament She ordered her Sister's Funeral to be performed with the ordinary Magnificence White Bishop of Winchester that Preached the Sermon not only extolled her Government much but made severe Reflections on the present state of affairs for which he was confined to his House for some time Many Sees were now vacant So one of the first things that came under Consultation was the finding out fit Men for them Dr. Parker was pitched on as the fittest for the See of Canterbury He had been Chaplain to Anne Boleyn Parker refuses the See of Canterbury long and had been imployed in instructing the Queen in the Points of Religion when she was young He was well known to Sir Nicolas Bacon and both he and Cecyl gave so high a Character of him that it meeting with the Queen 's particular esteem made them resolve on advancing him but as soon as he knew it he used all the Arguments he possibly could against it both from the weakness of his Body and his unfitness for so great a charge He desired that he might be put in some small Benefice of 20. Nobles a Year So far was he from aspirings to great Wealth or high Dignities and as Cranmer had done before him he continued for many Months so averse to it that it was very hard to overcome him Such Promotions are generally if not greedily sought after yet at least willingly enough undertaken but this looked liker the practises in Ancient than Modern times In the best Ages of the Church instead of that Ambitus which has given such scandal to the World in later times it was ordinary for Men to flye from the offer of great Preferments and to retire to a Wilderness or a Monastery rather than undertake a charge which they thought above their Merit or Capacity to discharge And this will still shew it self in all such as have a just sense of the Pastoral care and consider the discharging that more than the raising or enriching themselves or their Families And it was thought no small honour to the Reformation that the two chief Instruments that promoted it Cranmer and Parker gave such evidences of a Primitive Spirit in being so unwillingly advanced The Seals were taken from Heath and put in Bacon's hands Bacon made Lord Keeper who was declared Lord Keeper and had all the Dignity and Authority of the Chancellors Office without the Title which was perhaps an effect of his great Modesty that adorned his other great qualities As he was Eminent in himself so he was happy in being Father to the Great Sir Francis Bacon one of the chief Glories of the English Nation On the 13th The Queen is Crowned of January the Queen was Crowned When she entred into her Chariot at the Tower she offered up an humble acknowledgment to God for delivering her out of that Lions Den and preserving her to that Joyful Day She passed through London in great Triumph and received all the expressions of Joy from her People with so much sweetness as gained as much on their Hearts as her Sisters sowrness had alienated them from her Under one of the Triumphal Arches a Child came down as from Heaven representing Truth with a Bible in his hand which she received on her Knees and kissed it and said she preferred that above all the other Presents that were that Day made her She was Crowned by Oglethorp Bishop of Carlisle for all the other Bishops refused to assist at it and he only could be prevailed on to do it They perceived that she intended to make changes in Religion and though many of them had changed often before yet they resolved now to stick firmer to that which they had so lately professed and for which they had shed so much Blood The Parliament was opened on the 25th A Parliament is called of January Bacon made a long Speech both concerning matters of Religion and the State of the Nation He desired they would examine the former Religion without heat or partial affection and that all reproaches might be forborn and extreams avoided and that things might be so setled that all might agree in an Uniformity in Divine Worship He laid open the errours of the former Reign and aggravated the loss of Calais but shewed that it could not be easily recovered He made a high Panegyrick of the Queen but when he shewed the necessities she was in he said she would desire no supply but what they should freely and chearfully offer The House of Commons began at a Debate Whether the want of the Title of Supream Head in the enumeration of the Queen's Titles made a Nullity in the Writs by which this and some former Parliaments had been summoned but they concluded in the Negative The Treaty at Cambray stuck chiefly at the restitution of Calais and King Philip for a great while insisted so positively on it that he refused to make Peace on other terms The Peace at Cambray England had lost it by a War in which they engaged on his account so in honour he was bound to see to it But when the hopes of his marrying the Queen vanished and when he saw she was going to make changes in Religion he grew more careless of her Interests and told the English Ambassadours that unless they would enter into a League for keeping up the War six Years longer he must submit to the necessity of his affairs and make Peace So the Queen listned to Propositions sent her from France She complained of the Queen of Scotland's assuming the Title and Arms of England It was answered that since she carried the Title and Arms of France she had no reason to quarrel much on that account She saw she could not make War with France alone and knew that Philip had made a separated Peace She had no mind to begin her Reign with a War that would probably be unsuccessful or demand Subsidies that would be so grievous as that thereby she might lose the affections of her People The loss of Calais was no reproach on her but fell wholly on her Sister's Memory and since she intended to make some changes in matters of Religion it was necessary to be at quiet with her Neighbours Upon this she resolved to make Peace with France on the best terms