The Zuinglians had no superintendants, for ought I can find; nor was Hooper ever called superintendant, but bishop. He was made bishop of Glocester, which had been before king Henry the Eighth's time a part of the bishopric of Worcester. And now these sees came to be united; so that Hooper had not two bishoprics, but one that had been for some years divided into two: he only enjoyed the revenue of Glocester, for Worcester was entirely suppressed.

47. He says, "On the 9th of July, the money was cried Page 219. "down one fourth part; and forty days after another "fourth part so that the whole nation was thereby robbed "of the half of their stock."

This king's counsellors found the coin embased; and they were either to let it continue in that state, to the great prejudice of the state of the nation, or to reduce it to a just standard: so our author condemns them for correcting what they found amiss. But no wonder he that quarrels with them so much for reforming of religion, should be likewise offended with them for reforming the coin.

48. He says, "The duke of Somerset was condemned, Page 222. "because he had come into the duke of Northumberland's "chamber, with intention to have killed him, and was "thereupon beheaded."

This was indeed said to be the cause of his death; but it is not mentioned in the record, in which it is only said, that he intended to have seized on the duke of Northumberland, without adding, that he designed to have killed him.

49. He says, "The two younger sisters of lady Jane Page 223. "Gray were married to the eldest sons of the earls of Pem"broke and Huntington."

This error is of no great consequence, but it shews how much our author was a stranger, even to the most public actions, for the youngest sister to the lady Jane was married to one Keys that was groom-porter. The earl of Huntington's son married the duke of Northumberland's daugh

ter.

50. He says, "Soon after the marriages, the king began Ibid. "to sicken, and to fall in decay."

Page 223.

Page 224.

Ibid.

Page 225.

The king had been ill four months before these marriages were made and it is probable, his sickness made them be the more hastened.

51. He says, "Dudley was very desirous to have the "lady Mary in his power, not being much concerned about "the lady Elizabeth; for she being descended of Ann Boleyn, " he did not much consider her."

It was natural for Dudley to desire rather to have the elder sister in his power, than the younger; who could not claim to the crown, but after the other: but it appeared, by the submission of the whole nation to queen Elizabeth, though still professing popery, that she was every whit as much considered, as her sister had been formerly.

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52. He says, "Lady Mary having been sent for by Dudley's order, understood, when she was not far from "London, that the king was expiring; and that she would "be in great danger, if she came to court: upon which she "turned back."

Queen Mary had not been sent for by Dudley's order; the council had writ to her, that the king being ill, desired her company: the news sent her from court was, that the king was dead; so she was desired to stir no further: and upon that, retired to her house in the country.

53. He says, "Twenty days after that, she heard the king was dead; whereupon she made proclaim herself queen."

The discovery of the former error clears this; for she immediately gathered the people of Suffolk about her, and gave them her royal word, that they should enjoy their religion, as it had been established in king Edward's time: but though they were the first that proclaimed her queen, and came about her to defend her right, they were among the first that felt the severities of her reign.

54. He says, "Mary queen of Scots was married to the "dauphin of France."

She was then but a little past ten years old, and was not married to the dauphin till five years after this.

Page 229.

55. He says,

"Queen Mary, as soon as she came to the

66 crown, without staying for an act of parliament concerning "it, laid aside the profane title of being head of the church.”

We may expect as true a history of this reign as we had of the former; when in the first period of it there is so notorious a falsehood. She held two parliaments before she laid aside that title; for in the writ of summons for both, she was styled supreme head of the church; and all the reformed bishops were turned out by virtue of commissions which she issued out as supreme head. There was also a visitation made over England by her authority; and none were suffered to preach, but upon licences obtained under her great seal; so that she both retained the title and

of supreme head a year after she came to the crown.

power

56. He says, "She discharged the prisoners she found in Page 229. "the Tower; recalled the sentence against cardinal Pool; " and discharged a tax due to her by the subjects."

The queen did free the prisoners of the Tower at her coming to the crown, and discharged the tax at her coronation: but for recalling the sentence against cardinal Pool, that being an act of parliament, she could not recall it; nor was it done, till almost a year and an half after her coming to the crown.

57. He says, "She took care of the coin, that her sub- Ibid. "jects might suffer no more by the embasing it; so that 66 they all saw the difference between a catholic and here"tical prince."

I do not find any care was taken of the coin all her reign; and the bringing that to a just standard is universally ascribed to queen Elizabeth. If there was a public joy upon her coming to the crown, it did not last long; and there was a far greater when she died. This observation is much more proper to the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign, who began and continued to reign with so great and so uninterrupted a felicity, that none but a writer like our author would have made such a remark on the beginnings of this reign.

58. He says, "She overcame Wiat's rebellion, rather by Page 230 "her own faith, than by any force she had about her."

Page 230.

Page 231.

Ibid.

This is to make the reader think, she defeated Wiat, as Gideon did the Amalekites; but Wiat brought up not above 3000 men, and she had thrice that number about her. It was a desperate attempt, and that which was rather the effect of a precipitated design, than of prudent counsel.

59. He says, "She put her sister in the Tower, when it "had appeared to the senate (which in his style is the par"liament) that she had been engaged in Wiat's conspi"racy."

:

This is said, to cover her barbarous cruelty towards her sister the matter never came before the parliament, and there was no ground ever given to justify the suspicion. It is true, Wiat hoping to have saved his life, by so foul a calumny, accused her but when he saw he must die, he vindicated her openly on the scaffold. It is certain, if they could have found any colours to have excused severe proceedings against her, both the queen and the clergy who governed her were much inclined to have made use of them.

60. He says, "The queen was more ready to pardon "crimes against herself, than offences against Christ and "religion."

The more shame for those who governed her conscience, that made her so implacable to all whom she esteemed heretics; since the Christian religion came not into the world, as the author of it says of himself, to destroy men's lives, but to save them: yet she was not so merciful as he would represent her, witness her severities against her sister, and against Cranmer, even after he had signed the recantation of his former opinions.

61. He says, "Though some of the bishops were guilty "of treason, yet she would not have them to be tried by the "temporal laws; and referred even Cranmer himself to the "spiritual jurisdiction."

Cranmer was tried for treason, by virtue of a commission issued out by the queen; and all the other reformed bishops were turned out by delegates, empowered for that end by the queen's commissions.

62. He says, "parliament."

"Cranmer was condemned of treason in the Page 231.

He was found guilty of treason by a jury of commissioners, and thereupon condemned by a commission of oyer and terminer, and not by the parliament. It is true, the parliament did afterwards confirm the sentence.

63. He says, " Before he was condemned, he feigned Ibid. "himself a catholic, and signed his retractation seventeen "times with his own hand: but the bishops, discovering his "hypocrisy, degraded him, and delivered him to the secular arm, upon which he was burnt at Oxford."

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The popish party have but too great advantages against Cranmer, in this last part of his life; so it was needless for our author to have mixed so much falsehood with this account but he must go on in his ordinary method, even though it is not necessary for any of the ends he had set before himself. Cranmer stood out above two years and an half, in all which time he expressed great constancy of mind, and a readiness to die for that faith, which he had before taught: nor would he fly beyond sea, though he had many opportunities to do it, and had reason enough to apprehend he could not escape at home. Upon his constant adhering to his former doctrines, he was condemned, degraded, and appointed to be burnt; and then the fears of death wrought that effect on him, that he did recant, which he signed thrice: but the queen, being set on revenge, would needs have him burnt after all that: so there was no discovery made of his hypocrisy, nor was there a sentence past upon it; but he, for all his recantation, was led out to be burnt: and then he returned back to his former doctrines, and expressed his repentance for his apostasy, with all the seriousness and horror that was possible.

64. He says, "The laws for burning heretics were again Page 231. "revived, and by them not only Cranmer, but some hun"dreds of the false teachers were burnt.”

A man's inclinations do generally appear in the lies he makes so it seems our author wished it had been as he relates it was: but so far it was from this number, that there