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fecret, and exhorted him to prepare for the fate that awaited him. Henry expreffed his refignation, and directed that Cranmer fhould be fent for; but before the prelate arrived he was fpeechlefs, though he fill feemed to retain his fenfes, Cranmer defired him to give fome fign of his dying in the faith of Chrift. He fqueezed the prelate's hand, and immediately expired, in the 56th year of his age, after a reign of thirty-feven years and nine months. A few weeks before his demife, he made his will, by which he left his crown, first to prince Edward, then to the lady Mary, and next to the lady Elizabeth.

Though a catalogue of this monarch's vices would comprehend many of the worst qualities incident to human nature, yet he was not altogether deftitute of virtues. He was open, gallant, liberal, and capable, at leaft, of a temporary friendship and attachment. Notwithstanding his arbitrary administration, he was fo far from being hated by his fubjects, that he poffeffed in fome degree, even to the laft, their love and affection. His exterior qualities were advantageous, and fit to captivate the multitude. His magnificence and perfonal bravery rendered him illuftrious in vulgar eyes. And it may be faid with truth, that the English in that age were fo thoroughly fubdued, that, like eaftern flaves, they were inclined to admire thofe acts of violence and tyranny, which were exercifed over themselves, and at their own expence,

CHAP. II.

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. A. D. 1485-1547.

D URING the reign of Henry VII, the difciples

of Wickliffe were not, in general, fo ambitious of the crown of martyrdom, as they had formerly been. When they were accused of herefy, and threatened with the cruel death inflicted on heretics, many

of

of them recanted, and burnt their faggot, to preferve themselves.

Though the authority of the pope, and the tenets and ceremonies of the church of Rome, feemed to be firmly established in England, at the acceffion of Henry VIII. the foundations on which they refted were in fome degree undermined, and the fabric was not fo firm as it appeared. The revival of learning, and the invention of the art of printing, made books more attainable, fo that knowledge became more general, than it had been in former times. This alfo gave an opportunity to perfons of different opinions to communicate their fentiments to the public, which produced the reformation, one of the greatest events in hiftory. A concurrence of incidents contributed to forward this great revolution.

Pope Leo, by his generous and enterprising temper, had much exhaufted his treasury, and was obliged to employ every invention, which might yield money, in order to fupport his projects, pleasures, and liberalities. For this purpofe he publifhed the fale of a general in- dulgence, the feveral branches of which were bestowed on particular perfons, who were entitled to levy the impofition The Auguftine friars had ufually been employed in Saxony to preach the indulgences, and, from this truft, derived both profit and confideration. But the perfon to whom they were farmed, being ap prehenfive left practice had taught them to fecrete the money, gave this occupation to the Dominicans. The monks, in order to prove themselves worthy of the diftinction conferred on them, exaggerated the benefits of indulgences, which were to free the purchaser from the pains of purgatory, and advanced doctrines relative to them altogether new. To add to the fcandal, the collectors were faid to have lived the most licentious lives.

Martin Luther, an Auguftine friar, profeffor in the univerfity of Wittemberg, refenting the affront put upon his order, began to preach against thefe abuses, and even to queftion the authority of the pope. As he enlarged his reading, in order to fupport his tenets,

he

he difcovered fome new abufe or error in the church of Rome; and finding his opinions greedily hearkened to, he promulgated them by writing, difcourfe, fermons, and conferences.

The rumour of these innovations foon reached England, and as there were ftill in the kingdom great numbers of Wickliffites, whofe principles refembled those of Luther, the new doctrines fecretly gained many partizans among the laity. But Henry, who had been educated in a ftrict attachment to the church of Rome, and bore a particular prejudice against Luther, because in his writings he had spoken with contempt of Thomas Aquinas, his favourite author, oppofed his authority against the new tenets. He procured, indeed, an act of parliament confirming to him the ecclefiaftical fupremacy, which he had claimed about three years before. Having fixed himself head of the English and Irish churches, inftead of the pope, whofe jurifdiction he abolished, Henry likewife took proper methods to diminish the influence of the clergy. The monafteries were fuppreffed, and their revenues applied to other purposes. But the doctrines and ceremonies of Rome were, in great measure, retained. Hence Papifts and Proteftants were fometimes executed together, the for mer for denying the king's fupremacy, and the latter for not believing tranfubftantiation, or the like.

Cromwell, earl of Effex, though not confcious of guilt, nor apprehenfive of danger, being feized and committed to the tower, was attainted by an act of parliament for herefy and high treason, without being heard, and beheaded on Tower-hill. This great man was hardly laid in his grave, when three of the moft learned and zealous preachers of the reformed doctrine were burnt in Smithfield. Three papifts, who had been found guilty of treason for denying the king's fupremacy, were hanged, drawn, and quartered, at the fame time and place: which made a foreigner, who was a fpectator of this horrid fcene, cry out, "Good God! how unhappy are the people of this country,

who

who are hanged for being papills, or burnt for being enemies to popery,

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Henry laboured the point of uniformity with uncommon ardour, and feems to have determined that none of his fubjects frould think, fpeak, or act, in matters of religion, but as he directed them. Not contented with dictating a fyftem of doctrines which they were to believe, and of the ceremonies they were to practife in the church, he publifhed a manual of prayers, which he strictly commanded all his fubjects to use in their private devotions, prohibiting the ufe of any other prayers in their clofets. This was called the king's Primer. Even the most trivial things, relating to religion, were confidered as of the greatest confequence. Some of the people, for example, kept St. Mark's day as a faft, and others of them kept it as a feaft. He was much offended at this, and publifhed a royal injunction to all his loving fnbjects, to eat fiefb on St. Mark's day.

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CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT.
A. D. 1485-1547.

AGENERAL peace being re-established, soon after

the acceffion of Henry VII. the prospect of happier days feemed to open on the nation. But, as the people were wearied out by the calamities they had undergone, and longed only for repose, they abhorred even the idea of refiftance. The nobility were left defenceless, and abandoned to the mercy of the fovereign, while the commons, finding themselves bereft of those who had hitherto been their leaders, were more than ever afraid to form an oppofition.

So many noblemen had been killed, executed, and attainted, in the cruel conteft between the houses of York and Lancafter, that only 28 temporal peers were fummoned to the first parliament of Henry VII. This

diminution of the number of peers diminished their weight in the fcale of government; and as that was one object of the policy of Henry VII. he raised very few

to the

peerage.

The time was now arrived, when England must sub. mit, in its turn, to the fate of other nations of Europe. All thofe barriers, which it had raised for the defence of its liberty, feemed to have only been able to poft. pone the inevitable effects of power. During the reign of Henry VIII. the parliament was fo little jealous of its privileges (which indeed were at that time scarcely worth preferving,) that there is an inftance of one Strode, who, because he had introduced into the lower house some bill regarding tin, was feverely treated by the ftannery courts in Cornwall. Heavy fines were imposed on him, and upon his refufal to pay, he was thrown into a dungeon, loaded with irons, and ufed in fuch a manner as brought his life in danger. Yet all the notice which the parliament took of this enormity, even in fuch a paltry court, was to enact" that no man could afterwards be queftioned for his conduct in parliament." This prohibition, however, must be suppofed to extend only to the inferior courts. For the king, the privy-council, and the star chamber, were fcarcely bound by any law.

There is a bill of tonnage, which fhews what uncertain ideas the parliament had formed both of their own privileges and of the rights of the fovereign. This duty had been voted to every king fince Henry IV. during the term of his own life only. Henry VIII. however, had been allowed to levy it fix years without any law; and though there had been four parliaments affembled during that time, no attention had been given either to grant it to him regularly, or reftrain him from levying it. At laft the parliament refolved to give him that fupply; but even in this conceffion, they plainly show themselves at a lofs to determine whether: they grant it, or whether he has a right of himfelf to levy it.

The

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