elevated, with whom Wolsey will suffer in comparison. It must be admitted that much was reprehensible in his conduct: but, surely, much excuse may be found in the ungovernable violence and obstinacy of the monarch. "I do assure you, the cardinal said, a few hours before he expired, to Sir William Kingston, the constable of the Tower, "that I have often knelt before his majesty, sometimes three hours together, to per"suade him from his will and appetite, but could "not prevail." 66 It should also be observed, that the part of Henry's reign, which was subsequent to the decease of the minister, was much more criminal, than that which had been directed by his councils. The most violent enemies of Wolsey must admit that he was a protector of learning: and, if we think with them, that he was justly chargeable with an excess of magnificence, we should not forget, that, by calling forth the arts, and exciting the industry of the nation, this very magnificence was a public benefit. At the time, of which we are speaking, the benefit which the public received from individual magnificence like Wolsey's, was little understood. XIV. 2. The whole body of the English Clergy held to be liable to the Penalties of Præmunire. THE offence particularly imputed to Wolsey, was his exercising, in England, the power of a legate of the pope. From an early time, it was an acknowledged prerogative of the popes to send persons to represent them, and exercise their powers in foreign states. The persons invested with this high authority, were often delegated to sovereign princes and states, as the guardians of the faith and discipline of the church, and as protectors of its general interests: they were the representatives of the pope, holding many of his highest powers. It is not to be supposed, that prerogatives, such as these, would be exercised by Wolsey, with a very gentle hand. His administration gave great offence to the clergy, and became a subject of general complaint. On this account, as soon as the ruin of the cardinal was determined upon, his enemies indicted him for procuring from Rome the bull, which invested him with the legatine authority, and for an extravagant exercise of the powers which it conferred upon him. The charge was ridiculous; but, such were the absolute power of the monarch and the temper of the times, that the cardinal confessed the indictment, and sentence was pronounced upon him ;-declaring him out of the king's protection, and his lands and goods to be forfeited, and ordering him into custody.Henry, however, granted him a pardon. This memorable event took place in November 1529: in January 1531, the whole ecclesiastical establishment was brought under the same law. It was alleged, that, by submitting to the cardinal's exercise of his legatine authority, the whole national church had offended within the statute of provisors: upon this statute, the attorney general, by his majesty's direction, indicted them. They assembled in convocation, confessed their guilt, and submitted to his majesty's mercy. The king accepted from the clergy of the province of Canterbury, 100,000l; and from the clergy of the province of York, 18,440l.—for a pardon. It was expected that the whole body of the laity would have been considered guilty of the same offence; but, after some demonstrations of anger, the king issued his pardon of them, without requiring any fine: the commons expressed great gratitude to him for his clemency. It is surprising, that the nation should have quietly submitted to a proceeding so manifestly unjust and absurd. On what ground, it could be gravely asserted, that either clergy or laity, had incurred the penalties of the statutes of provisors or præmunire, it is impossible to conceive. The first of these statutes extended to those only, who obtained from the see of Rome, provisional presentations to benefices, that were not vacant; the latter, to those only, who interrupted the proceedings of the king's courts, or prevented the execution of their sentences, by appealing from them to the see of Rome. XIV. 3. Measures preparing the Public Mind for his Majesty's Ecclesiastical Supremacy. AFTER this, it soon became evident, that the king was determined to abolish, in his dominions, the spiritual supremacy of the pope: he was aware, that it would shock the religious principles and feelings of a large proportion of the nation; he therefore proceeded in the execution of his design, with greater caution, than he condescended to use on any other occasion. Great attempts were made to induce the leading ecclesiastics to co-operate with his views: many works were published, to dispose the nation favourably towards them; the convocations of both provinces were brought over to them; and the language of the debates, in both houses of parliament, was calculated to promote them. The king caused the bishops, and all other leading ecclesiastics, to be sounded by his principal courtiers; and every method was employed that could dispose them to favour his designs; the ordinary means of persuasion and terror were resorted to; frequent sermons were preached, and every other mode of instruction used, to make the new doctrine palatable to the people; and the superiors of religious houses were required to disseminate it among the members of their communi ties. The effect of these measures upon the public mind is remarkable at first, it was thought suffieient to propound that the council was above the pope; but, "afterwards," says Burnet, "they struck 66 a note higher; and declared to the people, that "the pope had no authority in England*." For the first time, perhaps, in the annals of history, the powerful artillery of the press was now brought forward in aid of a great public measure. Many works, advocating the royal views, and indisposing the nation against the see of Rome, were printed and extensively circulated. The most remarkable of these were, "The Institution for the necessary Erudition of a Christian Man;" the treatise of Fox, bishop of Hereford, "De Verâ dif"ferentiâ Regiæ Potestatis et Ecclesiæ ;" and the work of Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, "De “Verâ Obedientiâ." The most popular, was a Latin oration of doctor Richard Sampson, printed, in 1553, by Berthelet. Henry himself broke a lance against the pope :-"The king," says Strypet, "wrote a book. It was a large and ample treatise "of the tyranny and usurpation of the bishop of "Rome; and bore this title, "De Potestate Chris"tianorum Regum in suis Ecclesiis contra Pontificis "Tyrannidem et horribilem impietatem." In the mean time, the advocates of the supremacy of the pope were not idle: its most distinguished champion was cardinal Pole: he addressed to the king a laboured dissertation, "Pro Unitate Ecclesiasticâ;" * History of the Reformation, book ii. |