Dissolution of the Monasteries in England

AT THE TIME OF THE REFORMATION.

THERE is one feature in the events which marked the progress of the change of religion in this country in the sixteenth century which deserves special consideration; I mean, the dissolution of the monasteries, or communities of religious men or women, which were to be found in every part of the kingdom in old Catholic times. Even at the present day, there are scattered about in various places a number of magnificent ruins, showing how many and how splendid these establishments must have been before the hand of the spoiler had been laid upon them. Moreover, we see a number of institutions, of less extent indeed and less magnificence, but of the same general character, springing up among us in our own days; and the sight naturally suggests an inquiry as to the cause of their former destruction in our land. The answer to this inquiry is to be found in the history of the so-called Reformation; and it is important that you should know something of the real motives which led to so disastrous a result.

We have seen how the licentious king, after having given the rein to his passions, rebelled against the authority of the Holy See, which refused to sanction him in the indulgence of his unlawful appetites, and how the unprincipled Cranmer lent himself to every evil purpose of his royal master; and having himself broken his own vow of celibacy, and assisted the king in his adultery, gladly did all in his power to promote the rebellion against the Church and the introduction of new doctrines. One great obstacle in their way was the existence of numerous and powerful monasteries. In these were to be found men who could not easily be persuaded to

exchange the supremacy of the Pope for that of the King; men who would not forswear themselves, and deny the articles of their faith at the bidding of an apostate tyrant; who sat loose to the interests of the world they had renounced, and who valued their religion more than their lives; in a word, men who could dare to withstand the caprice, the ambition, and even the resentment of their sovereign, for the sake of obedience to the law of God. This, then, was one motive which caused the religious houses of England to be obnoxious to Henry and to Cranmer. Henry's whole heart was set on firmly establishing his spiritual supremacy; and these were the bodies from which he was sure to receive the most determined opposition. They must, therefore, be removed out of his way; they must be sacrificed to his ambition.

Another, and not less powerful motive, was to be found in the great wealth of some of these religious houses. The example of Germany had shown that the Church might be plundered with ease, and with (at least present) impunity; and the lesson was not lost upon Henry, who was "strongly disposed," says Bishop Godwin, "to promote any reformation which might turn a penny, and furnish his exchequer." Indeed Cromwell, his prime minister (as one might call him) in all ecclesiastical matters, had long since promised that, if only the king would assume the spiritual supremacy, the wealth of the Church should soon be placed at his disposal.

The motives which appear to have actuated Archbishop Cranmer were of another kind; although in the end he became possessed of three religious houses after the dissolution, yet his avowed object, and probably the only one of which he was conscious in assisting the king in this measure, was the propagation of the new religion. It must always be borne in mind that Cranmer had offended against the laws of the Church; that he had in his own person aided the king in his defiance of the authority of the Holy See. This alone might have been sufficient to induce him to take part in any further acts of aggression against the Church; but his heart was really set far more than the king's upon the establishment of a new religion, and none

knew better than he that the monasteries were the firmest supporters of the ancient faith. He therefore avows in his letter to the king, that so long as they remained undisturbed, the work of the Reformation, or, in other words, the severance of the Church of England from the Church Catholic, could not be proceeded with.

A third party interested in the dissolution of the monasteries were the nobles, with Cromwell, the king's vicargeneral. They anxiously looked for a considerable share in the spoils, and therefore lent a very willing aid. Thus we have the king and his vicar-general, the archbishop, and the lords of the council, all for various, but yet for the most part personal reasons, bent upon the overthrow of the religious houses.

With such a mighty torrent of opposing force set against them, how could they remain in undisturbed possession of their rights? Yet they had so great a hold upon the hearts of the people, that it was no easy matter to dispossess them. It could not be done by fair means. Plain straightforward dealing they could meet, without any fear for the result. But this would not suit the purposes of their enemies, who therefore adopted another line of action. Acting upon the principle of the old proverb, "Give a dog a bad name and hang him," their enemies determined upon calumniating these institutions, taking away their good character as far as possible, and representing that in many of them the rules of the order were not properly maintained, but that every sort of vice and wickedness prevailed; and it was suggested that they should be visited and inspected, with a view to their reformation. Another device also, by which it was sought to predispose the public mind in favour of any severe measures that might hereafter be taken against the monasteries, was to set a rumour in circulation that there was some prospect of a war with the Emperor of Germany, whose large fleet was then conveying the wealth of the Indies to his European dominions. It was said, that if the king wished to extend English commerce proportionately to the opportunities that had lately been opened by the discovery of America, he must fortify his existing ports, and make new ones. This could not be done without the expenditure of a

considerable sum of money; a charge too great for the revenues of the crown, and for which he would not willingly burden his subjects with a heavy tax. Should it be found, therefore, that any of these monasteries were so deeply immersed in vice that reformation was impossible, and should it be determined that they ought rather to be suppressed, their confiscated revenues would be found most conveniently to supply the necessary funds; and lest any body should scruple about the propriety of devoting to so merely secular a purpose monies that had been solemnly set apart for the service of God, another project also was talked about, though, if we may judge from the result, without any serious intention of ever really carrying it into effect; it was said that the king wished to increase the number of bishoprics, and that the revenues of the suppressed monasteries would provide an ample endowment for the new sees.

Thus, the destruction of these institutions being in fact determined upon, no means were spared to prepare the minds of the people for such a result; and various plausible pretexts were invented to divert their attention from the manifest injustice of the transaction. It was proposed that the king should appoint some one to visit the monasteries; but as if to render the mockery of such a visitation patent to all, Cromwell was the person chosen to be visitor, —a man who had not only professed his determination to carry out the king's wishes, but had actually himself been the first to suggest the idea.

The Commissioners of Inquiry whom Cromwell appointed as his deputies were clerical adventurers of very doubtful character, who had solicited the appointment, pledging themselves to effect as far as possible the extinction of the establishments which they should visit. The instructions which they received breathed a spirit of religious zeal and piety, being formed upon the model of those formerly used in episcopal visitations, so that it might appear to those who were not behind the scenes that the object of the king was the support and improvement, rather than the destruction, of the monastic institutions. Nevertheless, it was not difficult to discover that, in spite of this hypocritical pre