CHA P. factions, which frequently came to blows. The ftudents XXXIII. divided themselves into parties, which bore the names of Greeks and Trojans, and fometimes fought with as great 1547 animofity as was formerly exercised by those hoftile nations. A new and more correct method of pronouncing Greek, being introduced into the univerfities, it divided alfo the Grecians themfelves into parties; and it was remarked, that the catholics favoured the former pronunciation, the proteftants gave countenance to the new. Gardines employed the authority of the king and council to fupprefs innovations in this particular, and to preferve the old found to the Greek alphabet. The rife of the Greek language in Oxford, excited the emulation of Cambridge ". Wolfey intended to have enriched the library of his college at Oxford, with copies of all the manufcripts that were in the Vatican W. The countenance given to letters by this king and his minifters, contributed to render learning fashionable in England; and Erafmus fpeaks with great fatisfaction of the general regard paid by the nobility and gentry of that kingdom to men of knowledge *. It is needless to be particular in mentioning the writers of this reign, or of the preceding. There is no man in that age, who has the leaft pretenfion to be ranked among our claffics. Sir Thomas More, though he wrote in Latin, feems to come the nearest to that chara&er. U Wood's Hift. & Antiq. Oxon, lib. i. p. 245. w Ibid. HAP. CHA P. XXXIV. EDWARD tion in Scotland. - - VI. Somer State of the regency. — Innovations in the regency. HE late king, by the regulations, which he im- CHA P. as by the limitations of the fucceffion, had projected to reign even after his decease; and he imagined, that his 1547. minifters, who had always been fo obfequious to him State of during his life-time, would never afterwards depart from re the plan, which he had traced out to them. He fixed the majority of the prince at the completion of his eighteenth year; and as Edward was then only a few months paft nine, he appointed fixteen executors; to whom, during the minority, he entrusted the government of the king and kingdom. Their names were, Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury; lord Wriethefely, chancellor; lord St. John, great mafter; lord Ruffel, privy feal; the earl of Hertford, chamberlain; viscount Lifle, admiral; Tonftal, bishop of Durham; Sir Anthony Brown, master of horse; Sir William Paget, fecretary of state; Sir Edward North, chancellor of the court of augmentations; Sir Edward Montague, chief justice of the common pleas; judge Bromley, Sir Anthony Denny, and Sir William Herbert, chief gentlemen of the privy chamber; Sir Edward Wotton, treafurer of Calais; Dr. Wotton, dean of Canterbury. To thofe executors, with whom was entrusted the whole regal authority, were appointed twelve counfellors, who poffeffed no immediate power, and could only affift with VOL. IV. R their he CHA P. their advice, when any affair was laid before them. The XXXIV. council was compofed of the earls of Arundel and Effex; Sir Sir Thomas Cheney, treafurer of the houfhold; 1547. John Gage, comptroller; Sir Anthony Wingfield, vicechamberlain; Sir William Petre, fecretary of state; Sir Richard Rich, Sir John Baker, Sir Ralph Sadler, Sir Thomas Seymour, Sir Richard Southwel, and Sir Edward Peckham A. The ufual caprice of Henry appears fomewhat in this nomination; while he appointed several perfons of inferior ftation among his executors, and gave only the place of counsellor to a person of such high rank as the earl of Arundel, and to Sir Thomas Seymour, the king's uncle.' Innovati regency. BUT the first act of the executors and counsellors was ons in the to depart from the defignation of the late king in a material article. No fooner were they met, than it was fuggefted, that the government would lofe its dignity, for want of fome head, who might reprefent the royal majefty, who might receive addreffes from foreign ambaffadors, to whom dispatches from English minifters abroad might be carried, and whose name might be employed in all orders and proclamations: And as the king's will feemed to labour under a defect in this particular, it was concluded neceffary to fupply it, by choosing a protector; who, though he fhould poffefs all the exterior fymbols of royal dignity, fhould yet be bound, in every exercife of power, to follow the opinion of the executors B. This propofal was very disagreeable to chancellor Wriothefely. That magistrate, a man of an active spirit and high ambition, found himself, by his office, entitled to the first rank in the regency after the primate; and as he knew, that this prelate had no talent nor inclination for state affairs, he hoped, that the direction of public bufinefs would of course devolve in a great meafure upon himself. He oppofed, therefore, this propofal of choofing a protector; and reprefented that innovation as an infringement of the king's will, which, being corroborated by act of parliament, ought in every thing to be law to them, and could not be altered but by the fame authority, which had eftablished it. But he feems to have stood alone in the oppofition. The executors and counfellors were mostly courtiers, A Strype's Memor. vol. ii. p. 457. Burnet, vol. ii. p. 5. 1547. courtiers, who had been raised by Henry's favour, not CHA P. men of high birth or great hereditary influence; and as XXXIV. they had been fufficiently accustomed to fubmiffion during the reign of the late monarch, and had no pretenfions to govern the nation by their own authority, they acquiefced the more willingly in a propofal, which feemed calculated for preferving public peace and tranquillity. It being therefore agreed to name a protector, the choice fell of courfe on the earl of Hertford, who, as he was the king's maternal uncle, was ftrongly interested in his fafety; and poffeffing no claims to inherit the crown, could never have any feparate intereft, which might engage him to endanger Edward's perfon or his authority C. The public were informed by proclamation of this change Somerfet in the administration; and dispatches were fent to all fo-protector. reign courts to give them intimation of it. All thofe poffeffed of any office refigned their former commiffions, and took out new ones in the name of the young king. The bishops themselves were constrained to make a like fubmiffion. Care was taken to infert in their new commiffions, that they held their office during pleafure P: And it is there exprefsly affirmed, that all manner of authority and jurifdiction, as well ecclefiaflical as civil, is originally derived from the crown E. THE executors fhewed, in their next measure, a more fubmiffive deference to Henry's will; becaufe many of them found their own account in it. The late king had intended, before his death, to make a new creation of nobility, in order to fupply the place of those who had fallen by former attainders, or the failure of iffue; and that he might enable the perfons to support their new dignity, he had refolved, either to bestow eftates on them, or advance them to higher offices. He had even gone fo far as to inform them of this refolution; and in his will, he charged his executors to make good all his promises F. That they might afcertain his intentions in the most authentic manner, Sir William Paget, Sir Anthony Denny, Sir William Herbert, with whom Henry had always converfed in a familiar manner, were called before the Q 2 board Heylin, Hift. Ref. Edw. VI. D Collier, vol. ii. p. 218. Burnet, vol. ii. p. 6. Strype's Mem. of Cranm. p. 141. CHAP. board of regency; and having given evidence of what XXXIV. they knew concerning the king's promifes, their testi A mony was relied on, and the executors proceeded to 1547 the fulfilling thefe engagements. Hertford was created duke of Somerfet, marefchal and lord treafurer; Wriothetely, earl of Southampton; the earl of Effex, marquis of Northampton; vifcount Lifle, earl of Warwick; Sir Thomas Seymour, lord Seymour of Sudley, and admiral; Sir Richard Rich, Sir William Willoughby, Sir Edward Sheffield, accepted the title of baron G. Several, to whom the fame dignity was offered, refufed it; because the other part of the king's promife, the bestowing of cftates on thefe new noblemen, was deferred till a more convenient opportunity. Some of them, however, particu larly Somerfet the protector, were, in the mean time, endowed with fpiritual preferments, deaneries and prebends. For among many other invafions of ecclefiaftical privileges and properties, this irregular practice, of beftowing fpiritual benefices on laymen, began now to prevail. THE earl of Southampton had always been engaged in an oppofite party to Somerfet; and it was not likely that factions, which had fecretly prevailed, even during the arbitrary reign of Henry, fhould be fuppreffed in the weak administration, which ufually attends a minority. The former nobleman, that he might have the greater leifure for attending to ftate-affairs, had, of himself and from his own authority, put the great feal in commiffion, and had empowered four lawyers, Southwel, Tregonel, Oliver, and Bellafis, to execute in his abfence the office of chancellor. This measure feems very exceptionable; and the more fo, as two of the commiffioners being canonifls, the lawyers fufpe&ted, that, by this nomination, the chancellor had intended to difcredit the common law. Complaints were made to the council; who, influenced by the protector, gladly laid hold of this opportunity to deprefs Southampton. They confulted the judges with regard to fo unusual a cafe, and received for anfwer, that the commiflion, was illegal, and that the chancellor, by his prefumption in granting it, had juftly forfeited the great feal, and was even liable to punishment. The council fummoned him to appear before them; and tho G Stowe's Annals, p. 594 he |