1551. from the pulpit: But Gardiner, who faw, that they in- C H A P. tended either to ruin or dishonour him, or perhaps both, XXXV. determined not to gratify his enemies by any farther compliances: He ftill infifted on his innocence; defired a fair trial, and refufed to fubfcribe more articles, till he should recover his liberty. For this pretended offence his bithopric was put under fequeftration for three months; and as he then appeared no more compliant than at first, a commiffion was appointed to try, or, more properly speaking, to condemn him. The commiffioners were, the primate, the bishops of London, Ely, and Lincoln, fecretary Petre, Sir James Hales, and fome other lawyers. Gardiner objected to the legality of the commiffion, which was not founded on any statute or precedent; and he appealed from the commiffioners to the king. His appeal was not regarded: Sentence was pronounced against him: He was deprived of his bishopric, and committed to clofe cuftody: His books and papers were feized; all company was denied him; and it was not allowed him either to fend or receive any letters or meffages GARDINER, as well as the other prelates, had agreed to hold his office during the king's pleasure: But the council, unwilling to make ufe of a conceffion, which had been fo illegally and arbitrarily extorted, chose rather to employ fome forms of juftice; a refolution, which led them to commit till greater iniquities and feverities. But the violence of the reformers did not ftop there. Day, bishop of Chichester, Heathe of Worcester, and Voifey of Exeter, were deprived of their bishoprics, on pretence of difobedience. Even Kitchen of Landaff, Capon of Salisbury, and Samfon of Coventry, tho' they had complied in every thing, yet not being fuppofed cordial or hearty in their obedience, were obliged to feek protection, by facrificing the most confiderable revenues of their fee to the rapacious courtiers *. THESE plunderers neglected not even fmaller profits. An order was iffued by council, for purging the library at Westminster of all miffals, legends, and other fuperftițious volumes, and delivering their garniture to Sir Anthony Aucher. Many of thefe books were plaited with gold Fox, vol. ii. p. 734, & feq. Burnet, Heylin, Collier. vol. ii. p. 307, from the council books. CHA P. gold and filver, and curiously emboffed; and this finery XXXV. was probably the fuperftition that condemned them. Great havoc was likewife made on the libraries of Oxford. 1551. Books and manufcripts were deftroyed without diftin&ion: The volumes of divinity fuffered for their rich binding: Thofe of literature were condemned as ufeleis; Thofe of geometry and aftronomy were fuppofed to contain nothing but necromancy T The univerfity had not power to oppole thefe barbarous violences: They were in danger of lofing their own revenues; and expected every moment to be iwallowed up by the earl of Warwic and his affociates. U THOUGH every thing befides yielded to the authority of the council, the lady Mary could never be brought to compliance; and the ftill continued to adhere to the mais, and to reject the new liturgy. Her behaviour was, during fome time, connived at; but, at last, her two chaplains, Mallet and Berkeley, were thrown into prifon "; and the princets was remonftrated with for her disobedience. The council wrote her a letter, by which they endeavoured to make her change her fentiments, and to perfuade her, that her religious faith was very ill grounded. They asked her, what warrant there was in Scripture for prayers in an unknown tongue, the ufe of images, or offering up the facrament for the dead; and they defired her to perufe St. Aufin, and the other antient doctors, who would convince her of the errors of the Romish fuperftition, and prove that it was founded merely on falfe miracles and lying ftories. The lady Mary remained cbftinate against all this advice, and protefted herself willing to endure death rather than relinquish her religion: She only feared, the faid, that he was not worthy to fuffer martyrdom in fo holy a caufe: And as for proteftant books, fhe thanked God, that, as the never had, fo the hoped never to read any of them. Dreading farther violence, the endeavoured to make her escape to her kinfman Charles; but her defign was difcovered and prevented. The emperor remonftrated in her behalf, and even threatened hoftilities, if liberty of confcience was refufed her: But though the council, fenfible that the TWood, hift. & antiq. Oxon. lib. i. p. 271, 272. kingdom U Strype, Y Hay ward, p. 315. kingdom was in no condition to fupport, with honour, CHA P. fuch a war, was defirous to comply; they found great XXXV. difficulty to overcome the fcruples of the young king. He had been educated in fuch a violent abhorrence of the 1551. mafs, and other popifh rites, which he regarded as impious and idolatrous, that he fhould participate, he thought, in the fin, if he allowed its commiffion; And when at last the importunity of Cranmer, Ridley, and Poinet, prevailed fomewhat over his oppofition, he burst into tears; lamenting his fifter's obftinacy, and bewailing his own fate, that he' muft luffer her to continue in fuch an abominable mode of worship. THE great object, at this time, of antipathy among the protestant fects, was popery, or, more properly peaking, the papifts. Thefe they regarded as the common enemy, who threatened every moment to overwhelm the evangelical faith, and deftroy its partizans by fire and fword: They had not as yet had leifure to attend to the other minute differences among themselves, which afterwards became the objects of fuch furious quarrels and animofities, and threw the whole kingdom into confusion. Several Lutheran divines, who had reputation in those days, Bucer, Peter Martyr, and others, were induced to take helter in England, from the perfecutions, which the emperor exercifed in Germany; and they received protection and encouragement. John A-lafco, a Polish nobleman, being expelled his country by the rigours of the catholics, fettled, during fome time, at Embden in Eaft-Friezland, where he became preacher to a congre- . gation of the reformed. Forefceing the perfecutions which enfued, he removed to England, and brought his congregation along with him. The council, who regarded them as industrious, useful people, and defired to in vite over others of the fame character, not only gave them Auguftine friars church for the exercise of their religion, but granted them a charter, by which they were erected into a corporation, confifting of a fuperintendant and four affifting minifters. This ecclefiaftical establishment was quite independent of the church of England, and differed from it in fome rites and ceremonies 2. THESE differences among the proteftants were matter of triumph to the catholics; who infifted, that the mo Z Mem. Cranm. p. 234. ^ment CHAP. ment men departed from the authority of the church XXXV. they lost all criterion of truth and falfhood in matters of religion, and must be carried away by every wind of doc1551. trine. The continual variations of every fect of protestants afforded them the fame topic of reafoning. The book of common prayer fuffered in England a new revifal; and fome rites and ceremonies, which had given offence, were omitted A. The fpeculative doctrines, or the metaphyfics of the religion, were also fixed in fortytwo articles. These articles were intended to obviate further divifions and variations; and the framing them had been poftponed till the establishment of the liturgy, which was justly regarded as a more material object to the people. The eternity of hell torments is afferted in the articles; and care is alfo taken to inculcate, not only that no heathen, however virtuous, can escape an endless state of the most exquifite mifery, but also that every one who prefumes to maintain, that any pagan can poffibly be faved, is himself expofed to the penalty of eternal perdition B. THE theological zeal of the council, though feemingly fervent, went not fo far as to make them neglect their own temporal concerns, which feem to have been ever uppermost in their thoughts: They even found leifure to attend to the public intereft; nay, to the commerce of the nation, which was, at that time, very little the object of general study or attention. The trade of England had antiently been carried on altogether by foreigners, chiefly the inhabitants of the Hanfe-towns, or Easterlings, as they were called; and in order to encourage these merchants to fettle in England, they had been erected into a corporation by Henry the third, had obtained a patent, endowed with privileges, and were exempted from several heavy duties paid by aliens. So ignorant were the English of commerce, that this company, commonly denominated the merchants of the Stilyard, engroffed, even to the reign of Edward, almoft the whole foreign trade of the kingdom; and as they naturally employed the shiping of their own country, the navigation of England was allo in a very languishing condition. It was therefore thought proper by the council to find pretences for annulling the privileges of this corporation, privileges which A Mem. Cranm. p. 289. B Article xviii. put 1551. put them nearly on an equal footing with Englishmen in C H A P. the duties which they paid; and as fuch patents were, XXXV. during that age, granted by the abfolute power of the king, men were the lefs furprized to find them recalled by the same authority. Several remonftrances were made against this innovation, by Lubec, Hamburgh, and other Hanle-towns; but the council perfevered in their refolution, and the good effects of it became foon vifible to the nation. The English merchants, by their very fituation as natives, had advantages above foreigners in the purchase of cloth, wool, and other commodities; though these advantages had not hitherto been fufficient to rouze their induftry, or engage them to become rivals to this opulent company: But when aliens' duty was alfo impofed upon all foreigners indifcriminately, the English were tempted to enter into commerce; and a fpirit of industry began to appear in the kingdom C. ABOUT the fame time a treaty was made with Gustavus Ericfon, king of Sweden, by which it was ftipulated, that, if he fent bullion into England, he might carry away English commodities without paying cuftom; that he thould carry bullion to no other prince; that if he fent ozimus, fteel, copper, &c. he should pay custom for English commodities as an Englishman; and that, if he fent other merchandize, he should have free intercourse, paying custom as a ftranger D. The bullion fent over by Sweden, though it could not be in great quantity, fet the mint to work: Good fpecie was coined: And much of the bafe metal, formerly iffued, was recalled: A circumftance which tended extremely to the encouragement of commerce. BUT all these schemes for the improvement of induf- Warwic try were likely to prove abortive, by the fear of domestic created convulfions, arifing from the exorbitant ambition of War- duke of wic. That nobleman, not contented with the ftation, Northum berland. which he had attained, carried farther his pretenfions, and had gained to himself partizans, who were difpofed to fecond him in every enterprize. The laft earl of Northumberland died without iffue; and as Sir Thomas Piercy, his brother, had been attainted on account of the share which he had in the Yorkshire infurrection during the late Hayward, p. 326. Heylin, p. 108. Strype's Mem. vol. P. 295. |