CATHARINE PARR.

CATHARINE, WIFE OF KING HENRY THE EIGHTH, COMMONLY CALLED CATHARINE PARR.

SHE was born about the beginning of the reign of King Henry the Eighth, who succeeded to the throne of England April 22, 1509. She was the eldest of the two daughters of Sir Thomas Parr, of Kendal, by Dame Maud his wife, who bestowed on her a learned education, as the most valuable addition he could make to her other accomplishments. Her progress in literature fully answered her father's culture and expectations, so that she soon became celebrated not only for her good sense, but her learning, and made a most excellent use of her abilities in the employment of them for the best purposes in every stage of her future life.

She was first married to John Nevill, Lord Latymer and after his decease her perfections both in body and mind so powerfully attracted the affections of King Henry, that she was married to him at Hampton Court, July 12, 1543.

She always took great delight in conversing with the sacred writings, and the investigation of divine truths, which soon dissipated the clouds of ignorance, and set before her in a true light the nature of the gospel. She seems, indeed, to have had a religious tincture from her infancy, but the religious duties she so carefully practised in early life were according to the blind devotion of that age. These errors she not only afterwards retracted, but forwarded the Reformation, and advanced and encouraged the Protestant cause. She pursued these good designs as far as the mutable and perverse disposition of an arbitrary prince, and the iniquity of the times, would admit, and even further than she could go without exposing herself to the utmost danger; for though her laudable attempts were carried on with all proper prudence, and as much secrecy as the nature of the thing would allow, yet they were maliciously observed by Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, who, with the Chancellor Wriothesley and others, conspired against her so artfully, that at length, having drawn up articles, they procured a warrant subscribed by the king's own hand to remove her to the Tower, which being accidentally dropped, was happily found by a person who conveyed it to her majesty. The sight of it, and the reflections upon the hard fate of other queens, threw her into a violent disorder, which confined her to her bed. The king hearing of her illness, made her a very kind and seasonable visit, spoke all the comfortable things imaginable to her, and sent her one of his physicians, Dr. Wendy, as is believed, to take

care of her health. The doctor, it seems, was apprized of the design, and guessed from outward symptoms the cause of the queen's indisposition; upon which, well knowing her singular prudence, and relying upon her fidelity, he ventured to open the matter to her. The king himself being at the same time a little indisposed, the doctor advised the queen to make his majesty a visit, not doubting but that by her good sense, and prudent management, she might avert the impeading danger. The queen took the doctor's advice, and soon after made his majesty a visit, attended only by her sister, the Lady Herbert, and the Lady Lane. She found the king sitting and talking with some gentlemen of his chamber. He seemed pleased with her visit, and addressed her in a very obliging manner; and, breaking off his discourse with his attendants, he began of his own accord, contrary to his usual custom, to confer with her about matters of religion, seeming as it were, desirous to be resolved by the queen of certain doubts, which he then proposed to her. The queen, instantly perceiving the tendency of his discourse, answered with great humility and submission:

"Your majesty.doth know right well, neither am I myself ignorant, what great imperfection and weakness by our first creation are allotted to us women, so as to be ordained and appointed as inferior and subject to men as our head, from which head all our directions ought to proceed; and that as God made man to his own shape and likeness; whereby he being endowed with more special gifts of perfection, might rather be stirred to the contemplation of heavenly things, and to the earnest endeavor to obey his commandments, even so also made he woman of man, of whom and by whom she is to be governed, commanded, and directed: whose womanly weakness and natural imperfections ought to be tolerated, aided, and borne withal, so that by his wisdom such things as be wanting in her, ought to be supplied.

"Since, therefore, that God hath appointed such a natural difference between man and woman, and your majesty being so excellent in gifts and ornaments of wisdom; and I, a simple poor woman, so much inferior in all respects of nature unto you, how then comes it now to pass that your majesty in such diffuse causes of religion, will seem to require my judgment? which, when I have uttered, and said what I can, yet must I, and will I refer my judgment in this and all other cases to your majesty's wisdom, as my only anchor, supreme head, and governor here in earth, next under God, to lean unto."

"Not so, by St. Mary!" replied the king, "you are become a doctor, Kate, to instruct us, as we take it, and not to be instructed or directed by us."

"If your majesty take it so," answered the queen, then hath your majesty very much mistaken me, who have ever been of the opinion to think it very unseemly and preposterous for the woman to take upon her the office of an instructer, or teacher, to her lord and hus

band, but rather to learn of her husband, and be taught by him: and where I have, with your majesty's leave, presumed heretofore to discourse with your majesty, in which I have sometimes seemed to dissent from you, I did it not so much to maintain my opinion, as to minister discourse, not only to the end that your majesty might with the less grief pass over this painful time of your infirmity by this kind of engagement, which I fancied might afford you some relief, but also that I, hearing your majesty's learned arguments, might from thence gain to myself great advantage: and I assure your majesty, I have not missed any part of my desired end in that behalf, always referring myself, in all such matters, unto your majesty, as by ordinance of nature it is convenient for me to do."

"And it is even so, sweetheart?" said the king, "and tended your arguments to no worse an end? then are we now perfect friends again, as ever we were before." And, as he sat in his chair, embracing her in his arms, and saluting her, he declared, "That it did. him more good at that time to hear these words from her own mouth, than if he had heard present news of an hundred thousand pounds in money having fallen to him." Afterwards, having entertained the queen and attendants with some diverting conversation, he gave her leave to depart, and in her absence gave her the highest commmendation.

⚫ The day, and almost the hour appointed, being come in which the queen was to be conveyed to the Tower, the king went into his garden, with only two gentlemen of the bedchamber, and sent for the queen, who immediately came to wait upon his majesty, attended by Lady Herbert, Lady Lane, and Lady Tyrwhyt, who were all to have been apprehended with the queen. The king seemed in high spirits, and entertained them with all imaginable gayety. In the midst of their mirth the lord chancellor approached his majesty's presence, with forty of the king's guards at his heels. The king looked upon him with a very stern countenance, and walking a small distance from the queen called the chancellor to him, who, upon his knees, spoke softly to his majesty. The king in great anger, called him knave, arrant knave, beast, and fool, and commanded him instantly to be gone out of his presence. Being gone, the king immediately returned to the queen, who, perceiving him to be much chagrined, employed all the powers of her eloquence to soften his displeasure, humbly entreating his majesty, if the chancellor's fault were not too heinous, to pardon him for her sake.

"Ah, poor soul," says the king, "thou little knowest how evil he hath deserved this grace at thy hands. Of my word, sweetheart, he hath been to thee an arrant knave, and so let him go." To which the queen returned an answer expressive of her charitable disposition.

Thus, remarkably, did Divine Providence defend her from the snares and malice of her enemies, and rescue her from this most im

minent danger, which being over, she passed safely through the remainder of this tempestuous reign.

This dreadful alarm seems to have awakened all the faculties of her soul, and to have put her upon the employment of her thoughts in pious meditations and prayer, and upon making due preparation for eternity.

She saw, very plainly, that the principles of religion she had first imbibed, did not correspond with the inspired writings. But though she had a considerable share of learning, joined to an excellent understanding, yet her great modesty would not permit them to be her only guide in matters of such great importance, for she kept several eminent divines constantly with her to solve her doubts, and instruct her in the true religion. With these learned men, who were her chaplains, she used to have private conferences, as often as opportunity would permit, about the doctines of the Reformation, and the abuses which were then crept into the church, but particularly in Lent. She had a sermon preached to her every day in the afternoon, in her chamber, which generally lasted about an hour, at which time the ladies and gentlemen of her privy-chamber, and others who were disposed to hear, were present. To all this she added great application and industry in the study of books of divinity, particularly of the Holy Scriptures. Being thus qualified, she began to commit some of her own thoughts to writing. Her first composition seems to have been that entitled, 'Queen Katharine Parr's Lamentation of a Sinner, bewailing the ignorance of her blind life.' This discourse was found among her papers after her death, and was published by Secretary Cecil, who prefixed to it a preface of his own writing. In it she acknowledges the sinful course of her life for many years, in which she, relying on external performances, such as fasts and pilgrimages, was all the time a stranger to the true internal power of religion, which she came afterwards to experience by the study of the Scriptures, and prayer to God for the assistance of that Holy Spirit, by whose direction they were indited. She explains, clearly, the ideas she had of justification by faith, so that holiness was its necessary consequence, and lamented the great scandals given by many Gospellers, a name by which they were distinguished who gave themselves to the reading of the Scriptures.

She also drew up psalms, prayers, and pious discourses, which she herself published. The psalms were in number fifteen, each of considerable length, and composed in imitation of the Psalms of David, being digested into versicles, of which many were borrowed from the book of Psalms, and other portions of Scripture. Each Psalm had its proper subject. The first was for the remission of sins,' beginning, "O Lord of lords, God Almighty, great and dreadful, which by thy word hast made heaven, earth, the sea, and all things contained in them! nothing is able to resist thy power: thy mercy is over all thy works: all things be under thy dominion and

rule, both man and beast, and all living creatures: thou art merciful to whom thou wilt, and hast compassion on whom it pleaseth thee," &c.

The second Psalm also was 'for remission of sins," beginning,

"O most mighty God of angels and men, whose judgments be unsearchable, and whose wisdom is profound and deep;

"Hear the prayers of thy servant, and cast not away the humble suit of thy poor creature, and handy-work," &c.

The third Psalm was 'for remission of sins' also. The fourth, 'A complaint of a penitent sinner which is sore troubled, and overcome with sins.' The fifth, 'For obtaining of godly wisdom.' The sixth, 'A Christian man prayeth that he may be healed of God.' The seventh, 'For an order and direction of good living.' The eighth, 'A Christian prayeth that he may be delivered from his enemies.' The ninth, Against enemies.' The tenth, 'When enemies be so cruel that a Christian cannot suffer them.' The eleventh, 'Of confidence and trust in God.' The twelfth, 'If God defer to help long time.' The thirteenth, 'In which a Christian gives thanks to God that his enemies have not gotten the over-hand of him.' The fourteenth, 'In which the goodness of God is praised.' The fifteenth, 'Of the benefits of God, with thanks for the same.' To which were subjoined the twenty second Psalm, entitled, "The complaint of Christ on the cross,' and 'a Psalm of Thanksgiving.'

Then followed the book of prayer, entitled, 'Prayers or Meditations,' wherein the mind is stirred up patiently to suffer all afflictions here, and to set at nought the vain prosperity of this world, and alway to long for everlasting felicity, collected out of holy works, &c. These prayers were all digested, as were the psalms aforesaid, into verses and sentences, and contain a great spirit of true piety and devotion, sense of God, and dependence upon him; and many of them were excellently suited to her condition. Then follow two prayers for the king, and for men to say entering battle, the latter of which the queen very probably composed upon the king's expedition into France with a great army, when she was left regent at home. In this prayer she has this truly pious petition, "Our cause being now just, and being enforced into war and battle, we most humbly beseech thee, O Lord God of Hosts! so to turn the hearts of our enemies to the desire of peace, that no Christian blood be spilt; or else grant, O Lord! that with small effusion of blood, and to the little hurt and damage of innocents, we may to thy glory obtain victory, and that the wars being soon ended, we may all with one heart and mind knit together in concord and unity laud and praise thee." The next is a devout prayer to be daily said, together with one or two besides.

There was also printed another piece of the devout studies of this good queen, entitled, 'A goodly Exposition of the fifty first Psalm, which Hierom of Ferrary made at the latter end of his days.' This