CHAPTER XIII.

QUEEN ELIZABETH, LAST OF THE TUDOR MONARCHS.

1558-1603. Reigned 45 years.

Protestantism Declared.-First Parliament.-Her Policy.-Three Religious Parties. The Church of England.-The Puritans.-The Romanists.—Act of Supremacy.—High Commission Court.-Oath of Supremacy.-Act of Uniformity.-Derogation of the Common Prayer.— Attendance at Church.-Succession Confirmed.-First-fruits restored to the Crown.-Clergy tested by the Oath of Supremacy.-Effect of it.-Legislation concerning Religion.-Statutes against Popery.Against Bulls from Rome.-To Regulate Admission into the Church of England.-Against Mass.-Against Jesuits.—Against Popish Recusants. Against Puritans.-Civil Government.-Star-chamber.High Commission Court.-Ex-officio Oath.-Martial Law.-The Rack. The Queen's Power in Parliament.-Monopolies.-Elizabeth's Declaration concerning them.—Elizabeth's Popularity.-Peter Wentworth.-His Speech. His Questions.-Originator of the Parliamentary Puritan Party.-Act for the Relief of the Poor.

ELIZABETH ascended the throne on the 17th of November, 1558. The Pope put in his claim, through Mary's ambas-. sador at Rome, to retain the spiritual power that Mary had restored to him, declaring that England was a fief of the papacy, and that it was high presumption in Elizabeth to take the crown without his consent, especially as she was illegitimate; but his holiness gave her reason to expect that, if she would refer herself wholly to him, she would receive all the favour that could consist with the dignity of the apostolic see. Elizabeth answered this remonstrance by recalling the ambassador. She ordered all that were impri

soned on account of their religion to be put at liberty; and she set the example in her own person of religious worship according to Protestant principles, preparatory to the settlement of the national religion, to be made in parliament. She appointed ministers who were favourable to Protestantism: Sir William Cecil, her chief minister; Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper; and Doctor Parker (who had been chaplain to her mother, Anne Boleyn), Archbishop of Canterbury.1

Thus prepared, her first parliament assembled on the 25th of January, 1558-9, and continued in session until the May following, when it was dissolved. It was almost wholly occupied in passing statutes to confirm the queen's title to the crown, and restoring to it the ecclesiastical supremacy and jurisdiction by Mary vested in the pope. Thus she began her work of reconstruction; but in reviewing the statutes by which it was effected, we must remember that, unlike those of Mary, they were never overthrown by dynastical reaction; and that they established the national religion on the basis which still subsists.

The policy of Elizabeth opposed the advance of the liberal principles of the constitution. Although less cruel in her disposition than her father, she was not less imperious nor less jealous of opposition to her will. She, indeed, by the firmness of her character, and her constant attention to the interests of her kingdom and to the improvement of the social condition of her subjects, obtained great respect and submission from the people, with the popular name of "Good Queen Bess;" but she passed no laws giving them political rights; on the contrary, she restrained the privileges of parliament; and the rights of conscience were by her most sig nally disregarded. The legislation of her reign was chiefly directed to maintain without a rival the religion she had established; first, by the repression of the Roman Catholics,

1 Burnet's History of the Reformation, book iii. "One that used to talk pleasantly, told her the four Evangelists still continued prisoners, and that the people longed much to see them at liberty. She answered, she would talk with themselves and know their own minds." (Idem.)

1558-9.]

ACT OF SUPREMACY.

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and next of the Puritans, as soon as they acquired strength in the nation.

In her reign we find three different classes of religionists:

1. The supporters of the Church of England as altered and established by Elizabeth on the foundation of her predecessors; the main principle being the acknowledgment of the sovereign as supreme head of the Church, and consequently the disavowal of any spiritual power in the pope.

2. Those who were desirous of carrying out the Reformation to the extent of overthrowing all spiritual and ecclesiastical authority, whether vested in the pope, in kings, or in a hierarchy of archbishops and bishops; taking as their model the foreign Protestant churches, especially that of Geneva. This party obtained the name of "Puritans." They were averse from all forms and ceremonies which could not be supported by the express word of Scripture; and this aversion was strong against the use of the symbol of the cross, of the surplice, of the ring in marriage, and against the ceremony of kneeling at the altar at the time of the sacrament, and even against the use of liturgical services.

3. The Roman Catholics, put down by law.

The first two statutes of Elizabeth's reign are those commonly known as the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity. The former invests the sovereign with supreme authority over the Church, and in effect places the hierarchy in subordi nation to the monarchy; the latter settled the liturgy, sacraments, rites, and ceremonies of the Church by the authority of parliament, and in effect rendered them unalterable, unless by the same authority.

The Act of Supremacy' repealed the statute of Philip and Mary, by which the jurisdiction of the see apostolic of Rome was restored,—and by such repeal the "good laws and

11 Elizabeth, cap. 1, "An act to restore to the crown the ancient jurisdiction over the estate ecclesiastical and spiritual, and abolishing all foreign powers repugnant to the same."

statutes, established by King Henry, for the extinguishment of all usurped foreign powers, and for the uniting to the imperial crown the ancient jurisdictions and pre-eminences" were restored. Its most important provisions are the following, which still exist as fundamental principles of the constitution:

"No foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate, spiritual or temporal, shall use, enjoy, or exercise any manner of power, jurisdiction, superiority, authority, pre-eminence, or privilege spiritual, or ecclesiastical, within this realm, or the dominions thereof.1

"Such jurisdictions, privileges, superiorities, pre-eminences, spiritual and ecclesiastical, as by any spiritual or ecclesiastical power or authority hath heretofore been, or may lawfully be exercised or used for the visitation of the ecclesiastical state and persons, and for reformation, order, and correction of the same, and of all manner of errors, heresies, schisms, abuses, contempts, and enormities, shall for ever be united and annexed to the imperial crown of this realm."?

The sovereign was empowered to name and authorize commissioners, from time to time, to exercise and execute under him, all spiritual and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, within England and Ireland, or other dominions; and to visit, reform, redress, order, correct, and amend all errors, heresies, schisms, abuses, contempts, and enormities whatsoever. Under this law, Elizabeth constituted the High Commission Court; which remained a powerful instrument in the hands of the crown, until abolished by the Long Parliament, in the reign of Charles I., on the ground of "its great and insufferable wrong and oppression of the king's subjects."3

These laws or principles were embodied into an oath, known as the Oath of Supremacy and Allegiance, which remained unaltered till the Revolution. This oath was to be taken by ecclesiastical persons of every degree; by every temporal judge, justice, mayor, and lay or temporal officer or 11 Elizabeth, cap. 1, sect. 16. 2 Sect. 17. 16 Charles I., cap. 2.

1558.]

ACT OF UNIFORMITY.

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minister, and by every other person having the queen's fee or wages. If refused, they forfeited their promotion, benefices, and offices. Any person affirming, maintaining, or defending any foreign authority, should, for the first offence, forfeit all his property, real and personal; and if it did not amount to £20, should suffer imprisonment for a year; for the second offence, should incur the penalties of præmunire; and for the third offence, be adjudged guilty of high treason, and suffer death accordingly.

The Act of Uniformity, by repealing a statute of Mary, restored the book of Common Prayer of Edward VI., with its order of services, and of the administration of sacraments, rites, and ceremonies, in full force and effect.' It was ordered to be used in every cathedral, parish church, or other place within the realm; and if any parson, vicar, or other minister refused, or should wilfully or obstinately use any other rite, ceremony, order, form, or other prayers than those mentioned in the book, he should, for the first offence, lose and forfeit all the profits of his spiritual benefices for one year, and suffer imprisonment for six months; for the second offence, the imprisonment was increased to a year; and for the third, for life. If there were no spiritual benefices, the first offence was imprisonment for a year; the second, for life.

The laity were included in these obligations by an enactment that in any interludes, plays, songs, rhymes, or by any open words, to declare or speak anything in derogation, depraving, or despising of the Common Prayer; to compel, or procure any parson, vicar, or other minister, in any cathedral, parish church, chapel, or other place, to sing or say common prayer otherwise than according to the book; for the first offence, the penalty should be 100 marks; for the second.

1 "But with one alteration, or addition, of certain lessons to be used on every Sunday in the year, and the form of the Litany altered and corrected, and two sentences only added in the delivery of the sacrament to the communicants." The act is entitled, "An Act for the Uniformity of Common Prayer in the Church, and Administration of the Sacraments." (1 Eliz. cap. 2.)