THE HISTORY

OF THE

REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

PART 1.-BOOK I.

A SUMMARY VIEW OF KING HENRY THE EIGHTH'S REIGN, TILL THE PROCESS OF HIS DIVORCE WAS BEGUN, IN WHICH THE STATE OF ENGLAND, CHIEFLY AS IT RELATED TO RELIGION, IS OPENED.

ENGLAND had for a whole age felt the miseries of a long and cruel war between the two houses of York and Lancaster; during which time as the crown had lost great dominions beyond sea, so the nation was much impoverished, many noble families extinKing Henguished, much blood shed, great animosities everywhere raised, with all the other ry's succession to the miseries of a lasting civil war: but they now saw all these happily composed, crown, Apr. when the two families did unito in king IIenry VIII. In his father's reign they 22, 1509. were rather cemented and joined than united; whose great partiality to the house of Lancaster, from which he was descended, and severity to the branches of the house of York, in which even his own queen had a large share, together with the impostors that were set up to disturb his reign, kept these heats alive, which were now all buried in his grave and this made the succession of his son so universally acceptable to the whole nation, who now hoped to revive their former pretensions in France, and to have again a large share in all the affairs of Europe, from which their domestic broils had so long excluded them.

There was another thing, which made his first coming to the crown no less acceptable, He proceeds which was, that the same day that his father died*, he ordered Dudley and against Dud- Empson to be committed to the Tower: his father, whether out of policy, or ley and Emp- inclination, or both, was all his life much set on the gathering of treasure, so that those ministers were most acceptable who could fill his coffers best: and though this occasioned some tumults, and disposed the people to all those commotions which fell out in his reign; yet he being successful in them all, continued in his course of heaping up

Bon.

money.

Towards the end of his life, he found out those two instruments, who outdid all that went before them; and what by vexatious suits upon penal but obsolete laws, what by unjust imprisonments, and other violent and illegal proceedings, raised a general odium upon the government; and this grew upon him with his years, and was come to so great a height towards the end of his life, that he died in good time for his own quiet for as he used all possible endeavours to get money, so what he got he as carefully kept, and distributed very little of it among those about him, so that he had many enemies, and but few friends. This Hall says the same day, L. Herbert says the day following.

VOL. I.

B

being well considered by his son, he began his government with the disgrace of those two ministers, against whom he proceeded according to law; all the other inferior officers whom they had made use of were also imprisoned.

Hall.

When they had thus fallen, many and great complaints came in from all parts against them; they also, apprehending the danger they were like to be in upon their master's death, had been practising with their partners to gather about them all the power they could bring together, whether to secure themselves from popular rage, or to make themselves seom considerablo, or formidablo to the new king. This and other crimes being brought in against them, they were found guilty of treason in a legal trial. But the king judged this was neither a sufficient reparation to his oppressed people nor satisfaction to ustice: therefore he went further, and both ordered restitution to be made by his father's executors of great sums of money, which had been unjustly extorted from his subjects; and in his first parliament, which he summoned to the 21st of January following, he not He holds only delivered up Empson and Dudley, with their accomplices, to the justice of a Parliament, the two houses, who attainted them by act of parliament, and a little after gave Jan.21,1510. order for their exccution, [August 18th]; but did also give his royal assent to those other laws by which the subject was secured from the like oppressions for the future: and that he might not at all be suspected of any such inclinations as his father had to amass treasure, he was the most magnificent in his expense of any prince in Christendom, and very bountiful to all about him; and as one extreme commonly produces another, so His great his father's covetousness led him to be prodigal, and the vast wealth which was Expense. left him, being reckoned no less than 1,800,000l., was in three years dissipated, as if the son in his expense had vied industry with his father in all his thrift.

Thomas carl of Surrey (afterwards duke of Norfolk) to show how compliant he was to the humours of the princes whom he served, as ho had been lord-treasurer to tho father the last seven years of his life; so being continued in the same office by this king, did as dexterously comply with his prodigality, as he done formerly with his father's sparingness.

But this in the beginning of the prince's reign did much endear him both to the court and nation; there being a freer circulation of money, by which trade was encouraged; and the courtiers tasted so liberally of the king's bounty that he was everywhere much magnified, though his expense proved afterwards heavier to the subject than ever his father's avarice had been. Another thing that raised the credit of this king was, the great esteem he was in beyond sca, both for his wisdom and power; so that in all the treaties of peace and war IIis affairs he was always much considered; and he did so exactly pursue that great maxim beyond Sea. of princes, of holding the balance, that still as it grew heavier, whether in the scale of France or Spain, he governed himself and them as a wise arbiter. His first action was against France, which by the accession of the duchy of Brittany, through his father's oversight, was made greater and more formidable to the neighbouring princes; therefore the French successes in Italy having united all the princes there against them, Spain and England willingly joined themselves in the quarrel. The kingdom of Spain being also then united, conquered Navarre, which set them at great ease, and weakened the king A War with of France on that side; whose affairs also declining in Italy, this king finding him so much lessened, made peace with him, having first managed his share of the war with great honour at sea and land: for, going over in person, he did both defeat the French army, and take Terwin and Tournay; the former he demolished, the Oct. 2, 1513. latter he kept and in these exploits he had an unusual honour done him, which though it was a slight thing, yet was very pleasant to him,-Maximilian the emperor taking pay in his army, amounting to a hundred crowns a day, and upon all public solemnities giving the king the precedence.

France.

Aug. 24, &

The peace between England and France was made firmer by Louis the French king's Aug. 7, 1514. marrying Mary the king's sister; but he dying soon after *, new counsels were to A Pence, and be taken. Francis, who succeeded, did in the beginning of his reign court this France. Oct. king with great offers to renew the peace with him, which was accordingly done. Afterward Francis falling in with all his force upon the duchy of Milan, all

a Match with

9.

* Louis died Jan. 1, 1515.

endeavours were used to engage king Henry into the war, both by the pope and emperor, this last feeding him long with hopes of resigning the empire to him, which wrought much on him; insomuch that he did give them a great supply in money, but he could not be Lady Mary engaged to divert Francis by making war upon him and Francis ending betrothed to the war of Italy by a peace, was so far from resenting what the king had done, the Dauphin, that he courted him into a straiter league, and a match was agreed between the Oct. 8, 1518. dauphin and the lady Mary, the king's daughter, and Tournay was delivered up to the French again.

:

But now Charles, archduke of Austria by his father, and heir to the house of Burgundy by his grandmother, and to the crown of Spain by his mother, began to make a great figure Emperor dies, in the world; and his grandfather Maximilian dying, Francis and he were Jan.12,1519. co-rivals for the empire: but Charles being preferred in the competition, there Charles elect followed, what through personal animosities, what through reason of state, and a ed, June 28. desire of conquest, lasting wars between them; which though they were sometimes for a while closed up, yet were never clearly ended. And those two great monarchs, as they eclipsed most other princes about them, so they raised this king's glory higher, both courting him by turns, and that not only by earnest and warm addresses, but oft by unusual submissions; in which they, knowing how great an ingredient vanity was in his temper, were never deficient when their affairs required it all which tended to make him appear greater in the eyes of his own people. In the year 1520, there was an interview 1520. agreed on between the French king and him; but the emperor, to prevent the effects he feared from it, resolved to outdo the French king in the compliment, and without The Empe- any treaty or previous assurances came to Dover, and solicited the king's friendror comes to ship against Francis; and to advance his design gained cardinal Wolsey, who England, May then governed all the king's counsels, by the promise of making him pope; in which he judged he might, for a present advantage, promise a thing that seemed to be at so great a distance (pope Leo X. being then but a young man), and with rich presents, which he made both to the king, the cardinal, and all the court, wrought much on them. But that which prevailed most with the king was, that he saw, though Charles had great dominions, yet they lay at such a distance that France alone was a sufficient counterpoiso to him; but if Francis could keep Milan, recover Naples, Burgundy, and Navarre, to all which ho was then preparing, he would be an uneasy neighbour to himself; and if he kept the footing he then had in Italy, he would lie so heavy on the papacy that the popes could no longer carry equally in the affairs of Christendom, upon which much depended, according to the religion of that time. Therefore he resolved to take part with the emperor till at least Francis was driven out of Italy and reduced to juster terms; so that the following interview between Francis and him produced nothing but a vast expenso and high compliments: and from a second interview between the king and the emperor, Francis was full of jealousy, in which what followed July 10. A second justified his apprehensions; for the war going on between the emperor and Francis, the king entered in a league with the former, and made war upon France.

26.

June 7.

War with

France.

Adrian cho

But the pope dying sooner than it seems the emperor looked for, cardinal Wolsey claimed Leo X. dies his promise for the papacy; but before the messenger came to him, Adrian, the Dec. 1, 1521. emperor's tutor, was chosen pope; yet to feed the cardinal with fresh hopes, a sen Pope Jan. new promise was made for the next vacancy, and in the meanwhile he was put 9, 1522. in hope of the archbishopric of Toledo. But two years after, that pope dying, Ile died Sept. the emperor again broke his word with him; yet though he was thereby totally 14, 1523. alienated from him, he concealed his indignation, till the public concerns should VII. chosen give him a good opportunity to prosecute it upon a better colour; and by his Nov. 19. letters to Rome, dissembled his resentments so artificially, that in a congratulation he wrote to pope Clement, he "protested his election was matter of such joy both to the king and himself, that nothing had ever befallen them which pleased them better, and that he was the very person whom they had wished to see raised to that great

Clement

ness." But while the war went on, the emperor did cajole the king with the highest com1522. pliments possible, which always wrought much on him, and came in person into Emperor landed at Do England to be installed knight of the garter; where a new league was concluded, ver, May 26. by which, beside mutual assistance, a match was agreed on between the emperor The Empe- and the lady Mary, the king's only child by his queen, of whom he had no hopes ror contracted of more issue. This was sworn to on both hands, and the emperor was obliged, to the King's Daughter, when she was of age, to marry her, per verba de præsenti, under pain of excomJune 19. munication, and the forfeiture of 100,000l.

The war went on with great success on the emperor's part, especially after the battle of Pavia, in which Francis's army was totally defeated, and himself taken prisoner and carried into Spain. After which the emperor, being much offended with the pope for joining with Francis, turned his arms against him, which were so successful that May 6, 1527. he besieged and took Romet, and kept the pope prisoner six months.

The cardinal finding the public interests concur so happily with his private distastes, engaged the king to take part with France, and afterwards with the pope against the emperor, his greatness now becoming the terror of Christendom; for the emperor, lifted up with his success, began to think of no less than an universal empire. And first, that he might unite all Spain together, he preferred a match with Portugal, to that which he had before contracted in England; and he thought it not enough to break off his sworn alliance with the king, but he did it with a heavy imputation on the lady Mary: for in his council it was said that she was illegitimate, as being born in an unlawful marriage, so that no advantage could be expected from her title to the succession, as will appear more particularly in the Second Book. And the pope having dispensed with the oath, he married the Infanta of Portugal. Besides, though the king of England had gone deep in the charge, he would give him no share in the advantages, of the war; much less give him that assistance which he had promised him, to recover his ancient inheritance in France. The king being irritated with this manifold ill usage, and led on by his own interests, and by the offended cardinal, joined himself to the interests of France. Upon which there followed not only a firm alliance, but a personal friendship, which appeared in all the most obliging expressions that could be devised. And upon the king's threatening to make war on the the French king was set at liberty, though on very hard terms, if anyemperor, thing can be hard that sets a king out of prison; but he still acknowledged he owed his liberty to king IIenry.

March 18, 1526.

Then followed the famous Clementine league between the pope and Francis, the Venetians, the Florentines, and Francis Sforza duke of Milan, by which the pope absolved the French The Cle-king from the oath he had sworn at Madrid, and they all united against the mentine lea- emperor, and declared the king of England protector of the league. This gave gue. May 22, the emperor great distaste, who complained of the pope as an ungrateful and 1526. perfidious person. The first beginning of the storm fell heavy on the pope; for the French king, who had a great mind to have his children again into his own hands, that lay hostages in Spain, went on but slowly in performing his part. And the king of England would not openly break with the emperor, but seemed to reserve himself to be arbiter between the princes. So that the Colonnas being of the imperial faction, with Sept. 20. 3000 men entered Rome, and sacked a part of it, forcing the pope to fly into the castle of St. Angelo, and to make peace with the emperor. But as soon as that fear was over, the pope, returning to his old arts, complained of the cardinal of Colonna, and resolved to deprive him of that dignity, and with an army entered the kingdom of Naples, taking divers places that belonged to that family. But the confederates coming slowly to his assistance, and he hearing of great forces that were coming from Spain against him, submitted

* Among the corrections printed at the end of the third part of the original edition is the following, given anonymously:-"I have seen a collection of this cardinal's letters, and amongst 'en the same letter, as I suppose, that is here quoted; wherein he presses the emperor's and his master's interest with great zeal, and solicits the new

elected pope to join with them against the French; and that in such a manner as seems to leave no room for dissimulation. To the same purpose in the following letter. Collect. MS. p. 47, 23."

This is the siege mentioned in the next page, laid by the Constable de Bourbon, who fell in the assault.-ED.