XXXI.

1538.

Abergavenny, Sir Nicholas Carew, master of CHA P. horfe, and knight of the garter; Henry de la Pole, lord Montacute, and Sir Geoffrey de la Pole, brothers to the cardinal. These persons were indicted, and tried, and convicted, before lord Audley, who prefided in the trial, as high fteward; they were all executed, except Sir Geoffrey de la Pole, who was pardoned; and he owed this grace to his having first carried to the king fecret intelligence of the confpiracy. We know little concerning the juftice or iniquity of the fentence pronounced against these men: We only know, that the condemnation of a

who was, at that time, profecuted by the court, forms no prefumption of his guilt; though, as no hiftorian of credit mentions, in the prefent cafe, any complaint occafioned by these trials, we may prefume, that fufficient evidence was produced against the marquis of Exeter, and his affociates ".

67

67

Herbert in Kennet, p. 216.

CHAP. XXXII.

С НА Р.

XXXII.

1538.

of the fix articles - Proclamations made equal to Settlement of the fucceffion King's pro

lacos

jects of marriage — He marries Anne of Cleves He dislikes her · A Parliament

Fall of Cromwel His execution King's divorce from Anne of Cleves His marriage with Catherine Howard State of affairs in Scotland - Discovery of the Queen's diffolute life- A Parliament -- Ecclefiaf tical affairs.

THE rough hand of Henry feemed well adapt

ed for rending afunder those bands, by which the ancient fuperftition had fastened itself on the kingdom; and though, after renouncing the pope's fupremacy and fuppreffing monasteries, moft of the political ends of reformation were already attained, few people expected that he would stop at thofe innovations. The fpirit of oppofition, it was thought, would carry him to the utmost extremities against the church of Rome; and lead him to declare war against the whole doctrine and worship, as well as difcipline, of that mighty hierarchy. He had formerly appealed from the pope to a general council; but now, when a general council was fummoned to meet at Mantua, he previously renounced all submission

XXXII.

1538.

to it, as fummoned by the pope, and lying en- c HA P. tirely under fubjection to that spiritual ufurper. He engaged his clergy to make a declaration to the like purpose; and he had prescribed to them many other deviations from ancient tenets and practices. Cranmer took advantage of every opportunity to carry him on in this courfe; and while queen Jane lived, who favored the reformers, he had, by means of her infinuation and addrefs, been fuccefsful in his endeavours. After her death, Gardiner, who was returned from his embally to France, kept the king more in fufpenfe; and by feigning an unlimited fubmiffion to his will, was frequently able to guide him to his own purposes. Fox, bishop of Hereford, had fupported Cranmer in his schemes for a more thorough reformation; but his death had made way for the promotion of Bonner, who, though he had hitherto feemed a furious enemy to the court of Rome, was determined to facrifice every thing to present intereft, and had joined the confederacy of Gardiner, and the partifans of the old religion. Gardiner himself, it is believed, had fecretly entered into measures with the pope, and even with the emperor; and in concert with these powers, he endeavoured to preferve, as much as poffible, the ancient faith and worship.

HENRY was fo much governed by paffion, that nothing could have retarded his animofity and oppofition against Rome, but fome other paffion, which stopped his career, and raised him

XXXII. 1538.

CHA P. dually, fince the commencement of his fcruples with regard to his first marriage, been changing the tenets of that theological fyftem, in which he had been educated, he was no lefs pofitive and dogmatical in the few articles which remained to him, than if the whole fabric had continued entire and unshaken. And though he stood alone in his opinion, the flattery of courtiers had fo inflamed his tyrannical arrogance, that he thought himself entitled to regulate, by his own particular standard, the religious faith of the whole nation. The point, on which he chiefly rested his orthodoxy, happened to be the real presence; that very doctrine, in which, among the numberless victories of fuperftition over common sense, her triumph is the moft fignal and egregious. All departure from this principle he held to be heretical and deteftable; and nothing, he thought, would be more honorable for him, than while he broke off all connexions with the Roman pontiff, to maintain, in this effential article, the purity of the catholic faith.

Difputation with Lam.

bert.

THERE was one Lambert', a school-mafter in London, who had been queftioned and confined for unfound opinions by archbishop Warham; but, upon the death of that prelate, and the change of counfels at court, he had been released. Not terrified with the danger which he had incurred, he ftill continued to promulgate his tenets; and having heard Dr. Taylor, after

I Fox, vol. ii. p. 396.

wards

1538.

wards bishop of Lincoln, defend in a fermon the CHAP, corporal prefence, he could not forbear expreffing XXXII. to Taylor his diffent from that doctrine; and he drew up his objections under ten feveral heads. Taylor communicated the paper to Dr. Barnes, who happened to be a Lutheran, and who maintained that though the substance of bread and wine remained in the facrament, yet the real body and blood of Chrift were there alfo, and were, in a certain mysterious manner, incorporated with the material elements. By the prefent laws and practice Barnes was no lefs expofed to the stake than Lambert; yet fuch was the perfecuting rage which prevailed, that he determined to bring this man to condign punishment; because, in their common departure from the ancient faith, he had dared to go one step farther than himself. He engaged Taylor to accufe Lambert before Cranmer and Latimer, who, whatever their private opinion might be on these points, were obliged to conform themfelves to the ftandard of orthodoxy, established by Henry. When Lambert was cited before thefe prelates, they endea voured to bend him to a recantation; and they were furprised, when, instead of complying, he ventured to appeal to the king.

THE king, not displeased with an opportunity, where he could at once exert his fupremacy and difplay his learning, accepted the appeal; and refolved to mix, in a very unfair manner, the magistrate with the difputant. Public notice was given, that he intended to enter the lifts