logue of his errors. He was ordered to depart from York-place palace; and all his furniture and plate were converted to the king's ufe. The in- : ventory of his goods being taken, they were found to exceed even the most extravagant furmises. Of fine holland alone there were found a thoufand pieces; the walls of his palace were covered with cloth of gold and filver; he had a cupboard of plate of maffy gold; all the rest of his riches and furniture were in proportion, and probably their greatnefs invited the hand of power. The parliament foon after confirmed the sentence of the court of Star-chamber against him, and he was ordered to retire to Efher, a country feat which he poffeffed near Hampton; there to await the king's further pleasure, with all the fluctuations of hope and apprehenfion. Still, however, he was in poffethon of the archbishopric of York and bishopric of Winchefter; and the king gave him diftant gleams of hope, by fending him a ring accompanied with a gracious meflage. Wolfey, who, like every bad character, was proud to his equals and mean to thofe above him, happening to meet the king's meffenger on horseback, immediately alighted, and throwing himfelf on his knees in the mire, received, in that abject manner, thofe marks of his majefty's condefcenfion. But his hopes were foon overturned, for after he had remained fome time at Efher, he was ordered to remove to his fee of York; where he took up his refidence at Cawood, and rendered himself very popular in the neighbourhood by his affability. He was not allowed to remain long unmolefted in this retreat. He was arrested by the earl of Northumberland, at the king's command, for high treason, and preparations were made for conducting him to London, in order to his trial. He at first refused

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to comply with the requifition, as being a cardinal; but finding the earl bent on performing his commiffion, he complied, and fet out, by eafy journies, for London, to appear as a criminal, where he had acted as a king. In his way he ftayed a fortnight at the earl of Shrewsbury's; where, one day at dinner, he was taken ill, not without violent fufpicions of having poifoned himfelf. Being brought forward from thence, he with much difficulty reached Leicester Abbey; where the monks coming out to meet him, he faid, "Father abbot, I come to lay my bones among you," and immediately ordered his bed to be prepared. As his diforder increased, an officer being placed near, at once to guard and attend him, he fpoke to them, a little before he expired, to this effect; "I pray you have me heartily recommended unto his royal majefty; he is a prince of a most royal carriage, and hath a princely heart, and rather than he will mifs, or want any part of his will, he will endanger one half of his kingdom. I do affure you, I have kneeled before him for three hours together, to perfuade him from his will and appetite, but could not prevail. Had I but served God as diligently as I have ferved the king, he would not have given me over in my grey hairs. But this is th just reward that I must receive for my indulgent pains and study; not regarding my services to God, but only to my prince." He died foon after, in all the pangs of remorfe, and left a life which he had all along rendered turbid by ambition, and wretched by mean affiduities. He left two natural children behind him, one of whom, being a priest, was loaded with church preferments.

Henry being now freed from the control of a perfon, who had for fome time been an obstacle to his intentions,

intentions, by Cranmer's advice, he had the legality of his prefent marriage canvaffed in all the most noted univerfities of Europe. It was very extraordinary to see the king on the one fide foliciting the universities to be favourable to his paffion; and, on the other, the emperor preffing them with equal ardour to be favourable to his aunt. Henry liberally rewarded those doctors who declared on his fide; and the emperor granted benefices to fuch as voted in conformity to his wishes. Time has difcovered these intrigues. In one of Henry's account books, we find the disbursements he made on these occafions. To a fub deacon he gave a crown, to a deacon two crowns; and fo of the reft, in proportion to the confequence of the ftation or opinion, The perfon, however, who bribed on these occafions, excufed himself by declaring, that he never paid the money till after the vote was given. In this conteft, the liberalities, and confequently the votes of Henry prevailed; his intrigues for a favourable decifion being better carried on, as he was most interested in the debate. All the colleges of Italy and France unanimoufly declared his prefent marriage against all law divine and human; and therefore alleged, that it was not in the power of the pope himself to grant a difpenfation. The only places where this decifion was moft warmly opp fed were at Oxford and Cambridge; but they alfo concurred in the fame opinion at last, having furnifhed out the formality of a debate. But the agents of Henry were not content with the fuffrage of the universities alone; the opinions of the Jewish rabbies were also demanded; however their fuffrages were easily bought up.

Henty being thus furnished by the fuffrages of the univerfities, was now refolved to oppofe even the pope himself, and began in parliament by reviv

ing

ing an old law against the clergy, by which it. was decreed, that all those who had fubmitted to the legatine authority had incurred fevere penalties. The clergy, to conciliate the king's favour, were compelled to pay a fine of an hundred and eighteen thousand pounds. A confeffion was likewife extorted from them, that the king was protector and fupreme head of the church and the clergy of England. By thefe conceffions a great part of the profits, and ftill more of the power, of the church of Rome, was cut off. An act foon after was paffed againft levying the fruits, or a year's rent, of all the bishoprics that fell vacant The tie that held Henry to the church being thus broken, he refolved to keep no further meafures with the pontiff. He therefore privately married Anna Bullen, whom he created marchionefs of Pembroke, the duke of Norfolk, uncle to the new queen, her father, mother, and doctor Cranmer being prefent at the ceremony. Soon after find ing the queen pregnant, he publicly owned his marriage, and, to colour over his difobedience to the pope, with an appearance of triumph, he paffed with his beautiful bride through London, with a magnificence greater than had been ever known before. The streets were frewed, the walls of the houses were hung with tapestries, the cone duits ran with wine, and an univerfal joy was dif fufed among the people, who were contented rather with the present feftivity, than folicitous to examine the motives of it. Catharine, who had all along fupported her claims with refolution, and yet with modefty, was cited to a trial; but refufing to appear, the was pronounced contumacious, and judgment given against the validity of her marriage with the king. At length, therefore, finding the inutility of further refiftance, fhe

retired

retired to Ampthill, near Dunftable, where she continued the rest of her life in privacy and peace. In the mean time, when this intelligence was conveyed to Rome, the conclave was in a rage; and the pope, incited by their ardour, and frighted alfo by the menaces of the emperor, published a fentence, declaring queen Catharine alone to be Henry's lawful wife, and requiring him to take her again, with a denunciation of cenfures in cafe of refufal. On the other hand, Henry finding that his fubjects of all ranks had taken part with him, and had willingly complied with his attempts to break a foreign dependence, refolved no longer to renew thofe fubmiffions which no power could extort. The people had been prepared by degrees for this great innovation; care had been taken for fome years to inculcate the doctrine, that the pope was entitled to no authority beyond the limits of his own diocefe. The king, therefore, no longer delayed his meditated fcheme of feparating entirely from the church of Rome. The par→ liament was at his devotion; the majority of the clergy was for him, as they had already declared againit the pope, by decreeing in favour of the divorce; and the people, above all, wifhed to fee the church humbled, which had fo long controuled them at pleasure, and. grown opulent by their labours and diftreffes. Thus all things confpiring to co-operate with his defigns, he at once ordered himfelf to be declared by his clergy the fupreme head of the church; the parliament confirmed the A. D. title, abolished all authority of the pope

in England, voted all tributes, formerly 1534. paid to the holy fee, as illegal, and intrufted the king with the collation to all ecclefiaftical benefices. The nation came into the king's, measures with joy, and took an oath, called the

oath