pies, portuasses, primers in Latin or English, couchers, journals, ordinals, or other books or writings whatsoever heretofore used for service of the Church, written or printed in the English or Latin tongue, other than such as are or shall be set forth by the King's Majesty, shall be by authority of this present Act clearly and utterly abolished, extinguished, and forbidden for ever to be used or kept in this realm, or elsewhere within any of the King's dominions. II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any person or persons, of what estate, degree, or condition soever he, she, or they be, body politic or corporate, that now have or hereafter shall have in his, her, or their custody, any the books or writings of the sorts aforesaid, or any images of stone, timber, alabaster, or earth, graven, carved, or painted, which heretofore have been taken out of any church or chapel, or yet stand in any church or chapel, and do not before the last day of June next ensuing deface and destroy, or cause to be defaced and destroyed, the same images and every of them, and deliver or cause to be delivered all and every the same books to the mayor, bailiff, constable, or church-wardens of the town where such books then shall be, to be by them delivered over openly within three months next following after the said delivery, to the archbishop, bishop, chancellor, or commissary, of the same diocese, to the intent the said archbishop, bishop, chancellor, or commissary, and every of them, cause them immediately either to be openly burnt or otherwise defaced and destroyed; shall for every such book or books willingly retained in his, her, or their hands or custody within this realm, or elsewhere within any of the King's dominions, and not delivered as is aforesaid, after the said last day of June, and be thereof lawfully convict, forfeit and lose to the King our Sovereign Lord, for the first offence xx s., and for the second offence shall forfeit and lose (being thereof lawfully convict) iv li, and for the third offence shall suffer imprisonment at the King's will. III. (Provides penalty in case of default of duty by any Mayor, etc.) IV. (Provides for jurisdiction by Justices of the Assize.) V. Provided also, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That any person or persons may use, keep, have, and retain any primers in the English or Latin tongue, set forth by the late King of famous memory, King Henry the Eighth, so that the sentences of invocation or prayer to the saints in the same primers be blotted or clearly put out of the same; any thing in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding. VI. Provided always, That this Act, or any thing therein contained, shall not extend to any image or picture set or graven upon any tomb in any church, chapel, or churchyard, only for a monument of any king, prince, nobleman, or other dead person, which hath not been commonly reputed or taken for a saint, but that such pictures and images my stand and continue in like manner and form as if this Act had never been had nor made; any thing in this Act to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. (Ed. from Statutes at Large, ed. cited, III, p. 565.) 125. Journal of Edward VI. Records, Burnet The following extracts from the journal of Edward VI., a mere boy, are pathetic in their evidence of abnormal precocity. They are also important in that they foreshadow the attitude of Mary toward the Protestant religion. March [1550] 18. The lady Mary, my sister, came to me at Westminster, where, after salutations, she was called with my council, into a chamber; where was declared how long I had suffered her mass, in hope of her reconciliation, and how now being no hope, which I perceived by her letters, except I saw some short amendment, I could not bear it. She answered, "that her soul was God's, and her faith she would not change, nor dissemble her opinion with contrary doings." It was said, "I constrained not her faith, but willed her not as a king to rule, but as a subject to obey; and that her example might breed too much inconvenience." 19. The emperor's ambassador came with a short message from his master of war, if I would not suffer his cousin, the princess, to use her mass. To this was no answer given at this time. 20. The bishops of Canterbury, London, Rochester, did consider to give license to sin, was sin; to suffer and wink at it for a time might be born, so all haste possible might be used. 23. The council having the bishop's answers, seeing my subjects taking their vent in Flanders, might put the whole realm in danger. The Flemings had cloth enough for a year in their hand, and were kept far under the danger of the papists; the fifteen hundred cinquetales of powder I had in Flanders, the harness they had for preparation of the gendarmory, the goods my merchants had there at the Woolfleet, decreed to send an ambassador to the emperor, Mr. Wotton, to deny the matter wholly, and persuade the emperor in it, thinking, by his going, to win some time for a preparation of a mart, convenience of powder, harness, etc., and for the surety of the realm. In the mean season, to punish the offenders, first of my servants that heard mass, next of hers. 24. Sir Anthony Brown sent to the Fleet for hearing mass with serjeant Morgan, sir Clement Smith, which a year before heard mass, chidden. 25. The ambassador of the emperor came to have his answer, but had none, saving, that one should go to the emperor within a month or two to declare the matter. (Collection of Records, Burnet, ed. cit., clxvi. CHAPTER XVII THE REACTION AGAINST PROTESTANTISM 126. Lady Jane Grey's Claim to the Throne Records, Burnet The claim of Lady Jane Dudley -or, as she is better known, of Lady Jane Grey to the throne of England is set forth in the following document. The text has been given in full, as it throws light upon a little-understood period, and gives the complete ground of claim of the unfortunate lady whose reign was the briefest of England's queens. Jane, by the grace of God queen of England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, and of the Church of England, and also of Ireland, under Christ on earth the supreme head. To all our most loving, faithful, and obedient subjects, and to every of them, greeting. Whereas our most dear cousin Edward the 6th, late king of England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith; and on earth supreme head, under Christ, of the Church of England and Ireland; by his letters patents, signed with his own hand, and sealed with his great seal of England, bearing date the 21st day of June, in the seventh year of his reign; in the presence of the most part of his nobles, his counsellors, judges, and divers other grave and sage personages, for the profit and surety of his whole realm, thereto assenting and subscribing their names to the same, hath, by the same his letters patent, recited, that forasmuch as the imperial crown of this realm, by an act made in the 35th year of the reign of the late king, of worthy memory, king Henry the 8th, our progenitor, and great uncle, was, for lack of issue by his body lawfully begotten; and for lack of issue of the body of our said late cousin king Edward the 6th, by the same act, limited and appointed to remain to the lady Mary his eldest daughter, and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten: and for default of such issue, the remainder thereof to the lady Elizabeth, by the name of the lady Elizabeth his second daughter, and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten; with such conditions as should be limited and appointed by the said late king of worthy memory, king Henry the 8th, our progenitor, and great uncle, by his letters patent under his great seal, or by his last will in writing, signed with his hand. And forasmuch as the said limitation of the imperial crown of his realm being limited, as is aforesaid, to the said lady Mary, and lady Elizabeth, being illegitimate, and not lawfully begotton, for that the marriage had, between the said late king, king Henry the 8th, our progenitor, and great uncle, and the lady Katherine, mother of the said lady Mary; and also the marriage had between the said late king, king Henry the 8th, our progenitor, and great uncle, and the lady Ann, mother of the said lady Elizabeth, were clearly and lawfully undone, by sentences of divorce, according to the word of God, and the ecclesiastical laws; and which said several divorcements have been severally ratified and confirmed by authority of Parliament, and especially in the 28th year of the reign of king Henry the 8th, our said progenitor, and great uncle, remaining in force, strength, and effect, whereby, as well the said lady Mary, as also the said lady Elizabeth, to all intents and purposes, are, and been clearly disabled, to ask, claim, or challenge the said imperial crown, or any other of the honours, castles, manours, lordships, lands, tenements, or other hereditaments, as heir or heirs to our said late cousin king Edward the 6th, or as heir or heirs to any other person or persons whatsoever, as well for the cause before rehearsed, as also for that the said lady Mary, and lady Elizabeth, were unto our said late cousin but of the half-blood, and therefore by the ancient laws, statutes, and customs of this realm, be not inheritable unto our said late cousin, although they had been born in lawful matrimony; as indeed they were not, as by the said sentences of divorce, and the said statute of the 28th year of the reign of king Henry the 8th, our said progenitor, and great uncle, plainly appeareth. And forasmuch also, as it is to be thought, or at the least much to be doubted, that if the said lady Mary, or lady Elizabeth, should hereafter have or enjoy the said imperial crown of this realm, and should then happen to marry with any stranger born out of this realm, that then the said stranger, having the government and the imperial crown in his hands, would adhere and practice not only to bring this noble, free realm into the tyranny and servitude of the |