Before we relate the change of scene which shortly took place, it may be proper to record with honour the name of John Collet, dean of St. Paul's, and founder of its school; who, by expounding the epistles of Paul, and establishing a divinity lecture in his church, three days in a week, prepared the way for the reformation. Though he may, perhaps, be called a papist, he condemned many of the reigning corruptions in the church, and gave so good evidence of being a Christian that he was accused as a heretic, but by royal protection he was suffered to die in peace, in the year one thousand five hundred and nineteen, and in the fifty-third year of his age*.

We are now forcibly reminded of the just remark that, in many of the happiest changes which the world has seen, the worst of men have, through the Sovereign influence of a mysterious providence, been the unconscious instruments of accomplishing the kind and holy designs of heaven. For where has this been more conspicuous, than in the reformation of England from Popery? And where has so much sin been turned to such happy consequences as in the quarrel between Henry the eighth and the Pope? Cardinal Wolsey indeed, though himself a haughty prelate, broke the ice, and contributed to the overthrow of the papal power in England. In the plenitude of his authority he seized upon many of the smaller monasteries to build the splendid college of Christ Church, Oxford. When the holy church had led the way, how could it be expected, that the state

If this was spoken as a serious joke, the fool was the wisest man of his day, for no party had yet learned the wisdom of leaving truth to support and propagate itself by its own inherent vigour. *Petrie, 31. Fuller, book V. page 167.

would hesitate to follow, and lay its profane hands on treasures so tempting? Mortified, too, at missing St. Peter's chair, the cardinal sought to wreak his ven. geance on the emperor Charles the fourth, to whom he attributed his disappointment. He therefore helped the king's confessor to fill the royal conscience with scruples of the legality of his marriage with Catherine of Spain, the emperor's aunt. Henry applied to the pope to declare the marriage null; but as the pontiff dared not disoblige the emperor, he artfully contrived delays, which ill suited the king's violent passions.

In the midst of these embarrassments, Cranmer was introduced at court, as the man who could cut the knot, which Rome sought rather to entangle than untie. He declared the marriage null by the word of God, and advised to consult the universities of Europe, which generally concurred in an answer agreeable to the king's wishes. Henry immediately married Anne Boleyn, and as the pope commanded him to take back his former wife, he seized the favourable moment, at once to revenge and enrich himself, by renouncing all connexion with Rome, and declaring himself supreme head of the Church in in England. From this time he acted the pope to perfection, allowed as much reformation as he pleased, and laid all his subjects on the bed of Procrustus. Some he stretched, as too short for for the extent of the monarch's faith; and others he decapitated for presuming to look over his shoulders. Protestants and papists equally fell victims to his ecclesiastical tyranny. Those who knew and loved pure religion, must have condemned, in their hearts, the licentiousness and crimes of Henry; and from

what we have seen of Wickliffe's sentiments we may conclude, that his followers could not approve the title of head of the church, which the prince assumed. The mischiefs which that title afterwards produced, show that the god of this world, when expelled from the strong hold of popery, early provided himself with a retreat, in which he might repeat his former hostilities under new colours.

Nor was the liberty of reading the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, though the most favourite claim of Wickliffe and of all the reformers, by any means universally granted. William Tyndale, who had early imbibed the sentiments of Luther, finding that he could not execute his project safely in England, retired to Germany to translate the Scriptures, which he completed in the year one thousand five hundred and twenty-seven*.

The six articles, more truly denominated the bloody bill, were now published, establishing what

The first edition was partly bought up at Antwerp by Bishop Tonstal, with no good intent; but Tyndale availed himself of the bishop's bigotry to get rid of an incorrect work, and to obtain funds for printing a superior edition; so that he who burned the former, was laughed at as a principal contributor to the expenses of the next edition. The new edition was so eagerly bought and read, that the bishops were alarmed, and obtained a royal proclamation to prohibit men from buying or reading such translationst. The clergy, however, wreaked their vengeance on the holy man, by causing him to be strangled and burnt near Antwerp: when tied to the stake, he cried, with a loud voice, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." His translation was afterwards, with some alterations and additions, allowed in England by the influence of Cranmer, who was now rewarded for his services to the king by the see of Canterbury. But women, and the inferior orders of society, were still forbidden to read the sacred volume.

† Petrie, 169

scarcely deserved the title which Fuller gives it of a twilight religion*. For transubstantion, purgatory, the celibacy of priests, and the necessity of auricular confession, were decreed by the head of the church, and the defender of the faith. Lord Cromwell, who had been the bulwark of the refor mation, was sacrificed to the capricious tyranny of Henry; and Cranmer had too much of the courtier to do all he might, with too little of the politician, to see through the artifices of the popish bishops, who contrived to prevent him from doing what he otherwise wished. At one time, half a dozen papists and protestants were executed together: these were burnt for believing too little, and those were hung for believing too much. Fisher, bishop of Rochester, and Chancellor More, died for popery: and whatever we may think of their creed, we must award them the high praise of martyrs for conscience. But Mrs. Askew and others suffered so severely for their zeal, in dispersing the English Bible, when it was forbidden by the capricious monarch, that many may now fear to meet them, when, at the last day, they shall rise up in judgment against those who treat with contemptuous neglect that precious volume, for which they shed their blood.

At length, when the reformation was again yielding to popery, Henry closed a reign of lust and cruelty by a death which awakened neither respect nor regret in the breasts of any; for he was excommunicated and cursed by the papists, to whose cause he had given a deadly stab; and by the protestants he was condemned for ordering masses to be said for the repose of his soult. No communion covets the

* Book V.

page

213.

+ Fuller, book V. page 254.

honour of his name; and while the Christian regards his religion as the mere offspring of his passions and his pride, the civil historian pronounces him one of the greatest tyrants who ever occupied the British throne.

Edward the sixth succeeded to the throne at nine years of age; and the Lord Protector Seymour, with Cranmer, ruled the nation in his name. My lord of Canterbury now ventured to avow himself more entirely a protestant, and the exiles of that persuasion returned to their country. Peter Martyr, Bucer, Fagius, and Ochinus, some of the most celebrated protestant divines of the continent, were invited to take professorships in our universities. The king's injunctions were published, ordering every parish to be provided with the English Bible, and every minister to procure the New Testament in Latin and English, with the Paraphrase of Erasmus. Preachers also were appointed to make their circuits through the kingdom, explaining the Scriptures, and publishing the doctrines of the Gospel, while, besides an English liturgy, which contained a large portion of the sacred Scriptures, a new book of homilies was published by authority, in addition to the one sent forth by Henry the eighth. While these volumes of homilies were designed to help the clergy, who could not provide sermons for themselves, they have been thought to have introduced a custom, for which our country is singular, that of lazily substituting reading, instead of preaching.

The means which the reformers employed to rescue the nation from popery were not all unexceptionable. It might be necessary to publish the book of common prayer and administration of the sacraments; but though it was never laid before the con-