THE king found his ecclefiaftical fubjects as compliant CHA P. as the laity. The convocation ordered, that the act a- XXX. gainst appeals to Rome, together with the king's appeal from the pope to a general council, fhould be affixed to 1534. the doors of all the churches in the kingdom: And they voted that the bishop of Rome had, by the law of God, no more jurifdi&ion in England than any other foreign bishop; and that the authority, which he and his predeceffors had exercifed there, was only by ufurpation and the fufferance of English princes. Four perfons only opposed this vote in the lower houfe, and one doubted. It paffed unanimously in the upper. The bishops went fo far in their complaifance, that they took out new commiffions from the crown, where all their fpiritual and epifcopal authority was expressly affirmed to be derived ultimately from the civil magiftrate, and to be entirely dependant on his good pleafure C.

He

THE oath regarding the fucceffion was generally fworn throughout the kingdom. Fisher, bishop of Rochester, and Sir Thomas More, were the only perfons of note, who entertained fcruples with regard to its legality. Fisher was obnoxious on account of fome practices, into which his credulity, rather than any bad intentions, feems to have betrayed him. But More was the person of greatest reputation in the kingdom for virtue and integrity; and as it was believed, that his authority would have inAluence on the fentiments of others, great pains were taken to convince him of the lawfulness of the oath. declared, that he had no fcruple with regard to the fucceffion, and thought that the parliament had full power to fettle it: He offered to draw an oath himself, which would affure his allegiance to the heir appointed; but he refufed the oath prefcribed by law; because the preamble of that oath afferted the legality of the king's marriage with Anne, and thereby implied, that his former marriage with Catherine was unlawful and invalid. Cranmer, the primate, and Cromwel, now fecretary of ftate, who highly loved and esteemed More, earnestly entreated him to lay afide his fcruples; and their friendly importunity feemed to weigh more with him, than all the penalties attending his refufal D. He perfifted however, in a mild, though firm manner, to maintain his refolution; and the

king,

Collier's Ecclef. hift. vol. ii. D Burnet, vol. i. p. 156.

CHAP. king, irritated against him as well as Fisher, ordered them XXX. both to be indicted upon the ftatute, and committed prifoners to the tower.

1534.

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THE parliament, being again affembled, conferred on 3d Nov. the king the title of the only fupreme head on earth of the church of England; as they had already invested him with all the real power belonging to it. In this memorable act, the parliament granted him power, or rather acknowledged his inherent power, "to vifit, and repress, redrefs, reform, order, correct, reftrain, or amend all ❝errors, herefies, abuses, offences, contempts and enormities, which fell under any fpiritual authority or ju"rifdiction " They alfo declared it treason to attempt, imagine, or fpeak evil against the king, queen, or his heirs, or to endeavour depriving them of their dignities or titles. They gave him a right to all the annates and tythes of benefices, which had formerly been paid to the court of Rome. They granted him a fubfidy and a fifteenth. They attainted More and Fisher for misprifion of treason. And they compleated the union of England and Wales, by giving to that principality all the benefit of the English laws.

THUS the authority of the popes, like all exorbitant power, was ruined by the excess of its acquifitions, and by ftretching its pretenfions beyond what it was poffible for any human principles or prepoffeffions to fuftain. The right of granting indulgences had in former ages contributed extremely to enrich the holy fee; but being openly abused, they ferved to excite the first commotions and oppofitions in Germany. The prerogative of granting difpenfations had also contributed much to attach all the fovereign princes and great families in Europe to the papal authority; but meeting with an unlucky concurrence of circumstances, was now the cause, why England separated herself from the Romish communion. The acknowledgment of the king's fupremacy introduced there a greater fimplicity into the government, by uniting the fpiritual with the civil power, and preventing difputes about limits, which never could be exactly determined between the contending parties. A way was also prepared for checking the exorbitancy of fuperftition, and breaking thofe fhackles, by which all human reason, policy, and industry, had fo long been incumbered. The prince, it

E 26 H. 8. c. i.

may

1534.

may be fuppofed, being head of the religion, as well as CHAP. of the temporal jurifdiction of the kingdom, though he XXX. might fometimes employ the former as an engine of government, had no intereft, like the Roman pontiff, in nourishing its exceffive growth; and, except when blinded by ignorance or bigotry, would be fure to retain it within tolerable limits, and prevent its abufes. And on the whole, there followed, from these revolutions, very benefical confequences; though perhaps neither forefeen nor intended by the perfons who had the chief hand in conducting them,

WHILE Henry proceeded with fo much order and tranquillity in changing the antient religion, and while his authority feemed entirely fecure in England, he was held in fome inquietude by the flate of affairs in Ireland and in Scotland,

THE earl of Kildare was deputy of Ireland, under the duke of Richmond, the king's natural fon, who bore the title of lieutenant; and as Kildare was accufed of fome violences against the family of Offory, his hereditary enemies, he was called over to anfwer for his conduct. He left his authority in the hands of his fon, who hearing that his father was thrown into prifon, and was in danger of lofing his life, immediately took up arms, and joining himself to O'Neale, O'Carrol, and other Irish nobility, committed many ravages, murdered Allen, archbishop of Dublin, and laid fiege to that city. Old Kildare mean-while died in prifon, and his fon, perfevering in his revolt, made applications to the emperor, who promised him affiftance. The king was obliged to fend over fome forces to Ireland, which fo harraffed the rebels, that Kildare, finding the emperor backward in fulfilling his promifes, was reduced to the neceffity of furrendering himself prisoner to Lord Leonard Gray, the new deputy, brother to the marquis of Dorfet. He was fent over to England, together with his five uncles; and after trial and conviction, they were all brought to public juftice; though two of the uncles, in order to fave the family, had pretended to join the king's party.

THE earl of Angus had acquired the entire afcendant in Scotland; and having got poffeffion of the king's perfon, then in early youth, he was able, by means of that advantage, and by employing the power of his own family,

10

CHA P. to retain the reins of government. The queen-dowager, XXX. however, his spouse, bred him great difturbance: For, having feparated herself from him, on account of some 1534. jealoufies and difgufts, and having procured a divorce, the had married another man of quality, of the name of Stuart; and fhe joined all the discontented nobility, who oppofed Angus's authority. James himself was diffatisfied with the flavery, to which he was reduced; and by fecret correfpondence, he excited firft Walter Scot, then the earl of Lenox, to attempt, by force of arms, to free him from the hands of Angus. Both enterprizes failed of fuccefs; but James, impatient of restraint, found means at laft of flying to Stirling, where his mother then refided; and having fummoned all the nobility to attend him, he overturned the authority of the Douglaffes, and obliged Angus and his brother to fly into England, where they were protected by Henry. The king of Scotland, being now arrived at years of majority, took the government into his own hands; and employed himfelf with great spirit and valour, in repreffing thofe feuds, ravages, and diforders, which, though they difturbed the course of public juftice, ferved to fupport the martial spirit of the Scots, and contributed, by that means, to maintain national independency. He was defirous of renewing the antient league with the French nation; but finding Francis in close union with England, and on that account fomewhat cold in hearkening to his proposals, he received the more favourably the advances of the emperor, who hoped, by means of fuch an ally, to breed disturbance to England. He offered the Scots king the choice of three princeffes, his own near relations, and all of the name of Mary; his fifter the dowager of Hungary, his niece a daughter of Portugal, or his coufin the daughter of Henry, whom he pretended to difpofe of unknown to her father. James was more inclined to the latter proposal, had it not, upon reflection, been found impracticable; and his natural propenfity to France at laft prevailed over all other confiderations. The alliance with Francis neceffarily engaged James to maintain peace with England. But though invited by his uncle, Henry, to confer with him at Newcastle, and concert common measures for repreffing the ecclefiaftics in both kingdoms, and fhaking off the yoke of Rome, he could not be prevailed with to put

put himself in the king's power. In order to have a pre- CHA P. text for refufing the conference, he applied to the pope, XXX. and obtained a brief, forbidding him to engage in any perfonal negociations with an enemy of the holy fee. From 1534. these measures, Henry eafily concluded, that he could very little depend on the friendship of his nephew. But thofe events took not place till fome time after our preSent period.