CHAP. IV. the grave, and children who could but just lisp the articles of their creed, and of these they made their burnt offerings.* Of the fourteen bishoprics then contained in England, bloodshed was prevented in nine; and it is due to Gardiner's memory to state that his diocese was one of these. Bonner is charged with having burnt about one half the martyrs of the kingdom; but great numbers were brought from other places to the capital, and this swells the apparent account of Bonner beyond his desert. Christopherson, Bishop of Chichester, was another hard and bitter persecutor. The total number of those who suffered, from the martyrdom of Rogers, in February, 1555, to September, 1558, when the persecution ceased, has been variously related; but in a manner sufficiently different to assure us, that the narrators were independent witnesses, who did not borrow from each other, and yet sufficiently near to attest the general accuracy of their distinct statements.† Lingard reckons them at almost 200, but intimates that he has deducted those martyrs who died as condemned felons or traitors.‡ Cooper estimates them at 290; Burnet, at 284; and Speed at 274. The most accurate account, according to Mackintosh, is probably that of Lord Burleigh, who, in his treatise quoted above, reckons the number of those who died by imprisonment, torments, famine, and fire, to be near 400, of which the number who were burnt alive, amounted to 290. Burnet gives a table of the martyrdoms, for each year. In 1555, there were burnt 72; in 1556, 94; in 1557, 79; and in 1558, 39; making a total of 284, or 71 a year. So that, had Mary's reign lasted as long as Elizabeth's, the whole number would have exceeded 3,500. There was a nice adjustment of the number of victims to the local demand. The "fires of Smithfield" were not the only sacrifices. During these four years, while London and Middlesex saw 58 executions, Kent had 54; Essex, 51; Sussex, 41; Suffolk and Norfolk, 31; Gloucester, 9; Warwick, 6; and 32 more were distributed over 13 other districts. Neither was the faggot confined to bishops and priests. Speed classifies them thus, and no selection could have been more impartial :-5 bishops, 21 divines, 8 gentlemen, 84 artificers, 100 husbandmen, servants, and labourers, 26 wives, 20 widows, 9 unmarried women, 2 boys, and 2 infants. Besides those who had suffered, more than 800 persons of * Froude, VI., 533, quoting Burleigh's' Execution of Justice. Mackintosh, II., 216. 1557 eminence and distinction fled to the continent, chiefly to Frankfort and Geneva. Among them were Sir Francis Knollys, afterwards Queen Elizabeth's chamberlain; Grindal; Sandys; Pilkington; Bale; Bentham; Cox, Edward VI.'s tutor; Scory; Jewel; Coverdale and Fox, the martyrologist. III. THE TROUBLES WHICH CONCLUDED MARY'S REIGN. 26. Abdication of the Emperor Charles V. The history of the persecution is the history of Mary's reign; the domestic troubles and foreign wars which disturbed the latter part of her rule being of minor importance. Philip was a cold husband, and the scanty attractions and importunate fondness of Mary were not likely to prevail over his reserved and haughty disposition. When it became apparent that the prospect of children by her was visionary, he hastened to quit England (September, 1555). In the following month, his father, Charles V., solemnly resigned the sovereignty of the Belgic provinces to him, in the capital city of Brussels. The whole monarchy in Spain, Italy, and the Indies was abdicated soon after. All devolved on Philip, except the imperial dignity, and the territories in Germany, with Hungary and Bohemia, which fell to Ferdinand, King of the Romans, the Emperor's brother. retired to the monastery of St. Just, in Estremadura, and spent the remaining two years of his life in theological and mechanical pursuits. Charles 27. Mary restores the church property held by the Crown. Philip continued to exercise considerable influence in the government of the kingdom, although he was absent. He maintained a continual correspondence with the ministers, and nothing was done without his previous knowledge and consent. Before his departure, the Queen had expressed her wish to restore such ecclesiastical property to the church as had been vested in the crown during the late reigns. But parliament opposed her; for although it had crouched at the feet of Rome, and re-established the Pope's supremacy, there were certain limits beyond which the most strenuous Romanists were not willing to go. Julius III., a Pontiff of moderate views, did not insist upon the restitution of church property; but his successor, Paul IV., a furious zealot, CHAP. IV. demanded, under the penalty of eternal damnation, the restitution of the church lands, and the payment of Peter's pence. Mary was inclined to yield, and had already surrendered the crown lands; but when she sounded the nobility upon the question, they declared that they would never part with their abbey lands, as long as they were able to wear a sword by their sides." An act was, however, passed, not without strong opposition, restoring to the church the tenths and first fruits, the rectories, benefices appropriate, glebe lands, and tithes annexed to the crown since the 20th of Henry VIII. The act had many saving clauses; and one, especially, binding the legate to apply the revenues so restored-about £60,000-to the augmentation of poor livings, the support of preachers, and the furnishing of exhibitions to scholars in the universities. A proposal to give the Queen a subsidy and two-fifteenths was so strenuously opposed, that the secretary of state declared to the House of Commons that the Queen would not accept it. No other parliament was called for two years. In the midst of these proceedings Gardiner died (November 12th). Dudley's plot. 28. Plots which again endangered the Princess Elizabeth. There seemed every prospect now that the Princess Elizabeth would succeed to the throne, and the disquietudes and suspicions which thence resulted, were kept alive by the most trifling incidents. Dr. Dee, the celebrated astrologer and magician, got into trouble (June, 1555), for "endeavouring, by enchantments, to destroy Queen Mary." But a much more formidable danger was gathering. Some young men of good family, led by Henry Dudley, a relation and partisan of the attainted Duke of Northumberland, formed a project for assembling the English exiles, and freeing England from the Roman Pontiff and the Spanish King. The French government encouraged the conspiracy. But the conspirators wanted both money and arms; and a bold device was set on foot to seize the Spanish silver lying in the royal exchequer. One of them, however, proved a traitor; and about twenty were apprehended, and the leaders executed. Two officers of Elizabeth's household were among the prisoners, and in their confessions it was said they implicated the princess. She was rescued from danger by the interposition of Philip, who foresaw that if Elizabeth were removed out of the way, the English crown, at Mary's decease, would be claimed by the young Queen of Scots, the wife of the Dauphin of France. Her succession would have added considerably to the power of his rival; he, therefore, endeavoured to preserve 1557 the life of the only person who could bar the claim of the Scottish Queen.* Many weeks did not elapse before the exiles in France made a new attempt to excite an insurrection. One Cleobury, Cleobury's pretending that he was Courtenay, Earl of Devon, pro- attempt. claimed the Earl and the Princess Elizabeth, King and Queen. Such an absurd attempt met with no support; but Elizabeth was again placed in jeopardy; though, for the reason just given, she was left unmolested, and she remained under the mild guardianship of Sir Thomas Pope, at Hatfield. 29. The War with France. In March, 1557, Philip returned to England, and had little difficulty in obtaining from Mary a declaration of war against France. Paul IV. had conceived that the time had arrived for throwing off the predominant power of Spain. He panted for the freedom of Italy as it existed in the fifteenth century; and, to accomplish his design, he allied causes of himself with France, and agreed to place French princes the war. on the thrones of Naples and Milan. These were the causes of the war between France and Spain. England also had wrongs to resent; but it was now too late for their redress, and the war which followed was not founded on any regard for the safety, the honour, or even the greatness of England. The alleged grievances. were the encouragement which France had given to Wyatt's rebellion; the aid given to some revolted Protestants in the district of Calais; and the connivance of Henry II. at the equipment Stafford's of a force by Thomas Stafford, a refugee, who had invaded invasion. England with a few followers (April, 1557), and had surprised Scarborough Castle. He only held the place two days, and was then made prisoner by the Earl of Westmoreland, who conveyed him to London, where he was executed. This last circumstance was made the chief ground of quarrel, and war was declared on the 7th of June. Philip left England on the 6th of July, never to return. He was soon followed by the Earl of Pembroke, at the head of 7,000 Englishmen; and the command of the combined army, consisting of 40,000 men, was assumed by Philibert, Duke of Savoy, who had lately aspired to the hand of Elizabeth. Philip had earnestly pressed his suit; but the wary princess saw that the crown would probably be hers at no distant day, and she would not risk the loss of the people's affections by marrying a foreign Lingard, VII., 219; Mackintosh, II., 203-204 It was the policy of Philip always to appear in this light before Elizabeth. But her safety, throughout the reign, was really due to the people, and the princess herself never held any other opinion. See Froude generally in Vol. VI., and especially at p. 525. The CHAP. IV. Catholic. She had sensible advisers about her, who seconded her own prudence particularly the politic Cecil-and thus she kept safe amidst the manifold dangers by which she was surrounded. Savoy began the campaign by investing St. Quentin, a frontier town of Picardy, which was defended by Gaspar Chatillon, battle of better known as the Admiral Coligny. His uncle, the St Quentin. Constable de Montmorency, advanced at the head of a powerful army to raise the siege. He advanced very near, in order to cover a supply which it was intended to convey into the town, across the morass and river which covered one side of it. But the difficulties in the way of the boats were so great, that the Spanish army had time to make a long detour, and cross the river higher up, by which they were able to fall upon Montmorency, while his troops were divided and exposed. The defeat was total. The constable, the Marshal St. André, and most of the superior officers, fell into the hands of the conquerors, and one-half of the French army were either taken or slain (August 10th, 1557). In spite of this immense loss, and the dismay which followed, Coligny, with his little garrison, maintained his ruined fortress after the defeat and dispersion of his countrymen; but, at the end of a fortnight, the place was taken by storm, amidst the greatest horrors the Black Reuters, or German mercenary cavalry, fighting with the English auxiliaries for the plunder. The war between England and France produced a disagreement with Scotland, but no hostilities took place. 30. The capture of Calais. The Duke of Guise was soon at the head of a considerable army, with which he advanced about the beginning of January, 1558, to avenge the discomfiture at St. Quentin, and to deprive the English of Calais, the only remaining fragment of the Plantagenet monarchy which had once comprehended the half of France. The garrison scarcely amounted to 800 men; they were aided by 200 townsmen; and the whole population within the walls was not more than 4,200. The works were in a very dilapidated condition, the governor, Lord Wentworth, having neglected to repair them, under the persuasion that he should not be attacked. The outposts soon fell into the hands of the enemy; and the surrender of Newhaven Bridge, and of the Risbank, brought them within reach of the town. Guise then cannonaded the castle, which commanded the place; but the garrison deserted it, and placed several barrels of gunpowder underneath, determined to blow the French up as soon as they should enter. The train, however, got damp, and the project |