XXVIIL CHAP. But while these ambitious and warlike princes were acting against each other in almost every part of Europe, they ftill made profeffions of the strongest defire of peace; and both of them inceffantly carried 1521. their complaints to Henry, as to the umpire beMediation tween them. The king, who pretended to be neuof Henry. tral, engaged them to fend their ambaffadors to Calais, there to negotiate a peace under the mediation of Wolfey and the pope's nuncio. The emperor was well apprifed of the partiality of these mediators; and his demands in the conference were fo unreasonable, as plainly proved him conscious of the advantage. He required the reftitution of Burgundy, a province which many years before had been ceded to France by treaty, and which, if in his poffeffion, would have given him entrance into the heart of that kingdom: And he demanded to be freed from the homage which his ancestors had always done for Flanders and Artois, and which he himself had, by the treaty of Noyon, engaged to renew. On Francis's rejecting these terms, the congrefs of Calais broke up, and Wolfey, foon after, took a journey to Bruges, where he met 4th Nov. with the emperor. He was received with the fame ftate, magnificence, and refpect, as if he had been the king of England himself; and he concluded, in his master's name, an offenfive alliance with the pope and the emperor against France. He stipulated, that England fhould next fummer invade that kingdom with forty thousand men; and he betrothed to Charles the princefs Mary, the king's only child, who had now fome profpect of inheriting the crown. This extravagant alliance, which was prejudicial to the interefts, and might have proved fatal to the liberty and independence of the kingdom, was the refult of the humours and prejudices of the king, and the private views and expectations of the cardinal. THE XXVIII. 1521. ation of THE people faw every day new inftances of the CHAP. uncontrolled authority of this minifter. The duke of Buckingham, conftable of England, the first nobleman both for family and fortune in the kingdom, had imprudently given disgust to the cardinal; and it was not long before he found reafon to repent of his indifcretion. He feems to have been a man full of levity and rafh projects; and being infatuated Trial and with judicial aftrology, he entertained a commerce condemnwith one Hopkins, a Carthufian friar, who encou- the duke raged him in the notion of his mounting one day of Buckingham. the throne of England. He was defcended by a female from the duke of Glocefter, youngest son of Edward III.; and though his claim to the crown was thereby very remote, he had been fo unguarded as to let fall fome expreffions, as if he thought himself best intitled, in cafe the king should die without iffue, to poffefs the royal dignity. He had not even abstained from threats against the king's life, and had provided himself with arms, which he intended to employ, in cafe a favourable opportunity fhould offer. He was brought to a trial; and the duke of Norfolk, whofe fon, the earl of Surrey, had married Buckingham's daughter, was created lord steward, in order to prefide at this folemn procedure. The jury confifted of a duke, a marquis, feven earls, and twelve barons; and they gave their verdict against Buckingham, which was foon after carried into execution. There is no reason to think the sentence unjust; but as Buckingham's crimes seem to proceed more from indifcretion than deliberate malice, the people, who loved him, expected that the king would grant him a pardon, and imputed their disappointment to the animofity and of the cardinal. The king's own jealoufy, revenge a Herbert. Hall. Stowe, 513. Hollingshed, p. 862. however, XXVIII. 1521. CHAP. however, of all perfons allied to the crown, was, notwithstanding his undoubted title, very remarkable during the whole courfe of his reign; and was alone fufficient to render him implacable against Buckingham. The office of conftable, which this nobleman inherited from the Bohuns, earls of Hereford, was forfeited, and was never after revived in England. CHAP. XXIX. Digreffion concerning the ecclefiaftical ftate -Origin of the reformation -Martin Luther -Henry Caufes receives the title of defender of the faith -Italian wars-The king of France invades URING fome years, many parts of Europe CHAP. Dhad been agitated with thole religious contro verfies which produced the reformation, one of the greatest events in hiftory: But as it was not till this time that the king of England publicly took part in the quarrel, we had no occafion to give any account of its rife and progrefs. It will now be neceffary to explain thefe theological difputes; or, what is more material, to trace from their origin those abuses which fo generally diffused the opinion, that a reformation of the church, or ecclefiaftical order, was become highly expedient, if not abfolutely neceffary. We fhall be better enabled to comprehend the fubject, if we take the matter a little higher, and reflect a moment on the reasons why there must be an ecclefiaftical order and a public establishment of religion in every civilized community. The importance of the present occafion will, I hope, excufe this fhort digreffion. MOST XXIX. 1521. СНАР. Most of the arts and profeffions in a state are of fuch a nature, that, while they promote the interests of the fociety, they are also useful or agreeable to Digreffion fome individuals; and in that cafe, the conftant rule ing the ec- of the magiftrate, except, perhaps, on the first inclefiaftical troduction of any art, is, to leave the profession to 1521. concern ftate. itself, and truft its encouragement to those who reap the benefit of it. The artizans, finding their profits to rife by the favour of their customers, increase, as much as poffible, their fkill and induftry; and as matters are not disturbed by any injudicious tampering, the commodity is always fure to be at all times nearly proportioned to the demand. BUT there are alfo fome callings which, though useful and even neceffary in a state, bring no particular advantage or pleasure to any individual; and the fupreme power is obliged to alter its conduct with regard to the retainers of thofe profeffions. It must give them public encouragement in order to their fubfiftence; and it muft provide against that negligence, to which they will naturally be fubject, either by annexing peculiar honours to the profeffion, by establishing a long fubordination of ranks and a ftrict dependance, or by fome other expedient. The perfons employed in the finances, armies, fleets, and magiftracy, are inftances of this order of men. Ir may naturally be thought, at first fight, that the ecclefiaftics belong to the firft clafs, and that their encouragement, as well as that of lawyers and phyficians, may fafely be entrusted to the liberality of individuals, who are attached to their doctrines, and who find benefit or confolation from their fpiritual ministry and affiftance. Their industry and vigilance will, no doubt, be whetted by fuch an additional motive; and their skill in the profeffion, as well as their addrefs in governing the minds of the people, muft receive daily increafe, from their increafing practice, ftudy, and attention. Bur |