age.

ENRY the Eighth was succeeded on the throne by his

The late king in his will, which he expected would be implicitly obeyed, fixed the majority of the prince at the completion of his eighteenth year; and in the mean time appointed sixteen executors of his will, to whom, during the minority, he entrusted the government of the king and kingdom, the duke of Somerset, as protector, being placed at their head.

The protector, in his schemes for advancing the reformation, had always recourse to the counsels of Cranmer, who, being a man of moderation and prudence, was averse to violent changes, and determined to bring over the people by insensible innovations. A committee of bishops and divines had been appointed by a council to frame a liturgy for the service of the church and this work was executed with great moderation, precision, and accuracy. A law was also enacted, permitting priests to marry; the ceremony of auricular confession, though not abolished, was left at the discretion of the people, who were not displeased at being freed from the spiritual tyranny of their instructors; the doctrine of the real presence was the last tenet of popery that was wholly abandoned by the people, as both the clergy and laity were loth to renounce so miraculous a benefit as it was asserted to be. However, at last, not only this, but all the principal opinions and practices of the Catholic religion, contrary to what the Scripture authorises, were abolished; and the reformation, such as we have it, was almost entirely completed in England. With all these innovations the people and clergy in general acquiesced; and Gardiner and Bonner were the only persons whose opposition was thought of any weight; they were, therefore, sent to the Tower, and threatened with the king's further displeasure in case of disobedience.

A. D.

1549.

For all these acts the protector gained great applause and popularity; but he was raised to an enviable degree of eminence, and his enemies were numerous in proportion to his exaltation. Of all the ministers of that time in the council, Dudley, earl of Warwick, was the most artful, ambitious, and unprincipled. Resolved, at any rate, to possess the principal place under the king, he cared not what means wele to

L

be used in acquiring it. However unwilling to throw off the mask, he covered the most exorbitant views under the fairest appearances. Having associated himself with the earl of Southampton, he formed a strong party in the council, who were determined to free themselves from the controul the protector assumed over them. That nobleman was, in fact, now growing obnoxious to a very prevailing party in the kingdom. He was hated by the nobles for his superior magnificence and power; he was hated by the catholic party for his regard to the reformation; he was disliked by many for his severity to his brother: besides the great estate he had raised at the expence of the church and the crown, rendered him ob, noxious to all. The palace which he was then building in the Strand, served also by its magnificence, and still more by the unjust methods that were taken to raise it, to expose him to the censures of the public. The parish church of St. Mary, with three bishops' houses, were pulled down to furnish ground and materials for the structure.

He was soon afterwards sent to the Tower, and the chief article of which he was accused, was his usurpation of the government, and the taking all power into his own hands; but his great riches was the real cause. Several others of a slighter tint were added to invigorate this accusation, but none of them could be said to amount to high treason. In consequence of these, a bill of attainder was preferred against him in the house of lords; but Somerset contrived, for this time, to elude the rigour of their sentence, by having previously, on his knees, confessed the charge before the members of the council. In consequence of this confession, he was deprived, of all his offices and goods, together with a great part of his landed estate, which was forfeited to the use of the crown. This fine on his estate was soon after remitted by the king, and Somerset once more, contrary to the expectation of all, recovered his liberty. He was even re-admitted into the council; happy for him if his ambition had not revived with his security.

In fact, he could not help now and then bursting out into invectives against the king and government, which were quickly carried to his secret enemy the earl of Warwick, who was now become duke of Northumberland. As he was surrounded with that nobleman's creatures, they took care to reveal all the designs which they had themselves first suggested; and Somerset soon found the fatal effects of his rival's resentment. He was, by Northumberland's command, arrested with many more accused of being his partisans; and he was, with his wife, the duchess, also thrown into prison. He was

now accused of having formed a design to raise an insurrection in the North; of attacking the train bands on a musterday; of plotting to secure the Tower, and to excite a rebellion in London. These charges he strenuously denied; but he confessed to one of as heinous a nature, which was, that he had laid a project for murdering Northumberland, Northampton, and Pembroke, at a banquet, which was to be given them by lord Paget. He was soon after brought to a trial before the marquis of Winchester, who sat as high steward on the occasion, with twenty-seven peers more, including Northumberland, Pembroke and Northampton, who were at once his judges and accusers; and being found guilty, was brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill, where he appeared without the least emotion, in the midst of a vast concourse of the populace, by whom he was beloved. He spoke to them with great composure, protesting that he had always promoted the service of his king, and the interests of true religion, to the best of his power. The people attested their belief of what he said, by crying out," It is most true." An universal tumult was beginning to take place, but Somerset desiring them to be still, and not interrupt his last meditations, but to join with him in prayer, he laid down his head, and submitted to the stroke of the executioner.

In the mean time, Northumberland had long aimed at the first authority; and the infirm state of the king's health opened alluring prospects to his ambition. He represented to that young prince, that his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, who were appointed by Henry's will to succeed, in failure of, direct heirs to the crown, had been both declared illegitimate by parliament; that the queen of Scots, his aunt, stood excluded by the king's will, and being an alien, also, lost all right of succeeding; and as the three princesses were thus legally excluded, the succession naturally devolved to the marchioness of Dorset, whose next heir was the lady Jane Grey, a lady every way accomplished for government, as well by the charms of her person as the virtues and acquirements of her mind. The king, who had long submitted to all the politic views of this designing minister, agreed to have the succession submitted to council, where Northumberland had influence soon after to procure an easy concurrence.

In the mean time, as the king's health declined, the minister laboured to strengthen his own interests and connections. His first aim was to secure the interests of the marquis of Dorset, father of lady Jane Grey, by procuring for him the title of duke of Suffolk, which was lately become extinct. Having thus obliged this nobleman, he then proposed a match

between his fourth son lord Guilford Dudley, and the lady Jane Grey, whose interests he had been at so much pains to advance. Still bent on spreading his interests as widely as possible, he married his own daughter to lord Hastings; and had these marriages solemnized with all possible pomp and festivity. Meanwhile, Edward continued to languish; and several fatal symptoms of a consumption began to appear. It was hoped, however, that his youth and temperance might get the better of his disorders; and from their love, the people were unwilling to think him in danger. It had been remarked, indeed by some, that his health was visibly seen to decline, from the time that the Dudleys were brought about his person. The character of Northumberland might have justly given some colour to suspicion; and his moving all, except his own emissaries from about the king, still farther increased the distrusts of the people. Northumberland, however, was no way uneasy at their murmurs; he was assiduous in his attendance upon the king, and professed the most anxious concern for his safety; but still drove forward his darling scheme of transferring the succession to his own daughter-in-law.

The young king was put into the hands of an ignorant woman, who very confidently undertook his cure. After the use of her medicines, all the bad symptoms increased to a most violent degree; he felt a difficulty of speech and breathing;

his pulse failed, his legs swelled, his colour became July 6, livid, and many other symptoms appeared of his ap1553. proaching end. He expired at Greenwich, in the sixteenth year of his age, and the seventh of his reign, greatly regretted by all, as his early virtues gave a prospect of the continuance of a happy reign.

CHAP. XXV.

UPON

MARY.

A. D. 1553-1558.

PON the death of Edward, two candidates put in their pretensions to the crown: Mary, Henry's daughter by Catharine of Arragon, relying on the justice of her cause; and lady Jane Grey, being nominated in the late young king's will, and upon the support of the duke of Northumberland, her father-in-law. Mary was strongly bigotted to the popish superstitions, having been bred up among churchinen, and having been even taught to prefer martyrdom to a deni

al of belief.

As she had lived in continual restraint, she was reserved and gloomy: she had, even during the life of her father, the resolution to maintain her sentiments, and refused to comply with his new institutions. Her zeal had rendered her furious: and she was not less blindly attached to her religious opinions, than to the popish clergy who maintained them. On the other hand, Jane Grey was strongly attached to the reformers; and though yet but sixteen her judgment had attained to such a degree of maturity, as few have been found to possess. All historians agree, that the solidity of her understanding, improved by continual application, rendered her the wonder of her age. Jane, who was in a great measure ignorant of all the transactions in her favour, was struck with equal grief and surprise when she received intelligence of them. She shed a flood of tears, appeared inconsolable, and it was not without the utmost difficulty that she yielded to the entreaties of Northumberland, and the duke her father. Orders were given, also, for proclaiming her throughout the kingdom; but these were but very remissly obeyed. When she was proclaimed in the city, the people heard her accession made public without any signs of pleasure; no applause ensued, and some even expressed their Scorn and contempt.

In the mean time, Mary, who had retired, upon the news of the king's death, to Kenning-hall, in Norfolk, sent circular letters to all the great towns and nobility in the kingdom, reminding them of her right, and commanding them to proclaim her without delay. Her claims soon became irresisti ble; in a little time she found herself at the head of forty thousand men; while the few who attended Northumberland, continued irresolute; and he even feared to lead them to the

encounter.

Lady Jane, thus finding that all was lost, resigned her royalty, which she had held but ten days, with marks of real satisfaction, and retired with her mother to their own habitation. Northumberland also, who found his affairs desperate, and that it was impossible to stem the tide of popular opposition, attempted to quit the kingdom; but he was prevented by the band of pensioner guards, who informed him that he must stay to justify their conduct in being led out against their lawful sovereign. Thus circumvented on all sides, he delivered himself up to Mary, and was soon after executed in a summary way. Sentence was also pronounced against lady Jane and lord Guildford, but without any intention, for the present, of putting it in execution.

Mary now entered London, and with very little effusion of