CHAPTER IV. EDWARD VI. CHAP. New Council favourable to the Reformation-Further Reformation resolved on-General Visitation-Homilies compiled-Repeal of the Statute of six Articles-Communion in both kinds-Book of Common Prayer-Act of Uniformity-Preaching prohibited-Priests permitted to marry-Articles of Religion-Blemishes of the Reformation -Gardiner and Bonner imprisoned — Deprived—Princess Mary opposed to the Reformation—Her rigorous treatment—Hooper objects to the Habits-Persecution of Sectaries-Burning of Joan Bocher-George Van Pare-Character of Edward's Reformation -Reformation injured by the rapacity of Courtiers. EDWARD THE SIXTH ascended the throne IV. January 31, 1547, in the tenth year of his age, EDWARD having been born October 12, 1537. His father's New Council favourable to tion. VI. will had appointed a council to exercise the royal the Reforma prerogative during his minority. "In the list of executors, appointed by the will of Henry the Eighth, we see the decisive preponderance of the 'new nobility,' invidiously so called by their enemies, both because they were partisans of the new reformers, and because they owed their sudden rise in wealth to a share in the spoils of the church. Generally speaking, they were gentlemen of ancient lineage; but their fortune and rank commonly sprung from this dubious source. This pre t Mackintosh's England, ii. 247. IV. VI. ponderance was probably owing to the impri- CHAP. sonment of the duke of Norfolk, the chief of the popish party, which made way for the in- EDWARD fluence of his rival, the earl of Hertford, who was soon afterwards created duke of Somerset, and received the titles of "governor of his majesty, lord protector of all his realms, lieutenant-general of all his armies." He was decidedly favourable to the Reformation, which now proceeded with more vigor and consistency than in the former reign. His party alliances and personal ambition prompted the same course. He was the head of a class whose existence depended on the measures which Henry had commenced; and he therefore readily obtained the concurrence of his colleagues in his reforming plans. The young king, his nephew, was well known to be inclined to the same policy. Great care had been taken of his education, by his tutors, sir Anthony Cook, Dr. Richard Cox, and sir John Cheke, who were all favourable to the Reformation. They naturally infused their own principles into their royal pupil, and thus prepared him for acting the distinguished part which he took in the history of the English church. "They were happily chosen," says Strype, "being both truly learned, sober, wise, and all favourers of the gospel."" formation Cranmer and his associates were relieved, by the Further Redeath of Henry, from that excessive dread which resolved on, had cramped their energies, and prevented their following out their principles to their legitimate results. They therefore resolved to proceed with V Memorials, ii. i. 13. Burnet's Reform., ii. 39. ▾ The attempt of some Protestant writers to defend Cranmer CHAP. greater vigor in the correction of abuses, and to IV. introduce into the formularies and worship of the EDWARD church such alterations as would assimilate them VI. to the primitive standard. At the same time, they General Visitation. 1547. felt the necessity of proceeding with caution. A large majority of the clergy were hostile to their views, and the people generally were so ignorant and superstitious as to be wedded to the most offensive of those rites which they purposed to abolish. The cautious policy of Cranmer was therefore adopted, and less, probably, was done than might safely have been effected. A visitation of the whole kingdom was appointed, and injunctions were issued, well suited to prepare the way for more extensive and radical changes. In these injunctions it was ordered, "that curates should take down such images as they knew were abused by pilgrimages or offerings to them; but that private persons should not do it; that, in the confessions in Lent, they should examine all people, whether they could recite the elements of religion in the English tongue; that at high mass they should read the epistle and gospel in English; and every Sunday and holyday, they should read, at matins, one chapter out of the New Testament, and at even from the charge of pusillanimity admit the truth with Fuller, who, licly professed the same. Of these, archbishop Cranmer was the chiefest; who, though willingly he had done no ill, and privately many good offices for the Protestants, yet his cowardly compliance hitherto with popery, against his conscience, cannot be excused; serving the times present in his practice, and waiting on a future alteration in his hopes and desires."-Church History, book vii. 371. IV. EDWARD VI. song, another out of the Old, in English; that the CHAP. holyday being instituted at first that men should give themselves wholly to God, yet God was generally more dishonoured upon it than upon the other days, by idleness, drunkenness, and quarrelling, the people thinking that they sufficiently honored God by hearing mass and matins, though they understood nothing of it to their edifying; therefore, thereafter the holyday should be spent according to God's holy will, in hearing and reading his holy word, in public and private prayers, in amending their lives, receiving the communion, visiting the sick, and reconciling themselves to their neighbours; that the people should be taught not to despise any of the ceremonies not yet abrogated, but to beware of the superstition of sprinkling their beds with holy water, or the ringing of bells, or using of blessed candles for driving away devils; that all monuments of idolatry should be removed out of the walls or windows of churches, and that there should be a pulpit in every church for preaching," &c." As the people were kept in great suspense by the controversies which were carried on in the pulpit, all bishops were ordered to preach in their cathedrals only; and other clergymen in their collegiate or parochial churches, unless they had obtained a special license from himself. The object of this mandate was to silence the advocates of the old, and to favour those of the new, faith. To the latter, licenses were freely granted; but to the former, they were systematically refused. Such is the method in which religion is befriended when the principle of authority is once admitted. CHAP. EDWARD VI. Homilies compiled, 1547. Repeal of the There being a great dearth of preachers at this time, Cranmer caused a book of Homilies, or short sermons, to be prepared for the use of such incumbents as were incapable of publicly expounding the divine word. The subjects selected were of the plainest and most elementary kind; such as the use of the Scriptures, the misery of mankind by sin, their salvation by Christ, &c. Great objections were urged by the popish party against these homilies. "Sometimes, when they were read in the church, if the parishioners liked them not, there would be such talking and babbling in the church, that nothing could be heard. And if the parish were better affected, and the priest not so, then he would 'so hawk it, and chop it,' (I use the words of old Latimer,) that it were as good for them to be without it, for any word that could be understood.""* An English copy of Erasmus's Paraphrase of the New Testament was also ordered to be provided in every parish church, for the use of the unlearned. Gardiner opposed these measures with all the acuteness which his distinguished talents and long experience enabled him to display, and was successful in pointing out inconsistencies in the doctrine of the Paraphrase and Homilies. Unhappily for the reputation of the Reformers, they were not content with the legitimate weapons of religious controversy, but appealed to force in support of their opinions. Gardiner and others, as we shall presently see, were stript of their preferments, and were treated with a severity which forms some extenuation of their subsequent conduct. It was an object of deep solicitude with the |