66 hour the wretched expedients to which he resorted with the hope of soothing a perturbed conscience, and extracting the sting of death, without gathering from them a confirmation of that divine testimony, "Surely every man walketh in a vain shew-surely they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth "not who shall gather them;" or without fervent gratitude to the Most High, that we are delivered from those strong delusions by which our forefathers, whether of royal or plebeian birth, were enslaved. We know that the final and everlasting repose of the soul is not to be obtained by a paltry bribe, or by the intercession of saints and angels. If the king of terrors be disarmed-if the sting of death be extracted-if our last end be peace-it can only be by the merits of His death and the prevalence of His mediation, "who has abolished death, and brought life and “ 'immortality to light through the Gospel." ESSAY III. The Reign of HENRY VIII. during Wolsey's A. D. 1509-1530. THE æra, at which we have now arrived, is confessedly the most important and eventful in the whole series of English history. It owes its transcendent interest, not to the personal character of the reigning sovereign, but to the general state of Europe at the period in which he occupied the throne, and the train of memorable circumstances into which he was insensibly led. The limits of this work will not admit of an extended review of those transactions, which have rendered this reign so memorable in the annals of our country; for such a circumstantial detail must of necessity include the political and religious history of Europe, during almost forty years. Those who would become fully acquainted with this portion of modern history, may find the most authentic documents respecting it, in the works mentioned at the close of each essay, to which might be added many others of more recent date, but of highly respectable authority. All that can be attempted in this abridgment of English history is, to present a brief, but connected, statement of those events in which this kingdom was more immediately concerned; passing over the greater part of the foreign wars, and court-intrigues, which make so conspicuous a figure in most of the narratives of this eventful reign. Henry VIII. ascended the throne in the eighteenth year of his age, under peculiarly favourable circumstances. His external appearance was prepossessing; his reputation for learning and accomplishments, unrivalled; and his wealth, almost unbounded. Descended by his father's side from the house of Lancaster, and by his mother's from that of York, his title to the crown was undisputed, and his accession most grateful to all parties. The avarice of his predecessor had replenished the royal treasury, and rendered it unnecessary to have recourse to new imposts, in order to defray the charges of a pompous coronation, and its attendant festivities. All the continental states were at peace with England, and the most powerful among them were intimately allied, either by civil, matrimonial, or commercial treaties. The people anticipated, from the well-known generosity of their new sovereign, that an immediate change of measures would take place; and that, instead of the rigorous exactions to which they had so reluctantly submitted, and by which they had been impoverished, wealth would circulate freely; commerce revive and extend in every direction; the liberal arts be splendidly patronised, and the triumphs of former ages renewed. The first measures of Henry were calculated to cherish these expectations, and augment his popularity, both at home and abroad. He formed a council, consisting of the most experienced statesmen of the age, by the advice, and under the direction, of his venerable grandmother, the countess of Richmond; whose death (which 1 took place within a few days after Henry's coronation,) was an irreparable loss both to the king and the nation. In pursuance of instructions received from his royal father, proclamations were issued, announcing a general pardon to all offenders, (excepting alone those who had been guilty of felony, murder, or treason,) and promising the speedy restitution of those possessions which had been unjustly appropriated by the crown. As the popular indignation was particularly directed against Empson and Dudley, these detested instruments of oppression, having been found guilty of high treason, were beheaded, whilst many of their subordinate agents were subjected to the most degrading punishments. This was the only instance, during the administration of this monarch, in which he yielded to popular clamour, and sought the favour of his subjects by such compliances. A question of the utmost delicacy first engaged the attention of the privy-council, and which brought with it, after the lapse of many years, a train of most important consequences. This question related to the consummation of the marriage, which had already been contracted, between Henry and the princess Catherine of Arragon, his brother's widow. A warm discussion arose in the council on this subject; some contended, that, notwithstanding the dispensation which had been obtained from Rome, the marriage was in itself unlawful, and that the pope had no power to dispense with a divine ordinance; others, influenced by political motives, or by a blind attachment to the Roman see, contended for the legality of the proposed nuptials. The latter opinion prevailed, and, agreeably to this decision, the marriage was celebrated at Greenwich with great pomp, on the seventh of June, A.D. 1509. It soon appeared that the disposition and habits of the present sovereign were the direct opposite of those which had characterized the late king. Prodigality now succeeded to avarice: the treasures which had been accumulated with so much care and diligence by Henry VII, were quickly scattered by his luxurious heir, who chiefly delighted in splendid shows and costly entertainments. Finding himself in possession of ample wealth, (amount ing, it is said, to not less than one million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling,) the young king indulged to the utmost his taste for magnificence, and expended, within three years, all those treasures in tilts and tournaments, in royal festivals and voluptuous riot. The most faithful of his counsellors ventured to remonstrate against his ruinous prodigality, and, by doing so, lost the favour of their sovereign; but the greater part acted a more crafty, though a less honest, part, and by flattering the vanity, indulging the caprices, and even applauding the vices of the king, secured for a time their official dignities and political influence. Among the sovereigns who then flourished in Europe, Ferdinand of Spain, and pope Julius II. were the most enterprising and ambitious. These penetrating statesmen soon perceived the vain, the impetuous, and the prodigal character of Henry VIII., and conceived the design of rendering these qualities subservient to their private interests. Desirous of forming a powerful league against Louis XII. king of France, who had not manifested that blind and degrading submission to the Roman see, which the haughty pontiff required, they urged Henry to revive his claim to the French crown, and flattered the vanity of the youthful monarch, by promising to transfer to him the title of "the Most Christian King." Henry fell into the snare; and, acting in opposition to the advice of the wisest and best of his counsellors, embarked at once in a war with France and Scotland. The most costly preparations were made for the approaching contest, in which he was to be powerfully supported by his magnanimous allies, and from which he anticipated the most glorious results. But these bright visions of hope were quickly scattered. A few barren laurels were won indeed, both by sea and land; a naval victory was obtained by sir Edward Howard, over a formidable French fleet near Brest harbour; two or three fortresses of considerable strength were taken by Henry's army in France; and, about the same time, his generals obtained the victory of Flodden-field in Scotland, which was rendered memorable by the slaughter of James IV., and the flower of the Scottish nobility. Yet, notwithstanding these successes, Henry soon perceived that his enterprise was hopeless; that his allies had deceived him; and that their object was to make him the tool of their lawless ambition. He resolved, therefore, to listen to the advice of a favourite minister, who had by this time acquired an entire ascendency over him, and concluded a treaty with France, which was signed at London, A. D. 1514. This favourite minister, whose sagacity had detected the perfidy of Ferdinand and the pope, and whose influence with his sovereign enabled him to counteract their designs, was the celebrated Wolsey; than whom no subject ever possessed more unbounded authority, or attained to a higher degree of elevation. This distinguished statesman was of very obscure birth, (having been the son of a butcher at Ipswich,) but discovered at an early age such a capacity for learning, as to be admitted to the degree of bachelor of arts at Oxford in his fourteenth year. On quitting that university, he was presented to the living of Lymington, and made chaplain to Henry VII. That discerning monarch intrusted to Wolsey the conduct of two secret embassies to the continent, which were executed with such promptitude and success, as to satisfy and even surprise his royal master. His services were rewarded with the deanery of Lincoln, and the office of almoner to the king; posts which he continued to occupy till the accession of Henry VIII. Soon after the accession of that monarch, bishop Fox, who held the office of secretary of state, perceiving that his own influence in the cabinet was on the decline, and conscious of the pre-eminent talents of Wolsey, introduced him to the notice of the king, and obtained his admission into the privy council, with the hope that he might prove an useful auxiliary. But Wolsey, from the commencement of his political career, pursued alone his personal aggrandizement, and was not scrupulous by what means that object was attained. He soon contrived to insinuate himself into the favour and confidence of his sovereign, by feeding his vanity, and ministering to his pleasures, no less than by the diligence with which he transacted public affairs. Though an ecclesiastic of forty years of age, he mingled in all the gaiety and dissipa |