and rightfully was, and ought to be supreme head "of the church of England; and so had been "recognized by the clergy of the kingdom in their "convocation," it was enacted, "that the king "should be reputed the only supreme head, on "earth, of the church of England; and should "have and enjoy, annexed to the imperial crown "of the realm, as well the style and title thereof, as all honours, dignities, pre-eminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, pro"fits, and commodities, to the said dignity of supreme head of the church appertaining; and "should have full power and authority to reform "and correct all manner of errors, heresies, and offences, which might be reformed and corrected, "by any manner of spiritual authority or juris"diction."-On the 13th of the following January, the king assumed, with great solemnity, his title of 66 supreme head on earth of the church of England."

66

The same parliament, in its next session, granted to the king, as supreme head on earth of the church of England, all the powers, prerogatives, and emoluments enjoyed by the see of Rome. A general subscription of a formulary, disclaiming the spiritual supremacy of the pope, was circulated with success throughout the kingdom; decrees to this effect were obtained both from Oxford and Cambridge; but circumstances attended all these .subscriptions, which showed that they were often procured by terror.

In the following year an oath against the autho

rity of the see of Rome was appointed to be taken, expressed in these words:

"I, A. B. do utterly testify and declare in my "conscience, that the king's majesty is the only

supreme governor of this realm, and of all other "his highness's dominions and countries, as well "in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes, "as temporal; and that no foreign prince, person, "prelate, state or potentate, hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence "or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within the "realm and therefore, I do utterly renounce and "forsake all foreign jurisdictions, powers, superi"orities, and authorities; and do promise that, from henceforth, I will bear faith and true allegiance to "the king's highness, his heirs and lawful succes"sors, and to my power will assist and defend all

jurisdictions, privileges, pre-eminences, and au"thorities, granted and belonging to the king's highness his heirs or successors, or limited and "annexed to the imperial crown of the realm."

In a future part of this work, some observations will be offered on the nature of the supremacy conferred on Henry by this act at present, it only remains to add, that, immediately after it passed, the king issued a proclamation, commanding the supremacy to be preached in the most frequented auditories, and taught to little children; enjoining farther, that the pope's name should be erased out of all books: and that he should be treated no otherwise than as an ordinary bishop. "We have

seen," say the writers of the Parliamentary History*, "several books, printed before this time, "wherein the word 'pope,' is entirely obliterated; "particularly one in our collection,-Fabian's "Chronicle,-in which the name of 'pope' is "blotted out by a pen, throughout the volume. It " is probable the booksellers durst not sell them, "without this alteration."

CHAP. XV.

CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS ON THE STATUTES, REGULATING THE SUCCESSION TO THE CROWN, AND CONFERRING ON HENRY THE EIGHTHTM THE TITLE OF SUPREME HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

THESE statutes,-(the 25th and 26th of Henry the eighth),-have been mentioned. The oath, prescribed by the former, was generally taken; the title, conferred by the latter, was generally admitted:-I. But both were refused by cardinalFisher;-II. Sir Thomas More ;-III. and some others. For their refusals to take the oath of supremacy, they were capitally condemned and executed.

* Vol. iii. p. 113.

XV. 1.

Bishop Fisher.

THE most memorable of these victims, were Fisher and sir Thomas More. Fisher suffered first in his praise, both Englishmen and foreigners, both the friends and the enemies of the reformation, are united: Erasmus represents him as a man of consummate integrity, profound learning, incredible sweetness of temper, and grandeur of soul : "All," say the authors of the Biographia Britannica, " acknowledge that he was a sober man ; "pious, temperate, and charitable; learned, and "an encourager of learning." Margaret, countess of Richmond, mother of Henry the seventh, chose him for her confessor: his whole study, says one of our historians*, was to put her upon such undertakings as became her exalted station and his own character. She employed large sums of money in discharging prisoners, portioning young women, and providing for indigent families. By his persuasion, she founded the noble colleges of Christ, and St. John, in Cambridge; and Fisher largely contributed to the expense of enlarging and completing the latter; he founded in it two fellowships, a lectureship of Hebrew, a lectureship of Greek, four examining readers, and four under readers, to relieve the principal. He augmented the commons, and presented the college with his library. He was elected chancellor of the university. At first, he was greatly favoured by Henry, • Dodd's Church History, vol i. p. 154.

who called him, "the honour of his nation," and asked cardinal Pole, on his return from the continent, "whether he had found, in all his travels, a person, either in virtue or learning, comparable "with the bishop of Rochester." The monarch raised him to that see; and afterwards offered to promote him to the wealthier sees of Lincoln and Ely: but, in conformity to the language and spirit of the canons, Fisher declined the promotion.

He was unluckily implicated in the practices of Elizabeth Barton, commonly called "the Maid "of Kent." By an appearance of sanctity and pretended revelations, as well as by the co-operation of some weak and some designing men, she imposed upon many, and even obtained the esteem of several respectable persons. Among these, were Warham the archbishop of Canterbury, and Fisher. She declaimed against the king's divorce and supremacy; and prophesied, that his sins would speedily be visited by the judgment of Heaven. The king caused her, and her principal accomplices, to be arrested: they were brought before the star chamber, confessed their guilt, and suffered for it. An act of attainder was passed against Fisher, and some others, for being acquainted with her practices, and not making them known to the king. To exculpate himself, Fisher addressed a letter to the house of lords, in which he admitted his having been told by her, that it had been revealed to her by God, that, if Henry persevered in his irreligious measures, he would not, in seven months, be any longer king of England. Fisher