were: Against the first article, death as a heretic without the option of abjuring. Against the other five, the usual penalties of felony. The Act also declared the marriages of priests or nuns utterly void, ordered any such who were married to be immediately separated, and pronounced their future cohabitation to be felony. Lastly, persons contemptuously refusing to confess at the usual times, or to receive the sacrament, were, for the first offence, to be fined and imprisoned; and for the second, to suffer the punishment of felony. In some other respects Henry was induced by Cromwell and Cranmer to favour Protestant doctrines. An English translation of the Bible was English directed to be set up in each parish church for the use of the Bible. of the people; and in the Institution' and 'Necessary A.D. 1538. Doctrine and Erudition of a Christian man,'-books pub- 'Institution' lished by royal authority,-explications were given which, tion of a 'if they did not absolutely proscribe most of the ancient Christian opinions, threw at least much doubt upon them, and gave intimations which the people, now become attentive to these questions, were acute enough to interpret.' 3

translation

and Erudi

man.'

VI.

Edw. VI.

The actual reformation in religion was established in EDIARD the early part of the reign of Edward VI., mainly through 1547-1553the instrumentality of Cranmer and the Protector Somer- The set. Religious The first Act of Edward's first Parliament (which Reformation met on the 4th of Nov. 1547), directed the sacrament of under the altar to be administered in both kinds, as being agreeable to primitive usage. In the following year was passed the 'Act for Uniformity of Service and Administration of the Sacraments,' ordaining that the 'order of divine worship,' contained in the Book of Common Prayer which had been, with the aid of the Holy Ghost,' drawn up by a committee of bishops and other divines appointed for that

131 Hen. VIII. c. 14, An Act for Abolishing of Diversity of Opinions in certain Articles concerning Christian Religion.'

2 In 1543, by an Act for the advancement of true religion' (34 Hen. VIII. c. 1) the liberty formerly granted of reading the Bible was abridged.

3 Hallam, Const. Hist. i. 82.

4 I Edw. VI. c. 1, An Act against such as shall irreverently speak against the sacrament of the altar, and the receiving thereof under both kinds.'

Insurrections.

A.D. 1549.

2

purpose, should in future be the only one to be used by all ministers in any cathedral, parish, or other church.1 In the same session, the marriage of priests was declared lawful; and shortly afterwards images and pictures of saints in churches were ordered to be destroyed. But these changes were not carried out without considerable opposition from a part of the nation. Insurrections of a serious nature broke out in Devonshire, Norfolk, and several other P'ersecution. counties; and religious persecution, the deadly original sin of the reformed churches,' was employed as vigorously, if not so extensively, as in the succeeding reigns of Mary and Elizabeth.

MARY.

Re-establish

During the short reign of Mary the Papal religion was 1553-1558 completely re-established, probably with the entire apment of the proval of a large portion, if not of a majority, of the Papal nation, for whom the progress of the reformation doctrines religion. had been too precipitate. All the laws made against the supremacy of the See of Rome, since the 20th year of Henry VIII., were formally repealed; but it was found impossible to restore the ecclesiastical property in the hands of subjects; and even the bill for restoring to the Church the first-fruits and impropriations in the Queen's The Marian hands was passed not without difficulty. The cruel and Persecution. wide-spread persecution of the Protestants under Mary, far from eradicating the reformed faith was instrumental in promoting it. The abhorrence and disgust excited in the

The Reformation promoted by it.

1 2 & 3 Edw. VI. c. 1. The penalties for refusing to use, or speaking or writing in derogation of, the Book of Common Prayer, were, for the first or second offence, a fine; for the third, forfeiture of goods and imprisonment for life. In 1552, a second Act of Uniformity (5 & 6 Edw. VI. c. 1) was passed, reciting that the Book of Common Prayer had been perused, explained, and made fully perfect,' and ordering the new version alone to be used.

3

2 & 3 Edw. VI. c. 21.

3 & 4 Edw. VI. c. 10.

4 1 & 2 Phil. & Mary, c. 8, repealing 'all Statutes, Articles, and Provisions made against the See Apostolic of Rome, since the 20th year of King Henry VIII., and also for the Establishment of all Spiritual and Ecclesiastical possessions and hereditaments conveyed to the Laity.' The preamble recites that much false and erroneous doctrine hath been taught, preached and written, partly by divers the natural-born subjects of this realm, and partly being brought hither from sundry other foreign countries, had been sown and spread abroad within the same.'

people against Mary and the Romish hierarchy were extended to the doctrines which they professed. 'Many persons,' remarks Hallam, 'are said to have become Protestants under Mary, who, at her coming to the throne, had retained the contrary persuasion. And the strongest proof of this may be drawn from the acquiescence of the great body of the people in the re-establishment of Protestantism by Elizabeth, when compared with the seditions and discontent on that account under Edward.' 1

1 Const. Hist. i. 107.

440

Ecclesias

of Elizabeth.

CHAPTER XII.

THE TUDOR PERIOD.

REIGN OF ELIZABETII. (A.D. 1558—1603.)

THE reign of Elizabeth spans a period of very great political and religious ferment throughout Europe. It is the glory of this great Queen that by her courage and wisdom, aided by the able policy of her statesmen, Cecil, Nicholas Bacon, and Walsingham, she safely guided the nation through a sea of troubles, foreign and domestic, and achieved for England a position in the foremost rank of European monarchies. In commercial and naval enterprise, in every branch of material prosperity, the country advanced with sure and rapid strides, while literature was adorned by the writings of Shakspere, Spenser, Sidney, Hooker, and Jewel. But of constitutional progress during the greater part of Elizabeth's reign there is little to be recorded. From her father she had inherited the arbitrary Tudor notions of the royal prerogative. Her government was eminently despotic both in church and state; and it was only at intervals that the gradually reviving spirit of liberty manifested itself in the House of Commons.

A brief consideration of the principal features of tical polity Elizabeth's ecclesiastical polity-so important in its influence on later English constitutional history-will appropriately precede a discussion of the civil government during her reign.

The first care of Elizabeth's first Parliament-which met on the 25th of January, 1559, about two months

after her accession to the throne-was to restore the constitution and liturgy of the National Church to nearly the same state in which Edward VI. had left them at his death. This was effected by the statutes commonly known as the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity. By the Act of Act of Supremacy. Supremacy, the statute of Philip and Mary (1 & 2 Phil. & A.D. 1559. Mar. c. 8), which had generally repealed all the previous statutes affecting religion, was abrogated,—thus reviving the laws of King Henry VIII., which established the ecclesiastical supremacy of the Crown.

It was also particularly enacted: (1) That no foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate, spiritual or temporal, shall use, enjoy or exercise any manner of power, jurisdiction, superiority, authority, pre-eminence, or privilege, spiritual or ecclesiastical, within this realm, or the dominions thereof.' (2) That 'such jurisdictions, privileges, superiorities, pre-eminencies, spiritual and ecclesiastical, as by any spiritual or ecclesiastical power or authority hath heretofore been, or may lawfully be, exercised or used for the visitation of the ecclesiastical state and persons, and for reformation, order, and correction of the same, and of all manner of errors, heresies, schisms, abuses, contempts and enormities, shall for ever be united and annexed to the imperial crown of this realm.' (3) All beneficed ecclesiastics, and all judges, justices, mayors, and other laymen holding office under the Crown, were required to take the oath of supremacy and allegiance, on pain of forfeiting their benefices or offices. (4) Any person maintaining

This oath, which remained unaltered till the Revolution, was thus Oath of worded: I, Á. B., do utterly testify and declare that the Queen's highness supremacy is the only supreme governor of this realm, and all other her highness's do- and alle minions and countries, as well in all spiritual and ecclesiastical things or causes giance. 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 this realm; and therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all foreign jurisdictions, powers, superiorities and authorities, and do promise that from henceforth I shall bear faith and true allegiance to the Queen's highness, her heirs and lawful successors, and to my power shall assist and defend all jurisdictions, pre-eminences, privileges, and authorities, granted or belonging to the Queen's highness, her heirs and successors, or united and annexed to the imperial crown of this realm.'