himself to the Roman pontiff Clement VII. in order to obtain a dissolution of his marriage with Catharine, alleging, that a principle of religion restrained him from enjoying any longer the sweets of connubial love with that princess, as she had been previously married to his elder brother Arthur, and, as it was repugnant to the divine law to contract wedlock with a brother's widow. Clement was greatly perplexed upon this occasion, by the apprehension of incurring the indignation of the emperor, in case his decision was favourable to Henry; and therefore he contrived various pretexts to evade a positive answer, and exhausted all his policy and artifice to cajole and deceive the English monarch. Tired with the pretexts, apologies, vain promises, and tardy proceedings of the Romish pontiff, Henry had recourse, for the accomplishment of his purposes, to an expedient which was suggested by the famous Thomas Cranmer, who was a secret friend to Luther and his cause, and who was afterwards raised to the see of Canterbury. This expedient was, to demand the opinions of the most learned European universities concerning the subject of his scruples. The result of this measure was favourable to his views. The greatest part of the universities declared

acquaintance with the beautiful and unfortunate Anna. Conversant in the writings of Thomas Aquinas and other schoolmen, who looked upon the Levitical law as of moral and permanent obligation, and attentive to the remonstrances of the bishops, who declared his marriage unlawful, the king was filled with anxious doubts that had made him break off all conjugal commerce with the queen, before his affections had been engaged by any other. This appears by Cardinal Wolsey's proposing a marriage between his majesty and the sister of Francis I. which that pliant courtier would never have done, had he known that the king's affections were otherwise engaged. After all, it is very possible, that the age and infirmities of Catharine, together, with the blooming charms of Anna Boleyn, tended much to animate Henry's remorse, and to render his conscience more scrupulous. See Burnet's History of the Reformation. Hume's History of the house of Tudor. p. 150.

CENT.

XVI.

SECT. I.

SECT. I.

;

CENT. clared the marriage with a brother's widow unXVI. lawful. Catharine was consequently divorced Anna conducted by a formal marriage into the royal bed, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Clement; and the English nation delivered from the tyranny of Rome, by Henry's renouncing the jurisdiction and supremacy of its imperious pontiff. Soon after this, Henry was declared by the parliament and people supreme head, on earth, of the church of England, the monasteries were suppressed, and their revenues appplied to other purposes; and the power and authority of the pope were abrogated and entirely overturned [7].

and effects

step to

wards the Reformation in England.

*

The nature XII. It is however carefully to be observed of this first here, that this downfal of the papal authority in England was not productive of much benefit, either to the friends or to the cause of the Reformation. For the same monarch, who had so resolutely withdrawn himself from the dominion of Rome, yet superstitiously retained the greatest part of its errors, along with its imperious and persecuting spirit. He still adhered to several of the most monstrous doctrines of popery, and frequently presented the terrors of death to those who differed from him in their religious sentiments. Besides, he considered the title of Head of the English church, as if it transferred to him the enormous power which had been claimed, and indeed, usurped, by the Roman pontiffs; and, in consequence of this interpretation of his title, he looked upon himself as master of the religious sentiments of his subjects, and as authorised to pre

scribe

[r] Besides the full and accurate account of this and other important events that is to be found in Bishop Burnet's excellent History of the Reformation of the Church of England, the curious reader will do well to consult the records of this memorable revolution in Wilkin's Concil. Magna Britaniæ et Hiberniæ, tom. iii. p. 424.-Raynal, Anecdotes Historiques, Politiques, Militaires, tom. i. part II. p. 90.-Gen. Dictionary at the article Boleyn.

SECT. I.

scribe modes of faith according to his fancy. Hence CENT. it came to pass, that, during the life and reign of XVI. this prince, the face of religion was constantly changing, and thus resembled the capricious and unsteady character of its new chief. The prudence, learning, and activity of Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, who was the favourite of the king, and the friend of the Reformation, counteracted, however, in many instances, the humour and vehemence of this inconstant and turbulent monarch. The pious productions and wise counsels of that venerable prelate diminished daily the influence of the ancient superstitions, dispelled by degrees the mists of ignorance that blinded the people in favour of popery, and increased considerably the number of those who wished well to the Reformation [s].

cification.

XIII. After the meeting of the council of A new proMantua was prevented, various measures wereject of pataken, and many schemes proposed, by the emperor on the one hand, and the protestant princes on the other, for the restoration of concord and union, both civil and religious. But these measures and projects were unattended with any solid or salutary fruit, and were generally disconcerted by the intrigues and artifice of Rome, whose legates and creatures were always lying in wait to blow the flame of discord in all those councils that seemed unfavourable to the ambition of its pontiffs. In the year 1541, the emperor, regardless of the bishop of Rome, appointed a conference at Worms, Conference on the subject of Religion, between persons of of Worms. piety and learning chosen out of each of the contending parties. It was here that Melancthon and Eckius disputed during the space of three.

days.

[s] Besides Burnet's History of the Reformation, see Neal's History of the Puritans, vol. i. chap. i. p. 11.

SECT. I.

tisbon.

CENT. days [t]. This conference was, for certain reasons, XVI. removed to the diet which was held at Ratisbon that same year, and in which the principal subject Diet of Ra- of deliberation was a memorial, presented by a person unknown, containing a project of peace, with the terms of accommodation that were proper to terminate these religious differences [u]. This conference, however, produced no other effect, than a mutual agreement of the contending parties to refer the decision of their pretensions and debates to a general council; or, if the meeting of such a council should be prevented by any unforeseen obstacles, to the next German diet.

All things

tend to an open rupture.

T

XIV. This resolution was rendered ineffectual by the period of perplexity and trouble that succeeded the diet of Ratisbon; and by various incidents that widened the breach, and put off to a farther day the deliberations that were designed to heal it. It is true, the Roman pontiff ordered his legate to declare in the diet, which was assembled at Spire in the year 1542, that he would, according to the promise he had already made, assemble a general council, and that Trent should be the place of its meeting, if the diet had no objection to that city. Ferdinand, king of the Romans, and the princes who adhered to the papal cause, gave their consent to this proposal; while the protestant members of the diet objected both against a council summoned by the papal authority alone, and also against the place appointed for its meeting, and demanded a free and lawful council, which should not be biassed by the dictates, nor awed by the proximity of the Roman pontiff. This protestation produced no effect; Paul III. persisted in his purpose, and issued out his circular letters

[] See Jo. And. Roederi Libellus de Colloquio Wormatiensi Norimb. 1744, in 4to.

[u] See Jo. Erdmann Bieckii Triplex Interim, cap. i. p. 1.

letters for the convocation of the council [w], with the approbation of the emperor; while this prince endeavoured, at the diet of Worms, in the year 1545, to persuade the protestants to consent

to

[w] It is proper to observe here, that having summoned successively a council at Mantua, Vicenza, and Venice, without any effect, this pontiff thought it necessary to shew the protestants that he was not averse to every kind of reformation; and therefore appointed four cardinals, and five other persons eminent for their learning, to draw up a plan for the reformation of the church in general, and of the church of Rome in particular, knowing full well, by the spirit which reigned in the conclave, that his project would come to nothing. A plan, however, was drawn up by the persons appointed for that purpose. The reformation proposed in this plan was indeed extremely superficial and partial; yet it contains some particulars, which scarcely could have been expected from the pens of those that composed it. They complained, for instance, of the pride and ignorance of the bishops, and proposed that none should receive orders but learned and pious men; and, that, therefore, care should be taken to have proper masters to instruct the youth. They condemned translations from one benefice to another, grants of reservation, non-residence, and pluralities. They proposed that some convents should be abolished; that the liberty of the press should be restrained and limited; that the colloquies of Erasmus should be suppressed; that no ecclesiastic should enjoy a benefice out of his own country; that no cardinal should have a bishopric; that the questors of St. Anthony, and several other saints, should be abolished; and, which was the best of all their proposals, that the effects and personal estate of ecclesiastics should be given to the poor. They concluded with complaining of the prodigious number of indigent and ragged priests that frequented St. Peter's Church; and declared, that it was a great scandal to see the whores lodged so magnificently at Rome, and riding through the streets on fine mules, while the cardinals and other ecclesiastics accompanied them in amost courteous and familiar manner. The several articles of this plan of reformation (which Luther and Sturmius of Strasburg turned into ridicule, and which indeed left unredressed the most intolerable grievances of which the protestants complained) were published at Antwerp in, or about the year 1539, with the answer of Cochlæus to the objections of Sturmius. They are likewise prefixed to the History of the Council of Trent, by Crabre, and were afterwards published at Paris in 1612 t.

*This council was never assembled.

† See Paulin, in Paul III, Sled. 1. xii. Univers, Mod. Hist, vol. xxvi. p. 30.

CENT.

XVI.

SECT. I.