Ways, and Exhibitions for Minifters of the K. Henry VIII. 'Church: For these Ends, and if the King thought 'fit to have more Bishoprics or Cathedral Churches ' erected out of the Rents of thefe Houses, full Power was given him to erect and found them; ' and to make Rules and Statutes for them, and fuch Tranflations of Sees, or Divifions of them, 'as he thought fit.'

The Prelate remarks P, That this Preamble and moft material Parts were drawn by the King himfelf; the firft Draught of it, of his own HandWriting, being yet extant; and in the fame Paper is a Lift of the Sees which he intended to found: But what was done was fo far fhort of what was there defigned, that Burnet can afcribe no Reason for it, but the declining of Cranmer's Interest at Court.

Another Act was made, For fettling the Places ' of the Peers in Parliament;' a Thing which had been much controverted in' former Reigns; by which Cromwell, the King's Vicar-General, tho' a Lock or Blacksmith's Son, had the Precedence of all Perfons except the Royal Family.

Some more Acts were made for the Exchange of Abbey-Lands; whereby it appears, as Lord Herbert obferves, that it was the King's Intention to unite all thofe Lands, &c. to the Crown.

Nor was the Parliament wholly intent on these higher Matters, but lent fome of their Thoughts on the Preservation of Fish and Fowl. Two Acts were made for that Purpose, whereby it was made Felony to fish with Nets, &c. in the Night, or ' to break any Pond-Head, in order to take them; and three Months Imprisonment for those who 'fifhed in the Day-time in any Man's Liberties ' without Leave.' Alfo it was enacted, That it 'fhould be Felony to take, in the King's Manors, any Egg or Bird of any Falcon, Gofhawk, or Laner, out of the Neft; or to find or take up any Falcon, Jerfalcon, Jerkin, Sacer or Sacerite, Goshawk, Laner or Lanerite, of the King's, ha

Burnet, Vol. I. p. 262,

K. Henry VIII.

ving on the King's Arms and Verviles, and do "not bring them to the King's Falconer within twelve Days, &c.' This is no farther remarkable, than for giving the different Names and Species of thofe Birds of Prey ufed in that truly Royal Diversion of Hawking in thofe Days.

We fhall now draw to a Conclufion of this Seffion; which, tho' not long, yet there was multum in parvo Tempore done in it. It is obfervable that no Subfidies were either demanded or granted in this or fome preceding Parliaments. It may well be fuppofed that the Spoil of the Monafteries, &c. had fo fufficiently filled the King's Coffers, that he had no Occafion for any farther Supply: But yet we find, in the Journal-Book, that a Motion was now made in the House of Lords, by the LordTreasurer, very much tending that Way: We are there told that, on the 20th Day of May, and only the 12th Day of the Seffion, the Duke of Norfolk declared to the House, That the King had taken great Pains, and been at vaft Expence, in the Government and Reformation of this Kingdom; which Labour and Charge it behoved every Member there, to confider of, and to allow a proper Recompence: And fince, by reafon of the • Shortness of Time, this could not be then effected, his Opinion was, That one of the Temporal and one of the Spiritual Lords should be, by general Confent, appointed to wait upon his Majefty, and humbly befeech him that he would pleafe to prorogue this Parliament, and not diffolve it, that, at the next Seffion, they might again take into Confideration the Expence aforefaid.' The Lord-Chancellor, by the Affent of All, was alone deputed to go to the King with this Meffage; who returned, and faid his Majefty would be at the House the next Day, in order to grant their Requeft; which was done accordingly.

June 28. The King came to the House, in order to pass the Bills, and to put an End to this Seffion of Parliament. At which Time Sir Nicholas Hare, Speaker

Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, addreffed his K. Henry VIII. Majefty in an elegant and learned Speech, fays our Authority; and, finally, humbly befought him that he would give the Royal Affent to the Bills that were ready for that Purpose: Which being all read

and affented to, the Lord-Chancellor, Sir Thomas The Parliament Audley, prorogued the Parliament from that Day to prorogued. the 3d of November following.

Mr. Rapin remarks, 'That never did Parliaments coincide with their King's Affections and Inclinations so much as this did; for, as in the last Seffion, they gave a clear Evidence that they minded lefs what was juft and equitable in the Act of Succeffion, than what would please the King; fo in this they were not only infatiable in approving what, ever the King then did, but whatever he might do for the future. The Act, adds our Author, that the fame Obedience should be paid to the King's Proclamations, or to the Orders of his Council, during a Minority, as to the Acts of Parliament, was giving the Sovereign almoft, a defpotic Power: It was pretended that Cafes might happen when the King had no Time to call a Parliament; and yet it was neceffary, for the Good of the Realm, that his Orders should be executed, otherwise there might be Danger of falling into great Inconveniences. Thus, to avoid a poffible, but withall an uncommon, Inconvenience, another, much more confiderable, was run into; for, if the King's Orders were to be obey'd without Concurrence of Parliament, he had no Óccafion to call one if he did not think proper to do it. It is true, adds our Author, there were fome Limitations in this Act, as, That no Perfon should be deprived of Life or Estate by Virtue of the King's Proclamation, nor any Laws or Cuftom broken or fubverted thereby; but these Restrictions were fo ambiguously worded, that it was eafy for the King to evade them: And upon this Act was grounded the great Change in Religion, which happened in the Non-age of his Son and Succeffor.'

The Act with the fix Articles, then called The Lafh with fix Stings, being now publifhed, it caufed

much

K. Henry VIII. much Murmur and Apprehenfion in the new Re

Two Bishops re fign rather than conform to the

fix Articles.

Queen Jane dies, and Henry marries the Lady

Anne of Cleve.

formers; and yet this Law was not used with much Rigour till after the Death of Cromwell; though it evidently fhews that the King and Parliament had a greater Defire to engross the Riches of the Church, than to fet about reforming any Errors, or Tenets, which had crept into the Romish Religion. Two Bishops, however, out of the whole Bench, had Confcience enough to refign their Bishoprics rather than conform to the Articles: These were Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, and Shaxton, Bishop of Salifbury; who, by this Means, fhewed themfelves as confcientious about Religion, as Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher had been fcrupulous about the Supremacy.

King Henry had been made once more a Widower, without the Help of an Executioner, by the Death of Queen Jane; who, after being delivered of a Son, called Edward, Oct. 12, 1537, died in Child-Bed, and was buried at Windfor. Henry was now in no Hafte to marry again, but continued in a State of Widowhood more than two Years; and his Age and Corpulency might well have fecured him from any Attempts of that Kind for the future: But a foreign Match being proposed to him with the Lady Anne of Cleve, Sister to John the Duke of that Name, Policy, and his own Intereft abroad, drew him in to accept of it: But difliking this Lady on her Landing, though Henry forced himself to marry her, yet he would never confummate with her, and fought all Means poffible for another Divorce.

Thomas Lord Cromwell, the Prime Minifter, first fell into Difgrace about this Match, having been the principal Person who advised the King to it; for tho' he was now raised to the Height of his Honour and Power, having been created Earl of Essex, and made Lord-Great-Chamberlain to the King, yet he was soon after caft down from this Pinacle of Glory, being arrefted at the Council-Table by the Duke of Norfolk, when he leaft suspected it, and fent Prifoner to the Tower.

But,

But, before this happened, the Parliament met K. Henry VIII. again at the Time appointed by the Prorogation, by a Commiffion under the Broad Seal, directed to Thomas Lord Audley of Walden, Lord-High-Chancellor of England; Thomas Duke of Norfolk, LordTreasurer; Charles Duke of Suffolk, Lord-Prefident of the Council, and to his faithful Counsellor Thomas Lord Cromwell, Lord-Keeper of the Privy Seal; alfo to John Earl of Oxford, Great-Chamberlain, and William Earl of Southampton, Lord-High-Admiral of England; they were impowered to prorogue the prefent Parliament, from the aforefaid third Day of November, in the 31st Year of this King to the 14th Day of January next following. The Commiffion is at large in the Journals; but it is no farther neceffary here: For, on the faid 14th of January, by another Commiffion, directed as above, except that Robert Earl of Suffex, Edward Earl of Hertford, with Cuthbert Bishop of Durham, are added, the Parliament was again prorogued to the 12th Day of April next enfuing.

At which Time, being once more affembled in the Place called the Parliament-Chamber, in the old Anno Regni 32. Palace at Westminster, the Spiritual and Temporal Lords all prefent, except the Abbots, Cromwell being the firft in the Lift under these Titles ;

1541.

Thomas Dominus Cromwell, Eques Sacri Ordinis Cromwell made Garteri, Cuftos Privati Sigilli Domini Regis, ac the King's ViJua car-General, and Majeftatis Vicegerens, [Vicar-General] et Officialis takes Place next principalis ad Caufas Ecclefiafticas;

the Blood Royal. The Lord-High-Chancellor opened the Seffion in a Speech of fome Length, but which the Journalist gives to this Effect:

By the Command of the King's Majefty this Parliament was firft fummoned, begun, and prorogued, as well for the Piety and Reverence 'which he bears to the Glory of Almighty God, as for the Zeal and Paternal Affection he has to the 'Lords his Affiftants in Government, and the whole Body of the English Nation, his most dear, faithful, and true Subjects; that at length, by these Parlia mentary Councils, that Thing may be effected,

• which