K. Henry VIII. and the Lady's forced Confent; making it High Treafon for any one to judge or believe otherwife".

Acts paffed.

6

Mr. Rapin, after producing Arguments to invalidate the feveral Reasons which Henry gave for this fecond Divorce, concludes with this Reflection *. He fays, That the King must have had a very ⚫ill Opinion both of the Convocation, the Parliament, and the Public, to alledge fuch extraordinary Causes for this Divorce: But the Clergy thought thofe Reafons folid, and paffed a Sentence ⚫ of Divorce upon them; and the Parliament was fo abject as to prostitute themselves to the King's Paffion, and confirm the Sentence; not one fingle Vote being against it: So much did every one ' dread the King's Difpleasure.' He adds, This is a remarkable Evidence of what I have often intimated, that in every Thing transacted in England, during the latter Part of Henry the Eighth's < Reign, the Clergy and Parliaments ought to be confidered only as the King's Inftruments to gratify his Paffions. To him was due the Praise of whatever was good and useful; and he it is that ought to be blamed for whatever was done ⚫ amiss. Mean while the Parliament and Clergy ' are inexcufable, for not having endeavoured to fupport the Caufe of Truth and Juftice, when they believed them to be oppreffed.'

The reft of the Acts thought proper to be taken Notice of by the Noble Hiftorian are thefe;

Another Act alfo was made, fhewing what Marriages were lawful, and what not. Wherein is ordained, That all Marriages, without the Degrees prohibited by God's Law, made and confummate by carnal Knowledge, fhall be firm and good; notwithstanding any Precontract, which hath not been so confummate. But this Law was repealed 1 and 2 Phil. and Mar, and 1 Eliz. 1.

• Other Acts also were paffed this Seffion of Parliament, which began April 12. Among which I thought fit to remember thefe. An Act declaring

u Kennet, Vol. II. p. 224.
Hiftory of England, Vol. I. p. 826.

in

in what Cafes a Man may difpofe all his Lands by K. Henry VIII. his last Will in Writing; and in what, but Part thereof. And in what Cafes the King and other Lords fhall have their Wardfhips.

That no Perfon fhould fell or buy any Right or Title, or maintain it, or procure Maintenance in any Suit.

The Punishment alfo, by Death, of Priests married or unmarried, and of Women offending with them by Incontinency, was repealed: For as the Clergy of thofe Times thought it, though one of the fix Articles, too fevere, the Punishment, upon their Remonftrance, was laid on their Goods, Chattels, and Spiritual Promotions: And this also better pleased the King.

Sanctuaries alfo, and privileged Places, were reduced to a few; and certain Rules prefcribed to them.

• That Horfes feeding on Commons, not being of a lawful Height, (that is to fay, not being fifteen Hands high at two Years old) should be seized on by any Man for his own Ufe.

That Forefts, Heaths, Commons, &c. fhould be driven once in the Year, and unlikely Tits in them to be killed. Nevertheless, that Horses of fmall Height might be put where Mares were not kept.

The Statutes alfo of 5 Richard II. c. 3. 6 Richard II. c. 8. 4 Henry VII. c. 10. and 23 Henry VIII. c. 7. touching freighting in English Ships, were only rehearfed and confirmed, and a Rate fet down what should be paid for the Freight, or Portage, of the feveral Sorts of Merchandizes from the Port of London to other Places, and from thence to London.

That no Alien nor Denizen fhall fet up any
Trade in the King's Dominions; and they who are
Denizens fhould be bound by and unto all the Laws
and Statutes of this Realm, particularly thofe of
14.
Hen. VIII. and 21 Hen. VIII. above-mentioned.
That Trinity Term, in regard of Impediment of
Harveft and Danger of Infection, should be abbre-

viated.

K. Henry VIH. viated. Certain Privileges alfo were granted to

The Speaker's Speech at the End of this Sef

fion.

Phyficians in London; as that they fhould not keep Watch and Ward, nor be Conftables; and that they might practife Chirurgery: Barbers and Chirur geons were also made one Company, and certain Privileges given them; as not to bear Armour, or to be put in any Watches or Inquefts.

A Court alfo of the First Fruits and Tenths, granted to the King, was erected.

The Court of the King's Wards alfo, and the Names and feveral Duties, and Offices thereof, was erected.

Laftly, a general and free Pardon was granted of all Herefies, Treafons, Felonies, and Offences, fome particular Perfons and Matters only excepted.'

The Journals inform us, That, on the 24th Day of July, when the King came to the Houfe of Lords, with the ufual Ceremony, in order to pass the Bills, and to put an End to the Parliament, Sir Nicholas Hare, Knight, Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, addreffed himself to the King, on his Throne, to this Purport:

<

The great World, fays he, contains these feveral Divifions, the Divine World, the Celeftial and the Terreftrial Worlds. By the Similitude of which, Man is faid to be a Microcofm, that is, a little World, and hath alfo three Parts, viz. < a Head, a Breaft, and inferior Members. And, in Likenefs of thefe, he afferted that the whole English Government was conftituted; in which the King was the Head, the Peers the Body, and the Commons the reft of the Machine. In all which, as there ought to be a ftrict Concord betwixt the Head and the other Parts of a human Body, fo fhould there be the fame Uniformity between the King, the Peers, and the People. The King, adds he, is by Name acknowledged to be the Head of all; and fuch a Head as moft happily directs and governs the whole English Conftitution, by gracioufly giving up much of his own Right for the Sake of the inferior Members. Inftances of which are, the prefent Act of Grace and • Par

6

Pardon; the Statute for freely devifing two Thirds K. Henry VIII, of each Man's Eftate, &c. which all openly. * teftified that both Court and Country must flourish • and be happy under such a Ruler; and for which they ought all there prefent to render him their 'moft hearty Thanks.'

At which Words every Man ftood up and bowed themselves to the Throne, and the King returned the Compliment by a gracious Nod from it. After this the Speaker went on, and faid, That the 'whole People of England, in order to fhew fome 'Gratitude to his Majefty, to whom they thought themselves fo much obliged, that they could never pay him according to his Merit, had, left they fhould feem unmindful of fuch Benefits, 6 joined in granting a Subfidy, by the Confent of both Houfes, which they freely offered to him. ' And, laftly, begged his Majefty would condefcend to give the Royal Affent to the reft of the Bills made ready for that Purpose.'

Our Journalist is very prolix and circumstantial in giving the complimenting Speeches and Ceremonies, which paffed in the last Day of the Seffion; which the Reader perhaps may have feen more than enough of in this Abridgement. We fhall conclude with obferving, That there were no less than feventy Acts paffed at this Time, tho' the StatuteBooks only mention fifty; but fince all the most material Acts, or the Titles of them, are given. before, they are no farther neceffary here. When they had all paffed the Royal Affent, (except one, relating to the Merchants Adventurers, which the King gave the ufual Answer to, Le Roy s'avifera) the Lord Chancellor, by his Majesty's Command, diffolved the Parliament.

To thefe Proceedings the Clerk hath added the Note following, which fhews a very uncommon Unanimity in the Peers at that Time:

Hoc animadverfum eft, quod in hac Seffione, cum The remarkable Proceres darent Suffragia et dicerent Sententias fuper Unanimity of Alubus prædictis, ea erat Concordia et Sententiarum this Parliament,

Con

K. Henry VIII. Conformitas, ut finguli eis et eorum fingulis afssenserunt Nemine difcrepante.

THOMAS DE SOULEMONT,

Clericus Parliamentorum.

Affairs being now again fettled acccording to Henry's Mind, both in his own Family and in Parliament, and he once more bleffed with a young, and, what he hoped for, a fruitful Wife, had a fair Prospect of ending his Days in Eafe and Quietnefs: But a very little Time after prefented him with a new Scene of Trouble, more unexpected than any before it. A fmall Rebellion happening A Rebellion in in Yorkshire, under the Conduct of Sir John Nevile, Yorkshire fup- the King took Care to have it fuppreffed betimes;

preffed.

This

and the Leader of it was executed at York.
gave Occafion for the Execution alfo of the old
Countess of Salisbury, who had then been a Pri-
foner two Years, in the Manner before recited. A
Jealoufy that this Infurrection was fet on Foot by
her own, or her Son Cardinal Poole's, Inftigation,
occafioned it. Not long after which, Henry re-
folved to make a Progress in Perfon into Yorkshire;
not fo much, fays the Noble Hiftorian, to extin-
guifh the Relics of the laft Commotion, as those
of Superftition, Miracles, and Pilgrimages: For
tho' the King continued his Rigour against thofe
that difputed either his Authority or the fix Articles,
and facrificed many on that Score; infomuch that
(as both the Reformers, and those that were Main-
tainers of the Pope's Supremacy, fuffered equally)
his Enemies faid, That, while he admitted neither
Side, he feemed to be of no Religion at all: Yet,
fays Lord Herbert, this was but Calumny, for he
ftood firmly to his great Work of Reformation;
as the above-mentioned Defign, in the Northern
Progrefs, is a particular Inftance.

Henry met with fome Vexation in the Midft of this Expedition. His Nephew James, King of Scots, had promifed to meet him at York; but when every Thing y This is a full Confirmation of what Rapin hath advanced in the foregoing Pages.