CRAN- Christendom, he makes use of extremities, and embroils the MER, Abp. Cant. World: if he endeavours to support his authority by arms and invasion, he plainly deserts his office, and forfeits his claim to regard. Things standing thus, unless ecclesiastical affairs are put into the hands of princes, there is little prospect of a settlement. 79. "But it is objected, that if the pope's authority is suppressed, religion must suffer with it. To this I answer, that if religion stood on no firmer ground, it would be worse founded than any other science. For are not the rules of life stamped naturally upon the mind? And had we any other religion to bring us to heaven but what nature furnished us with? Had we any other assistance for the first two thousand years? And what was afterwards the meaning of the Decalogue? Was it not to explain and refresh those innate instructions? Besides, have we not a creed to inform us farther, and furnish us with fundamentals? This system has been all along looked on as an unalterable standard by the Church; why, therefore, must our faith be stretched beyond the canon of the Old and New Testament? To explain or illustrate some points, may be a serviceable undertaking: but to throw in supplemental principles, and enlarge the foundation, is by no means to be allowed. Neither in prudence can the Church of Rome attempt any thing of this nature. For the force and majesty of religion is best preserved by uniformity of belief, and by keeping close to the doctrine of the first ages: but if the court of Rome declines these methods of charity and temper; if they mismark the characters of things; if they confound the certain with the uncertain, and tie people to an equal belief, where the motives of credibility are unequal, ought not princes to interpose with a remedy? Ought they not to suppress usurpations in religion, and clear it from error and neglect? "Farther, neither ought we to be afraid our princes should grow too absolute by such an accession of privilege for the best means to unite the minds of the people, and provide for all emergencies, ought not to be rejected for improbable fancies. If it is said, this authority may happen to be abused, and fall into the hands of arbitrary princes, this is no argument. For are we not in danger of having ill popes as well as ill princes? “And thus, sir, all innovation may be prevented, and all defects supplied by your highness in your dominions, without VIII. running into any extreme. Thus the ancient doctrine of HENRY Christianity may be taught without any mixtures of novel fancies, or false reasoning. And within the compass of this scheme, the hierarchy of your kingdom may be maintained in their ancient dignity and privilege. And since your highness does not pretend to make any new articles of faith, what should hinder the clergy from expounding the old ones? They may go on in their function, without disturbance, disentangle the difficulties in Scripture, read divine service, administer the sacraments, and form their charge to all the parts of piety and good conduct. "Now if the pope shall please to countenance these proceedings, to lessen his pretensions, and not press upon your highness's prerogative, it might not be amiss to make him some acknowledgment, and return a reciprocal regard. Under such moderate claims, some cases not so easily manageable by your clergy, might be reserved to his cognizance. His dignity might likewise be so far considered, as to allow him a primacy or patriarchal right. But then this privilege must pass with a limitation, not to interfere with your highness's being supreme head of the Church of England. "To come now to the question before us, relating to the divorce. And here I cannot imagine why the pope should be disgusted for has the archbishop done any thing more than what not only the most famous universities, but even his holiness himself has owned to be lawful? Since therefore, after the cause has been so long depending, we have decided the point just as the pope has declared he would have done it himself; since I say, he has confessed he would have given judgment on the same side, had it not been for fear of the emperor, why should he be angry with us for pronouncing by his own sentiment? Does he complain that he is not in a condition to do us justice? And is he disturbed at the same time, to see it done by ourselves? Shall the executing of what he thought reasonable, be esteemed a fault, when in all construction of equity, the omission must have been unpardonable? Let us therefore send to him, and request his consent. It has been hinted to us already, that it would be more advisable to move for a pardon afterwards, than solicit for a license beforehand. If this intimation comes from good hands, we have reason to hope he will confirm the archbishop's sentence. And thus the VOL. IV. MER, CRAN- differences between the crown and the court of Rome, being Abp. Cant. compromised in some measure, we need not be apprehensive of any foreign invasion; especially since we have the general Lord Her concurrence of the kingdom to support our proceedings '." bert, p. 363. 1533. Resolutions at the council board. The king inclined to govern himself by this last speech. December 2, The pope, it seems, had given him a new provocation, by publishing the censures abovementioned at Dunkirk. And to prevent farther inconveniences, these measures were resolved at the council-board. First, it was thought advisable to acquaint the nation with his highness's appeal to a general council, and the reasonableness of such an application. Secondly, the unlawfulness of the dowager's (as they called her) appeal to Rome, was to be published. And to make this expedient of her's more unjustifiable, the late statute against appeals to the pope, was to be fixed to the church-door of every parish. Thirdly, the parish priests were ordered to set forth in their sermons, that a general council is above the pope; and that his holiness has no more authority in England, by the laws of God, than any other foreign bishop. Lastly, it was resolved to dispatch ambassadors to several princes' courts; and to endeavour the forming a confederacy with the kings of Poland and Hungary, with the dukes of Saxony, Bavaria, and the landgrave of Hesse, with the Hanse towns of Lubeck, NurenId. p. 368. berg, Dantzick, &c. But this matter being more fully related in the Cotton library, See Records, I shall refer the reader to the record. num. 35. The king endeavours to prevent a rupture with the pope. Decem. 26. of Paris Notwithstanding the projecting these measures, the king was not unwilling to accommodate matters with the court of Rome. To this purpose, he desired the bishop of Paris to acquaint the French king, that if the pope would suspend his censures, assign him fair judges, and exclude the Imperial party, he would likewise recal his own resolutions of disowning the authority of that see. The bishop thought this proposal somewhat abrupt, and desired a commission of his highness to negociate this affair at Rome. The king approved the suggestion and promised to make the offer good; but refused to send any submissions under his hand, till he knew how the motion was received. The bishop of Paris apprehending this affair would not admit 1 This speech is perhaps the most admirable of all that adorn the pages of lord Herbert. VIII. Rome in this 80. the The con- give sentence of delay, posted to Rome, through the rigour of the season. HENRY Upon his arrival, he had a public audience in the consistory, where he reported the king's overture, and with a great deal of employed at elocution, set forth how serviceable it would be to the whole affair. Church to accept the terms. The majority of the cardinals were satisfied with this declaration, and set a day for the king to transmit his promise in form. Thus an express was dispatched to the English court for a farther resolution. But no answer being returned within the time prefixed, the pope resolved to proceed to a definitive sentence. Upon which Bellay did his utmost to stop the fulmination. He suggested, it was probable the expedition of the express might be checked by contrary winds, or other accidents: he desired, since their patience had held out six years in the cause, they would only prolong it to six days' respite. This motion being put to question, it was carried by a majority against the king. seems the consistory were put out of humour, and hurried this resolution by some news they had received from England. England, They heard the king had published a book against the pope's against the authority; though by the way, they were misinformed as to king. the printing, which was not done till afterwards. It is true there was a book written upon this subject, which it seems was not altogether a secret, for a copy of it was now come to the pope's hands. Besides, they were informed a comedy had been represented at the English court to the dishonour of the conclave and that the pope and most of the cardinals had been pointed at, and particularly exposed. This treatment enraged the court at Rome, made them proceed with precipitation, and overlook the customary methods: so that the business which could not regularly have passed under three consistories, was dispatched in one. And thus by their last decision, the Father marriage with queen Catharine was pronounced valid, and the Council of king commanded to live with her; and in case of refusal, an Trent, lib.1. excommunication was decreed against him. About two days Lord Herafter this remarkable management, the express arrived with an 369. assurance in form, that the king was ready to ratify whatever March 24, had been offered by the bishop of Paris; that is, the king was willing to appear by proxy at the court of Rome, and stand to the award of the consistory, upon the conditions already mentioned; with this proviso, that some indifferent persons should be sent to Cambray for a true information in the cause. Paul's Hist. bert, p. 368, 1533. CRAN MER, The moderate part of the cardinals being extremely desirous Abp. Cant. to close with this offer, addressed the pope to depart from the censure, and revive the cause. But though the motion was well received, and the pope not unwilling to disentangle himself, yet upon a farther debate of the matter, the emperor's party prevailed. They pretended the submission came too late, and that the recalling the sentence was wholly impracticable. Thus the sentence was affirmed, and the executing of it put upon the emperor. Ibid. Some arguments for the regale considered. The bishop of Paris, in his return to France, met sir Edward Karne, who was sent to Rome from the king to negociate this affair. But when he understood how the matter had been carried, he thought it to no purpose to travel farther. When the king was informed of the issue and circumstances of this business, he resolved to disengage from the pope without making any farther application. : There had been already some steps taken to lead the way to so great an alteration. Of this kind we may reckon the conditional extinguishing the payment of annates, and prohibiting appeals to Rome by act of parliament. Our learned Church historian observes, there had been many public debates about this matter; that several tracts had been already written upon this subject but this learned prelate is mistaken in the time; for none of the books mentioned by him, were published till after this year. For instance: "The Institution of a Christian Man" was printed in 1537; Gardiner's book "De Vera Obedientia," with Bonner's preface, in 1536; sir Richard Morisin's" Apomaxis," in 1537; "The Erudition of a Christian Man," in 1543; and the book "De Differentia Regiæ et Ecclesiastica Potestatis," no sooner than the year 1535. The learned historian makes a brief report of what was urged upon this occasion. The arguments against the papal supremacy are countenanced by antiquity, drawn from good authorities, and carried up to the point. But on the other hand, the reasons alleged for the extent of the regale, seem either to go upon a wrong supposition, or fail in the proof. They are most of them fetched from mistaken passages in the Old and New Testament, from miscitations of English history, from wrong inferences of law, and misapplications of the power of the Roman emperors. For instance to prove the king's supremacy in ecclesiastical causes, "they reason from the authority |