ENGLAND. 



65? 



Hilary, was both protector of the kingdom, and governor of 

 *"^~,^*' the king's person ; by engaging the young prince to 

 write a letter to the parliament, desiring that he might 

 be invested with the latter office ; by paying his ad- 

 dresses, after the decease of the queen-dowager, to the 

 Princess Elizabeth ; by holding a secret correspondence 

 with the king, in which he decreed the protector's ad- 

 ministration ; by forming partizans among the princi- 

 pal nobility and most popular persons of inferior rank ; 

 by collecting, in short, arms for the use of his nume- 

 rous retainers, tenants, and servants. Somerset, aware 

 of all these circumstances, endeavoured, by the most 

 friendly expedients, to draw him away from such dan- 

 gerous counsels ; but, finding all his endeavours inef- 

 fectual, he was obliged, in defence of the public peace, 

 to employ severer remedies against his brother's rebel- 

 lious schemes. Seymour was committed to the Tower, 

 and his accomplices examined. Full discoveries were 

 said to have been procured of his treasonable practices ; 

 a bill of attainder was passed against him by both 

 houses of parliament, and he was soon after beheaded 

 on Tower-hill. 



1'he principal tenets and practices of the Romish 

 church were now abolished; but the doctrine of the 

 real presence was still pertinaciously retained by many 

 of tlie people, and zealously inculcated by the Catholic 

 preachers. For this offence, Bishop Bonner was de- 

 prived of his see, and committed to custody. Gardiner, 

 also, having declined to give proper satisfaction on this 

 point, was sent to the Tower, and threatened with far- 

 ther effects of the council's displeasure. A commission 

 was granted to the primate and others, to reclaim or to 

 punish all heretics and contemners of the book of com- 

 mon prayer ; and several unhappy persons were com- 

 mitted to the flames. By these rigorous proceedings, 

 the whole nation was brought to an apparent confor- 

 mity with the Protestant doctrine and reformed liturgy; 

 but the Princess Mary still persisted in adhering to the 

 . and rejecting the new modes of worship ; and, 

 by the influence of the Emperor Charles V. a tempo- 

 rary connivance was procured from the council. 



Great discontents began to appear among the people; 

 not indeed on account of these reformations in religion, 

 but in consequence of various grievances to which they 

 were subjected by the internal changes in the state of 

 tlie country, which partly arose from the new system. 



The church lands, which were formerly let at low 

 rents, i,r left to be cultivated by the poor, having now 

 passed into the hands of the nobility, were granted to 

 the tenants on harder terms, or inclosed for the pur- 

 poses of pleasure and magnificence. The manufacturing 

 arts, also, having advanced more rapidly than the prac- 

 tice of agriculture, and a great demand having arisen 

 Cor wool, both abroad and at home, the country was 

 inclosed for pasturage in preference to tillage, the te- 

 Ti.mts expelled from their habitations, and the cottagers 

 deprived of th*ir commons. Destitute also of that re- 

 lief in seasons of necessity, which the hospitality and 

 cliarity of the convents used to afford, the populace, in 

 many places, were reduced to the greatest misery; and 

 were still farther irritated by a severe act of parliament, 

 which was intended to excite them to more industrious 

 iialiits. The protector, who was both from principle 

 and interest the friend of the people, did every thing 

 in his power to redress their grievances ; and even ap- 

 pointed commissioners to hear all causes concerning in- 

 closures and cottages. But the commonalty, impatient 

 for immediate redress, had recourse to arms ; and, as 



\OL. VIII. PART II. 



if an universal conspiracy had been formed, rose at Historjr. 

 once in several parts of the kingdom. It was only in S< " > "V'~ ' 

 Devonshire and Norfolk that they assumed the appear- 

 ance of a regular army, and became formidable by their 

 numbers. In the former county, one thousand rebels 

 were cut to pieces by Lord Russel, and two thousand in 

 the latter by the Earl of Wai-wick. Their leaders were 

 tried and executed at London, and many of the inferior 

 class put to death by martial law. Those that escaped, 

 threw down their arms upon the offer of pardon ; and 

 a general indemnity was soon after published by the 

 protector. 



But while these tumultuary insurgents were thus Somerset 

 quickly subdued, the factions in the council, under the resigns the 

 artful management of Warwick, became daily more 

 formidable to the protector. Somerset, elated with his 

 high dignity, had paid too little attention to the opi- 

 nions of the other executors and counsellors, and dis- 

 covered a disposition to govern every thing according 

 to his own views. The nobility and gentry were in 

 general displeased with the preference which he seem- 

 ed, in the late commotions, to have given to the claims 

 of the people. The people themselves, being much in- 

 fluenced by tlie Catholic party, and ascribing many of 

 their distresses to the Reformation, of which he was 

 the open patron, were not heartily affected to his au- 

 thority. His interest being at length overpowered by 

 the increasing party of his rival, he was obliged to re- 

 sign the protectorship, and to submit to the most hu- 

 miliating conditions. Warwick, the new protector, 

 having made peace with Scotland and France, gave full 

 scope to his aspiring and avaricious disposition. Find- 

 ing that the principles of the Reformation had sunk 

 too deep into the mind of Edward to be easily eradi- 

 cated, he resolved to comply with the prince's inclina- 

 tions, and pushed the cause of the Protestants with more 

 zeal and violence than had ever been done by his pre- 

 <r. Many of the bishops, who favoured the Ca- 

 tholic tenets, were treated with great severity; several 

 of tin in deprived of their sees, and others obliged to 

 secure protection, by sacrificing the most considerable 

 part of their, revenues. An order was issued by the 

 council for purging the libraries at Westminster and 

 Oxford of all superstitious volumes ; and much useless 

 devastation was committed in tlie execution of these 

 instructions. The council, however, were not inatten- 

 tive to the interests of the public ; and, by their wise 

 regulations, excited a spirit of industry and commerce, 

 hitherto unknown in England. But the ungovernable 

 ambition of Warwick again involved the kingdom in 

 domestic troubles. He procured for himself the title Warwick's 

 and ample possessions of the Duke of Northumberland, ambitious 

 He found means to accomplish the condemnation and projects, 

 death of Somerset, and many of his friends, as the chief 

 obstacles in his career. He summoned a new parlia- 

 ment, and took care, by the most arbitrary interference, 

 to have such members returned as were obsequious to 

 his will. He brought about a marriage between Lady 

 Jane Gray and his fourth son, Lord Guilford Dudley ; 

 and, at the same time, fortified his family by other 

 powerful alliances. He then proceeded, with his last 

 project, to prevail with the young king, whose health 

 was declining fast, to make such a change in the suc- 

 cession as would have brought forward his own daugh- 

 ter-in-law, Lady Jane, as next heir to the crown. Tilt- 

 prince, accustomed to submit to his views, and anxious 

 to secure a Protestant successor, agreed to refer the 

 matter to tlie council ; and at length, after many ob- 



