526 



CRANMER. 



tfiranmer. From this moment, Cranmer's history becomes, in a 

 "" great measure, identified with the history of England. 

 As the narration of public events belongs much more 

 properly to the annals of the kingdom, than to the bio- 

 graphy of the man, we shall touch but slightly upon 

 those circumstances which must compose a prominent 

 part of the history of that important period, and con- 

 fine ourselves chiefly to the private events of the indi- 

 vidual. 



Cranmer had left Waltham, before Henry was in- 

 formed of his advice ; but the king was so enraptured 

 with the design, that he sent an express for him to Not- 

 tinghamshire. He, with that modesty which was na- 

 tural to him, reluctantly obeyed ; and soliciting in vain 

 to be excused from appearing before the king, had an 

 interview with his majesty. Pleased with his candour 

 and discernment, the king made him one of his chap- 

 lains, requested him to write upon the divorce, and 

 desired the father of Anne Boleyn, now Earl of Wilt- 

 shire, to allow him, at Durham Place, to pursue his 

 design. From every source of legitimate reasoning, 

 Cranmer established the important truth, that the pope 

 possessed no power to dispense with the word of God, 

 and not only by the unanswerable work which he pub- 

 lished, but by public disputations, he gained almost 

 every person of discernment to his opinion. 



When the English universities had declared the mar- 

 riage unlawful, an embassy, composed of the most 

 learned men of the nation, among whom was Cranmer, 

 was sent to Rome, to obtain, if possible, the pope's con- 

 sent. This proved unsuccessful, from the political 

 views of his Holiness, who, however, to conciliate all 

 parties, as far as his double policy could go, bestowed 

 upon Cranmer the office of penitentiary. From Rome, 

 Cranmer went through Italy, France, and Germany, 

 where, according to the custom of the age, he main- 

 tained the cause of his master in many public disputa- 

 tions. At Nuremberg, he married a second wife, the 

 sister of the famous Osiander. On his return, March 

 13, 1533, the king conferred upon him the archbish- 

 oprick of Canterbury, and procured from the pope the 

 bulls necessary for his consecration ; but as he now be- 

 gan to embrace the opinions of the reformers, he refu- 

 sed to take the customary oath of obedience to his Ho- 

 liness. He was at last, by the importunity of the 

 king, prevailed upon to comply, by adopting an expe- 

 dient which had been proposed to him, doubtful, at 

 least, in principle, and dangerous in practice, but an 

 expedient to which his mind perhaps was the more ea- 

 sily reconciled by the sentiments of the age, as well as 

 by the common practice of that church which he wish- 

 ed to abandon. This was nothing else, than to enter 

 a solemn protest, before he took the oath, that he did 

 not intend by it, to restrain himself from any thing 

 that he was bound to, by his duty to his God, his 

 king, or his country. On the 23d May of the same 

 year, he pronounced the sentence of divorce between 

 the king and queen. The pope, upon this, threatened 

 him with excommunication. He, in return, promoted 

 the reformation to the utmost of his power ; and was 

 the principal mean of abolishing the pope's supremacy, 

 by act of parliament — of procuring a new and more 

 correct translation of the scriptures — and of suppress- 

 ing the monasteries. In 1536, he, in compliance with 

 the will of the king, dissolved the marriage of Henry 

 and Anne Boleyn ; but though at her death the hopes 

 •f the Catholics revived, yet the means which they em- 

 ployed to counteract the reformation, and to withdraw 

 fV»m Cranmer the affeetion and ewnfide-nce of the king, 



had a contrary effect. Hence the tonslitutlons, which €'anm«. 

 were enacted this year by the convocation, corrected "™*V^^ 

 many errors respecting purgatory and images ; but 

 they determined a point of still greater importance, 

 when they declared the scriptures to be the standard of 

 faith. But the triumph of truth was soon blasted, by 

 an act of parliament in 1539, for abolishing diversity 

 of opinion in religion — an act which, by its being 

 sanctioned by the gibbet and the flames, was emphati- 

 cally called the bloody statute. This, though approved 

 by the king, was framed by the artful and insidious- 

 suggestion of Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, whose 

 spirit it breathes ; and which, by denouncing all who 

 denied transubstantiation, the celibacy of the clergy, 

 &c. must have fallen chiefly upon the reformers. With 

 a modest, but manly fortitude, which must exalt the 

 dignity of Cranmer's character in the eyes of all ca- 

 pable of appreciating truth and freedom, he opposed 

 the enactment of this statute with all his eloquence 

 and authority. Even when required by the lung to 

 leave the House, he refused, by declaring, that he was 

 bound in conscience to vote against it, — a declaration 

 which his enemies fondly hoped would for ever ruin 

 him with the king; but which, in reality, gave the 

 king such a high idea of his integrity, that he respect- 

 ed and trusted him the more. But though he opposed 

 the law in the House, yet he complied with it so far, 

 when passed, as to send his wife to her friends in Ger- 

 many, till better days should arise. In 1540, he re- 

 ceived the royal commission to provide for the ad- 

 vancement of religion, by explaining its principal doc- 

 trines, which he performed by the publication of a 

 work entitled, " A necessary Erudition of any Chris- 

 tian Man ;" a work which the votaries of Rome endea* 

 voured in vain to answer. 



We cannot refrain from bringing forward here an 

 event, which will shew the malevolence of the pri- 

 mate's enemies, and the affection of the king. It is 

 well known, that Henry persecuted, with the same 

 severity, the opinions of reformers and Catholics, when 

 they differed from his own ; and that every person who 

 would not subscribe his creed was a heretic. The na- 

 tural consequence of free inquiry, was a variety of opi- 

 nions ; and Gardiner and his adherents, taking advan- 

 tage of this, endeavoured constantly to impress the 

 king with the belief, that Cranmer was the sole cause 

 of the growing mischief. To repress at once their in- 

 sinuations, which continually teazed him, he appeared 

 to enter into their views, and permitted them to sum- 

 mon the archbishop to appear before them next day. 

 At midnight, however, he sent Sir Anthony Denny to 

 request Cranmer's immediate attendance in the gallery, 

 and in all the confidence of friendship informed him of 

 their machinations, and advised him not to commit him- 

 self to their mercy by any unguarded concession ; " for 

 he woidd not have any better luck with the false knaves 

 than his master, Christ, had." At parting, he gave him 

 a ring from his finger, as a pledge of his protection ; 

 and Cranmer retired, so deeply affected with the king's 

 goodness, that he scarcely refrained from tears. When 

 summoned next morning to attend, he obeyed, and his 

 enemies were so confident of success, and so insolent in 

 their m. lice, that they refused him admittance to die 

 council-chamber, till Dr Buts, the king's physician, in- 

 formed his majesty that the primate of England was 

 thus degraded like a foot-boy. When admitted, he was 

 charged with heresy, and with protecting heretics ; and 

 was ordered to be committed to the lower. The pro- 

 duction of the ring was a stroke of thunder to hi* e»e» 



