C 11 A N M E R. 



r sues. Equally abject in adversity, as proud in pros- 

 " perity, they first broke out in reproaches against each 

 other, and then in apologizing to the king j who told 

 them, that he thought his council had been composed 

 of wiser and better men, than to persecute the only 

 person of integrity among them. After the death of 

 Cromwell, Earl of Essex, whose execution the generous 

 friendship of Cranmer laboured in vain to prevent, he 

 retired to the duties of his clerical office ; and left the 

 court to those who, by their ambitious and crooked po- 

 licy, were better calculated for rooting in that polluted 

 soil. The king, however, not forgetful of his integrity 

 and moderation, appointed him one of his executors ; 

 and in his last illness sent for him from Croydon to as- 

 sist him in his preparation for eternity. Before he ar- 

 rived the king was speechless ; but as a proof that he 

 knew him, he pressed his hand and expired. 



Though Cranmer placed the crown upon the head of 

 Edward VI. and was nominated one of the regents, yet 

 he interfered in civil affairs only when they were con- 

 nected with religion. But as the mind of the prince 

 had fully imbibed the principles of the reformed, the de- 

 signs of the Archbishop were no longer impeded by the 

 caprice of royal authority; yet, as he had many and pow- 

 erful enemies, he proceeded in the work of reformation 

 with a firm and steady pace, but at the same time, with 

 a prudence which the more ardent of his party blamed. 

 It is with real pity, and even indignation, that we see 

 a mind, naturally mild, generous, and intelligent, still 

 so embittered with the unrelenting spirit of bigotry, as 

 to wield the sword of persecution, and to imprison 

 Gardiner, Bonner, and some others, for their attach- 

 ment to Popery. But what must be our feelings, when 

 ■we contemplate him directing the secular power against 

 Joan Bocher, commonly called the Maid of Kent, who 

 denied the divinity of Christ. Her moral conduct was 

 irreproachable, and with a constancy and courage which 

 ought to have commanded the admiration of her per- 

 secutors, she refused to purchase life, by abjuring what 

 she believed to be the voice of revelation, but what her 

 enemies denominated a damnable heresy. She wa.s sen- 

 tenced to the flames ; but to the eternal honour of Ed- 

 ward, his mind revolted against signing the warrant for 

 her execution, declaring, that to burn any for con- 

 science sake was a piece of cruelty too like that which 

 the reformers condemned in Papists ; and when Cran- 

 mer urged him to comply, " What, my lord !" was his 

 animated and emphatic question, " Will you have me 

 send her quick to the Devil in her error?" By the 

 persuasion of the primate, in an hour fatal to his fame, 

 the generous feelings of the prince were overcome, and 

 he signed the warrant with tears, protesting, that if he 

 did wrong, his advisers must answer for it to God. 



In 1551, Cranmer followed the example of other 

 reformed churches, and under his direction, if not 

 with Ins assistance, a Confession of Faith was pre- 

 pared, the new liturgy was corrected, and the ar- 

 ticles of the Church of England, forty-two in number 

 at that time, were established by law. But the hopes 

 of the reformers were soon disappointed by the pre- 

 mature death of Edward, in 155;S. who, however, in 

 his last illness, in order to secure the ascendancy of the 

 reformers, was prevailed upon to devolve the crown 

 upon Lady Jean Gray. Cranmer refused to sign this 

 settlement as a counsellor, but did it as a witness ■ a 

 distinction of doubtful interpretation, though it is pro- 

 bable that he acted in this manner, not so much from an 

 aversion to the deed itself, as from the fear of its conse- 

 quences, as he afterwards composed one of her council. 



327 



The accession of Mary, and the change of religion which Cranmsr. 

 immediately followed, banished, with respect to the *"" "~Y~"-*' 

 reformers, mercy and even justice from the throne. 

 Cranmer had now nothing to expect but the most un- 

 relenting persecution ; and, with a fortitude and a dig- 

 nity, which, though seldom found with such moderation 

 and prudence, he knew upon great occasions to display, 

 refused, at the earnest solicitation of his friends, to seek 

 his safety in a foreign country. The honour of his owa 

 character, the interests of truth, he said, imperiously- 

 commanded him to remain firm at his post ; and to vin- 

 dicate the changes which he had adopted in religion, he 

 determined to wait the consequence To deprive him 

 not merely of life, but even of reputation, was resolved 

 upon by his enemies. For this purpose, Bonner, bi- 

 shop of London, degrading himself more than the vic- 

 tim of his resentment, burst out every where in spite- 

 ful railleries against Mr Canterbury, as he was pleased 

 to call him, and published a report that the archbishop, 

 in complaisance to the queen, had promised solemnly to 

 abjure his errors. Into a snare thus cunningly pre- 

 pared, and dexterously concealed, the wounded indig- 

 nation of Cranmer betrayed him ; and the refutation of 

 this calumny which he published, and in which he cal- 

 led upon the queen to attest his innocence, sealed his 

 doom. He was cited before the star-chamber ; he own- 

 ed the publication, and, contrary to the expectations of 

 all, was pardoned by the queen. This lenity strikingly 

 discovers the casuistry of Mary. Cranmer had gene- 

 rously interposed with her father, when he had resol- 

 ved to put her to death for her adherence to her mo- 

 ther, and as she owed her life to him, she thus dischar- 

 ged her debt of gratitude, with the fixed resolution of 

 afterwards demanding from him her full debt of ven- 

 geance, which she well knew she could enforce. Three 

 days after his liberation, he was committed to the Tower,, 

 where he remained till 1554, when, with his fellow- 

 prisoners, Ridley and Latimer, he was conducted to 

 Oxford, to dispute publicly with the leaders of the Ca- 

 tholics, at whose head was Weston, prolocutor of the 

 convocation. The court party, by this exhibition, de- 

 signed to expose and degrade the three venerable re- 

 formers ; and this they accomplished by shutting their 

 ears to truth, and silencing their opponents by insidt 

 and tumult ; and they terminated this solemn mockery 

 of truth and justice, by pronouncing them heretics, 

 commanding them to abjure their heresy, and excom- 

 municating them upon their refusal. But, as the power 

 of this court extended no further, in September 1 555, 

 Cranmer was brought to a second trial at Oxford, be- 

 fore Dr Brooks, bishop of Gloucester, and sub-delegate 

 to the Pope, Dr Martin, proxy to the king, (Philip of 

 Spain,) and Dr Story, proxy to the queen. That he 

 liad been twice married ; that he had published heretical 

 books ; that he had forsaken the church of Rome ; and 

 that he denied transubstantiation, were the horrid 

 crimes which were laid to his charge, which he con- 

 fessed ■ and to answer for which he was cited within 

 eighty clays to appear before the Pope. When we say, 

 that he was immediately remanded back to prison, it 

 will not be necessary to add, that he did not obey the 

 citation ; but without recollecting the spirit of his per- 

 secutors, posterity will scarcely believe, that on the !4th 

 February, Bonner and Thirleby were sent to degrade 

 him for non-obedience Though he defended himself 

 with great eloquence and spirit, and protested against 

 the injustice of a sentence condemning him for not ap- 

 pearing at Rome, whilst they detained him in prison, 

 Bonner proceeded to the work of degradation with un- 

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