C42 E N G I 
in all manly exercifes; as riding, tilting, hunting, hawk¬ 
ing, leaping, wreftling, &c. His mien was (lately, and 
his air majeftic. Thefe perfonal accomplifhments gained 
him great popularity in the early part of his reign. He 
was fond of ntulic, a good performer on fevera! inftru- 
ments, and no contemptible compofer. Great pains had 
been taken with his education, and he had a genius capa¬ 
ble of acquiring knowledge. He fpoke feveral languages 
fluently, particularly the Latin and French: but unfor¬ 
tunately his favourite ftudy was fclrool-divinity ; in which 
, he imagined himfelf fo great a doftor, that he entered the 
lifts with Martin Luther, in his famous book De Septan 
Sacrdmenti's ; for which he received inch a deluge of praife 
as no author of an inferior rank mufti ever eXpeft. We 
have no reafon to fufpect that he was deficient in per¬ 
fonal courage, though he was not forward in expofing 
himfelf tb danger. His underftanding was good, when not 
blinded by thofe paftions which were the fources of all 
his errors and of all his crimes. In his youth the love 
of pleafure was conftantly predominant, with an extra¬ 
vagant fondnefs for royal feafts, tilts, tournaments, and 
other pompous diverlions of thofe times. As lie advanced 
in years, paftions of a darker complexion and more dan¬ 
gerous tendency appeared. From his father he inherited 
an extreme jcaloufy of all who were related to the royal 
family, and could be fuppofed to entertain the mod dif- 
tant thoughts of the throne. To this feveral perfons of 
high rank fell a facrifice. His exceflive felf-conceit, and 
the high opinion he entertained of his own wifdom, 
though it was rather a ridiculous than a criminal paffion, 
had the very word effefts. It rendered him greedy of 
flattery, and highly pleafed with adulation. The two 
great parties, the friends of the pope, and the favourers 
of the reformation, tried to exceed one another in a fer- 
vile compliance with all his humours, which rendered 
him intolerably proud, and impatient of contradiction. 
This alfo increafed his authority, fubjefted both thefe 
parties to his will, and put it in his power to do what¬ 
ever he pleafed. The court that was paid him by the 
two great rivals, the emperor of Germany and the king 
of France, contributed dill further to inflame his pride ; 
and, in fpite of all his faults, it rendered him popular 
arpong his own fubjecls, who were pleafed to fee their 
lovereign the arbiter of Europe. Though prodigality and 
avarice are oppofite paflions, they were polfeded by Henry 
in the extreme. Of his prodigality, the immenfe fums 
he fquandered are a fufficient proof; and his hidory af¬ 
fords fufficient evidence of his avarice. At two different 
times he borrowed great fums from many of his fubjefts, 
and procured adls from his fervile parliaments, abfolving 
him from the obligation of repaying them, though he had 
given his creditors fecurity under the privy feal. But of 
all his failings, his implacable malice was the mod ter¬ 
rible. When he conceived a diftike of any perfon, their 
ruin was inevitable; no fubmiflions, no fupplications, no 
intercedions, no evidence of their innocence, could lave 
them from dedrudtion. In a word, the character he is faid 
to have given of himfelf, “iThat he had never fpared a 
man in his anger, nor a woman in his luff,” feems to be 
but too well founded ; and judifies thofe who have deno¬ 
minated him a tyrant. Yet, in the midfl of his cruelties 
and perfecuting zeal, he was podelfed of fome valuable 
accomplifliments, and was capable at'times of generous 
and laudable adtions, and of kind affeftions. He was cer¬ 
tainly the indrument, in the hand of Providence, of much 
good to his poderity, by dilfolving the fupremacy of the 
church of Rome, and laying the foundation of the pro- 
teflant faith. 
Edward VI. fucceeded to the throne in the ninth year 
of his age, A. D. 1547. The late king, in his will, fixed 
the majority of the young prince at the completion of his 
eighteenth year ; and, in the mean time, appointed fix- 
teen executors of his will, to whom, during the minority, 
he eutruded the government of the king and kingdom, 
i he firft adl of the executors was to choofe the earl of 
Hertford, afterwards made duke of Somerfet, as lord pro. 
AND. 
tedlor; and in him was veded all the regal power, with 
a privilege of naming his own privy-council. This was 
a favourable feafoo for thofe who profefled the reformed 
religion. They no longer difled their fentiments, but 
maintained their dodtrines openly, both in preaching and 
in teaching, even while the laws againd them continued 
in force. The protedlor had long been regarded as the 
partizan of the reformers; and, being now freed from re- 
draint, he fcrupled not to exprefs his intention of cor¬ 
recting all the abufes of the ancient religion, and of 
adopting dill more the dodtrines of Luther. His power 
was not a little augmented by bis fuccefs againd an incur- 
fion of the Scots, in which about eight hundred of their 
army were dain; and the popularity which he gained 
upon this occafion, feconded his views in the propaga¬ 
tion of the new dodtrines. But the character of Somerfet 
did not dand in need of props acquired in this manner; 
for he was naturally affable and courteous to the meaneft 
fuitor, While all his adtions were diredted by motives of 
piety and candour. In this view the protedlor, in his 
fchemes for advancing the reformation, had always re- 
courfe to the counfels of Cranmer, the primate ; who, 
being a man of moderation and prudence, was averfe to 
violent changes, and determined to bring over the people 
by infendble degrees to the reformed fydem. The per¬ 
fon who oppofed with the greated authority thefe ad¬ 
vances, was Gardiner bidiop Of Wincheder; who, though 
lie had not obtained a place at the council-board, yet, 
from his age and experience, was regarded by mod men 
with veneration. Upon a general vidtation of the church, 
Gardiner dill defended the ufe of images, which was now 
very openly attacked by the protedants ; he even wrote 
an apology for holy water; but he particularly alleged, 
that it was unlawful to make any change in religion dur¬ 
ing the king’s minority. This oppodtion of Gardiner 
drew on him the indignation of the council; and he was 
fent to the Fleet prifon, where he was treated with much 
feverity. 
Thefe internal regulations were fomewhat retarded by 
the war with Scotland, which dill continued to rage 
with violence. But a defeat which that nation fuffered 
at Mudelborough, in which above ten thoufand peridied 
on the field of battle, induced them to fue for peace ; 
and the protector returned to fettle the bufinefs of the 
reformation, which was as yet only in its infancy. But, 
though he acquired great popularity by this expedition, 
he did not fail to attract the envy of feveral noblemen, 
and e/ven of the queen-mother. However, he dill encou¬ 
raged the reformation, and gave more conddency to the 
tenets of the church. The cup was redored in the fa- 
crament of the Lord’s fupper ; private malfes were abo- 
lifhed; the king was empowered to create bidiops; va¬ 
gabonds were adjudged to behaves, and marked with a 
red-hot iron; an aft commonly fuppofed to be levelled 
againd the drolling prieds and friars. An order was alfo 
ilfued for the removal of all images from the churches; 
a regulation which was much dedred by the reformers, 
and which alone, with regard to the populace, amounted 
almod to a perfeft change of the edablidied religion. 
Thefe innovations, evidently calculated for the good 
of the people, were not brought about without great 
druggies at home, while the proteftor himfelf was bufily 
employed againd the Scots, who, feconded by France, 
were pudiing on their depredations with unceafing vigi¬ 
lance. There was dill another enemy that he had to fear 
more than any of the former; and this was his own bro¬ 
ther, admiral lord Seymour; a man of great talents, but 
proud, turbulent, and untraftable. This nobleman could 
not endure the didinftion which the king had always 
made between him and his elder brother; fo that they 
divided the whole court and the kingdom by their oppo¬ 
fite cabals and dilfendons. Seymour, by his flattery and 
addrefs, had fo indnuated himfelf with the queen-dowa¬ 
ger, that, forgetting her ufual prudence, (he indecently 
married him immediately upon the deceafe of the late 
king, her hufband. He then bribed the king’s domeftics 
