646 
ENG 
combination of liberality with economy, and for his vi¬ 
gorous application to public bufinefs. His literary cha¬ 
racter has alfo been the fubjeft of extraordinary panegy¬ 
ric. At an early age he diftinguifhed himfelf by his 
acquifitions in philology; he was acquainted with the con- 
troverfial points of divinity; and he had made a great pro¬ 
ficiency in philofophical purfuits. Cardan, the celebrated 
Italian phyfician, palling fome time at his court, was fur- 
prifed at the multifarious accomplilhments which he ob- 
ferved in this princely youth ; and he has borne teftimony 
to Edward’s acquaintance with ancient and modern lan¬ 
guages ; to his (kill in logic, mufic, and natural philofo- 
phy ; to his dignity of demeanor, and complacency of 
temper. But, notwith(landing all the encomiums which 
have been palled on his character, fome blemifhes nlay 
be remarked. His early initiation in the doCtrines of the 
reformers, had given him fo rooted a difgufi: to whatever 
was repugnant to his own religious ideas, that his devo¬ 
tion may juftly be laid to have been tinCtured with bigo¬ 
try ; and, though he deferves our commendation for hav¬ 
ing teftified fuch reluCtance to the execution of Joan of 
Kent and Van Paris, who were the only perfons com¬ 
mitted to the flames in his reign, (and it is much to be 
regretted, for the honour of the protellants, that even 
two Ihould fuffer for opinions under their fway,) it would 
have been more honourable if he had carried to a greater 
extent his oppofition to fuch unjuftifiable cruelty. In 
another inltance, there feems to be fufficient reafon for 
blaming his want of mental vigour. We ajlude to the 
death of his uncle the duke of Somerfet, a faithful fer- 
vant of the crown, whom, from a facility in believing the 
infinuations of his enemies, and from an apparent defect in 
manly firmnefs, he gave up to the malice of faftion. The 
facrifice of his other uncle was lefs reprehenfible, as the 
guilt of that nobleman was lefs problematical. 
This monarch was never married, though an alliance 
had been projected between him and one of the daughters 
cf Henry II. of France. He was the founder of fome va¬ 
luable inftitutions. Chrift’s hofpital in London, that of 
St. Thomas in Southwark, and feveral free-fchools in 
different parts of the realm, owe their eltablifhment to 
his bounty. 
On the death of Edward, a fanguine cloud prepared to 
overcaft the horizon of England ; and no fewer than four 
princeffes were ready to affert their pretenfions to the 
crown. Mary, who flood firft upon Henry’s will, had 
been declared illegitimate by an act of parliament, which 
was never repealed: Elizabeth was next; and though 
fhe had been declared illegitimate, yet (he had been re- 
Itored to her rights during her father’s life-time. Mar¬ 
garet queen of Scotland, Henry’s eldeft filler, was firft in 
right, fuppofing the two daughters illegitimate; while 
lady Jane Grey, befides her right of fucceflion after the 
line of Margaret, was made to allege the will of the 
late king as a claim of priority in her favour. The am¬ 
bitious Northumberland, therefore, took every ftep to 
feize the princeffes as prifoners, and to fix the crown on 
the head of lady Jane. In the mean time Mary and Eli¬ 
zabeth were actually on the road to the court, allured 
thither by a feigned melfage from the duke of Northum¬ 
berland ; but the news of the king’s death gave them 
warning of the deceit ; and Mary, flying into Suffolk, 
found every one eager to arm in her caufe. The detef- 
tation, indeed, in which the duke of Northumberland 
was held, rendered every project in favour of his family 
fruitlefs; and the unfortunate though amiable Jane, 
who, after many refufals, had been prevailed on by her 
father and hufband to accept the crown, refigned it with 
real and unaffected pleafure, after a joylefs reign of ten 
days. Mary, at the head of a numerous army, a thou- 
fand of which had been levied by the princefs Elizabeth, 
entered London, and afcended the throne. Nor did the 
mean conduct of Northumberland fave his life; although, 
on finding himfelf deferted by his army, he had call up 
his cap for Mary, and had fallen on his knees to lord 
a A N D. 
Arundel, her general, who apprehended him ; while, at 
that humiliating moment, a woman held up to the daf- 
tardly fuppliant’s face a. handkerchief, dipped, as (lie 
faid, in the innocent blood of Somerfet, whom he had 
murdered. He was immediately tried and condemned by 
his peers for treafon, and beheaded on Tower-hill, with 
Palmer and Gates, his intimate affociates. 
As it was the with of Mary to acquire popularity, (lie 
fhed no more blood on the prefent occafion ; and, to at¬ 
tract the attention of the multitude, (lie rode through 
London in pomp, crowned by a circle of gold and pre¬ 
cious (tones, fo Heavy, that (he was forced to fupport her 
head with her hand. Behind her came in a chariot the 
princefs Elizabeth and lady Anne of Cleves, So careful 
was Mary not to irritate or offend her fubjeCts, that 
though lady Jane Grey, with her hufband and his bro¬ 
thers, had been tried and condemned for treafon, their 
fentences were refpited. Yet after (he had releafed the 
venerable Norfolk, and the other prifoners in the Tower, 
(lie wiffied to celebrate the funeral obfequies of her bro¬ 
ther with the ceremonies of the papal church ; but Cran- 
mer floutly oppofed this innovation, and (heltering him¬ 
felf under adts of parliament (till in force, he interred the 
remains of Edward in the chapel of Henry VII. after the 
rites of the reformed church. If he officiated in perfon, 
it was probably his lad aCt of office; for he was almoft 
immediately confined to his houfe, and treated as a crimi¬ 
nal. Mary had afterwards a fervice performed for her 
deceafed brother in her own chapel. 
But it was not long before the natural bigotry of Mary 
took its full fcope. A parliament was formed which 
would fecond her in any meaftire, except the reftoration 
of the church lands. The proteftant bifhops were eject¬ 
ed and imprifoned ; their fees filled with zealous catho¬ 
lics, and cardinal Pole was fent for haftiiy to affift, as the 
pope’s nuncio, in cleanfing the polluted land. But the 
policy of Gardiner, who fufpedled that the queen meant 
Pole for her hufband, or at lead for her primate, found 
means to check the too impetuous zeal of Mary, by the 
intervention of the emperor. The queen, however, tried 
to pleafe the people by remitting the fubfidy granted to 
Edward, but not levied ; yet the a£ts of her parliament 
were not in general popular. Her own illegitimacy w;as 
reverfed, but that of Elizabeth was ungeneroully confirm¬ 
ed ; and Mary, by afligning to her filler a low rank, even 
beneath the counteffes, drove from the court one who 
had earneftly forwarded her fucceflion. Religion was 
placed on the papal footing at the lad part of Henry VIII’s 
reign, and all preaching, except by licence, flopped. 
The proteftants were now feverely treated, their preach¬ 
ers impril'oned, and even the men of Suffolk, to whofe 
loyalty Mary owed her crown, were feverely threatened, 
and one of them pilloried for demanding that liberty of 
confidence, with the promife of which (he had engaged 
their afliftance. 
Mary was now for a ffiort time diverted from her perfe- 
cutions, by the overtures made by her coufin, Charles V. 
of Spain, for a match between her and his fon Philip, a 
handfome prince, ten years younger than herfelf. The 
nation, however, faw the event in a light fo different, 
that a dangerous revolt enfued, headed by fir Thomas 
Wyat, a Kentilh knight; who, although a fteady Ro¬ 
man catholic, had imbibed, by travelling through Spain, 
an utter deteftation of that country’s fevere manners. 
Followed by a ftrong party he marched from Rochefter to 
London, having been joined on the road by a band of 
citizens, at the head of whom that venerable warrior, 
the duke of Norfolk (now relieved from his attainder), 
meant to have oppofed him. Wyat, however, finding 
the bridge of the metropolis well defended, loft fo much 
time in marching round by Kingfto«,»/and in repairing 
the broken carriages of his artillery, that when he entered 
London through Hyde-park, a ftrong force had been col¬ 
lected, by which he was overpowered and taken. He 
expiated Jus fault on Tower-hill, where lie folemnly 
avowed 
