254 
G A R D 
marriage was declared null and void. In the fame year 
lie was fent ambaffador to France, whither he was foon 
followed by Dr. Bonner. Their inftruftions were to at¬ 
tend an interview between the pope and the French king 
at Marfeilles, and to difcover the defigns of the holy 
* father and the French monarch, which Henry and his 
council fufpetted to be of a hoftlle nature againft Eng¬ 
land. They there intimated the appeal of Henry VIll. 
to a general council, if the pope fhculd pretend to pro¬ 
ceed to judgment in his caufe ; and alfo the appeal of 
the archbifliop of Canterbury to the fame tribunal, if 
any defign fhould be avowed-of excommunicating him, 
and interdidting his church. Upon Gardiner’s return 
from'his Frencli embaffy, he was called upon, together 
with the other bifhops,"to acknowledge the king as fu- 
preme head of the church, and to take the oath appoint¬ 
ed for that y)urpofe. With this fummons he not only 
readily complied, but alfo publiflied a defence of the 
king’s fuprcmacy, entitled “ De Vera Obedientia.” His 
peirwas alfo made ufe of in vindicating the king’s di¬ 
vorce, and his emancipation of the kingdom from the ty¬ 
ranny of tlie papal fee ; upon which fubjedl: his writings, 
at the time, acquired him very high reputation. In 
i5"S, he was fent arabalfador, wdth fir Henry Knevit, to 
the German diet at Ratifbon, where he is faid to have 
acquitted hinifelf well with refpecl to the objeiSls of his 
commiffion ; but he th.ere fell under a fufpicion of hold¬ 
ing a fecret correfpondence with the pope, on the fub- 
jedt of rendering popery again triumphant in England. 
This fufpicion occafioned a mifunderftanding between 
liim and his colleague, who tranfmitted to the king the 
particulars on which it was founded. iWhether the king 
was fatisfied. that thefe particulars were fabricated by 
the enemies of Gardiner, as the latter maintained, or to 
whatever caufe it might be owing, the blfnop was not 
brought into any trouble on this account during the reign 
of Henry. 
Upon the fall of lord Cromwell, in 1540, Gardiner 
was deeded chancellor of the univerfity of Cambridge, 
and, for a man 'of learning, as he unqueftionably was, 
gave an extraordinnry iiiftance of his attachment to old 
cuiloms a'nd pradtices, however abfurd : for wlicn fir 
John Cheke, who was diflinguiflied for his knowledge 
of the Greek language, attempted to introduce into tlte 
univerfity a reform of the vicious and barbarous pronun¬ 
ciation which then obtained in Eingland, Gardiner, as 
chancellor of the univerfity, interpofed his authority, 
and by a didfatorial edift prohibited tlie improvement, to 
v/liich he gave the name of novelty and innovation, un¬ 
der very fevere penalties. When Cheke, in defence of 
himfelf, alleged the authority of Erafmus and other 
learned foreigners, and obferved that what he had done 
v.’as in vindication of truth; Gardiner exclaimed, “ Quid 
TMi inortaliapeBora cogit veriqueerendi fames!’'’ What does 
not the itcli of fecking out truth compel men to do ! 
And he bade Clieke not to be the author of removing 
“ an evil well placed.” During the year 1543, Gardi¬ 
ner" was one of the corarfiillioners appointed to conclude 
a treaty of peace with Scotland, and to negociale a mar¬ 
riage between the prince of Wales and.the young queen 
of Scotland. But whatever public employments lie was 
engaged in, he never loll fight of a favourable opportu¬ 
nity of impeding the progrefs of the reformation ; and 
he was, conjointly with others, very aflive in bringing 
to the Hake lilveral proteftants of dilliiiguifned zeal and 
charadder; among whom was Mrs. Anne Afeough, a 
lady of unhlemilhed manners ; and, by making her the 
objedt of their perfecution, they hoped to extort confef- 
lions from lier which would lurnilh matter of accul'ation 
againft the duchefs of Sutfoik, the countefs of Sutfex, the 
countefs of Hertford, and other high charadlers, among 
v.(hom were fome of tlie king’s council. Sir George 
Blage, one of the king’s privy-chamber, vras all’o com¬ 
mitted to Newgate, and by a fummary procefscondenined 
10 be burnt, But the king, hearing of it, was greatly 
i N E R. 
offended with Gardiner, and commanded him immedi¬ 
ately to ilfue his pardon. As foon as fir George was re¬ 
leafed, and come into the royal prefence, the king cried 
out, as he was accullomed to call him, “Ah! niypig.”' 
“ Yes,” faid fir George ; “ if your majefly had not been 
better to me than your bifliops, your pig bad been roalled 
ere this time.” 
After the death of Henry VIII. in 1547, biHiop Gar¬ 
diner, refufing to conform to certain homilies, was com¬ 
mitted a clofe prifoner to the Fleet, where he continued 
till the end of the felfion of parliament, when he was 
releafed by the general pardon of Edward VI. though 
he was not charged judicially, with any oflence. Gar- , 
diner, being now at liberty, repaired to his diocefe, 
where, in general, he fo conformed himfelf outwardly 
to the orders of the council, that it was not eafy to hnd 
any advantage againfl him. But Hill he did what lay in 
his power to oppofe the principles of the reformation. 
Of this condufl complaint was made againfl him in the 
council, before vehich he was fummoned in 1548, and 
was committed to the Tower, where he was kept fo clofe 
a prifoner for about two years, that his chaplain was 
only allowed admittance to him once, when he was ill, 
and afterwards refilled, becaufe his life was not thouglit 
to be in danger. In 1551, he was deprived of his blfliop. 
ric, for difobedience and contempt of the king’s autlio- 
rity. Gardiner continued iu the Tower during the re¬ 
mainder of king Edward’s reign ; but the rigor of the 
order of council concerning him appears to have been 
abated, fince in that interval he compofed a variety of 
I,atin poems, tranllated into Engiifli verfe feveral of the 
poetical parts of the Old TeHament, and wrote fome con- 
troverfial trafts. In 1553, king Edward having died in 
the beginning of July, queen Mary made herfolemn en¬ 
try into the Tower; when Gardiner prefented a congra¬ 
tulatory fpecch to her majeHy, and being immediately 
fet at liberty, was received into the highell favour. On 
the 8th day of that month he performed, in the queen’s 
prefence, the Romifh obfequies for the late king Ed¬ 
ward, v/lio was buried at V'eHminHer with the EngliHi 
fervice by archbifhop Cranmer; on the 9th lie refumed 
po.Heflion of WincheHer-houfe., in Soutliwark, after a 
confinement of fome what more than five years ; and on 
the 23d he was declared chancellor of England, v/hen he 
became the queen’s prime-miniller, and was entruHed 
with the chief management of public afliiirs. 
Being thus raifed to the height of power, he deter¬ 
mined, in conformity with the queen’s zealous wilhes, 
and his own inclination, as Ipeedily as polfible to re- 
eHablilh the popifli religion, and to reconcile the king¬ 
dom to the fee of Rome. The ftrll Hep to this end was 
the iffuing of a proclamation, by which all preaching 
tlirougliout the kingdom was prohibited, excepting by 
the queen’s fpecial licence under the great feal. On the 
iH of Oiilober the bifiiop of Winchelter crowned queen 
Mary, when a pardon was proclaimed, from tlie benefit 
of which all the pril'oners in tiieTowerand the Fleet, and 
many others, were excepted, who were chiefly protei- 
tants. On tlie loth of the famemontli Gardiner opened 
the firH parliament in Mary’s reign. In this parliament 
an atl was paffed for confirming the marriage of Catha¬ 
rine of Anagon, tlie queen’s mother, with Henry VIII. 
in the preamble of which the divorce was pronounced 
impious and illegal, and the whole blame of it, agair.H 
all truth and juftice, attributed to arehbifliop Cranmer. 
Bifhop Burnet very truly obferves, that Gardiner, “ in 
tlie drawing of it, fliewed that he was pall all flia^ne : 
when he could frame fuch .an acl, of a bufinefs which he 
himfelf had lb fervilely promoted.” Before the end of 
the year he cauled a bill to be brought into the houfe of 
lords, which, after a debate of fix days in the houfe of 
commons, was at length carried, by which all the laws 
made in king Edward’s time, relating to religion, were 
repealed ; and it was alfo enafted, that there fliould be 
no other form of divine fervice but what had been ufed 
jn 
