drove them from all their intrenchments. Great flaughter was committed upon these deluded creatures, both in the action and the purfuit. Arundel their leader, and several others, were fent to London, where they were condemned and executed. Many of the inferior fort were put to death by martial law. The vicar of St. Thomas, one of the principal incendiaries, was hanged on the top of his own fteeple, arrayed in his popish habits, with his beads at his girdle.

The fedition of Norfolk appeared still more alarming. The infurgents there amounted to twenty thousand men; and as their forces were numerous, their demands were exorbitant. They required the fuppreffion of the gentry, and placing new counsellors about the king, and the establishment of their ancient rights. One Ket, a tanner, had affumed the priority among them; he erected his tribunal near Norwich, under an old oak, which was termed the Oak of Reformation. He afterwards undertook the fiege of Norwich, which having reduced, he imprifoned the mayor, and fome of the principal citizens. The marquis of Northampton was firft fent down against them, but met with a repulfe; the earl of Warwick followed foon after, at the head of fix thousand men, and foon coming to a general engagement, put them entirely to the rout. Two thoufand of them fell in the fight and purfuit; Ket was hanged at Norwich caftle; nine of his followers on the boughs of the Oak of Reformation; and the infurrection, which was the last in favour of popery, was thus intirely fuppreffed.

But though the fuppreffion of thefe infurrections feemed to be very favourable to the interests of the protector, yet the authority which the earl of Warwick gained in quelling that of Norfolk, terminated in Somerfet's ruin. Of all the mini

fters,

fters, at that time in the council, Dudley, earl of Warwick, was the most artful, ambitious, and unprincipled. Refolved at any rate to poffefs the principal place under the king, he cared not what means were to be used in acquiring it. However, unwilling to throw off the mafk, he covered the moft exorbitant views under the fairest appearances. Having affociated himself with the earl of Southampton, he formed a strong party in the council, who were determined to free themselves from the controul the protector affumed over them. That nobleman was, in fact, now grown obnoxious to a very prevailing party in the kingdom. He was hated by the nobles for his fuperior magnificence and power; he was hated by the Catholic party for his regard to the Reformation; he was difliked by many for his severity to his brother; befides the great estate he had raised, at the expence of the church and the crown, rendered him obnoxious to all. The palace which he was then building in the Strand, ferved alfo by its magnificence, and still more by the unjuft methods that were taken to raise it, to expose him to the cenfures of the public. The parish church of St. Mary, with three bishops houses, were pulled down to furnish ground and materials for the structure. Several other churches were demolished, to have their stones employed to the fame purpose; and it was not without an infurrection, that the parishioners of St. Margaret's, Westminster, prevented their church from being pulled down to make room for the new fabric.

Thefe imprudencies were foon exaggerated and enlarged upon by Somerfet's enemies. They reprefented him as a parricide, a facrilegious tyrant, and an unjut ufurper upon the privileges of the council and the rights of the king. In confequence of this, the lord St. John, prefident of the

council,

council, the earls of Warwick, Southampton, and Arundel, with five counfellors more, met at Elyhoufe; and affuming to themfelves the whole power of the council, began to act independent of the protector, whom they pretendOctob. 6. ed to confider as the author of every 1549. public grievance. They wrote letters to the chief nobility and gentry of England, informing them of the prefent measures, and requiring their affiftance. They fent for the mayor and aldermen of London, and enjoined them to concur in their measures, which they reprefented as the only means of faving the nation. The next day feveral others of the council joined the feceding members; and the protector now began to tremble, not for his authority, but his life.

He had no fooner been informed of these transactions, than he fent the king to Windfor, and armed the inhabitants of Hampton and Windfor alfo for his fecurity. But finding that no man of rank, except Cranmer and Paget, adhered to him, and that the people did not rife at his fummons, perceiving that he was in a manner deserted by all, and that all refiftance was fruitless, he refolved to apply to his enemies for pardon. This gave freth ftrength and confidence to the party of Warwick; they affured the king, with the humbleft profeffions of obedience, that their only aim was to put the council on the fame footing on which it had been ordained by the will of their late fovereign, and to refcue his authority from the hands of a man who had affumed all power to himself. The king, who never much cared for Somerfet, gave their addrefs a favourable reception; and the protector was fent to the tower, with fome of his friends and partizans, among whom was Cecil, afterwards earl of Salisbury. Mean while the council ordered fix lords to act as governors to the

king, two at a time officiating alternately. It was then, for the first time, that the earl of Warwick's ambition began to appear in full fplendor; he fet himself forward as the principal promoter of the protector's ruin, and the other members without the leaft oppofition permitted him to affume the reins of government.

It was now fuppofed that Somerset's fate was fixed, as his enemies were numerous, and the charges against him of the most heinous nature. The chief article of which he was accufed, was his ufurpation of the government, and the taking all power into his own hands; feveral others of a flighter tint were added to invigorate this accufation, but none of them could be faid to amount to the crime of high treafon. In confequence of the fe a bill of attainder was preferred against him in the house of lords; but Somerset contrived, for this time to elude the rigour of their fentence, by having previously, on his knees, confeffed the charge before the members of the council. This confeffion, which he figned with his own hand, was alleged and read against him at the bar of the houfe, who once more fent a deputation to him, to know, whether the confeffion was voluntary or extorted. Somerset thanked them for their candour; owned that it was his voluntary act, but ftrenuously infifted, that he had never harboured a finifter thought against the king or the commonwealth. In confequence of this confeffion, he was deprived of all his offices and goods, together with a great part of his landed eftate, which was forfeited to the ufe of the crown. This fine on his eftate was soon after remitted by the king, and Somerset once more, contrary to the expectation of all, recovered his liberty. He was even re-admitted into the council; happy for him, if his ambition had not revived with his fecurity.

The

The catholics were extremely elevated at the protector's fall; and they began to entertain hopes of a revolution in their favour. But they were miftaken in their opinion of Warwick, who now took the lead, as ambition was the only principle in his breaft; and to that he was refolved to facrifice all others. He foon gave inftances of his difregard of religious points, by his permitting Gardiner to undergo the penalties prescribed against difobedience. Many of the prelates, and he among the reft, though they made fome compliances, were ftill addicted to their ancient communion. A refolution was therefore taken to deprive them of their fees; and it was thought proper to begin with him, in order to ftrike a terror into the relt. He had been now for two years in prifon, for having refused to inculcate the duty of obedience to the king during his minority; and the council took this opportunity to fend him several articles to fubfcribe, among which was one, acknowledging the justice of the order for his confinement. He was likewife to own, that the king was fupreme head of the church; that the power of making and difpenfing with holidays was a part of the prerogative; and that the Common Prayer Book was a godly and commendable forın. Gardiner was willing to put his hand to all the articles, except that by which he accufed himself, which he refused to do, juftly perceiving that their aim was either to ruin or difhonour him. For this offence he was deprived of his bishopric, committed to close cuftody; his books and papers were seized; all company was denied him; and he was not even permitted the use of pen and ink. This feverity, in fome measure, countenanced thofe which this prelate had afterwards an opportunity of retaliating when he came into power.

But