This minifter, with the confent of the council, had affembled fome troops at Newmarket, had fet on foot new levies in London, and appointed the duke of Suffolk general of the army, that he might himself continue with, and overawe the deliberations of the council. But he was turned from, this manner of managing his affairs, by confidering how unfit Suffolk was to head the army; fo that he was obliged himself to take upon him the military command. It was now, therefore, that the council being free from his influence, and, no longer dreading his immediate authority, began to declare against him. Arundel led the oppofition, by reprefenting the injuftice and cruelty of Northumberland, and the exorbitancy of his ambition. Pembroke feconded him with declarations, that he was ready to fight all of a contrary opinion; the mayor and aldermen, who were fent for, readily came into the fame measures; the people expreffed their approbation by fhouts and applaufes; and even Suffolk himself, finding all refiftance fruitless, threw open the gates of the Tower, and joined in the general cry. Mary's claims now became irrefiftible, and in a little time The found herself at the head of forty thousand men; while the few who attended Northumberland, continued irrefolute, and he even feared to lead, them to the encounter.

Nor

Lady Jane, thus finding that all was loft, refigned her royalty, which he had held but ten days, with marks of real fatisfaction, and retired. with her mother to their own habitation. thumberland, alfo, who found his affairs defperate, and that it was impoffible to ftem the tide of popular oppofition, attempted to quit the kingdom; but he was prevented by the band of penfioner guards, who informed him that he must ftay

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to juftify their conduct in being led out againft their lawful fovereign. Thus circumvented on all fides, his cunning was now his only resource; and he began by endeavouring to recommend himself to Mary, by the most extravagant proteftations of zeal in her fervice. He repaired to the marketplace in Cambridge, and proclaiming her queen of England, was the first to throw up his cap in token of joy. But he reaped no advantage from this mean duplicity; he was the next day arrested in the queen's name by the earl of Arundel, at whose feet he fell upon his knees, begging protection with the most abject fubmiffion. His three fons, his brother, and fome more of his followers were arrefted with him, and committed to the Tower of London. Soon after, the lady Jane Gray, the duke of Suffolk her father, and lord Guilford Dudley her husband, were made prifoners by or der of the queen, whofe authority was now confirmed by univerfal affent.

Northumberland was the first who fuffered for oppofing her, and was the perfon who deferved punishment the moft. When brought to his trial, he openly defired permiffion to afk two questions of the peers, who were appointed to fit on his jury;! "whether a man could be guilty of treafon, who obeyed orders given him by the council under the great feal? and, whether thofe who were involved in the fame guilt with himfelf could act as his judges?" Being told that the great feal of an ufurper was no authority; and that his judges were proper, as they were unimpeached, he acquiefced, and pleaded guilty. At his execution, he owned himself a papift; and exhorted the people to return to the catholic faith, as they hoped for happiness and tranquillity. Sir John Gates, and Sir Thomas Palmer, two infamous tools of

his

his power, fuffered with him; and the queen's refentment was appeafed by the lives of three men, who had forfeited them by feveral former crimes. Sentence was pronounced against lady Jane, and lord Guilford, but without any intention for the present of putting it in execution; the youth and innocence of the perfons, neither of whom had reached their feventeenth year, pleading powerfully in their favour.

Mary now entered London, and with very little effufion of blood, faw herself joyfully proclaimed, and peaceably fettled on the throne. This was the crifis of British happiness; a queen whofe right was the moft equitable, in fome meafure elected by the people, the ariftocracy of the laft reign almott wholly fuppreffed, the house of commons by this means reinftated in its ancient authority, the pride of the clergy humbled, and their vices detected, peace abroad, and unanimity at home. This was the flattering profpect of Mary's acceffion, but foon this pleafing phantom was diffolved. Mary was morofe, and a bigot; fhe was refolved to give back their former power to the clergy; and thus once more to involve the kingdom in all the horrors it had just emerged from. The queen had promised the men of Suffolk, who firit came to declare in her favour, that she would fuffer religion to remain in the fituation in which the found it. This promife, however, the by no means intended to perform; fhe had determined on bringing the fentiments of the people to correfpond with her own; and her extreme ignorance rendered her utterly incapable of doubting her own belief, or of granting indulgence to the doubts of others. Gardiner, Bonner, Tonftal, Day, Heathe, and Vefey, who had been confined, or fuffered loffes for their catholic opinions, during the late reigns, were taken from prifon, re-inflated in their fees,

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and their former fentences repealed. On pretenee of difcouraging controversy, the filenced, by her prerogative, all preachers throughout England, except fuch as should obtain a particular licence; which fhe was previoufly determined to grant only to thofe of her own perfuafion. Men now, therefore, forefaw that the Reformation was to be overturned; and though the queen ftill pretended that she would grant a general toleration, yet no great favour could be expected by those who were hateful to her from inveterate prejudices.

The firft ftep that caufed an alarm among the proteftants, was the fevere treatment of Cranmer, whofe moderation, integrity, and virtues, had made him dear, even to most of the catholic party. A report being fpread, that this prelate, in order to make his court to the queen, had promifed ta officiate in the Latin fervice, he drew up a declaration, in which he entirely cleared himself of the afperfion indeed, but incurred what was much more terrible, the queen's refentment. On the publication of this paper, Cranmer was thrown into prifon, and tried for the part he acted, in concurring among the reft of the council, to exalt lady Jane, and fet afide the rightful fovereign. This guilt he had in fact incurred; but as it was fhared with a large body of men, moft of whom were not only uncenfured, but even taken into favour, the malignancy of the profecution was eafily feen through. Sentence of high treafon was therefore, pronounced against him; but it was not then executed, as this venerable man was reférved for a more dreadful punifhment. Shortly after, Peter Martyr, a German reformer, who had in the late reign been invited over to England, seeing how things were likely to go, defired leave to return to his native country. But the zeal of the catholics, though he had efcaped them, was malignantly, though

though harmlessly, wrecked upon the body of his wife, which had been interred fome years before at Oxford. It was dug up by public order, A. D. and buried in a dunghill. The bones alfo of Bucer and Fagius, two foreign reform- 1553. ers, were about the fame time committed to the. flames at Cambridge. The greater part of the foreign proteftants, took early precautions to leave the kingdom; and many of the arts and manufactures, which they fuccefsfully advanced, fled with them. Nor were their fears without foundation; a parliament, which the queen called foon after, feemed willing to concur in all her meafures; they at one blow repealed all the ftatutes with regard to religion, which had paffed during the reign of her predeceffor; fo that the national religion was again placed on the fame footing, on which it stood at the death of Henry the eighth.

While religion was thus returning to its primitive abuses, the queen's minifters, who were willing to ftrengthen her power by a catholic alliance, had been for fome time looking out for a proper confort. The perfon on whom her own affections feemed chiefly placed was the earl of Devonthire; but that nobleman either difliking her perfon, or having already placed his affections on her fifter Elizabeth, neglected all overtures to fuch an alliance. Cardinal Pole, who, though invested with that ecclefiaftical dignity, was still a layman, and a perfon of high character of virtue, generolity, and attachment to the catholic religion, was next thought, of. But as he was in the decline of life, the queen foon dropped all thoughts of him. The perfon laft thought of, and who fucceeded,, vas Philip, prince of Spain, and fon of the celebrated Charles the fifth. In order to avoid as much as poffible any difagreeable remonftrances from the people, the articles of marriage were drawn as favourably

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