BOOK XI.

ACCESSION OF QUEEN MARY, SUBVERSION OF RELIGION, AND PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, DURING HER REIGN.

We now call the attention of the British fence of the religion he professes, in order Protestants to a period of their church his- that he may be able to remove the veil which tory, that cannot fail to awaken in their falsehood has cast over the face of truth. hearts that love for their ancestors, which, Having said thus much, by way of introducat present, we fear, lies dormant in too many. tion, we shall proceed with the Acts and A long career of ease appears to have ob- Monuments of the British Martyrs. literated from their minds the troubles of By the death of king Edward, the crown their generous forefathers, who, for them, devolved, according to law, on his eldest sisbled in every vein-for them, were consign- ter Mary, who was within half a day's joured to the devouring flames in every part of ney to the court, when she had notice given their country; preparing and establishing her by the earl of Arundel, of her brother's for their descendants, by the sacrifice of death, and of the patent for lady Jane's sucthemselves, political and religious liberty. cession. Upon this she retired to FramlingAnd, while we behold, with gratitude and ham, in Suffolk, to be near the sea, that she admiration, the effects of their noble self-de- might escape to Flanders, in case of necesvotion, let us thence learn to appreciate sity. Before she arrived there, she wrote, those blessings which, by the continued on the 9th of July, to the council, telling providence of God, we have so long enjoyed; them, that "she understood that her brother and let us be confirmed more and more in was dead, by which she succeeded to the our determination to resist every attempt, crown, but wondered that she heard not whether by open force or secret fraud, to de- from them; she well understood what conprive us and our descendants of the privi- sultations they had engaged in, but she would leges so dearly purchased. pardon all such as would return to their duty, It has been asserted by the Roman Catho- and proclaim her title to the crown." lics, "That all those who suffered death, It was now found, that the king's death during the reign of queen Mary, had been could be no longer kept a secret; accordadjudged guilty of high treason, in conse-ingly some of the privy council went to quence of their rising in defence of lady lady Jane, and acknowledged her as their Jane Grey's title to the crown." To dis- queen. The news of the king's death af prove this, however, is no difficult matter, flicted her much, and her being raised to the since every one conversant in English his throne, rather increased than lessened her tory must know, that those who are found trouble. She was a person of extraordinary guilty of high treason are to be hanged and abilities, acquirements, and virtues. She quartered. But how can even a papist af- was mistress both of the Greek and Latin firm, that ever a man in England was burn- tongues, and delighted much in study. As ed for high treason? We admit, that some she was not tainted with the levities which few suffered death in the ordinary way of usually accompany her age and station, so process at common law, for their adherence she seemed to have attained to the practice to lady Jane; but none of those were burned. of the highest fortitude; for in those sudden Why, if traitors, were they taken before the turns of her condition, as she was not exalted bishops, who have no power to judge in with the prospect of a crown, so she was criminal cases? Even allowing the bishops little cast down, when her palace was made to have had power to judge, yet their own her prison. The only passion she showed, bloody statute did not empower them to exe- was that of the noblest kind, in the concern cute. The proceedings against the martyrs she expressed for her father and husband, are still extant, and they are carried on di- who fell with her, and seemingly on her acrectly according to the forms prescribed by count; though, in reality, Northumberland's their own statute. Not one of those who ambition, and her father's weakness, ruined were burned in England, was ever accused her.. of high treason, much less were they tried at common law. And this should teach the reader to value a history of transactions in his own country, particularly as it relates to the sufferings of the blessed martyrs in de

*The lady Jane was daughter to the duke of Suffolk, and granddaughter to Mary, sister to Henry king of France, married Charles Brandon, afterVIII., who, on the death of her first husband, the wards created duke of Suffolk.

She rejected the crown, when it was first | When they met there they resolved to deoffered her; she said, she knew that of right clare for queen Mary, and rid themselves of it belonged to the late king's sisters, and Northumberland's yoke, which they knew therefore could not, with a good conscience, they must bear, if he were victorious. They assume it; but she was told, that both the sent for the lord mayor and aldermen, and judges and privy counsellors had declared, easily gained their concurrence; and Mary that it fell to her according to law. This, was proclaimed queen on the 19th of July joined with the importunities of her husband, They then sent to the Tower, requiring the her father, and father-in-law, made her sub- duke of Suffolk to quit the government of mit. Upon this, twenty-one privy counsel- that place, and the lady Jane to lay down lors set their hands to a letter to Mary, tell- the title of queen. To this she submitted ing her that queen Jane was now their sove- with much greatness of mind, and her father reign, and that as the marriage between her with abjectness.

father and mother had been declared null, The council next sent orders to Northumso she could not succeed to the crown; they berland to dismiss his forces, and to obey the therefore required her to lay down her pre- queen. When Northumberland heard this, tensions, and to submit to the settlement he disbanded his forces, went to the marketnow made; and if she gave a ready obedi- place at Cambridge, where he then was, and ence, promised her much favor. The day proclaimed Mary as queen. The earl of after this, they proclaimed Jane. Arundel was sent to apprehend him, and Northumberland's known enmity to the when Northumberland was brought before late duke of Somerset, and the suspicions of him, he, in the most servile manner, fell at his being the author of Edward's untimely his feet to beg his favor. He, with three of death, begot a great aversion in the people his sons and Sir Thomas Palmer, (his wicked to him and his family, and disposed them to tool in the destruction of the duke of Somerfavor Mary; who, in the mean time, was set) were all sent to the Tower. very active in raising forces to support her Every one now flocked to implore the claim. To attach the Protestants to her queen's favor, and Ridley among the rest, cause, she promised not to make any change but he was committed to the Tower; the in the reformed worship, as established un-queen being resolved to put Bonner again in der her brother; and on this assurance a the see of London. Some of the judges, large body of the men of Suffolk joined her and several noblemen, were also sent thither, standard. among the rest the duke of Suffolk; who Northumberland was now perplexed be- was, however, three days after, set at liberty. tween his wish to assume the command of He was a weak man, could do little harm, an army raised to oppose Mary, and his fear and was consequently selected as the first of leaving London to the government of the person towards whom the queen should exert council, of whose fidelity he entertained her clemency.

great doubts. He was, however, at length Mary came to London on the 3d of Au obliged to adopt the latter course, and before gust, and on the way was met by her sister, his departure from the metropolis he adjured lady Elizabeth, with a thousand horse, whom the members of the council, and all persons she had raised to assist the queen. On arin authority, to be stedfast in their attach-riving at the Tower, she liberated the duke ment to the cause of queen Jane, on whose of Norfolk, the duchess of Somerset, and success, he assured them, depended the con- Gardiner; also the lord Courtney, son to the tinuance of the Protestant religion in Eng- marquis of Exeter, who had been kept there land. They promised all he required, and ever since his father's attainder, and whom he departed, encouraged by their protesta- she now made earl of Devonshire. tions and apparent zeal.

Thus was seated on the throne of England Mary's party in the mean time continued the lady Mary, who, to a disagreeable perdaily to augment. Hastings went over to son and weak mind, united bigotry, supersti her with 4000 men out of Buckinghamshire, tion, and cruelty. She seems to have inand she was proclaimed queen in many herited more of her mother's than her father's places. At length the privy council began qualities. Henry was impatient, rough, and to see their danger, and to think how to ungovernable; but Catherine, while she asavoid it; and besides fears for their personal sumed the character of a saint, harbored safety, other motives operated with many of inexorable rancor and hatred against the the members. To make their escape from Protestants. It was the same with her the Tower, where they were detained, osten- daughter Mary, as appears from a letter in sibly to give dignity to the court of queen her own handwriting, now in the British Jane, but really as prisoners, they pretended Museum. In this letter, which is addressed it was necessary to give an audience to the to bishop Gardiner, she declares her fixed foreign ambassadors, who would not meet intention of burning every Protestant; and them in the Tower; and the earl of Pem- there is an insinuation, that as soon as cirbroke's house was appointed for the audience. cumstances would permit, she would restore

back to the church the lands that had been] The other executions that followed were taken from the convents. This was the numerous indeed, but as they were all upon greatest instance of her weakness that she the statute of high treason, they cannot, could show for in the first place the con- with any degree of propriety, be applied to vents had been all demolished, except a few of Protestants, or, as they were then called, their churches; and the rents were in the heretics. The parliament was pliant enough hands of the first nobility, who, rather than to comply with all the queen's requests, and part with them, would have overturned the an act passed to establish the popish religion. government both in church and state. This was what the queen waited for, and

Mary was crowned at Westminster in the power being now put into her hands, she usual form; but dreadful were the conse- was determined to exercise it in the most quences that followed. The narrowness of arbitrary manner. She was destitute of spirit which always distinguishes a weak human compassion, and without the least remind from one that has been enlarged by luctance could tyrannize over the consciences education, pervaded all the actions of this of men. princess. Unacquainted with the constitu

This leads us to the conclusion of the first tion of the country, and a slave to supersti-year of her reign; and we consider it the tion, she thought to domineer over the rights more necessary to take notice of these transof private judgment, and trample on the actions, although not, strictly speaking, marprivileges of mankind. tyrdoms, that our readers might be convinced The first exertion of her regal power was, of the great difference there is between dy. to wreak her vengeance upon all those who ing for religion, and for high treason. It is had supported the title of lady Jane Grey. history alone that can teach them such The first of these was the duke of North- things, and it is reflection only that can umberland, who was beheaded on Tower- make history useful. We frequently read hill, and who, in consequence of his crimes, without 'reflection, and study without conarising from ambition, died unpitied: nay, sideration; but the following portions of our he was even taunted on the scaffold by the history, in particular, will furnish ample maspectators, who knew in what manner he terials for serious thought to our readers, had acted to the good duke of Somerset. and we entreat their attention to them.

SECTION I.

Martyrdoms in the Second Year of Queen Mary's Reign.

THE queen having satiated her malice)

When Edward ascended the throne of upon those persons who had adhered to lady England, Mr. Rogers returned to his native Jane Grey, she had next recourse to those country, and was promoted by bishop Ridley old auxiliaries of popery, fire, fagot, and the to a prebendary of St. Paul's. He was also stake, in order to convert her heretical sub-appointed reader of the divinity lecture in jects to the true Catholic faith. that cathedral, and vicar of St. Sepulchre's. In this situation he continued some years: MARTYRDOM OF THE REV. JOHN ROGERS. and as queen Mary was returning from the Mr. John Rogers, the aged minister of Tower, where she had been imbibing GardiSt. Sepulchre's church, Snow Hill, London, ner's pernicious counsels, Mr. Rogers was was the protomartyr: he was the first sacri- preaching at St. Paul's Cross. He inveighed fice, strictly speaking, offered up in this reign much against popery, expatiated on the many to popery, and led the way for those suf-virtues of the late king Edward, and exferers, whose blood has been the foundation, horted the people to abide in the Protestant honor, and glory of the church of England. religion. This Mr. Rogers had been some time For this sermon he was summoned before chaplain to the English factory at Antwerp. the council; but he vindicated himself so There he became acquainted with Mr. Tin- well, that he was dismissed. dal, and assisted him in his translation of the This lenity shown by the council was New Testament. There were several other rather displeasing to the queen; and Mr. worthy Protestants there at that time, most Rogers's zeal against popery being equal to of whom had been driven out of England, his knowledge and integrity, he was conon account of the persecutions for the six sidered as a person who would prevent the articles in the latter end of the reign of re-establishment of popery.

Henry VIII. Mr. Rogers, knowing that For this reason it was, that he was summarriage was lawful, and even enjoined in moned a second time before the council; and scripture, entered into that state with a vir- although there were many papists among tuous woman, and soon after set out for the members, yet such was the respect al Saxony, in consequence of an invitation to most universally felt for Mr. Rogers, that he that effect. was again dismissed, but was commanded

A Woman and her Infant, tied together in a bag, and thrown into a river in Scotland; and four men hung for eating Goose on a Fast Day-See page 228.

PLATE XXXVII.

The Burning of the Reverend John Rogers, Vicar of St. Sepulchre's, at

40.

Smithfield, A. D, 1555.-See page 264,