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It had been well if the zealous friends of the Reformation had confined themselves to these rational modes of propagating their faith. But it must be conceded, with mingled shame and regret, that the reformers themselves partook so much of the intolerant spirit of the age, as to become in their turu sanguinary persecutors. Not only were Gardiner, Bonner, and other strenuous defenders of the old religion, silenced and shut up in prison -not only was the princess Mary denied the free exercise of her religion-measures which probably were justified on the principles of state policy: but in some instances, persons accused of heresy perished in the flames, and others who maintained the pope's supremacy were executed as traitors. No part, however, of the blame of these sanguinary deeds attaches to the amiable and pious young prince, who then occupied the throne; for it is recorded to his honour, that when Cranmer pressed him to sign the death-warrant of a deluded fanatic, he persisted long in refusing, and at last signed it with many tears, saying to the archbishop, "I do this, my lord, "because I am under your authority-if I do wrong, "( you must answer before God for the offence."

A considerable portion of this reign was disturbed by civil commotions. The cause of these insurrections has not been clearly ascertained. They were probably excited in part by the seditious conduct of the friars, who, having been expelled from their monasteries, were blended with the mass of the people, whose passions they endeavoured but too successfully to inflame. Or they may have been partly occasioned by the violence which had recently been offered to deeply-rooted popular prejudices, in the destruction of images, and the abolition of ancient religious ceremonies. There were, at the same time, insurrections in Wiltshire, Devonshire, Hampshire Sussex, Kent, Norfolk, &c.; but as they were not conducted by any leaders of talent and influence, they were easily quelled by the active valour of the earl of Warwick, and other distinguished chiefs. The protector, who had always leaned to the popular party, as that by which alone he could restrain a turbulent aristocracy, sincerely aimed at satisfying the claims, and redressing the grievances of the disaffected populace. But instead of

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accomplishing this object, he armed against himself the resentments both of the higher and lower classes.

The earl of Warwick took advantage of this temporary unpopularity of the protector, to hurl him from that dignified station, which he had filled and adorned. The greater part of the council basely deserted this patriotic statesman and left him to the mercy of his adversaries. He was first charged with a long catalogue of stateoffences; but whether his judges were softened by his mild demeanour, or whether Warwick was not as yet resolved to adopt extreme measures, he was again liberated from confinement, though deprived of all his offices. But the aspiring chief who had supplanted him, did not feel secure till he had effected his ruin, After the lapse of a little more than a year from his first trial, the duke of Somerset was again apprehended, and convicted under a statute of Henry VII., which made it a capital offence to conspire the death of a privy-councillor. For this alleged offence, this distinguished nobleman was sentenced to an ignominious, death. Before he suffered, the tide of popularity turned strongly in his favour, and nothing but his earnest entreaties prevented the multitude, assembled to witness his execution, from attempting his rescue. He died with composure and resignation, amidst the regrets and lamentations of myriads of spectators, who bewailed the event as a national calamity,

The removal of this popular rival opened a wide field for the ambition of the earl of Warwick, who now became president of the council, and governor to the king. His elevation at first revived the hopes of the catholics; but it soon appeared, that his zeal in prosecuting the work of reformation was not inferior to that of his illustrious predecessor, though upon far different grounds. Perceiving the cordial attachment of his royal ward to the protestant cause, he resolved to ingratiate himself with his sovereign, by promoting its interests. Many of the prelates and beneficed clergy, who were suspected of attachment to the church of Rome were deprived of their dignities and emoluments. The university libraries also were robbed of many of their literary stores, under

the pretence of purging them from their missals, legends, and catholic relics.

But whilst exhibiting this zeal for the Reformation, the duke of Northumberland was not unmindful of his

personal and family interests. The king's health began, about this time, visibly to decline, and the most serious apprehensions were entertained, that the hopes of the nation would be cut off by his premature death. Edward was not insensible to his danger; but his chief solicitude was, to secure the succession in a protestant line. With this view he determined to exclude both the princess Mary, whose bigoted attachment to the church of Rome had been apparent from her earliest childhood, and the princess Elizabeth, whose religious principles were as yet either unformed or carefully concealed and bequeathed the crown to the lady Jane Grey, who was the granddaughter of Mary queen of France, the younger sister of Henry VIII.

This arrangement suggested to Northumberland a plan for the aggrandizement of his family and the continuance of his authority. No sooner were the letterspatent, which fixed the succession to Lady Jane Grey and her heirs, drawn up by the judges, and signed by the privy-council, than he developed his ambitious project, by marrying his fourth son, lord Guildford Dudley, to that excellent lady. The disease with which the king languished increased rapidly, and became so alarming as to threaten immediate dissolution. A female empiric was called in, whose injudicious treatment accelerated its progress, and aggravated its distressing symptoms. After several months of lingering sickness, during which the pious young monarch had manifested the habitual influence of those christian principles which he had early imbibed, he expired on the 6th of July, 1553, in the sixteenth year of his age, and seventh of his reign. Thus was plucked by the ruthless hand of death, ere yet it had fully expanded its blossom, one of the loveliest flowers that ever adorned an earthly palace.

Burnet's History of the Reformation. Fox's Acts and Mo Rymer. Strype. Stowe. Hollingshed, &c. &c.

REFLECTIONS.

How impenetrably mysterious are many of the dispensations of divine Providence! To fallible mortals like ourselves, nothing could have appeared more desirable, and even necessary to the prosecution of the good work, which had been auspiciously begun, than that so hopeful and valuable a life as that of Edward should have been prolonged to distant years, in order that the tender plant of the Reformation might be nurtured by his pious care, and protected from violence by his high authority. Had we lived in that age, we should have been ready to say, "Surely the Supreme "Head of the church, the Sovereign of the Universe, "will not permit a cause so sacred to be abandoned " a work so much his own to come to nought. Surely "he will prolong the king's life, and his years as many "generations." Such, it cannot be doubted, were the hopes fondly cherished by thousands of protestant christians, during the minority of this excellent prince. Thus did they anticipate, it may be with an undue and presumptuous confidence, that they should long continue to sit under their "vines and fig-trees," enjoying the protection of a pious sovereign, and the sanction of christian rulers.

But the ways of Jehovah are not like our ways, nor are his thoughts like ours. It becomes us not to pry, with vain and impious curiosity, into his hidden purposes; or confidently to affirm, why it is that nations are visited with calamities like these: for, whatever may be the "end of the Lord" in such dispensations, it is scarcely possible to conceive of a heavier national calamity, than the early death of a truly pious sovereign. Yet if the inquiry be pursued with an humble and devout mind, it may not be unprofitable to inquire into the reasons of the divine conduct, as far as they are developed either in the volume of inspiration, or by the course of events.

May it not be the design of an infinitely wise and

gracious Being, in the early removal of such tender and lovely plants, that they might be sheltered from the storms to which their elevated situation must of necessity expose them, and that their beauties may expand and bloom for ever in the celestial paradise? In the mean time, it may be necessary, that they who cleave to these endeared objects, should be taught by an event, which blasts all their earthly hopes, and withers all their temporal enjoyments-not to lean upon an arm of flesh-not to look for victory by their "own sword and bow"-not to vaunt themselves, and say, "our own hands have saved us." It may, too, have been necessary, in the case to which these remarks refer, that the ostentatious zeal of the mere time-serving courtier, should be distinguished from the pious and devoted zeal of the sincere Christian -that the wheat should be winnowed, and thus separated from the chaff, among which it lay concealed-and that the dross of false profession should be consumed in a fiery furnace. If it were so-if ends like these were really answered, by what may appear to have been the premature death of an amiable and pious prince-shall we not say, "It is well. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." But even though no such fruits should appear-though clouds and thick darkness should still continue to cover the face of his throne, who administers the affairs of the universe; it becomes us to rest in an humble, but unshaken, conviction, that "the Judge of all the earth must do right," and that "what we know not now, we shall know hereafter."

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ESSAY VII.

The Reign of MARY I.

A. D. 1553-1558.

THERE were two royal testaments at the death of Edward VI., relative to the succession to the crown,

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