Life of Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury

Religion Tract Society, 56, Paternoster Row.

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LIFE

THOMAS CRANMER.

THE FIRST PROTESTANT ARCHBISHOP
OF CANTERBURY.

LONDON :

THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY:

Instituted 1 799.

D'ft

3)7

•8

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Birth and education of Cranmer— Led to study the Scrip-
tures— Marries a gentleman's daughter, who dies — He is
re-elected to the fellowship of his former college, appointed
divinity lecturer, and made doctor of divinity — Declines
the offer of preferment in Wolsey's new foundation at
Oxford — Is appointed by the university one of the public
lecturers in theology — Interview with Fox and Gardiner —
His opinion as to the king's divorce — Writes a treatise at
the king's command respecting the divorce — Sent by the
king on an embassy to Rome— Proceeds as ambassador to
Charles v. — Mariies the niece of Osiander, pastor of
Nuremberg— His transactions in Germany— Is recalled
from Germany to receive the archbishopric of Canterbury —
Is consecrated after interposing his protest against the
papal authority. page 7

CHAPTER II.

Henry vin. marries Anne Boleyn — Cranmer pronounces the
divorce of Henry from Catharine, and denies that he mar-
ried Henry to Anne Boleyn — Crowns her — Indignation of
the partisans of Rome at Cranmer's conduct — The pope
pronounces the marriage with Anne Boleyn invalid — Abor-
tive attempt of the French king to effect a reconciliation
between Henry and the pope, who excommunicates him —
Difficulties of Cranmer's position — Endeavours to save the
lives of sir Thomas More and bishop Fisher— Elizabeth
Barton, the nun of Kent — The parliament invests Henry
vin. with ecclesiastical as well as spiritual supremacy —
Cranmer denies the supremacy of the pope, and asserts
the authority of the word of God page 24

CHAPTER III.

Prejudices of the clergy against the Reformation— Opposi-
tion of Gardiner and Stokesley — Cranmer sends Tyndale's
Bible to the bishops for revision — Refusal of Stokesley to
revise the Acts of the Apostles — Cranmer's reply, -and
failure of his purpose — Negotiations of the Protestant
princes of Germany — Bull of Pius in. against Henry
viii., which defeats the purposes lor which it was issued
and intended — Cranmer advances Latimer and others —
Cromwell made vice gerent in ecclesiastical affairs— Dis-
solution of i he monasteries — Fall of Anne Boleyn — Cran-
mer forbidden to approach the king — His letter to him on
the queen's behalf — The king's sentiments towards him
unchanged — The king marries Jane Seymour. . page 44
A 2

IV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

Rejoicings at Rome on the death of Anne Boleyn — New
acts for the succession, and renouncing the power of
the pope — Debates in convocation— Alexander Aless —
Definition of justification by faith — The articles un-
satisfactory both to Protestants and Papists— The Bible
to be placed in churches — Protestation of the king against
the council then summoned— The Bishops' Book— The
king retains his regard for Cranmer notwithstanding the
increasing opposition against him — Matthew's Bible, page 5$

CHAPTER V.

Birth of Edward vi., and death of Jane Seymour — The
education of Edward vi. entrusted to Cranmer — Sup-
pression of the monasteries — Cranmer foiled in his
purpose of education for the people — Eagerness of the
people to read the Bible — Proclamation to restrain debates
on religious topics — Honours of Thomas a Becket
abolished — The fraud discovered upon the opening of his
shrine — The bull of excommunication issued — The
dominions of Henry viu. offered by the pope to the
king of Scotland — Declarations of the bishops against the
pope — Address of Cranmer to the king for a further
reformation— Cranmer's endeavours to procure a con-
ference between the German ambassadors and the English
divines frustrated — Intrigues of Gardiner, Tonstal, and
Stokesley — Cranmer still a believer in the Romish doc-
trine of the sacrament— The errors of eminent men left
on record for instruction to others . . . page 70

CHAPTER VI.

Proceedings against Lambert, who appeals to the king —
His trial, condemnation, and execution — Cranmer's con-
duct with reference to two anabaptists, who were burned
for heresy — His firmness in resisting the king's misappli-
cation of church property — Bonner raised to the bench —
Act of the Six Articles — Cranmer's opposition to it in
parliament — He refuses to retire from the debate, though
desired by the king to do so — Latimer and Shaxton resign
their bishoprics, and are committed to prison — Cranmer's
distress of mind — The king's message to the archbishop
— His reply — Prospect of a marriage with Anne of Cleves
— The king's antipathy to her — Both parliament and
convocation concur in the dissolution of the marriage —
Cromwell is brought to trial — Cranmer intercedes for
him — Cromwell is executed— Cranmer's firmness in
opposing an intended popish formulary — Fidelity of the

CONTENTS. V

king to him at this time, and afterwards— Proclamation
to enforce the placing of the Bible in churches— A new
edition of the Bible published with a preface written
by Cranmer— His conduct in the case of Catherine
Howard. page 87

CHAPTER VII.

Attempts of the papists for a revision of the Bible— Oppo-
sition of Cranmer to their efforts — Henry vm. consents
to the prohibition of Tyndale's Bible, which remains in
force for the rest of that king's life — The King's Book —
Cranmer's wishes again obstructed— Visitation of his
diocese — Abortive conspiracy for his ruin, and that of
Catharine Parr, on the part of Gardiner, who loses the
favour of the king— Act for mitigating the Six Articles-
English Litany— Another fruitless plot against^ranmer,
and the last during the Hie of Henry vui.— Death of
Henry vui. page 106

CHAPTER VIII.

Unsettled state of religion at the time of Henry vmth's
death — Difficulty of the archbishop's position — A commis-
sion issued to the bishops — Cranmer's address to Edward
vi. at his coronation — Persecution under the Six Articles
terminated — Gardiner disgraced, but still opposes Cran-
mer— Visitation of the whole kingdom resolved upon —
Preparation of Homilies — Translation of the Paraphrase of
Erasmus— Continued opposition of Gardiner — His disputes
with Cranmer — Is imprisoned during the remainder of
Edward vith's reign— Opposition of Bonner, who is also
imprisoned — Cranmer's influence predominant in the con-
vocation— An act for the sacrament in both kinds— Act of
the Six Articles and other persecuting statutes repealed —
Religious dissensions — Order of council respecting reli-
gious dissensions— Cranmer's views of the sacrament un-
dergo a change — Submits questions to the bishops respect-
ing the mass — Their answers neither clear nor decisive
— Steps for converting the mass into a communion
service — Disorders attending the introduction of these
changes— Cranmer's designs not tinged with mercenary
motives page 117

CHAPTER IX.

Cranmer's unceasing activity — His translation of Justus
Jonas' Catechism led to the rejection of transubstantiation
by Ridley— The English liturgy — Aversion of the
Romanists to the new ritual — Their rebellion in Devon-
shire and Cornwall— Cranmer replies to the rebels — Variety
of pernicious opinions — Burning of Joan Bocher — Cran-
mer had no share in it — Attainder of the Protector Somer-
set— New formulary of ordination — Cranmer entertains

VI CONTENTS.

learned foreigners at Lambeth — Bucer and Fagius ap-
pointed to professorships at Cambridge, where they i-oon
die— Bishop Hooper refuses to wear the episcopal vest-
ments— Degradation of Gardiner — Gardiner's answer to
Cranmer's " Defence of the true Doctrine of the Sacra-
ment"— Craumer replies to it — His revision of the English
liturgy— Cranmer occupied in framing the articles of
religion — These articles intended to oppose the decrees of
the Council of Trent — Project for a reformation of the
ecclesiastical laws — Death of Edward vi. — His last
prayer page 132

CHAPTER X.

Sorrowful presentiments of Cranmer and the Reformers —
Opposed to the design of making the lady Jane Grey
queen — Duplicity of queen Mary — Restoration of Gardi-
ner, who is made chancellor — Many of the Reformers,
anticipating persecution, leave the country — Cranmer
recommends this course to his friends, but refuses to
adopt it himself— He is summoned before the council and
committed to the Tower — Offers to defend the doctrines
of the Reformation — Act for confirming the marriage of
Henry vin. with Catharine of Aragon, and the legiti-
macy of the Queen— Cranmer attainted of high treason —
Led through London — Address to the people — Cranmer,
Ridley, and Latimer confined in the same room — They are
removed to Oxford — Cranmer's disputations there —
Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley condemned — Cranmer
writes a letter to the council — Treachery of Wesiori re-
specting the delivery of it — The execution of the Re-
formers delayed— Cranmer reserved for another trial upon
the revival of the pope's authority — Courage of the Re-
formers page 149

CHAPTER XI.

A commission issued to try Ridley and Latimer — Their mar-
tyrdom—Authority obtained from Rome for the trial of
Cranmer — His examination before Brokes, bishop of Glou-
cester— Cranmer defends himself — The process against him
closed— Cited to appear at Home in eighty days — Sentenced
to excommunication at Rome — The pope's letter for exe-
cution of the sentence — Degradation of Cranmer— His ap-
peals to a general council disregarded — The queen solicited
to spare Ids life — Her rancorous feelings against him — His
recantations — Order for his execution — Is taken to St.
Mary's church previously to his death— Proceedings there
— His demeanour and prayer— Retracts his recantations —
Bewilderment of his persecutors— Cranmer is hurried to
execution -His behaviour at the stake— Reflections upon
his character and fate page 171

LIFE OF CHANMER.

CHAPTER I.

Birth and education of Cranmer— Led to study the Scriptures-
Marries a gentleman's daughter, who dies — He is re-elected
to the fellowship of his former college, appointed Divinity
lecturer, and made doctor of divinity— Declines the offer of
preferment in Wolsey's new foundation at Oxford— Is
appointed by the university one of the public lecturers in
theology— Interview with Fox^nd Gardiner— His opinion as
to the king's divorce— Writes a treatise at the king's
command respecting the divorce — Sent by the king on an
embassy to Rome — Proceeds as ambassador to Charles v. —
Marries the niece of Osiander, pastor of Nuremberg— His
transactions in Germany— Is recalled from Germany to
receive the archbishopric of Canterbury — Is consecrated after
interposing his protest against the papal authority.

THOMAS CRANMER, the first Protestant arch-
bishop of Canterbury, was born July 2, 1489,
at Aslacton, in the county of Nottingham.
He was the second son of a gentleman whose
family had, for several generations, lived in
that county, and traced their descent to
"one who had come in with the conqueror."
But little information has been transmitted

8 LIFE OP

to posterity respecting his boyhood, except
that " he was put to learn his grammar of a
rude parish clerk," and was permitted by his
father to follow "the civil and gentlemanlike
exercises," as they were termed, of that day,
which consisted of diversions of hunting and
hawking, and skill in the use of the bow.

In the all-wise dispensations of Providence,
it pleased God to remove his father from this
world whilst the subject of this memoir was
yet very young ; but his mother, who appears
to have designed him for the priesthood, 'sent
him at the early age of fourteen (A.D. 1503)
to Cambridge. Here he became a proficient
in the subtleties of the scholastic philosophy
of the day, and chiefly occupied his time, till
he was twenty-two years of age, in acquiring
a knowledge of the most acute questionists
of the Roman Catholic church, as well as
of the writings of Erasmus and other cele-
brated Latin authors. These pursuits he
continued till the year 1519, when his atten-
tion was called to the study of the Scriptures,
by the then prevailing religious controversies
in Germany, which had their origin in the
activity, faithfulness, and zeal, of that eminent
reformer and man of God, MARTIN LUTHER.

CRANMER. 9

For three years, Cranmer continued this
occupation, " forasmuch as he perceived he
could not judge indifferently in any weighty
matters without a knowledge of the Holy
Scriptures ; therefore, before he was infected
by any man's opinions or errors, he applied
his whole study therein ;" and after this " he
gave his mind to the study of good writers,
both new and old, not rashly running over
them ; for he was a slow reader, but a diligent
marker of whatsoever he read, seldom reading
without pen in hand."

About this time, Cranmer first began to
evince a distaste for the pretensions of the
Romish church, and a disbelief in its doc-
trines. He studied the Scriptures attentively,
and, probably, the questions that began to
arise in his mind from this sacred source in
relation to the papistical creed, may have been
partially solved from a consideration of the
works of Wycliffe, the great pioneer, or, as
he has frequently been called, " the morning
star of the reformation."

To this object he certainly devoted himself
with assiduity and care, until the time of his
proceeding to the university degree of doctor
of divinity, which took place about the year

A3

10 LIFE OF

1523, when he had reached his thirty-fourth
year. Several years before, Cranmer gave
the first practical proof of the doubts he en-
tertained respecting one, at least, of the most
notoriously erroneous articles of the Roman
Catholic creed, — the celibacy of the priesthood ;
for he married a gentleman's daughter, and
thereby forfeited his fellowship at Jesus
College, to which he had been elected about
the year 1510 or 1511. This act did not,
however, disqualify him from taking the
appointment of reader or lecturer in Bucking-
ham (now Magdalen) College, which he
obtained immediately upon his marriage, and
held for nearly twelve months until the death
of his wife.

Cranmer made no attempt to conceal his
marriage, and immediately afterwards betook
himself to the office of instructing others,
remaining at Cambridge, where he was in no
way disowned for having made an unworthy
connexion, as has been continually asserted
by his adversaries, who gave out that he had
privately married one Joan, a person of low
condition, "surnamed Black or Brown,
dwelling at the sign of the Dolphin." This
report seems to have originated from his

CRANMER.

11

having placed his wife at an inn called the
Dolphin, the mistress of which was her
cousin, in order that he might be near at
hand to apply himself with greater diligence
to the duties of his new appointment. "By
reason whereof, and for his open resort unto
his wife at that inn, he was marked by some
popish merchants ; whereupon arose the
glanderous noise and report against him, after
he was preferred to the archbishopric of
Canterbury, raised up by the malicious disdain
of certain malignant adversaries to Christ
and his truth, bruiting abroad everywhere,
that he was but an hostler, and, therefore,
without all good learning." So far, however,
from this being the fact, the reputation of his
learning had become so extensively circulated
during the brief term of his married life, that,
immediately upon his wife's decease, he was
reinstated in his fellowship at Jesus College,
and made reader of the divinity lecture, as
well as doctor of divinity.

Many propositions were now made to him
to accept a more advantageous position, not
the least of which was the urgent invitation
of the agents of cardinal Wolsey, in the year
1524, that he would join the new foundation

12 LIFE OF

at Oxford, for the promotion of which the
cardinal was anxious to select the most
eminent scholars and divines of that day.
At first, he was inclined to listen to their pro-
posals, but, after weighing every consideration,
he, at length, respectfully declined the honour
pressed upon him.

In consequence of his faithful discharge of
the duties of divinity lecturer in his own col-
lege, he was now chosen by the university one
of the public examiners in theology, and, by
his conduct in this capacity, he undoubtedly
contributed to forward the after progress of
the Reformation. Before he was thus dis-
tinguished, he had been also one of the select
preachers employed by the university, and
had obtained the name of a Scripturist, which
was applied by some in scorn to those who,
by the operation of the Spirit of God, and by
the study of his word, were led to think for
themselves, and to view the religious proceed-
ings in Germany as specially guided and sanc-
tioned by Divine Providence. His examina-
nation of those who wished to proceed in
divinity was, therefore, no longer according
to the accustomed method, which had been
confined to the sentences of the schoolmen of

CRANMER. 13

the Roman Catholic church, and from which
a knowledge of the Scriptures had been en-
tirely excluded. On the contrary, his first
proceedings in his new office were regulated
by the adoption of a rule, to which he rigidly
adhered, that none should be admitted to
proceed in divinity who were not thoroughly
familiar with the Scriptures, and to none who
were not well acquainted with them would he
allow the degree required. Many of those,
whom he thus admitted, ingenuously thanked
him for his conscientious determination, which
induced them to "aspire unto better know-
ledge" than the sophistry they had hitherto
studied, and afterwards afforded him the great-
est assistance in purifying religion from the
superstitions and idolatries by which it had
been for many centuries corrupted.

In the course of his continued residence in
Cambridge, Cranmer was induced to undertake
the direction of the studies of two young men,
of the name of Cressy, whose mother was his
niece, and whose father resided at Waltham.
Abbey, in Essex. Upon this event, in the dis-
pensations of Providence, the leading circum-
stances of his eventful life were made to depend.
Had he not consented to receive these young

14 LIFE OP

men under his care, he might never have been
concerned in the important events, which after-
wards changed the entire religious condition
of England; those events themselves, in fact,
might never have occurred. Causes the most
trivial, in the estimation of sense, are often pro-
ductive of the most momentous consequences,,
and their commencement, apparently the least
likely to conduce to important changes, is
frequently the origin of those extraordinary
revolutions which can only be truly celebrated
in the world's history, as emanating from Him
who " worketh all things after the counsel of
his own will," and guides them to their con-
summation for the wisest purposes.

In the year 1528, Cranmer left Cambridge
on account of an infectious disease which
had made its appearance there, and proceeded
with his pupils, the Cressys, to \Valtham,
where he continued to superintend their edu-
cation.

The legality of the marriage of Henry vm.
with his first cousin, queen Catharine of Ara-
gon, began at this time (A.D. 1 528) to be mooted
by that monarch, on the hypocritical plea of a
too near relationship. The pope, Clement vu.,
who assumed the sole right of judging in all

CRANMER, 15

such cases, appointed a commission to deter-
mine the question, but the tardiness of the in-
dividuals constituting it in coming to a con-
clusion so enraged the impetuous king, that
he took counsel how to bring the matter to a
more speedy issue, and, in furtherance of his
plan, removed for a night or two to Waltham,
where Cranmer still happened to be residing.
It was this event which brought Cranmer into
royal notice, and marked out his future course.
The king's almoner, Dr. Fox, afterwards
bishop of Hereford, and the king's secretary,
Dr. Stephen Gardiner, subsequently bishop of
Winchester, here met with Cranmer, and in-
vited him to supper. Their conversation
turned on the king's suit, upon which Dr.
Cranmer' s opinion was solicited. This he gave
most unwillingly, as he had no desire to be
implicated in the pending controversy. Fox
and Gardiner, however, at length drew from
him that his views were against an appeal to
Rome, which was a direct blow aimed at
papal pretension, — as Cranmer affirmed, that
" there was but one truth in it, which the
Scriptures would soon declare, make open, an<J
manifest, being by learned men well handled ;
and that might be as well done in England,

16 LIFE OF

in the universities here, as at Rome, or else-
where in any foreign nation, the authority
whereof would compel any judge soon to come
to a definitive sentence, and, therefore, as he
took it, they might, this way, have made an
end of the matter long since."

This opinion was forthwith conveyed to the
king, who, finding it so exceedingly agreeable
to the purposes he had in view, immediately
sent for Cranmer, and, after a short conference,
commanded him to reduce his opinion and
authorities to writing, and committed him to
the care of the earl of Wiltshire and Ormond,
sir Thomas Bolen, who then dwelt at Durham
House, whilst he should be occupied in fulfill-
ing the task he had imposed upon him. Cran-
mer soon finished his book, in which he proved
from the Scriptures, that it was unlawful for
a man to marry his brother's wife, and that
the bishop of Rome had no authority " to dis-
pense with the word of God and the Scrip-
tures." Being asked by Henry if he would
stand by what he had written before the bishop
of Rome, Cranmer answered in the affirmative,
and it was forthwith resolved, that he should
at once be sent with others in solemn embass-
age to Rome, for such a purpose. Previously,

CRANMBR. 1 7

however, to his departure on this mission,
Cranmer returned to Cambridge, "where, as
one of a commission, he was appointed to
dispute the question of the divorce, in which
he so far succeeded as to bring over several
learned men to his opinion. Both the univer-
sities soon after " determined the king's cause
against the pope's dispensation."

The intercourse thus commenced between
Henry vm. and Cranmer, became more fre-
quent ; he was appointed one of the royal
chaplains, and, by the king's gift, archdeacon
of Taunton ; but the more important service
was now required of him, which had been pre-
viously determined — that he should proceed
immediately to Rome to plead the king's cause,
and to defend the opinions he had advanced
in his book.

At the close of the year 1529, Cranmer,
with several other divines, joined the embassy
to the papal court ; but no force of argument,
nor art of diplomacy, could straighten the
crooked policy of the Vatican, or overcome
the fears of the perplexed and wary pontiff,
haunted as he perpetually was by the ter-
rors of the increasing wrath of Charles v.,
the emperor of Germany. The colleagues of

18 LIFE OF

Cranmer soon found themselves compelled to
return to England in despair ; and in the July
following, Cranmer, the only one of the em-
bassy left behind, declared, in a letter to
one of the agents of the king in Italy, " that
he found Clement intractable, and his eccle-
siastics reserved ; and that he looked for no-
thing but an adverse decision from the pope
with all his cardinals." Notwithstanding the
unsuccessful issue of his mission, Cranmer
continued for some time longer to reside at
Rome, where he vainly solicited permission to
maintain, by public disputation, the positions
of his treatise, but his offer was uniformly,
though courteously, evaded.

Having failed in his object, Cranmer re-
turned to England about the end of the year
1530. The king was, however, so far pleased
with his conduct in maintaining the royal
cause, as well as with the exertions he had
made at Rome to bring it to a favourable con-
clusion, that he did not permit him to remain
very long in England; but, on the 21st of
January, 1531, sent him a commission, with
instructions to proceed as his sole ambassador,
to the court of the emperor Charles v. Hav-
ing arrived in Germany, Cranmer again applied

ORANMKR. 19

himself assiduously to the object of his visit,
and, in some few instances, succeeded in gam-
ing over several of the German divines to ad-
vocate the cause of his master, amongst whom
were Cornelius Agrippa, at that time one of
the council of Charles v., and Osiander, pastor
of Nuremberg, whose niece Cranmer married
during his residence in Germany.

Independently of the chief object for which
Henry vm. had sent Cranmer to the conti-
nent, his attention was called to other matters
" of general diplomacy, of no very weighty
importance, and attended with no very de-
cisive results. He was employed in negoti-
ations respecting the traffic between England
and the Low Countries, and the contingent to
be furnished by the king towards the war
against the Turks. He also transmitted to
Henry various matters of intelligence respect-
ing the state of continental affairs ; and de-
spatched to him a copy of the emperor's
important proclamation for summoning a
general council. And, lastly, he went on a
secret mission to the elector Frederic, duke of
Saxony ; in the course of which he ventured
to intimate, that not only his master, but the
French king, were ready to assist the cause of

20 LIFE OP

the Protestant confederates." Notwithstand-
ing the embassy was upon the whole unfa-
vourable in its results, and but little in
accordance with the desires of his master,
Cranmer appears in no way to have incurred
his displeasure, but rather to have secured, by
his zeal and assiduity, a greater amount of the
royal confidence and approbation.

Throughout these transactions the special
providence of Almighty God is evident. The
introduction of Cranmer to the imperious
monarch was brought about apparently by
means in themselves but little likely to effect
the objects God intended should come to pass.
It was evidently contrary to Cranmer's desire,
that he should become involved in the absorb-
ing and dangerous transactions of the times.
From the natural timidity of his mind, he
shrank from surmounting the difficulties which
he perceived must surround the task imposed
upon him ; but he was led onward for a great
and glorious purpose, and though his missions
were unsuccessful in their results, and he had
to dread the displeasure of a most unscrupu-
lous and wicked master, yet it was turned
aside, and Henry inclined with favour and
good-will to his ambassador, simply because

CBANMER. 21

the hand of God was guiding the helm, and
controlling the storm, out of which should spring
the restoration of his word to the nations of
the earth.

Whilst Cranmer was still absent from Eng-
land, the see of Canterbury became vacant
by the death of William Warham, August 23,
1532. The king instantly determined to
elevate his ambassador to this dignity ; he was
therefore summoned to return home as speedily
as possible. Although the reason for such
haste was not announced to him by the royal
messengers, yet Cranmer received private in-
timation of the king's intention to make him
archbishop ; but so little desirous was he of
obtaining this unexpected promotion, that he
purposely delayed " his journey by seven
weeks at the least, thinking that Henry would
be forgetful of him in the meantime." On his
return, finding the king was still resolute in
his determination, although it was much
against his own inclination ; and after many
refusals, proceeding from, his great modesty
and humility, and certain scruples he enter-
tained, Cranmer at length " consented to
accept the archbishopric, provided he could
receive the appointment from the king himself,

22 LIFE OF

as supreme governor of the church of England
(a character which had already been recognised
by the convocation,) and not from the pope,
who, in his judgment, had no authority what-
ever within the realm."

There was an endeavour to remove this
difficulty " by the expedient of a solemn pro-
test, to be made by the archbishop on the day
of his consecration," against the jurisdiction
of the pope. Nevertheless, the king sent to
Rome for the customary bulls for the invest-
ment of Cranmer with the primacy. On the
30th of March, 1533, he was consecrated
archbishop of Canterbury. " On that day,
previously to his taking the oath to the pope,
he presented and read his protestation, to the
effect already mentioned, in the presence of
the royal prothonotary, of the two doctors of
law, of one of the royal chaplains, and of the
official principal of the court of Canterbury ;
and he required that the protestation should
be formally recorded, and attested by the
witnesses present. This was done in the
chapter house at Westminster. At the steps
of the altar in the church, he again presented
his protestation, declaring that he understood
and took the oath according to the tenor of

CRANMER. 23

the protest, and required that a record should
be made of this declaration, attested by the
same witnesses as before. Lastly, when he
was about to receive the pall, he once more
proclaimed at the altar, that he understood
the oath under the limitations of the same
instrument ; and demanded, for the third time,
that the proceeding might be solemnly pro-
tested and enrolled." In order to prevent
the possibility of mistake, he insisted " that
the declaration, that he in no wise acknow-
ledged the power or supremacy of the pope,
as connected with his appointment, should
be invested with the certainty and solemnity
of a public record,"

CHAPTER II.

Henry vm. marries Anne Boleyn — Cranmer pronounces the
divorce of Henry from Catharine, and denies that he married
Henry to Anne Boleyn — Crowns her— Indignation of the
partisans of Rome at Cranmer's conduct — The pope pro-
nounces the marriage with Anne Boleyn invalid — Abortive
attempt of the French king to effect a reconciliation between
Henry and the pope, who excommunicates him— Diffi-
culties of Cranmer's position — Endeavours to save the lives
of sir Thomas More and bishop Fisher — Elizabeth Barton,
the nun of Kent — The parliament invests Henry vm. with
ecclesiastical as well as spiritual supremacy — Cranmer
denies the supremacy of the pope, and asserts the authority
of the word of God.

ON the 23rd of May following the con-
secration of the new archbishop, the con-
vocation having expressed its determination in
favour of the king's cause respecting the
divorce, and Henry having already privately
married Anne Boleyn, January 25, 1533, and
openly repeated that solemnity on the suc-
ceeding 12th of April, Cranmer pronounced
the previous marriage with Catharine of

LIFE OF CRANMER. 25

Aragon to be null and void, and on the
28th of May, confirmed the union between
Henry vm. and Anne Boleyn, by a judicial
sentence pronounced at Lambeth.

It has been generally reported that Cranmer
was both an obsequious agent, and a willing
instrument for aiding the king in his pur-
poses ; as a proof of this supposition, it has
been asserted by more than one historian that
he officiated at this marriage, and "stood as
a witness to the nuptials." This report, and
many others, to Cranmer s discredit, have
been contradicted by unquestionable authori-
ties, which are still extant. In this instance,
the copy of a letter from the archbishop to
archdeacon Hawkins, dated June 17, [1533,]
is still preserved in the Harleian collection
of MSS.* in the British Museum, in which
he asserts that, so far from having been present
on this occasion, he did not even know of the
event till a fortnight after it had taken place.
In the same letter, he also indignantly denies
many other reports, which were then circu-
lated against him to his disadvantage and
discredit. On Whit-Sunday, June 1, he
crowned Anne Boleyn queen of England,

* No. 6148, fol. 23.

26 LIFB OF

which ceremony was celebrated with much
pomp and splendour.

A storm of obloquy now burst upon the
head of Cranmer for the part he had taken in
these proceedings, which the partisans of the
pnpacy foresaw would speedily tend to in-
validate the demands of Rome upon the
English people. It does not, however, appear
that he hacji attained as yet any full or distinct
impression of gospel truth, or that he was
moved by a higher impulse than the necessity
qf effecting a reform of the ecclesiastical
power. Although he had made the Scriptures
his study and was prepared to assert their
authority, he yet retained a belief in the
doctrines of the Roman Catholic church, and
bowed with an almost abject submission to
that of tran substantiation in the sacrament
of the Lord's supper.

Sentences to martyrdom for religious
opinions were also still passed upon several
unhappy victims of a cruej. persecution, under
the pretence of a zeal for the cause of religion,
without his manifesting any positive spirit of
compunction, or giving evidence of a desire
to prove that he was under the influence of
that merciful mind which pure Christianity

CBANMER. 27

invariab]y produces. Even his " jgeptle dis-
position" was not yet proof against the
exercise of the pruelties of the times. It was
only by slow degrees that he arrived at clearer
light on the first principles of Pivine truth,
and discovered that benevolence was one of the
best evidences of a changed and renewecj
heart. As time advanced, he learned, how-
ever, to resist the pretensions of Ronie, not
only on political, but also upon religious
grounds, and to adopt a higher standard of
conduct than mere temporal objects pan
supply, striving to make his life corre-
spondent with a Christian profession, and to
use the authority of his position for the pro-
mulgation of those great doctrines of re-
pentance, remission of sins, faith, and true
comfort in times of adversity, which had
been obscured for centuries by ceremonies
that brought no profit, and were only in-
tended by perverse and sinful men to hide
the gospel of Christ Jesus, and to supplant it
by means of the hidden works of darkness.

Notwithstanding, however, that Cranmer
might have had no better motive at the time
of the setting aside of the first wife, and sub-
sequent marriage of Henry vin., than the

28 LIFE OP

prosecution of an object of state policy, it
must not be forgotten that he grounded his
opinions respecting the divorce upon the
Scriptures, and adopted his line of conduct,
as he thought it to be, in accordance with
their teaching. This he did not attempt to
conceal, and it may have been, and probably
was, one of the causes, and not the slightest,
of the clamorous indignation with which he
was immediately assailed for his part in the
transaction.

A step so utterly subversive of the hitherto
acknowledged supremacy of the papacy in
the spiritual affairs of England, could do no-
thing less than draw down the displeasure of
the reigning pontiff and his coadjutors. It
was apparent to the meanest comprehension
that consequences must result, which would
not only cut off all hope of accommoda-
tion between the several parties concerned
in the business, but which might sever
England altogether, as it did ultimately,
from the authority of the church of Rome.
It would be the extreme of folly to attribute
this eventful crisis to secondary causes. Far
more was connected with it than the most
discerning eye could foresee. A great prin-

CRANMBR. 29

ciple was involved in the transaction, which
thus began to be unfolded; and although it
may be impossible to approve of the manner
in which this, and many subsequent changes
of the times were effected, yet a Christian
mind will not fail to perceive, however little
Cramner and others might have understood
the nature of their instrumentality, that God
was about to "arise and plead his own cause,"
for the emancipation of a nation from the
degradation of centuries of bondage, by the
restoration of the liberty of his own glorious
gospel, and so to overrule the many devices
of men's proud hearts, that his counsel might
finally stand and prevail.

From this period the conflict actually com-
menced between Henry vm. and the pope,
which terminated in the reformation of the
church of England, and the subversion of
the Roman Catholic power throughout the
realm. The king now expressed his de-
termination to appeal from the pope to a
general council upon the subject of the
divorce. When, however, the intelligence
reached the court of Rome, that Henry had
espoused Anne Boleyn, and been divorced
from Catharine of Aragon, by the judicial

30 LIFE OF

act of his newly appointed archbishop of
Canterbury, the pope immediately pronounced
that marriage void, and all the proceedings
relative to the matter as utterly ineffectual.
Yet no sentence of excommunication was
issued against the king, though such a result
was threatened, unless all the acts which had
caused the displeasure of the Roman Catholic
see were immediately revoked and annulled.

The French king, Francis i., in vain inter-
fered to effect a reconciliation, to which Henry
at length agreed ; but his messenger, having
been detained by contrary winds, did not
arrive in time to prevent the sentence of ex-
communication being issued, it having been
determined two days before his arrival, March
23, 1534, that unless Henry viri. should take
back Catharine of Aragon, as his queen and
wife, this was the definitive and unalterable
sentence against him at Rome.

Cranmer how began to experience the actual
weight of those difficulties which he had fore-
seen would overtake an entrance on his arduous
office. The extent and variety of the respon-
sibilities he encountered were sufficient to
appal him, and " to show, so far as his per-
sonal ease was concerned, that he did well td

CRANMER. 31

deprecate the preferment." Nevertheless, he
was enabled to set about his dangerous task
with equal boldness and judgment.

The king now declared publicly against the
domination of the pope and the Romish creed,
and the Reformation was fairly commenced,
th prosecuting this work, Cranmer resolved,
notwithstanding the opposition such a bold
determination would originate, that, instead
of directing his attention to the minor abuses,
or even to the more open scandals chargeable
upon the Romish church, he would at once
Jay the axe to the very root of the papal power.
His object was, first to convince the minds of
men from the Scriptures, that the claim to
universal spiritual and temporal dominion,
made by the Roman pontiff, was founded on
pretension and imposture ; well knowing that,
if" this were once admitted, the inevitable con-
sequence must be the demolition of that ap-
parently indestructible Romish edifice, which
appeared to be immovably planted in this
kingdom.

The position in which Cranmer was placed,
was, therefore, manifestly one of extraordinary
difficulty. He had to deal with a monarch,
whose repudiation of popery was possibly not

32 LIFE OF

so much the consequence of conviction as of
animal impulse, and a desire for vengeance on
the then reigning pope, for the obstruction
offered to the divorce from his queen, upon
which his mind was fully bent. In fact, the
outset of Cranmer's career as archbishop, was
but the beginning of a storm, which having
raged with more or less violence during his
whole life, only ended with his death.
Throughout all his labours, he had not only to
contend against the variable humours of the
king, but he had to struggle against the open
opposition and indefatigable enmity of the
adherents of the church of Rome, who con-
tinued to exercise an immense and unscrupu-
lous power ; now losing, now gaining ground,
as the caprice or interest of the imperious and
wavering monarch willed. Cranmer also
quickly learned to know, if he failed or fal-
tered in his purpose, that a cruel and igno-
minious death, from one party or the other,
was his sure doom.

God, however, had an important work for
him to do, and though he often wavered,
though he sometimes appeared time-serving
and obsequious, yet he was so directed that
he never lost sight of his main purpose, nor

CRANMBR. 33

relaxed in his active efforts to advance the
knowledge of Him who, though a God of
justice, is yet a God of mercy and loving-
kindness, "who will have all men to be
saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth."

Undoubtedly Cranmer manifested each and
almost all of the infirmities of human nature,
which are rife and prevalent even in some of
the most eminent of .the children of the
Highest : but the fact should never be lost
sight of, that he was made the instrument, in
the eternal purpose of God, for unlocking
the depository of the richest treasure
that man can possibly enjoy, and for bring-
ing to light that precious word of truth
which had for centuries been hidden under
the rubbish of vain traditions, and obscured
by every form and invention of false doctrine
and superstition. Indeed it is only when we
remember, that it was mainly through Cran-
mer's efforts that the Bible was given to Eng-
land in the native tongue, that the value of
his services rendered to his own times and
to posterity, can be correctly appreciated.

Another fact should not be lost sight of,
that whilst the most unsparing hatred was

B

34 LIFE OF

manifested by liis adversaries, he did not meet
their evil designs with similar practices. He
rather uniformly endeavoured to return good
for evil, and, even in personal dangers, became
their most strenuous advocate, using every
means, after the first years of his archiepis-
copal career, to save their lives, in a manner
alike honourable to his benevolence and
sagacity.

A remarkable instance of this feeling oc-
curred in the case of sir Thomas More
and bishop Fisher, Both these men were
rigid favourers of the Roman Catholic see,
and, as such, were not only opposed to the
question of the king's divorce, but also to the
progress of the Reformation, and to those who
showed themselves most energetic in ad-
vancing it. Cranmer was an especial object
of their dislike ; but when Henry determined
to sacrifice both these eminent men on account
of their refusal to acquiesce in, or swear
fidelity to the preamble of the act of suc-
cession, as it was called, Nvhich affirmed the
nullity of the marriage with Catherine of
Aragon, and made that with Anne Boleyn
valid, the archbishop immediately wrote a
letter to Cromwell, the lord privy seal, to

CRANMER. 35

show that, as they did not object to swear to
the act itself, and only refused to bind them-
selves to the preamble, this would answer all
the purposes of the king. But notwithstand-
ing lie pleaded earnestly in their behalf, the
determination of Henry was fixed, and not all
the exertions of his favoured servant, nor the
indignation of the whole of Europe, could
turn him from his wicked purpose.

Amongst the earliest services which Cran-
mer rendered to the cause of good order and
religion, was the detection of a fraud, which
had nearly become formidably dangerous to
the peace and safety of the kingdom, and
which had been countenanced by his prede-
cessor, archbishop Warham, as well as by sir
Thomas More and, bishop Fisher. A woman,
named Elizabeth Barton, a native of Aldring-
ton, in Kent, had been trained by Abel, the
ecclesiastical agent of queen Catherine, and by
several others of the most active partisans of
the popish church, to pretend that she was
gifted with a spirit of prophecy, and that she
had received a letter, written in heaven, and
delivered to her by Mary Magdalene. For no
less than eight or nine years, this unhappy
woman and her priestly confederates continued
B 2

36 LIFE OP

to assail the proceedings and character of the
king, and even went so far as to proclaim that
he would die a villain's death, and to fix the
day on which he should cease to reign. Her
feigned visions and extraordinary proceedings
at length so far attracted public attention, that
Cranmer determined to discover the imposture,
and to prevent its being any further continued.
He therefore sent for, and examined her, when
she confessed, " that she never had a vision in
all her life, but all that she ever said was feigned
of her own imagination only, to satisfy the
minds of them that resorted to her, and to
obtain worldly praise/' The original con-
trivers of this fraud, with the adherents of the
deluded woman, were afterwards executed at
Tyburn.

Henry vin. having now carried his object of
resistance to the see of Rome, was determined
to be invested with ecclesiastical as well as tem-
poral supremacy, which the parliament com-
plied with by its first act in November, 1534.
The king and his successors were thus reputed
and taken to be the only supreme heads on
earth of the reformed church of England ;
while all the usurped powers of the pope,
which had been exercised for centuries to the

CRANMER. 37

disadvantage of the people, were transferred, in a
direct and formal manner, to the British crown.

But Henry was not satisfied with the mere
recognition of this power by the voice of his
parliament and convocation ; he demanded
equal homage from the entire body of the
clergy ; and |for this purpose he caused a pro-
clamation to be issued, to the effect, " that if
he found any slackness in its execution, he
would visit the defaulters with such extremity
of punishment that the world should take ex-
ample by it, and beware of disobedience to
the lawful commandments of their sovereign
and prince." Cranmer readily acquiesced in
this demand of his imperious master, although
he was fully aware that the king's supremacy
was unpalatable to the majority of the clergy
throughout the realm, and especially to those
of his own diocese. But he was thoroughly
convinced that the pretensions of the pope were
nugatory and false, and, therefore, he used
every method, which his conscience did not
convince him was wrong, as a means to root
out the noxious weed of popery.

In order to carry conviction to the minds
of his clergy upon the subject, he preached two
sermons in the cathedral at Canterbury, in

38 LIFE OF

which, after having denied that the bishop of
Eome was the vicar of God on earth, and fully
exposing the many artifices by which the claim
to this title had been set up, he proceeded
to protest against the pernicious doctrine that
the observance of any human commandments
could be rendered available for the remission
of sins, inasmuch as they are only taken away
and remembered no more, by the death of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; and, there-
fore, it was a manifest injury to Him to impute
that to laws of human authority, which could
only be conferred by himself. He showed that
human legislation in such matters might be
conducive to useful purposes, so far as they
were based upon the doctrines of the word of
God ; but that they were of no more value for
pardon and acceptance in the sight of God
than were the maxims and principles of secular
jurisprudence ; and whilst the laws of the
realm dispose men to peace and justice, neither
they nor any other human enactments can
ever confer the character of holiness upon
those who observe them, or entitle them to
acquittal in the righteous judgment of the
Almighty.

Thus early in his archiepiscopal career did

CRANMKR. 39

Cramner maintain the distinctive features of
Protestant truth against the gross imposture
of Rome. His views on these points were not
in accordance with those of Henry vin., and
never found favour in his sight. To the last,
the king would have remained a papist in
action, as he was in fact ; for no event of his
life evidenced that he was disposed to refer
salvation simply to belief in "the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world,"
as entirely independent of human authority.
Nevertheless, Cranmer was not turned aside
from the path of duty ; with a thankful heart,
undoubtedly, that Divine Providence permitted
him to do anything for the cause of truth and
righteousness, he availed himself of all occa-
sions to insist upon the sufficiency of Holy
Scripture as setting forth the only ground on
which remission of sins is offered, endeavouring
continually to show that the " treasure" was
committed to us, " in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and
not of us."

About this time, the whole of Christendom
was deeply agitated by the prospect of the
appointment of a general council. For many
years past, the Protestants of Germany had

40 LIFE OP

been urgently soliciting the emperor, Charles v.,
to summon such an assembly by virtue of
his imperial supremacy. The pope offered
every available opposition to this object, upon
which the continental divines had set their
minds, and pronounced such an exercise of the
secular power to be an infringement upon his
prerogative, and a positive usurpation of his
authority. Francis i., the king of France,
also threw his weight into the scale to oppose
a scheme which he looked upon as too favour-
able to the influence of Henry viu. Many
attempts were made to evade concession, by
proposals to fix the place of meeting in obscure
localities under the jurisdiction of popish
princes, but the object was so palpable, that
they were immediately as well as indignantly
refused.

The authority of the secular power to call a
general council was now fiercely debated, and
drew forth from Cranmer the only speech of
his which is extant. It was delivered in the
House of Lords, and was intended to prove that
there was no claim of Divine institution on
behalf of papal supremacy; that councils were
called general, "not because they were at-
tended by delegates from every church, but

CRANMER. 41

purely because the summons to attend them
was universal ; that Christ appointed no head
to the church, and that even Peter himself
remained accountable to his brethren, as ap-
peared from his answer when questioned
respecting the baptism of Cornelius ; that
the self-called successors of St. Peter could not
be entitled to an independence which never
belonged to that apostle himself; that the
councils of Basil and Constance, and the divines
of Paris, recognised in the pope, not the vicar
of Christ, but only the vicar of the Catholic
church ; that the supremacy, wherever it might
reside, could extend to nothing beyond purely
spiritual matters ; that the most ancient
fathers always appealed to the Scriptures,,
but that, whenever they agreed in their expo-
sitions, their testimony was considered as
having the stamp of Divine truth ; that, con-
sequently, the decisions of councils should be
founded on the word of God, and on those
interpretations of it which had received the
unvarying consent of the doctors of the church ;
that the pope was manifestly unfit for the
office of a judge in matters which vitally in-
volved his own interests j and lastly, that
princes, who had been betrayed into submission
B3

42 LIFE OF

by terror or mistake, might withdraw their
necks from his yoke, as lawfully as a man
mny make his escape out of the hands of a
robber."

This speech showed the amount of know-
ledge which Cranmer had obtained upon the
important points of controversy that were
then agitating the whole of Europe. It is an
answer to the accusation of his opponents,
Who endeavoured to decry his attainments in
this respect, as they had already maligned him
on account of his perseverance in resisting
the encroachments of the papal see, by im-
puting his conduct to a mere desire to pander
to the will of an unscrupulous master, and to
yield to his sensual passions for the sake of
his own personal advancement. The intelli-
gence of his mind, and liis increasing attach-
ment to the cause of truth, were strong im-
pediments to a restoration of the abuses under
which England had long groaned. The result,
as is ever the case, was, therefore, untiring and
unscrupulous opposition to the man who ven-
tured to contend with error and superstition ;
who, though naturally of a timid disposition, yet
did not dare to abstain from the conflict. The
great fact already alluded to must never be lost

CRANMER. 43

sight of, with respect to Cranmer's persever-
ance in carrying forward the English reforma-
tion, that the "foolishness of God is wiser
than men, and the weakness of God is stronger
than men ;" and that he, in this instance, as
well as in a thousand others from the com-
mencement of time, had " chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise,"
and " the weak things of the world to con-
found the things which are mighty."

The proposed general council, however,
came to nothing ; and although various nego-
tiations for restoring peace and harmony were
held between the emperor and the Protestants,
yet they produced no solid or determinate be-
nefit, inasmuch as the pope, throu'gh the in-
strumentality of his legates and adherents,
invariably contrived to disconcert all their
measures, and to keep up a continued division
of opinion between them.

CHAPTER III.

Prejudices of the clergy against the Reformation — Opposition of
Gardiner and Stokesley— Cranmer sends Tyndale's Bible to the
bishops for revision — Refusal of Stokesley to revise the Acts
of the apostles— Cranmer's reply, and failure of his purpose
—Negotiations of the Protestant princes of Germany— Bull of
Pius in. against Henry vin., which defeats the purposes for
which it was issued and intend ed — Cranmer advances Latimer
and others — Cromwell made vice-gereat in ecclesiastical
affairs — Dissolution of the monasteries — Fall of Anne Boleyn
— Cranmer forbidden to approach the king — His letter to him on
the queen's behalf— The king's sentiments towards him un-
changed— The king marries Jane Seymour.

THE condition of the clergy throughout the
kingdom ahout this time was such, that a man
of Cranmer's sentiments could not possibly
overlook it. The majority of these men were
uneducated, and bound together by a blind
and infatuated subservience to the dogmas of
the church in which they had been reared and
educated. The consequence naturally was,
that their prejudices were excited to the highest
pitch of jealousy, that any man should dare to

LIFE OP CRANMER. 45

interfere with their prerogative, which they
held to be both sacred and inviolable. They
therefore determined, with a few bright ex-
ceptions, to offer the most unqualified resist-
ance to the archbishop's purpose of reforming
the church, and to leave no engine unused by
which they might thwart his object, and offer
him personal annoyance. Whenever a man's
mind is rightly directed, and he is taught that
it is better to fear God than man, he does not
shrink from encountering opposition, but,
on the contrary, invariably rises with existing
difficulty, and is enabled with greater effort
to overcome it. So it was with Cranmer.

The deplorable ignorance and intolerance of
the Roman Catholic priesthood caused him un-
ceasing sorrow ; and as it was impossible by
any immediate enactment to remove these
instruments of mischief to the souls of men,
he determined to visit the whole province of
Canterbury, hoping at least to effect an altera-
tion, if not an immediate and perfect reform-
ation, throughout that diocese. The general
practice of such provincial visitations had been
suspended for at least a century, and the
revival of such an obsolete custom would

46 . LIFE OP

consequently have been unpalatable for the
most part ; but to originate it at such a time,
and from such a quarter, necessarily became
most obnoxious to the other bishops, no less
than to the clergy themselves. They perceived
that Cranmer's object was not so much to pro-
mote the doctrine of the king's supremacy, as
it was to examine into their own conduct, in
order to correct the abuses and superstitious
practices of which they were guilty, and to
bring those doctrines into general belief for
which Wycliffe had contended, and which
Luther had caused to be carried to the furthest
extremities of Europe.

Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, an unwea-
ried opponent of Cranmer to the last hour of
his life, and Stokesley, bishop of London,
following in the steps of Nix, the contuma-
cious and bigoted bishop of Norwich, whose
diocese Cranmer had visited under protest in
the foregoing year, offered the most determined
opposition to his purpose, and availed them-
selves of every means which they could unscru-
pulously devise, to frustrate his intentions.
Still he persevered, and effected the purpose
on which his mind was set, in defiance of
the difficulties he had to encounter.

CRANMER. 47

Tlie translation of the word of God into the
vulgar tongue was the next object he was intent
upon accomplishing. Many attempts had
been made to give a version of this moat
inestimable of all treasures to the people of
England, through the unceasing exertion of
one man— Tyndale. Cranmer's mind had
been directed, from the period of his con-
nexion with the University of Cambridge, to
dwell upon the doctrines of the word of God.
Through its teaching, he had been led by the
Holy Spirit to escape from the trammels of an
enslaving superstition, and the comforts and
blessings he had enjoyed he was anxious to
offer to others ;— another evidence, if proof
were wanting, that Christianity has nothing
selfish in its nature, but, on the contrary, ever
evinces the utmost anxiety to dispense the
benefits it unfolds to the utmost limits of the
earth.

In proceeding with his determined plan,
Cranmer took an existing translation of Tyn-
dale's Bible, and, causing it to be transcribed,
lie divided it into several parts. These he
transmitted to the most learned of the bishops,
with a request that they would revise and cor-
rect these portions by a certain day. At the

48 LIFE OP

time appointed, every part, including that sent
to Gardiner, was returned to Lambeth, with
only one exception — the Acts of the Apostles,
which had been assigned to Stokesley, and
which he positively refused to revise or con-
sider. When, however, he was requested to
furnish his part, he sent the following reply
to the archbishop : —

" I marvel much what my lord of Canter-
bury meaneth, that thus abuseth the people,
and in giving them liberty to read the Scrip-
tures ; which doth nothing else than infect
them with heresy. I have bestowed never an
hour on my portion, and never will ; and there-
fore, my lord of Canterbury shall have his book
again ; for I will never be guilty of bringing
the simple people into error."

" If the blind lead the blind, both shaU fall
into the ditch." Here was an unhappy in-
stance of the blindness and perverseness of a
man, high in ecclesiastical authority, who yet
had learned nothing of the first principles of
religious truth, and who condemned the very
fountain of all knowledge as the instrument
for misleading " the simple people," through
the ignorance as well as through the sin of un-
belief. "It had been good if he had not been

CRANMER. 49

born," who could not only thus pervert the
intention of the Holy Scriptures, but deny their
circulation for the spiritual improvement and
salvation of mankind, although he had offered
no objection to undertake the task when it was
first committed to his charge.

When Cranmer was informed of Stokesley's
refusal, he merely remarked, "that he mar-
velled that my lord of London was so fro ward,
that he would not do as other men did." The
revised portions returned have never yet been
discovered ; — " they have been consigned to
oblivion with the vain efforts, in ancient times,
of many who had taken in hand that for which
they were not competent, and that of which
God did not approve." That the attempt
should have miscarried is not remarkable. It
was, however, calculated to be instructive to
Cranmer, who was taught, by this failure of
his desires, that God would not bless the
labours of those men who set his truths at
nought, and that, however high they were in
worldly name and pretension, they were not
His appointed ministers to proclaim " glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-
will toward men."

During the year 1535, another attempt was

50 LIFE OF

made, on the part of the king, to negotiate
with the German Protestant princes assembled
at Smalcald. The object he had in view was
to obtain a full approval of his marriage with
Anne Boleyn ; — their desire was to secure an
accession of strength, by engaging Henry in a
league, which should identify him with them-
selves, and pledge him to the adoption of their
religious opinions and political interests.
Cranmer was much interested as to the result
of these proceedings, which lingered for several
years, but, from a variety of causes, were at
length altogether abandoned.

One of the causes which now rendered the
king impatient to obtain the favour of public
opinion, and the alliance of the foreign powers
at this juncture, was the conduct of Pius m.,
who had succeeded Clement vn. in the pope-
dom. Enraged at the determination of Henry
vin. to persevere in the changes of the times,
and especially indignant at the execution of sir
Thomas More and bishop Fisher, Pius in.
adopted a course which scattered to the winds
all hope of accommodation, by issuing a bull,
which, whilst it reminded the king of his
offences in repudiating Catherine of Aragon

CRANMER. 51

— espousing Anne Boleya— and enacting laws
in derogation of the papal supremacy, also
summoned him and his accomplices — amongst
whom Cranmer was undoubtedly included — to
appear within sixty days before him at Rome ;
in default of which appearance, they were to
be excommunicated, arid deprived of Christian
burial in the event of their death. The bull
proceeded to state, that unless they complied
with its terms, public worship and every kind
of religious ministration would be interdicted
in England ; pronounced the children of Anne
Boleyn illegitimate, and declared that they
should be incapable of possessing property,
and of enjoying any office or dignity. It
further absolved the subjects of the king from
their fealty and allegiance, disqualified his
abettors from giving testimony, and from the
exercise of any civil right, and forbade that
any intercourse should be held with him or
those who promoted his wishes. The clergy
were also commanded to leave the realm, and
the military were prohibited from acting in his
defence. Finally, it commanded all foreign
powers no longer to hold intercourse, or to
make any treaty or confederacy with Henry;

52 LIFE Gr-

and absolved them from such engagements as
had already been entered into between them.
A more wicked and unscrupulous document was
scarcely ever issued. It, however, defeated the
purpose for which it was intended by its vio-
lence ; for whilst it stirred up Henry to make
more energetic exertions for the defence of the
prerogative he had lately claimed, it led think-
ing men to consider whether there was any
right, either moral or Divine, for one man to
usurp the authority to which the pope laid
claim. God, in fact, made the wrath of man
to redound to his praise, whilst he restrained
the remainder of that wrath, and rendered it
inoperative.

About this time, (A.D. 1535,) Cranmer was
enabled to advance several of his friends and
coadjutors in the work of the reformation to
the episcopate, amongst whom the most
remarkable was the learned and pious Latimer,
who afterwards testified to the truth of God
at the stake, and there, amidst the flames of
martyrdom, declared " a candle was that day
lighted in England which, by God's grace
should never be put out."

In prosecuting the arduous and laborious
task which Providence had assigned to him,

CRANMER. 53

the archbishop now found an active and
energetic friend in Cromwell, whom Henry
vui., by a formal appointment, had raised to
the office of vicegerent in all ecclesiastical
matters, for the purpose of redressing the
errors, heresies, and abuses of the church.
The mind of this man had been awakened by
the solemn truths of revelation, and, as light
cannot have concord with darkness, the
result of his spiritual emancipation was
an earnest desire to advance to the utmost
the religious movement of the times. As an
earnest of the determined opposition which
he entertained to the practices of superstition,
he heartily set about the reformation, and
resolved to effect, in many instances, the entire
abolition of the monasteries, in which the
support of papal domination was most rife,
and in which profligacy and immorality
flourished.

A resolution more advantageous for the
spiritual benefit of the people could scarcely
have been conceived. Whilst these miscalled
houses of religion remained unshorn of their
mischievous powers, there was no hope that
sound religious knowledge would be diffused ;
and the most despicable frauds would still

54 LIFE OP

continue to be practised, to frustrate every
attempt "at emancipating the mind from the
thraldom of falsehood and vice. Cranmer
felt that the monasteries needed immediate
and decisive purification, inasmuch as they
were not merely the fortresses of the most
pernicious abuses and perversions of Chris-
tianity, but also a dangerous part of that
mechanism by which the influence of the
papal powers was sustained, and, con-
sequently, an unceasing impediment to the
progress of the Reformation. He, therefore,
viewed with favour the subversion of the
system which fostered such demoralizing
practices ; but he was still anxious rather to
see them converted to beneficial and pious pur-
poses than to witness their entire destruction.
He probably foresaw that the emoluments of
these houses would be diverted to the most
sensual purposes, and that instead of truth
being ultimately benefited by their removal,
it would tend rather to aggrandize the fortunes
of a class of persons whose minds were set
on spoliation rather than on the advance-
ment of that which was great and ennobling
to the souls of mankind. The tide, however,
had set in with resistless strength ; the con-

CRANMER. 55

sequence was, that the possessions of the
monasteries became alienated, and diverted to
purposes which, in no respect, were beneficial
to the object dearest to his mind.

Whilst Cranmer, with his friend Latimer,
was striving to prevent the entire dissolution
of these " houses," an event occurred which
was not merely calculated to render him
uneasy, but greatly to shake his influence
at court. Henry vin., becoming weary of
Anne Boleyn, availed himself of imputations
against her character to send her to the
Tower, at a moment when all around her
seemed to be serenity and sunshine. The
danger which surrounded the queen could not
but cause great anxiety to the archbishop,
inasmuch as she had uniformly favoured the
progress of the Reformation, and used her
influence with the king for the protection of
the men who were most eager to advance it.
His apprehensions must have also been in-
creased by the royal commands^ he received,
not to approach the court, which clearly
indicated that he was included amongst
the influential persons about the king who
might obstruct the proceedings which had
been determined upon against the queen.

56 LIFE OF

The grace of God, however, directed him in
the course which it was right for him to
pursue at such a juncture.

Though prevented from personally visiting
the king to plead the cause of his queen, he
was enabled by letter to appeal to him in her
behalf, and to show himself fearless of con-
sequences, in thus proving that he still would
continue her friend, though all others might
desert her. To the credit of Cranmer
it may be affirmed, that he was the only man
who dared to vindicate the unfortunate Anne
Boleyn. His letter to the king is still extant ;
it exhibits great skill in his effort to inter-
pose between the impetuous monarch and the
victim of his brutal rage, and shows that
he, at least, was convinced of her entire in-
nocence of the infamous charges which had
been alleged against her. Notwithstanding
his exertions in her behalf were of no
avail with the king, and, in the exercise
of his judicial functions, he was compelled
to pronounce the marriage as null and void,
he left it upon record that, to the best of
his belief, Anne Boleyn was undeserving of
her fate ; and though to persist in such an
opinion was in direct contravention of Henry's

CRANMER. 57

determination, and calculated to bring down
wrath and vengeance upon himself, he yet
maintained his ground irrespective of conse-
quences. God had work for him still to do
in the advancement of His cause, and the
time was not arrived that he should be re-
moved from the scene of his labours.

The king remained unchanged towards
Cranmer, who found that even this mani-
festation of the monarch's iniquity, together
with the savage precipitancy in which he
hastened to join himself in marriage with
Jane Seymour, on the day following Anne
Boleyn's execution, was overruled in the end
for good. The church of Rome looked for a
speedy triumph from her destruction, but
God took the counsels of the crafty in their
own craftiness, and brought the devices of
the ungodly to nought.

CHAPTER IV.

Rejoicings at Rome on the death of Anne Boleyn — New acts for
the succession, and renouncing the power of the pope — De-
bates in convocation — Alexander Aless^-Definition of justi-
fication by faith— The articles unsatisfactory both to Pro-
testants and Papists — The Bible to be placed in churches-^
Protestation of the king against the council then summoned
— The Bishops' Book — The king retains his regard for Cratimer
notwithstanding the increasing opposition against him — Mat
thew's Bible.

GREAT were the rejoicings when tidings of the
disgrace and death of Anne Boleyn reached
the pontifical court ; the hope of reconciliation
with Henry vm. immediately revived ; and,
for a moment, the bias of his parliament also
appeared to favour the expectation that Eng-
land would again become subject to papal
authority. The legislature had, however, but
little power to oppose the intentions of the
king, who persisted in widening the breach
that had already been effected between the

LIFE OF CRANMEU. 59

contending parties. Having obtained a new
act for the succession, by which the crown
was limited to the issue of Jane Seymour, or
any future queen, the parliament passed an-
other renouncing the authority of the pope ;
and thus rendered the royal prerogative, not
only complete, but unassailable.

The crown now took possession of all the
authority which had been hitherto yielded to
the pope ; and although an attempt was fiercely
and obstinately made by the papal party in
the convocation, to reinstate themselves, and
to humble the archbishop, yet the deci-
sion arrived at only served to move onward
the progress of the Reformation. The result
of the deliberations in this assembly was also
highly important, as exhibiting the transition
of England toward the Protestantism of the
present day. The first five of the articles
determined upon at this juncture, contained
some points of true religion, though consider-
ably marred by the admixture of the ancient
superstition. They maintained that everything
was to be received as true which is com-
prehended in the canon of the Scriptures, and
in the Apostolic, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds.
They affirmed, that baptism was a sacrament

60 LIFE OP

necessary to salvation ; and that it may be
administered to infants. Respecting the sacra-
ment of the Lord's supper, they declared, in
opposition to the opinion of Alexander Aless —
a learned and pious Scotchman, who accom-
panied Cranmer and Cromwell to the assembly,
and was introduced by them as the king's
scholar — that, under the form and figure of
bread and wine, are verily, substantially, and
really contained and comprehended, the body
and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The
Roman Catholic sacrifice of penance, though
opposed most energetically by the archbishop
and Cromwell, was permitted to remain; but
the other four — matrimony, order, confirma-
tion, and extreme unction — were altogether
abolished. Justification was defined to be "the
remission of sins, and acceptance and reconci-
liation into the grace and favour of God; and
pronounced to be the gift of God, promised
freely to mankind for the sake of Jesus Christ,
and the merits of his blood and passion, as the
only sufficient and worthy causes thereof."

There was much of truth expressed in these
declarations, particularly on the doctrine of
the justification of a sinner: but, upon the
sacrament of the Lord's supper, even Cran-

CRANMER. 61

mer's views were, at this time, most defective,
and, consequently, the erroneous and deadly
doctrines of transubstantiation and the sacri-
fice of the mass were not removed. Cranmer
achieved one point, however, of great im-
portance— the necessity of reference only to
the word of God, in support of doctrine ; so
that, "whatsoever was not really proved
thereby," was not to be received as of any
authority.

These articles, when published, gave little
or no satisfaction, either to Protestants or
Papists; they had, however, an unquestion-
able influence upon the important changes of
the times, and were calculated much more to
aid the former, than to support the views and
pretensions of the latter. The work of the
Reformation, like the general progress of
Divine grace in the human heart, was gradual ;
it was not immediately completed. It was to
go forward amidst much discouragement, to
meet with great opposition, and to contend
with many obstacles; but the cause of truth
was, in the end, to be triumphant, and God's
name was to be exalted and honoured through-
out the earth.

The parliament now rose, convocation was

62 LIFE OF

dissolved, and Cranmer and Cromwell, freed
from their trammels, proceeded vigorously
with the object they had at heart. In-
junctions were immediately issued in the name
of the king, to suppress the number of holi-
days, and to cause the royal supremacy to be
declared from every pulpit. The people were
also required to be instructed in the articles
recently agreed upon in convocation, and to
teach their children the Lord's prayer, the ten
commandments, and the creed, in English, as
well as to receive directions upon other points.
Not the least of these was, that the Bible, in
Latin and English, should be placed in every
church throughout the realm, to be read by
every one who desired to do so.

These injunctions, especially the latter, were
most obnoxious to those of the clergy who
favoured the retention of the old superstition.
They were assailed with many expressions of
antipathy, and great efforts were made to
escape from obeying them. Still Cranmer
stood firmly, aided as he was by his friend
Cromwell, and supported by the king, wrho,
about this time, protested against a council
summoned to meet at Mantua, "in which he
declared, that he would neither comply with

CRANMER. 63

the summons to that council, nor render any
obedience to its decisions. He professed,
however, that while he lived he would adhere
to the faith and doctrine which had always
been embraced by the true and catholic
church ; that he would never depart from
the unity of that church, and that he sought
nothing but the glory of God, and the welfare
and peace of the Christian world."

As the opposition to the injunctions still
continued on the part of the clergy, it was
deemed to be both necessary and advisable
to digest them into a more agreeable form.
This work took place, under the eye and
direction of the archbishop, at Lambeth, and
was intituled, " The Institution of a Christian
Man;" but it was better known amongst
the people as the "Bishops' Book," since
many of the hierarchy, including Gardiner
and Stokcsley, had been associated with Cran-
mer in its preparation. The result of this
combination of labour was, for the most part,
favourable to the Protestant cause, and placed
the Reformation on the highest point it was
destined to attain during the lifetime of
Henry vm.

The part which Cranmer had to take in

64 LIFE OF

producing this work was most conspicuous,
and it was attended with much sorrow and
weariness of spirit. On the one hand, he had to
contend with a monarch who was daily be-
coming more and more capricious, and disin-
clined to trouble himself about any other
objects than those which favoured the pursuit
of his own immediate pleasure. He was also
growing increasingly reluctant to continue the
contest against the pope of Rome ; having
obtained the object of his desire — full and
supreme power, ecclesiastical as well as civil —
and being free from all fear that his authority
would be wrested from him by force of arms,
— he seemed to be resolved to let matters take
their course. He still retained, however, a re-
gard for Cranmer, and generally assented to
his wishes ; yet it was becoming more apparent
that the difficulty of guiding and animating
him to prosecute the work of the Reformation
was increasing. The archbishop had little
more to hope for from this quarter, of which
his opponents were striving to take every
advantage, as well as to harass him incessantly,
by besetting him with every obstacle that might
retard his progress, and by throwing impedi-

CRANMER. 65

ments in his way, which might check his
power, and render him unpopular at court.

Naturally timid, as has been seen, Cran-
mer may well be supposed to have been nearly
overwhelmed by the accumulating weight of
opposition by which he was assailed. Many
a man, constitutionally more courageous, might
have been broken down by the incessant attacks
of the most unscrupulous enemies, to which he
had constantly to submit. But God carried
him through them all, and enabled him to
preserve a meek and quiet spirit, so that the
purposes formed against him were frustrated,
and his assailants themselves fell into the snare
which they had laid for him, to their own
discomfort and dishonour.

In the midst of the unceasing persecutions
which he encountered, and especially of the
resistance to his authority from the clergy of
his own diocese of Canterbury, his hopes were
again raised by the publication of the Holy
Scriptures in his native tongue, under the name
of " Matthew's" Bible. This translation had
been partly executed by Tyndale, and partly by
Coverdale ; but Tyndale having suffered mar-
tyrdom in Flanders, it was thought advisable
c

6 6 LIFE OF

to conceal the names of its real authors from
the public, and to send it forth under a title
untainted with the odour of heresy. The
printing -was conducted abroad, probably at
Hamburg. The correction of the whole was
committed to John Rogers, the protomartyr
of the Marian persecution. The volume was
provided with prologues and annotations,
chiefly relating to the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper, the marriage of priests, and the
sacrifice of the mass ; all of which documents
were so offensive to the Romish party, that,
afterwards, during the brief period of their
ascendency, they did everything they could to
suppress them, as being heretical commen-
taries.

"With the publication of this translation of
the Bible, Cranmer had not, however, the
slightest personal connexion. He had long and
anxiously desired to see the sacred volume in
general circulation ; but all his plans had been
baffled. Vainly had he toiled to produce a
version of the New Testament, but after his
utmost efforts, he could only confess that the
task was literally beyond the power of the
men who were associated with him in the
work. Their conflicting opinions did nothing

*
CRANMEK. 67

but frustrate his desires, and finally over-
powered his exertions.

No sooner, however, did "Matthew's Bible"
appear, than Cranmer wrote, without amoment's
loss of time, to Cromwell, intreating him to
" exhibit the book unto the king's highness,"
and to obtain of him, if possible, "a license
that it might be sold and read of every person,
without danger of any act, proclamation, or
ordinance heretofore granted to the contrary,
until such time as the bishops should set
forth another translation ;" which "he thought
would not be till a day after doomsday."
He likewise added, that " if Cromwell would
continue to take such pains for the setting
forth of God's word, as he had already done,
although in the mean season he suffered some
snubs, and many slanders, lies, and reproaches
for the same, yet one day God would requite
him altogether: for the same word, as St.
John saith, which shall judge every man at the
last day, must needs show favour to them that
then favoured it."

This one transaction of Cranmer' s life should

never be forgotten. Considered in itself and

in its consequences, every other good thing he

did shrinks into comparative insignificance.

c 2

68 LIFE OF

For this, all who have prized the Holy Scrip-
tures or now do so, stand indebted to him as
an instrument in the hand of God. The pur-
pose of the Most High had been constantly
visible in the work which Cranmer was com-
missioned to prosecute ; but it was most of all
conspicuous at this moment. "He was the
superintended agent," no less than " the will-
ing instrument/' The step he took was most
bold and decided, notwithstanding he was
"timid by constitution, and, according to his
own repeated confession, had lost beyond re-
covery, every spice of audacity and daring,
from the cruelty of his earliest teacher;" yet
he was selected, "as only the more fit to
be employed to overcome and take by sur-
prise " all those who were contending against
the truth.

"After a long and tedious war, the bitter,
though comparatively fruitless opposition
of eleven years, the opportunity for dealing
with crafty opponents, and with stiff-necked
and rebellious enemies to the truth, had ar-
rived ; the time for showing the weakness of
God to be stronger than man. It was a
select hour for choosing a cautious and a
timid man, to sway the mighty and the way-

CRANMER. 69

ward. It was thus shown in the most
striking manner, to every devout observer,
that the God of providence, is also the God of
the sacred Scriptures. In the wide compass
of English history, a more signal interposition
on behalf of His own word has never occurred,
simply for this reason — it has never been
demanded; the present sufficed for all time to
come. The God of heaven and earth arose
to manifest his glory ; and though * the
kings of the earth set themselves and the
rulers took counsel together, against the
Lord, and against his anointed,' he brought
* the counsel of the heathen to nought/ and
made c the devices of the people of none effect.
The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the
thoughts of his heart to all generations.' "

CHAPTER V.

Birth of Edward vi., and death of Jane Seymour — The educa-
tion of Edward vi. entrusted to Cranmer — Suppression of
the monasteries— Cranmer foiled in his purpose of education
for the people— Eagerness of the people to read the Bible —
Proclamation to restrain debates on religious topics— Honours
of Thomas a Becket abolished — The fraud discovered upon the
opening of his shrine — The bull of excommunication issued — •
The dominions of Henry viu. offered by the pope to the king
of Scotland— Declarations of the bishops against the pope —
Address of Cranmer to the king for a further reformation—
Cranmer's endeavours to procure a conference between the
German ambassadors and the English divines frustrated — In-
trigues of Gardiner, Tonstal, and Stokesley— Cranmer still a
believer in the Romish doctrine of the sacrament — The errors
of eminent men left on record for instruction to others.

ON the 12th of October, 1537, Jane Sey-
mour, the third queen of Henry viu., died,
twelve days after giving birth to a son, who
was named Edward, and subsequently became
memorable in English history, by the promo-
tion of the principles of the Reformation
during his brief reign, and by his undoubted
piety. His education was entrusted to Cran-

LIFE OF CRANMER. 71

mer, who directed his mind to the study of
the Scriptures, and trained him in the know-
ledge of Him .by whom " kings reign, and
princes decree justice." The result was pro-
minent in the wisdom of his conduct, which
was unusual in one so young, and far in ad-
vance of his times.

Soon after the birth of the young prince
Edward, the property of the monasteries was
again confiscated, and their spoliation became
universal for the aggrandizement of the king
and his nobles. Cranmer and Latimer used
every exertion to save some portion of the
funds now being scattered with prodigal waste
upon the most indigent and worthless of the
members of Henry's dissolute court ; and they
also expressed every desire to turn them to
the purpose of religious instruction through-
out the nation. But the storm of cupidity
had arisen, and their efforts were unavailing
to allay it. The king was resolved to make this
scheme subserve his own pecuniary advantage ;
his favourites, acting upon the same principle,
had no other motive in view than to gratify
themselves ; thus, resources which might have
been made to redound to the glory of God,
were rendered useless and injurious; and

72 LIFE OF

Cranmer, who earnestly desired that the Refor-
mation should be complete, beheld this object
seriously delayed.

Foiled in his more immediate purpose of
procuring a religious and liberal education for
the people, Cranmer turned his attention to a
subject of much importance, although mani-
festly not equally so "with the one he was
compelled to lay aside. He perceived that if
he stood still, or suffered the work he was
engaged in to flag, the consequences would be
serious, and, therefore, he bent the energies
of his active mind to bring about the decla-
ration of a new series of royal injunctions, in
which the neglect of those that had been pre-
viously issued was deprecated, and obedience
peremptorily demanded ; and by which the
order for placing the Bible in churches for
the use of the people, was to be renewed.
The laity were directed by this document,
to be carefully taught the Lord's Prayer, the
Belief, and the Ten Commandments, in English ;
also to be instructed to cast away all reliance
upon superstitious works, and they were ex-
horted to deeds of charity and faith. The
worship of images and relics was at the same
time denounced, with every custom which

CRANMER. 73

savoured of compliance with the superstitious
practices of Rome.

The eagerness of the people to read the
word of God was great, and hundreds
availed themselves of the liberty offered them
of searching the Scriptures for themselves.
Many, who were unable to read, actually
learned to do so for the express purpose of
becoming acquainted with the sacred oracles ;
numbers flocked to the churches to hear them
read ; " they brought certain strange things
to their ears," but those things affected their
eternal salvation, and " acquainted them with
God, and made them to be at peace with
Him." Hitherto they had learned nothing of
the fulness of salvation, wrought out and
completed by the atonement of the Son of
God. They had heard the name of Christ
in the different services of the cnurch ; but
they were never taught to consider or believe
in Him as the one and only "Mediator be-
tween God and men." The glories of the
Saviour had been dimmed by vain conceits
and false doctrines, which led them to rely
upon the supposed intervention of the virgin
Mary with her Son ; a sinful woman, whom
they blasphemously called " the mother of
c3

74 LIFE OF

God." The honours that were only due to
the one all-sufficient Redeemer, were trans-
ferred to sinners like themselves, who might
or might not have been saved, but who,
whether saved or not, had neither power to
hear the intercessions offered to them, nor
ability to aid the suppliants. The scales,
therefore, fell from their eyes, and they rejoiced
in the invitations of mercy for the first time
freely offered them, and in the glad tidings
which an opened Bible now proclaimed, that
"God was in Christ reconciling the world
unto himself," and that justification unto
life everlasting resulted not from the works of
man, but from the free favour of God.

Discussions sprang up on every side. The
contest between truth and error had begun.
The enemy would not, however, lose his hold
without a struggle ; and the excitement became
universal. The sea of religious opinion had
been stagnant ; but the wind, which " bloweth
where it listeth," even the good Spirit of the
living God, had arisen, and, moving ."upon the
face of the waters" of this polluted ocean, began
to drive away its pestilential vapours; and,
as men escaped from certain ruin, which threat-

CRANMER. 75

ened them, they could but tell of all the
goodness of their God, and proclaim his
praise. Religious discussion, however, now
occasioned popular commotion, and it was
found necessary to restrain the many debates
that were presenting themselves on every hand,
by a proclamation, lest they should run into
riot, and cause destruction to the peace of the
community. But so mercifully did God put
forth his arm, that the progress of his
truth was not hindered, but rather vindicated,
by the royal determination, that, although
public discussion should be discontinued,
reference to learned and authorized teachers
might yet be had on all questions of difficulty
or doubt.

The royal injunctions, which determined
that the word of God should be given to the
people, contained another important article,
which mustnotherebe overlooked, as it induced
the reigning pope to proceed to extremities
against the king, and rendered Henry more
determined to set him at defiance. For nearly
four hundred years, the credulity of the people
of England had been heaping wealth and
splendour upon the shrine, at Canterbury, of

76 LIFE OF

Thomas a Becket, whom the church of Rome
had canonized and pronounced to be a mar-
tyr, soon after he had been cruelly murdered,
in the reign of Henry u. There certainly had
been nothing in the character of this prelate
to deserve the distinction which his church
had conferred upon him. Proud, insolent, and
ungrateful to the monarch who raised him
from a comparatively low station to the very
highest offices in the state, he had invariably
resisted his authority, and rendered • himself
obnoxious by thwarting him in every purpose,
and setting him at defiance, under the pre-
tence that the interests of the church required
such a course of action — acting upon the
principles still in force in the canons of the
Roman Catholic church, and which never yet
have been repealed, that " All kings, bishops,
and nobles, who allow or suffer the bishop of
Rome's decrees in anything to be violated,
are accursed, and for ever are culpable before
God as transgressors of the Catholic faith." *

* " General: decreto constituimus, ut execrandum anathema
sit, et veluti praevaricator Catholicae fidei semper apud Deum
reus existat, quicunque regum, seu episcoporum, vel potentum
deinceps Romanorum pontificorum decretorum censuiam in
quocunque crediderit vel permiserit violandum." — Corpus Juris
Canon. Decret. ii. Pars, Causa 25. qusest. i. cap. xi. torn. i.
col. 874,5, Ed. Lips. 1839.

CRANMER. 77

Thomas a Becket at length pushed his op-
position to his royal patron to so great a
length, that Henry n. could not refrain from
giving utterance to the hasty expression, " that
there would be no peace for him or his king-
dom while Becket was alive." These words
were construed into a wish for this proud
bishop's death, and induced several nobles,
whom he had treated with haughty contempt,
to gratify their own wicked revenge, under
the pretence that they would be doing service
to the crown. Becket was slain in the cathe-
dral at Canterbury, and forthwith was canon-
ized and regarded as a saint and martyr, and
upon this point, Henry n., who never ceased
to deplore the murder, submitted that his
understanding should be subdued to the spirit
of the age in which he lived. A shrine was
immediately erected to his memory, and no
arts, falsehoods, or blasphemies were spared
to raise its reputation above all other shrines
in England. Miracles were said to be per-
formed at it ; and a jubilee was accorded every
fifty years, when plenary indulgences were to be
obtained by all who visited the tomb. One
hundred thousand pilgrims were known to have
been present at one of these seasons ; and in one

78 LIFE OF

year, more than £6 00 — an enormous sum in
those times — was offered at Becket's altar,
while that dedicated to the Saviour had no-
thing laid upon it. So fearfully was the wor-
ship of the one true God disregarded, and the
homage, which is due only to the Lord of
hosts, transferred to a departed, turbulent,
and ambitious man, between whom and the
Saviour parallels were blasphemously allowed
to be drawn.

Cranmer had beheld with disgust the con-
tinuance of the acts of will-worship at the
shrine of Thomas a Becket, and undoubtedly
desired to see the accumulated offerings de-
voted to a purpose far different from the base
supposition that they could benefit the souls
of those who offered them, or do something
towards procuring them the favour of Heaven.
But the cupidity of Henry forestalled any such
intentions which the archbishop might have
entertained. The wealth which loaded Becket's
shrine was too tempting to his avaricious
mind, and he therefore resolved to appro-
priate it to his own purposes. The enormities
brought to light by the visitors, whom a com-
mission had appointed to examine into the
condition of the cathedrals, churches, and

CRANMER. 79

monasteries, were found to be so immense,
and the juggling tricks that were discovered,
for the purpose of blinding the eyes, and
captivating the senses of the people, so fraud-
ulent, that they hastened the downfall of
the Romish church more than they had pro-
moted its rise ; and led the unthinking to care
less about the manner in which the accumu-
lated treasure should be appropriated or dis-
tributed, than the determination that such
dishonest practices should cease to be per-
petrated.

Henry failed not to take advantage of the
temper which such disclosures brought to
light. Shrines and treasures, which it might
otherwise have been dangerous to invade, were
now thought to be rightfully seized, when they
were found to have been procured by such
gross and palpable falsehoods. The spoil of
Becket's shrine, in gold and precious stones,
was so great, that it alone filled two great
chests, each of which required the strength of
six or seven men to convey it out of the church.
" He was immediately unsainted, as well as
unshrined, by the king, who taking up the
cause of his ancestor, ordered Becket's name
to be struck out of the calendar, and his bones

80 LIFE OP

to be burned. Another fraud was then dis-
covered, for the skull, with the wound of his
death, and the piece cut out of the skull, laid
in the same wound, were found with the rest
of the skeleton in his grave, though another
had been produced as his actual head, to work
miracles in the church."

The pope had long threatened to issue a
bull of deposition against Henry vin., but
had hitherto delayed to do so, because of the
displeasure which he knew it would occasion
amongst other sovereign princes of Europe.
The manner in which Becket had been uncan-
onized, however, put an end to this suspension,
and the bull was now fulminated, requiring the
king and his accomplices to appear at Rome,
and there give an account of their actions, on
pain of excommunication, otherwise the pope
declared that he was deprived of his crown,
and the nobles of their estates, and both of
Christian burial. He also interdicted his
kingdom ; absolved his subjects and their
vassals from all oaths and obligations to him ;
declared him infamous ; called upon all nobles
and others in his dominions, to take arms
against him ; and required all kings, princes,
and military persons, in virtue of the obedi-

CRANMER. 81

ence they owed to the apostolic see, to pro-
claim war against him, and to make slaves of
such of his subjects as they could seize. In
his letters to the different potentates, which
accompanied the bull, he called Henry a
heretic, a schismatic, a manifest and public
murderer, and a rebel convicted of high treason
against his lord the pope ; and he offered his
dominions to the king of Scotland, if he would
go to take them.

But the throne of England was no longer
to be shaken by such impotent manifestations
of wrath ; the weapons of the Vatican had
lost their edge and weight, and Henry could
afford to laugh at such displays of weakness,
which could neither affect him nor invalidate
his power. Even the bishops who were still
inclined to the old superstition, joined with
Cranmer and his co-operating friends in a
declaration, which Henry felt it advisable to
issue, that Christ had forbidden his apostles,
or their successors, to take to themselves the
power of the sword, or the authority of kings ;
and that if the bishop of Rome, or any other
bishop, assumed any such power, he was a
tyrant and usurper of other men's rights, and
a subverter of the kingdom of Christ. The

82 LIFE OF

bishops who were most devoted to the papal
cause, deemed it politic rather to assent to the
king's measures, than to oppose him; nor
was there any one at this time, who defended
the pope's proceedings, however inimical he
might have been at heart to the onward pro-
gress of the Reformation.

As Grannie r left no effort untried for the
advancement of the great cause he had in
hand, he seized this opportunity of presenting
an address to the king asking for a further
reformation, the main point of which was,
that permission should be granted for the
marriage of the clergy. He was the more
urgent in this respect because he had every
reason to apprehend an approaching ascend-
ency of the Romish party, who dreaded nothing
so much as this change, which they looked
upon as the most formidable of all the means
for the advancement of the Reformation, and
the destruction of their own influence. They
had sufficient interest to prevent the accom-
plishment of Cranmer's desires, who now
met with opposition, not only on this subject,
but on many others, which he felt would
be conducive to the success of the work he
had undertaken. A conference which he strove

CRANMER. 83

to procure between the ambassadors de-
spatched to England from Germany, and the
English bishops, was frustrated, and all his
purposes were defeated. His utmost endea-
vours could only effect a tedious and pro-
tracted discussion in writing, and a seeming
agreement on leading points of doctrine,
which had already been adopted from the
Confession of Augsburg; but disputed
opinions were left untouched, and the am-
bassadors returned home, to the great dis-
appointment of the German divines, without
bringing one of the matters to bear for which
they had visited England.

Gardiner, Tonstal, and Stokesley now were
pursuing every system of intrigue which
they could adopt to establish a dominion
over the mind of Henry, and to eclipse the
influence of Cranmer. They availed them-
selves of the king's inveterate dislike to be
considered an upholder of heresy, and repre-
sented to him that nothing could remove
that imputation or establish his reputation for
orthodoxy so effectually, as to make an
example by timely severity upon those who
were called Sacramentaries, from their denial
of the Romish doctrines of transubstantiation,

84 LIFE OP

and the sacrifice of the mass — an opinion
which was gaining ground daily, but which
none of the reforming bishops had yet
openly adopted. Cranmer, for one, certainly
had not changed his views at this period
of his life, but was still a believer in the
Romish doctrine of transubstantiation.

Educated as a papist in all the tenets of a
perverted faith, it was not extraordinary that
his mind should have dwelt upon that tenet,
which the church of Rome makes to hold
the most prominent position in her catalogue
of errors. The conversion of Cranmer to
the truths of Christianity, as we have already
seen, was not a sudden work ; for it was only
by degrees that the dogmas of the church in
which he had been reared fell before the
Divine grace imparted to him, like "Dagon,
headless and handless, to the ground."
Although, at this period of his life, he had
shaken off many of the fetters with which
he had been held captive, yet the last and
most important change had not then oc-
curred— the repudiation of that doctrine
which sets aside the authority of the word of
God, blasphemes the name of Christ, and in-
validates the one and all-sufficient sacrifice for

CRANMER. 85

sin, offered by Christ Jesus to his heavenly
Father on Calvary, which was accepted by him
as the only way, "the living way," by
which God can be just, and yet the justifier
of those who believe in his only begotten
Son. Besides which, it must ever be contrary
to the evidence of the senses, that the bread
and wine in the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper are transubstantiated into the very
body and blood of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ ; that the wafer becomes the
very body and blood of the Lord that was
born of the virgin Mary ; and that into how
many parts soever that wafer may be divided,
each part is the whole. Yet such is the
teaching of the church of Rome to this very
day.

Cranmer, in fact, held this doctrine until
the year 1546, maintaining it to be the truth
with unusual vehemence, for one of such
acknowledged mildness of character and dis-
position ; but in the course of time, by more
mature and calm deliberation, and considera-
tion of the point with less prejudice, and the
sense of the early writers of the church more
closely, in conference with Ridley, he at last
became convinced of the error of these views.

86 LIFE OF CRANMER.

Well would it have been for his character had
an earlier change taken place in his opinions,
for then we might have anticipated that he
would at least have entered a protest against
the proceedings referred to in the next chapter,
if he had been unable, as undoubtedly he
would have been, owing to the spirit of
the times, to have arrested the persecuting
disposition of Henry, and the men who
urged him to vindicate and maintain his title
of " defender of the faith" by the most cruel
severity. But God permits the imperfections
of his servants to be recorded, as an evidence,
not only of the frailty, but of the sinfulness
of human nature. It seems to have been the
case in the character of Noah, of Lot, of Abra-
ham, of David, and many others of the holiest
of men ; the history of their fall is left for
our instruction, and as a living memorial, not
only of the utter depravity of "the carnal
mind," but of the necessity for those whose
hearts are changed being constantly upheld by
Divine grace.

CHAPTER VI.

Proceedings against Lambert, who appeals to the king — His
trial, condemnation, and execution — Cranmer's conduct with
reference to two Anabaptists, who were burned for heresy —
His firmness in resisting the king's misapplication of church
property — Bonner raised to the bench — Act of the Six
Articles — Cranmer's opposition to it in parliament — He refuses
to retire from the debate though desired by the king to do so —
Latimer and Shaxton resign their bishoprics, and are com-
mitted to prison— Cranmer's distress of mind— The king's
message to the archbishop — His reply — Prospect of a marriage
with Anne of Cleves — The king's antipathy to her — Both
parliament and convocation concur in the dissolution of the
marriage — Cromwell is brought to trial — Cranmer intercedes
for him — Cromwell is executed — Cranmer's firmness in
opposing an intended popish formulary — Fidelity of the king
to him at this time, and afterwards — Proclamation to enforce
the placing of the Bible in churches — A new edition of the
Bible published with a preface written by Cranmer — His
conduct in the case of Catherine Howard.

WHILST the mind of Craumer was held in
bondage by the false opinions of the Roman
Catholic church upon the subject of the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper, John
Lambert, a convert of Bilney, who had suf-
fered at Norwich for the truth's sake, was

88 LIFE OF

brought to trial for having dared to offer to
argue with Dr. John Taylor on the false
doctrine of transubstantiation, upon which
the latter had been preaching at St. Peter's
Church, Cornhill.

Lambert had been suspected of being a
Sacramentary, and a few years before
imprisoned by archbishop Warren, Cranmer's
predecessor, upon a charge of heresy ;
only escaping punishment, and perhaps
martyrdom, by the death of that prelate.
On Cranmer's accession to the primacy, he
had been discharged, and, in order to avoid
further persecution, he assumed the name of
Lambert instead of Nicholson, which rightly
belonged to him. Dr. Taylor did not refuse
to accept the offer of Lambert ; but, in order
more effectually to entangle him, he required
that he should commit his thoughts to
writing, which he had no sooner done than
Taylor instituted proceedings against him as a
heretic, by laying the paper before Craniner.
In consequence of this accusation, Lambert
was brought into court. He at once appealed
from the bishops to the king ; and Henry
gladly assented to hear the cause, and to

CRANMER. 89

decide upon it, upon the suggestion of
Gardiner, who was ever ready to prompt his
too willing master to acts of cruelty, and who
urged upon him that an opportunity was now
presented, which ought not to be lost, of
vindicating himself from the charge of being
the favourer of heretical doctrines and
opinions. The nobles and prelates of the
realm were immediately convoked to assist
the king in the prosecution of his purpose for
the extirpation of heresy. The trial — if such
it can be called — took place in Westminster
Hall ; Henry was judge as well as disputant ;
and perceiving that Cranmer, who had
opened the argument against Lambert, was
likely to be defeated, he took the matter
into his own hands, and was followed in
succession by ten others on the same side.
Lambert argued for five hours against his
adversaries, when, at length, being exhausted
with fatigue, he threw himself upon the mercy
of the king — that king who never spared any
man in his anger. To this appeal, he replied
that he would never be a favourer of heretics,
and ordered Cromwell to pass the sentence of
death upon him. Lambert was burned to death,

90 LIFE OF

under circumstances of peculiar barbarity,
exclaiming to the last, " None but Christ !
none but Christ!"

Cranmer's belief at this time in the cor-
poreal presence in the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper involved him in another act, influenced
by the mistaken and cruel opinion that
"death by fire was the only just and appro-
priate punishment for heresy." This dreadful
infliction originated in the decrees of Con-
stantine at the council of Nice, held A.D. 325,
against the Arian doctrines of the time, which
denied the divinity of our. Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. These decrees were the founda-
tion of all the subsequent imperial and eccle-
siastical persecutions ; and Cranmer had not
yet learned what, in after days, he would
be brought fully to understand, namely,
that such a course was a gross violation of
the laws of God. To this must be attributed
not only his conduct in the matter of the
martyr Lambert, but also in the burning of
two natives of Holland, a man and a woman
both Anabaptists, who were delivered to the
secular power, and committed to the flames
in Smithfield. Many persons have ascribed
his conduct on these occasions to a violation

CRANMER. 91

of his conscience, for the purposes of time-
serving, and with a view to the maintenance
of the friendship of the king ; but, after the
most mature consideration, it appears to have
arisen rather from the grievous error of judg-
ment, that he was doing service to the cause
of God, than from any intention of keeping up
that influence, which the Romanists at this
season were using every method to uproot
and overturn.

The mildness with which Cranmer acted
upon the trial of Lambert, when he addressed
him before the king, in terms totally unlike
those used by the other bishops, whose object
was evidently rather to browbeat than to
confute him, would induce the supposition
that he would gladly have heard him, had he
been allowed to do so, and striven to bring
him over to his own views instead of subject-
ing him to punishment. He had used every
means of persuasion, on a former occasion, to
induce Frith to change his views, and cer-
tainly attempted by this method to save his
life ; and only a year before the trial of Lam-
bert, whilst he declined to be the patron of a
book addressed to him by the Swiss Reformer,
Joachim Vadianus, upon the same subject,

92 LIFE OP

"he evidently referred with sorrow, in his
answer, to. the sacrifice that had been made to
this doctrine, in the death of Frith and his
fellow-martyr, (Andrew, a tailor, of London,)
by calling it f the bloody controversy.' '' Still
he taught tlie doctrine ; but when reminded
afterwards by Gardiner of it, he frankly con-
fessed his error in these. words: "I acknow-
ledge that not many years past I was yet in
darkness concerning this matter (of transub-
stantiation), being brought up in scholastical
and Romish doctrine, whereunto I gave much
credit. And, therefore, I grant that you
have heard me stand and defend the untruth
which I then took for the truth, and so did
I hear you at the same time. But praise .be
to the everlasting God, who hath wiped away
those Saulish scales from mine eyes ; and I
pray unto his Divine Majesty with all my
heart, that he will likewise do once the same
to you. Thy will be fulfilled, 0 Lord."

No man, perhaps, was less adapted,
physically, to resist the organized system of
intrigue, which he had now to encounter.
Naturally of a meek and retiring temperament,
and possessing a mild and unsuspicious tem-
per, he could scarcely withstand the sturdy and

CRANMER. 93

resolute opposition with which he was assailed
on every side ; least of all was he a match for
his most crafty enemy, Gardiner, who, in the
end, was permitted to triumph over him, and
who never, during his whole life, ceased to
use the most unscrupulous means for
thwarting his purposes. Cranmer, however,
did not lose, for a moment, the personal esteem
and favour of the king. Providence overruled
the natural inclinations of Henry's mind,
although he was especially vindictive and
cruel towards all others about him at this
time, and Cranmer was daily losing his in-
timate confidence ; yet his original feeling of
regard remained unbroken, and he visited the
conduct of his servant with no mark of dis-
approbation. This is the more remarkable,
and evinces most especially that God "re-
strained the wrath" of this wicked man;
for the archbishop, notwithstanding he could
not but be aware that such a line of conduct
might bring him into disgrace, did not abstain
from opposing with great firmness the mis-
application of the property of the church.
He perceived that Henry was only bent upon
appropriating to his own service funds which
ought not to have been diverted from religious

94 LIFE OF

purposes, and he resolved, cost what it
might, to make an effort to stop the desecra-
tion then recklessly going on.

His desire was to found appointments from
the funds taken from the monasteries for the
advancement of the cause of truth; but the
proposition was manifestly not consonant with
the wishes of Henry and of the parasites by whom
he was surrounded. No efforts were spared to
defeat the labours of Crarimer ; intent only
upon personal advantage at the expense of
the church, and fearing the opportunity of en-
riching themselves would neither last nor
return, the king and the nobles alike ef-
fectually resisted the attempt of the arch-
bishop to benefit the community. The latter
hated him for his zeal, and were determined
to thwart it, no matter how, upon the most
unscrupulous principle, invariably adopted by
wicked men for the basest purposes, that
"the end justifies the means." A more
noble plan than that brought forward by the
reforming archbishop has scarcely ever been
suggested, but insatiable cupidity and ra-
pacious avarice rendered it abortive j and by
making the proposition subservient to the
end, most anxiously desired — of at least im-

CRANMER. 95

pairing if not of destroying his influence in
the councils of his sovereign, — they utterly
annihilated all hope of benefit being derived
to any but themselves from the dissolution
of the monasteries and other religious houses.
The troubles of Cranmer now began to in-
crease. Cromwell, his great friend and coadjutor
in the work of the Reformation, was losing
ground in the estimation of the king. Bonner
was also raised to the bench — the man who was
to gain an unenviable notoriety in after days,
by the ferocity of his disposition, and the
greatness of his crimes. Gardiner and
the partisans of Rome were growing more
bold and unscrupulous in their designs. The
conduct of many of the reforming party was
also most indiscreet and violent, and struck at
the root of all civil and ecclesiastical authority,
as well as social order. Indeed, they pro-
ceeded to such lengths, that they brought upon
themselves a proclamation, which had the force
of a law, forbidding all unlicensed persons to
preach, or teach the Bible, and announcing the
king's purpose to extinguish diversities of
opinion, by law. This proclamation was only
preparatory to the passing of a measure called
the Act of the Six Articles, with a view, as

96 LIFE OP

it was said, to the termination of religious
dissensions. By these articles, it was declared
that no substance of bread and wine remained
after consecration — that communion in both
kinds was not enjoined to all persons — that it
was not lawful for the clergy to marry — that
private masses were meet and good — and that
auricular confession was necessary to salvation.
To speak, preach, or write against any of these,
was made an act of felony; and those who
offended against the first, namely, the false
doctrine of transubstautiation, were to be
burned alive, and not even allowed to save
their lives by abjuration.

For three whole days did Cranmer maintain
a vigorous opposition against this most cruel
and iniquitous measure, extorting admiration
even from his most vindictive opponents.
By the king's desire, he was commanded to
deliver his reasons for his resistance in writing.
To carry the statute into effect, Henry went
down to the House of Lords ; yet Cran-
mer dared to oppose it, upon which he was
desired by the king to absent himself until it
should be passed. "With this requisition
Cranmer respectfully but firmly refused to
comply ; protesting that the cause was not his

CRANMER. 97

own, but that of God." Even this resolute
conduct did not shake Henry's attachment to
Cranmer ; he endured this display of uncom-
promising integrity, and suffered it to pass
unreproved. He further knew that the arch-
bishop was married, arid to this cause it may
be attributed that the edict was so framed that
it could only take effect upon such of the
clergy who should marry after it had passed
into law, or who should keep their wives
openly. Yielding to the necessity of the times,
Cranmer deemed it advisable to send his wife
out of the country, until circumstances might
arise to abrogate this mischievous law, which
he anticipated might soon take place, since he
was well aware that the king himself had no
disinclination to permit the marriage of the
clergy, but had been urged to prohibit it by
the unceasing clamour of Gardiner and his
associates.

Upon the passing of the Act of Six Articles,
Latimer and Shaxton at once resigned their
bishoprics, and were both committed to prison.
It did not appear advisable to Cranmer to fol-
low their example ; he probably felt that, as
the providence of God had placed him in the
high position he occupied, it was not either
D

98 LIFE OF

wise or prudent for him to retire at such a
moment. Had he done so, it would have
given his enemies a triumph over him ; and it
would, in all human probability, have arrested
the progress of the Reformation. He was
deeply pained at the course which events were
taking; he was "troubled on every side, but
not distressed ; persecuted, but not forsaken ;
cast down, but not destroyed." The inward
conviction that " truth would prevail," assured
him that it was no part of his province to
shrink from the fulfilment of the onerous
duties of his office ; the cloud which over-
shadowed the people of God at this hour was
dark and lowering, but faith in the promise of
God told Cranmer "the Sun of righteousness"
would yet arise to disperse it in His own good
time, and therefore he determined to retain his
post, in order to take advantage of any change
in the aspect of affairs which might be made
available for the furtherance of the cause of
the Reformation.

The conscience of Henry, hard and seared
as it was, was evidently pricked by the in-
iquity of the measure which had been forced
upon the country. He was, moreover, af-
fected by the conduct of Cranmer, whilst the

CRANMER. 99

decision was pending; — in order, therefore, to
assuage any anxiety which he might feel for
his own personal safety, he commanded that
an entertainment should be given to all the
peers of parliament, at Lambeth, whom he
himself invited. None dared to refuse the
royal command to whom its object was made
known by the duke of Norfolk, who signified
to the archbishop, in their presence, that the
good-will of their master towards him was
unimpaired, that he was much impressed
with the industry and learning displayed by
him in his recent exertions in parliament, and
was anxious that he should not be discou-
raged by their unsuccessful result. Cran-
mer expressed himself as most grateful for
this mark of royal condescension ; but instead
of offering any apology for the part he had
taken, or giving the slightest assent to the
measure itself, he merely expressed a hope that
" hereafter, his allegations and authorities
should prevail to the glory of God, and the
commodity of the realm." The mild and
affable demeanour of Cranmer on this occasion
drew forth, even from his most bitter enemies,
the warmest tokens of approbation, inasmuch
as he manifested a disposition to render
o2

100 LIFE OF

himself in every respect worthy of the esteem
in which Henry had invariably held him.

The king had now remained nearly two
years a widower, and Cromwell was still anxious
to maintain the cause of the Reformation ; he
perceived that the passing of the Act of the
Six Articles had shaken the opinions of the
German Protestants with respect to England,
and that the greatest exasperation was mani-
fested at so flagrant a violation of faith on the
part of Henry and his counsellors. In order,
therefore, to counteract the alienation which
was beginning to be felt between the two
countries, he suggested to Henry that he
might probably pacify the German princes, if
he would form a matrimonial alliance with
Anne, sister of the duke of Cleves, who had
recently established the principles of the Refor-
mation in his dominions. The assent of the
duke of Cleves and of the elector of Saxony
was readily granted to this match ; but it
speedily caused the downfall of Cromwell.

The king's disappointment, at finding Anne
of Cleves so unlike the representations he
had received of her, speedily degenerated
into positive antipathy ; — so much so, that
he determined to be immediately divorced ;

CRAiNMER. 101

for which purpose he summoned both the
parliament and convocation, who readily ac-
ceded to his wishes. The part which Cromwell
had taken in this matter was speedily visited
with the most decisive marks of Henry's
rancorous disposition. He was brought to
trial ; and, notwithstanding Cranraer pleaded
anxiously in his behalf with the king, and
intreated, as far as he dared, that his life might
be spared, he was sacrificed as another victim
of the tyrant, who, to all his servants save to
Cranmer, showed no pity. As in the case of
Anne Boleyn, so in that of Cromwell, Cranmer
was the only man who ventured to plead in his
behalf with Henry. It required no ordinary
fortitude to do this, and can only be accounted
for upon the principle that Cranmer was led
not to fear him that could kill the body, but
Him, in whose hands alone are the issues of
life and death.

No sooner was Cromwell sent to the Tower
than the favourers of the papistical doctrines
resolved to turn the opportunity to their ad-
vantage ; they imagined themselves sufficiently
strong to bear down the authority and resolu-
tion of their only remaining opponent, Cran-
mer, and felt assured they would be able to

102 LIFE OP

overwhelm him by the predominance of their
counsels in the commission. To their asto-
nishment, they found him immovable. Many
were the attempts to shake his fidelity ; not
the least of which was, that, if he continued
to resist the re-action of the times, he would,
in all probability, share the fate of Cromwell.

Two of his personal friends, who had up
to this time favoured the Protestant cause —
Heath, bishop of Rochester, and Skyp, bishop
of Hereford — were despatched to him by their
brother commissioners, with instructions to
state that it was totally in vain for him to resist
their design of re-establishing their opinions,
as it was notorious that the king was deter-
mined that articles in favour of Romanist
views should be set forth and published. His
answer to these men is left on record, and is
a remarkable evidence of his unshaken faith
in the uprightness of his intentions, and the
correctness of his views : "Beware," he said,
" what you do ; the truth is but one, and
though the king is now under sinister informa-
tion, I cannot believe that the truth will long
he hidden from him ; and when he shall dis-
cover it, there will be an end of all his trust
and confidence in you. I adjure you, therefore,

CRANMBR. 103

to take heed in time, and to discharge your
consciences in maintenance of the truth."

It were an utter absurdity to •attribute
such expressions as these to the ordinary
effects of a common resolution. Neither can
they be attributed to obstinacy nor caprice.
Had not Cranmer been upheld by Divine as-
sistance, he would have shrunk from the
adoption of a line of conduct which would
apparently bring him nothing but disgrace ;
he would have assented to the urgency of his
friends, and deemed expediency to be his best
policy. But his resolution was formed not in
his own, but in the strength of One mightier
than he, who in the hour of trial suffered not
His servant's faith to fail, and raised him above
the fear of man, by taking charge of his safety,
and assuring him of His unfailing support.

Finding himself thus assailed on all hands,
and knowing he had nothing but vengeance to
expect from his persecutors, he took the bold
step of laying the whole matter before the
king. His fall was now looked upon as certain ;
but the hour of Craumer's martyrdom had not
yet arrived. God had more work for him to
do before he should be called from the scene
of his labours and his trials. The king,

104 LIFE OF

contrary to the expectation of the whole court,
received him kindly, and not only accepted the
suggestions which Cranmer made to him at
this crisis, but gave his sanction to a set of
articles, such as he could approve. "His
honesty and courage seemed to have been
generously appreciated by his master ; for
from that day forward, there could neither
counsellor, bishop, nor papist, win him out of
the king's favour."

Immediately after the successful result of
Cranmer' s application to Henry, he obtained a
proclamation to enforce the placing of Bibles
in all the churches of the kingdom, under the
penalty of forty shillings a month, if the pro-
clamation were not complied with, so long as
the omission should continue. A new edition of
the word of God was also published, to winch
he prefixed a preface from his own pen, recom-
mending the study of the Scriptures, and
urging all " who came to the reading of it, to
bring with them first and foremost the fear of
Almighty God."

It is not necessary here to dilate upon the
conduct of the archbishop with reference to
Catharine Howard, whom the king had mar-
ried after his divorce from Anne of Cleves.

CRA.NMER. 105

The discovery of her misconduct having been
made to him, he had to encounter the painful
task of representing it to Henry. The proofs
of her guilt were unhappily too evident, and
she consequently suffered its penalty upon the
scaffold. The documents which are extant
relative to this matter show that he executed
his painful task with as much delicacy as was
possible, whilst fulfilling a duty which was
necessarily imposed upon him.

CHAPTER VII.

Attempts of the papists for a revision of the Bible— Opposition
of Cranmer to their efforts— Henry vm. consents to the
prohibition of Tyndale's Bible, which remains in force for the
rest of that king's life — The King's Book — Cranmer's wishes
again obstructed — Visitation of his diocese — Abortive conspiracy
for his ruin, and that of Catharine Parr, on the part of Gardi-
ner, who loses the favour of the king — Act for mitigating the
Six Articles — English Litany — Another fruitless plot against
Cranmer, and the last during the life of Henry vui. — Death
of Henry vm.

IN spite of recent defeats sustained by the
Romish party, the struggle between the ancient
and the reformed principles was still con-
tinued with unabated obstinacy ; so that Cran-
mer was compelled to stand incessantly on
the watch. In the course of the last year, a
new edition of the Bible had been published
by authority, under the superintendence of
Tonstal and Heath ; but, nevertheless, the
clamour of the, Romanists was urgent for a
fresh revision; and Gardiner, more particularly,

LIFE OF CRANMER. 107

insisted on a retention, in the Latin form, of
a number of words and phrases, the genuine
sense and majesty of which, as he contended,
the English tongue was incapable of rendering.
It was therefore proposed to the convocation,
that the bishops should divide the task of a
complete revision. Cranmer saw the danger
of this insidious suggestion, and he diverted
it, by moving that the business should be con-
fided to the universities. He was unshaken
by the groundless objection that those learned
bodies were in no condition to undertake so
arduous an office, and he silenced all further
opposition to his own measure, by obtaining
the concurrence of the king. The project,
however, fell to the ground; and the only
advantage derived from the victory was the
preservation of the sacred text from the un-
faithful handling of Romish theology.

In the course of another twelvemonth, in-
deed, the anti-scripturists obtained a calami-
tous triumph. The king, by that time, was
so wearied and perplexed by the spirit of dis-
sension which was still abroad, that he began
almost to repent of his liberality, and seemed
disposed to suppress all writings on religious
subjects. In this mood, probably, it was that

108 LIPB OP

he consented to the prohibition of Tyndale's
English Bible, and to an order for obliterating
all prologues and annotations from every exist-
ing copy. The reading of Scripture, it is
true, was not wholly forbidden, but it was per-
mitted under a variety of capricious and arbi-
trary limitations. The indulgence was confined
to noblemen and gentlemen, who might read
it to their families, within the precincts of their
gardens or their orchards ; to merchants, who
were to read it alone and privately ; to women,
who, if noble or of gentle blood, might enjoy
the same solitary privilege. Imprisonment,
and subsequently corporal punishment, was to
be the lot of every artificer and husbandman
who should be detected in the forbidden occu-
pation ; and these vexatious restrictions con-
tinued unmitigated for the remainder of Henry's
life.

Accustomed as the present generation has
been to enjoy the free circulation of the Holy
Scriptures, the great severity and cruelty of
such enactments can scarcely be understood.
To give permission to read God's revealed will
now appears to be a positive and unjustifiable
infringement of Christian liberty, inasmuch as
it is nothing less than to show that man at-

CRANMER. 109

tempts to grant or withhold what God has
determined shall be the birthright of all his
creatures. Regarding the merciful interposition
in our own behalf, by the side of the fearful
struggle which took place in the times of Cran-
mer, to wrest a positive right from an unwilling
and intolerant priesthood, it is but too evident
that the privilege is not valued as it ought to
be. When it is calculated that no less a sum
than four millions sterling has been expended
in sending the word of life to the waste places
of the earth, and that the efforts to disseminate
the glad tidings of salvation are increasing, it
is apparent that the guilt of those who reject it
is dreadfully augmented. It is too often the
case that sinful man lightly appreciates blessings
when they are in possession, and only begins
to discover their worth when he is deprived of
them. Every man now sits under his own
vine, and under his own fig tree, none making
him afraid ; but the times of the Reformation
are forgotten, and the rage and fury of the ene-
mies of truth are, unhappily, obliterated from
the memory, as the easily insinuated idea pre-
vails that the world is too intelligent now-a-days
to sumbit to the deprivation of all that is
valuable in religious liberty. Man has not,

110

LIFE OP

however, become less sinful than he was three
hundred years ago ; Satan is not less wily than
he then was ; and if both are prevented from
doing mischief, it is only because He, who holds
the destinies of mankind, permits them to go to
a certain point but no further, and restrains
their malicious and wicked purposes. Should
the darkness of the gloomy night, which hung
over England previously to the Reformation,
be ever permitted to return, may God give his
servants grace to bear witness to his truth
and cause, as one and all of the Reformers did
in times of trial, persecution, and death !

The next business of importance upon which
Cranmer employed himself, was the diligent
examination of " the necessary doctrine and
erudition of any Christian man," which, after
much toil, was found to be merely a revision of
the King's Book. This work contained many
errors of doctrine, and is, upon the whole, a
most unsatisfactory proof of the state of Cran-
mer's mind. The motives of state policy which
appeared throughout it hindered the progress
of the Reformation, and threw many obstacles
in the way of the archbishop. He availed
himself of the best parts of the book, and as
he well knew that Gardiner had been the per-

CRANMER. 1 1 I

son who introduced the most obnoxious portions
into it, he contented himself with the hope
that times would change for the better. That
he was impeded, as usual, in this work, by the
unceasing hostility of his numerous enemies,
and prevented from going as far in the ways
of truth as he was able at this time of his
life to proceed, is undoubted. The same cause
held him back which had oftentimes before
restrained him — the imperious disposition of
the king, who was daily becoming more tyran-
nical and irritable towards ail who dared to
thwart him in his purposes.

Gardiner was now bent upon effecting Cran-
mer's disgrace. He also resolved to accomplish
the ruin of Catharine Parr, the widow of
Neville, lord Latimer, whom the king had
( married. The cause of his animosity against
her was that she was attached to Protestant
principles, and desirous of advancing their
progress, for which purpose she used her
influence with Henry. She was, however,
most providentially preserved, and spared to
outlive the husband who had outraged de-
cency by this, his sixth marriage.

Certain members of the council, set on by the
bishop of Winchester, (Gardiner,) now resorted

112 LIFE OF

to a conspiracy, which bade fair to destroy
Cranmer's influence, and render ineffective all
that he had hitherto accomplished in the
advancement of the Protestant cause. Various
meetings were held, a regular scheme was
organized, and a voluminous mass of articles
was collected by Gardiner and his accomplices,
to obtain an advantage over him. The chief
accusations brought against him were — that he
had discouraged and restrained those preachers
who refused to promote the doctrines of the
Reformation ; that he had ordered the removal
of images : and that he corresponded with the
divines of Germany. These charges, however,
were no sooner laid before the king, than he
suspected the parties who originated them.
He immediately showed them to the archbishop,
who solicited that the whole matter might be
sifted by a commission, to which the king at
once acceded, but insisted upon appointing the
primate himself as the chief commissioner.
The result of the examinations which followed
was — that Cranmer's character was cleared,
and his adversaries confounded and punished.
Gardiner never recovered the good opinion of
the king, for his share in these transactions,
although he was afterwards employed by him
in diplomatic business.

CRANMER. 113

Immediately after these circumstances, Cran-
mer succeeded, through his influence with the
king, in mitigating the Act of the Six Articles,
and in effecting a great change in the forms of
public devotion, by the introduction of an
English liturgy, with responses. Nevertheless,
he had to endure another measure of hostility
on the part of his adversaries, from which
he was only released by the firm friendship of
Henry. This conspiracy was got up under the
patronage of the duke of Norfolk and other
members of the council, who complained to
the king that the archbishop had infected the
land with heresy, and desired that, as he was
a councillor, the king would give instructions
for his committal to the Tower, when suffi-
cient proofs and accusations would be brought
against him, which otherwise would not ap-
pear.

Henry consented to their request that Cran-
mer should be the next day consigned to the
Tower ; but about midnight he sent a messenger
to him at Lambeth, directing him to come over
instantly to the court. Cranmer lost no time
in obeying the summons ; the king received
him most graciously, and intimated to him the
designs of his enemies. On Cranmer expressing

114 LIFE OF

his willingness to go to trial, on what had been
alleged against him, and his expectation that
he would thereby be freed from the slanders
which were promulgated, the king ridiculed
the idea of his thus putting himself into the
power of his adversaries, asking him whether
he thought he would fare better at their hands
than his Master, Christ, had done. He then
placed his signet ring in his possession, direct-
ing him to show it, on the following morning,
to the council, and dictated what answer he
should give when his enemies should proceed
to commit him to the Tower : he then dis-
missed him with other marks of his favour.

On the following morning, the council sent
a messenger to Cranmer to demand his attend-
ance, and, with a view to offer insult to him,
compelled him for a long time to remain stand-
ing amongst the servants at the door of the
chamber. Dr. Butts, the king's physician,
passing this way, and seeing the archbishop
thus humiliated, went straight to the king,
and told him of the circumstance ; he replied,
that the council showed but little discretion
to use the archbishop thus, and that, if they
were left alone, the result would soon appear.
Cranmer was at length called into the council

CRANMBR. 115

chamber, and having answered according to
the king's direction, showed his ring, and ap-
pealed at once to him. The council proceeded
to the king, where they had to submit to his
severe reproof, and to learn that he fully com-
prehended all their designs, notwithstanding
they endeavoured to palliate their conduct.
The consequence was, that the very men, who
had a few minutes previously been the arch-
bishop's' most bitter enemies, now gave ex-
pressions to him of their warmest friendship,
which he received with his usual meekness and
benevolence of character. This was the last
attempt made against the archbishop during
Henry's life. Nevertheless, hatred did not
abate, and was only restrained by the know-
ledge that, notwithstanding all his offences,
that of unfaithfulness to Cranmer could never
be brought against the king.

The days of Henry vm. were now drawing
to a close, at a period of the deepest interest
to Cranmer, when he was anticipating the
prospect of the speedy abolition of many of
the remaining and notorious abuses of the
church of Rome, which hitherto he had been
unsuccessful in his efforts to remove. The
state of religion remained most unsettled, and

1 16 LIFE OP CllANMER.

presented no outward indications of improve-
ment. The king gave no other evidence that
he had embraced the reformed faith beyond the
request that Cranmer might be sent for to
attend him on his death-bed, or the pressure
of the archbishop's hand, when, at this awful
hour, he entreated him to give some token
that he put his trust in God, through Jesus
Christ. He died on the 28th January, 1547,
at the very moment when a treaty with the
king of France was on foot for altering the
mass into a communion, and he had commanded
Cranmer to compose a service with a view to
the change. His character is variously esti-
mated by different writers. This is not the
place to examine it — suffice it to say, that,
save to Cranmer, he was a man without mercy,
and a monarch without forbearance.

CHAPTER VIII.

Unsettled state of religion at the time of Henry vinth's death —
Difficulty of the archbishop's position — A commission issued to
the bishops — Cranmer's address to Edward vi. at his corona-
tion—Persecution under the Six Articles terminated— Gardiner
disgraced, but still opposes Cranmer— Visitation of the whole
kingdom resolved upon— Preparation of Homilies— Translation
of the Paraphrase of Erasmus — Continued opposition of Gardi-
ner— His disputes with Cranmer — Is imprisoned during the
remainder of Edward vith's reign — Opposition of Bonner, who
is also imprisoned — Cranmer's influence predominant in the
convocation — An act for the sacrament in both kinds — Act of
the Six Articles and other persecuting statutes repealed —
Religious dissensions — Order of council respecting religious
dissensions — Cranmer's views of the sacrament undergo a
change — submits questions to the bishops respecting the mass
— Their answers neither clear nor decisive — Steps for convert-
ing the mass into a communion service— Disorders attending;
the introduction of these changes— Cranmer's designs not
tinged with mercenary motives.

THE state of parties at the time of the death of
Henry vm. was most unsettled; Cranmer and
his friends had accomplished but little, com-
paratively speaking, for the general benefit of
the community during the later years of his
life. The authority of the pope, in the realm

118 LIFK OF

of England, it is true, had been thrown off,
and his supremacy in things spiritual abolished ;
but neither the persecuting dogmas of the
Roman Catholic religion were removed, nor
many of the most erroneous of its doctrines
obliterated. Under the exertions of Cranmer,
much had been done to mitigate the severity
of the former, and much also was effected
towards changing the character and com-
plexion of the latter ; but a great effort was
necessary to cleanse the pollution of ages,
under which truth had so long been entirely
hidden.

The Act of the Six Articles was still the law of
the land, and continued to produce its sanguinary
effects. The Romanist party had the powerful
support of the princess Mary, afterwards to be
designated as the most cruel of sovereigns
who ever occupied the British throne. Gardi-
ner was active and energetic in carrying on
schemes for arresting the progress of the cause
of truth ; and many of the most eminent for
their piety, on the other hand, were for pressing
onwards a more extensive and radical change
than the temper of the times was willing
to allow. Cranmer himself felt most acutely
the difficulties of his position ; whatever had

CRANMER. 119

been effected in the late reign by his in-
strumentality, for the general benefit, had
been done through the consent of the king,
upon whose will and command he was able
to fall back, and so withstand the malice of
his enemies. The scene had now entirely
changed. The throne was occupied by an
infant prince, who required counsel and direc-
tion, and who could not possibly possess that
influence which weight of years and decision
of character could alone give. Henceforth,
whatever progress was made, Cranmer himself
must bear the responsibility, and endure the
entire burden of any resistance that might be
offered by the partisans of Rome.

When urged that he might now go forward
in those matters, upon which he had long been
intent, since the times much better served for
such a purpose than those of Henry, his answer
showed how keenly he felt the difficulties of
his position, and how fearful he was of the
result; for "it was better," said he, "to at-
tempt such reformation in king Henry's days
than at this time, the king being in his infancy.
For if the king's father had set forth anything
for the reformation of abuses, who was he that
dared gainsay it ? Marry, we are now in doubt

120 LIFE OF

how men will take the change or alteration of
abuses in the church ; and, therefore, the
council hath forborne especially to speak
thereof, and of other things which gladly they
would have reformed in this visitation, refer-
ring all those, and such like matters, to the
discretion of the visitors. But if king Henry
Yin. had lived unto this day, with the French
king, it had been past my lord of Winchester's
(Gardiner) power to have visored, the king's
highness, as he did when he was about the
same league." Nevertheless, the same faith
which had cheered him when he set out upon
his arduous journey, sustained him now that
the difficulties of the way were becoming
greater, and induced him to take courage and
press forward.

Edward vi. was scarcely ten years old when
he was summoned, by the death of his father,
to assume the government. The Reformers
looked with hope, and the Romanists with
dread and jealousy, to his administration. The
former could not but anticipate happy results
from his education having been entrusted to
Cranmer ; the latter, from the same cause, ex-
pected nothing but discouragement. These
feelings were alike heightened by the issue of

CRANMER. 121

a commission, under the advice of tlie arch-
bishop, for the reappointment of the bishops
at the hands of the sovereign, by which it was
intended publicly to demonstrate, that the ec-
clesiastical supremacy was vested in the crown,,
and that the authority of the pope was now
utterly and summarily rejected.

The ceremony of the coronation of the
youthful monarch was performed by Cranmer
himself, on which occasion, instead of preach-
ing a sermon, as was usual, he briefly ad-
dressed a few observations to Edward, in which
he admonished him, as he was God's vice-
gerent and Christ's vicar within his own do-
minions, that, like a second Josiah, it was his
duty to see " that God was truly worshipped,
the poor relieved, and that throughout his
kingdom violence was repressed, justice exe-
cuted, and sin revenged." In conclusion, he
prayed that God of his mercy would lift up
the light of his countenance upon him, and
grant him a long, prosperous, and happy reign.

The coronation of Edward vi. was speedily
followed by further indications of the deter-
mination to maintain and extend the rejection
of the usurped jurisdiction of the see of Rome.
The persecutions under the Act of the Six

122 LIFE OF

Articles now terminated, and those of the
clergy, who had fled for safety and freedom to
the continent, at the close of the late reign, re-
turned to give the benefit of their counsel and
advice to Cranmer and his friends, and to
assist them in carrying forward their impor-
tant work. Gardiner was excluded from the
number of the late monarch's executors, and
from all share in the regency during the
minority of Edward vi. He did not, on this
account, however, relax in his activity against
the prevailing changes of the day. He still
vindicated the superstitious observances of his
church, and resisted Cranmer as far as he felt
it politic to do so. But the power which his
opponent now possessed was too strong to be
withstood effectually; the caution and kind-
ness which the archbishop manifested in the
exercise of his office, disarmed all those whose
object was to defeat his intentions, and none
more than Gardiner himself. A general visit-
ation of the whole kingdom was immediately
resolved upon, in order to rectify abuses, and
to consolidate the establishment of those
changes which had so recently been effected,
for the social, moral, and religious improve-
ment of the people. " The Book of Homilies "

CRANMBR. 123

was also prepared, with a view to suit the
comprehension of simple and illiterate persons.
The Paraphrase of Erasmus upon the New
Testament was commanded to be translated,
and the portion containing the four Gospels
and the Acts of the Apostles, to be immedi-
ately issued by royal authority, with injunc-
tions that copies, both of this work and of the
Homilies, should be deposited in every church
in the kingdom, in order that they might be
publicly read by the ministers to their several
congregations.

These resolutions were most distasteful to
Gardiner, who positively refused to take any
part in the preparation or diffusion of either
book. He urgently solicited permission to
appear before the council, in order to show
that the doctrines they contained were false
and contradictory ; this was permitted : but
the council, finding that no argument could
shake his opinions, unhappily for their cha-
racter for moderation, came to the decision to
commit him to the Fleet, for contempt of the
royal authority, and disobedience to its injunc-
tions. Bonner, bishop of London, was also
sentenced to a like imprisonment for a similar
resistance ; but, after a short confinement

124 LIFE OF

he was discharged. Gardiner remained in
durance throughout Edward's reign.

The Reformation was now holding its course
calmly and steadily onward. In the month
of November, both the parliament and con-
vocation assembled, and the session was, in
several respects, signally important. Cran-
mer's influence was happily predominant in
the deliberations of the clergy. On the 22nd
of November, he produced an ordinance for
the receiving of the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper under both kinds, of bread and wine ;
the proposition was unanimously adopted in
the next sitting, whereby the iniquitous and
unscriptural decision of the clergy, assembled
at the council of Constance, hi the year 1413,
was repealed ; namely, that the laity and offi-
ciating ministers should not partake of the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper under each
species. This momentous recognition of the
practice of the primitive church was not
suffered to sleep in the records of the convo-
cation. The activity of Cranmer secured for
it without delay the sanction of the legisla-
ture, as appears by the very first act of the
present parliament, whereby it was decreed,
" that the laity should receive the cup as well

CRANMER. 125

as the officiating minister, except necessity
should otherwise require ; and that the sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper should not be de-
nied, without a lawful cause, to any person
who should humbly and devoutly desire it."
There is but little doubt that this statute was
drawn by Cranmer himself. The next result
of this session of parliament was the repeal of
the Act of the Six Articles, and of the perse-
cuting statutes of the realm, by which decision
the terrors of further religious persecutions
were altogether removed.

Religious dissensions were, however, still
prevalent. The shades of human character are
so varied, and the complexion of men's minds
so dissimilar, that changes of any kind are
certain to produce diversities of opinion and
contradictory intentions. So- it was at this
season. The old leaven was not taken away ;
the shadowy and unreal forms of superstition
were more consonant to the minds of many
than the recently introduced rigid and un-
compromising realities of truth ; the one inter-
fered with the pleasures and occupations of the
present time, and demanded attention at the
sacrifice of all that was agreeable to the carnal
mind; the other flattered, whilst it deceived

126 LIFE OF

the soul into a deadly security. The prin-
ciples were then antagonistic, as they ever
will be ; there was no accordance " between
Christ and Belial," and consequently, society
was kept in a continual ferment by the impe-
diments advanced on the one hand, and the
determined resolution to do the work of God
on the other.

Cranmer often desponded ; he felt that he
should surely be overwhelmed by the obstacles
which continually arose in his way ; yet he
made progress, and succeeded in removing one
superstitious usage after another. Considering
the difficulties that he encountered, it will
remain a marvel that he effected so much. At
the outset of his public life, he found the
doctrines and practices of the church of Rome
in full force ; he lived to see them one by one
removed, chiefly through his own instrument-
ality ; and although for a season the country
reverted to the degradation from which he had
striven to release it, yet it may be safely as-
serted, that a large part of the religious liberty
we now enjoy, is to be attributed to this one
man, who least of all seemed fitted to bring
about the remarkable changes of his times,
and whose weakness and irresolution in many

CRANMER. 127

points, appear little calculated in human esti-
mation for the purposes which God had in hand
for the promulgation of his truth, and the
glorification of his great and holy name.

In his solicitude to dislodge the traditional
absurdities, which still had a great hold upon
the minds of the lower classes of the people,
Cranmer aimed to do so by slow, yet certain
steps, in order to win their consent without
openly attacking their prejudices. He had
also much need to restrain the desire of
the more zealous, but less judicious favourers
of his designs, who preferred and adopted
violent means, and accused him of time-serv-
ing, because he proceeded much too slowly to
suit their spirit. And undoubtedly one cause
of the success of so many of his measures was,
that in spite of all the blame imputed to
him, he was determined to win confidence by
prudence, rather than extend his prerogative
at the expense of a more lasting censure.
Hence he caused a royal proclamation to go
forth, that no changes of religious practice
and usage should take place, unless autho-
rized by himself under the king's sanction ;
but, in order to show that he was sincere in
all he did, he at once caused the abolition of

128 LIFE OP

images, and the worship which had been paid
to them, and set about the removal of every
practice which dishonoured God, and was con-
trary to his revealed will.

Hitherto, his views of the doctrine of tran-
substantiation had accorded with those taught
by the Roman Catholic church ; they now
underwent a change ; but though he had
shaken off his belief in this preposterous no-
tion, he was well aware, that it still had a
strong hold upon the public mind, and that if
upon his own authority he made an immediate
change, and restored the service of the Lord's
Supper to a communion, instead of acknow-
ledging it as a sacrifice, he would rouse an
opposition which it would be most difficult to
control, and would, in all human probability,
entirely defeat his purpose. He therefore
submitted ten questions to the bishops respect-
ing the doctrine of the mass, requiring them
to state, in writing, what was their opinion
thereon. In the answers, which are still ex-
tant, it will be discovered, that scarcely one
of the bishops, nay, not even the archbishop
himself, nor even Ridley, had as yet tho-
roughly clear notions on the subject. There
was a greater approach to a belief in true doc-

CRANMER. 129

trine, than had already been discovered ; but
several of the superstitious trammels of former
times had yet to be removed, before they escaped
from that darkened state of vision in which,
like the blind man healed by our Lord, "they
saw men," but "as trees walking." The re-
sult of their discussions was, however, the first
step towards changing the mass into a com-
munion service ; the sacrament was henceforth
to be administered in both kinds, and auricu-
lar confession to a priest before the reception
of it, left as optional, the communicant being
either at liberty to confess his sins to God, or,
if troubled in conscience, to any learned or
discreet divine, for consolation as well as ad-
vice and direction.

Whilst this change dealt a formidable blow
at the old superstition, it did not go far
enough to satisfy many. The rapacious spirit
which Henry vni. had raised upon the disso-
lution of the monasteries, was not allayed,
and this feeling encouraged many to aim at
benefiting themselves by the spoliation of
everything that remained. A feverish desire
was prevalent on every side to appropriate this
to secular purposes, arid no effort was left
untried to secure a share in it by those who

130 LIFE OF

esteemed the religious changes of the day as of
no use, unless they subserved their pecuniary
advantage. They aided in the demolition of
certain objects of idolatry, such as images,
shrines, and consecrated wafers, but they
merely changed the objects of their veneration,
and placed " Mammon " in their stead. The
old practice had been maintained with a view
to save the soul, though it was worthless for
such a purpose ; and under the pretence of in-
troducing better measures for this great end,
a blind and base reverence was now submitted
to, which degraded human nature, and " ex-
cluded God from the conscience, Christ from
the recollection, and left men in all the guilt
of a salvation still neglected and abused."

This spirit of the times deeply afflicted
Cranmer, no less than the other matters,
which have been already noticed. No man
was less anxious than he to avail himself of
opportunities for his own advantage. Whilst
others had enriched themselves, he still re-
mained poor, scarcely being able to obtain the
necessaries of life, so that his worst enemies
have never, with any truth, been able to allege
that his activity in promoting the reformation
of religion was excited by sordid or avaricious

CRANMER. 131

designs. He opposed to the last every attempt
at the appropriation of the revenues of chant-
ries and monasteries to secular purposes; and
•though his resistance was in vain, he had the
satisfaction of knowing, that he at least had
endeavoured to do his duty, by trying to save
those possessions, which, if rightly adminis-
tered, would have tended to the amelioration,
social and religious, of the people.

CHAPTER IX.

Cranmer's unceasing activity — His translation of Justus Jonas'
Catechism led to the rejection of transubstantiation by Ridley —
The English liturgy— Aversion of the Romanists to the new
ritual — Their rebellion in Devonshire and Cornwall — Cranmer
replies to the rebels — Variety of pernicious opinions — Burning
of Joan Bocher — Cranmer had no share in it — Attainder of the
Protector Somerset — New formulary of ordination — Cranmer
entertains learned foreigners at Lambeth— Bucer and Fagius
appointed to professorships at Cambridge, where they soon die —
Bishop Hooper refuses to \vearthe episcopal vestments— Degra-
dation of Gardiner — Gardiner's answer to Cranmer's " Defence
of the true Doctrine of the Sacrament" — Cianmer replies to
it— His revision of the English liturgy— Cranmer occupied in
framing the articles of religion— These articles intended to
oppose the decrees of the Council of Trent— Project for a
reformation of the ecclesiastical laws — Death of Edward vi. —
His last prayer.

TEE labours of Cranmer at this period of his
life were incessant. Whatever had hitherto
been wrested from the Roman Catholic church
was acquired solely by his importunity, energy,
and perseverance. He gave himself no rest
cither night cr day, but wholly devoted his
time and talents to furnish instruction for the

LIFE OF CRANMER. 133

people, which should, under the Divine blessing,
improve their condition, and lead them to em-
brace the revealed truths of Scripture. To this
end he translated the catechism of Justus Jonas,
a Lutheran divine, which consisted of elemen-
tary expositions of the Lord's prayer, of the
sacrament of baptism, and of the Lord's sup-
per. This work he dedicated to the king, and
set it forth as " overseen and corrected " by
his own hand. Considering the period in
which it was published, it was an evident ad-
vance towards the promulgation of sounder
doctrine and more scriptural instruction ; but
it was faulty in many points, and leaves it
somewhat doubtful whether the archbishop's
views were yet thoroughly sound upon the
principal tenets of religious faith.

The translation of the catechism of Justus
Jonas, by his hand, has given rise to a suppo-
sition that, at the time of its publication, he
held the doctrine of consubstantiation. Be
this as it may, and it seems probable that it
was so, his mind did not long hesitate between
the opinions of the Lutheran and the Roman
Catholic churches. Ridley had been led by
the study of the celebrated work of Bertram
on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which

134 LIFE OF

first appeared in the middle of the ninth cen-
tury, to take a, scriptural view of this subject,
and he at once communicated to his intimate
friend the light which had dawned upon him
from God. Cranmer immediately bent his
mind to the investigation to which he was
invited, and held many conferences with Rid-
ley, the consequence of which was that he
followed the noble example placed before him,
and rejected for ever all belief either in tran-
substantiatiou or consubstantiation.

The changes of opinions upon points of
doctrine had now become so marked and posi-
tive, that it was necessary to adopt means to
get rid of the old Papist service books, and
to frame a liturgy more in accordance with the
return to scriptural teaching and practice.
The undertaking was one which was urgently
demanded by the adventurous spirit of the
times. The Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the
Ten Commandments, had already become fa-
miliar to the people, from being heard in their
native tongue. " But these provisions were far
from satisfying the impatience of the reforming
clergy ; many of whom were eagerly outstrip-
ping the tardy pace of civil or ecclesiastical
authority. The consequence of their haste

CRANMBR. 1 35

was that, in proportion as the Reformation
spread, every church was likely to have a sepa-
rate ritual, or rather an ever-changing form of
devotion, dependent solely upon the knowledge
or ignorance, the prudence or caprice, of the
minister for the time being."

It was in vain that proclamations were made
to control this state of things. The only
method, it was thought, which could remedy
the want of uniformity, was to frame a new
service book, which should be prepared by the
most learned and pious persons that could be
found to be employed on such a work. Twelve
eminent divines were forthwith nominated
under the superintendence of the archbishop,
to effect this purpose, upon the fulfilment of
which they were solemnly enjoined by the
king to proceed with diligence and zeal.

They commenced their work in May, A.D.
1548, and finished it by the end of November.
In the following January, it passed the legisla-
ture, and received a final sanction from the
authority of the king. It was ordered that
the use of this liturgy should commence on
the following Whit-Sunday ; but many of the
reforming clergy, in their anxiety to aid the
progress of events, introduced it as early as

136 LIFE OF

Easter. The people eagerly attended the ser-
vices of the church, now intelligible to them
from the use of their native tongue. The
clergy, as a body, received it with a more doubt-
ful approval, and although they used it, yet
many of them did not refrain from expressing
their dissatisfaction at the change. The aver-
sion of the Romanists to the new service-book
was undisguised. They hated it, and did not
hesitate to express their dislike in the strongest
terms. The spirit of rebellion was, however,
abroad ; and while a vast proportion of the in-
habitants of the country rejoiced at the changes
which were taking place, an active opposition
was roused by the disaffected in Devonshire
and Cornwall, and a formidable revolt broke
out, which terminated in the signal defeat of
the rebels, not, however, until the most active
efforts had been adopted for its suppression.
The part which Cranmer had to take in these
events was of a prominent and decisive cha-
racter ; his answer to the demands of the
insurgents remains as a most important and
interesting document.

A circumstance in his life, which has most
commonly been reported to his prejudice,
occurred about this time — the burning of Joan

CRANMBR. 137

Bocher, on a charge of heresy. Owing to the
excitement of human nature at all periods of
unusual changes, various opinions arise which
are pushed to extremes, and thus lead the
injudicious astray. Doctrines were now pro-
mulged which had no warrant for belief from
the only source from which truth emanates.
Amongst these, the notions were included
" that the elect could never sin, — that the
regenerate could never fall away from godly
love, — that the people of the Lord are invested
not merely with a certain title to the inherit-
ance of heaven, but also with the right of
helping themselves to all that may supply their
necessities upon earth." Besides these ideas,
disputations arose respecting the person and
dignity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ;
it was stated that he was nothing but a human
being, aad the only benefit conferred by him,
was a more perfect knowledge of God ; whilst
on the other hand, it was asserted that he was
not born of the virgin Mary, and that, there-
fore, it was improper to call him " very man,'*
because he took no substance of his mother.
The unhappy woman, whose life was sacrificed,
held erroneous opinions on the subject of the
incarnation of our Lord ; for these she was
E .3

138 LIFE OF

summoned before the council, and, after ex-
amination, condemned to suffer at the stake.
That Cranmer was not present at the council
when this sentence was passed has been satis-
factorily proved ; and although all classes
of objectors to the Reformation have availed
themselves of the presumed fact, that Cranmer
urged tjie young king to sanction the punish-
ment of Joan Bocher, and that, when he at last
yielded, he declared before God that the guilt
should rest upon his adviser ; yet there is rea-
son to believe that Cranmer had no share in
this part of the business, since the warrant for
her execution has been discovered to have been
signed by the council, and not by the king at
all. This passage in Cranmer's history has
been pronounced incapable of. defence; and
truly it must ever have been so considered, had
not recent researches released him from the
imputation from which he has so long and so
injuriously suffered.*

In the year 1549, Cranmer appears support-
ing the falling cause of the protector Somerset,
whom the Romanists determined, if possible,
to overthrow, for his support of Protestant

* See the -writings of Roger Hutchinson, published by the
Parker Society, 1842. Biog. notice, pp. iv. v.

CRANMER. 139

principles. The cupidity of this nobleman
also hastened his disgrace, and drew down
upon him general indignation. No man par-
took more largely of the spoliation of church
property or stained his^ reputation by a more
extravagant appropriation of it. His dispo-
sition was frank and generous, and his manners
amiable ; but they could not save him from the
unpopularity which his conduct deserved, or
avert the consequences of public disgust and
execration. Cranmer was not, however, the
man to desert an old friend when his greatness
was departing ; he was thankful for the aid
which the protector had given in prosecuting
the Reformation, and remembered in the season
of his adversity the many kind offices he had
received when his affairs were in a prosperous
condition. He, therefore, lost not a moment
in using every endeavour, in conjunction with
sir William Paget and sir Thomas Smith, to
avert the consequences of the storm, which
was about to break ; his efforts, however, did
not prevent the removal of Somerset from the
protectorship, or the deep humiliation which
his enemies were resolved to heap upon him.
Still the expectations of the Romanists, who
were tempted to hope for the restoration of

140 LIFE OF

their principles by the removal of Somerset
from the regency, were doomed to be disap-
pointed. The activity and perseverance of
Cranmer crushed them in the bud, inasmuch
as he adopted the most effectual method for the
further suppression of their designs, and not
only obtained an order in council for the
abolition of all popish works of devotion, but
also effected the completion of a formulary for
the future ordination of the clergy.

The archbishop, during the time in which
he was engaged in prosecuting the public duties
of his office, and in passing measures through
parliament for the permanent establishment of
the Reformation, never lost sight of the impor-
tant object, which was nearest his heart — of
aiding the progress of sound scriptural divinity.
Among the expedients to which he resorted
for this end was the entertainment of many of
the learned foreign divines at Lambeth, in
order to gain their counsel and advice respect-
ing the maintenance of true religion. He sent
many invitations to Melancthon to join Martin
Bucer, Paulus Fagius, Peter Martyr, Bernar-
dine Ochinus, and others, in these confer-
ences, but many circumstances prevented his
visit to England at this season, as well as at

CRANMER. 141

a former period in the times of Henry vin.
M. Bucer afterwards became professor of the-
ology at Cambridge, and Fagius, Hebrew pro-
fessor in the same university ; but the benefit
which Cranmer anticipated from these ap-
pointments was of short duration, since they
both were shortly after called away from this
world to a better, and thus escaped the bitter
persecution of the succeeding years, to which
their patron and friend was himself to fall a
victim.

The progress of spoliation still went on.
Notwithstanding Cranmer procured letters
from the council to stop this evil, he found
that his prohibitions were but of little avail.
Of no service was it that both he and M. Bucer
loudly protested against the plunder upon
which the nobles had determined. Their
voice was unheeded. The professed friends
of the changes which were taking place in
the establishment, were the most active in
securing something for themselves in the
scramble, and cared neither for prohibition
nor entreaty so long as there remained one
particle of church property upon which
they could lay their- hands. The afflictions
of Cranmer indeed abounded. Dissension

142 LIFE OP

increased amongst his own personal friends in
the ministry, and spread most rapidly. The
great point of difference amongst them was the
refusal of bishop Hooper to wear the episcopal
vestments then generally in use. Cranmer en-
deavoured for some time to ahstain from taking
any part in the matter, but at length he could
no longer remain silent, and the consequence
was, that partly from persuasion, and 'partly
from perceiving that animosity and ill-will were
producing disastrous effects to the peace of the
community, Hooper gave way, and consented
to be consecrated bishop of Gloucester in the
usual manner. During the time he discharged
the arduous duties of this appointment, he ful-
filled his task with exemplary zeal, and finally
closed a holy life by martyrdom.

The degradation of Gardiner, who was still
in close confinement, was now determined
upon. During his imprisonment, he had pre-
pared his celebrated treatise, in answer to
the archbishop's "Defence of the, true Doc-
trine of the Sacrament," which attracted great
attention, and met with extraordinary suc-
cess. Cranmer lost no time in replying to it,
and showed that he possessed a vast amount
of learning, and was well skilled in all the

CRANMBR. 143

rules of logical reasoning, which were then
adopted in every controversy of the kind. The
remainder of his life was, indeed, spent in the
confutation of Gardiner's writings, for the
latter never ceased to be " a thorn in the side,'*
so long as his days were spared. Although he
could not be considered altogether free from
blame in the matter of Gardiner's degradation,
yet he carried forward no vindictive spirit to-
wards his adversary. Unceasingly he strove to
show that all he had done arose from the feeling
that it was necessary to use such means to hold
his opponent in check : on the other hand,
Gardiner's course of action was dictated by the
most rancorous detestation. He hated Cranmer,
not merely on account of his holding a promi-
nent position, but because he used the influence
he possessed to "bring to light the hidden
works of darkness," and to "remove them out
of the way." A bitter enemy to the gospel of
Christ, he became the antagonist of every
man who had embraced its truths, and sup-
posed he was doing God service by availing
himself of every opportunity to crush the most
active and energetic servants of the Most
High. In the end he triumphed, but for a
season only ; affording another proof how true

144 LIFE OF

it is that "the carnal mind is enmity against
God."

Cranmer next undertook the revision of the
English liturgy. In this he was assisted by
Ridley, and Cox, (afterwards bishop of Ely,)
who adopted several of the suggestions of
Peter Martyr, Bucer, and others of the foreign
divines then in England. The result of these
labours was the Book of Common Prayer,
reduced very nearly into the form in which
it stands at present ; the subsequent changes
in queen Elizabeth's reign, having been prin-
cipally intended to render it less objectionable
to the opponents of the Reformation.

The greatest monument perhaps of the
archbishop's learning, industry, and prudence,
was now to be brought forward. The Council
of Trent was holding its sessions for the esta-
blishment of the false doctrines of the churcli
of Rome, and it appeared positively necessary
to Cranmer, as he wrote to John Calvin, that
a synod should be holden in England, for the
refutation of error, and the restoration and
propagation of the truth. The decrees re-
specting the worship of the host were now under
discussion, and he felt that no stone ought to
be left unturned to guard against this idolatry.

CRANMER. 145

It was found impossible, however, to hold a
synod; but Cranmer immediately set himself
to the drawing up of a code of articles, which
should especially meet the case, and be the
exponent of what was scriptural doctrine on
the subject of the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper, as well as on the essentials of religious
truth. The framing of Forty-Two Articles
was the result, from which, with subsequent
modifications and alterations, the present Con-
fession of Faith of the church of England
was afterwards formed.

It is an important historical fact, and one
which cannot be sufficiently dwelt upon in the
present times, that Cranmer had an especial
eye to the refutation of the decrees of Trent,
when he set to work to compile the Forty-Two
Articles of religion, after his design to *bring
about an agreement in doctrine amongst the
Protestants of the Continent and England had
failed. The fashion now-a-days is to endea-
vour to impugn the intentions of the arch-
bishop and his friends, and to assert that the
Articles of the Christian faith of the church
of England were never intended to mean what
they state ; this fact, however, annihilates the
assertion, and throws back on those who make

146 LIFE OF

it, the difficulty of proof, that the Reformation
was not intended to depart at any length from
the doctrines and teachings of the church of
Rome. Cranmer's design in the preparation
of these Articles, as he himself states, was to
" effect such a concord and quietness in reli-
gion, as otherwise could not be expected for
many years ; whereby God should be glorified,
his truth advanced, and the promoters of the
undertaking rewarded by him, as the setters
forth of his true word and gospel." But it
must never be forgotten that he also intimated
that this could not occur unless measures were
taken to show the inconsistency and the false-
hood of the doctrines of the Romanists, and
especially upon the great difficulty of the times,
that of transubstantiation.

This was by far the greatest step in the pro-
gress of the work of the Reformation which had
yet been taken ; and was calculated to confirm
it in all its principles and bearings. It was the
foundation, in fact, of the reformation of the
ecclesiastical laws, which the archbishop also
entertained, and with which he was about to
proceed, when his project was cut short by the
untimely removal of Edward vi., who died
before he could give his sanction to the code

CRANMER. 147

prepared for this purpose, and which was
printed in the reign of Elizabeth, though it was
never authorized or adopted. The health of the
youthful monarch had been some time declin-
ing ; his constitution had a natural tendency to
consumption ; to this alone must be attributed
his early death. The physicians who attended
him in his last illness, pronounced that the
disease of which he died, was putrefaction of
the lungs, and utterly incurable. The last
prayer he uttered was that " God would defend
the realm from papistry," — a prayer, indeed,
heard and answered, but not immediately ; for,
although the church of Christ had to undergo
a season of bitter trial and affliction immedi-
ately upon the accession of Mary, and during
the five memorable and sanguinary years of
her ruthless reign ; yet, from the hour in
which Elizabeth succeeded her, till now,
"papistry" has never recovered its baneful
sway and power. Many have been the attempts,
great and energetic have been the efforts, to
restore its dominion : hitherto they have sig-
nally failed, and so long as the word of God
is no sealed book, and the right of private
judgment remains unrepealed, it is not to be
anticipated that the people of this land will

148 LIFE OF CRANMER.

return to the darkness from which their fore-
fathers emerged, or give up willingly their
possession of that glorious light which shines
for the salvation of souls, and makes the way
to eternal glory plain before their face. Little
do the generality value their privilege, — little
do they esteem the blessing which God has in
His mercy conferred upon them ; but no one,
who reads the pages of the inspired volume
aright, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit,
and dwells prayerfully upon the consideration
of the privation, suffering, and death, which
those endured, who rescued it from oblivion
and neglect, can do otherwise than bless God
for the boon, and use every effort placed within
his reach, to make known the covenant of
loving-kindness it displays, in order that not
only this realm, but every kindred, and na-
tion, and people, and tongue, may henceforth
and for ever be defended from the curse of
papistry.

CHAPTER X.

Sorrowful presentiments of Cranmer and the Reformers— Op-
posed to the design of making the lady Jane Grey queen —
Duplicity of queen Mary — Restoration of Gardiner, who is
made chancellor — Many of the Reformers anticipating perse-
cution leave the country— Cranmer recommends this course to
his friends, but refuses to adopt it himself — He is summoned
before the council and committed to the To\ver— Offers to de-
fend the doctrines of the Reformation — Act for confirming the
marriage of Henry vm. with Catharine of Aragon, and the
legitimacy of the queen — Cranmer attainted of high treason —
Led through London — Address to the people — Cranmer, Rid-
ley, and Latimer confined in the same room — They are removed
to Oxford— Cranmer's disputations there — Cranmer, Latimer,
and Ridley condemned — Cranmer writes a letter to the coun-
cil— Treachery of Weston respecting the delivery of it — The
execution of the reformers delayed— Cranmer reserved for
another trial upon the revival of the pope's authority — Courage
of the Reformers.

THE prospects of the Reformation were DOW
wholly darkened. By the accession of Mary,
Cranmer lost not only all hope of completing
the work he had so long been prosecuting, but
he soon fonnd that he could expect no mercy
at the hands of the successor of Edward vi.
Although he raised his voice against the de-
sign for making the lady Jane Grey queen,

150 LIFE OP

agreeably to the tenor of the late king's will,
yet he had taken too great a part in the changes
of religion, and also given too strong a cause of
offence in the conduct he displayed in the
divorce of queen Catharine, the first wife of
Henry viu., to remain long unmolested after
Mary, her daughter, was seated on the throne.
Mary had promised, in order to secure her
succession, in opposition to the design of
making the lady Jane Grey queen, that no
alteration should be made in the religion
which her brother had established; and by
this promise she mainly succeeded in ob-
taining that position, to which she was un-
doubtedly entitled. No sooner, however, did
she feel herself secure than she commenced a
totally different course. Acting upon the prin-
ciple that no faith was to be kept with here-
tics, she threw off the mask, and showed that
she was intent on following the directions of
those men who had violently opposed the pro-
gress of events in the late reigns, and resolved
to restore the superstition which had been re-
moved. The time-serving, and the half-hearted,
perceiving the bias of her mind, and being
also well aware of her detestation of -the religion
established partly by her father, and more

CRANMBR. 151

fully by her brother, as originating primarily
from her mother's wrongs, took possession of
the churches, turned out the incumbents, and
celebrated mass in anticipation of the approach-
ing return to former usages. One of her first
acts was to restore Gardiner, the unceasing
adversary of Cranmer, to the dignities from
which he had been removed, and to appoint
him chancellor. The Protestant clergy at once
understood from this mark of favour, that per-
secution would speedily be resorted to, and
many sought safety in flight. Cranmer per-
ceived that if his friends remained, nothing
short of death awaited them ; he therefore
earnestly recommended them to withdraw to
other countries, where they would be safe from
the ruthless fury which already began to pre-
vail ; but when those most anxious for his pre-
servation intreated him to save himself by the
like precaution, he replied that it was not fitting
he should desert his post, and, if danger was
to be apprehended, his place and duty were to
be found ready to meet it, and to disregard
the consequences.

The fears of his friends for his safety were
not long unfounded. Early in the month of
August, immediately after the appointment of

152 LIFE OF

a commission, consisting of Bonner, Gardiner,
Day, and Tonstal, authorizing them to degrade
and imprison the Protestant clergy on the
charges of treason, heresy, and marriage, he
was summoned before the council to give an
account of his conduct in the matter of the
lady Jane Grey, and was commanded to keep
his house at Lambeth. On the 27th of the
same month, he was again brought before it,
and ordered to give in an inventory of his goods.
Up to this time, it seems that the council were
undetermined what course they should take
with respect to him ; but they were not long
in deciding upon harsh measures, for in the
middle of the following September he was
committed to the Tower.

The archbishop was now prepared for extre-
mities, which he anticipated would quickly
follow upon his imprisonment. From the
time of Edward vith's death he had begun " to
make himself ready for the worst, and to
set his house in order." His enemies were
determined to lose no opportunity of blacken-
ing his reputation ; they added to their accu-
sations against him that he had expressed his
willingness to officiate at the funeral of the
late king according to the old formularies, and

CRANMER. 153

that he had actually restored the celebration of
the mass in the cathedral church of Canter-
bury. Even the habitual meekness of the
man could not brook their calumnies, and he
drew up a most energetic denial of any wish
or intention to participate in the revival of
any of the abuses which he had been chiefly
instrumental in abolishing. " For this vindi-
cation of himself, he also added an intrepid
challenge to the adherents of the Romish faith.
If the queen would but grant him the oppor-
tunity, he said, he, together with Peter Martyr,
and four or five more, whom he should choose,
would engage not only to defend the common
prayer, the ministration of the sacraments,
and other rites and ceremonies, but also to
show, that all the doctrine and religion esta-
blished by Edward vi. was more pure and
more conformable to God's word than any that
had been known in England for the last ten
centuries ; and that it was essentially the same
that had been used in the church for fifteen
hundred years. All this he engaged to prove,
on the condition that the matter might be
brought to the test of God's word, and that
the disputation might be carried on in writ-
ing." Before Cranmer had time to revise the

154 LIFE OF

declaration which he had put forth, it was
stolen, surreptitiously published, and openly
read in public. Copies of the document being
brought to the council, he was required to state
whether he was the author of it. He at once
asserted that he was, and though he could but
regret its having been made public before he
had corrected and enlarged it, with a view to
affixing it upon the doors of all the churches
of London, yet he was determined to stand by
its statements, and to defend the principles it
contained, even should it be, as it undoubtedly
would be, at the risk of his life. There is no
question that this boldness hastened his im-
prisonment, which took place in the September
following his appearance before the council, as
has been already intimated.

The conduct of Cranmer, at this period of
his life, was such as merited the warmest
approbation. He exhibited an example of
unflinching resolution in the first hours of his
trial, which proved him to be under the influ-
ence of nobler principles than the mind,
uninfluenced by Divine grace, is capable of ex-
periencing. This undaunted spirit continued
to support him. in the midst of the dangers
which every moment were gathering round

CRANMER. 155

him, and which were now to burst upon him
with all the merciless violence, for which the
dealings of the adherents of the Roman Catho-
lic church had been for several centuries so
notoriously infamous. •

The blow now struck at the archbishop was
at the instigation of Gardiner. The queen was
determined that the first act of the legislature
under her reign should be the confirmation of
the legality of her father's first marriage, and
the restoration of her own legitimacy. No one
had been more active than Gardiner, in former
times, to denounce the legality of this marriage,
and the legitimacy of the issue thereof in the
person of the princess Mary. Long before
Cranmer had been called upon by Henry to
take part in that vexatious question, Gardiner
had been implicated in it, and had himself been
the means of discovering the archbishop's
sentiments, and of communicating them to
the king, in order to bring the matter to a
speedy termination. Under present circum-
stances, however, he felt it convenient to put
aside all recollection of the part he had taken,
and studied only how he might involve his
opponent in the transaction. To this end, he
caused it to be inserted in the preamble to the

156 LIFE OP

statute about to be passed, " that Thomas
Cranmer, late archbishop, did, most ungodly,
and against law, judge the divorce upon his own
unadvised understanding of the Scriptures, and
upon testimonies of the universities, and some
bare and most untrue conjectures." So little
regard had this unscrupulous man for truth,
that he deemed any course expedient and lawful
which should enable him to direct his hatred
against Cranmer, and bring him within the
power of his vengeance.

The same parliament which restored the
queen attainted Cranmer of high treason. As
a necessary consequence, he was divested of the
temporalities of the archbishop, which were
immediately placed under sequestration. He
appears to have been severely disquieted by
the thought of being branded as a traitor, and
he lost no time in addressing to the queen a
petition for pardon, in which he gave an ela-
borate explanation of his conduct in sanction-
ing the design of Henry vur. with a view to a
change in the succession to the throne. The
idea of having to suffer as a violater of the
laws of the realm was a source of much trouble
to his mind ; that he might be counted worthy
to suffer for Christ's sake was his anxious

CRANMER. 157

desire ; he continually expressed his readiness
to meet death, if it were but for the cause of
God, and as soon as he learned that it would
be on this head that he would be called upon
to endure trial and persecution, his cheerful-
ness returned, and he expressed his conviction
that he should be able to do all things through
the strength of his Saviour. As the narrative
of the close of his eventful life will show, in
the order of events in which he was concerned,
he was much shaken, and gave proofs that the
strength of human nature is nothing when
spiritual aid is withdrawn, and that the crea-
ture can never remain stedfast or unmovable
for a moment, unless upheld by Him who is
Almighty; in a word, that he is only safe,
when His "everlasting arms" are underneath,
and he refreshes him with the continual " light
of his countenance."

Craumer was now in daily expectation that
his execution would speedily follow this act of
degradation, especially, as within a few days
after his attainder, he was led through London
publicly. In this trying scene, he maintained
a firm and cheerful demeanour, and availed
himself of the opportunity earnestly to implore
the spectators of his humiliation not to give

158 LIFE OF

way to grief, but to conduct themselves peace-
ably and in accordance with the principles of the
gospel, which he had laboured to give them
untainted with the superstitious dogmas of the
church of Rome. His anticipation of a speedy
execution was not realized. The implacable
Mary, instigated by the malicious suggestions
of her adviser, Gardiner, had other objects in
view than to put the degraded archbishop im-
mediately to death. She had already resolved
to devote him as a sacrifice to the hatred of
that church whose system inculcates no pity,
and whose dealing is by anathema and the
flames against all whom she pronounces " he-
retical" or apostate.

Cranmer, at this season of his imprisonment
in the Tower, was not without consolation.
Ridley and Latimer were also confined in one
of its dungeons " for the word of God and for
the testimony of Jesus Christ :" owing to the
crowded condition of this prison, they were
placed in the same chamber with their old
friend and associate. Here they employed
their time in reading and deliberating upon
the word of God, and in striving together in
prayer that God would support them under
their trials, and make them redound to his

CRANMKR. 159

honour and glory. This happy intercourse
lasted but a few months, when they were
broken in upon by a command that Cranmer
should enter upon a public disputation before
the convocation, which had been summoned at
the same time with the parliament, at the
command of Bonner, who had now supplanted
Ridley in the bishopric of London.

Nothing could be more creditable to the
reformer than his conduct on this occasion.
Feeling the importance of the cause for which
he was called in question, he answered meekly,
but firmly, to the points mooted for discussion,
contending, that he had the word of God as
his authority for the doctrines he maintained
and taught. The spirit of his opponents was
totally in opposition to that which he was en-
abled to manifest. It was marked by an un-
precedented display of insolence and shameless
indecorum ; nay, they did not hesitate to reply,
when Cranmer stated that the reformers had the
word of God for their guide, that they had the
sword, intimating thereby that as their power
was now in the ascendant, they would not be
very scrupulous in the use of it. So flagrant
and so manifestly intemperate and unjust were
their proceedings,^ that it roused the indigna-

160 LIFE OF

tion of many of their own partisans. With a
view, therefore, to allay the rising indignation,
"it was resolved that the controversy should
he renewed at Oxford under the management
of a committee selected from both universities ;
and it was further determined that Cranmer,
and his two fellow-prisoners, who had been
excluded from the former conflict, should now
be summoned to share in this. In pursuance
of this resolution, they were removed from the
Tower to the prison of Bocardo, in Oxford,
in the month of March;" and, in the following
April, the strife of words commenced, upon the
presence, substance, and sacrifice of the sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper.

The dominant party regarded the approach-
ing contest as one of no ordinary moment.
They ushered it in with many preparations,
and with an unusual amount of pageantry.
On the 14th of April, the representatives of the
lower house of convocation, with Dr. Weston
as their prolocutor, attended by the delegates
of each university, went in procession to the
church of St. Mary's, and seated themselves in
the choir, immediately before the high altar at
the eastern end of the church. When they
had performed their respective devotions, and

CRANMER. 161

settled the preliminaries of the business upon
which they had met, they summoned the
mayor and bailiffs of the city to produce Cran-
mer, who soon appeared, under a strong guard.
He stood with his staff in his hand, with a
grave and reverential aspect ; and in that pos-
ture he remained, having declined a seat which
they had the courtesy to offer him. The pro-
ceedings were opened by an address from the
prolocutor, Dr. Weston, in which he laboured
to prove how valuable it was to maintain unity
in the church of Christ ; and then turning to
Cranmer, he lamented that he who had once
been a Catholic, (that is to say a papist,) should
have made an unseemly breach in that unity,
not merely by setting forth erroneous doctrines,
but by teaching a new faith every year. He
made it a great point in this address to assure
the archbishop that it was the queen's earnest
desire, that he should, if possible, be recovered
from his schismatical separation ; and that she
had accordingly been pleased to charge him-
self (Dr. Weston) and the other delegates with
the office of reclaiming him.

He then produced the three Articles which
had been agreed upon as the main points of
discussion ; the first of which affirmed the

162 LIFE OF

corporeal presence in the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper ; the second declared the tran-
substantiation of the consecrated elements ;
and the third 'maintained the life-giving and
propitiatory virtue of the mass. Cranmer
was commanded to give expression to his
sentiments upon these propositions ; to which
he answered, that no one valued unity more
than he did, if that which was proposed
was in ngreement with the words of Christ.
He then deliberately read over the Articles
submitted to him, three or four times, and
being asked, whether he would subscribe
them, he replied, that as they were there
worded, they were all false, and at variance
with Scripture; and that, consequently, he
must decline all unity of which these pro-
positions were the basis. He offered, never-
theless, to prepare his answer in writing by the
next day, if he might be allowed a copy of
the Articles. The prolocutor assented ; but
told him his answer must be in readiness that
very night, and that he would be called upon
to maintain the points of his dissent, by scho-
lastic argument in Latin, in the public schools.
He was then again consigned to the custody of
the mayor, and conducted back to his confine-

CRANMEB. 1 63

raent at Bocardo, which was no better than a
filthy prison for the reception of ordinary
criminals. His demeanour on this day was,
throughout, so distinguished by venerable
gravity and modest self-possession, that seve-
ral of the academics, who disapproved of his
opinions, were moved even to tears.

The next day, Sunday, April 15, a banquet
was given at Magdalen College, after a sermon
at St. Mary's Church, by Harpsfield, chaplain
to Bonner, bishop of London. Cranmer sent
in his answer to the Articles, in the course of
the evening, to Dr. Weston, who was staying
in Lincoln College. In this reply, he main-
tained that the opinions held by the Roman
Catholic doctors were erroneous ; namely, that
the bread of the Lord's supper is not bread,
but the actual flesh, and the wine the actual
blood, of Christ, made so by the act of con-
secration of the priest at the words, " Hoc
est corpus meum" — " This is my body." He
also declared that he was ready and prepared
to substantiate the rational and Scriptural sig-
nification of this holy institution ; that the
bread and wine were but types, and that they
were to be eaten and drunk symbolically of
the one great and all-sufficient sacrifice of
F 2

164 LIFE OF

Christ for the redemption of mankind ; and,
lastly, he maintained that the one oblation of
Christ once offered upon the cross was of
supreme and final efficacy, and that to seek
for any other sacrifice for sin than this, would
be to make the great propitiation of no effect,
and the sufferings of our Lord nugatory, as
•well as to rob him of his honour and glory.

The following day, the commissioners pro-
ceeded, at the early hour of eight o'clock, to
the divinity school, where Cranmer was to
undergo a disputation, single-handed, against
a host of opponents. The mayor and alder-
men of the city attended on this occasion, and
were seated near to the archbishop. Dr.
Weston commenced the proceedings by a
speech, the opening of which caused much
laughter, which soon ceased upon his entering
on a defence of the doctrine of tran substanti-
ation, the staple commodity of all discussions
at that period, to which doctrine Rome has
bound herself hand and foot by the statutes of
the councils of Lateran and Trent, and to which
she still adheres in her fearfully erroneous
creed. Cranmer boldly and energetically de-
fended his opinions against this doctrine from
Scripture, and by logical arguments, amidst

CRANMER. 165

uproarious interruption and unseemly abuse,
from eight o'clock in the morning till two in
the afternoon, sometimes addressing the as-
sembly in Latin, and at others in English.
His patience and endurance under ridicule and
insult, manifested that he was influenced by
the Spirit of his great Master, " who when
He was reviled, reviled not again ;" whilst
his readiness of reply, and aptitude of refer-
ence to the Scriptures and scholastic divines,
also verified the declaration of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, as it had previously
been verified in apostolic times again and again,
and in the early ages of the Christian church ;
" Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the
midst of wolves : be ye therefore wise as ser-
pents, and harmless as doves. But beware of
men : for they will deliver you up to the
councils, and they will scourge you in their
synagogues : and ye shall be brought before
governors and kings for my sake, for a
testimony against them and the Gentiles. But
when they deliver you up, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak. . . For it is not ye
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you."*

* Matt. x. 16—20.

166 LIFE OP

Like wolves, gloating over their prey, the
followers of the restored Romish faith, which
Cranmer had done so much to remove from the
minds of the English people, by teaching the
truths of Christ, and giving them the word of
the eternal God, which alone can make wise
unto salvation, determined to attack him yet
again on the following Thursday (April 19).
On that day, he was brought once more into
the schools to dispute, as an opponent, with
Harpsfield, who was to perform the usual
exercises previously to proceeding to the
degree of Doctor of Divinity. The discussion
was carried on between them agreeably to the
ancient forms, by crude logical syllogisms,
which, at these times, appear to be nothing
better than worthless jargon. Cranmer again
defended his cause with such accurate judg-
ment that it drew forth even compliment and
applause from Dr. Weston, and the other
doctors who were present. But it had no
eiiect in softening their hearts, or in bringing
them to a more righteous conclusion. They
admired the tact and learning of the man,
but they still abhorred and detested his
opinions.

Cranmer returned to his prison, only to be

CRANMER. 167

again summoned, on the following day, (April
20,) to St. Mary's Church, to hear his own
condemnation with that of Ridley and
Latimer. They were peremptorily asked
whether or not they would subscribe the
articles which had been presented to them
on a previous occasion, and, again, they were
told that they had been defeated in fair open
disputation. Cranmer instantly repelled the
assertion, and protested that, so far as he was
concerned, the whole proceeding had been
most iniquitously conducted ; that he had
been exposed throughout to clamorous in-
terruption ; and that it would have been im-
possible for him either to oppose or answer,
as he was prepared to do, without con-
descending to an unseemly brawl, with four
or five antagonists at once. Ridley and
Latimer declared that they would stand to
every word that they had uttered ; upon which
the three were placed together, and the read-
ing of their sentence commenced, by which
they were pronounced to be no longer mem-
bers of the church. In the midst of his task,
the reader was interrupted, and the prisoners
were once more, and finally asked, whether
they would turn or no? "Read on, in the

168 LIFE OF

name of God," was their unanimous reply,
" for we are not minded to turn ;" and the
officer then completed the promulgation of
their doom. The moment he had finished,
Cranmer exclaimed, " From this your judg-
ment and sentence I appeal to the just
judgment of the Almighty ; trusting to be
present with him in heaven, for whose pre-
sence in the altar I am thus condemned."
" I trust," said Ridley, " that although I be
not of your communion, my name is written
in another place, whither your voices will
soon despatch us." "And I thank God
most heartily," added Latimer, " that he
hath preserved me to glorify him by this kind
of death." The three were then sent back
to the prison, as condemned and excom-
municated heretics.

Cranmer felt that, though all prospect of
his life being spared was now at an end, he
ought to lay before the government a repre-
sentation of the manner in which he Lad
been used during his imprisonment and in this
discussion ; he, therefore, wrote to the lords
of the council, soliciting that they would
intercede with the queen for pardon of his
treason, if his conduct could thus be termed,

CRANMER. 169

and requesting, that as they were acquainted
with his conduct, they would do their
utmost to relieve him of this accusation.
It is not certain whether this letter ever
reached its destination. Cranmer entrusted
it to Dr. Weston ; who, notwithstanding his
faithful promise to deliver it, upon which the
archbishop had relied, was base enough to
open, and instantly send it. back to the arch-
bishop ; but whether he adopted any other
means of transmitting it is not now known.

The general expectation — as indeed that of
the three sufferers — was, that an immediate
execution would follow as the result of their
determined assertion of religious principle.
The emissaries of Rome, however, paused
before they carried their hateful project
into effect. Eighteen months elapsed before
Ridley and Latimer were brought to the stake ;
and three years were passed by Cranmer in
durance.

Cranmer was, in fact, reserved for another
trial, when the authority of the pope, and the
whole body of the canon law, which he had
done so much, to abolish, should be restored.
The queen and her council hesitated to brave
public opinion by sacrificing him upon the
F 3

170 LIFE OF CRANMER.

mere charge of treason, and trusted to the
course of events, and the dread of the per-
secution of the times, to effect, sooner or later,
the archbishop's destruction, which would be
rendered more effectual as proceeding from
the ecclesiastical power. The courage of the
reformers did not shrink under the perse-
cution they had to endure. They trusted in
the God of their salvation, and doubted not
that the issue of their trial would redound
to the honour of his name. The gloom of
Romish darkness again settled upon England,
but beyond it they perceived the brightness
of His countenance, who renewed his
gracious promise to their faith, " When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with
thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee : when thou vvalkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am
the Lord, thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Saviour."* They therefore thanked God,
and took courage, deeming that to them to
live was Christ, and to die would be eternal
gain.

* Isaiah xlUi. 2, 3.

CHAPTER XI.

A commission issued to try Ridley and Latimer— Their martyr-
dom— Authority obtained from Rome for the trial of Cranmer —
His examination before Brokes, bishop of Gloucester — Cran-
mer defends himself — The process against him closed — Cited
to appear at Rome in eighty days— sentenced to excommuni-
cation at Rome — The pope's letter for execution of the sen-
tence— Degradation of Cranmer — His appeals to a general
council disregarded — The queen solicited to spare his life —
Her rancorous feelings against him — His recantations— Order
for his execution — Is taken to St. Mary's church previously to
his death — Proceedings there — His demeanour and prayer —
Retracts his recantations — Bewilderment of his persecutors —
Cranmer is hurried to execution— His behaviour at the stake-
Reflections upon his character and fate.

THE destruction of Cranmer, Ridley, and Lati-
mer was delayed, as we have seen, for a length-
ened period after their condemnation ; it was
not till September, A.D. 1555, that a new com-
mission was issued to try again the two latter,
which ended in their enduring the flames of
martyrdom, in proof of their confidence in
the truths of " the glorious gospel of the
blessed God," On the 12th of September,

172 LIFE OF

Craiimer was again summoned into the pre-
sence of his judges, and was arraigned before
them, and Brokes, bishop of Gloucester, as the
representative of cardinal de Puteo, whom the
pope had appointed chief commissioner in the
matter ; the crimes laid to his charge were
blasphemy, heresy, and incontinency. His
judges had already sentenced Ridley and Lati-
mer, and he therefore looked for no mercy at
their bands.

Upon entering St. Mary's church, wherein
the examination was held, Cranmer saluted the
proctors of the king and queen with all due
respect. But looking from them to Brokes, who
sat as the delegate of the pope, he covered his
head, and offered no token of recognition or of
obeisance. Being interrogated as to this mani-
festation of disrespect, he made answer, that it
was not out of personal disrespect to the bishop
of Gloucester that he refrained from showing
any mark of courtesy, but that, having solemnly
pledged himself never to recognise the authority
of the pope in this realm, he refused to give
any token now to his delegate, which should
intimate the making of such submission. Had
the president derived his power from the king
and queen, he would have acknowledged their

CRANMER. 173

authority to him in the same manner that he
had done to the proctors, Martin and Story,
"who represented them. Brokes was evidently
much chagrined at this proof of Cranmer's
unalterable determination to abide by his opi-
nions. But he at once commenced the proceed-
ings with a long rambling speech, in which
he reminded the archbishop of the low origin
from which he had risen, and the high degree
whence he had fallen, and now to the lowest
degree of all, to the end of honour and life.
In conclusion, he exhorted him to renounce his
errors, and assured him he had been spared
for his treason, in the hope of his amendment,
and that if he would recant, in all probability
he would be restored to the dignities and the
position, as metropolitan, from, which he had
been removed.

Cranmer having obtained permission to enter
upon his defence, immediately kneeled down
and said the Lord's prayer ; which finished, he
rose, and repeated the articles of the creed,
and then proceeded to the vindication of his
conduct and character, which he maintained
with his usual learning and gentleness, and
that superiority which the cause itself gave
him. Eight witnesses were produced to give

174 LIFE OF

evidence against him, one and all of whom he
challenged as being guilty of perjury, since
they had once taken an oath against the pope,
and now appeared in court to maintain and
defend his power. This challenge on Cran-
mer's part was utterly disregarded, and he
was again sent back to his prison. On his
departure, as on his entrance, he refused to
show any mark of recognising the authority of
the pope by saluting the bishop of Glouces-
ter. The next day, September 13th, the depo-
sitions of these witnesses were taken, and are
still extant in the process against Cranmer,
which is preserved in the Archiepiscopal
Library at Lambeth. This brought the pro-
ceedings to a close, a report of which was im-
mediately transmitted to Rome.

On the 7th of September, Cranmer received
a citation to appear at Rome within eighty
days. This was of course impossible, as he
was closely imprisoned at Oxford ; but the
cause against him proceeded, as if his absence
had been voluntary. Being pronounced con-
tumacious, he was sentenced by the pope to be
degraded, and delivered over to the secular
magistrate for execution. On the 29th of
November, the eighty days appointed for his

CRANMER. 175

appearance elapsed, and his enemies now lost
no time in hurrying on his humiliation. On
the 4th December, at the instance of cardinal
de Puteo, he was sentenced to be excommuni-
cated and deprived of his archbishopric ; and
on the llth of the same month, the adminis-
tration of the see of Canterbury was conferred
on cardinal Pole. The final executory letter
of the pope was dated December 14. An un-
expected delay in the further proceedings now
occurred, as it was not till the 14th of February,
155|, that the pope's mandate, command-
ing his disgrace, was carried into execution.
Thirlby, bishop of Ely, and the cruel Bonner,
bishop of London, were commissioned to
perform this ceremony. The former had been
his old and familiar friend, and received many
and great kindnesses at his hands ; his tears
and emotion in the course of the proceedings
showed that he had not forgotten the friend-
ship of former times. But Bonner acted with all
his usual characteristic insolence, loading him
with abuse, notwithstanding Thirlby repeatedly
plucked his sleeve and implored him to desist,
reminding him of his promise, that he would
not be guilty of violence against a fallen oppo-
nent. That the mockery of degradation might

176 LIFE OP

be the more insulting, the vestments with
which Cranmer was to be clothed for the occa-
sion were made of the coarsest materials. Thus
attired, with a mock mitre upon his head, and
a pall upon his shoulders, and a crozier, or
pastoral staff, in his hand, he was exhibited to
the multitude in the church of St. Mary's,
while the savage and infuriated Bonner ex-
claimed, " This is the man that hath despised
the pope, and now is to be judged by him !
This is the man that hath pulled down so
many churches, and is now come to be judged
in a church ! This is the man that hath con-
demned the blessed sacrament, and is now
come to be contemned before that sacrament !"
Cranmer submitted to all this indignity calmly
and patiently, saying, as he was stripped one by
one of his episcopal garments, that he had done
with them long ago; but he held the crozier fast,
and instead of giving it up, delivered to Thirlby
a paper, which he had placed in his sleeve, con-
taining his appeal to a general council. He re-
membered that Luther had adopted this course
and found it successful ; but it was not ordained
that he should die in his bed, as that great
reformer was permitted to do. In the provi-
dence of God, he was to assist with his fellow-

CRANMER. 177

martyrs Ridley and Latimer, " in lighting the
candle of Protestant truth in England, which,
by God's grace, shall never be put out."

After the process of degradation had been
completed, he was dressed in a yeoman's
threadbare gown, and sent back to prison.
Thirlby promised him that his appeal should
be received if possible, but at the same time
reminded him that the commission against
him, which had been issued by the pope, was
upon the express terms that all right of appeal
should be taken away. As might have been
anticipated, the appeal was totally disregarded.
" This, however," he said, " gave him but little
uneasiness. He desired that God's will might
be done, and that God's name might be glori-
fied, either by his life or by his death. He
thought it much better to die in Christ's
quarrel than to be shut up in the prison of the
body, unless it were for the advancement of
God's glory, and the profit of his brethren."
These words seem to imply, that he fully anti-
cipated death, and it further appears, from
this language, that the appeal was attempted
chiefly as a measure for delay, which might
enable him before his execution to complete
his answer to Gardiner's last treatise on the
sacrament.

178 LIFE OF

But whatever might be his own expecta-
tions, it is quite certain his enemies were
resolved on his destruction. There was no
quarter to whick he could look with any
hope of mercy. The queen had been in-
debted to him for her liberty, and perhaps
even for her life ; for, at one time, it was the
purpose of her father to have sent her to the
Tower, there to suffer as a subject, for her
adherence to the pope and her disobedience
to the law ; and nothing but the intercession
of Cranmer could divert him from his reso-
lution. And when the king yielded to his
persuasions, he said that " Cranmer's good
offices in her behalf would, in the end, turn
to his utter confusion." She had been re-
minded of this fact by her subjects who had
fled to the continent, who petitioned her to
mitigate her persecution against the reformers,
and especially Cranmer ; but the recollection
of this service seems only to have deter-
mined her to proceed against him, as a proof
that her sincerity in the cause of the church
of Rome was unshaken, and as an evidence
that she could sacrifice a private benefit, to
that which she considered a public good.

His adversaries were determined to carry

CRANMER. 179

out the queen's intentions ; and having suc-
ceeded in destroying Ridley and Latimer, felt
secure of their prey. The plan that was
adopted was contrary to that under which
these martyrs had been despatched. If it
were possible to blacken the reputation of
Cranmer, previously to his destruction, it
would probably materially damage the cause
of the reformation, and be the means of
removing many obstacles out of the way for
the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic
domination. Cranmer was, therefore, deajt
with very differently from any of the former
sufferers.

That his enemies succeeded in their
object is certain ; but it is now established
that the current report of his recantations
must be received with considerable suspicion.
The letters of the times, lately published,*
assert that the most important of these docu-
ments, in which he was made to vilify him-
self, were " forged by the papists during his
lifetime," and it is generally supposed that
Bonner was the author of them, whose sole
object was to asperse and injure the character

* By the Parker Society: "Original Letters of the
Reformation."

180 LIFE OP

of the Reformers, and that of Cranmer in
particular. The history of the extortion of
this paper from him, as generally received,
has been thus narrated by an ancient
biographer.* "The doctors and divines of
Oxford busied themselves all that ever they
could to have him recant, essaying by all
crafty practices and allurements they might
devise how to bring their purpose to pass.
And to the intent that they might win him
easily, they had him to the dean's house of
Christ Church in the said university, where
he lacked no delicate fare, played at bowls,
had his pleasure for walking, and all other
things that might bring him from Christ.
Over and besides all this, secretly and sleigh tly,
they suborned certain men, which when they
could not expunge him by arguments and
disputations, should, by intreaty and fair
promises, and many other means, allure him to
recantation, perceiving otherwise what a great
wound they should receive, if the archbishop
had stood stedfast in his sentence ; and again
on the other side, how great profit they should
get, if he, as the principal standard-bearer,
should be overthrown. By reason whereof

* Foxe.

CRANMER. 181

the wily papists flocked about him with
threatening, flattering, entreating, and pro-
mising, and all other means, especially Henry
Sydall and Friar John de Villa Garcina, a
Spaniard, to the end to drive him, to the utter-
most of their possibility, from his former
sentence to recantation: whose force his
manly constancy did a great while resist ; but,
at last, when they made no end of calling
and crying upon him, the archbishop being
overcome, whether through their importunity,
or by his own imbecility, or of what mind I
cannot tell, at length gave his hand."

This written recantation (in whatever way
it was procured,) having been obtained by
the most ignoble means, orders were secretly
sent for his immediate execution. The 21st of
March was appointed for his death, the fatal
fact being carefully concealed from him ; but,
from what was going on around him, Cranmer
began to surmise the truth ; and now he set
about in earnest to retrieve the error into
which he had been treacherously seduced.
He wrote out with his own hand his last con-
fession of faith, and placed the paper in his
bosom to be used at the fitting moment. He
was brought from the prison to St. Mary's

182 LIPB OP

to hear his condemned sermon preached by
Dr. Cole. During the delivery of this dis-
course Cranmer stood, manifesting great grief
of mind, and showing outwardly, both by his
actions, and by the expression of his counte-
nance, how much he was suffering. In this
hour of utter humiliation and severe repent-
ance, he possessed his soul in patience. His
mind never, perhaps, had been more clear
and collected, and never had his heart been
stronger.

The sermon ended, the preacher desired
all men to pray for the sufferer. Cranmer
knelt and offered secret prayer to "Him who
rewardeth openly," whilst the whole of the con-
gregation, whatever had been their sentiments,
followed his example, praying secretly to-
gether, as if by one consent.

So fully persuaded were his enemies that
they had entangled him in the meshes of the
net of their weaving for destroying his repu-
tation, that Dr. Cole, when the silent de-
votions of Cranmer and of the people had
ended, addressed the audience in these words :
" Brethren, lest any one should doubt of this
man's earnest conversion and repentance,
you shall heat him speak before you; and,

CRANMBR. 183

therefore, I pray you, Master Cranmer, that
you will now perform that which you pro-
mised not long ago ; namely, that you would
openly express the true and undoubted pro-
fession of your faith, that you may take
away all suspicion from men, and that all
men may understand you are a Catholic
indeed." " I will do it," replied Cranmer,
" and that with a good will." He then rose
from his knees, and putting off' his cap, spake
to the assembled people in the following
words : " Good Christian people, my dearly
beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, I
beseech you most heartily to pray for me to
Almighty God, that he will forgive me my
sins and otrences, which be many without
number, and great above measure. But yet
one thing grieveth my conscience more than
all the rest, whereof, God willing, I intend to
speak more hereafter. But how many and
how great soever they be, I beseech you to
pray God of his mercy to pardon and forgive
me all." Then kneeling down, and drawing
from his bosom a written document, he
repeated this prayer : " 0 Father of heaven,
0 Son of God, Redeemer of the world, 0
Holy Ghost, proceeding from them both,

184 LIFE OF

three persons and one God, have mercy upon
me a most wretched caitiff and miserable
sinner. I have offended both heaven and
earth more than my tongue can express.
Whither, then, may I go, or whither may I
flee for succour? To heaven I may be
ashamed to lift up mine eyes, and in earth I
find no refuge or succour. What shall I
then do? Shall I despair? God forbid.
0 God, thou art merciful, and refusest none
that come unto thee for succour. To thee,
therefore, do I run ; to thee do I humble
myself, saying, 0 Lord my God, my sins be
great, but have mercy upon me for thy great
mercy. God was not made man for our
small offences. Thou didst not give thy Son
unto death for small sins only, but for all,
and the greatest sins of the world, so that the
sinner return to thee in his heart, as I do here
at this present. Wherefore have mercy on
me, 0 Lord ; for although my sins be great,
yet thy mercy is greater. I crave nothing, 0
Lord, for mine own merits, but for thy name's
sake, that it may be hallowed thereby, and for
thy dear Son, Jesus Christ's sake. And now
therefore, O Father, that art in heaven, hal-
lowed be thy name, thy kingdom come," etc.

CRANMER. 185

No prayer had ever been composed and
uttered in deeper misery, nor with more earnest
and devout contrition. Rising then, he ad-
dressed the spectators, not hurrying impa-
tiently to his purpose, but calmly and delibe-
rately.

Well aware how little he should be allowed
to speak, when he came to the point, he still
proceeded with a caution, which it would have
been impossible to have thus observed to the
last, if. he had not attained to the most per-
fect self-possession in this trying hour.

"And now," he continued, " I come to the
great thing, which so much troubleth my con-
science more than anything that I ever did or
said in my whole life, and that is the setting
abroad of a writing contrary to the truth ; which
now here I renounce and refuse as things
written with my hand contrary to the truth,
which I thought in my heart, and written for
fear of death, and to save my life, if it might
be ; and that is, all such bills and papers
which I have written or'signed with my hand
since my degradation, wherein I have written
many things untrue. And forasmuch as my
hand offended, writing contrary to my heart,
my hand shall first be punished therefor, for,

186 LIFE OP

may I come to the fire, it shall first be burned.
And as for the pope, I refuse him as
Christ's enemy, and antichrist, with all his
false doctrines." And as for the sacrament,
I believe, as I have taught in my book
against the bishop of Winchester, the which
my book teacheth so true a doctrine of
the sacrament that it shall stand at the last
day at the judgment of God, where papistical
doctrine contrary thereto shall be ashamed to
show her face."

His persecutors were, at first, so bewildered
with surprise and astonishment at this bold
renunciation of the recantations they had ob-
tained from him, that they had neither power
to check his speech nor to interrupt him.
They were utterly confounded, having expected
nothing less from his lips than an open and
positive abjuration of his Protestant principles ;
instead of which, he declared that he had no-
thing to repent of nor lament but the unhappy
sin, into which he had been betrayed, through
fear of death. Lord Williams indignantly
reminded him of what he had done, and bade
him remember himself and play the man. He
persisted, however, in his declaration, and
remained unshaken amidst the vehement up-

CRANMER. 187

braidings of his opponents ; replying that,
" he had been a man that all his life had ]oved
plainness, and had never dissembled till then
against the truth, which he was most sorry
for, and that he could not better play the
Christian man than by speaking the truth, as
he now did." He would have spoken at
greater length, but the exasperation of the
Romanists was so intense, that they would
not allow him to proceed, whilst Cole vocife-
rated from the pulpit, that they should stop
the heretic's mouth, and take him away.

Cranmer was now hurried to the same place
of execution where Tlidley and Latimer had
previously yielded up their lives, in conformity
to the Moloch spirit of the popish creed.
The weakness of his nature had now left
him. Grace was permitted to triumph in
his end, and another proof was to be mani-
fested in his death, that the Christian can ever
bear all things, even the approach and final
stroke of the last enemy, through Christ that
strengtheneth him. Having reached the spot,
in which he was to be consumed in the flames
of cruelty and persecution, he again kneeled
down and prayed most earnestly. He then
put oif his clothes with a cheerful countenance,
and prepared himself to die. His feet were

188 LIFE OP

bare, his head, when both his caps were off,
was perfectly bald, but his beard was long and
thick, and his countenance so calm and com-
posed, that even his enemies could not but
pity him. "Whilst the preparations for burn-
ing him were hurried forward, two friars
ceased not to ply him with entreaties that
he would again recant and die a papist.
The only reply, however, which they could
draw from him was, that he only grieved over
his sin, in having previously listened to their
advice, and being seduced into error through
their wicked instrumentality. Upon this they
desisted from their vain attempt, exclaiming
that the devil was surely with him, and that
they ought no longer to remain near him.
He was then bound to the stake with an iron
chain; and as his enemies perceived that nothing
could move him from his resolution to " stand
fast in the liberty wherewith Christ had made
him free," they therefore commanded the
fire to be lighted. And when the wood was
kindled, and the fire began to burn near him,
stretching out his right hand, he put it into
the flame, saying — which he repeated again
and again, in a firm and a loud voice — " This
hand hath offended ! this unworthy right
hand!" And so stedfastly and immovably

CRANMER. 189

did he hold it in the fire, except that he once
wiped his face with it, that it was consumed
before his body was reached by the flames.
No other cry was heard from him, save that in
reference to his right hand, and that of the first
martyr for the truth's sake — Stephen, " Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit !" -With his eyes
towards heaven, he stood as immovable as the
stake to which he was bound ; anticipating the
rest into which he was about to enter, he yielded
up his spirit without one sigh, or groan of an-
guish " in the greatness of the flame." The
fire quickly did its work ; but his heart was
found unconsumed amid the ashes.

Thus died Cranmer, and with him, to all
seeming probability, the last hopes of the ad-
herents of the Reformation perished. But the
impress of his mind was left on the age in
which he lived, and continued to work its way
steadily onward, until the accession of queen
Elizabeth once more lifted the reformed faith
from the lowly position into which it had been
temporarily cast, and placed it on a foundation
that has bid, and will continue to bid, defiance
to the assaults of Rome.

That Cranmer was unexceptionable in ah1
his acts, it is impossible to assert. He was
human ; therefore he was imperfect. It has

190 LIFE OF

been seen that in many of the passing scenes
of his eventful life he must be charged with a
degree of irresolution and of inconsistency,
if particular acts are taken and abstracted
from all the collateral circumstances. But
even in the most censurable points of his con-
duct— his assistance to Henry vm. to obtain
divorces from his wives, his anxiety to confer
favours upon those who aided his views,
and especially his recantation before his death ;
— taking the most favourable view of that cir-
cumstance, and giving him the benefit of all
that may be advanced against his having com-
mitted himself so fully as it has been asserted; —
are all susceptible of such explanation and
mitigation, when viewed in connexion with the
peculiar times and positions in which he was
placed, that they can scarcely serve to injure
his character materially, in the estimation of
those who desire to judge of him charitably
and impartially.

That he was not an ambitious man, in the
sordid acceptation of the term, is clearly evi-
denced hy his reluctance to accept the honour
forced upon him by his sovereign. That he
was no hypocrite in his hostility to popery is
placed beyond all question by the last act of
his life. His recantation previous to his death,

CRANMBR. 191

casts but little obloquy upon his memory, com-
pared with that which falls upon those who
infamously extorted it from him by the most
astute treachery and unmitigated falsehood.
His life was to be the reward of his recanta-
tion— he was but a man, a fallen sinful man.
Fires were lighted, and were burning fiercely
on every side, in obedience to the merciless
spirit of a ruthless creed, and he fell into the
snare, which was cunningly contrived upon
the knowledge that he was naturally of a timid
mind. Had other recantations been wrung
from him under such hard and treacherous
circumstances, in the extension of that great
principle of English jurisprudence, which will
not permit a confession coming from a party
accused, either by fear or favour, to be used
against him, it must resolutely be . asserted,
that these extorted acts must be laid wholly out
of consideration whilst judgment is pronounced
upon Cranmer's character.

The verdict of the history of his life is one
that posterity will universally ratify- — that he
was great and gifted, a sincere and resolute
reformer, and one to whom England owes,
under the Providence of Almighty God, much
of that civil and religious liberty she has so
long enjoyed, But it is not merely in such a

192 LIFE OF CRA.NMER.

light that the narrative of his life will be
viewed and considered by the Christian. He
will discern more in it than this : he will per-
ceive that the God, in whom he trusts, designs
to teach him the lesson, which his word incul-
cates from its first to its last pages — that no
human character is perfect, and no one event
of life happeneth by chance. He designed
that circumstances, mighty in their conse-
quences for the eternal good of souls, should
be brought about through the weak instru-
mentality of this poor servant ; but at the
same time he would not leave his people
without the record that he reigned in them,
one and all, proving that his foolishness
is wiser than man, and his weakness stronger
than man. In a word, the life of Cranmer
is another important elucidation of the great
fact, that the creature is worse than nothing
without the grace of God ; but with that grace,
" out of weakness he is made strong," and,
his imperfections being overruled for good,
he is enabled to give proof that " the Lord
reigneth," and that he will accomplish the
work of his hands to the glory of his great
name, and for the salvation of his people.

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