spects, if placed by the side of more modern information, would be quoted in the way of contrast rather than of resemblance. But at the period of the Reformation a distinct form and character were given to the external constitution of the church, owing partly to the extraordinary nature of the case, and partly to the temper of the reigning sovereign; and the changes that were then effected, being of great importance not only in their own nature, but more especially in their connection with the history of English synods, must be clearly and particularly described.

The resistance which had at all times been offered to the usurpations of the papal see, and since the time of king Edward III. had been supported by the statutes of provisors and præmunire, was employed by king Henry VIII. for the prosecution of his own purposes, and became in consequence the occasion of great embarrassment to the clergy. Practices hitherto allowed to pass without observation were now found to be encroachments upon the rights of the crown, and were brought under the cognizance of strict and penal laws. Of this state of things the case of cardinal Wolsey, naturally the most pregnant and impressive of that period, furnished the most remarkable examples. He had been invested with legatine authority by the pope, and had received full permission from the king to exercise it. But blinded either by the greatness of his spiritual dignities, or by his confidence in the continuance of the royal favour, he employed his powers in such a manner, giving benefices by prevention, and granting faculties and issuing instruments unlawfully, as to expose both himself and the clergy at large, who acted under his authority, to the penalties of invading the king's prerogative. The opportunity thus presented to Henry of placing the church at his mercy, and employing it according to his own discretion in his contest with the pope, was too valuable to be neglected. In the year 1529 an indictment was preferred against the cardinal upon the statute of præmunire, which terminated in the loss of his personal liberty and the forfeiture of all his property; and the solemn notice was brought more completely home to the clergy in general by a succession of similar indictments. To add to these warnings of impending danger, several bold measures of church reform obtained the assent of the crown,

in opposition to the wishes of the clergy, but at the earnest solicitation of the house of commons; and the general act of pardon, which also passed in the parliament of the same year, and might have been expected to shelter the clergy no less than common criminals, especially excepted all offences against the statutes of provisors and præmunire.

Whilst the storm was thus collecting in its strength, the convocation was vainly endeavouring to escape from it by making some ineffectual attempts at the reformation of abuses, and by remitting a loan which the king had formerly obtained from them. In the following year, however, as soon as he had ordered a translation to be made of the New Testament into English, and had issued a proclamation forbidding the exercise of any papal authority whatever to the prejudice of his prerogative, it became evident that no time was to be lost. The convocation of the southern province purchased their security from the præmunire at the price of 100,000l., and by a still more galling concession acknowledged the king to be the protector and supreme lord and head of the church and clergy of England. By these timely measures they obtained a complete indemnity for the past.

But Henry had still other and more important objects to accomplish. Foreseeing great danger to the state, if he did not require the same subjection to himself which had hitherto been yielded to the pope, he resolved that the legislative authority of the church should be curtailed, and that its whole jurisdiction for the future should originate and end in the crown. There would, he was persuaded, be little benefit to himself or his subjects in shaking off the oppression of a foreign yoke, if at the same time a rival legislature should have been established within the empire itself, independent of the secular power, and too strong to be controlled by it.

Reasonable and inevitable as these views were in connection with the tranquillity and welfare of the kingdom, it is evident that they would meet with opposition from two large and powerful parties, from those who, whatever were the cause, continued to be attached to the papal see, and from that more formidable class of persons, who considered the sanctions of the church as higher and more sacred than the authority of the state. But no time or opening was afforded them for con

certing measures of resistance. In the parliament that met in January, 1532, the strange relations now subsisting between the church and the state were frequently and earnestly discussed. The whole question was ultimately laid before the king in a petition presented to him by the house of commons on the 18th of March, and containing, together with the statement of other grievances, the following representation:

"That the clergy of this your realm being your highness's subjects, in the convocation by them holden within this your realm have made and daily make sanctions or laws concerning temporal things, and some of them be repugnant to the laws and statutes of your realm, not having ne requiring your most royal assent to the same laws so by them made, neither any assent or knowledge of your said lay subjects is had to the same, neither to them published and known in their mother tongue; albeit divers and sundry of the said laws extend in certain causes to your excellent person, your liberty and prerogative royal, and to the interdiction of your lands and possessions, and so likewise to the goods and possessions of your lay subjects, declaring the infringers of the law so by them made not only to incur into the terrible sentence of excommunication, but also the detestable crime and sin of heresy; by the which divers of your most humble and obedient lay subjects be brought into this ambiguity, whether they may do and execute your laws according to your jurisdiction royal of this realm, for dread of the same censures and pains comprised in the same laws so by them made in the convocations, to the great trouble and inquietation of your said humble and obedient lay subjects, and to the impeachment of your jurisdiction and prerogative royal."

This petition having been referred by the king to the convocation which was then sitting, an answer was prepared by that body with the view of conciliating his favour, without surrendering the independence of the church, and was delivered by Henry to the house of commons after he had himself examined it, with a plain intimation that it was not satisfactory. Knowing the sentiments of their royal master, and feeling the extreme danger of their situation, the convoca

tion now addressed themselves to him in person, declaring their "especial trust and confidence in his excellent wisdom and incomparable learning," and promising during his natural life to forbear from making or enforcing any constitutions without his royal license and approbation. This promise was evidently constructed with a view to its being withdrawn at a future period, and was also expressed with such a reservation of immunities and liberties that a degree of suspicion was thrown upon its immediate bearings. It was met with the peremptory demand "that no constitution or ordinance shall be hereafter by the clergy enacted, promulged, or put in execution, unless the king's highness approve the same by his high authority and royal assent, and his advice and favour be also interposed for the execution of every such constitution among his highness' subjects." And this demand was instantly followed by a measure pregnant with the most serious consequences. On the next day, (May 11, 1532,) the king sent the following message to the house of commons: "Web thought that the clergy of our realm had been our subjects wholly, but now we have well perceived that they be but half our subjects, yea, and scarce our subjects. For all the prelates at their consecration make an oath to the pope clean contrary to the oath that they make to us; so that they seem to be his subjects and not ours. The copy of both the oaths I deliver here to you, requiring you to invent some order, that we be not thus deluded of our spiritual subjects."

Overpowered by a necessity from which they had in vain endeavoured to escape, and compelled to close their session abruptly by the appearance of the plague, the convocation agreed to the act of submission, and presented it to the king on the 16th day of May, 1532, expressed in the following

terms:

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"We your most humble subjects, daily orators and beadsmen of your clergy of England, having one speciall trust and confidence in your most excellent wisdom, your princely goodnesse and fervent zeal to the promotion of God's honour and Christian religion, and also in your learning, farr exceeding in

our judgment the learning of all other kings and princes that we have reed of; and doughting nothing but that the same shall still continew and dailey increase in your majesty, first do offer and promise in verbo sacerdotii here unto your highness, submitting our selfs most humbly to the same, that we will never from henceforthe enact, put in ure, promulge or execute any newe canons or constitution provinciall, or any other newe ordinance, provinciall or synodall, in our convocations or synode, in time comyng, which convocation is, alway hath byn, and must be assembled onely by your high commandment of writte; only your highness by your royall assent shall lycense us to assemble our convocation and to make, promulge and execute such constitutions and ordinaments, as shall be made in the same, and thereto give your royall assent and authorite. Secondarily, that whereas diverse of the constitutions, ordinaments and canons provinciall or synodall, which have been heretofore enacted, but thought to be not only muche prejudiciall to your prerogative royall, but also over muche onerous to your highnesses subjects; your clergy aforesaid is contented, if it may stand so with your highnesses pleasure, that it be committed to the examination and judgment of your grace, and of thirty two persones, whereof sixteen to be of the upper and nether house of the temporalte, and other sixteen of the clergye, all to be chosen and appointed by your most noble grace. So that fynally whichsoever of the said constitutions, ordinaments or canons provinciall or synodall shall be thought and determyn'd by your grace and by the most part of the said thirty two persons not to stand with God's laws, and the laws of your realme, the same to be abrogated and taken away by your grace and the clergye. And such of them as shall be seen by your grace and by the most part of the said thirty two persones to stand with Goddes laws and the laws of your realme, to stand in full strength and power, your grace's most royall assent and authorite ones impetrate fully given to the same."

To make this submission imperative upon the clergy, and to place it beyond their power of revocation, the king resolved that it should become an act of the supreme legislature, and be enforced by pains and penalties. On the 30th of March accordingly in the year 1534, after various other measures had been