conduct, that three weeks after this he was publicly carted through London, the usual punishment for immoral characters, by order of the magistrates. The example was soon followed in other churches: some of the clergy returning to popery, others being intruded into the places of the ministers then in charge.

On October 1st, the queen was solemnly crowned at Westminster, with the Romish ceremonial, when Gardiner took the place of the primate. Three days afterwards, the parliament was opened with a solemn mass. Taylor, bishop of Lincoln, refused to kneel and adore the bread when raised up, on which he was thrust out of the assembly. Considerable efforts had been made

to secure the return of members of the House of Commons who would be favourable to popery; but Mary's inclinations were far in advance of the wishes of her subjects. In the first weeks of her reign, she admitted a private agent of the pope to secret interviews, when she declared her anxiety to bring back her kingdom into absolute submission to the see of Rome, but insisted

upon secresy till the plans were more fully arranged. Her duplicity was such, that even after she had privately informed the pope that nothing should make her retain his title of supreme head of the church, she allowed this title to be proclaimed at the coronation, and even made use of the authority it gave to remove the Protestant bishops from their sees. The pope consented not to hurry her; but immediately appointed Pole to proceed to England as his legate, as soon as he could go safely. Mary also resolved to marry Philip, son of the emperor Charles v.; a union which at once flattered her vanity, and assured her of foreign aid to further her plans. For a few weeks she regarded Courtney with complacency, while the nation in general wished that she should marry a subject; but the ill conduct of that youth confirmed her in the views above stated; and, in contradiction to the wishes of Gardiner, who was well aware of the unpopularity of such a connexion, engaged herself to the Spanish prince.

Here, then, we see who were the leading characters that forwarded the restoration of popery in England, from regard to that faith; the emperor Charles v., the pope Julius III., Mary herself, Gardiner, and cardinal Pole. The short interval of existence remaining to each of these characters, presents a singular coincidence, while the result also shows how vain are the devices of man against the Divine will.

In the early instructions of the pope to his legate, there are some very important expressions. He states several reasons for caution in their proceedings; among them, that Mary obtained her throne by the favour of those who, for the most part, mortally hated the papacy. Also, that "the young sister" was popular with every one. Though very anxious that the Romish see should again exercise sway over England, the pope saw the difficulty of Mary's position at that time; he therefore consented that she should dissemble. It was the end of October before she wrote to Pole, and then said that she could not yet venture to express her mind to him about obedience to the papacy, the people "being so alienated from the pope." The proceedings in parliament showed this. The proposition originally submitted was, to repeal all acts relative to religion, from the time when Henry shook off the papal yoke, which would at once have brought back popery with all its errors. But the parliament would not consent; all Mary could then obtain was, the repeal of those acts which set aside her mother's marriage, and of those passed in the reign of Edward concerning religion. This left matters as they stood at the decease of Henry VIII., with the exception of what personally concerned Mary. The parliament was dissolved in December, the members having expressed themselves against the queen's marriage with Philip. The kingdom was generally averse to this union; cardinal Pole himself, in his instructions to the agent he sent into England, expresses his belief that the queen's peril at this juncture was greater than when Northumberland was in arms against her,

and that there were few in England disposed to promote her views of reconciliation with Rome.

Such was Mary's position; but she was in iron hands. The pope and cardinal Pole were determined that she should proceed. They urged her onwards at all hazards, and her own bigoted mind made her desirous to see popery restored. The emperor was willing to aid; Gardiner desired to bring back popery, but interposed, that the matter might not be hurried forward too rapidly. As this parliament was not disposed to go the lengths the queen desired, it was dissolved; considerable sums, partly advanced by the emperor, were expended in preparing for the assembling of a more subservient body.

During the sitting of the first parliament, a convocation of the clergy was held. There less hesitation was manifested. Bonner presided in the upper house. The proceedings of the late reign were much blamed, which caused Philpot and others to come forward in defence of Protestantism. A disputation was carried forward for some days, chiefly on transubstantiation, but the Protestants were subdued by clamour. Dean Weston, who acted as prolocutor, closed the debate by this ominous declaration, “Ye have the word, but we have the sword." These proceedings, with the conduct of the queen, discouraged the Protestants; while the papists, and all who desired the royal favour, became more bold in their proceedings, so that the mass was restored in many places long before the 20th of December, the time appointed by the parliament ; while the objections raised by some Protestants to these illegal proceedings, were made the pretext for committing many of them to prison on unfounded charges of sedition.

On November 13th, Cranmer, and lady Jane Grey and her husband were tried at Guildhall for high treason against Mary. They all admitted the part they had taken; but Cranmer pleaded that he had resisted the excluding her from the throne till it was declared lawful by the

judges. They received sentence of death; but Mary did not venture to order it to be carried into execution. Jane and her husband had been mere tools for others. Cranmer had stood forward in defence of Mary in the two preceding reigns; but she now considered that she made a sufficient return, by not ordering him to suffer on a charge of treason, while she well knew he would be liable to death for heresy, from which charge she was resolved he should not escape. She never forgave the part he had taken in her mother's divorce. Gardiner also wished that the see of Canterbury should not be declared vacant till he had taken measures, if possible, to prevent Pole from having that appointment.

The beginning of the year 1554 found the people of England in a very excited state: all who were attached to Protestantism saw their hopes of toleration crushed by the restoration of the mass and the popish services, while the Reformed clergy were displaced. Those who cared merely for political matters were alarmed at the prospect of the queen's Spanish marriage, with the restoration of the pope's authority. These measures would assuredly sooner or later destroy the independence of the nation, and bring in all the horrors of persecution. The lengths to which the queen was likely to proceed, had been shown by her conduct to her sister Elizabeth, towards whom the pope directed her jealous attention. Elizabeth's outward attachment to Protestantism was well known; this made her popular with the English nation, though she was not known by any personal acts: her popularity, therefore, could only arise from the knowledge of her opinions. She refused to conform to popery for some time; but being threatened that her adherence to the truths taught in her brother's reign should be considered as treason, she reluctantly agreed to attend the popish mass. This conformity was merely outward profession: under her circumstances we cannot be surprised, though we cannot commend such a dereliction of the truth from fear. Still it shows how different were the proceedings of the

queen with reference to her sister, from those of her brother towards herself. She was allowed to follow her own views of religion, but her conduct towards others was evidently guided by the maxims-no faith to be kept with heretics; no toleration to be allowed. Even after the compliance of Elizabeth, Mary treated her unkindly, and wished to have her excluded from the succession to the throne. Spies were placed about her; she was vigilantly watched: the Spanish ambassador urged that she should be imprisoned in the Tower.

Mary very soon became unpopular. The truly religious part of her subjects only wished for permission to adhere to their religious principles; but many included under the general denomination of Protestants were actuated by political motives. Their leaders endeavoured to excite a general opposition to the Spanish marriage, now about to be concluded. It was resolved that sir Peter Carew should take arms in the west, sir Thomas Wyatt in Kent, and the duke of Suffolk in the midland counties. These plans were carried into effect simultaneously.

On January 22, Wyatt appeared in arms at Rochester, with fifteen hundred followers. The duke of Norfolk was sent to suppress this insurrection: when about to attack the insurgents, a part of his force joined Wyatt, who marched towards London with 15,000 men, but loitered on the way.

The queen showed her father's spirit at this trying juncture. She went to Guildhall on February 1, and addressed the citizens. This proceeding, with the preparations made to support her cause, had such an effect on Wyatt's followers, that the greater part left him. When he entered Southwark, on February 3, he had only two thousand men with him. The French ambassador wrote to his court, that if Wyatt had reached the metropolis on February 1, as he might have done, the queen must have shut herself up in the Tower. But Wyatt's hopes were now at an end, though he determined on a desperate measure-to