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THE 
 
 SUNDAY LIBRARY 
 
 YOUNG PERSONS. 
 
 EDITED 
 
 BY THE REV. HENRY WARE, JR. 
 
 VOL. IV. 
 
 A SKETCH^j^fiE REFORMATION. 
 "O't : -'^^A^v 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY. 
 1836. 
 
SKETCH 
 
 THE REFORMATION. 
 
 - 
 
 BY THOMAS B. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY. 
 1836. 
 
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1836, by JAMES 
 MUNROE & Co., in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE PRESS: 
 MET CALF, T O R R Y , AND B A L, I/O U . 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 THE following work is but little more 
 than an abridgment of the labors of others. 
 It is not intended as a substitute for those 
 writers who have given elaborate histories 
 of the Reformation ; it is merely sent forth 
 as an invitation to the richer feast which 
 they have provided. For this reason, it 
 has been thought unnecessary to disfigure 
 the volume with notes and references. 
 
 To this general acknowledgment it 
 
 may be well to add, that the account of 
 
 Zwingle is condensed from the life of that 
 
 excellent man, translated by Miss Lucy 
 
 b 
 
VI ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 Aiken from the French of J. G. Hess, and 
 that we are indebted to that lady for 
 the translation of Luther's letters in the 
 Eighth Chapter. 
 
 Newburyport, April 8, 1836. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . 1 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Birth, Early Life, and Personal Appearance 
 of Luther Indulgences Tetzel. 1483 - 1517. 8 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Progress of the Controversy concerning Indulgen- 
 ces Conduct of the Pope Luther's Interviews 
 with Cajetan and Miltitz Dispute at Leipsic 
 Luther Excommunicated Burns the Papal Bull. 
 1517-1520 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Charles V. Chosen Emperor Diet at Worms 
 Luther's Seclusion in the Castle of Wartburg 
 Melancthon. 1519-1522 34 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Reformation in Switzerland Ulrich Zwingle 
 Abbey of Einsiedeln. 1484-1516. . . 43 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Zwingle's Removal to Zurich Progress of the Re- 
 formationPublic Conference. 1518-1523. 54 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Second Conference at Zurich Persecution Ex- 
 ecution of Hottinger, of Wirth and his Sons 
 Progress of the Reformation in Switzerland. 
 1523-1527 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Progress of the Reformation in Switzerland Civil 
 Commotions Death of Zwingle. 1527 - 1531. 76 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Luther's Return to Wittemberg Progress of the 
 Reformation in Germany Diets of Nuremberg 
 Controversy concerning the Lord's Supper 
 War of the Peasants Luther's Marriage 
 Luther's Letters. 1522 - 1524. ... 83 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Death of Frederic of Saxony Diet at Spires the 
 Protest Dispute among the Reformers concern- 
 ing the Lord's Supper Second Diet at Spires 
 Diet and Confession of Augsburg League of 
 Smalcald Peace of Nuremberg. 1526-1532. 105 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Anabaptists their Origin and Leaders their 
 Capture of the City of Munster their Defeat. 
 1533-1535 .117 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Consequences of the Truce of Nuremberg Council 
 of Trent Preparations for War Death of Luther 
 Invasion of Saxony Submission of the Protes- 
 
 " tants Capture of Frederic Submission of the 
 Landgrave of Hesse. 1532-1547. . 126 
 
IX CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Diet at Augsburg Council at Trent the Interim 
 
 Julius III. Change in the Conduct of Maurice 
 
 Maurice attacks the Emperor Treaty of 
 Passau Conclusion of the Reformation in Ger- 
 many. 1547-1555 140 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Reformation in England Wickliffe John Huss 
 the Lollards William Sautre John Balby 
 Lord Cobham. 1234-1417. ... 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Henry VIII* his Divorce Cardinal Wolsey 
 Marriage of Anne Boleyn Cranmer Destruc- 
 tion of the Pope's Supremacy in England Perse- 
 cution. 1509-1534. . 159 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Character of Henry's Ministry the Maid of Kent 
 
 Bishop Fisher Sir Thomas More Death of 
 Anne Boleyn. 1534-1536. ... 173 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Destruction of the Monasteries Insurrections 
 Pilgrimage of Grace Birth of Edward and Death 
 of Queen Jane Further Destruction of the Mon- 
 asteries Miracles and Relics Thomas a Beck- 
 et Excommunication of Henry VIII. 1535- 
 1538 190 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Lambert Law of Six Articles Anne of Cle ves 
 Catherine Howard Persecution Death of 
 Catherine Howard Catherine Paw Anne 
 Askew Death of Henry VIII. 1538 - 1547. 204 
 c 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Edward VI. Somerset Progress of the Reforma- 
 tion Joan Bocher Northumberland Death 
 of Edward VI. 1547-1553. ... 212 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Usurpation of the Lady Jane Grey Accession of 
 Mary Execution of the Lady Jane Restora- 
 tion of Popery Persecution John Rogers 
 Lawrence Saunders Latimer Cranmer Death 
 of Mary Accession of Elizabeth Reformation 
 
 Established. 1552-1559 221 
 
 f 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Reformation in Scotland Patrick Hamilton 
 James V. Design of Henry VIII. Death of 
 James V. Mary Stuart Earl of Arran Regent 
 Wishart Assassination of Cardinal Beaton 
 John Knox Queen Mother Regent Mary 
 Stuart's Claim to the Throne of England arid its 
 Consequences Destruction of the Churches 
 Lords of the Congregation Civil War Death 
 of the Queen Regent Peace Establishment of 
 the Reformation. 1525 - 1560. ... 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Conclusion. 251 
 
THE REFORMATION, 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 AFTER the ascension of our Saviour, the Apos- 
 tles and their successors preached the Gospel in 
 various parts of the Roman Empire. Their 
 labors were attended with great success. Con- 
 verts were made and assemblies of Christians 
 collected in many places. It soon, therefore, be- 
 came necessary to appoint regular teachers to con- 
 duct the worship, to instruct, and to superintend 
 the affairs of the churches. In process of time 
 several of their churches were placed together 
 under the general care of some one person, called 
 a bishop. These officers were, at first, simple 
 and frugal in their habits, mild and limited in 
 the exercise of their authority. But when Chris- 
 tianity was adopted by Constantine as the religion 
 of the Empire, and the number and wealth of the 
 1 
 
2 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 churches increased, the character of the clergy 
 was greatly changed : they became ambitious, 
 and fond of luxury and dominion. 
 
 The bishops of Rome and Constantinople, from 
 their residence in the two largest cities in Europe, 
 acquired great wealth and power, and were con- 
 sequently regarded as superior to the other 
 ecclesiastics. The former of these dignitaries 
 claimed the supreme power in religious matters. 
 This claim was resisted by the bishop of Con- 
 stantinople ; and thus arose the great quarrel 
 which ended in the division of Christendom into 
 the Roman and Greek churches. 
 
 After this schism, the bishops of Rome were 
 reverenced by Western Europe as the heads of 
 the church, and were known by the name of 
 Popes. These popes maintained their right to 
 dominion, on the ground that they were the suc- 
 cessors of St. Peter, who suffered martyrdom at 
 Rome, and who, (according to their interpreta- 
 tion of Matthew, xvi. 13-19,) was appointed 
 by Christ to be chief among the Apostles. 
 
 gome of the occupants of the papal throne 
 were men of learning and piety; but many of 
 them were crafty and wicked, and took advantage 
 of the ignorance and superstition of the people 
 to increase their power and wealth. They 
 claimed infallibility as the interpreters of Scrip- 
 ture, the authority to forgive sins, and the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 right to excuse, whenever they chose, the subjects 
 of any monarch from the fulfilment of their oaths 
 of allegiance. In short, such was the blindness 
 and degradation of men, during the middle ages, 
 that the popes succeeded in obtaining almost 
 unlimited control over the temporal and spiritual 
 affairs of Europe. Kings and emperors knelt at 
 their feet, and bestowed upon them their treasures. 
 All matters of faith were decided by their voice. 
 They were looked upon as the representatives of 
 Christ and the vicegerents of God upon earth. 
 They were supposed to hold the keys of heaven, 
 <md to be able by their decrees to consign all who 
 resisted their commands to eternal misery. Their 
 sway was despotic and almost unlimited. 
 
 It must not be supposed, however, that this 
 authority was obtained at once, or that it was 
 never called in question. The popes advanced 
 to their lofty station by successive efforts ; arid 
 when they at last reached it, such corruptions of 
 Christianity and such wickedness in manners 
 prevailed in the church, that the indignation of 
 good men was at times aroused, and endeavours 
 were made to procure a reform. But these noble 
 exertions failed almost entirely, and nothing 
 effectual was done to break the oppressive rod of 
 the Roman Pontiffs, until the commencement of 
 the sixteenth century, when a revolution occurred 
 which put an end to their tyranny over a large 
 part of Christendom. 
 
4 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Previous to this event the foundations of popery 
 seemed to be fixed and firm. Its dominion was 
 acknowledged on the Continent of Europe and in 
 England, Ireland, and Scotland. The people 
 were sitting in the gross darkness of ignorance. 
 Many of the clergy were unable to read or write ; 
 some had never seen a Bible, and the larger 
 portion were only partially acquainted with the 
 New Testament. Instead of being faithful 
 preachers of the simple truths of the Gospel, they 
 entertained their hearers with fanciful lives of 
 the Saints and fictitious stories of their wonderful 
 miracles. Instead of being diligent and exem- 
 plary pastors, they were abandoned to all kinds 
 of vice, and engaged in selling relics, and in ex- 
 torting money on various pretences from their 
 wretched flocks. All Europe groaned under this 
 burthen of sin and error. Pure and simple 
 Christianity was unknown ; and a corrupt church 
 spread desolation over the land. 
 
 In the fifteenth century, events took place 
 which served in some measure to change the 
 
 o 
 
 degraded condition of Christendom, and to pre- 
 pare the way for better things. The long night 
 of ignorance began to break away before the 
 gradual revival of learning. Constantinople was 
 conquered by the Turks in 1453 ; and the 
 learned men who had made that city their resi- 
 dence were forced to seek new homes in Ger- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 many, France, and Italy. This emigration 
 helped to increase the attention then beginning 
 to be paid to the ancient languages, and to awa- 
 ken a taste for knowledge. A number of new 
 universities were founded, and many of the prin- 
 ces of Europe became the patrons of learning. 
 
 This beneficial change was also in part caused 
 and greatly promoted by the recent discovery of the 
 art of printing. Before the invention of types, 
 the labors of scholars were shut up in manu- 
 scripts, and aece sible only to the few. The 
 effects, of public debates, then the usual mode of 
 carrying on discussions, were almost wholly con- 
 fined to those who were so fortunate as to hear 
 them. But the press opened a new channel of com- 
 munication between mind and mind, and gave the 
 inquirer the ability to spread abroad among the 
 multitude the results of his investigations. 
 
 To the revival of learning and the discovery 
 of the art of printing, we may perhaps add the 
 discovery of America, as another event which 
 contributed to bring about a beneficial change in 
 the condition of Europe. The birth, as it were, 
 of a new world, awakened the curiosity, aroused 
 the enterprise, and excited the ambition of men. 
 Their minds were expanded, and an impulse was 
 given, which extended the boundaries of science 
 and encouraged a spirit of inquiry. 
 
O SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 The young reader will find no difficulty in 
 comprehending the manner in which the events 
 just referred to exerted a beneficial influence on 
 the religious state of the world, and gave strength 
 and weapons to those who were anxious to throw 
 off the papal yoke. The vast power of the Ro- 
 mish Church was owing to the ignorance of her 
 subjects, and especially to their ignorance of the 
 Holy Scriptures. She was able to impose upon 
 them her absurdities and corruptions, as the re- 
 ligion of Jesus, because they had no means by 
 which to ascertain the true character of that 
 religion. Her priesthood were upheld by super- 
 stition. The glory of her fabrics depended upon 
 the obscure medium, through which they were 
 seen by her half-blind admirers ; when light was 
 thrown upon them, and the eyes of beholders 
 began to open, their deformity and rottenness 
 were at once discovered. Men saw how much 
 they had been deceived, and felt how much they 
 were oppressed. A fit occasion was only needed 
 for the commencement of a struggle between 
 liberty and despotism, truth and error. That 
 occasion was soon furnished, and a conflict began 
 a conflict not yet finished, and to which we 
 may attribute much of the civil and religious 
 freedom now enjoyed by the world. 
 
 The commencement of this struggle in the 
 sixteenth century, by which the pretensions of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 popery were resisted, and a large portion of Chris- 
 tendom separated from the Romish Church, is 
 called THE REFORMATION. The history of this 
 event is justly regarded as among the most im- 
 portant and instructive in the annals of mankind ; 
 and should the humble sketch, which follows, 
 induce the young reader to give to it a more 
 thorough and attentive study, and increase his 
 devotion to the great principles of Protestantism, 
 the design of its preparation will be accomplished. 
 
SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE BIRTH, EARLY LIFE, AND PERSONAL APPEAR- 
 ANCE OF LUTHER INDULGENCES TETZEL 1483 
 - J517. 
 
 THE simplest and most entertaining way 
 in which to give a sketch of the Reformation, 
 will be to follow, for the most part, the career of 
 the principal actors in that great event. We 
 begin, therefore, in Germany, and with Martin 
 Luther. 
 
 This celebrated man, the son of John Luther 
 and Margaret Luideman, was born November 
 10th, 1483, at Eisleben, a town of the county of 
 Mansfeldt in Upper Saxony, where his father 
 resided, and pursued the humble occupation of a 
 miner. He learned the rudiments of grammar 
 and received his first religious instruction at home. 
 At the age of ten, he attended school at Magde- 
 burg ; but receiving there no pecuniary assistance, 
 he removed to Eisnach, in the hope of being 
 aided by the relations of his mother, who was 
 descended from a respectable family in that 
 city. This expectation was for a time disap- 
 pointed, and he was compelled, like other poor 
 students, to gain the means of living by singing 
 before the doors of houses; this he called his 
 " bread music." He once, however, attracted 
 
LUTHER. 9 
 
 the attention of a kind kinswoman, who gener- 
 ously provided for his maintenance. His progress 
 in his studies was rapid, and in 1501 he entered 
 the University of Erfurt, where he attended the 
 regular ^ctures on logic and philosophy. The 
 mode y? which these branches were taught, did 
 not satisfy the clear and curious mind of the 
 young student, and he devoted much of his time 
 to the classics. At the early age of twenty he 
 took his degree, and after devoting himself to the 
 business of teaching for a little while, began the 
 study of civil law. 
 
 But an incident occurred about this time which 
 entirely changed his purposes. One of his 
 intimate friends, a young man by the name of 
 Alexis, suddenly died. Historians have not ascer- 
 tained with certainty the manner of his death. 
 Some say that he was killed by a stroke of light- 
 ning, whilst others suppose that he was assassinated. 
 Something there was mysterious or remarkable 
 about the event, for it made a deep impression 
 upon the mind of Luther, and determined him in 
 the choice of a monastic life. His father said a 
 great deal to dissuade him from this purpose ; 
 but in vain. Martin declared that he had re- 
 ceived a terrible call from heaven, and that he 
 felt bound to give himself to the service of the 
 Church. " Take care," answered his father, 
 " that you are not ensnared by the delusion of 
 
10 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 the devil." Luther adhered to his resolution: 
 "One evening he called together his friends and 
 fellow students, entertained them with music and 
 a supper, and urged them to be cheerful, for it 
 was the last time they would see him in his 
 present situation." 
 
 Luther retired to an Augustine monastery, and 
 submitted to all the vigils and penances imposed 
 by the Church. During his noviciate, that is, 
 before he became a priest, he is said to have found 
 in the library of the house a complete copy of the 
 Bible in Latin. He eagerly devoted himself to 
 its perusal, and was suprised and delighted when 
 he discovered that it contained much more than 
 the collection of extracts from that sacred book 
 then in use among the clergy. At the expiration 
 of a year he was ordained. The next year he 
 was appointed a professor in the University of 
 Wittemberg. .He entered immediately upon the 
 duties of his office, and soon became so popular 
 as an instructer and preacher, that one of the 
 most learned men of the day exclaimed, " this 
 monk will confound ^11 the Doctors, will exhibit 
 new doctrine, arid reform the whole Roman 
 Church ; for he is intent on reading the writings 
 of the prophets, and he depends on the word of 
 Jesus Christ ; this neither the philosophers, nor 
 the sophists, can subvert." 
 
LUTHER. 11 
 
 In 1510, Luther was sent to Rome as an 
 agent for his monastery, and whilst there became 
 more fully acquainted with the corrupt state of 
 the Church. With sorrow and indignation he 
 heard the religious services hurried over in a 
 most indecent manner, and observed the indolent 
 habits arid gross conduct of the clergy. He did not 
 regret this visit, as it gave him an opportunity to 
 see with his own eyes the real character of the 
 Papal Court ; and he came home convinced that 
 it was no place for a sincere and serious pastor. 
 On his return he received with some reluctance 
 the degree of Doctor of Divinity ; the usual fees 
 having been paid by the Elector of Saxony as a 
 mark of esteem for his learning and piety. 
 
 Such is a brief outline of Luther's life, up to 
 the time when he appeared in the character of a 
 reformer; we will here add to it a few general 
 remarks on his personal appearance and his 
 acquirements. 
 
 11 He was," we are told, "remarkably strong 
 and healthy, with a sanguine, bilious tempera- 
 ment, and all the robustness and industry of a 
 German. His eyes were piercing and full of 
 fire. His voice was sweet and vehement when once 
 fairly raised." "As he was neither a little nor a 
 weak man," writes his friend Melancthon, " I 
 have often been astonished to observe how little 
 meat or drink he seemed to require. I have seen 
 
12 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 him, when he was in perfect health, absolutely 
 neither eat nor drink during four days together : 
 at other times, I have seen him for many days be 
 content with the slight allowance of a very little 
 bread and a herring on each day." Horticulture 
 was one of his amusements. Requesting a friend 
 to procure him some seeds, he said, " While 
 Satan rages I will laugh at him, and enjoy my 
 Creator in the garden.'' At one time he applied 
 himself to a turner's trade, giving as a reason for 
 it, " that he might, if the world did not support 
 him, be able to earn his bread by the labor of his 
 hands." 
 
 Both friends and enemies held Luther to be a 
 man of talents and learning. Erasmus, the most 
 famous scholar of that age, frequently spoke of 
 him with great commendation, until he was 
 involved in a controversy with him* when he 
 endeavoured to undervalue his merits. In one 
 of his letters, he expressed the belief "that God 
 had sent Luther to reform mankind." In another, 
 he remarked that " the cause of Luther was in- 
 vidious, because he at once attacked the stomachs 
 of the monks and the diadem of the pope." Writ- 
 ing to one of the Cardinals, he admits " his great 
 natural abilities, his genius for the explanation of 
 difficult subjects," and adds, " that men of the 
 soundest learning were much pleased with his 
 works." " Pomeranus," says Melancthon, " is a 
 
LUTHER. 13 
 
 grammarian and explains the force of words ; I 
 profess logic, and teach both the management of 
 the matter and the nature of arguments ; Justus 
 Jonas is an orator, and discourses with copious- 
 ness and elegance ; but Luther is Omnia in 
 Omnibus, complete in every thing ; a very miracle 
 among men ; whatever he says, whatever he 
 writes, penetrates their minds and leaves the 
 most astonishing stings in their hearts." This, 
 perhaps, is the exaggerated praise of friendship ; 
 but there can be no doubt, that by his knowledge 
 of the Scriptures and of the history of the church, 
 by his argumentative skill, depth of thought, and 
 command of vigorous language, the Saxon monk 
 was well qualified for his great task : in these 
 respects too he was constantly improving by dili- 
 gent study and extensive reading. 
 
 The intrepid spirit of Luther was first aroused 
 by the gross abuse of the doctrine of indulgences. 
 This tenet affirmed that Christ had atoned only 
 for the eternal punishment of sin, and that all 
 who obtained salvation must endure a temporal 
 punishment for their transgressions, either by 
 performing here certain penances, inflicted by 
 the church, or by suffering the pains of purga- 
 tory in another world. From this latter retribu- 
 tion, however, it was taught, the Pope had power 
 to excuse the sinner. This power was thus 
 Acquired : the good works of the Saints, over and 
 
14 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 above what was necessary to their own salvation, 
 together with the merits of the Saviour, were 
 supposed to form an inexhaustible treasure, com- 
 mitted to the successors of St. Peter, who might 
 for money transfer a portion of it to any person, 
 and thus release him from all danger of pun- 
 ishment. It was common, in the times of which 
 we are writing, when the administration of jus- 
 tice was imperfect, to refrain from enforcing upon 
 criminals the penalties of the law, provided they 
 would pay suitable fines. This practice had a 
 tendency to reconcile men, in some measure, to 
 the strange doctrine just described. Accordingly 
 it was widely promulgated, arid added much to 
 the revenues of the Church. Whenever the 
 papal coffers needed replenishing, it was quite 
 customary to send out a new emission of indul- 
 gences, or pieces of parchment, in which the 
 Pope promised the purchasers of them absolution 
 from the punishment due to the sins therein 
 mentioned. The right to traffic in these indul- 
 gences was granted to certain agents, and thus 
 they became a sort of commercial commodity. 
 Merchants bought them by the package to retail 
 them in the various towns and provinces. The 
 business grew to be so important and general, that 
 a book was published stating the precise sum 
 asked for the pardon of specified sins. Accord- 
 ing to this "price current," a deacon waa 
 
LUTHER. 15 
 
 absolved from the guilt of murder for twenty 
 crowns ; a bishop might assassinate for three 
 hundred livres ; unchastity in a clergyman was 
 taxed at a third of the last mentioned sum, arid 
 so on. Indulgences, corresponding to these rates, 
 were hawked about by bold and impudent men, 
 who recommended these wares as superseding 
 the necessity of repentance or reformation. 
 
 In 1517, Leo X., who then filled the papal 
 throne, in order to collect funds for the comple- 
 tion of St. Peter's Church at Rome, coined a 
 new lot of indulgences. The right to dispose of 
 these in Saxony, with a share of the profits, was 
 given to Albert, Archbishop of Mentz, who em- 
 ployed as his agent a Dominican monk, named 
 John Tetzel. This man, already notorious for 
 his skill in such business, as well as for his aban- 
 doned character, began the work boldly. He 
 pretended to have power to absolve his customers 
 from any crimes, however enormous. He could 
 release them, he said, from the fires of purgatory, 
 and give them an entrance into paradise. He 
 assured those who sought the salvation of their 
 deceased relatives, " that the moment the money 
 tinkled in his chest, the souls of their fathers 
 mounted up out of purgatory." " Lo the heavens 
 are open," such was his style of preaching, " if 
 you enter not now, when will you enter ? For 
 twelve pence you may redeem the soul of your 
 
16 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 father ; and are you so ungrateful that you will 
 not rescue your parent from torment? If you 
 had but one coat, you ought to strip yourself 
 instantly, in order to purchase such benefits." 
 
 Conduct so shameless excited great indigna- 
 tion, and gave rise to many complaints on the 
 part of the princes, whose subjects were deluded 
 and impoverished by the unprincipled monk. 
 Their irritation was sometimes exhibited in a ludi- 
 crous manner. On one occasion, while Tetzel 
 was carrying on his trade at Leipsic, a certain 
 nobleman asked " if he could grant absolution 
 for a sin which a man intended to commit." 
 " Certainly," replied the monk, " if the money 
 be paid down." This was done, and the appli- 
 cant received a diploma, duly signed and sealed, 
 absolving him from the unknown crime. A short 
 time afterward, as Tetzel was departing from the 
 city, he was waylaid, robbed, and well beaten by 
 the nobleman, who left him with this remark : 
 " This is the sin I intended to commit, and for 
 which I have your absolution in my pocket." 
 
 Tetzel soon came in contact with Luther. 
 Some of the citizens of Wittemberg, who carne 
 to the Reformer to make the confessions required 
 by the Church, refused to perform the penances 
 he imposed, alleging in justification of them- 
 selves, that they had already purchased forgive- 
 ness for their sins. This occurrence at once 
 
LUTHER. 17 
 
 alarmed Luther, and called forth his indignation. 
 He intimated from the pulpit the danger of 
 trusting to the diplomas of Tetzel for salvation. 
 Afterward, ignorant probably of his participation 
 in the affair, he wrote to the Archbishop of Mentz, 
 urging him to put a stop to the nefarious traffic : 
 and finally, he posted up on one of the churches 
 a paper containing ninety-five propositions against 
 indulgences, and, as was then the custom, chal- 
 lenged any one to prove their falsehood, either in 
 writing or in a public disputation. In this paper 
 he did not absolutely deny the power to grant 
 indulgences, but contented himself with pointing 
 out its gross abuse. It is worthy of observation 
 I also, that he closed with expressions of reverence 
 for the Pope and of entire submission to his 
 authority; so little suspicion did he then have of 
 the consequences to which the step he had taken 
 \ would lead, and of the important part he was 
 1 about to act, in diminishing the power of the 
 \ Roman Church. 
 
 ^ But the hour for reform had arrived. The 
 people were, in some measure, prepared for a 
 change, and the public ear was open to the recep- 
 tion of truth. Men had begun to think and 
 .reflect; they felt the tyranny of the Pope; they 
 saw the profligate character .of the clergy ; they 
 thirsted for a purer faith ; and they only waited 
 for the appearance of a fit leader, to wage war 
 2* 
 
18 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 against their spiritual oppressors. That leader 
 
 had now arisen ; his sentiments were spread 
 
 abroad, and his note of alarm was echoed from 
 every side. 
 
LUTHER. 19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PROGRESS OF THE CONTROVERSY CONCERNING INDUL- 
 GENCESCONDUCT OF THE POPE LUTHER'S IN- 
 TERVIEWS WITH CAJETAN, AND MI LTITZ DISPUTE 
 AT LEIPSIC LUTHER EXCOMMUNICATED BURNS 
 THE PAPAL BULL 1517-1520. 
 
 THE bold conduct of Luther greatly incensed 
 Tetzel. He denounced the fearless monk as a 
 heretic : answered his attack in a publication 
 containing one hundred and six propositions : 
 and publicly burnt his challenge at Frankfort. 
 Some of the zealous students of the university 
 resented this last action, and, by way of retalia- 
 tion, committed to the flames the writings of 
 Tetzel. But their conduct on this occasion was 
 severely censured by Luther ; " he knew better," 
 he said, "the rules of ecclesiastical subordina- 
 tion, and had more regard to his own character, 
 than to stigmatize in such a manner a person so 
 high in office." He did not, however, retreat 
 from the position he had taken, but continued to 
 write, and preach, and to expose with great plain- 
 ness the growing abuse. Wherever he went he 
 bore strong and faithful testimony against a cor- 
 ruption, so injurious to the souls of men and the 
 good of the Church. This courageous deportment 
 
20 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 led to the belief, that he was even thus early secretly 
 encouraged by the Elector, of Saxony. This im- 
 pression he took care to contradict; " he desired 
 to stand alone the shock of the contest, arid pro- 
 tested that property, reputation, and honors were 
 of no estimation with him, compared with the 
 defence of the truth." 
 
 The Dominican monks felt that their whole 
 order had been insulted in the person of their 
 brother Tetzel, and they began to pour out their 
 rage upon Luther, and to urge the Pope to crush 
 him. At first, Leo resisted their importunities ; 
 " brother Martin," was the reply he made, " is a 
 man of very fine genius, and these squabbles are 
 the mere effusions of monastic envy." But his 
 Holiness soon found it necessary to abandon his 
 wit and tone of indifference. The matter was 
 found to be serious. Not only the venders of 
 indulgences cried out against the man who had 
 interrupted their traffic, but even the Emperor, 
 Maximilian I. represented the heresy as danger- 
 ous and popular. Decided measures were loudly 
 called for ; and the Pontiff, with a rashness equal 
 to his previous apathy, summoned Luther to ap- 
 pear at Rome within sixty days, and answer to 
 the charges brought against him. He also wrote 
 to the Elector of Saxony to obtain his assistance 
 in securing the person of the heretic. Frederic 
 was a man of much caution, and not prepared as 
 
LUTHER. 21 
 
 yet to support the reformer openly ; but he was 
 also a man of too much wisdom and too strict a 
 sense of justice, to allow him to be condemned 
 without a fair trial, and accordingly, in compli- 
 ance with the wishes of Luther's friends, he 
 insisted that his cause should be heard in Ger- 
 many. To this arrangement the Pope was 
 obliged to consent, and he ordered Luther to 
 appear before his legate, Cardinal Cajetan, then 
 attending the Diet at Augsburg.* 
 
 * All the knowledge concerning the government of 
 the German Empire, which the reader will need in order to 
 understand the allusions to it in this sketch, will proba- 
 bly be found in the following extracts from Robertson's 
 History of the Reign of Charles V. vol. I, pages 184, 187. 
 
 " It (the German Empire) was a complex body, formed 
 by the association of several States, each of which pos- 
 sessed sovereign and independent jurisdiction within its 
 own territories. Of all the members which composed 
 this united body the Emperor was the head. In his 
 name, all decrees and regulations with respect to points 
 of common concern were issued ; and to him the power 
 of carrying them into execution was committed. But 
 this appearance of monarchical power in the Emperor 
 was more than counter-balanced by the influence of the 
 Princes and states of the empire, in every act of adminis- 
 tration. No law extending to the whole body could pass, 
 no resolution that affected the general interest could be 
 taken, without the approbation of the Diet of the empire. 
 In this assembly, every sovereign prince and state of the 
 Germanic bodj^ had a right to be present, to deliberate 
 and to vote. The decrees or Recesses of the Diet, were 
 
22 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Having obtained assurances of his safety from 
 the Emperor, the Reformer arrived at the place 
 appointed, October, 1518, and had several inter- 
 views with his judge. At first he was mildly 
 admonished to confess his errors. In reply he 
 requested to have those errors pointed out. They 
 were declared to be the denial of certain doc- 
 trines concerning indulgences, set forth in the 
 decrees of -the popes. To this Luther answered, 
 that these decrees were of inferior authority to 
 the Scriptures, which no where countenanced 
 such doctrines. The legate urged that the Pope 
 alone could decide upon the meaning of the Scrip- 
 tures. The Reformer asked time for reflection 
 and retired. 
 
 When he again appeared before Cajetan, he 
 expressed his attachment to the Pope, and offered 
 
 the laws of the empire, which the emperor was bound to 
 ratify and enforce." 
 
 " During a long period all the members of the Ger- 
 manic body assembled, and made choice of the person 
 whom they appointed to be their head. But amidst the 
 violence and anarchy which prevailed for several centu- 
 ries in the empire, seven princes, who possessed the most 
 extensive territories, and who had obtained an hereditary 
 title to the great offices of State, acquired the exclusive 
 prfvilege of nominating the Emperor, and they were 
 dignified with the appellation of Electors" 
 
 The Elector of Saxony was one of the seven princes 
 above mentioned, and derived his title from that circum- ' 
 stance. 
 
LUTHER. 23 
 
 to submit to the lawful determination of the 
 Church, and to retract his errors the moment 
 they were shown to be inconsistent with the 
 Bible. All this was of no avail. The legate 
 insisted upon an unconditional recantation. " Ev- 
 ery thing," as Luther afterward said, " would, 
 I doubt not, have been settled in the most 
 peaceable and affectionate manner, if I would 
 have but written down six letters, Revoco, I 
 recant " This, notwithstanding the advice of 
 some of his more timid friends, lie nobly refused 
 to do. He waited a few days for another mes- 
 sage from the Cardinal ; but he received none, 
 and, being fearful of violence to his person, he, 
 according to a legal usage r appealed from the 
 Pope ill-informed, to the Pope better-informed; 
 an act, by which he still admitted the jurisdic- 
 tion of the Pontiff, although he denied that of 
 his legate. Having taken this step in compliance 
 with the recommendation of his lawyers, he left 
 the city. A friendly senator ordered the gate to 
 be_opened, and he departed on horseback. He 
 rode without boots, spurs, or sword, and was so 
 fatigued with his journey, that when he alighted 
 at night, he fell instantly down among the straw 
 in the stable. 
 
 The reader will naturally suppose that in these 
 interviews withCajetan, Luther made every proper 
 concession. He did not call in question the in- 
 
24 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 fallibility of the Pope. He even offered to be 
 silent on the subject of Indulgences, provided his 
 opponents were ordered to be so likewise. The 
 only point upon which he insisted was the suffi- 
 ciency of the Scriptures ; that is, he strenuously 
 contended for the principle, now admitted by 
 all Protestants, that the Bible is the supreme 
 authority in matters of faith, and that the truth 
 or falsehood of all doctrines and creeds must 
 be decided by an appeal to its declarations. 
 But by contending for this principle his enemies 
 knew that he was striking a fatal blow at the 
 very foundations of the papal power. It was no 
 part of their policy to have their acts or instruc- 
 tions tried by an appeal to the sacred volume ; 
 and they determined, if possible, to destroy the 
 obstinate heretic. 
 
 Not long after this conference at Augsburg, 
 Leo issued a new edict, in which he required all 
 his subjects to believe that he had power to for- 
 give sins. Luther looked upon this act as a 
 reiteration, to its full extent, of the doctrine of 
 indulgences. He was satisfied that he had no 
 mercy to hope from Rome, and immediately 
 appealed from the decisions of the Pope to a 
 future council of the whole Church. 
 
 The contest between the Reformers and the 
 Romanists may be considered as now fairly 
 begun. For a while the papal court changed its 
 
LUTHER. 25 
 
 policy. The fearless character of Luther, and 
 the number of his followers, convinced the Pope 
 that threats and severity alone would not put 
 out the heresy ; negotiations were therefore re- 
 newed by a new agent, Charles Miltitz, a Saxon 
 Knight, who was sent to conciliate the Elector 
 Frederic, and to settle, if possible, the dispute 
 concerning indulgences. Frederic received this 
 ambassador with caution, and accepted with 
 some indifference a golden consecrated rose ; 
 a present much esteemed in those days as a 
 mark of papal favor. 
 
 The interview between Miltitz and Luther 
 seemed, at first, to promise an amicable adjust- 
 ment of the matters in dispute. An account of 
 their meeting is thus given by the Reformer him- 
 self. " Charles Miltitz saw me at Altenburg, 
 and complained, that I had united the whole 
 world to myself, and drawn it aside from the 
 Pope; that he had discovered this at the inns, 
 as he travelled. ' Martin,', said he, ' I took you for 
 some solitary old theologian*; whereas I find 
 you a person in all the vigor of life. Then you 
 are so much favored with the popular opinion, 
 that I could not expect, with the help of twenty- 
 five thousand soldiers, to force you with me to 
 Rome.' After this flattery, he intreated me to 
 consult for pacific measures, and promised that 
 he would endeavour that the Pope should do the 
 3 
 
26 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 same. We supped together, and I was treated 
 with the greatest courtesy. I conducted myself 
 in such a manner as if I had not seen through 
 these Italian arts. I could only promise that I 
 would do all, which I could do consistently with 
 truth and a good conscience ; that I also loved 
 peace, and was driven into these broils by mere 
 necessity. This Charles Miltitz was esteemed 
 a frivolous character, and his advice was frivo- 
 lous ; nevertheless it is my judgment, that if the 
 friends of papacy and the Pope himself had 
 treated me in this manner at first, matters would 
 never have come to so great a rupture. Instead 
 of that, the Pope condemned me unheard, and 
 raged with his Bulls : and the crafty Arch- 
 bishop of Mentz became the dupe of his 
 own cunning." 
 
 The result of this interview between Luther 
 and Miltitz was, that the latter censured the be- 
 haviour of Tetzel, and admitted that the traffic 
 in indulgences had been abused ; the former con- 
 sented to write a civil, and to some extent a 
 submissive, letter to the Pope, expressing his 
 willingness to be at peace with the holy see. 
 But the light which was breaking forth was not 
 to be extinguished ; the blind zeal of the papists 
 soon brought on new conflicts. 
 
 The famous dispute at Leipzic, which occurred 
 about this time, widened the breach which sepr 
 
LUTHER. 27 
 
 arated the contending parties. Before the in- 
 vention of printing, as we have already hinted, 
 controversies were carried on by public debates. 
 Taking advantage of this custom, which was 
 not yet discontinued, John Eccius, a divine of 
 brilliant talents and eloquent delivery, being 
 anxious to distinguish himself as an advocate of 
 the Romish Church, challenged Carolstadt, one 
 of Luther's associates, to hold a discussion upon 
 some of the doctrines denied by the Reformers. 
 The challenge was accepted, and the parties 
 met at the above-mentioned city, which was 
 under the government of Duke George, a zeal- 
 ous Catholic. The debate was ably sustained 
 for several days, in the presence of a large and 
 splendid auditory. Luther was present as a 
 companion of his friend, but forbidden to take 
 a^ny part in the contest, on pain of losing the 
 safe conduct which had been granted to him. 
 Both combatants gained credit for their perfor- 
 mances. The papist, it is said, had the advan- 
 tage in fluency and animation, while his opponent 
 showed the most learning ; the victory was 
 claimed by both parties. 
 
 Eccius, flushed with his success and encour- 
 aged by the praise of his friends, now sought a 
 more powerful antagonist. " He visited Luther, 
 and addressing him with an air of confidence, 
 said ; 'I understand you will not dispute with 
 
28 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 me.' 'How can I/ he replied, 'when the Duke 
 refuses me my request of a safe conduct'? ' Ec- 
 cius answered,. ' If I arn not to combat with 
 you, I will spend no more time on Carolstadt. 
 It was on your account I came here. Suppose 
 I could obtain the protection you require, would 
 you then meet me arid try your strength 1 ' Lu- 
 ther consented, and leave was soon granted him 
 to take the place of his colleague." 
 
 The second debate lasted ten days. Among 
 many other subjects, which we need not detail, 
 the doctrines of Purgatory, or an intermediate 
 state of existence and retribution before the last 
 judgment in another world, of Indulgences, 
 and of the Supremacy of the Pope, were warmly 
 discussed. We have room only to state the opin- 
 ions of Luther on these points, in order to show 
 how gradual was his separation from the Romis|i 
 Church. With regard to Purgatory, he admitted 
 his belief in it, although the fact did not appear 
 to be clearly taught by revelation. His opponent 
 having allowed that Indulgences were not to be 
 entirely relied on, he immediately took advantage 
 of this concession ; speaking afterwards of this 
 part of the debate, " he declared that he could 
 nearly agree to the explanation of Eccius, and 
 that had the proclaimers of indulgences held the 
 same view of the matter at the time of vending 
 them, the name of Luther would probably have 
 
LUTHER. 29 
 
 remained unknown ; for if the people had been 
 informed that the diplomas they purchased were 
 not to be relied on, these imaginary pardons would 
 have lost all their reputation, and the commission- 
 ers who conducted the sale of them would have 
 died of hunger." 
 
 The remaining point, the supremacy of the Pope, 
 was a subject of no little embarrassment to the 
 Reformer. His own opinions about it were not 
 settled. He was almost, if not quite, convinced, 
 that the claims of the bishop of Rome were un- 
 supported by the Scriptures ; but he thought it 
 necessary to reverence the " powers that be." 
 He therefore took a middle course. When 
 Eccius brought forward, as proofs of the supre- 
 macy of St. Peter and his successors the popes, 
 the expressions in the sixteenth chapter of Mat- 
 thew, (" Thou art Peter,* and upon this rock 
 will I build my Church," " And I will give unto 
 thee the keys;") Luther answered ; "that such 
 an interpretation was confuted by St. Peter and 
 St. Paul themselves, who say that Jesus Christ 
 is the only foundation and corner stone of his 
 Church." " He urged further, that the words, 
 construed strictly, must be confined to the apos- 
 
 * In the Greek the name of Peter (TH-TQO*;) signifies a 
 rock : there is, therefore, in the original a " play upon 
 words," which is not preserved in a translation. 
 3* 
 
30 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 tie to whom they were addressed, and therefore 
 the authority conveyed by them ceased when he 
 died ; and that if their meaning was to be ex- 
 tended to the Church and to St. Peter's succes- 
 sors, no reason could be given why all the 
 apostles and all their successors should not be 
 understood to be the successors of St. Peter." 
 " He even went so far as to affirm, that all the 
 arguments, which could be adduced to prove the 
 superiority of the Church of Rome over other 
 Churches, were taken from the decrees of the 
 popes themselves, and that these decrees were 
 expressly contradicted by numerous passages in 
 the Bible." " Notwithstanding all this, he was 
 not quite ready to deny altogether the authority 
 of the pontiffs. He would not allow their 
 divine right , as vicars of Christ ; but since they 
 had held preeminence from age, to age, and 
 since the whole body of Christians admitted their 
 authority, it seemed to be the will of God that 
 they should reign, and he felt disposed to allow 
 the supremacy of the Pope, as founded on human 
 reasons." 
 
 The argument of Luther evidently made an 
 impression upon his hearers; for we are told, 
 that even the Catholic Duke alluded to it. As 
 he sat at dinner, after the debate, between the 
 two disputants, he laid his hands upon the 
 shoulders of each, and said : " Sive jure divino 
 
LUTHER. 31 
 
 sive humane sit papa, est tamen papa," that 
 is, " whether he be Pope by divine or human 
 right, nevertheless he is Pope." 
 
 The consequences of this contest were in 
 some aspects favorable, and in others adverse, to 
 the cause of reform. The judge refused to de- 
 cide to whom the victory belonged. Some of 
 Luther's friends were alarmed at his boldness, 
 and the Romish party rejoiced that he had now, 
 as they thought, by a public avowal of his hereti- 
 cal opinions, put himself in their power. But 
 the learning and talent displayed by the fearless 
 monk, which extorted a compliment even from 
 his adversary, had great effect on many minds. 
 The severe measures, too, immediately taken by 
 his enemies, by which an end was put to all 
 the attempts of Miltitz to make peace, clearly 
 show, that they looked upon Luther as no mean 
 foe to their authority. Eccius hastened to 
 Rome, and there urged the condemnation of 
 his opponent ; and his counsel was seconded by 
 the Dominican monks. Leo yielded to their 
 advice, and on the 15th of June, 1520, issued a 
 bull, denouncing Luther's opinions, and excom- 
 municating him as an obstinate heretic, unless 
 he recanted his errors, and returned penitent to 
 his duties, within sixty days. 
 
 The Reformer was now persuaded that all 
 hope of a reconciliation was vain, and deter- 
 
32 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 mined to withdraw from the Romish Commun- 
 ion. To prepare the way for this bold step, he 
 sent out several new publications. One book 
 was aimed at " the bull," in which he stigma- 
 tized it as execrable, and called his holiness the 
 " man of sin" predicted in the New Testament. 
 He wrote another book, called " The Captivity 
 of Babylon," in which he lamented the conces- 
 sions he had made two years before ; " his eyes," 
 he said, u were now open ; he saw clearly, that 
 the doctrine of indulgences was a wicked impo- 
 sition to get money ; that the supremacy of the 
 Pope was to be defended neither by divine 
 right, nor on human reasons ; but, on the con- 
 trary, that Rome was the capital of the kingdom 
 of Anti-Christ." This publication was followed 
 by a third, written in German, wherein he ex- 
 posed the vices and ambition of the papal court, 
 and endeavoured to convince his countrymen of 
 its cdious and tyrannical character. 
 
 These books, being well received and widely 
 circulated, he was emboldened to signify, by an 
 act no less daring than public, his entire sepa- 
 ration from the Church of Rome. On the 10th 
 of December, 1520, the professors and students 
 of the University, and an immense concourse of 
 spectators, were assembled outside the walls of 
 the city of Wittemberg. A fire, kindled for the 
 purpose, blazed up in the centre of the crowd. 
 
LUTHER, 33 
 
 Luther came upon the ground, and uttering 
 these words " Because thou hast troubled the 
 holy one of God, let eternal fire trouble thee," 
 he cast into the flames the bull of excommuni- 
 cation. His example was followed in many 
 parts of Germany. The thunders of Rome had 
 lost much of their terror, arid the new-born 
 desire for freedom was every where gaining 
 strength. The ranks of the Reformers were 
 swelled by a great increase of numbers, and the 
 final success of their efforts hardly admitted of 
 a doubt. 
 
34 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CHARLES V. CHOSEN EMPEROR DIET AT WORMS- 
 LUTHER'S SECLUSION IN THE CASTLE OF WART- 
 BURG MELANCTHON 1519- 1522. 
 
 ABOUT the time of Luther's public separation 
 from the Church of Rome, a change took place 
 in the government of the German Empire. The 
 Emperor Maximilian died, January 12th, 1519. 
 During the interregnum which followed, and 
 until the coronation of his successor, the Reform- 
 I ers prospered greatly under the tolerant sway of 
 1 the Elector of Saxony. Students flocked from 
 all quarters to attend the lectures at Wittemberg. 
 The tracts and sermons of Luther and his asso- 
 ciates were read and heard by multitudes, and 
 a great revolution was going on in the religious 
 views of the people. This progress was, how- 
 ever, somewhat checked by the choice of a new 
 Emperor. 
 
 Charles V. of Spain, and Francis I. of France, 
 the two greatest monarchs in Europe, were rival 
 aspirants for the vacant throne. For some time, 
 the electors were averse to the pretensions of 
 both these royal candidates. They felt unwilling 
 to trust the sceptre to any foreign prince, and 
 consequently by the first ballot they made 
 
LUTHER. 35 
 
 choice of Frederic the Wise; of Saxony. But 
 this nobleman, sacrificing his personal ambition 
 to the good of the country, magnanimously de- 
 clined the appointment. He thought the state 
 of affairs demanded the election of some pow- 
 erful monarch, and gave his influence in favor 
 of Charles, as the only sovereign, in his opinion, 
 capable of maintaining the dignity of the empire. 
 Such disinterested and patriotic conduct won 
 the admiration of his colleagues; they listened 
 to his advice, and on the 28th of July, unani- 
 mously agreed to bestow the imperial crown 
 upon the king of Spain. 
 
 During the contest for the German throne, 
 Charles had sedulously courted the assistance of 
 Leo X. The friendship of the Pontiff was still 
 of importance to him, since his rival Francis was 
 frowning with indignation at his late disappoint- 
 ment, and only waited for a plausible pretext to 
 commence hostilities. Of this fact, the Pope 
 was well aware, and consequently he imme- 
 diately determined to profit by it. He called 
 upon the Emperor as the Defender of the Faith, 
 to punish the heretical Luther without delay. 
 But Charles was under too great and too recent 
 obligations to Frederic of Saxony, by whom the 
 Reformer and his followers were supposed to be 
 countenanced, to venture rashly upon so decided 
 a measure. It would have been not only un- 
 
36 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 grateful, but unsafe, to condemn without a hear- 
 ing the subject of a Prince, to whom he was 
 indebted for his new kingdom. He resolved to 
 give Luther a fair trial, and to refer the contro- 
 versy between him and the Pope to a diet or 
 convention of the German princes, which was 
 soon to meet at Worms. 
 
 Luther was immediately ordered to appear 
 before this tribunal ; and having obtained assur- 
 ances of his safety from the emperor, he prepared 
 to set out on his journey. Many of his friends 
 endeavoured to dissuade him from this undertak- 
 ing. They feared that, notwithstanding the 
 safe-conduct which had been granted, his ad- 
 versaries, when they once had him in their 
 power, might be tempted to put him to death. 
 The Reformer refused to listen to their suspi- 
 cion, and on one occasion, he declared that, 
 " he would go to Worms, if there were as many 
 devils there as tiles on the roofs of the houses." 
 Animated by such boldness and zeal, he pursued 
 his way, stopping at the large towns through 
 which he passed, sometimes to preach, and 
 sometimes to enjoy musical entertainments and 
 other recreations. He arrived at the city on the 
 18th of April, and the next day was conducted 
 to the diet by the marshal of the empire. Two 
 questions were then put to him ; 1. Whether he 
 acknowledged certain books, which were laid 
 
LUTHER. 37 
 
 before him, to be his writings ? 2. Whether 
 he was ready to recant the opinions they con- 
 tained ? After hearing the titles of the volumes 
 read over, he answered the first of these inquiries 
 in the affirmative. With regard to the second, 
 he requested time for deliberation, and then 
 retired. On the morrow, he again appeared, 
 and replied at length to the interrogatories. 
 " His books,' 1 he said, " were of different kinds. 
 Some treated of a Christian's faith and life ; 
 others were directed against papacy and its de- 
 fenders. The former he could not renounce, 
 because even his enemies admitted that they 
 contained much good matter. The latter he 
 could not renounce, unless convinced, by sound 
 argument or the word of God, that they were 
 contrary to the truth." This speech did not sat- 
 isfy his opponents ; and being repeatedly exhorted 
 to acknowledge his errors, he closed the debate 
 with these words : " Here I stand: I can say 
 no more : God help me. Amen." 
 
 Luther did not again appear before the Diet. The 
 Emperor caused him to be informed, that unless 
 he would be reconciled to the Church, he must 
 do as the laws required. Accordingly, at the 
 close of the session, a bill was passed, by virtue of 
 which, " after the twenty-one days of safe-con- 
 duct expired, no man might harbour or conceal 
 Luther, on pain of treason ; but whosoever should 
 4 
 
38 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 find him in any place, was to apprehend and de- 
 liver him up to the Emperor ; and all his adherents 
 were to be seized in the public streets, imprisoned, 
 and stript of all their goods." This edict, severe 
 as it was in appearance, had but little effect. If 
 Charles was earnest to enforce it, a supposition 
 that appears very improbable, when it is remem- 
 bered how much he was indebted to the Elector 
 of Saxony, who favored the Reformer, political 
 affairs of great importance which demanded his 
 immediate attention, and the increasing populari- 
 ty of the new opinions, prevented him from pro- 
 ceeding to extremities. Some historians even 
 suppose, that the Emperor connived at the plan 
 which was adopted to protect the heretic ; whether 
 he did so or not, certain it is that the Edict of 
 Worms was never executed. 
 
 To preserve his outlawed subject from harm, 
 until the storm should blow over, Frederic the 
 Wise contrived the following expedient. Soon 
 after Luther left the city on his return home, 
 the Elector caused him to be way-laid by a 
 band of disguised horsemen, and carried to the 
 Castle of Wartburg, a strong-hold in the moun- 
 tains, built about the year 1069, which is still 
 standing ; the room occupied by the Reformer, is 
 now pointed out to visitors. Whilst Luther re- 
 sided in this place, he wore the dress of a coun- 
 try gentleman, suffered his hair and beard to 
 
LUTHER, 39 
 
 grow, and assumed the name of Yonkee George. 
 Occasionally he accompanied the hunters in their 
 excursions after game ; but, from the following 
 extract of a letter to a friend, it appears that such 
 an amusement was little to his taste. "Give 
 yourself no concern in regard to my suffering in 
 this exile. It is of no consequence to me, pro- 
 vided I am not burthensome to the people of this 
 house. 1 suppose the prince supports me, other- 
 wise I would not stay an hour here. Lately I 
 spent two days in witnessing the painful pleasure 
 of those famous people called hunters and fowl- 
 ers. We caught two hares and some miserable 
 young partridges. Laudable employment indeed 
 for men of leisure! For my part, theological 
 subjects occupied my thoughts even while I was 
 among the dogs and nets. And any pleasure that 
 I might receive from this species of relaxation 
 was fully balanced, by the sentiments of grief 
 and pity excited in my mind by an interpretation 
 which I could not but give to the symbolical 
 scenes at that time under my contemplation. 
 This, thought I, is an exact representation of 
 Satan, who by his snares and his dogs, namely 
 the corrupt theologians and ecclesiastical rulers, 
 pursues and entangles simple, faithful souls, in 
 the same way that harmless hares and partridges 
 are taken. The similitude was so striking as to 
 affect me exceedingly." 
 
40 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Luther called the castle his Patmos, after the 
 island to which the Apostle John is supposed to 
 have been banished. He felt his confinement 
 severely and declared, " that for the glory of the 
 word of God, and for the mutual confirmation of 
 himself and others, he would rather burn on 
 coals, than live there alone." Notwithstanding 
 this appearance of despondency, he was far from 
 being idle. He wrote many letters and several 
 little treatises. He also commenced his cele- 
 brated translation of the Bible into German : 
 a work whose value we can in some degree 
 estimate, when we are told that the divines of 
 the university at Paris had maintained before Par- 
 liament, that " religion was undone if the study 
 of Greek and Hebrew was permitted," and 
 that a monkish writer uttered such a sentiment 
 as this, " a new language has been invented, 
 which is called Greek ; guard carefully against 
 it ; it is the mother of every species of heresy. 
 I observe in the hands of a great many people, 
 a book written in this language, which they call 
 the New-Testament. It is a book full of thorns 
 and serpents. With respect to Hebrew, it is 
 certain, my dear brethren, that whoever learns 
 it, immediately becomes a Jew." 
 
 While Luther remained in seclusion, his place 
 at Wittemberg was filled by a learned and amia- 
 ble man, who was of great service to the Refor- 
 
LUTHER. 41 
 
 mation. This individual was Philip Melancthon, 
 who was born at Bretten, a town in the province 
 of the Rhine. His father was keeper of the 
 armory, and his mother a near relative of Reuch- 
 lin, a famous scholar, by whose advice, and in 
 accordance to a custom among students at that 
 time, his German name of Schwartzerdt (Black 
 castle) was changed into the Greek appel- 
 lation Melancthon, of the same signification. 
 In 1510, Philip entered the university, and such 
 was his ability and progress, that the very next 
 year he was qualified to receive his first degree, 
 and was made instructer to some young noble- 
 men. When twenty-two years of age, he was 
 appointed professor of Greek at Wittemberg. 
 Here he became intimate with Luther, and ac- 
 companied him to the dispute at Leipsic. From 
 that time he stood in the first rank among the 
 Reformers, whose cause he greatly promoted by 
 his learning, as well as by his pure and amiable 
 life. He was married in 1520 and had three 
 children, a son and two daughters. He died at 
 Wittemberg, April, 1560, in the sixty- third year 
 of his age. 
 
 The personal appearance of Melancthon was 
 such, that no one at first sight would have recog- 
 nised the great reformer; for his body was 
 diminutive and meagre. But his forehead was 
 high, arched, and open ; his eyes bright, and 
 4* 
 
42 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 his whole countenance radiant with expression. 
 He was pleasant and wise in conversation, 
 fond of society, and so liberal to the poor as 
 sometimes to involve himself in embarrassments 
 by his generosity. Gentle in manners, candid 
 and benevolent, and an ardent lover of peace, he 
 was sometimes charged with timidity by the 
 rougher spirits with whom he acted : but no one 
 was more firm than he, when called upon to 
 abandon any important truth or principle. Al- 
 ways anxious for pacific measures, when he 
 thought them possible, he was frequently called 
 upon to act the part of a mediator; in such 
 cases, his learning, moderation, and good nature 
 won the esteem of both friends and enemies, and 
 his influence did much to soften the animosity of 
 the contending parties. In short, neither the 
 history of his own, nor any subsequent age, offers 
 to our contemplation a character more beautiful 
 and elevated than that of Philip Melancthon, 
 
REFORMATION IN SWITZERLAND. 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 REFORMATION IN SWITZERLAND ULRICH Z WINGLE 
 ABBEY OF EINSIEDELN. 1484-1516. 
 
 WE have, thus far, confined our sketch to 
 Germany. But this was not the only country in 
 which an early opposition showed itself to the 
 corruptions of the Romish church ; nor was 
 Luther the only man, who ventured to commence 
 the work of reform. The same causes which 
 contributed to the success of the Saxon divine, 
 were in operation elsewhere, and throughout 
 many parts of Europe the people were ready and 
 anxious for a revolution. In Switzerland the 
 symptoms of the approaching revolt were appa- 
 rent, even before Luther began his attacks upon 
 the papal system. The course of our narrative, 
 therefore, leads us to notice and briefly trace the 
 rise and progress of the Reformation in that 
 romantic land, by following the short but bril- 
 liant career of Zwingle. This method of pro- 
 ceeding gives us an opportunity to do justice to 
 the labors and merits of one, who is not, perhaps, 
 so well known and so highly esteemed as he 
 deserves. His exertions were confined within a 
 small district, some of his opinions were not pop- 
 ular with a majority of the reformers, and he 
 
44 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 died young ; these facts will account for, although 
 they may not excuse, the comparatively small 
 space assigned to him by some historians. 
 
 Ulrich Zwingle, the son of a respectable peas- 
 ant, was born on the first of January, 1484, at 
 Wildhausen, a village situated among the wood- 
 covered mountains and fertile valleys of the 
 county of Toggenburg, in Switzerland. His 
 father was determined by his early exhibition of 
 promising talents to consecrate him to the ser- 
 vice of the Church. He was sent to school first 
 to Basil and afterward to Berne. At the latter 
 place, he attracted the attention of some Domini- 
 can monks, who endeavoured to secure the young 
 scholar to their order ; they succeeded in prevail- 
 ing upon him to reside in their monastery ; but 
 his father disapproved of this step, and ordered 
 him to join the University of Vienna. At the 
 end of three years he returned to Basil in the 
 capacity of a teacher. In this office he labored 
 to improve his pupils in the study of the ancient 
 languages, while he enriched his own mind by a 
 diligent perusal of the classic authors. He did 
 not however neglect theology ; although his acute 
 and powerful intellect could not be satisfied with 
 the narrow views and puerile conceits of the 
 writers at that time popular in the Church, 
 " who," as we are told, "neglecting every thing 
 useful to man, occupied themselves with the 
 
ZWINGLE. 45 
 
 dreams of their own imaginations, and wasted 
 their time in descriptions of the formation of the 
 universe, as minute as if they had been present 
 at the creation; or in the discussion of such 
 questions as these, whether after the resurrec- 
 tion we should be allowed to eat and drink ; 
 whether God could have caused his Son to appear 
 in the form of a stone, and if so, how a stone 
 could have preached and worked miracles." Such 
 subjects received little attention from Zwingle. 
 He marked out a more liberal course of study, 
 which he pursued with indefatigable industry, 
 relieving his severer labors at times by the culti- 
 vation of his taste for music, an art, in -his opin- 
 ion well calculated to soften asperities of temper, 
 and to enliven the mind worn down by more " 
 fatiguing exertions. 
 
 From Basil, Zwingle removed to Glaris, hav- 
 ing received and accepted an invitation to become 
 the Pastor of that town. As he was now enter- 
 ing upon the active duties of his profession, and 
 felt anxious to be well furnished for his ministry, 
 he resumed his theological inquiries. He gave 
 to the New Testament an attentive examination, 
 and copied with his own hand the Greek text of 
 St. Paul's Epistles, for the purpose of making 
 himself familiar with their contents. In his 
 critical study of the Bible, he was far from rely- 
 ing on the received interpretations of the Church, 
 
46 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 but endeavoured to ascertain its meaning by 
 comparing scripture with scripture, and using the 
 plainer passages as expositions of the more diffi- 
 cult and obscure. When he had recourse to the 
 works of other men, he did not confine himself to 
 those writers who were accounted orthodox, but 
 consulted also those who had been denounced as 
 heretics, saying, "that in the midst of a field 
 covered with noxious weeds salutary herbs may 
 sometimes be found." 
 
 This independent mode, of conducting his 
 inquiries led Zwingle to see and reject many of 
 the errors of the Romish faith. But feeling the 
 importance of a thorough preparation before he 
 undertook the task of a reformer, he was in no 
 hurry to make known his new opinions. During 
 a residence of ten years at Glaris, he abstained 
 from any very direct attacks upon the Church, 
 and confined his instructions to those doctrines 
 which seemed to be clearly taught in the Bible. 
 He urged his hearers to determine all questions 
 concerning faith or practice, by an appeal to the 
 Scriptures. But prudent and judicious as this 
 conduct was, it did not protect him from calumny. 
 The purity of his morals and the extent of his 
 learning were sufficient to excite the opposition 
 of the ignorant and scandalous among the clergy. 
 They could not indeed sustain the charge of open 
 heresy, but they complained of his silence. They 
 
ZWINGLE. 47 
 
 blamed him for speaking more frequently of the 
 virtues than of the miracles of the saints; and 
 for undervaluing the utility of fasts and pilgrim- 
 ages, images and relics. The independent tem- 
 per of his mountain flock, and the excellence of 
 his own character, prevented these censures from 
 doing Zwingle any harm. The people were slow 
 to believe the accusation of teaching dangerous 
 errors, when brought by profligate monks, against 
 one whose daily life, and whose devotion to their 
 welfare, afforded the most satisfactory proofs of 
 his piety and integrity. 
 
 According to the custom of his country, Zwin- 
 gle several times left his retirement at Glaris, to 
 accompany the troops of the Canton as their Chap- 
 lain. On his return from one of these excursions, 
 he was appointed preacher to the Abbey of Ein- 
 siedeln, by Theobold, baron of Geroldseck, the 
 head of that institution, who was anxious to make 
 it the abode of learned men. 
 
 The account which tradition gives of the estab- 
 lishment of this Abbey so well illustrates the super- 
 stition and credulity of the dark ages, that its 
 introduction here will not be out of place. In the 
 ninth century, a monk named Meinrad, finding 
 himself too near the world in his monastery, situated 
 in a small town at the eastern extremity of Lake 
 Zurich, built a hermitage and chapel in the midst 
 of an almost inaccessible wood, called the Gloomy 
 
48 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Forest. He had lived there twenty-six years, 
 practising the greatest austerities, when, some 
 robbers, hoping to find treasures in his posses- 
 sion, murdered him. The perpetrators of the 
 crime were discovered in a most remarkable 
 manner. The hermit had tamed and brought 
 up two crows, the only companions of his solitude. 
 It is said that these birds pursued the murderers 
 to the town of Zurich, where their sinister cries 
 attracted notice and led to the apprehension of 
 the strangers, who, being greatly frightened, con- 
 fessed the crime. 
 
 Other devotees occupied the cell of Meinrad, 
 until the close of the tenth century, when a 
 canon of Strasburgh built a monastery in the 
 place of the hermitage. He inclosed the old 
 chapel in a new church, and when the edifice 
 was completed, invited a bishop and other pre- 
 lates to attend the inauguration of the new con- 
 vent. On the evening of that solemnity, the 
 bishop thought he heard sacred songs proceeding 
 from the interior of the chapel. The next day 
 he was unwilling to consecrate it ; but after some 
 entreaty he commenced the ceremony, when he 
 heard these words pronounced three times, 
 Cease, Cease, God has already made it holy. 
 In memory of this event, a festival, called the 
 Consecration of the Angels, was observed every 
 seven years ; and the reputation of this monastery 
 
ZWINGLE. 49 
 
 was so great, that the popes gave to its occu- 
 pants the right to grant full indulgence for all 
 sins on the day of the festival. 
 
 The confidence which Theobald reposed in 
 Zwingle enabled him to commence the work of 
 reform at Einsiedeln. By his advice, much was 
 done to destroy whatever had a tendency to 
 encourage superstition. An inscription over the 
 entrance to the Abbey promising remission of 
 all sins was erased ; the nuns of a neighbouring 
 Convent were directed to read the New Tes- 
 tament, and required to lead irreproachable lives, 
 and such as did not wish to remain in seclusion, 
 were permitted to return to the world. In addi- 
 tion to these changes, Zwingle strove to diffuse 
 his opinions abroad among the people. His two- 
 fold office of preacher and confessor afforded 
 many facilities for the execution of this purpose. 
 Paying no regard to external observances, he 
 required sincere repentance as the condition of 
 pardon. He taught that genuflections, prayers, 
 and mortifications are of no avail in reconciling 
 men to God, without true contrition and a good 
 life ; and in various other ways he labored to fix 
 correct principles in the minds of all who visited 
 the Abbey. Having pursued this course until he 
 thought due preparation had been made for it, 
 the Reformer determined to strike a decisive 
 blow. He selected the festival of Consecration, 
 5 
 
50 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 when great numbers usually assembled, as a fit 
 season for carrying this resolution into effect. 
 On that day he ascended the pulpit to deliver the 
 customary discourse. " By an exordium full of 
 warmth and feeling he disposed the audience to 
 collectedness and attention ; then proceeding to 
 the occasion which had brought them together in 
 that church, he deplored their blindness in the 
 choice of the means which they employed to 
 please the Deity." " Cease to believe," cried he, 
 " that God resides in this temple more than in 
 every other place. Whatever region of the earth 
 you may inhabit, he is near you, he surrounds 
 you, he grants your prayers, if they deserve to 
 be granted ; but it is not by useless vows, by long 
 pilgrimages, offerings destined to adorn senseless 
 images, that you can obtain the divine favor; 
 resist temptations, repress guilty desires, shun all 
 injustice, relieve the unfortunate, console the 
 afflicted; these are the works pleasing to the 
 Lord. Alas ! I know it ; it is ourselves, minis- 
 ters of the altar, we who ought to be the salt of 
 the earth, who have led into a maze of error the 
 ignorant and credulous multitude. In order to 
 accumulate treasures sufficient to satisfy our 
 avarice, we raised vain and useless practices to 
 the rank of good works ; and the Christians of 
 these times, too docile to our instructions, neg- 
 lect to fulfil the laws of God, and only think of 
 
ZWINGLE. 51 
 
 making atonement for their crimes, instead of 
 renouncing them. ' Let us live according to 
 our desires/ say they, ' let us enrich ourselves 
 with the goods of our neighbour ; let us not 
 fear to stain our hands with blood and murder ; 
 we shall find easy expiations in the favor of the 
 Church.' Senseless men! Do they think to 
 obtain remission for their lies, their impurities, 
 their adulteries, their homicides, their treacheries, 
 by prayers recited in honor of the Queen of 
 Heaven, as if she were the protectress of all evil 
 doers ? Undeceive yourselves, erring people ! 
 The God of justice suffers not himself to be 
 moved by words which the tongue utters and the 
 heart disowns. He forgives no one but him who 
 himself forgives the enemy who has trespassed 
 against him. Did these chosen of God, at whose 
 feet you come hither to prostrate yourselves, 
 enter into heaven by relying on the merit of 
 another? No, it was by walking in the path of 
 the law, by fulfilling the will of the Most High, 
 by facing death that they might remain faithful 
 to their Redeemer. Imitate the holiness of their 
 lives, walk in their footsteps, suffering yourselves 
 to be turned aside neither by dangers nor seduc- 
 tions ; this is the honor that you ought to pay 
 them. But in the day of trouble put your trust 
 in none but God, who created the heavens and 
 the earth with a word ; at the approach of death 
 
52 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 invoke only Christ Jesus, who has bought you 
 with his blood, and is the sole mediator between 
 God and man." 
 
 This bold and eloquent discourse made a deep 
 impression. A portion of the hearers were much 
 offended ; but many received the new doctrine 
 with joy. Several pilgrims were so much moved, 
 as to carry back with them the gifts, which they 
 had brought to the Abbey. This circumstance 
 alarmed the avarice of the monks, and increased 
 their indignation against a preacher, who not 
 only exposed their vices, but who was also dimin- 
 ishing their gains. But it does not appear that 
 the sermon gave much offence to the superior 
 clergy. Zwingle had not yet called in question 
 the authority of the Pope, and while he confined 
 himself to local abuses, Leo and his court honored 
 his brilliant displays of talent. The preacher 
 even ventured to assure one of the Cardinals, at 
 that time in Switzerland, that the credulity of 
 the people was growing less and less every day ; 
 that they were opening their eyes to many super- 
 stitions, and began loudly to censure the idleness, 
 ignorance, and profligacy of their pastors. A 
 reformation, he told him, ought to be at once 
 undertaken, and to begin with the highest eccle- 
 siastics ; the bishops must cease to handle the 
 sword instead of the crozier, prelates must give 
 up wars and fightings, and the swarms of pious 
 
ZWINGLE. 53 
 
 idlers must be got rid of, before the laity could 
 be amended or kept much longer in restraint. 
 He, therefore, begged the Cardinal to give serious 
 attention to the state of the Church, and obtained 
 from him a promise, that on his return to Rome 
 he would endeavour to persuade the pontiff to 
 take measures to remedy the evils which had 
 been pointed out. This promise was forgotten, 
 or if kept did no good. Leo was too much 
 engrossed with his ambitious projects, and too 
 much devoted to literature and the fine arts, to 
 have leisure or inclination to take care of the 
 spiritual concerns of his Church. 
 
54 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ZWINGLE'S REMOVAL TO ZURICH PROGRESS OF THE 
 REFORMATION -PUBLIC CONFERENCE. 1518-1523. 
 
 ZWINGLE'S reputation was now greatly in- 
 creased, and the fame of his learning and courage 
 spread in all directions. In the year 1518, he 
 was elected preacher in the Cathedral at Zurich, 
 and as this new appointment opened a still wider 
 field for usefulness, he accepted it without delay. 
 Zurich was an independent city, and the capital 
 of the Canton of the same name. It was like- 
 wise infested by the vices, then but too common 
 in Switzerland, and which marked the degene- 
 racy of the age. Religion was treated almost 
 with contempt. The severity of ancient man- 
 ners and morals had departed, and insubordina- 
 tion among the poor, and luxury and avarice 
 among the higher classes, had banished the virtues 
 of former times. " Letters wanted a restorer, 
 both the governors and the governed an intrepid 
 censor, and fainting religion an orator capable of 
 restoring its influence over the people." This 
 task seemed to be assigned by Providence to 
 Zwingle : and he executed it, with firmness and 
 fidelity. On the first of January, 1519, he com- 
 
ZW1NGLE. 55 
 
 menced his public services. He took occasion, 
 to censure the superstition, hypocrisy, idleness, 
 and intemperance of the people, while he exhorted 
 the magistrates to be impartial in the administra- 
 tion of justice, to protect widows and orphans, 
 and to preserve the liberty of the country by 
 avoiding foreign bribes and alliances. The latter 
 part of this exhortation alluded to a miserable 
 policy then adopted by the Swiss. Instead of 
 preserving a strict neutrality among the contend- 
 ing nations by which they were surrounded, a 
 measure equally recommended by a due regard 
 for peace and for the morals of the citizens, 
 they were in the habit of forming leagues with 
 foreign States, which were frequently the cause 
 of great suffering. These leagues, generally 
 entered into from mercenary motives, served only 
 to involve them in the calamities of wars, with 
 which they as a people had no concern. 
 
 The stern rebuke of the new preacher was not 
 without its good effect. Many were aroused and 
 reformed by it : while others, whose interest and 
 vices were attacked, manifested great indignation. 
 The clamors of the discontented did not intimi- 
 date Zwingle, nor were they able to destroy his 
 growing influence. His popularity and power 
 became great, and gave him new strength in his 
 warfare against the corruptions of popery. 
 
56 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 In 1518 Leo sent one Samson, a Franciscan 
 monk, into Switzerland, to carry on the traffic in 
 indulgences. This emissary imitated the shame- 
 less effrontery of Tetzel ; but the Swiss appear 
 not to have been so bigoted in their attachment 
 nor so complete in their subjection to the holy see 
 as the Germans. A stop was soon put to the 
 undertaking of Samson. The bishop of Con- 
 stance, resenting it as an interference with his 
 authority, ordered his parish priests to shut their 
 doors against the papal agent, and exhorted 
 Zwingle to defend the rights of the episcopacy. 
 The Reformer had already raised his voice in con- 
 demnation of the abuse, not indeed because it 
 was an indignity to his superior, but because it 
 was ruinous to the morals of the people. He 
 succeeded in converting to his opinion the depu- 
 ties of the thirteen cantons, then assembled in a 
 diet at Zurich, and they ordered the Franciscan 
 to quit the country ; an injunction which he im- 
 mediately obeyed by a hasty retreat into Italy. 
 
 The deference of the Swiss to the counsels of 
 Zwingle did not however long continue. His 
 efforts for a reform in morals were too searching 
 and zealous to suit the majority. He preserved 
 the respect and affection of the inhabitants of 
 Zurich, and was held in high esteem by them 
 until the time of his death. But his stem integ- 
 rity, his pacific policy, and his disapprobation of 
 
ZWINGLE. 57 
 
 the vices, ambitious projects, and foreign alliance 
 of the rulers, made him many enemies in the 
 other cities and cantons. To this cause, rather 
 than to any severe measures adopted by the court 
 of Rome, we must refer most of the difficulties 
 with which the Reformation had to contend in 
 Switzerland ; and therefore it will be necessary 
 to glance at the political affairs of that country. 
 
 The thirteen Cantons and free cities of Swit- 
 zerland were united into one body, somewhat after 
 the manner of the United States. This combi- 
 nation was called the Helvetic Confederacy, from 
 the ancient name of a portion of the country over 
 which it extended. The general government was 
 composed of deputies or representatives from the 
 several towns and cantons, who formed what was 
 termed the Diet. The Swiss were also connected 
 in some degree with the German Empire. Dur- 
 ing the contest for the imperial crown, of which 
 an account has already been given, both of the 
 rival candidates endeavoured to secure the aid of 
 the Confederacy. Zwingle, always anxious to 
 prevent his country from entangling herself with 
 the affairs of other nations, strove to persuade his 
 fellow-citizens not to listen to the promises of 
 either, and to maintain a strict neutrality with 
 reference to the contest. His judicious advice 
 was neglected,, and the Diet recommended the 
 choice of the king of Spain. A war broke out 
 
58 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 between the Emperor and Francis almost as soon 
 as the former ascended his new throne, and both 
 princes again applied for the assistance of the 
 Helvetic League. The French monarch prevail- 
 ed with all the members except Zurich, who 
 rejected the proposed alliance, as inconsistent 
 with the support which had just been rendered to 
 Charles. This refusal increased the strong ani- 
 mosity already felt by the other cantons towards 
 the Reformer and his coadjutors ; and the suffer- 
 ings they experienced in consequence of their ill- 
 advised union with the French had no tendency 
 to allay their anger. 
 
 While matters were in this state, the Pope, in 
 virtue of an alliance made some years before with 
 the Swiss, demanded of them a supply of troops, 
 to aid in the defence of his kingdom. This was 
 the pretended, but not the real object of his holi- 
 ness. In conjunction with Charles, he had laid 
 a plan to wrest Milan and other cities from 
 France. The connexion which twelve of the 
 cantons had already formed with Francis, put 
 it out of their power to comply with the requisi- 
 tion of Leo. Zurich alone was at liberty, and 
 felt in honor bound to furnish a body of three 
 thousand men. When this force joined the 
 united armies of the Pope and the Emperor, prom- 
 ises and bribes were employed to induce them to 
 assist in executing the design of the campaign. 
 
ZWINGLE. 59 
 
 But they had received positive orders to engage in 
 no offensive war, and to these orders they remained 
 obedient. To the seductive offers of the allies, 
 they replied, " Were your tents and all they con- 
 tain of pure gold, we would refuse, if in order to 
 gain them it were necessary to disobey our magis- 
 trates and violate our oaths." The united armies 
 were therefore led on to the attack without them, 
 and obtained repeated victories over the French 
 generals. The soldiers of the twelve cantons 
 experienced great hardships in this contest, and 
 returned home more disposed than ever to quarrel 
 with the Zurichers,* to whom, rather than to 
 their own folly, they chose to attribute all their 
 misfortunes. 
 
 It is not consistent with the plan of this volume, 
 to pursue into details the history of the evils 
 brought upon Switzerland by her alliances with 
 foreign nations. Sufficient has already been 
 related to give the reader an idea of the position 
 occupied by Zwirigle, and the character of the 
 obstacles with which he was obliged to contend. 
 
 o 
 
 His efforts to abolish the errors and correct the 
 abuses of the church, were not only resisted by a 
 bigoted attachment to the ancient faith, but also 
 by the most determined political hostility. But he 
 was not easily intimidated or disheartened. He 
 continued to preach with great boldness, and to 
 advocate whatever changes he thought important 
 
60 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 and necessary. Under his instructions, the respect 
 hitherto paid by his hearers to the ceremonies of the 
 church began to diminish; and some of them ven- 
 tured, in the year 1522, to jieglect the observance 
 of the fast of Lent. These offenders were at once 
 denounced and imprisoned. Zwingle appeared 
 in their defence, and composed a tract on the 
 subject, in which he declared that all days were 
 equally holy to the Christian, and the kind of meat 
 to be used by them a matter of indifference, and 
 that fasts were an invention of the papal court, 
 that its resources might be increased by selling 
 absolution to those who failed to observe them ; 
 he concluded by requesting the learned to expose 
 his errors, if he had advanced any thing contrary 
 to the Gospel. This production created much 
 excitement. The bishop of Constance warned 
 his clergy to beware of the heresy, and begged 
 the council of Zurich not to permit such an attack 
 on the ordinances of the Church to be made with 
 impunity. The Council paid little attention to 
 this remonstrance, and he had recourse to the 
 Chapter, or body of divines who had charge of the 
 Cathedral, and who had chosen Zwingle to be 
 their preacher. They told the accused heretic to 
 speak for himself. This he did in a masterly 
 manner, by insisting on the principle " that the 
 Scriptures are the only authority from which 
 there is no appeal," by pointing out the causes 
 
ZWINGLE. 61 
 
 of the degeneracy of the church, and urging "their 
 immediate removal. One passage of this vindi- 
 cation is so true and noble, and breathes so much 
 of the spirit of pure Christianity, that we cannot 
 forbear quoting a part of it. 
 
 " Observe," says he, " whither you are tend* 
 ing ! You defend all your ceremonies as if they 
 were essential to religion : yet it exercised a much 
 more extensive empire over the heart, when the 
 reading of pious books, prayer, and mutual exhor- 
 tation formed the only worship of the faithful. 
 You accuse me of overturning the State, because 
 I openly censure the vices of the clergy. No one 
 respects more than I do the ministers of religion, 
 when they teach it in its purity, and practise 
 it with simplicity ; but I cannot contain my indig- 
 nation when I observe shepherds, who by their 
 conduct appear to say to their flocks, ' we are the 
 elect, you the profane ; we are the enlightened, 
 you the ignorant ; it is permitted to us to live in 
 idleness, you ought to eat your bread in the sweat 
 of your brow; you must abstain from all sin, 
 while we may give ourselves up with impunity to 
 every kind of excess ; you must defend the state 
 at the risk of your lives, but religion forbids us to 
 expose ours.' I will now tell you what is the 
 Christianity I profess, and which you endeavour 
 to render suspected. It commands men to obey 
 the laws and respect the magistrate ; to pay 
 6 
 
62 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 tribute and impositions where they are due ; to 
 rival one another only in beneficence ; to support 
 and relieve the indigent; to share the griefs 
 of their neighbours, and to regard all mankind 
 as brethren. It further requires the Christian 
 to expect salvation from God alone, and Jesus 
 Christ his only Son, our Master and Saviour, 
 who giveth eternal life to them who believe on 
 him. Such are the principles from which, in 
 the exercise of my ministry, I have never de- 
 parted." 
 
 While the tract, of which the foregoing remarks 
 formed a part, was in preparation, the bishop of 
 Constance applied with success to a Diet, then 
 convened at Baden, for aid to keep his clergy in 
 subjection. Not long afterward, the pastor of a 
 small village, accused of preaching the new doc- 
 trine, was arrested. This transaction alarmed 
 Zwingle. He saw that it was necessary for him 
 to secure the favor of the civil magistrates, and 
 he addressed to them a statement of his opinions, 
 and intreated them to leave the preaching of the 
 Gospel free. He wrote likewise to the bishop 
 himself, urging him to undertake the business 
 of reform, and " to permit to be demolished with 
 precaution, what had been built up with temer- 
 ity." This conduct is proof of no little courage, 
 for the reformers were then few in number, and 
 their cause not very prosperous. Luther had 
 
ZW1NGLE. 63 
 
 been outlawed by the Edict of Worms ; the Ger- 
 man Emperor seemed opposed to any change in 
 religion, and the papal party, for the moment, 
 had the advantage. These facts were all brought 
 against Zwingle. He was stigmatized as a Lu- 
 theran, notwithstanding his repeated declaration 
 that he had formed his opinions from the study 
 of the Bible, and begun to preach them before 
 he had even heard of the Saxon divine. This 
 assertion had no effect upon his enemies. Their 
 attacks grew daily more violent ; and the 
 churches of Zurich were much divided and 
 disturbed. To obtain quiet, and to sustain the 
 cause of truth, Zwingle resolved upon a bold 
 measure. 
 
 Early in the year 1523, he requested the civil 
 council to appoint a public conference between 
 the adherents of the bishop of Constance and 
 himself. If any errors were fairly proved against 
 him, he promised to retract them ; but if he 
 should overcome his adversaries, he hoped 
 that the protection of government would be 
 granted to him and his friends. The Council 
 consented to this reasonable proposition, and 
 invited the ecclesiastics of the Canton to meet 
 in the city, and settle the disputes about relig- 
 ion. As a preparation for this assembly, a paper 
 containing the points he wished to have debated 
 was drawn up by Zwingle : in it he denied 
 
64 RKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 many of the doctrines, and censured many of 
 the practices, of the Romish Church. He rep- 
 resented the power of the popes and the bishops, 
 the celibacy of the clergy, the doctrines of 
 purgatory, the absolution of sins for money, and 
 other tenets, as wholly unsupported and indeed 
 absolutely condemned by the Scriptures. 
 
 When the day appointed for the conference 
 arrived, the Council, the representative of the 
 bishop, the clergy, and a large collection of the 
 people, assembled in the town hall. The burgo- 
 master opened the meeting with a statement 
 of the purpose for which it had been called, and 
 requested any one who felt so disposed, to speak 
 and convict Zwingle of heresy. The papal party 
 showed no readiness to accept this invitation, 
 and the Convention would have been broken up 
 without the discussion of any question of mo- 
 ment, had not some parish priests complained 
 of the arrest of one of their number for his 
 opinion concerning the invocation of the Saints 
 and the Virgin Mary. This complaint drew 
 out the representative of the bishop in defence 
 of his master, and in the course of his remarks 
 he said that he himself had persuaded the heretic 
 to see and confess his errors. Zwingle instantly 
 arose and asked for a statement of the argument 
 by which the conversion had been accomplished. 
 A long harangue upon the necessity of union 
 
ZWINGLE. 65 
 
 in the church, and the reverence due to the 
 popes and councils, was the only answer to 
 his inquiry. To this Zwingle replied. " The 
 popes," he said, " could not be infallible, inas- 
 much as the characters of many of them were 
 deplorably bad ; and it was evidently absurd to 
 suppose those men to be the only true represen- 
 tatives of Christ, who had lived in open viola- 
 tion of his plainest commandments. Neither 
 were councils to be implicitly depended upon. 
 They were composed of erring mortals, and, 
 moreover, had frequently contradicted each other 
 in their decisions. The Gospel was to be the 
 only rule of faith, and that nowhere taught the 
 invocation of Saints or of the Virgin." These 
 remarks gave rise to a sharp contest. Both 
 sides obstinately adhered to their own views ; 
 until at length the defenders of popery remain- 
 ed silent and refused to continue the debate. 
 The meeting was then dissolved. The Coun- 
 
 a 
 
 cil remained in session and gave the victory to 
 the Reformers. They ordered, " That Zwingle, 
 having been neither convicted of heresy nor 
 refuted, should continue to preach as he had 
 done before : that the pastors of the Canton 
 should rest their discourses on the words of 
 Scripture alone ; and that both parties should 
 abstain from all personal reflections." This 
 result was highly satisfactory to Zwingle : he 
 6* 
 
66 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 no longer stood alone, but was supported by 
 the government. His followers were multiplied 
 and encouraged. Still, he was not in haste to 
 introduce many great changes. The services 
 of the church continued to be performed much 
 in the usual manner, and he and his colleagues 
 contented themselves for the present with 
 endeavours, peaceably and gradually to enlight- 
 en the minds of their hearers. 
 
7.WINGLE. 67 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SECOND CONFERENCE AT ZURICH PERSECUTION 
 EXECUTION OP HOTTINGER, OF W1RTH AND HIS 
 SONS PROGRESS OF THE REFORMATION IN SWIT- 
 ZERLAND. 1523 - 1527. 
 
 THE prudent conduct of Zwingle did not 
 satisfy some of his more zealous followers. 
 They were not pleased with the temporary reten- 
 tion of images in the places of worship ; and 
 some of the lower class, led on by one Hottin- 
 ger, a mechanic, tore down the crucifix erected 
 near the gate of the city. This act was a 
 breach of the peace, and the perpetrators of it 
 were immediately arrested. When the magis- 
 trates came together for their trial, they were 
 divided in opinion ; some looked upon the deed 
 only as an exhibition of rash zeal, while others 
 were disposed to regard it as a criminal offence. 
 Zwingle's advice being asked, he thought that 
 the prisoners were not guilty of sacrilege, be- 
 cause the law of Moses forbade the erection of 
 images as objects of worship, yet they deserved, 
 he said, some punishment for acting without 
 authority. This opinion increased the embar- 
 rassment of the Council. They did not wish to 
 add to the resentment, already strong, of the 
 
68 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 other Cantons, and they were equally unwilling 
 to retreat from the position they had taken in 
 favor of the Zwinglians. To extricate them- 
 selves from this difficulty they appointed a time 
 for another conference, "for the purpose of dis- 
 cussing the question, whether the worship of 
 images was authorized by the Gospel, and 
 whether mass ought to be preserved or abol- 
 ished." 
 
 Many persons took advantage of the delay 
 occasioned by this determination, and petitioned 
 for the release of the prisoners, on the ground 
 that they had been already sufficiently punished 
 by their confinement. They obtained the release 
 of all except the leader : he was banished for 
 two years from the Canton. This sentence was 
 light; but it led to the death of Hottinger, 
 and placed him first on the list of Protestant 
 martyrs in Switzerland. He retired to Baden 
 and lived there, neither concealing nor making 
 a display of his religious views. But he was 
 soon denounced and taken into custody. When 
 questioned, he avowed his conviction that the 
 worship of images was contrary to the word of 
 God. He was removed to Lucern, and there 
 condemned to death by a convention of dep- 
 uties from only seven of the thirteen Cantons. 
 He behaved with great firmness ; he conjured 
 the deputies to remain friends with the Zurichers, 
 
ZWINGLE. 69 
 
 and not to oppose that reform for which he was 
 about to die with joy ; he implored the mercy of 
 Heaven upon his judges, asked the forgiveness of 
 any whom he might have injured, and then 
 calmly submitted to the fatal blow. This arbi- 
 trary act was deeply felt by the Reformers, who 
 considered it an unlawful condemnation of their 
 opinions. 
 
 The second conference took place in October, 
 1523. Nine hundred persons were present; and 
 Zwingle triumphed in this, as in the former 
 discussion. Active measures were not at once 
 adopted to put down the worship of images; 
 but at the end of a year, as the arguments 
 of Zwingle had not been refuted, the Council 
 proceeded to remove the pictures and statues from 
 the churches. Their example was followed in 
 the neighbouring villages : and thus another 
 decided stand was taken against popery in this 
 part of Switzerland. 
 
 This innovation met with much opposition 
 from the other Cantons, and civil war threatened 
 the country, and the Reformers were obliged 
 to be constantly on their guard. An event 
 which occurred about this time may be related, 
 to give an idea of the distracted state of the 
 Confederacy. The village of Stammheim was 
 dependent upon Zurich in all respects, except its 
 criminal jurisdiction, which belonged to the 
 
70 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 bailiff of Thurgau. In this place there was a 
 chapel dedicated to St. Anne, in much repute 
 among pilgrims, who bestowed upon it many rich 
 gifts. Notwithstanding the pecuniary benefits 
 which the sacred edifice had brought them, the 
 inhabitants were persuaded by Wirth their magis- 
 trate and his two sons, who were priests, to de- 
 stroy the pictures it contained. Those who 
 were averse to this measure complained to Am- 
 berg the bailiff of Thurgau. This officer was 
 already the enemy of Wirth, and eagerly embraced 
 the opportunity to do him harm. Wirth, aware 
 of his danger, engaged several of the neighbour- 
 ing towns to promise mutual aid, in case any 
 thing occurred to threaten their safety. Amberg 
 commenced his work of revenge by seizing at 
 midnight the pastor of Stein. As soon as this 
 fact was known, the allied villages assembled 
 their men, and set out in pursuit of the soldiers 
 who had arrested the clergyman. Their march 
 was obstructed by a small river, and while seek- 
 ing a ford, they learned that the enemy were 
 preparing to resist their passage. To avoid 
 bloodshed, they commenced a parley and de- 
 manded the release of the pastor, engaging for 
 his appearance when summoned before a proper 
 tribunal. While the negotiation was going on, 
 the people of Stein and Stammheim retired to a 
 monastery near by. The monks received them 
 
ZWINGLE. 71 
 
 with hospitality, and they remained there peace- 
 ably until the next night, when, learning that 
 the prisoner would not be set at liberty, they 
 began to be turbulent. Wirth endeavoured in 
 vain to quell the disturbance. At this moment 
 the inhabitants of Stammheim received and 
 obeyed orders to return home ; but the villagers 
 who remained plundered and set fire to the mon- 
 astery. 
 
 A report of this outrage was made to his gov- 
 ernment by Amberg, who took care to lay the 
 whole blame upon Wirth and his sons. A Diet 
 was called to see what should be done. They 
 seemed at first disposed to confound the inno- 
 c%nt with the guilty, and to chastise without dis- 
 crimination the citizens of the offending towns ; 
 but the deputies from Zurich persuaded them to 
 take a more equitable course. They sent a 
 party of soldiers to seize the principal persons 
 accused of taking a part in the violence. Many 
 of these escaped ; but Wirth and his sons refused 
 to fly. " You need no force," said the former ; 
 " had a child brought us an order from our sove- 
 reign, we should have obeyed it without resist- 
 ance." 
 
 The prisoners were brought to Zurich. On 
 examination they confessed that they had joined 
 the crowd and followed them to the monastery ; 
 but they averred that they made every effort to 
 
72 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 prevent the destruction of the building. Their 
 defence was of no avail ; the Cantons required 
 them to be given up to the Diet. The Council 
 answered that the case belonged to their juris- 
 diction. The Cantons replied, that if their 
 demand was not complied with, they would carry 
 off the offenders by force of arms. To this threat 
 of civil war, the Council, in opposition to the ear- 
 nest remonstrance of Zwingle, were unjust and 
 pusillanimous enough to yield. The prisoners 
 were removed to Baden. Torture was applied 
 to force from them some confession which might 
 serve to give at least an appearance of justice to 
 their condemnation. They bore their sufferings 
 with admirable fortitude; but neither the noble 
 bearing of the bailiff and his sons, nor the tears 
 of the wife and mother, could soften the hearts of 
 the judges. The father and the elder son were 
 sentenced to death ; the former for treason, and 
 the latter for " having preached up the Lutheran 
 and Zwinglian sect." The victims met their 
 fate with Christian firmness. The younger son 
 was pardoned and escaped to Zurich. In such 
 cases, the sentence usually involved the confis- 
 cation of the property of the condemned ; but in 
 this instance, that part of the punishment was 
 remitted, through the intercession of three Can- 
 tons who had thus far refused to act in the mat- 
 ter, on the cruel condition that the widow should 
 
ZWINGLE. 73 
 
 pay ten crowns to the executioner of her husband 
 and child. 
 
 This tragical affair shows the degree of the 
 enmity which existed to Zwingle and the reform- 
 ers. They were not, however, to be intimidated 
 or silenced. The civil authorities continued to 
 introduce many changes, and in 1525 the cele- 
 bration of mass was formally abolished, and the 
 Lord's Supper commemorated in the simple 
 manner now practised by Protestants. The 
 Chapter of the cathedral placed their revenues 
 at the disposal of the government; and their 
 example was followed by a convent of nuns in 
 the vicinity. Plans for public instruction were 
 formed, and an academy to prepare young men 
 for the ministry was established. Zwingle was 
 the agent who superintended the execution of 
 these changes, and he performed the work with 
 fidelity and prudence. 
 
 In the mean time, the papal party contrived a 
 plot, by which they hoped to get Zwingle into 
 their power, and to crush the growing heresy. 
 A conference was appointed, to which the Swiss 
 Reformer was invited to discuss the points at 
 issue between the Romanists and the Reformers, 
 with Eccius, the antagonist of Luther. But so 
 evident was the inimical purpose of those engaged 
 in bringing about this meeting, that the Council 
 of Zurich refused to permit their preacher to 
 7 
 
74 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 leave the city. His cause was defended in the 
 debate, which took place at Baden, by several 
 learned divines ; but his absence defeated the 
 object of the papists, and they contented them- 
 selves, for the present, with the passage of a sen- 
 tence of excommunication against him and his 
 followers, and the prohibition of the sale of heret- 
 ical books, or the introduction of any change in 
 forms of worship. 
 
 About this time, the Reformation was greatly 
 assisted by a revolution which took place in 
 Berne, one of the most important members of the 
 Helvetic confederacy. At the close of the year 
 1527, several of the towns belonging to that 
 Canton petitioned the government for leave to 
 introduce the worship practised at Zurich. This 
 request found both friends and foes in the Sen- 
 ate ; and on that account a convention of the 
 clergy was summoned to deliberate upon it. Great 
 numbers from all parts of Switzerland, together 
 with some foreign divines, attended this meeting. 
 Zwingle, in compliance with the earnest en- 
 treaty of his friend Haller, a pastor of Berne, and 
 his own desire to embrace an occasion so fa- 
 vorable for the promulgation of his opinions, was 
 present, and took a prominent part in the debate. 
 The result of the convention was a new victory 
 for the Reformers. Berne threw off the control 
 of her bishop, and directed her preachers to teach 
 
ZWINGLE. 75 
 
 only what the majority of the assembly had ap- 
 proved. Priests were permited to marry ; nuns 
 to leave their convents and return to the world ; 
 and the funds of the monasteries were intrusted 
 to the civil magistrates. In the short space of 
 four months the capital and all its dependencies 
 adopted the new religion. 
 
 One incident may be mentioned here, to show 
 how much the eloquence and learning of Zwin- 
 gle contributed to effect this revolution. During 
 the sittings of the Convention, the clergymen 
 present preached in turn in the cathedral of the 
 city. On one occasion Zwingle ascended the 
 pulpit, just as a priest was preparing to say mass, 
 at one of the altars of the church. His desire to 
 hear the celebrated heretic caused him to sus- 
 pend his employment. Zwingle, in his sermon, 
 stated and defended his own views of the Lord's 
 Supper with such clearness and power that the 
 priest was converted on the spot, and in the 
 sight of the whole congregation laid aside his 
 robes and joined the Reformers, 
 
76 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PROGRESS OF THE REFORMATION IN SWITZERLAND 
 CIVIL COMMOTIONS DEATH OF ZWINGLE. 1527- 
 1531. 
 
 THE introduction of the new doctrine into 
 Berne was the occasion of much discussion among 
 the members of the confederacy. Five of the 
 Cantons, who remained attached to the Romish 
 Church, formed a coalition and bound themselves 
 to prohibit within their limits the preaching of 
 the opinions of Luther and Zwingle. This 
 league produced an antagonist alliance on the 
 part of Zurich and Berne, who agreed to assist 
 each other against all who should attempt to re- 
 store the errors of popery. Hostile measures 
 like these were the commencement of sanguinary 
 conflicts between States hitherto closely united. 
 The papal and reform parties were arrayed in 
 opposition to each other throughout the country, 
 and the minds of both were evidently inflamed. 
 The storm at length burst forth. The inhabitants 
 of a valley called Hasli, subject to the authority 
 of Berne, refused to obey the late decree of the 
 Senate, and were supported in this refusal by the 
 citizens of the bordering Canton of Unterwalden. 
 At the appearance of the troops sent to enforce 
 
ZW1NGLE. 77 
 
 the order of the government, the people of Unter- 
 walden returned home ; but their retreat did not 
 prevent difficulty. The Senate of Berne com- 
 plained, without receiving any satisfaction, of 
 the assistance which had been rendered to their 
 rebellious subjects. This, combined with other 
 causes, led to a declaration of war between the 
 five Cantons, and Zurich and Berne. The neutral 
 Cantons were able to prevent a battle, and owing 
 to their friendly exertions a treaty of peace was 
 ratified at the village of Cappel, June 25th, 1529. 
 
 This truce put an end for the time to open 
 war ; but it did little to reconcile the hostile par- 
 ties. The Catholics submitted to it as a matter 
 of necessity ; and therefore took every occasion 
 to show their discontent. Event after event 
 occurred to widen the breach already opened be- 
 tween the different members of the confederacy ; 
 until an appeal to arms seemed to be the only 
 alternative. The history of this period is dark 
 and gloomy. Our limits allow us to give only 
 an outline of that part of it which records the 
 closing scenes of the life of Zwingle. 
 
 The persecution, in Catholic districts, of those 
 who held the new opinions grew at last to be so 
 aggravated and frequent, that the government 
 favorable to the reform determined if possible to 
 put an end to it. A, most unfortunate plan was 
 adopted for this purpose. The five Cantons had 
 7* 
 
78 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 no resources but their flocks, and were dependent 
 upon Zurich and Berne for a market. To bring 
 them to terms a proclamation was issued, forbid- 
 ding their intercourse with those cities, that thus 
 their supply of provisions might be cutoff, and their 
 territories, as it were, placed in a state of block- 
 ade. This measure was opposed as cruel by the 
 Ztrrichers ; but their objections were overruled 
 by the advocates of the scheme who entertained 
 sanguine hopes of its success. Their restless 
 neighbours would, they thought, be convinced of 
 the value of toleration and forbearance, when 
 they were made to feel their dependence upon 
 the other Cantons. But the erroneousness of 
 this expectation was soon manifest. The Catho- 
 lics were made desperate by this severe treat- 
 ment, and flew at once to arms. The Protestants, 
 being wholly unprepared for such resistance, 
 were thrown into great confusion. Instead of 
 adopting prompt measures to meet the exigency, 
 they wasted time in mutual reproach and recrim- 
 ination. The adversaries of Zwingle, those 
 immoral and ambitious persons whom he had so 
 boldly censured, seized upon this occasion to 
 take their revenge, by declaring that his unwise 
 zeal in defence of the persecuted was the cause 
 of all the evils which the nation suffered. 
 
 Zwingle saw through the designs of his ene- 
 mies, notwithstanding their hypocrisy and cau- 
 
ZWINGLE. 79 
 
 tion. His usefulness, he feared, was at an end, 
 and he resolved to leave a place where he could 
 no longer do good. In the month of July he 
 appeared before the Council, to vindicate his 
 character and ask for his dismission. The 
 Council would not listen to his request; but 
 urged him most earnestly, for the sake of the 
 cause he had so long and so well sustained, to 
 remain where he was. To tliis exhortation he 
 at length yielded and resumed his duties. He 
 labored constantly to reconcile the contending 
 parties, as far as it could be done without the sac- 
 rifice of truth. He knew that a dangerous crisis 
 was at hand, and with noble disinterestedness 
 he devoted all his energies to the good of his 
 country. 
 
 The efforts of the neutral Cantons to preserve 
 peace, were without effect. The five Catholic 
 Cantons, having finished their preparations for 
 war, took the field October 6th, 1531. Their 
 main body was stationed at the town of Cappel. 
 When the news of this movement reached Zu- 
 rich, the Council was at loss what course to 
 pursue. It was at last determined to dispatch 
 against the enemy four thousand troops ; who 
 were, however, by no means in readiness for 
 actual service. Zwingle was ordered to accom- 
 pany this expedition. Entirely in doubt as to the 
 result of the contest, he hastened to obey the 
 
80 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 command. " Our cause is good," said he, 
 *' but it is ill-defended. It will cost my life and 
 that of many excellent men. My confidence 
 rests on God alone." 
 
 As the Zurichers approached Cappel the sound 
 of cannon announced that an engagement had 
 commenced. The officers pressed on with all 
 speed and the soldiers followed as rapidly as they 
 were able. Just as they joined their allies, an 
 officer of the opposite party led out a party of 
 three hundred men to reconnoitre. Seeing the 
 weakness of the reinforcement, he immediately 
 attacked them. The battle now became general. 
 The Reformers were completely routed, and 
 Zwingle was among the slain. The circum- 
 stances of his death are thus given by his biog- 
 rapher. 
 
 " In the beginning of the battle, while Zwin- 
 gle was encouraging the troops, he received a 
 mortal wound and remained senseless on the 
 field, while the enemy were pursuing their victory. 
 On recovering his consciousness, he raised him- 
 self with difficulty, crossed his hands upon his 
 breast, and lifted his dying eyes to heaven. 
 Some Catholic soldiers who remained behind, 
 found him in this attitude. Without knowing 
 him, they offered him a confessor: Zwingle 
 would have replied, but was unable to articulate ; 
 he refused by a motion of his head. The soldiers 
 
_ i 
 
 ZWIKOliL^ !L -v^r 81 
 
 '' 
 
 then exhorted him to recommend his soul to the 
 Holy Virgin. A second sign of refusal enraged 
 them. ' Die then, obstinate heretic ! ' cried one, 
 and pierced him with his sword." 
 
 " It was not till the next day that the body of 
 the Reformer was found, and exposed to the view 
 of the army. A former colleague of Zwingle's, 
 who had left Zurich on account of the Reforma- 
 tion, was among the crowd. He gazed a long 
 time upon him who had been his adversary, and 
 at length said with emotion, ' Whatever may 
 have been thy faith, I am sure that thou wast 
 always sincere, and that thou lovedst thy country. 
 May God take thy soul in mercy !' 
 
 " The soldiers did not share in this generous 
 sentiment. Ignorant and bigoted, they rejoiced 
 in the death of a man whom they hated as an 
 enemy to their faith. They surrounded the 
 bloody corpse in the most tumultuous manner. 
 A cry was raised, ' Let us burn the heretic.' All 
 applauded the proposal : in vain did their leaders 
 remind the furious soldiery of the respect due to 
 the dead ; in vain did they exhort them not to 
 irritate the Protestants, who might one day 
 avenge the insult : all was useless. They seized 
 the body ; a tribunal named by acclamation, 
 ordered that it should be burned, and the ashes 
 be scattered to the winds ; and the sentence was 
 executed the same instant." 
 
82 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Thus, at the age of forty-seven years, did 
 Ulrich Zwingle finish his course. His death was 
 a source of triumph to the Catholics and a ter- 
 rible blow to the Reformers. For a while after 
 the loss of their great leader the Protestants were 
 weak and discouraged. But truth had struck its 
 roots too deep into the soil of Switzerland to be 
 easily eradicated. The people had come to the 
 light. The new doctrines had spread in every 
 direction. A taste for liberty had been excited. 
 And although the Reformation struggled in after 
 times with many obstacles and experienced many 
 vicissitudes, it may be truly said, that by the 
 exertion of Zwingle and his friends, the power 
 of the Romish Church was shaken and perma- 
 nently weakened, 
 
LUTHER. 83 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 LUTHER'S RETURN TO WITTEMBERG PROGRESS OF 
 THE REFORMATION IN GERMANY DIETS OF NUREM- 
 BERGCONTROVERSY CONCERNING THE LORD'S 
 SUPPER WAR OF THE PEASANTS LUTHER'S MAR- 
 RIAGELUTHER'S LETTERS. 152^1524. 
 
 WE return again to Germany. Extensive rev- 
 olutions of all kinds are attended by evils. Over- 
 zealous and ardent men spring up in times of 
 excitement, who are anxious to push matters to 
 extremes, and who cannot easily be kept within 
 the bounds of prudence and moderation. Among 
 the Reformers were some characters of this de- 
 scription, whose extravagances and want of judg- 
 ment were an injury to the cause they espoused. 
 To this class belonged Carolstadt, one of the pro- 
 fessors in the University at Wittemberg, who, not 
 content with the boldness already exhibited by 
 his colleagues in their attack upon popery, took 
 advantage of the absence of Luther, to tear down 
 the images in the churches, and by other such 
 actions to inflame the minds of the students and 
 create disturbance. His zeal was unfortunately 
 seconded by some fanatical mechanics. These 
 men, pretending to the gift of immediate and 
 special inspiration, and treating all learning and 
 
84 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 study with contempt, obtained many followers 
 among the idle and ignorant, while their wildness 
 and turbulence gave great alarm to the better 
 informed. 
 
 The moment Luther heard of this sad affair, 
 he determined to quit his retirement, and resume 
 his place in the city as a public teacher. He 
 left Wartburg early in March, 1522, without the 
 knowledge or consent of the Elector, and soon, 
 by his preaching and decided conduct, put an 
 end to the disorders occasioned by Carolstadt and 
 his party. Having accomplished this work and 
 restored quiet, he devoted himself with renewed 
 diligence to his great undertaking, and, assisted 
 by Melancthon and others, proceeded rapidly 
 with his translation of the Bible. This noble 
 publication, which was issued in parts, did more, 
 probably, than any thing else, to open the eyes of 
 the common people in Germany to the errors and 
 corruptions of the Church of Rome. 
 
 From this period the Reformation was constantly 
 gaining strength. Several important cities openly 
 abandoned the old forms of worship, and many of 
 the princes and noblemen began to waver in their 
 attachment to papacy. This latter fact was more 
 and more evident at each successive Diet. The 
 desire for greater political freedom was combined 
 with the desire for religious liberty, and some of 
 the most important members of the Germanic 
 
LUTHER. 85 
 
 Confederacy showed a decided opposition to the 
 aggressions and exactions of Rome. This hostile 
 feeling was very apparent soon after the death of 
 Leo X. in 1522. Adrian, who had formerly 
 been a tutor to the Emperor, was unexpectedly 
 raised to the papal thrdhe. He was a man of 
 honest purposes and good moral character ; but, 
 although not blind to the existing abuses, he was 
 bigoted in his reverence for the Church. He 
 was willing to make some changes in the papal 
 system, but insisted upon the extermination of 
 the Lutheran heresy. Accordingly, he sent a 
 legate to the Diet then convened at Nuremberg, 
 to complain of the little attention which had been 
 paid to the Edict of Worms, and to urge the exe- 
 cution of the sentence which had been passed 
 upon Luther ; while at the same time, he instruct- 
 ed this agent to consult with the assembled princes 
 as to the best method of removing the evils in the 
 Church. The latter part of this message met 
 with a very frank reception. Germany, the Diet 
 assured the legate, had already suffered too much 
 and too long from the oppression of Rome ; the 
 call for relief could not be safely neglected, and 
 they recommended, that a general Council should 
 be called to see what ought to be done. They 
 likewise drew up a list of one hundred grievances, 
 to which they begged him to ask the especial 
 attention of his Holiness. The only notice which 
 8 
 
86 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 the Diet took of the Reformers, was the passage 
 of a resolution forbidding any further innovations 
 in religion, until the meeting of the proposed 
 Council. 
 
 These proceedings were hailed with much joy 
 by the Lutherans. They appealed to them as 
 altogether favorable to their cause, and looked 
 upon them as prophetic of its final triumph. The 
 correctness of this opinion was confirmed, by the 
 indignation which the conduct of the Diet excited 
 at the Court of Rome. The bad management of 
 the Pope was severely censured; his policy was 
 ridiculed, as exactly calculated to increase the pre- 
 sumption of his enemies. To admit the existence 
 of any abuse in the Church, to listen to the 
 recommendation to call a general Council, was, 
 in the opinion of the Romish ecclesiastics, a 
 direct encouragement of heresy and a disgrace to 
 the Pontiff; and they did every thing in their 
 power to obstruct all Adrian's efforts for a reform. 
 In the midst of these difficulties this unfortunate 
 Pope died. His reign had been so unpopular 
 and his death was an event so pleasing to the 
 Romans, that the night after his decease they 
 adorned the door of his chief physician with gar- 
 lands, and fastened upon it this inscription, "To 
 the Deliverer of his Country." 
 
 Adrian was succeeded in November, 1523, by 
 Clement VII., a man of much cunning and 
 
LUTHER. 87 
 
 wholly devoted to ambitious projects for the exten- 
 sion of his power. The year following his elec- 
 tion he sent a legate to attend a second Diet at 
 Nuremberg. This messenger was careful to omit 
 all mention of the proposed Council, and insisted 
 upon the punishment of the heretics. His de- 
 mand was supported by the Emperor, who was 
 anxious at this time, for political reasons, to 
 secure the favor of the Pope. But the Diet 
 remained firm, and adhered to their petition for a 
 general Council and the redress of their griev- 
 ances. The most that could be obtained from 
 them by the authority of their sovereign and the 
 arts of the papal agent, was a promise to enforce 
 the edict against Luther, as far as they could ; a 
 promise by which they intended to allow each 
 individual in the assembly to act as he pleased. 
 Charles was greatly incensed at the obstinacy 
 of the German princes ; but the state of affairs in 
 other parts of his kingdom required his attention, 
 and prevented him from adopting any effectual 
 measures to compel their obedience. This was a 
 fortunate circumstance for the enemies of popery ; 
 for in a very few years the Emperor found it 
 necessary to alter his policy and to oppose the 
 papal power. Before, however, we give an account 
 of this change, we must notice some other cir- 
 cumstances and events not so favorable to the 
 Reformation. 
 
88 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 One of these was the controversy which early 
 arose among the Reformers and was long continu- 
 ed, concerning the Lord's Supper. Luther re- 
 jected the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation, 
 which taught that the bread and wine are actually 
 changed into the flesh and blood of Christ ; but 
 he embraced a view of this ordinance hardly less 
 absurd. He believed in consubstantiation, that 
 is, that the body and blood of the Saviour are in 
 some mysterious manner connected with or united 
 to the bread and wine, and are thus eaten and 
 drunk by those who partake of these elements. 
 Carolstadt was the first who opposed this notion. 
 Soon after his exile from Wittemberg, on account 
 of the disturbances related in the preceding chap- 
 ter, he published a treatise, in which he argued 
 that the bread and wine used in the administra- 
 tion of the Supper, were only symbols to represent 
 the body and blood of Jesus. This opinion was 
 also embraced by Zwingle and most of the Swiss 
 divines. The discussion of this subject was warm 
 and sometimes bitter, and in the end produced 
 unhappy divisions among the Reformers. Various 
 efforts were made to bring about a reconciliation, 
 but any thing like a cordial agreement was pre- 
 vented by the arrogance, obstinacy, and violence 
 of Luther. 
 
 Another unhappy affair occurred about this 
 time, which affected almost all Germany, namely, 
 
LUTHER. 89 
 
 the War of the Peasants, as it is called. At 
 first this was wholly a political commotion. The 
 lower classes of the people were much oppressed 
 by the nobility, and their condition was but little 
 better than that of slaves. On the imposition of 
 some new burthen, their rage burst forth in open 
 rebellion. The insurrection began in those parts 
 of the country where the opinions of Luther had 
 made but small progress : but at length it reached 
 Saxony and other strong-holds of the Reformers. 
 There the disaffection of the people was united 
 with religious fanaticism, and some countenance 
 was thus given to the accusation of those who 
 attributed the insubordination and violence of the 
 rustics to the propagation of the new doctrine. 
 One Muncer, who had been a disciple of Luther, 
 hurried on by wild zeal and a restless temper, 
 obtained great influence as ^a leader of the rebels 
 in the central part of Germany. The number of 
 the insurgents increased so fast, that they at last 
 ventured to take the field and risk a battle. The 
 princes, who united to oppose them, wished if 
 possible to avoid shedding the blood of their 
 deluded subjects. They sent a young nobleman 
 to the camp of the rebels, to offer them a pardon, 
 if they would deliver up their leaders and disperse 
 to their homes. ^The peasants seemed disposed 
 to accept the terms, and Muncer saw that he 
 would soon be deserted by his followers unless he 
 8* 
 
90 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 could contrive in some way to revive their fainting 
 courage. With admirable tact he took advantage 
 of the appearance of a rainbow, which happened 
 at this moment to be thrown across the clouds. 
 He raised his hands and pointing to the beautiful 
 arch, cried out, " Behold the sign which God has 
 given ! There is a pledge of your safety, and a 
 token that the wicked shall be destroyed." The 
 fickle and fanatical multitude were caught by this 
 manoeuvre, and passing instantly from the ex- 
 treme of fear to that of fury, they slew the messen- 
 ger who brought the offer of mercy and rushed 
 on to attack the enemy. The princes enraged at 
 the murder of their envoy, immediately charged 
 the undisciplined rabble and routed them with 
 great slaughter. Muncer was taken prisoner and 
 executed; and the revolt was crushed. 
 
 It is said that more than fifty thousand lives 
 were lost by this commotion, in Germany. Dur- 
 ing its continuance, Luther labored to restore 
 peace. He endeavoured, on the one hand, to 
 persuade the nobles to diminish the burthens of 
 their subjects, while, on the other, he urged upon 
 the peasants the duty of submission and obedi- 
 ence to their superiors. His efforts were una- 
 vailing, and he found that it was easier to excite 
 than to curb the passions of the multitude. 
 They had been too much accustomed to listen to 
 him as the advocate of freedom, to regard his 
 
LUTHER. 91 
 
 voice when it recommended the patient endurance 
 of bondage. They felt their galling yoke and 
 were anxious for deliverance from its pressure, 
 but were too ignorant to be guided by the coun- 
 sels of prudence. 
 
 We come now to another circumstance of some 
 importance in the history of the Reformation, 
 inasmuch as it affects the character of its fore- 
 most champion ; we refer to the marriage of 
 Luther. While at Wartburg, he wrote a book 
 against the celibacy of the clergy ; and in a year 
 or two he ventured to reduce his doctrine to prac- 
 tice. He threw off the habit of a monk, and was 
 married in 1524 to Catherine de Bora, a lady 
 much younger than himself, and who had formerly 
 been a nun. This step was blamed as ill-timed 
 and unwise ^by many of Luther's friends. The 
 country was in a disturbed state owing to the 
 commotion among the peasantry ; the enemies of 
 reform seized upon every thing which might 
 throw ridicule upon its advocates; and the 
 cause must suffer, by such an act at such a sea- 
 son of one who had* made himself so conspicuous. 
 The papists, as was to have been expected, took 
 up the match as an excellent subject for their 
 satire, and covered the parties with the grossest 
 abuse. The courageous bridegroom was some- 
 what disturbed by the unpopularity of the new 
 connexion he had formed ; " He hoped," he said, 
 
I 
 
 92 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 r" that since his marriage had made him so despi- 
 cable, his humiliation would rejoice the angels 
 and vex the devils." 
 
 But Luther's mortification soon wore off. Cath- 
 erine proved to be a good and dutiful wife ; an 
 excellent nurse in sickness, and a valuable help- 
 mate at all other times. Her husband grew daily 
 more attached to her. He showed his affection 
 by calling his favorite work, a Commentary on 
 the Epistle to the Galatians, his Catherine de 
 Bora. In his letters to his friends he mentioned 
 his partner in terms of fondness and praise. On 
 one occasion he says, " My rib Kate salutes you, 
 and thanks you for the favor of your kind letter. 
 She is very well through God's mercy ; and is 
 obedient and complying with me in all things, 
 and more agreeable, I thank God, than I could 
 have expected ; so that I would not change my 
 poverty for the wealth of Croesus." At another 
 time he declared that he would not exchange his 
 wife for the kingdom of France ; and " that for 
 three reasons, 1. because she was given him at 
 the time when he implored the assistance of God 
 in finding a good wife : 2. because, though she 
 was not faultless, she had fewer faults than any 
 other woman : 3. because she had been very 
 faithful in her affection to him." 
 
 Luther lived with his wife twenty years and 
 had several children, all of whom survived him. 
 
LUTHER. 93 
 
 It may interest the reader and serve to give some 
 further idea of the Reformer's social and domestic 
 character, to introduce here a few of his familiar 
 letters. The first we select was written to some 
 friends on his proposed marriage. 
 
 " To the worthy, learned, venerable, and judicious 
 JOHN RUSSELL, JOHN THUE, LL. D., &/c. &>c. 
 my_ dear friends, collectively and individually. 
 
 " Grace and peace in Christ. What an outcry, 
 dear friends, have I caused with the little book 
 about the peasants ! In consequence of it, every 
 thing is forgotten that God has done for the world 
 through me. Now lords, priests, and peasants 
 are all against me, and threaten me with death. 
 Well then, if they are mad and foolish, I will also 
 prepare to show myself before I die, as created 
 and guided by God, and retaining nothing of my 
 popish life, that I can get rid of; thus making 
 them still more mad and foolish; and all this for 
 a leave-taking and adieu. For I cannot but expect 
 that God, by his grace, will assist me to do this. 
 
 " And to this end, in conformity to the wish of 
 my dear father, I am about to be married, and 
 that this may not be hindered by the machina- 
 tions of malicious persons, I propose to execute it 
 speedily, intending, by your leave, on Friday 
 week, the day after St. John the Baptist's, to 
 have a little merry-making on occasion of bring- 
 
94 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 ing the bride home. This I was not willing to 
 withhold from my good friends, and I beg your 
 assistance in asking a blessing for us. Now as 
 affairs stand at present in the country, I have not 
 ventured to solicit your company, or to require 
 your attendance. Yet, if with your own good 
 will, you can or will come to us with my dear 
 father and mother, you may easily suppose that it 
 will afford me great satisfaction, and whatever 
 contributions, from good friends, you can bring 
 with you, will be acceptable to my poverty. 
 Without any direct request, I beg you will thus 
 understand me, and return an answer by my mes- 
 senger. 
 
 " I should have written of this matter likwise 
 to my gracious friends, Counts Gebhord and 
 Adelbrecht, but have not ventured to, because 
 their Graces have other business to attend to, 
 than what concerns me. Should it be necessary, 
 however, to do any thing about it, and you think 
 it advisable, I beg you would declare to me your 
 opinion. 
 
 " Herewith, I commend 
 
 you to God. Amen. 
 
 " Wittemberg, Anno 1525-" 
 
 The following relates to the same subject as 
 the preceding. 
 
LUTHER. 95 
 
 " To JOHN DOLZIG. 
 
 "Grace, &c. &c. Without doubt the won- 
 derful news has reached you, that I am about to 
 become a husband; although this seems very 
 strange to myself and I can hardly believe it, 
 yet the evidences of it are so strong that I must 
 in honor and good faith give credit to them, and 
 I propose on Friday next, to give a collation to 
 father and mother and other good friends, that I 
 may set my seal to them and make them certain. 
 I pray you, therefore, if it will not be burdensome 
 to you, that you will kindly furnish some game 
 for the occasion, and fail not to come yourself 
 and help tie the knot, with joy, and all suitable 
 expressions. 
 
 " Herewith I commend you to God. 
 Amen. 1525. M. L." 
 
 To his sister, the LADY DOROTHY. 
 " Dear Sister, 
 
 " I find by the letter which you have sent 
 me, that your deeply moved conscience longs 
 earnestly for evangelical preaching, and that you 
 may once listen to it in your churcli at Rossla ; 
 this news has rejoiced me much, and I have de- 
 termined, God willing, to be with you on the 
 coming Christmas eve, if life and health permit, 
 that I may begin myself, with God's help, the 
 preaching of the Gospel at Rossla and Over 
 
96 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Rossla, and recommend its continuance. Greet 
 thy husband and thy little daughter Margaret, to 
 whom I will bring something ; and God bless you. 
 " Elsleben, 2 December, 1539." 
 
 Luther, who was very fond of his children, 
 seems to have written the following to his favorite 
 little boy, as an allegorical description of heaven. 
 
 " To my dear little son, JOHN LUTHER. 
 
 " Joy be with you, my dear little son. I am 
 glad to find that you learn your lessons well, and 
 are careful to say your prayers. Do so still, my 
 dear boy, and fail not ; when I come home I will 
 bring with me a fine toy from the fair. I will 
 tell you of a charming pleasant garden, in which 
 there are a great many children ; they wear little 
 bright looking coats, and pick up under the trees 
 beautiful apples and pears, cherries and plums : 
 they sing, dance, and frolic ; they have, besides, 
 beautiful little horses with gilded bridles and 
 silver saddles. So I asked the man who owned 
 the garden, what children these were ? He an- 
 swered, they are children who love to pray and 
 to study, and who are good humored. 
 
 " Then I said, Dear sir, I have a son, too, 
 named Johnny Luther ; may not he too come 
 into the garden, that he may eat these fine apples 
 and pears, ride on these beautiful horses, and 
 
LUTHER. 97 
 
 play with these children ? And the man answer- 
 ed : if he loves to say his prayers, to learn his 
 book, and is kind to his play-mates, he may come 
 into the garden, and Dicky and Bob too ; and if 
 they all come together, they shall have fifes, 
 trumpets, lutes, and all sorts of stringed instru- 
 ments : they shall dance, and shoot with little 
 bows and arrows. 
 
 " And then he showed me a fine lawn in the 
 midst of the garden, prepared for dancing, where 
 were suspended from the branches of the trees 
 golden trumpets and fifes, and fine silver bows. 
 But it was yet early, so that the children had not 
 eaten their breakfast, and I could not therefore 
 wait for the dancing, and said to the man j ah, 
 dear sir, I will go directly and write about all 
 this to my little John ; so that he may be attentive 
 at his prayers, learn his book well, and be good 
 natured, that he too may come into the garden ; but 
 he has a nurse, Betty, that he must bring with him. 
 Then the man replied : It shall be as you say ; 
 go then and write to him. 
 
 "Therefore, dear little son Jack, study and 
 pray diligently, and tell Dicky and Bob to do the 
 same ; so that you may all come together to the 
 garden. And now I recommend you to Almighty 
 God ; greetings to nurse Betty, and give her a 
 kiss for me. From your dear Father, 
 
 " MARTIN LUTHER." 
 9 
 
98 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Notwithstanding its length we cannot forbear 
 giving almost the whole of an excellent letter 
 written by Luther to his father, when he was 
 sick. It is full of filial affection and elevated 
 piety. 
 
 " Dear Father, 
 
 " My brother James has written to tell me 
 that you are dangerously ill. I feel anxious for 
 you, in consequence of the unhealthy air, which 
 prevails every where, and the universal sickness 
 at this time. For, although God has given you a 
 firm, strong body, and so far continued your 
 strength, yet your advanced age at this period 
 gives me anxious thoughts. Although we are 
 none of us sure of our lives for an hour, nor can 
 be, yet I am beyond measure desirous to come 
 to you in the body; but my good friends have 
 persuaded me against it, and I cannot but think 
 myself, that I ought not to tempt Providence by 
 throwing myself into danger ; for you know how 
 much favor I have found both with gentlemen and 
 peasants. 
 
 " But it would be a great joy to me if it were 
 possible that you could come to us, with mother. 
 Catherine also desires it with tears, and all of us. 
 I trust we could take excellent care of you. For 
 this reason, I have got Cyrus ready to go to you, 
 that he may ascertain if it is possible, on account 
 
LUTHER. 99 
 
 of the state of your health. And although I 
 know it will be with you according to God's 
 will, whether for this life or the next ; yet I long 
 earnestly, if it might be permitted, to have 
 your bodily presence with me, and according to 
 the fourth commandment, with filial love and 
 duty, to show my gratitude to God and to your- 
 self. 
 
 "In the mean time, I pray to God, who 
 created and appointed you to be my father on 
 earth, from the bottom of my heart, that he 
 will strengthen you by his exhaustless goodness, 
 and enlighten and preserve you by his spirit, that 
 you may know with joy and thanksgiving the 
 blessed Gospel of his Son our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, to which you have already come, being 
 called by his grace out of gross darkness and 
 error ; and I trust that his grace * having given 
 you this knowledge, and his word having begun 
 in you, will sustain and perfect you unto the end 
 of this life, and the joyful coming of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 " For this faith and doctrine he has already 
 sealed unto you, and confirmed by signs, inas- 
 much as you have been called to suffer with the 
 rest of us for my name's sake, much evil speaking, 
 hatred, contempt, shame, scorn, enmity, and many 
 dangers. And these are the true signs, through 
 which we become like unto our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
100 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 as St. Paul says, Romans vm, that we may also 
 resemble him in his future glory. 
 
 " Let your heart then be comforted and lifted 
 up even in your weakness ; for we have in the 
 other world with God, a sure and faithful helper, 
 Jesus Christ, who, for us, has destroyed both 
 sin and death, and sits in heaven now to inter- 
 cede for us, and with angels, looks down upon 
 us, waiting till we shall have run our course ; 
 so that we need not be anxious or fearful that we 
 should sink or fall to the ground. He has too 
 great power over sin and death, to permit that 
 they should injure us, and is so true and merciful 
 that he neither can nor will deceive us ; that is, 
 if we go to him nothing doubting. 
 
 " For this he has said, promised and assured 
 us ; and we are sure that he cannot deceive us. 
 " Ask," says he, " and ye shall receive, seek 
 and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened 
 unto you." And, " all who call upon the] name 
 of the Lord shall be saved." And the whole 
 Psalter is full of such gracious promises, especially 
 the ninety-first Psalm, which is particularly suited 
 for the reading of all sick persons. 
 
 " These things I have written unto you, being 
 anxious on account of your illness, although 
 we know not when the hour cometh, that I 
 might be partaker of your struggle, your com- 
 fort, and thanksgiving unto God for his holy word, 
 
LUTHER. 101 
 
 which he has richly, powerfully, and graciously 
 given unto us in this life. 
 
 " But if it should be the divine will, that you 
 should yet longer be kept from that better state, 
 that you should still see and hear with us the 
 sorrows and afflictions of this sad vale of tears, or 
 with all Christians endure and conquer them, 
 he will give you grace to do all willingly and 
 obediently. Yet this wretched life is nothing 
 else than a vale of sorrows, in which the longer 
 we remain, the more we see and experience of 
 sin and iniquity, misfortune and distress, without 
 cessation or diminution, until we are cut down 
 by the scythe of death ; then must it all cease, 
 and we shall sleep quietly in the peace of Christ, 
 until he comes and awakes us again with joy. 
 Amen." 
 
 * # # 
 
 " Although I trust that your pastors and minis- 
 ters will show their faithfulness unto you, so that 
 you do not require my words ; yet I could not fail 
 thus to make up for my absence from you, which, 
 God knows, makes my heart sad. 
 
 "My Kate, little John, Nelly, nurse Betty, and 
 the whole family greet you heartily and pray 
 earnestly for you. Greet my dear mother and 
 the whole household. God's power and grace 
 be and abide with you for ever. Amen. 
 
 " Witt ember g, 15th February, 1530." 
 9* 
 
102 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 We add one more epistle, somewhat humor- 
 ous in its character, and intended probably as 
 a playful satire upon the contentions and divis- 
 ions in the German Diets. 
 
 A jesting letter, addressed to some of his com- 
 panions. 
 
 "Grace &c. Dear gentlemen and friends, 
 I have received all your letters and understand 
 by them, how things are going on with you. 
 That you may know in return, how things fare 
 with us, I have thought best to inform you, that 
 we, viz : myself, masters Victor and Cyrus, are 
 not gone to the Imperial Diet at Augsburg : we 
 are come, however, to another diet. 
 
 " There is a small wood just before our win- 
 dow, in which the crows and the rooks have 
 assembled a diet ; there is such a journeying to 
 and fro, such an incessant screaming through the 
 night and day, as if they were all crazy or 
 bewitched ; they caw all together young and old : 
 still I wonder how their voice and breath can 
 hold out so long. And I would gladly know if 
 such noblemen and knights-errant are to be 
 found likewise with you ; for methinks all that 
 the world contains must be gathered together 
 here. 
 
 " I have not yet seen their emperor ; but their 
 nobles and great personages are continually hov- 
 
LUTHER. 103 
 
 ering and flying about before our eyes, not very 
 splendidly attired, but simply in an uniform 
 color, all equally black, all with grey eyes ; they 
 all sing the same song, yet with a pleasant differ- 
 ence betwen young and old, great and small. 
 They care not for great halls and palaces ; for 
 their hall is roofed by the beautiful wide-spread- 
 ing sky ; its floor is merely turf, its tables beau- 
 tiful green branches, and its walls extend to the 
 extremity of the earth. Neither do they ask for 
 horses and carriages; they have winged wheels 
 with which they fly from the sportsman, and 
 withdraw from the angry passions of their com- 
 panions. 
 
 " They are great and powerful lords ; but I 
 do not yet know their decrees. Thus much I 
 have learned from an interpreter, that they are 
 projecting a vigorous attack upon wheat, barley, 
 oats, rye, and all sorts of corn and grain, and there 
 are many knights among them who are to per- 
 form great actions. 
 
 " Thus, you see, we sit here in the \mdst of 
 the Diet, looking and listening with great Delight 
 and affection to the cheerful singing and merry 
 lives of the princes, nobles, and chief men of the 
 kingdom. But we have particular pleasure in 
 seeing them sharpen their bills and put on their 
 armor, that they may be victorious and acquire 
 honor in their contests with corn and barley|. 
 
104 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 We wish them safety and success, and trust, that 
 they will not all be impaled on some sharp pointed 
 hedge. . 
 
 " I think, however, that the crowd which are 
 just before me can be nothing but sophists and 
 Romanists with their preachers and scribes, who 
 have come that I may hear their harmonious 
 voices and preaching, and see what useful people 
 they are to destroy every thing upon the earth, and 
 then yawn for something to do. 
 
 " To-day we have heard the first nightingale ; 
 for they are not willing to trust themselves in 
 April. It is now very fine weather with us ; it 
 has not rained at all, except a little yesterday. 
 Perhaps it is otherwise with you. God's blessing 
 be with you and support your house. 
 
 " From the Diet of Maltese Knights, 28th 
 April, 1530," 
 
DEATH OF FREDERIC. 105 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DEATH OF FREDERIC OF SAXONY DIET AT SPIRES 
 
 THE PROTEST DISPUTE AMONG THE REFORMERS 
 CONCERNING THE LORD'S SUPPER SECOND DIET 
 AT SPIRES DIET AND CONFESSION OF AUGSBURG 
 
 LEAGUE OF SMALCALD PEACE OF NUREMBERG. 
 1526-1532. 
 
 FREDERIC, Elector of Saxony, died in 1525, soon 
 after the defeat of the peasants. He had been a 
 cautious, but on the whole a firm friend of Luther, 
 and his loss would have been severely felt, had 
 not his brother and successor John been decidedly 
 in favor of the reform, and a man of bold and 
 independent character. Being a convert to the 
 new doctrines and believing that the time had 
 come when a choice between them and popery 
 must be publicly made, this prince directed Lu- 
 ther and Melancthon to form a set of rules for 
 the government of the churches throughout his 
 dominions. His example was followed by other 
 noblemen, and thus a new impulse and greater 
 dignity was given to the Reformation. Steps so 
 decided aroused the bitter and active opposition 
 of those who still adhered to the papal see ; and 
 had it not been .for the lukewarmness of the 
 Emperor and the distracted state of the empire, 
 
106 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 an immediate collision would probably have 
 taken place between the Romanists and their 
 adversaries. 
 
 As it was, however, the proceedings of the next 
 Diet, which assembled at Spires in 1526, were 
 favorable to the Reformers. Charles V. had been 
 engaged in a long war with his rival the king of 
 France, in which the latter was taken prisoner 
 and released, after a protracted negotiation, only 
 on condition of his complying with the terms of a 
 hard treaty. This he promised to do. But 
 when he was set at liberty, he obtained absolu- 
 tion from his oath from the pope, who began to 
 fear the growing power of the German Emperor, 
 which he endeavoured to check by forming an 
 alliance with England and France. Charles, 
 greatly exasperated at this conduct, immediately 
 declared war against the pontiff; one of his gene- 
 rals entered the holy city with an army, and 
 beseiged Clement in the castle of St. Angelo, 
 where he was reduced to such extremity of hun- 
 ger as to feed on asses' flesh, and obliged at last 
 to surrender, on such conditions as his con- 
 querors chose to dictate. He agreed to pay a 
 large sum of money, to give up his fortresses, and 
 to remain a prisoner until these terms were ful- 
 filled. It was during this rupture, that the above 
 mentioned Diet was held. The Reformers took 
 advantage of the state of affairs. A majority of 
 
I>IET AT SPIRES. 107 
 
 the deputies present declared it to be impossible 
 to enforce the Edict of Worms, and voted to leave 
 every one to manage the religious concerns of 
 his own territories as he pleased, until the con- 
 vention of a general Council. 
 
 It was the policy of the Emperor to countenance 
 this decision : and the advocates of the new 
 doctrine, finding themselves unmolested, were 
 greatly encouraged. Their preachers were inde- 
 fatigable, and their writings were extensively cir- 
 culated. Many, who had hitherto been indifferent 
 or timid, now came out and joined their ranks. 
 And it seemed as if the whole empire was about 
 to break away from the dominion of the Pope. 
 But this prosperity continued only for a short 
 season. Political considerations alone dictated 
 the course of Charles with regard to the different 
 religious parties. He favored or opposed one or 
 .the other of them according to the aid they might 
 render in the execution of his ambitious designs. 
 He soon discovered that he had gone too far in 
 his contest with the Pope, and deemed it ne- 
 cessary to change his line of conduct. Having 
 in some measure settled the disturbed affairs of 
 his kingdom, and having liberated and formed a 
 league with Clement, he directed his brother 
 Ferdinand, who acted in his name, to support the 
 popish party in the second Diet of Spires, which 
 was held in the spring of 1529. Thus deserted 
 
108 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 and opposed by the Emperor, the Reformers were 
 discomfited. The decrees of the former Diet 
 were revoked, and any change in the forms of 
 worship declared unlawful until the opinion of 
 the proposed general Council should be known. 
 
 The Elector of Saxony and his followers now 
 found themselves in a desperate condition. Un- 
 der existing circumstances, as they were well 
 aware, it was vain to hope for the assembly of an 
 impartial council even if the promise to summon 
 one was not altogether a piece of deception, 
 and they felt the necessity of making every ex- 
 ertion in defence of their rights. Accordingly 
 the Elector John, the marquis of Brandenburg, 
 the landgrave of Hesse, the prince of A-nhalt, 
 together with the deputies of fourteen free cities, 
 entered their solemn PROTEST against the decision 
 of the Diet. It was from this circumstance 
 that they obtained the name of Protestants, 
 which has since been extended to all who have 
 separated from the Church of Rome or denied its 
 infallibility. In addition to their remonstrance, 
 the protestant princes sent special envoys to meet 
 the Emperor, who was then on a journey from 
 Spain to Italy. These noblemen were ungra- 
 ciously received. Offended by the spirit and 
 firmness with which they discharged their office, 
 the arbitrary monarch ordered them to be im- 
 prisoned for several days, and treated their com- 
 
DIET AT SPIRES. 109 
 
 munications with contempt. When the news of 
 the treatment experienced by their ambassadors 
 reached the Protestants, they saw how little jus- 
 tice was to be expected from their sovereign, and 
 also the necessity of a closer union among them- 
 selves. They therefore held several meetings for 
 the purpose of forming a league for their mutual 
 defence ; but so great was the diversity of senti- 
 ment among them, that they came to no definite 
 agreement. 
 
 The chief source of divison was the old con- 
 troversy concerning the Lord's Supper, which 
 prevented a cordial sympathy between those of 
 the same mind on almost every other point of 
 doctrine; and shows how slowly men learn to 
 tolerate differences in opinion even about matters 
 of small importance. The very persons, who for 
 years had been contending side by side for relig- 
 ious liberty, began, while their cause was yet in 
 great jeopardy, to quarrel among themselves con- 
 cerning that ordinance which was, in part, in- 
 tended to be significant of Christian union. 
 
 This gross inconsistency was felt by the more 
 prudent of their number, who endeavoured to 
 settle a dispute so trivial in itself, and at the same 
 time so dangerous to their cause. The Land- 
 grave of Hesse, in particular, was extremely 
 anxious to reconcile the followers of Luther and 
 Zwingle, and for this purpose he invited them to 
 10 
 
110 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 hold a friendly conference at Marpurg in 1529 ; 
 but this well-intended measure was productive of 
 little good. Zwingle and his friends were, indeed, 
 " easy to be intreated " and willing to unite with 
 their German brethren ; but Luther met all 
 attempts at a compromise with the most dogged 
 obstinacy. He was coarse and violent in his 
 language, and treated with coldness the frank and 
 cordial pastor of Zurich. The most that could 
 be extorted from him was a promise, which 
 he did not keep, to use milder language in 
 whatever he might hereafter publish in opposition 
 to the Swiss divines. Before they left Mar- 
 purg, the members of the conference drew up a 
 paper containing the doctrines admitted by them 
 all, and leaving each individual to exercise, on the 
 subject of the Supper, as much charity towards 
 those who differed from him, as his conscience 
 would permit. 
 
 We have now arrived at that period, when the 
 Reformation, having long since ceased to be a 
 mere quarrel between monks arid theologians, 
 became an affair of great moment, involving the 
 interests of the whole German empire. Princes 
 and States were arrayed against each other, and 
 the contest assumed a political, as well as religious 
 character. On the one side were the Emperor, 
 the Pope, and those petty sovereigns who still 
 adhered to the Romish faith; on the other, the 
 
DIET AT AUGSBURG. Ill 
 
 less numerous and powerful, but no less deter- 
 mined friends of the new religion. The struggle 
 was long and fearful, and the Protestants were 
 obliged to put forth all their strength and contend 
 with determined resolution, in order to obtain a 
 recognition of their rights. A complete history of 
 their achievements would fill a volume ; we can 
 only glance at the moat striking and important. 
 
 Undismayed at the rough reception of their 
 envoys, the protestant princes were about to repeat 
 their application to the Emperor for redress, when 
 they received intelligence that he was soon to 
 visit Germany in person. Charles arrived at 
 Bologna in Italy, November 1529, and spent the 
 winter in consultation with the Pope concern- 
 ing the steps to be taken to subdue the enemies 
 of the papal system. Clement recommended the 
 immediate adoption of severe measures, and man- 
 ifested great repugnance to the convention of a 
 general Council. But the Emperor was not pre- 
 pared for open hostilities, until something should 
 be done to examine into the condition of the 
 Church. A middle course was finally chosen ; 
 and it was resolved to try once more the effect 
 of a national assembly. Accordingly a new 
 Diet, was summoned to meet at Augsburg the 
 ensuing summer. 
 
 The Emperor, on his journey to attend this 
 Diet, had an opportunity to observe the temper of 
 
112 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 his subjects. When he discovered the extent 
 and formidable character of the Protestant party, 
 and the degree of favor with which they were 
 regarded by the people, he was more anxious 
 than ever to avoid an appeal to arms. He 
 entered Augsburg, on the 15th of June, with 
 great pomp. The deputies went out to meet 
 him. The Romanists anticipated from his pres- 
 ence a complete triumph over their opponents ; 
 while the Protestants could not but rejoice in an 
 opportunity to plead their cause before their 
 sovereign ; both parties united in welcoming the 
 return of the monarch, after so long an absence. 
 This apparent joy lasted, however, but for a few 
 hours. The very next morning an occurrence 
 took place, which taught the Reformers the 
 vanity of their reliance upon the impartiality of 
 Charles. It happened to be one of the great 
 festivals of the Church ; and the Emperor called 
 upon the Protestant princes to join the proces- 
 sion. This they positively refused to do; and 
 when the haughty monarch threatened to punish 
 them for their disobedience, the Marquis of 
 Brandenburg replied, " Rather would I instantly 
 kneel down and submit my neck to the execu- 
 tioner than prove unfaithful to God, and receive 
 or sanction Anti-christian error." This bold 
 and unexpected language showed the Emperor 
 that the Reformers were not to be trifled with, 
 
DIET AT AUGSBURG. 113 
 
 and their attendance upon the celebration was 
 excused. 
 
 The session of the Diet commenced on the 
 20th of June. Two important subjects came up 
 for consideration, viz. a war to be undertaken 
 against the Turks, and the state of religion. 
 The latter was first attended to. To open the 
 way for its discussion, the Protestants had pre- 
 pared a statement of their opinions, for the better 
 information of the deputies. This paper, called 
 the Confession of Augsburg, was composed by 
 Melancthon, who was selected for this task in 
 preference to Luther, because the warmth and 
 violence of the latter was ill suited to the promo- 
 tion of that peace which was now so anxiously 
 desired. The Confession consisted of twenty- 
 eight articles, of which twenty-one stated the 
 views of those who signed it, and the remaining 
 seven recounted the abuses which had led to 
 their separation from the Romish community. .. 
 This document was subscribed only by the Lu- 
 therans ; those of the German Reformers, who 
 sympathized with Zwingle's opinion of the Lord's 
 Supper, refused to assent to it, because it favored 
 the doctrine of transubstantiation. 
 
 The Emperor would not allow the Confession 
 
 to. come before the Diet, but, after hearing its 
 
 contents in a more private assembly, he directed 
 
 some Popish divines to prepare an answer to it, 
 
 10* 
 
114 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 This was immediately done, and the reply was, 
 in turn, reviewed by Melancthon. Nothing, 
 however, was gained by the discussion. The 
 contending parties remained as far asunder as 
 ever. The summer was spent in fruitless efforts 
 to bring about a reconciliation. Charles, who 
 was desirous of avoiding a rupture with the Pro- 
 testants, whose aid he needed in his proposed ex- 
 pedition against the Turks, made great exertions 
 to bring them to terms. He tried first to win 
 over the leading divines, and then to bribe the 
 most eminent among the princes. But although 
 both of these classes were anxious for peace, 
 they refused to purchase it by an abandonment 
 of their religion. They were prepared to endure 
 any and every extremity, rather than do violence 
 to their own consciences. In leaving the Rom- 
 ish communion they had acted from principle, 
 and neither threats nor promises could induce 
 them again to submit to its tyranny. Not pre- 
 pared to grant them perfect toleration, and baffled 
 in every attempt to persuade them to acknowl- 
 edge the supremacy of the Pope, Charles at last 
 resolved to use compulsion. On the 19th of 
 November, when many of the Protestant leaders 
 had left the city, a decree was passed, " in which 
 new force was added to the Edict of Worms, 
 and the princes and cities that had become 
 Aenated from the Pontiff, were admonished to 
 
LEAGUE OF SMALCALD. 115 
 
 return to their duty, within a certain time, unless 
 they wished to incur the vengeance of the Empe- 
 ror." The only part of this law, which was 
 favorable to the Reformers, was an indefinite 
 promise of a general Council. 
 
 The Elector of Saxony and his friends were 
 greatly alarmed by this transaction. It shut out 
 all hope of obtaining justice, and called upon 
 them for some new measures for self-preserva- 
 tion. They met at Smalcald, and there, after 
 deliberating upon the position in which they 
 were placed, they formed a league for mutual 
 protection, and conceived the design of elevating 
 themselves into an independent confederacy. 
 They even ventured to seek assistance from for- 
 eign powers. This plan was not adopted, how- 
 ever, with sole reference to religious matters. 
 About this time the Emperor wished to have his 
 brother elected king of the Romans, and thereby 
 to give him control over Germany. The allied 
 princes saw in this desire another blow aimed 
 at their liberty, and determined, if possible, to 
 prevent its execution. Their remonstrances 
 were disregarded by Charles, and Ferdinand was 
 crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle, about the middle of 
 January, 1531. On hearing of this event the 
 Protestants renewed with success their applica- 
 tions for support to the king of France, and took 
 a still more decided stand in opposition to t] 
 sovereign. 
 
116 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 The Emperor, unprepared for these bold pro- 
 ceedings, was speedily convinced how impoli- 
 tic, at present, would be the employment of 
 vioJence. Instead of accomplishing his great 
 design, which was to consolidate Germany into 
 one united body, he found that by consulting the 
 wishes of the Pope he was running the risk of 
 a civil war. To avoid a result so disastrous, he 
 began to sue for peace. After much negotiation 
 and delay, a truce was agreed upon by the 
 Emperor and the Protestants at Nuremberg in 
 1532. The terms of this peace were, that the 
 Protestants should assist in the Turkish war, and 
 acknowledge Ferdinand's election as king of 
 the Romans, -while the Emperor annulled the 
 Edicts of Worms and Augsburg, granted to the 
 Lutherans "full liberty to regulate their religious 
 matters as they pleased, until either a Council, 
 which was to be held within six months, or a Diet 
 of the empire, should determine what religious 
 principles were to be adopted and obeyed." Just 
 after the conclusion of this pacification the Elec- 
 tor of Saxony died ; an event of no injury to the 
 Reformers, as he was succeeded by his son John 
 Frederic, who was an ardent friend to their 
 cause. 
 
THE ANABAPTISTS. 117 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE ANABAPTISTS THEIR ORIGIN AND LEADERS 
 THEIR CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF MUNSTER THEIR 
 DEFEAT. 1533 - 1535. 
 
 THE disturbed state of men's minds, during 
 the times of the Reformation, gave rise to some 
 strange excesses, which, although they may not 
 in strictness be considered a part of the history 
 of that event, are yet too interesting and instruc- 
 tive to be entirely omitted. Of one of these, 
 the War of the Peasants, we have already given 
 some account; and we shall devote this chapter 
 to a brief description of another, which, will, per- 
 haps, serve to remind our readers how necessary 
 to the welfare and virtue of society are the 
 restraints of knowledge, reason, and good govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The insurrection of the peasantry, although 
 chiefly owing to the oppression of their masters, 
 was, as has been stated, influenced and pro- 
 moted by religious fanaticism. After the rebellion 
 was crushed, some of the enthusiasts who had 
 been engaged in it roamed about Germany and 
 Switzerland, and spread their over-heated zeal 
 and extravagant notions among the lower classes 
 of the people. As the number of their converts 
 
118 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 increased, their restlessness and wild conduct 
 frequently called for the interference of the civil 
 authority, and in some places they were treated 
 with great severity. Notwithstanding this, they 
 continued to multiply with great rapidity, being 
 every where joined by the idle, discontented, and 
 ignorant, until the years 1533 and 4, when they 
 appeared in crowds and caused great disturb- 
 ances. Their distinguishing tenet, and the one 
 from which they derived their name of Anabap- 
 tists, (to re-baptize), related to the rite of bap- 
 tism, which they contended ought only to be 
 administered to adults, and then always by im- 
 mersion and not by sprinkling. In addition to 
 this they professed many dangerous, opinions. 
 They declared the existence of civil government 
 to be an encroachment upon the privileges of 
 Christians, who were a law unto themselves; 
 they allowed polygamy ; they insisted that the 
 distinctions occasioned by birth, rank, or wealth 
 were contrary to the gospel, and that all posses- 
 sions should be thrown into a common treasury, 
 for the use of the whole community, who were to 
 live together as brethren on a perfect equality; 
 they also pretended to the gift of prophecy and 
 to immediate inspiration, and held all human 
 learning in contempt. 
 
 Sentiments like these, promulgated by disso*- 
 lute impostors or ignorant fanatics, soon produced 
 
THE ANABAPTISTS. 119 
 
 most lamentable consequences. In the year 1534, 
 John Matthias, a baker of Harlem, and John 
 Bockhold, a tailor of Leyden, filled with a rage for 
 making proselytes, and forming a society, fixed 
 upon the city of Miinster in Westphalia, as a place 
 of residence. Here they gained over and deceived 
 many of the populace, and among the rest a Pro- 
 testant clergyman, and an opulent magistrate by 
 the name of Knipperdolling. When their followers 
 were sufficiently numerous to warrant the step, 
 they sallied forth at midnight, seized upon the 
 arsenal and Senate house, and ran through the 
 streets, sword in hand, crying, " Repent and be 
 baptized!" "Depart ye ungodly !" The bishop of 
 Miinster, and the sober citizens, both Catholics 
 and Protestants, fled in terror, and left the town 
 in the hands of the fanatical multitude. Freed 
 from all control, the Anabaptists .yielded them- 
 selves up to the directions of Matthias. 
 
 The community was formed into a sort of 
 Commonwealth, of which Knipperdolling and 
 another were nominally appointed consuls ; all 
 the real authority being possessed by the fanati- 
 cal baker. The churches were plundered and 
 their ornaments destroyed ; all books were 
 burnt except the Bible; the gold, silver, and 
 other valuable articles found in the houses of the 
 opulent citizens were collected together into a 
 common treasury ; and in order to establish a 
 
120 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 more perfect equality, the multitude ate at 
 tables daily prepared in public. Having finished 
 these arrangements, Matthias next set his fol- 
 lowers at work to fortify the city, and sent 
 emissaries to invite the Anabaptists in other parts 
 of the country to assemble at Minister, or, as it 
 was now called, Mount Sion. 
 
 While this strange revolution was going on, 
 the bishop of Miinster began to raise forces, for 
 the purpose of attacking the city and driving out 
 the rebels. The moment the army appeared 
 before the walls, Matthias sallied forth and 
 routed one division of it with great slaughter. 
 He returned from this victory, loaded with spoils 
 and in higher repute than ever with his deluded 
 followers. "Intoxicated with this success, he 
 appeared the next day brandishing a spear, and 
 declared that, in imitation of Gideon, he would 
 go forth with a handful of men and smite the 
 ungodly. Thirty persons, whom he named, fol- 
 lowed him without hesitation, and rushing on the 
 enemy were cut off to a man." 
 
 The death of Matthias at first confounded the 
 Anabaptists. But Bockhold rose up to take his 
 place as a leader, and soon succeede4 to his 
 influence over the infatuated multitude. Less 
 courageous, but more ambitious, less skilful, but 
 more fanatical than his predecessor, the new 
 prophet and general contented himself with a 
 
THE ANABAPTISTS. 121 
 
 defensive war, and strove diligently to increase 
 his authority over his disciples. Having pre- 
 pared the people by a series of well-managed 
 predictions to expect some great event, Bockhold 
 went naked about the streets proclaiming, " That 
 the kingdom of Sion was at hand ; that whatever 
 was highest on earth should be brought low, and 
 whatever was lowest should be exalted." He 
 began to prove the truth of his words by depriv- 
 ing Knipperdolling, who was so deluded as to 
 rejoice in the change, of his office as a magis- 
 trate, and appointing him to the station of com- 
 mon hangman. He likewise degraded all others 
 in authority, and ordered the most lofty buildings 
 in the city to be demolished. "In place of the 
 deposed magistrates, he set up twelve men whom 
 he styled judges, according to the number of the 
 tribes of Israel, to preside in all affairs ; retaining 
 to himself the same authority which Moses an- 
 ciently possessed as the legislator of the Jews." 
 This authority did not, however, long satisfy 
 him. He longed for the power of a monarch ; 
 and at length succeeded in persuading his fol- 
 lowers that a special revelation had been given 
 him, which declared it to be the will of God that 
 he should be king of Sion and sit on the throne 
 of David. Accordingly, with the consent of his 
 subjects, he now put on a golden crown, clothed 
 himself in. royal apparel, cpined money stamped 
 11 
 
122 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 with his own image, surrounded himself with 
 guards, and appointed the pliant Knipperdolling, 
 as a reward for his recent degradation, governor 
 of the city. 
 
 Having attained this height of power, Bock- 
 hold's enthusiasm gave way to the open indul- 
 gence of the vilest passions, and the exercise of 
 the most bloody tyranny. Abandoned to all sorts 
 of dissoluteness himself, he encouraged in others 
 a total disregard of the laws of decency and 
 morality. He married fourteen wives, and per- 
 mitted his followers to imitate his example. 
 Supported by those who cared for nothing but 
 the gratification of their senses and appetites, 
 and who were almost transformed into brutes, 
 he instantly executed all who ventured to op- 
 pose his authority. On a certain occasion, 
 " one of his wives having uttered words which 
 implied a doubt concerning his divine mission, 
 he called together the whole number, and com- 
 manding the blasphemer, as he termed her, to 
 kneel down, cut off her head with his own 
 hands ; and so far were the rest from expressing 
 any horror at this deed, that they joined him in 
 dancing around the bleeding body of their com- 
 panion. " 
 
 Such outrages were not long to continue. 
 The pretensions and enormities of Bockhold 
 attracted the attention and aroused the indigna- 
 
THE ANABAPTISTS. 123 
 
 tion of the German divines and rulers. Luther 
 loudly called upon the nobles to crush the mon- 
 ster and put an end to his iniquities. His exhor- 
 tations were not without their effect. The 
 princes of the empire assembled, arid voted to 
 raise money and men to aid the bishop of 
 Miinster in the recovery of his city. Their 
 forces were put under the command of a skilful 
 officer. When they arrived at the town, the 
 general found the walls too strongly fortified and 
 manned to hazard an assault ; he therefore 
 determined to reduce it by a regular siege. 
 This would have been a tedious undertaking, 
 had not the Anabaptists been destitute of the 
 means of support. 
 
 They had now been in possession of the city 
 about fifteen months; and notwithstanding the 
 care which had been taken by their leaders to 
 guard against such an extremity, they began to 
 feel the pressure of an approaching famine. 
 The succors they had expected from other parts 
 of the country had been intercepted and cut off; 
 the besieged were worn out and enfeebled by 
 their riotous living, and their labors to fortify 
 and defend the town. Such, however, was the 
 ascendancy obtained over them by Bockhold, 
 that they kept up their spirits for a long time, 
 and listened with implicit faith to his predictions 
 that some miracle would yet be wrought for their 
 
124 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 deliverance. But at last the confidence of some 
 began to be weakened by their acute sufferings ; 
 starvation threatened them and no prospect of 
 relief had appeared. One of the discontented 
 escaped from the city and fell into the hands of 
 the enemy, to whom he pointed out the weakest 
 parts of the fortifications, and offered to act as a 
 guide if they would venture to attack them. 
 This proposal was gladly accepted. On *he 
 night of June 24th, 1535, a select body of troops 
 scaled the walls and opened the gates of the 
 city to the rest of the army. The Anabaptists 
 defended themselves with all the courage of 
 despair; but overpowered with numbers and 
 weakened by hunger, most of them were slain or 
 taken prisoners. Among the latter was Bock- 
 hold and Knipperdolling. The king loaded 
 with chains was carried from place to place and 
 exposed to the insults of the people. Afterward 
 he was brought back to Miinster and there tor- 
 tured to death, in company with Knipperdolling, 
 with red hot pincers ; and their bodies were hung 
 in cages upon the steeple of one of the churches, 
 as a terror to all rebels. Bockhold, who at the 
 time of his execution was only twenty-six years 
 of age, remained firm to the last, and died 
 adhering to the tenets of his sect with unshaken 
 obstinacy. 
 
THE ANABAPTISTS. 
 
 " Together with its monarch," says Robertson, 
 from whose history of Charles V. the above 
 account has been mostly compiled, " the king- 
 dom of the Anabaptists came to an end. Their 
 principles having taken deep root in the Low- 
 Countries, the party still subsists there under the 
 name of Mennonites ; but by a very singular 
 revolution this sect, so mutinous and sanguinary 
 at its first origin, hath become altogether inno- 
 cent and pacific. Holding it unlawful to wage 
 war, or to accept of civil offices, they devote 
 themselves entirely to the duties of private citi- 
 zens, and by their industry and charity endeav- 
 our to make reparation to human society for the 
 violence committed by their founders," 
 
 11* 
 
126 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 CONSEQUENCES OF THE TRUCE OF NUREMBERG 
 COUNCIL OF TRENT PREPARATIONS FOR WAR- 
 DEATH OF LUTHER -INVASION OF SAXONY SUB- 
 MISSION OF THE PROTESTANTS CAPTURE OF 
 FREDERIC SUBMISSION OF THE LANDGRAVE OF 
 HESSE. 1532- 1547. 
 
 THE truce of Nuremberg was a great gain 
 to the Protestants. Having brought the Emperor 
 to consent to their terms, they assumed an atti- 
 tude of dignity and importance among the powers 
 of Europe, and those who, although with them in 
 opinion, had hitherto been too doubtful of their 
 success to join them openly, now hesitated no 
 longer. Charles having learned that the league 
 of Smalcald was not to be despised, appears to 
 have been anxious to fulfil his part of the late 
 treaty with that body. He stopt at Bologna, on 
 his way to Spain in 1532, and had an interview 
 with the Pope ; in which he urged him most 
 strenuously to summon the Council which had 
 been promised. This Clement was unwilling to 
 do, and manifested great displeasure at the favor 
 shown to the Reformers. 
 
 Not being prepared, however, to quarrel with 
 the Emperor, he pretended to consent to his 
 wishes. Propositions were made for the conven- 
 
TRUCE OF NUREMBERG. 127 
 
 tion of a Council ; but in all negotiations for this 
 purpose the court of Rome took care to throw 
 insurmountable obstacles m the way of its ac- 
 complishment. The Pope fixed upon Italy as the 
 country in which the Council should be held, and 
 insisted that the writings of the doctors and 
 fathers of the Church should be deemed of equal 
 authority with the Bible. To this the Protestants 
 refused to listen. They demanded a free Council 
 to meet in Germany, and that all points in dispute 
 should be determined by an appeal to the words 
 of Scripture alone. Before these differences 
 could be adjusted Clement died, September 25th, 
 1534, and was succeeded by Paul III. 
 
 The new Pontiff was no less averse than his 
 predecessor to a compliance with the request of 
 the Emperor, and he likewise evaded it for a long 
 time by the most artful policy. He seemed 
 indeed quite tractable at first, and in 1536 issued 
 letters summoning a Council to meet at Mantua. 
 These letters he knew very well would not be 
 obeyed, as he had purposely selected a place 
 for the proposed assembly, which was not only 
 objected to by the Protestants, but by several 
 other princes, including the Emperor and the king 
 of France. The Reformers expresed their dissat- 
 isfaction at another meeting at Smalcald, where 
 they renewed their confederacy for ten years, 
 and protested against the designs of the Pope. 
 
128 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Matters proceeded much in this way for a 
 number of years, and nothing effectual was done 
 towards a settlement of the religious disputes. 
 Charles was engaged in an expedition into Africa, 
 and was afterwards so involved in wars with 
 France and the Turks, that he was in no condi- 
 tion to do much to compose the differences 
 among his German subjects. As he needed the 
 aid of the Protestants, he continued to grant them 
 many indulgences, and endeavoured to secure 
 their good will by appointing a conference be- 
 tween the Catholic and Lutheran divines, and by 
 persevering in his efforts to induce the Pope to 
 call a Council. But all was of no avail. At 
 last having made a peace with Francis, and in 
 some measure relieved himself from the pressure 
 of his other concerns, he resolved to change his 
 policy, and to bring to an end the contest between 
 the Romanists and the Reformers. 
 
 The Pope having renewed his proposal for a 
 Council, to be convened at the city of Trent, 
 Charles insisted, in a Diet held at Worms in 1545, 
 that the Protestants should consent to it ; if they 
 did not, recourse was to be had to arms to com- 
 pel their obedience or to punish their obstinacy. 
 The Protestants remonstrated, and resolved to 
 run every risk rather than abandon their princi- 
 ples or retract their just demands. Open hostili- 
 ties seemed now to be inevitable. The Emperor 
 
DEATH OF LUTHER. 129 
 
 had been making preparations for this crisis, and 
 the Elector of Saxony, with his allies, began to 
 take measures to meet the approaching storm. 
 
 While the hostile parties were arming them- 
 selves for war, and his country was about to 
 become the scene of sanguinary conflicts, Luther 
 died. Worn out with his many labors and 
 troubled with many infirmities, he set out on a 
 journey to Eisleben, his native city, to adjust 
 some difficulties which had arisen between its 
 inhabitants and the Counts under whose jurisdic- 
 tion they lived. Soon after his arrival he was 
 seized with a violent inflammation in the stomach. 
 Medicine did him no good, and he expired on 
 the morning of the 18th of January, 1546, in the 
 sixty-third year of his age. The character of this 
 eminent man was one of strong lights and 
 shadows. To great energy, courage, and zeal 
 were added other qualities less worthy of com- 
 mendation. His faults of temper were a source 
 of sorrow to himself, as well as to his friends. 
 Inclined to be headstrong and obstinate, he fre- 
 quently failed to exercise that " charity which is 
 not easily provoked ;" and partly in accordance 
 with the bad taste of the age, and partly from the 
 sinful indulgence of an irritable disposition, he 
 was apt, in the heat of controversy or when 
 opposed by others, to descend to the use of 
 coarse, scurrilous, and abusive language. But 
 
130 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 with all these defects, which are neither to be 
 excused nor denied, he claims respect for the 
 many noble qualities and deeds, by which they 
 are to some extent redeemed. He was fearless 
 and conscientious in his search after truth, and 
 bold and honest in its defence. Sincere in his 
 \ piety, inflexible in his principles, and ready to 
 sacrifice interest and to expose life at the call of 
 duty, he deserved the gratitude which he has 
 received from the Protestant world. 
 
 The rupture between the Emperor and the 
 Protestants was now rapidly advancing to open 
 warfare. Some account of the parties about to 
 engage in the conflict will help the reader to 
 understand its character. 
 
 The defence of the Romish Church, although 
 the ostensible, was by no means the principal, 
 object of Charles V. It was the earnest desire 
 of that ambitious monarch to tighten the loose 
 bonds of the Germanic Confederacy, and to sub- 
 ject the whole empire to his supreme authority. 
 The members of the league of Smalcald had 
 asserted their independence and opposed the des- 
 potic sway coveted by their sovereign. While 
 this formidable body existed, the Emperor knew 
 that his power would be resisted ; and it was this 
 consideration, rather than any personal interest 
 in the religious controversy, which made him 
 anxious for its destruction. His motive and de- 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR WAR. 131 
 
 sign were suspected by the associated princes, 
 and they clung to each other, not only for the de- 
 fence of their theological opinions, but also for 
 the defence of their political rights. 
 
 The union among the Reformers was not, how- 
 ever, perfectly harmonious. The leaders, the 
 Elector of Saxony and the Landgrave of Hesse, 
 differed in opinion as to the line of conduct to 
 be pursued, and thus prevented for a season that 
 vigorous action which their perilous position 
 required. The latter of these noblemen, with 
 more sagacity than his colleague, was desirous of 
 obtaining aid from the kings of France and Eng- 
 land, arid from the followers of Zwingle ; but 
 the former, who was bigoted in his adherence to 
 
 ' o 
 
 the creed and advice of Luther, objected to any 
 alliance with Catholic monarchs, and showed 
 much unwillingness to invite the cooperation of 
 those who rejected his view of the Lord's Supper. 
 Thus a cordial sympathy was wanting between 
 the commanders, which interrupted their pre- 
 parations for war. It was only when self-pre- 
 servation seemed absolutely to demand it, that 
 the Elector got over his scruples and yielded to 
 the policy of the Landgrave. But his consent to 
 the application for aid from foreign powers was 
 of little benefit. France and England were not 
 
 o 
 
 disposed to render any efficient assistance, and 
 the Romish party was so numerous in Switzer- 
 
132 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 land, that the Cantons voted to preserve a strict 
 neutrality with reference to the approaching 
 conflict. This disappointment did not prevent 
 the Protestants from raising a large army, and it 
 will be seen that their ill success was not owing 
 to a want of troops. 
 
 The opening of the Council of Trent in 1546 
 was the signal for the commencement of hostili- 
 ties. Charles had been enlisting soldiers in the 
 Netherlands (a part of his hereditary dominions), 
 and was likewise expecting the arrival of an addi- 
 tional force to be furnished by the Pope. Neither 
 of these bodies of troops had arrived, when the 
 Protestants took the field, with a well-disciplined 
 army of seventy thousand foot and fifteen thou- 
 sand horse, provided with a train of one hundred 
 and twenty cannon. The zeal of the Reformers 
 and the progress of their opinions may be inferred 
 from the fact, that this armament was wholly fur- 
 nished by three of the princes and three of the 
 free cities. Many of the noblemen, who had 
 embraced the Lutheran doctrine, having been 
 induced, either by the threats or promises of the 
 Emperor, to join his standard or to remain inac- 
 tive. One of these deserters, who occupies a 
 conspicuous place in the history of this period, 
 was Maurice, Duke of Saxony, a nephew of the 
 Elector Frederic and the son-in-law of the Land- 
 grave of Hesse. This young and exceedingly 
 
MAURICE DUKE OF SAXONY. 133 
 
 ambitious prince courted the favor of the Empe- 
 ror, in the hope that, amid the distractions of civil 
 war, he might find means to increase his own 
 power by getting possession of the territories of 
 his uncle. It is possible, however, that he was 
 actuated in part by better motives. He might 
 have been deceived by the fair professions of 
 Charles, that he had no intention of interfering 
 with the religious opinions of the Reformers. Be 
 this as it may, we shall presently find that Mau- 
 rice, by his ability and intrigues, succeeded in 
 obtaining the power to decide the fate of the Pro- 
 testants ; and that happily for them he found it 
 for his interest to be their friend and defender. 
 
 Had the Protestants at once attacked the Em- 
 peror, who was shut up in the town of Ratisbon 
 and defended only by about eight thousand men, 
 they would have obtained an easy victory. But 
 unwilling to be the first, unless compelled by 
 absolute necessity, to kindle the flames of a civil 
 war, they determined to try once more the effect 
 of negotiations. They appealed by letter to the 
 justice of Charles, and pointed out the ruinous 
 consequences which must follow from his con- 
 tinued aggressions upon their rights. To this 
 remonstrance he made no reply ; but immediately 
 declared the authors of it outlaws and rebels, 
 who were deprived of their privileges as members 
 of the Germanic Confederacy, and whose property 
 12 
 
134 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 and territories might be seized and invaded with 
 impunity. Irritated by this severe sentence, the 
 Reformers sent a herald to the Imperial camp to 
 make a formal declaration of war. But this 
 defiance was followed by no decided action. 
 Divided in their councils the Protestant leaders 
 were sluggish in their movements ; while the 
 Emperor by skilful mano3uvres succeeded in 
 avoiding a battle and in collecting together all his 
 troops. 
 
 About this time Maurice, under the pretext of 
 executing the sentence of outlawry mentioned 
 above, in company with the king of the Romans, 
 invaded the territories of his uncle. When the 
 news of this event reached him, Frederic hasten- 
 ed home to expel the invaders. His departure 
 weakened the Protestant army and confused their 
 plans. Most of the princes found it necessary to 
 surrender themselves to the mercy of the Emperor. 
 This haughty monarch treated them with the 
 greatest severity. "The princes in person, and 
 the cities by their deputies, were compelled to 
 implore pardon in the humble posture of suppli- 
 cants, to pay heavy fines to renounce the 
 league of Smalcald, to assist if required in 
 subduing the Elector and the Landgrave, who still 
 remained in arms, and to comply with other equal- 
 ly harsh conditions." 
 
CAPTURE OF THE ELECTOR. 135 
 
 In the mean time the Elector had driven out 
 his enemies and reestablished his authority in 
 Saxony. This he the more easily accomplished, 
 as the Emperor was prevented by causes, which 
 need not be detailed, from rendering immediate 
 assistance to his brother and to his ally Maurice. 
 
 In the month of April, 1546, we find the Elector 
 with a fine body of troops stationed on the east 
 bank of the Elbe, near Muhlberg. Here he 
 remained inactive and undecided as to his 
 future movements. In the evening of the 23d 
 of April, Charles with an army of sixteen thou- 
 sand men arrived on the opposite side of the 
 river. " The stream at this place was three 
 hundred paces in breadth, above four feet in 
 depth, its current rapid, and the bank possessed 
 by the Saxons was higher than that occupied by 
 the Imperial troops." Notwithstanding these ob- 
 stacles and contrary to the advice of his generals, 
 the Emperor resolved to force his passage across 
 the Elbe. A bridge of boats for the transporta- 
 tion of the infantry was constructed the next 
 morning, in spite of the incessant firing kept up 
 by the enemy, the cavalry led by the Emperor in 
 person, and each trooper carrying a foot-soldier be- 
 hind him, swam and forded the river, and by great 
 exertion reached the opposite bank. The Elector, 
 either on account of his own indecision or deceived 
 by the reports of his officers, was taken by sur- 
 
136 SKETCH OF THE REFOHMATION. 
 
 prise, and being unable to effect a retreat, was 
 compelled to risk a battle. He made as good a 
 disposition of his forces as circumstances would 
 permit. But, notwithstanding his personal bravery 
 and his endeavours to animate his soldiers, he 
 was speedily defeated and taken prisoner. When 
 led into the presence of his conqueror, he was 
 calm and dignified. " The fortune of war," said 
 he, (l has made me your prisoner, most gracious 
 Emperor, and I hope to be treated" "Am I 
 then," interrupted Charles, " at last acknowledged 
 to be Emperor ? This title you but lately denied 
 me. You shall be treated as you deserve." 
 Frederic made no reply, but quietly accompanied 
 the soldiers appointed to be his guard. 
 
 The Emperor, after resting a day or two, to 
 recover from the fatio-ues of the battle, marched 
 
 O ' 
 
 to Wittemberg, hoping by the capture of that 
 city, which was the capital of the Elector's do- 
 minions, to put an end to the war. Wittemberg 
 was one of the strongest towns in Germany ; and 
 Charles being unprovided with means of carry- 
 ing on a siege, found the accomplishment of his 
 purpose more difficult than he had imagined. 
 He summoned the inhabitants to surrender. But 
 animated by the noble resolution displayed by 
 Sibylla, the Elector's wife, they refused to open 
 -che gates. . To compel them to obey, the Em- 
 peror had recourse to a most cruel plan. He 
 
SURRENDER OF W1TTEMBERG. 137 
 
 called a court martial of his own officers, and in 
 defiance of the laws of the empire and the claims 
 of common justice, directed them to condemn 
 to death his illustrious prisoner. This done, he 
 sent a message to Sibylla, declaring that unless 
 the city was instantly given up, the life of her 
 husband should be the penalty of her obstinacy. 
 
 In this crisis, Frederic behaved with admirable 
 fortitude. When his sentence was communi- 
 cated to him he happened to be playing at chess. 
 Pausing for a moment, he said, " It is easy to 
 .comprehend this sentence. I must die, because 
 Wittemberg will not surrender ; and I shall lay 
 down my life with pleasure, if by that sacrifice I 
 can preserve the dignity of my house, and trans- 
 nut to my posterity the inheritance which be- 
 longs to them. Would to God, that this sentence 
 may not affect rny wife and children more than 
 it intimidates me ! and that they, for the sake of 
 adding a few days to 3. life already too long, may 
 not renounce honors and territories which they 
 were born to possess." He then resumed his 
 game, and having beaten his antagonist retired 
 to his apartment. 
 
 The news of the Elector's danger was re- 
 ceived in the city with the greatest consternation ; 
 and his firmness yielded at last to the tears of 
 his wife and the entreaties of his friends. 
 12* 
 
138 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 He submitted himself to the will of the Em- 
 peror so far as his civil rights and offices were 
 concerned. He resigned his electorate, which 
 was conferred upon Maurice as the reward of 
 his treachery, gave up his territories, and con- 
 sented to be a prisoner for life. There was one 
 point, however, on which he would make no 
 concessions. Charles insisted at first upon his 
 submission to the Pope in religious matters ; but 
 without success. His prisoner was inflexible. 
 No threats could induce him to renounce his 
 faith or do violence to his conscience. And 
 having gained his own ends, the Emperor was 
 not disposed to risk a defeat of them by a very 
 strenuous defence of the Church. 
 
 The Landgrave of Hesse was now the only 
 Protestant prince who remained in arms. This 
 nobleman had it in his power to hold out long 
 and with some prospect of success against the 
 Emperor. But intimidated by the fate of the 
 Elector, and urged by his son-in-law Maurice, he 
 at last consented to the terms of submission 
 dictated by Charles. Among other severe con- 
 ditions the arrogant monarch ordered him to 
 appear before him and sue for mercy on his knees. 
 To this the Landgrave would not consent, until 
 he had received the solemn assurance that his 
 person should be held sacred. He then entered 
 the Imperial chamber and prostrated himself at 
 
SUBMILSION OF THE LUNDGRAVE. 139 
 
 the feet of the Emperor, who sat unmoved on 
 a splendid throne. The unfortunate prince con- 
 fessed his guilt, signed the articles of submis- 
 sion, and prepared to depart. But he was 
 stopped by the guards. Proud of his success 
 and determined to crush his late enemies, 
 Charles knew not where to stop in his tyrannical 
 course. Disregarding the pledge given by Mau- 
 rice for the safety of the Landgrave, the Em- 
 peror ordered him to be detained a prisoner ; 
 arid by stooping thus to gratify a mean revenge, 
 he, as it afterwards appeared, lost all that he had 
 now gained. 
 
140 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION'. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 DIET AT AUGSBURG COUNCIL AT TRENT THE 
 INTERIM JULIUS III CHANGE IN THE CONDUCT 
 OF MAURICE MAURICE ATTACKS THE EMPEROR- 
 TREATY OF FASSAU CONCLUSION OF THE REFOR- 
 MATION IN GERMANY. 1547-1555. 
 
 THE great object of the Lutherans, notwith- 
 standing the present disastrous condition of their 
 affairs, was near to its accomplishment. A few 
 more important events served to release Germany 
 from the despotic sway of the Pope, and to bestow 
 upon it an independent church. 
 
 The imprisonment of the Elector of Saxony 
 and the Landgrave of Hesse seemed to be a fatal 
 blow to the Protestants. The Emperor, having 
 crushed the most powerful of his enemies, as- 
 sumed towards his German subjects the bearing 
 rather of a conqueror than of a sovereign. He 
 determined to settle at once all disputes concern- 
 ing religion. For this purpose, he called a Diet 
 at Augsburg, surrounded it with his troops, and 
 then demanded of it an unqualified submission 
 to the decrees of the Council of Trent. This step 
 s not to be attributed to any partiality for the 
 Pontiff. Charles, on the contrary, was desirous 
 of bringing the Council over to his interest, and 
 then he intended to use it to weaken the in flu- 
 
DIET AT AUGSBURG. 141 
 
 ence of Rome. He met with little resistance 
 from the disheartened Protestants ; but their 
 obedience was of little service. Paul, who began 
 to suspect the ambitious purpose of the Emperor, 
 under the pretence that a malignant disease had 
 broken out at Trent, ordered the Council to be 
 removed to Bologna, a city within his own juris- 
 diction. This measure in fact put an end to its 
 session. 
 
 Unable to persuade the Pontiff to reassemble 
 the Council without delay, Charles, as a temporary 
 expedient, caused a paper to be drawn up by 
 which the religious affairs of the empire were to 
 be regulated until a Council should be called. 
 This document was called the Interim, a Latin 
 word which signifies in the mean time, because 
 it was to be binding only for a limited period, and 
 not to have the force of a permanent law. Nei- 
 ther Catholics nor Protestants were satisfied with 
 the Interim, although by various concessions and 
 ambiguous language, an effort was made to ren- 
 der it palatable to both parties. Charles exerted 
 all his power to enforce it. Knowing the influ- 
 ence still possessed by the Elector Frederic over 
 his followers, he labored with much earnestness 
 to gain his approbation. But the captive was not 
 to be moved by threats or promises. " I cannot 
 now," said he, " in my old age abandon the prin- 
 ciples for which I early contended ; nor in order 
 
142 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 to procure freedom during a few declining years, 
 will I betray that good cause, on account of 
 which I have suffered so much and am still 
 willing to suffer. Better for me to enjoy in this 
 solitude the esteem of virtuous men, together with 
 the approbation of my own conscience, than to 
 return to the world with the imputation and guilt 
 of apostacy, to disgrace and embitter the remain- 
 der of my days." This magnanimous conduct 
 drew upon the Elector new hardships. " The 
 rigor of his confinement was increased ; the 
 number of his servants abridged ; the Lutheran 
 clergymen who had hitherto been permitted to 
 attend him were dismissed ; and even the books 
 of devotion which had been his chief consolation 
 during a tedious imprisonment were taken from 
 him." 
 
 With the Diet the Emperor was more success- 
 ful. When the Interim was presented to that 
 body, one of the members arose and assented to 
 it in the name of all the rest ; and although he 
 was not authorized to do this, no one ventured to 
 contradict him, and thus the paper was accepted. 
 This timidity is accounted for when we remember 
 the sad condition of the Protestants at this time. 
 Their leaders were in prison. Luther was dead. 
 The gentle Melancthon was but ill suited to 
 the management of affairs at a period so stormy 
 and disastrous. Many noblemen who professed 
 
JULIUS in. 143 
 
 to hold the new opinions were, from ambitious 
 motives, attached to the standard of the Emperor. 
 Under these circumstances, the Reformers could 
 expect relief from the clemency of their sovereign 
 alone, and therefore dared not openly offend him. 
 They yielded to what seemed an absolute neces- 
 sity, and trusted to the future for some alleviation 
 of their troubles. 
 
 In 1550 Paul died, and was succeeded by 
 Julius III. This Pope consented to the revival 
 of the Council at Trent ; and another Diet was 
 assembled at Augsburg in 1551, to obtain a 
 promise from the Protestants to abide by its deci- 
 sions. Surrounded as they were by the Imperial 
 troops, the deputies made no resistance. Maurice 
 alone insisted upon some conditions favorable to 
 the Reformers, before he would yield to the Empe- 
 ror's wishes. Little was gained by this measure. 
 The authority of Charles was soon attacked from 
 a quarter whence he least suspected opposition, 
 and the Reformation was about to owe its triumph 
 in Germany to the arms of one whose apostacy 
 had been threatening its destruction. 
 
 Maurice, as has already been related, had 
 been induced to join the Emperor in his attack 
 upon the league of Smalcald, by a desire to en- 
 large his territories and to acquire the electorate 
 of his uncle. After the imprisonment of his 
 father-in-law, he still favored the Imperial cause, 
 
144 SKSTCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 hoping thereby to obtain the more easily his 
 release. But it was not long before he deter- 
 mined to change his course. Possessed of the 
 rank he had coveted, deceived by the promises 
 of Charles, and probably ashamed also of the aid 
 he had given to those tyrannical measures, by 
 which the independence of Germany had been 
 infringed and the Protestant cause almost ruined, 
 he resolved to desert the Emperor, and to wrest 
 from him the power so unjustly usurped. 
 
 By great cunning and caution Maurice was 
 able to keep Charles in ignorance of his designs, 
 until the moment for throwing off the mask 
 arrived. He formed an alliance with the king of 
 France, collected together under different pre- 
 tences large bodies of troops, and then issued a 
 proclamation setting forth his reasons for taking 
 up arms. " These were three in number ; that 
 he might rescue the Protestant religion, maintain 
 the constitution and laws of the empire, and save 
 Germany from being subject to an absolute mon- 
 arch, and deliver the Landgrave of Hesse from a 
 long and unjust imprisonment." These profes- 
 sions brought to his standard all the friends of 
 liberty, and all who resented the disgraceful and 
 cruel treatment of one of the chief princes of 
 the empire. 
 
 With the large and well appointed army thus 
 assembled Maurice fell upon the Emperor, as he 
 
TREATY OF PASSAU. 145 
 
 lay at Inspruck, confined by the gout and totally 
 unsuspicious of danger. Charles escaped in a 
 litter, attended by his courtiers, some on such 
 horses as were at hand, others on foot, and all 
 in the utmost confusion. In the midst of the 
 tumult the Landgrave and the Elector were set 
 at liberty. 
 
 This blow was so vigorously followed up by 
 Maurice, that the Emperor was soon compelled 
 to sue for peace. Accordingly, on the 2d of 
 August, 1552, a treaty was signed at Passau, in 
 which the unmolested enjoyment of their religion 
 was guaranteed to the Protestants. This treaty 
 was formally recognised by a Diet assembled for 
 that purpose at Augsburg in 1555, who passed a 
 decree, by which " all who had embraced the 
 Augsburg Confession, were pronounced free from 
 all jurisdiction of the Pope, and were bidden to 
 live securely under their own regulations. Lib- 
 erty was also given to all Germans to join either 
 the Lutheran or Romish Church, as they pleased, 
 and all were declared to be public enemies of the 
 empire, who should molest others on the ground 
 of their religion." 
 
 With the ratification of this treaty we shall 
 close this part of our Sketch ; not because from 
 this time all change and all dispute in regard to 
 religious matters ceased, but because by this 
 transaction that object was secured, for which 
 13 
 
146 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 the Reformers had been striving during the last 
 half of a century. They were now released by 
 law from the tyranny of Rome, and their separa- 
 tion from the Catholic Church was formally ac- 
 knowledged. 
 
 While the events which we have recorded, 
 were taking place in Germany, the Reformation 
 was successfully prosecuted in Switzerland, and 
 introduced to a greater or less extent into most 
 of the countries of Europe. In Great Britain 
 also opposition to the papal authority early showed 
 itself, and England and Scotland withdrew from 
 the Romish Church. The Reformation in these 
 two latter kingdoms is, for many reasons, deserv- 
 ing of a separate notice ; and the remainder of 
 this volume will be devoted to a brief account of 
 its rise arid progress. 
 
 
IN ENGLANB. 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIII, 
 
 REFORMATION IN, ENGLAND WICKLTFFE JOHN 
 HUSS THE LOLLARDS WILLIAM SAUTRE JOHN 
 BALBY LORD CDliHAM. 1234-1417. 
 
 As an introduction to the story of the Refor- 
 mation in England, it will be well to look back 
 for a moment, to a period much earlier than that 
 of Luther ; for the separation of the ecclesiatical 
 affairs of the English Church, from the dominion 
 of Rome, was facilitated by those who, probably, 
 never dreamed, that such a result was, in part, 
 to be brought about by their agency. Still, in 
 the opposition of a single individual to the hard 
 oppression and gross errors of the papal system, 
 may be found, not only the commencement of that 
 train of events, which ended in the destruction 
 of the Pope's authority in England, but also the 
 impulse which worked out the great change, al- 
 ready described, on the continent. 
 
 TJie eminent man referred to was John Wick- 
 liflfe, who was born in a village of the same name 
 on the river Tees, about the year 1324. Of the 
 earlier part of his life, little is known. He was 
 educated at Oxford, and from his diligent atten- 
 tion to the study of Scripture, obtained the title 
 of the Gospel Doctor ; an honorable name in an 
 
148 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 age, when, as he himself says, "it was no 
 uncommon thing for men to call God Master, 
 forty, three score, or four score years, and yet 
 remain ignorant of his ten commandments." 
 
 WicklifFe first appeared as a Reformer in an 
 attack upon the Mendicants, or Begging Friars. 
 The indolent and luxurious lives of the monks 
 who resided in the monasteries, and of the other 
 regular clergy, brought great scandal upon the 
 Church. To remedy this difficulty, the order of 
 Mendicants was established in the 13th century, 
 who bound themselves to a life of poverty and 
 abstinence, and were favored by the Popes, with 
 some peculiar privileges. They were exempted, 
 for instance, from the jurisdiction of the bishops, 
 and from the secular authorities ; they might 
 demand alms of every body out of the monaste- 
 ries ; they might preach, hear confessions, say 
 mass, and perform other offices, any where, and 
 without regard to the parish priests. The court 
 of Rome rejoiced in this army of wandering 
 dependents, thus raised up to increase its power 
 and execute its commands. But it was not long 
 before these new servants forgot their vows. As 
 their numbers increased, they swarmed all over 
 Christendom, and became ambitious of power 
 and covetous of wealth. They interfered with 
 the other clergy, obtained great political influ- 
 ence, insinuated themselves into the universities, 
 
WICKLIFFE. 149 
 
 and caused trouble wherever they came. The 
 College at Oxford suffered so much from their 
 intrigues, and their efforts to enlist the students, 
 that parents were afraid to trust their sons at 
 that institution ; and the number of scholars 
 was at one time reduced from thirty to six 
 thousand. 
 
 Wickliffe, indignant at these proceedings, 
 attacked the Mendicants with boldness and 
 vigor, and they became his bitter and relentless 
 foes. A single anecdote will show the state of 
 feeling, which existed between the Reformer and 
 the Friars. In the year 1379, when Wickliffe 
 was dangerously sick, some of the Mendicants 
 paid him a visit, hoping to frighten him into 
 concessions in their favor. When they had 
 finished their threats and exhortations, he order- 
 ed his servants to raise him in bed, and said ; 
 " I shall not die but live still further, to declare 
 the evil deeds of the Friars." 
 
 It would be foreign from our purpose to follow 
 in detail the course of " the Morning Star of the 
 Reformation," as Wickliffe has been called. 
 Besides his opposition to the Mendicants, he 
 supported the English government in its resist- 
 ance to the inordinate demands of the Pope, and 
 fearlessly exposed and denounced the corruptions 
 of the Church. He was once sent, like Luther, 
 on an embassy to Rome, and from what he saw 
 
150 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 there, became also, like Luther, more decided 
 and zealous in his exertions for a reform. He 
 was frequently summoned to answer for his 
 rebellious conduct and heretical opinions, by the 
 officers of the Pope ; but his followers were so 
 numerous, and his popularity with the king and 
 his countrymen so great, that he escaped with 
 slight punishment, and died a natural death. 
 While engaged in the services of public worship, 
 in his church at Lutterworth, he was struck with 
 the palsy, and expired soon after he was taken 
 home, December 29, 1384, in the sixty-first year 
 of his age. 
 
 fiihe character of Wickliffe was by no means 
 faultless, and many of his opinions would now be 
 deemed absurd and erroneous. But he deserves 
 respect for his denial of the infallibility of the 
 Pope, his reverence for the Scriptures as the 
 rule of life and faith, and the courage he display- 
 ed by exposing the falsehoods of the Romish 
 Church. Among other good works, by which 
 he aided the Reformation, his translation of the 
 Bible was, without doubt, the most important. 
 This served to open the eyes of the people at 
 large to the abuses of the clergy and to the errors 
 of their creed. It may gratify the curiosity of 
 the reader to see a specimen of this work ; and 
 therefore, we subjoin his version of the Thirteenth 
 Chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. 
 
wicKLiirfa.!! I V I T*& I T i 
 
 " If I speke with tungis of men and of aungels 
 and I haue not charite, I am maad as bras sown- 
 ynge, or a cymbal tynklygne, and if I haue pro- 
 fecie and knowe alle mysteries and al kynnyng, 
 and if I haue al feith, so that I moue hillis fro 
 her place, and I haue not charite I am nought, 
 and if I departe alle my goodis into the metis of 
 pore men, and if I bitake my bodi so that I brenne 
 and if I haue not charite it profitith to me no 
 thing, charity is pacient, it is benynge. charite 
 enuyeth not, it doith not wickidli, it is not blowun, 
 it is not coueitous, it sekith not tho thingis that 
 ben hise own. it is not stired to wraththe, it 
 thenkith not youel, it ioieth not on wickednesse, 
 but it ioieth togidre to treuthe, it suffrith alle 
 thingis, it bileueth alle thingis, it hopith alle 
 thingis, it susteyneth alle thingis. charite fallith 
 neuere doun. whethir profecies schulen be void- 
 ed, eithir langagis schulen ceese, eithir science 
 schal be destried. for aparti we knowen, and 
 aparti we profecien, but whanne that schal corne 
 that is parfyt, that thing that is of parti schal be 
 auoidid. whanne I was a litil child I spak as a 
 litil child, I undirstood as a litil child, I thoughte 
 as a litil child ; but whaane I was maad a man I 
 voidide tho thingis that weren of a litil child, 
 and we seen now by a myrour in derknesse, but 
 thanne face to face, now I knowe of parti, but 
 thanne I schal knowe as I am knowun. and now 
 dwellen feith, hope and charite these thre, but 
 the moost of these is charite." 
 
152 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Richard II., during whose reign WicklifFe 
 flourished, married a princess of Bohemia, and 
 through her attendants the opinions of this early 
 Reformer found their way into that country. 
 His writings, here, attracted the attention of 
 John Huss, who had already begun to doubt the 
 purity of the Church. Encouraged by rinding 
 that he was not alone in his objections to the 
 papal system, this eminent man was more bold 
 than ever in exposing the iniquities of Rome. 
 He was soon summoned to answer for his here- 
 sies, before a Council assembled at Constance. 
 Huss ventured to obey the summons, being pro- 
 tected as he thought by the safe-conduct granted 
 by the Emperor of Germany. But his enemies 
 did not scruple to violate the public faith, and 
 he was burnt at the stake, July 6, 1415. He 
 had, however, sown much seed, and numbers of 
 his followers were to be found in the sixteenth 
 century. Thus WicklifFe stirred up the spirit 
 of Huss, and Huss prepared the way for Luther 
 and the great Reformation. 
 
 In England the disciples of WicklifFe became a 
 sect, called the Lollards, a name formed from 
 a word in one of the old German dialects, which 
 means to sing, as when a mother lulls her infant 
 to sleep. This appellation was first given as a 
 reproach, and in allusion to their practice of 
 singing hymns. These Lollards grew to be very 
 
WILLIAM SAUTRE. 153 
 
 numerous. In some respects they were fanati- 
 cal and troublesome subjects ; and to this and to 
 the animosity of the popish clergy are to be at- 
 tributed the persecutions, more or less severe, 
 according to the state of public affairs and the 
 temper of the different monarchs, which they 
 suffered in every reign until that of Henry VIII. 
 Among other peculiarities, the Lollards denied 
 the doctrine of transubstantiation, and maintain- 
 ed that the bread remained bread at the admin- 
 istration of the Supper. This opinion was made 
 the badge of the sect by their judges, and who- 
 soever held it was condemned to death. 
 
 These hints of an early opposition to the Ro- 
 mish church in England, will give the reader 
 some idea of the preparation making in that 
 country for a more thorough reformation ; and 
 the temper of the times, previous to the occur- 
 rence of that event, may be inferred from an 
 account of two or three cases of martyrdom. 
 
 One of the first of these, was that of William 
 Sautre, pastor of a parish in London. At one 
 trial for heresy, he was persuaded to abjure his 
 opinions ; his apostacy, however, met with a 
 charitable judge in Fuller, a historian of the 
 17th century, who says of it ; " Let those who 
 severely censure him for once denying the truth, 
 and do know who it was that denied his Master 
 thrice, take heed they do not as bad a deed 
 
154 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION; 
 
 more than four times themselves. May Sautre's 
 final constancy be as surely practised by men, 
 as his former cowardliness, no doubt, is pardoned 
 by God." The deception of which he had been 
 guilty weighed heavily upon the mind of Sautre, 
 and to quiet his conscience, he soon asked for 
 another hearing and was arraigned before Arch- 
 bishop Arundel. When the usual question was 
 put to him, Whether the bread remained bread 
 after the blessing pronounced at the Supper; he 
 replied that it did. Upon this answer he was 
 condemned. He was brought to St. Paul's, and 
 being there, in the presence of the bishops, stript 
 article by article of his priestly jewels and dress, 
 he was afterward delivered over to the execu- 
 tioner and burnt at the stake. 
 
 Another sufferer was John Balby, a tailor. 
 The box, containing the consecrated bread, was 
 brought to him, as he stood amid the faggots, 
 prepared for his execution, and he was there 
 asked how he believed in it? He answered, 
 that it was hallowed bread. Upon this the wood 
 was set on fire. The poor fellow shrieked for 
 mercy and prince Henry, afterward king, being 
 present ordered the flames to be quenched, and 
 offered the sufferer his life and a daily allowance 
 of money, if he would confess his errors. But 
 the spirit of the humble- tailor was strong, aU 
 though the flesh was weak. He declined the 
 
LORD COBHAM. 155 
 
 offer, and expired, calling upon the name of 
 Christ. 
 
 The persecution, at this time, was no respecter 
 of persons. Arundel, who had stooped to pun- 
 ish the poor mechanic, in the reign of Henry V., 
 sat in judgment upon a peer of the realm. Lord 
 Cobham, a man high in the favor of the king, 
 and entrusted with the most important offices, 
 was accused of Lollardy. Henry had so much 
 regard for the noble qualities of his favorite, that 
 he desired to have every mild measure tried for 
 his restoration to the Church. It so happened, 
 that a volume belonging to Lord Cobham was 
 found among some heretical publications, which 
 were about to be burnt. The hook was sent to 
 the king and found to contain what were then 
 deemed pestilent errors. Henry sent for the 
 owner and demanded of him if the volume was 
 indeed his property. On being told that it was, 
 the king begged him to confess his fault and 
 submit to the Church. " You, most worthy 
 Prince," was the nobleman's answer, " I am 
 always prompt and willing to obey ; unto you, 
 next my eternal God, owe I my whole obedi- 
 ence; and submit thereunto, as I have ever 
 done, all that I have, either of fortune or na- 
 ture, ready at all times to fulfil whatsoever ye 
 shall in the Lord command me. But as touch- 
 ing the Pope and his spirituality, I owe them 
 
156 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 neither suit nor service ; for so much as I know 
 him by the Scripture to be the great Antichrist, 
 the son of perdition, the open adversary of God, 
 and the abomination standing in the holy place." 
 Upon hearing this the king was greatly offended, 
 and ordered the clergy to proceed against him 
 to the utmost. 
 
 Cobham immediately shut himself up in his 
 castle and defied, for a time, his persecutors. 
 But the archbishop passed sentence of excommu- 
 nication against him, and as he was supported by 
 the king, Cobham found that nothing was to be 
 gained by resistance. He therefore changed his 
 course of action, and writing a statement of his 
 belief, presented it to Henry, beseeching him to 
 regard it with mercy. This paper had no eifect 
 to soften his judges. He was seized and brought 
 to trial. His intrepid spirit would make no con- 
 cessions. He was reviled and insulted, and en- 
 gaged in many debates with his enemies, but he 
 remained firm and constant in his adherence to 
 the opinions of WicklifFe. On one occasion, 
 Arundel offered him absolution, if he would 
 humbly desire it : "Nay forsooth, will I not," 
 he replied, " for I never yet trespassed against 
 you, and therefore I will not do it ! " He then 
 knelt down and lifting his hands, cried out, " I 
 shrive me here unto Thee, my eternal God, that 
 in my youth I offended thee, O Lord, most griev- 
 
LORD COB HAM. 157 
 
 ously in pride, wrath, covetousness, and gluttony ! 
 Many men have I hurt in mine anger, and done 
 many other horrible sins I Good Lord, I ask 
 Thee mercy ! " After uttering this prayer, he 
 again stood up and addressed the assembly, u Lo 
 good people ! for the breaking of God's law and 
 his commandments they never yet cursed me ! 
 But for their own laws and traditions most 
 cruelly do they handle me and other men. And, 
 therefore, both they and their laws, by the prom- 
 ise of God, shall utterly be destroyed ! " 
 
 This bold conduct only exasperated his perse- 
 cutors, and he was soon afterward condemned to 
 death. By some means or other, Cobham escaped 
 from the Tower before the day appointed for 
 execution. There is reason to believe that the 
 Lollards rallied around him, and formed a con- 
 spiracy against the king. This part of his history 
 is, however, very obscure. He kept concealed 
 during four years ; at last he was discovered in 
 Wales. He was determined to defend himself 
 to the last, and not to be taken alive ; but a 
 woman disabled him by breaking his legs with 
 a stool. He was carried to London and burnt in 
 St. Giles's Fields in 1417, praising God with his 
 latest breath. 
 
 Many other instances of martyrdom, extending 
 through several reigns, might be recited ; but 
 these are sufficient to show the relentless spirit 
 14 
 
158 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 of persecution, with which all who ventured to 
 deny the pretensions of the Pope were visited, 
 and to give some idea of the courage which ani- 
 mated the Reformers. The sufferings of the 
 heretics were undoubtedly beneficial to the cause 
 of truth. When the people beheld the anxiety 
 of the Papists to put an end to inquiry, and the 
 firmness with which their victims met death, 
 they became curious to learn more of that new 
 doctrine, so alarming to the clergy and so com- 
 forting to its professors ; and the consequence 
 was, that persecution did more to increase, than 
 to diminish, the numbers of the Lollards. 
 
HENRY VIII. 159 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HENRY VIII HIS DIVORCE CARDINAL WOLSEY 
 MARRIAGE OF ANNE BOLEYN CRANMER DE- 
 STRUCTION OF THE POPE'S SUPREMACY IN ENG- 
 LAN D PERSECUTION. 1509 - 1534. 
 
 WICKLIFFE'S translation of the Bible and the 
 labors of the Lollards lessened the attachment of 
 many of the people to the Romish Church, and 
 in some measure prepared the way for the de- 
 struction of its authority in England, The 
 demand for a reformation grew continually loud- 
 er, until it was partially answered from a quarter, 
 whence little aid was to have been expected. 
 The caprice and passion of a tyrannical mon- 
 arch were made to some extent instrumental in 
 the promotion of religious truth and liberty. To 
 continue our history, therefore, we must enter a 
 new field, and from the occurrences and intrigues 
 of the long and despotic reign of Henry VIII. 
 endeavour to select those incidents which mark 
 the progress of the Reformation. 
 
 Henry VII. having been penurious and op- 
 pressive in his habits and temper, the elevation 
 of his son to the throne in the year 1509, was 
 hailed as a joyful event. The young prince ap- 
 peared to be as generous in his feelings, as he 
 
160 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 was commanding in his person and accomplished 
 in his manners. He was prodigal in his expen- 
 ditures, liberal in his tastes, and although of a 
 choleric disposition, he seemed on the whole to 
 be good natured and under the influence of a 
 sense of justice. The passions which in after 
 times made him a tyrant had not yet showed 
 themselves. Previous to the death of his father 
 he took no part in political affairs, his time being 
 devoted to literature and theology. At the com- 
 mencement of his reign he was a strong papist, 
 and in 1522 published a book in answer to Lu- 
 ther's treatise on the Babylonish Captivity. This 
 performance was sent to the Pope, with great 
 pomp, who received it graciously, and bestowed 
 upon its author the appellation of Defender of 
 the Faith, a title still retained by the kings of 
 England, although in a very different sense from 
 that in which it was granted. 
 
 The early promise which Henry gave of being 
 a faithful supporter of the Romish Church and a 
 good sovereign was soon disappointed. Not many 
 years had elapsed, before he began to exhibit a 
 most selfish, capricious, and vindictive temper, 
 which regarded neither the sanctity he had as- 
 cribed to the Pope nor the lives of his own sub- 
 jects. This tyrannical disposition first showed 
 itself in his efforts to put away his queen, 
 Catherine of Arragon, who had formerly been 
 
HENRY VIII. 161 
 
 the wife of his deceased brother Arthur. A 
 contract of marriage between Catherine and 
 Henry had been made by their parents. The lat- 
 ter at first had scruples about marrying the widow 
 of his brother; but these were overruled by his 
 counsellors, and on his coming to the throne the 
 nuptials were solemnized. Catherine obtained 
 an ascendancy over the affections of her partner, 
 and they lived. happily together for twenty years. 
 At length the doubts of Henry as to the propriety 
 of their union were revived, or rather he brought 
 them forward to cover the real motives which 
 induced him to seek a divorce. The truth was, 
 the beauty of the queen had faded, her chil- 
 dren, with the exception of Mary, had died in 
 early infancy, and there was now little hope that 
 she would bear a male heir to the crown, and 
 moreover the king had fallen in love with one of 
 the Maids of Honor, a very beautiful lady by the 
 name of Anne Boleyn ; these were the real rea- 
 sons which determined the unprincipled monarch 
 to apply to the Pope for a dissolution of his mar- 
 riage. 
 
 Clement VIII., who then filled the papal chair, 
 would, probably, at any other time, have readily 
 granted the request of a servant so powerful 
 and faithful as the king of England. But at 
 the time it was made, he was the prisoner of 
 the emperor of Germany, Catherine's nephew, 
 14* 
 
162 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 and in no condition to run the risk of offending 
 his captor. He resolved, therefore, to prolong 
 the suit of Henry, since, as he said, " Whilst it 
 depended he was sure of two great friends, but 
 when it should be decided of one great foe." 
 The most that could be obtained from the Pope 
 was a commission appointing the Cardinals Wol- 
 sey and Campeggio his legates to examine the 
 validity of the marriage. 
 
 These ecclesiastics opened their court at Lon- 
 don, and cited the king and queen to appear 
 before them. Both parties were present ; when 
 their names were called the king answered, but 
 the queen left her seat and kneeling down before 
 Henry, thus addressed him ; " She was a poor 
 woman," she said, " and a stranger in his do- 
 minions, where she could neither expect good 
 counsel, nor indifferent judges ; she had been 
 long his wife, and desired to know wherein she 
 had offended him ; she had been his wife twenty 
 years and more, and had borne him several 
 children, and had ever studied to please him. 
 If she had done any thing amiss, she was willing 
 to be put away with shame. Their parents were 
 esteemed very wise princes, and no doubt had good 
 counsellors and learned men about them when 
 the match was agreed ; therefore she would not 
 submit to the Court, nor durst her lawyers, who 
 were his subjects, and assigned by him, speak 
 
CARDINAL WOLSEY. 163 
 
 freely for her. So she desired to be excused till 
 she heard from Spain." Having ended this ap- 
 peal, Catherine left the Court and would never 
 after appear for trial. 
 
 Notwithstanding the departure of the queen, 
 the legates continued the examination of the case. 
 The trial was protracted to a great length, and 
 when it was, at length, drawing towards a close, 
 and at the very moment when Henry expected a 
 decision favorable to his wishes, Campeggio, who 
 understood the policy of the Pope, suddenly ad- 
 journed the court ; an order soon after arrived 
 from Rome, commanding him to stop all further 
 proceedings. 
 
 Henry was greatly disappointed at this result, 
 and full of anger against the Pope and his legates. 
 Wolsey, who had heretofore been a favorite, was 
 selected as the first victim of the king's resent- 
 ment, and from this period is to be dated his 
 rapid downfall. The rise and fall of the Cardi- 
 nal is too instructive and shows too clearly, 
 
 " How wretched 
 Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors," 
 
 to be passed over without notice. 
 
 Thomas Wolsey, the son, as is generally sup- 
 po x sed, of a butcher, was born at Ipswich in 1471. 
 He obtained a learned education and was made 
 master of a grammar school, where he taught 
 
164 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 the sons of a nobleman who presented him with 
 the living of Limmington in Somersetshire. 
 Whilst a clergyman he was loose in his manners, 
 and was once put into the stocks for drunken- 
 ness. Shrewd and ambitious he continued to 
 advance himself in the world, and to be intro- 
 duced to the notice of Henry VII., with whom 
 he soon became a favorite. What were the 
 qualities by which he obtained the royal favor, 
 may be inferred from an anecdote related by 
 Hume, in his History of England. The king 
 having given him a commission to -Maximilian, 
 Emperor of Germanny then residing at Brussels, 
 was surprised, in less than three days after, to 
 see him at court, and supposing he had not yet 
 departed on his errand, began to censure his 
 delay. Wolsey informed him that he had just 
 returned from his mission. " But on second 
 thoughts," said the king, " I found somewhat 
 was omitted in your orders and have sent a mes- 
 senger after you with further instructions." " I 
 met the messenger," replied Wolsey, " on my 
 return ; but as I had reflected upon that omis- 
 sion, I ventured of myself to execute what I 
 knew must be your majesty's intentions." 
 
 On the death of Henry VI L, the prospects of 
 Wolsey were for a time clouded ; but he was 
 soon presented to the new king, and by a ready 
 compliance with his humors rose to be his chief 
 
CARDINAL WOLSEY 165 
 
 counsellor. Honors and offices were heaped up- 
 on him without measure; and his ambition and 
 extravagance increased with his wealth and pow- 
 er. He obtained the direction of most of the 
 affairs of the kingdom, and being advanced by 
 the united gifts of the Pope and the King to the 
 highest places in church and state, he was flatter- 
 ed and caressed by all who sought promotion or 
 favor at court ; even foreign princes kept him in 
 pay, that he might aid their interests with his 
 sovereign. Thus honored and enriched, Wolsey 
 was, as Archbishop Warham once said, " drunk 
 with too much prosperity." His style of living 
 rivalled that of royalty itself. He was waited 
 upon by a train of eight hundred servants, some 
 of whom were children of the nobility. He strove 
 to dazzle the eyes of the populace, by the splen- 
 dor of his equipages and furniture, the costliness 
 of his liveries and the lustre of his apparel. Not 
 only his own habit, but the saddles and trappings 
 of his horses shone with silk and gold. When 
 he attended the royal chapel, two tall priests 
 walked before him carrying silver crosses ; and 
 his cardinal's hat was always borne by some per- 
 son of rank and placed upon the altar. 
 
 The administration of Wolsey was not without 
 its benefits to the kingdom. But his enormous 
 wealth, his exorbitant demands, and his haughty 
 bearing raised up many enemies and rendered 
 
166 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 his station by no means enviable. His greatness, 
 too, depended upon the will of a capricious mon- 
 arch, and, in the sequel, it appeared that he had 
 ascended to the height of power, to be dashed 
 down again, as it were, from a precipice. Wol- 
 sey coveted the papal chair, and his efforts to 
 obtain it involved him in many foreign intrigues, 
 and caused his fidelity to his sovereign, in the 
 affair of the divorce, to be suspected. At any rate, 
 Henry was led at this time, as we have already 
 remarked, to doubt the sincerity of the Cardinal; 
 and soon after the court held by the legates was 
 broken up, his disgrace began. 
 
 The office of Chancellor was taken from him 
 and given to Sir Thomas More. His other hon- 
 ors were stript off, one by one, and after a while 
 his enemies so far prevailed with the king, that 
 he was called upon to answer to the charge of 
 high treason. The Cardinal was so cast down 
 at this, that on his journey from the place where 
 he had been kept in retirement to London, he 
 was taken sick and died at Leicester, November 
 28, 1530. His last words, as weli as his whole 
 career, were a significant comment on the poor 
 rewards of an inordinate ambition; "Had I," 
 said he, " but served my God as diligently as I 
 have served my king, He would not have given 
 me over in my grey hairs." 
 
MARRIAGE OF ANNE BOLEYN. 167 
 
 After the adjournment of the legatine court 
 Henry, although still determined to effect his 
 purpose, was at loss exactly what course to pur- 
 sue. While he was thus in doubt, Thomas 
 Cranmer, a fellow of one of the colleges at Cam- 
 bridge, fell in company with two of the royal 
 secretaries, and some conversation having taken 
 place in regard to the legality of the king's mar- 
 riage, he suggested the propriety of applying to 
 the universities of Europe for their opinion upon 
 this point. This hint was immediately reported 
 to Henry,, who received it with joy, and declared 
 in his rough way, that " the fellow had got the 
 sow by the right ear." 
 
 The proposed application was made, and most 
 of the universities, both at home and on the 
 continent, returned answers favorable to the 
 wishes of the king. Armed with this new au- 
 thority, Henry again presented his suit at Rome, 
 but without success. At last the impatient and 
 self-willed monarch would no longer be trifled 
 with. Resting upon the decision of the univer- 
 sities as his justification, he resolved to defy the 
 Pope and was privately married to Anne Boleyn, 
 January 25, 1532. 
 
 Notwithstanding this new union, Catherine 
 refused to resign her claims. To punish her 
 firmness, Cranmer, now Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, was directed to examine once more the 
 
168 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 validity of her marriage. The prelate held his 
 court near the queen's residence; but as she- 
 still refused to appear, she was declared to be- 
 contumacious and her marriage was pronounced 
 null and void. This decision gave great offence 
 at Rome, and was set aside by the Pope. Cath- 
 erine also denied its justice, and continued to 
 require from her attendants the honors due to a 
 queen, until her death, which took place in Jan- 
 uary, 1536. 
 
 The quarrel between Henry and the Pope had 
 now reached a point which forbade any hope of 
 a reconciliation ; and therefore the former was 
 determined to put an end to the authority of the 
 latter, in his dominions. In the year 1534 he 
 assembled a parliament, by whom an act was 
 passed declaring the king to be the only supreme 
 head of the English church ; they also enacted a 
 law by which the sentence of Cranmer, in regard 
 to the divorce was confirmed, the daughters of 
 Catherine were pronounced illegitimate, and the 
 offspring of Anne Boleyn made heirs to the crown. 
 These acts were well received by the people, and 
 the oath to observe them was readily taken by 
 all of whom it was required, with one or two 
 important exceptions, which we shall have occa- 
 sion to notice hereafter. 
 
 The boldness of Henry and the proceedings 
 of his parliament were faverable to the Reforma- 
 
THOMAS BILNEY. 169 
 
 tion, inasmuch as they destroyed the Pope's au- 
 thority in England. It must not be supposed, 
 however, that the king intended to aid the Re- 
 formers, or that he had embraced their opinions. 
 He consulted only his own selfish desires. So 
 far as the pretensions of Popery interfered with 
 the gratification of his passions, he was ready to 
 resist and despise them ; but he still hated the 
 doctrines of Luther. This fact must be kept in 
 mind, when studying the ecclesiastical history of 
 his reign, in order to explain the contradiction 
 apparent throughout it, namely, that whilst the 
 king was constantly treating the papal power 
 with contempt, he was slow to admit any changes 
 in doctrine or to allow any great freedom of in- 
 quiry in the Church. As evidence of the truth 
 of this remark, we will refer to one or two cases 
 of cruel persecution, which took place about the 
 time Henry began to trample upon the commands 
 of the Pope. 
 
 One of the most eminent of the sufferers, was 
 Thomas Bilney. The perusal of a Latin copy 
 of the New Testament first opened the eyes of 
 this clergyman to the errors of his creed, and 
 he began at once to make his discoveries public. 
 He was soon brought to trial. Tonstal, bishop 
 of London, persuaded him to abjure his heresies. 
 But from that hour, Bilney's conscience allowed 
 him no peace. He retired to Cambridge, where 
 15 
 
170 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 he remained for two years, plunged in such deep 
 melancholy, that his friends were afraid to leave 
 him alone. At last, he resolved to relieve his 
 troubled spirit and to repair his fault by boldly 
 suffering for the cause he had once deserted. 
 He left Cambridge and went into the county of 
 Norfolk, and preached both in public and pri- 
 vate. It was not long before he was apprehended, 
 cast into prison, and condemned to death. The 
 night before his execution he ate a hearty supper ; 
 and to some one, who expressed pleasure at find- 
 ing him so composed, he replied : " I follow the 
 example of those who, having a ruinous house to 
 dwell in, hold it up by props as long as they 
 may." When another friend observed that his 
 agony would be brief and God would support 
 him, Bilney put his finger several times into 
 the flame of the candle, saying; " That he well 
 knew what a pain burning was, but that it should 
 only consume the stubble of his body, and that 
 his soul should be purged by it ; then he repeated 
 the text, " when thou walkest through the fire 
 thou shalt not be burnt." The following morn- 
 ing, November 10, 1530, he was led out to a 
 valley, which, from being so frequently used as a 
 place of execution, was called Lollards' Pit, and 
 there fastened to the stake. In that situation he 
 recited the Apostle's creed and prayed with a 
 firm voice. The fire was then kindled, and the 
 devout martyr expired. 
 
WILLIAM TINDAL. 171 
 
 Another victim, whose labors and sufferings 
 deserve mention, was William Tindal. He de- 
 clared his opinions wkli sxich freedom that he 
 was obliged to fly to Antwerp for safety. While 
 there, he labored, in conjunction with some of 
 his companions in exile, to aid the Reformation 
 by translating the New Testament into English. 
 The first impression of this was issued in 1526. 
 The bishop of London, to stop its spread, bought 
 up the larger part of it, and had it publicly burnt 
 at Cheapside. His zeal, however, only increased 
 the evil. The destruction of the sacred volume 
 excited the suspicions of the people, and made 
 them more curious to know its contents. Tindal, 
 who had connived at the bishop's purchase, in 
 order to obtain the money necessary to print a 
 more correct version, soon sent out another and 
 larger edition, which was eagerly sought after 
 and read. One of the agents engaged in circu- 
 lating the work was brought before the Chancel- 
 lor, who promised him a pardon, provided he 
 would tell who supported the publishers at Ant- 
 werp. " The greatest encouragement they had," 
 the man answered, " was from the bishop of 
 London, who had bought up half of their first 
 impression." . Besides his efforts to circulate the 
 Scriptures, Tindal wrote other works in favor of 
 the Reformation. He thus made himself ex- 
 ceedingly obnoxious to the papists,, who left no 
 
172 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 measures untried to destroy him. They at last 
 succeeded. He was betrayed by one Phillips, 
 and being carried before the Emperor's Court at 
 Brussels, was condemned and burnt. 
 
 These were not solitary instances of persecu- 
 tion. Many other eminent men suffered death. 
 Poor mechanics, also, were condemned for her- 
 esy ; and to own or read the Bible was a capital 
 offence. On one occasion, the Chancellor of the 
 county of Winchester would not allow even the 
 dead to rest. He dug up and burnt the body of 
 one Tracy, because, in making his will, he had 
 deviated from the usual form, and " bequeathed 
 his soul to God through Jesus Christ, in whose 
 intercession alone he trusted, without the help of 
 any other of the saints; and therefore left no 
 part of his goods to have any pray for his soul." 
 

 MINISTRY OF HENRY VIII. 173 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CHARACTER OF HENRY'S MINISTRY THE MAUD OF 
 KENT BISHOP FISHER SIR THOMAS MORE 
 DEATH OF ANNE BOLEYN. 1534-1536. 
 
 IT has already been hinted that the conduct of 
 Henry VIII., in religious affairs, was shaped by 
 his violent and capricious passions. At one time 
 he favored the principal doctrines of the Church, 
 and persecuted all who called them in question, 
 while at another he denied the supremacy of the 
 Pope, and compelled his subjects, on pain of' 
 death, to do so likewise. This arbitrary course 
 on the part of the king, was the cause of sudden 
 and violent changes in the administration of the 
 government. His ministry was composed of men 
 of both religious parties. Cranmer and Crom- 
 wel, formerly a secretary of Wolsey, were dis- 
 posed to countenance a reform, while Gardiner, 
 bishop of Winchester, a shrewd and wicked man, 
 the Duke of Norfolk, and others in connexion 
 with them, were opposed to the Lutheran heresy. 
 Neither of these patties, however, dared to 
 thwart the will of their sovereign, but yielded 
 servilely to his tyrannical measures. As long as 
 Anne Boleyn retained the affections of her hus- 
 band, the Protestants, to whose opinion she was 
 15* 
 
174 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 inclined, maintained the ascendancy. This fact 
 is visible in the laws which, as before stated, 
 were passed in opposition to Rome. It is also 
 visible in the execution of those laws upon men, 
 whose friends were but lately the agents of a 
 bloody persecution. 
 
 The monks, who were averse to the late mar- 
 riage, tried to prevent it by craft and by an 
 appeal to the superstition of the people. They 
 encouraged Elizabeth Barton, a nun in the coun- 
 ty of Kent, who had been subject to fits which 
 threw her body into convulsions, to feign revela- 
 tions and to utter prophecies. Among other 
 predictions, she asserted that if Henry married 
 another wife he should not be king a month 
 longer, but should die the death of a villain. 
 Many persons were induced to put faith in this 
 declaration ; and the plot, the design of which 
 was to alienate the minds of his subjects from 
 the king and to excite them to rebellion, prom- 
 ised to be, to some extent, successful. It was, 
 however, discovered, and some of the principal 
 men in the kingdom, supposed to be concerned 
 in the conspiracy, were cast into prison. 
 
 One of these was John Fisher, bishop of Roches- 
 ter, a prelate of great learning and good charac- 
 ter, who had enjoyed the favor of the king. He 
 was conscientious in his adherence to the Romish 
 Church, and had been active in the punishment 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 175 
 
 of its enemies. Having been suspected of coun- 
 tenancing the treasonable speeches of Elizabeth 
 Barton, he was advised by Cromwel to sue for 
 pardon. This Fisher refused to do, and was, in 
 consequence, stript of his property and otherwise 
 punished. Afterward he was committed to the 
 Tower, charged with denying the supremacy of 
 the king. While he lay in prison, with nothing but 
 rags to cover his nakedness, the Pope proposed 
 to send him a Cardinal's hat ; when Henry heard 
 that Fisher would not refuse the offered dignity, 
 he exclaimed in a rage; "Yea? is he so lusty? 
 Well, let the Pope send him a hat when he will. 
 He shall wear it on his shoulders, for I will leave 
 him never a head to set it on." The destruction 
 of the bishop was thus resolved on. Being en- 
 trapped into a positive denial of the king's su- 
 premacy, he was tried, condemned to death, and 
 beheaded June 22d, 1535, being at that time 
 nearly eighty years of age. 
 
 Another individual, who suffered about this 
 time, was Sir Thomas More. This nobleman 
 holds so high a rank among the illustrious men 
 of England, that a brief account of his life and 
 character will not be esteemed an improper di- 
 gression, especially s the subject of this Sketch 
 compels us to dwell, more than we could other- 
 wise wish, upon the less worthy advocates of the 
 papal system. 
 
176 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Sir Thomas More, the son of Sir John More, 
 a judge of the Court of King's Bench, was born 
 in London in the year 1480. He received the 
 first rudiments of education at a free grammar 
 school in the city. The custom then prevailed 
 of placing boys in the families of men of rank, 
 that they might be improved by the conversation 
 of their superiors, and acquire the manners suited 
 to their station. For this purpose young More 
 resided with Cardinal Morton, then the king's 
 (Henry VII.) prime minister. In this situation, 
 the sharp and lively boy gave such promise of 
 future celebrity, that his patron would often speak 
 of him to his guests and say ; " This child here 
 waiting at the table, whoever shall live to see it, 
 will prove a marvellous man." In 1497, More 
 entered the University of Oxford. On leaving 
 that seminary he devoted his time to the study 
 of law and literary pursuits, and soon became 
 one of the best lawyers and most eminent scholars 
 of his day. 
 
 At one period, Sir Thomas thought seriously 
 of entering a monastery ; but being of a social 
 disposition he abandoned the project and began 
 to look for a partner. The manner of his wooing, 
 as described by one of his^ : tider biographers, is 
 quite amusing. " He resorted to the house of 
 one Master Holt, a gentleman of Essex, who 
 had often invited him thither ; having three 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 177 
 
 daughters, whose honest conversation and vir- 
 tuous education provoked him there especially to 
 set his affections. And albeit his mind most 
 served to the second daughter, for that he thought 
 her the fairest and best favored, yet when he 
 considered that it would be both grief, and some 
 shame also, to the eldest, to see her younger 
 sister preferred before her in marriage, he then 
 of a certain pity framed his fancy toward her, 
 and soon after married her/' Erasmus, the 
 scholar, who was the intimate friend of More, 
 gives an ingenious account of this match. " He 
 (More) wedded a very young girl of respectable 
 family, but who had hitherto lived in the country 
 with her parents arid sisters ; and was so un- 
 educated, that he could mould her to his own 
 tastes and manners. He caused her to be in- 
 structed in letters ; and she became a very skilful 
 musician, which peculiarly pleased him." The 
 junion thus formed was short in its duration. 
 Mrs. More died young, leaving a son and three 
 daughters ; one of the latter, Margaret, inherited 
 her father's features and genius, and was his 
 favorite child. 
 
 Not long after the death of his first wife, Sir 
 Thomas More married Alice Middleton,a widow, 
 seven years older than himself. This lady was 
 " of no good favor or complexion, not rich, and by 
 disposition near and worldly. Her husband treated 
 
178 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 her, and indeed most females, except his daugh* 
 ter Margaret, gs better qualified to relish a jest, 
 than take a part in more serious conversation ; " 
 an apparent want of gallantry and good taste, to 
 be accounted for, probably, by the low standard 
 of female education at that day, for all his 
 biographers agree in representing him as remark- 
 able for the social virtues. He won his wife's 
 obedience by kindness and pleasantry, and ruled 
 his whole family with his gentleness. The pic- 
 ture given of his domestic life is beautiful. His 
 custom was, beside private prayers with his 
 children, to go daily with his wife and the rest 
 of his household to his chaps], and there hold a 
 religious service. " With him," says Erasmus, 
 " you might imagine yourself in the Academy of 
 Plato. But I should do injustice to his house by 
 comparing it to the Academy of Plato, where 
 numbers and geometrical figures, and sometimes 
 moral virtues were the subjects of discussion ; it 
 would be more just to call it a school and exer- 
 cise of the Christian religion. All its inhabi- 
 tants, male or female, applied their leisure to 
 liberal studies and profitable reading, although 
 piety was their first care. No wrangling nor 
 angry word was heard in it ; no one was idle ; 
 every one did his duty with alacrity, and not 
 without a temperate cheerfulness." More laid 
 great stress upon the pleasures and duties of 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 179 
 
 home. In one of his works he remarks ; 
 " While in pleading, in hearing, in deciding 
 causes, or composing differences, in waiting on 
 some man about business, and on others out of 
 respect, the greatest part of the day is spent on 
 other men's affairs, the remainder of it must be 
 given to my family at home. I must talk with 
 my wife, and chat with my children, and I have 
 somewhat to say to my servants; for all these 
 things I reckon as a part of my business ; except 
 a man will resolve to be a stranger at home ; and 
 with whomsoever either nature, chance, or choice 
 has engaged a man in any commerce, he must 
 endeavour to make himself as acceptable to those 
 about him as he can." How pleasant to find the 
 great statesman and scholar so true to the more 
 private, but by no means least important relations 
 of life! 
 
 In his religion Sir Thomas was a strict Catholic, 
 although, for the age in which he lived, very free 
 from bigotry and opposed to all persecution. 
 Alarmed at the spread of the Lutheran doctrines, 
 and what seemed to him the rude attacks made 
 upon the true faith, he conscientiously employed 
 his pen in the defence of the Romish Church. 
 
 To this sketch of More's private life and char- 
 acter we will add a description of his person and 
 habits, when he was about forty years of age. 
 Although not tall his limbs were of good propor- 
 
180 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 tion. His complexion was fair, his hair of a 
 yellowish-brown, his beard thin, and his eyes 
 of a greyish hue. His pleasant countenance 
 beamed with an expression of good humor. His 
 dress was plain ; he never wore purple or gold, 
 except when it was required of him as a public 
 officer. Simple dishes constituted his common 
 food, and pure water was his usual beverage. 
 Fond of innocent jests, he was always a delight- 
 ful companion, and had he consulted his inclina- 
 tion, rather than his duty, he probably would 
 have lived in private, and been the beloved centre 
 of a circle of friends, instead of being, as he was, 
 first the counsellor and then the victim of the 
 cruel Henry. 
 
 Before he had reached his twenty-third year 
 More was a member of the House of Commons. 
 The king (Henry VII.) applied to that body for 
 a grant of money, for purposes which were very 
 unpopular ; but no one, except young More, ven- 
 tured openly to oppose the royal demand. He 
 resisted it with firmness, and by his eloquence 
 and arguments procured its rejection. For this 
 act of courage he incurred the displeasure of the 
 king, and was obliged during the rest of his reign 
 to live in retirement. When Henry VIII. ascend- 
 ed the throne, More resumed his practice as a 
 lawyer, and soon obtained a reputation which 
 attracted the attention of that monarch. In 1516 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 181 
 
 he was made a privy counsellor, and from that 
 time he was, for twenty years, employed in vari- 
 ous offices of trust and honor. 
 
 Henry appeared to be very fond of Sir Thomas, 
 and to take great delight iri his society; so much 
 so indeed that the honor became burthensome, 
 according to Roper, who says that when his fa- 
 ther-in-law perceived them, (the king and queen,) 
 " so much in his talk to delight, that he could 
 not once in a month get leave to go home to his 
 wife and children, he, much misliking this re- 
 straint upon his liberty, began thereupon some- 
 what to dissemble his nature, and so by little 
 and little from his former mirth to disuse himself, 
 that he was of them from thenceforth, at such 
 seasons, no more so ordinarily sent for." 
 
 When the favorite obtained leisure to visit his 
 family, who resided at Chelsea, the king used 
 frequently to follow him, and drop in at dinner 
 time without an invitation, or, leaning familiarly 
 upon his shoulder, walk and talk with him in the 
 garden. But, notwithstanding these flattering 
 attentions, More was not blind to the dangerous 
 character of his sovereign ; for once, when 
 Roper congratulated him upon his intimacy with 
 the king, he replied ; " I thank our Lord, son, I 
 find his grace my very good lord indeed, and I 
 believe he doeth as singularly favor me as any 
 other subject within his realm ; howbeit, son 
 16 
 
182 SKETCH OF THE REFOKMAT1ON. 
 
 Roper, I may tell thee, I have no cause to be 
 proud thereof; for if my head would win him a 
 castle in France, when there was war between 
 us, it should not fail to go." 
 
 Upon the disgrace of Wolsey, Sir Thomas More 
 was made, in 1529, Lord Chancellor. This was 
 one of the highest officers in the kingdom. He 
 was a legal magistrate and a member of the 
 king's council, and was appointed by intrusting 
 to his keeping the great seal, which, in days when 
 even princes were unable to write, used to be 
 affixed to public documents, instead of the royal 
 signature. More received this new honor with 
 reluctance, and in his high station preserved his 
 simplicity and mildness of character and man- 
 ners. It is said that every day before he attend- 
 ed to business and when arrayed in his robes of 
 office, he asked on his knees the blessing of his 
 venerable father. His predecessor had held his 
 court with great pomp, so that no application 
 could reach him without passing through many 
 hands. Sir Thomas More, on the contrary, sat 
 daily in an open hall to receive in person the 
 petitions of the poor, and attended with the strict- 
 est integrity to the administration of justice. 
 
 Henry had made More his Chancellor in the 
 hope of obtaining his service in the affair of the 
 divorce ; in this he was disappointed. More saw 
 the injustice of that measure, and when he found 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 183 
 
 that it would be executed, resigned the great seal. 
 The king neither forgot nor forgave this act of 
 honest independence ; and not long afterwards 
 he came to the determination, that his old favorite 
 should submit to his wishes or feel his vengeance. 
 An attempt was made to involve Sir Thomas in 
 the conspiracy connected with the Maid of Kent ; 
 from this charge, he, however, cleared himself. 
 When the act, declaring the legality of Henry's 
 union with Anne Boleyn was passed, More was 
 commanded to appear before the Commissioners, 
 April 13, 1534, and take the prescribed oath to 
 obey it. This summons he immediately an- 
 swered. When he came into the presence of 
 the Commissioners, he said he was willing to 
 swear to maintain the order of succession to the 
 throne, as fixed by the Parliament ; but he firmly 
 refused the prescribed oath, which declared the 
 marriage of Catherine to have been illegal, 
 a fact his conscience would not allow him to 
 admit. His friends endeavoured, but without 
 success, to do away his scruples. They then 
 urged the king to be satisfied with More's readi- 
 ness to engage to maintain the order of succes- 
 sion, without insisting upon his assent to the form 
 of the oath ; but here also they labored in vain. 
 Resistance had made Henry's resentment wholly 
 ungovernable, and forgetting all his former ser- 
 vices, and the affection he had professed for him, 
 
184 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 he ordered the Ex-Chancellor to be committed to 
 the Tower. 
 
 After an imprisonment of more than a year, 
 Sir Thomas, supporting his enfeebled frame with 
 his staff, but with a firm and animated counte- 
 nance, was brought for trial to Westminster 
 Hall. As his fate had already been decided, he 
 was soon found guilty of high treason and con- 
 demned to die as a traitor. When this sentence 
 was pronounced, the noble prisoner turned to his 
 judges and said ; " My Lords, I have nothing 
 further to add, but that as the blessed Apostle 
 Paul was present and consented unto the death 
 of Stephen, and yet both are now holy saints in 
 heaven, where they shall continue in friendship 
 for ever, so I earnestly trust and pray, that, 
 though your lordships have now been judges on 
 earth of my condemnation, we may yet all meet 
 together in everlasting love arid happiness/' 
 
 The closing scenes of More's life are thus 
 described in Macdiarmid's " Lives of British 
 Statesmen." 
 
 " On his return from Westminster Hall to the 
 Tower, his fortitude had to undergo a severe 
 trial. His favorite daughter, Margaret, appre- 
 hending that this might be the last opportunity of 
 seeing her beloved father, had stationed herself 
 at the Tower wharf, where he would necessarily 
 pass : but when he appeared in sight, with the 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 185 
 
 axe, the emblem of condemnation, borne before 
 him, her feelings could no longer be controlled ; 
 regardless of the spectators she burst through 
 the crowd, and through the guards which sur- 
 rounded him, and, clinging round his neck, 
 hung upon him in an agony of despair ; the only 
 words that could force an utterance were, "my 
 father ! oh, my father ! " More, while he pressed 
 her to his heart, endeavoured to calm her agita- 
 tion; he reminded her, that she well knew the 
 secrets of his soul ; that the knowledge of his 
 innocence ought to lessen her dismay at his ap- 
 proaching fate, and .that resignation was due to 
 the will of God, without whose permission none 
 of these events could take place. At length she 
 made an effort to recover herself, and faintly 
 bidding him adieu, suffered the attendants to 
 lead her away. But she had proceeded only a 
 few paces, when the thought that she had seen 
 her father for the last time, rushed with irresis- 
 tible poignancy on her mind. She again burst 
 through the crowd, again hung upon his neck, 
 and gave way to all the bitterness of anguish. 
 Her father, though his mind had long been pre- 
 pared to meet his fate, and though its approach 
 had been wholly unable to discompose his forti- 
 tude, could not look unmoved on her distress ; 
 and a tear, which stole down his cheek, betrayed 
 the emotion which he struggled to conceal. The 
 16* 
 
186 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 spectators, deeply affected, beheld this tender 
 scene in silence ; and even the guards could not 
 refrain from tears, while they gently forced her 
 from the arms of her father." 
 
 " His condemnation had taken place on the 
 1st of June ; and on the 6th of the same month, 
 Sir Thomas Pope, one of his particular friends, 
 came very early in the morning, by the king's 
 command, to acquaint him that his execution 
 was to take place that day, at nine o'clock. 
 More thanked his friend for the good news ; and 
 observing that he was deeply affected with the 
 painful commission which he had been obliged 
 to execute, he endeavoured to convince him, by 
 the gaiety of his conversation, how little his lot 
 was to be lamented ; and, when his friend could 
 not refrain from weeping bitterly at parting, he 
 reminded him with a look of exultation, that the 
 interval could not be long before they should 
 meet in eternal felicity." 
 
 " As he passed along to the place of execu- 
 tion, on Tower Hill, the sympathy o^ the specta- 
 tors was expressed by silence and tears. One 
 man alone, from among the crowd, was heard to 
 reproach him with a decision which he had given 
 against him in Chancery. More, no wise dis- 
 composed by this ill-timed expression of resent- 
 ment, calmly replied, that, if it were still to do 
 he would give the same decision." 
 
SIR THOMAS MORE. 
 
 187 
 
 " His behaviour on the scaffold corresponded 
 to the whole tenor of his conduct; perfectly 
 composed and collected, and dying in harmony 
 with all mankind, his countenance was unaffect- 
 edly cheerful, and his words expressed a mind 
 well at ease. Perceiving that the scaffolding 
 was weakly erected, he said, in his usual tone, 
 to the attending officer, ' I pray thee, friend, 
 see me safely up, and for my coming down, let 
 me shift for myself.' Observing the executioner 
 pale and trembling, he said to him, < Pluck up 
 thy spirits, man, and be not afraid to do thy 
 office ; my neck is very short ; see, therefore, 
 that thou do not mar thy credit by cutting 
 awry.' Having spent a short time in devotion, 
 he took the napkin with which his eyes were to 
 be bound, and calmly performed that office for 
 himself; then laying his head on the block, he 
 bade the executioner stay, till he removed his 
 beard ; ' for it,' said he, ' has committed no trea- 
 son.' 
 
 " Thus perished Sir Thomas More, in the 
 fifty-ninth year of his age, deeply lamented by 
 all who knew his worth, and admired even by 
 his enemies. By those who knew him best, and 
 who shared his intimate friendship, his loss was 
 bewailed as an irreparable calamity. ' More is 
 dead ! ' says Erasmus, in the accents of despon- 
 dency, ' More ! whose breast was purer than 
 
188 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 snow, whose genius was excellent above all his 
 nation.' " 
 
 About a year after the death of More, another 
 tragical scene was enacted to gratify the capri- 
 cious and cruel temper of Henry VIII. Having 
 fallen in love with another lady, the king began 
 to grow tired of Anne Boleyn. This was per- 
 ceived by the popish party at court, who eagerly 
 made use of it to increase their own power and 
 to destroy the Queen. Her gay and thought- 
 less disposition gave some appearance of truth to 
 the stories by which the jealousy of Henry was 
 so excited, that he determined to satisfy his rage 
 and make way for the gratification of his new 
 passion, by the death of a wife, to obtain whom 
 he had defied the authority of the Pope and the 
 resentment of Charles V., the most powerful 
 prince in Europe. She was brought to trial and 
 condemned upon evidence, altogether insufficient 
 to sustain the charges preferred against her. 
 Anne met her fate with resignation. While 
 confined in the Tower she endeavoured to make 
 amends for her past errors. Her conscience 
 reproached her for having treated Mary, the 
 daughter of Catherine, with too much severity. 
 The day before she suffered she called the lady of 
 the lieutenant of the Tower, and falling upon 
 her knees, charged her, with many tears, to go 
 to the princess, and, in the same humble posture, 
 
DEATH OF ANNE BOLEYN. 189 
 
 ask, in her name, forgiveness for the wrong she 
 had done her. Anne also sent a message to the 
 king, in which she declared her innocence, and 
 commended her daughter Elizabeth to his care ; 
 she concluded with saying, " that having from 
 a private gentlewoman made her first a mar- 
 chioness and then a queen, he now, since he 
 could raise her no higher on earth was about 
 to send her to heaven." On the 19th of May 
 the queen was beheaded, by an executioner sent 
 for from France, because he was more expert than 
 any in England. The next day the shameless 
 and cruel king married Jane Seymour ! 
 
190 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE MONASTERIES INSURREC- 
 TIONS PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE BIRTH OF ED- 
 WARD AND DEATH OF QUEEN JANE FURTHER 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE MONASTERIES MIRACLES 
 AND RELICS THOMAS A BECKET EXCOMMUNI- 
 CATION OF HENRY VIII. 1535-1538. 
 
 HENRY VIII. was not content with making 
 himself the supreme head of the English Church. 
 Prompted, in part, by the advice of those coun- 
 sellors friendly to the Reformation, but still more 
 by his own rapacity, he now determined to strike 
 another blow at popery in his dominions, by the 
 destruction of the Monasteries. 
 
 Various causes contributed to the introduction, 
 at an early period, into the church, of that pas- 
 sion for a secluded and ascetic life, to which is 
 to be referred the establishment of the religious 
 houses. In the first place, the warm and ener- 
 vating climate of the East, where Monastic 
 institutions had their origin, is said to produce a 
 disposition to indolence and melancholy, and a 
 love of solitude. This propensity was augmented 
 by the prevalence of doctrines which taught that 
 matter was the source of all evil, and conse- 
 quently that the soul would be purified and 
 
MONASTERIES. 191 
 
 exalted by the mortification of the body. To these 
 must be added, as another cause, the persecution 
 to which the early Christians were exposed, and 
 by which many were compelled to retire for 
 safety into the woods and caverns. 
 
 In the course of a few centuries Monas- 
 teries and Nunneries, the former inhabited by 
 men who were or pretended to be disgusted with 
 the world, the latter asylums for females whose 
 natural protectors had perished in battle or 
 at the stake, were established in many parts of 
 Christendom. " From the eighth to the twelfth 
 century," says a writer in the Christian Exami- 
 ner, for September, 1835, " these institutions 
 continued to multiply astonishingly. Multitudes 
 flocked to them of all ages, conditions, and char- 
 
 to ' ' 
 
 acters ; some from devotion, some from ambition, 
 some from timidity, some from remorse, some 
 because they were weary of the world, and some 
 because the world was weary of them. Children 
 of the most opulent families, ladies of the highest 
 fashion, courtiers, warriors, nobles, kings, were 
 of the number ; and they did not go empty 
 handed. Many who were not ready to give 
 themselves, gave what the monks were quite 
 willing to take as a substitute, their money or 
 their lands. In this way the revenues of many 
 of the communities soon became enormous. 
 The humble cabins, which sheltered the early 
 
192 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 monks, were exchanged for those vast, expensive, 
 and imposing structures, which still stand in 
 almost every European country as the proudest 
 monuments of Gothic wealth and taste; arid 
 their territorial possessions also soon began to 
 rival those of the most powerful barons. More- 
 over, in process of time, the cloister began to be 
 regarded as being, what indeed it was, the fairest 
 and most direct road of preferment to the high- 
 est dignities in the church ; nay, for a long 
 period, even to the highest civil employments, 
 whether as regents, foreign envoys, or ministers 
 of state." 
 
 The establishments thus described were not 
 without their good effects. They were the only 
 seminaries of learning during the dark ages ; 
 and in their libraries were preserved, not only 
 the manuscripts of the ancient Classics, but also 
 those of the Scriptures, which might otherwise 
 have been lost for ever. They served also as 
 retreats for the widow and the orphan; they 
 afforded the last refuge, in those days of war and 
 bloodshed, for virtue and religion ; they supplied 
 the wants of the poor, and opened their hospitable 
 doors to the weary traveller. Some of the Monks 
 contributed to the improvement of agriculture by 
 their diligent cultivation of the inferior sorts of 
 land usually bestowed upon them, whilst others 
 devoted their time to the copying of books, to 
 
DESTRUCTION OF THE MONASTERIES. 193 
 
 the mechanic arts, and to different kinds of 
 manufactures. 
 
 Monastic institutions, however, with the in- 
 crease of their wealth, which was heaped upon 
 them by superstitious nobles and princes, became 
 corrupt. Many of them were the abodes of in- 
 dolence, avarice, and licentiousness, and sup- 
 ported in idleness^ multitudes of men and women, 
 who, while they opposed all attempts to instruct 
 the people and to purify the Church, were the 
 willing agents of wicked popes and prelates. 
 Accordingly, those establishments were selected 
 among the first objects of their attack by the 
 Reformers. 
 
 In England Archbishop Cranmer advised the 
 dissolution of the Monasteries, and that their 
 revenues should be appropriated to the education 
 of "the clergy, and to other purposes connected 
 with the Reformation of the Church. The first 
 part of this advice was immediately followed by 
 the king, since it chimed in with his avaricious 
 desires ; the latter part of it, with his usual sel- 
 fishness and injustice, he took care to neglect. 
 In 1535 persons were appointed to visit the 
 religious houses, to inquire into their char- 
 acter, and to ascertain the amount of their 
 property. These Commissioners, aware of the 
 design of Henry, colored their report as dark as 
 possible; but, after making a proper allowance 
 
 17 
 
194 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 for this fact, enough remains to show that many 
 of the Monasteries were very corrupt, and their 
 inmates addicted to the most scandalous vices. 
 This report was presented to Parliament, and a 
 law obtained in 1536 by which three hundred 
 and sixty-six of the smaller Monasteries were 
 dissolved and their income given to the crown. 
 By this act ten thousand persons were turned out 
 of their homes to seek employment, having 
 received no other compensation, than a shilling 
 and a gown, which was allowed to each Monk. 
 
 To reconcile his subjects to this arbitrary pro- 
 ceeding, the king bestowed a portion of the 
 wealth acquired by it, upon the principal nobles ; 
 but this bribery did 'not entirely prevent disturb- 
 ance. Many of the clergy and many of the 
 people were indignant at so high-handed a meas- 
 ure. Their discontent was encouraged and kept 
 alive by the ejected Monks, who wandered over 
 the country, denouncing the injustice of Henry, 
 until at length it broke forth in open rebellion. 
 
 The first rising was in Lincolnshire, in the 
 beginning of October, where one Dr. Mackrel, 
 disguised like a shoe-maker, and assuming the 
 name of Captain Cobler, collected round him 
 twenty thousand men. The insurgents swore to 
 be true to God, tha King, and the Common- 
 wealth ; and drew up a list of their grievances, 
 which they sent to their sovereign, whom they 
 
INSURRECTIONS. 195 
 
 acknowledged to be the head of the Church. 
 They complained of the suppression of the Mo- 
 nasteries, of evil counsellors near the throne, 
 and desired that the nobility might be assembled 
 to redress their injuries. These complaints were 
 treated with contempt, and forces, under the 
 command of the Duke of Suffolk, were sent to 
 subdue the rebels. Some of the gentry, whom 
 the enraged populace had forced to take part 
 with them, intimated to the Duke that the prom- 
 ise of a general pardon would probably put an 
 end to the rebellion. Henry, hearing that 
 greater disturbances were about to take place in 
 the northern part of his kingdom, and being 
 therefore desirous to restore quiet in Lincoln- 
 shire, issued a proclamation granting the royal 
 forgiveness to such of the malcontents as would 
 return to their homes. This had the intended 
 effect ; the rebel army melted away, and only a 
 few of their leaders, among whom was Captain 
 Cobler, were seized and put to death. 
 
 The storm, which for some time had been 
 gathering in the North, now burst forth. Forty 
 thousand men, from the counties of York, Dur- 
 ham, and Lancaster, together with many of the 
 clergy and some noblemen, among whom was 
 Lord Darcy, assembled under the command 
 of one Aske, a gentleman of small fortune, but 
 of great talents as a leader. This enterprise 
 
196 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 was called the Pilgrimage of Grace. The 
 rebels, led on by the priests bearing crosses, had 
 on their banners a crucifix, a chalice or cup 
 used at the administration of the Supper, and a 
 representation of the five wounds of Christ ; on 
 their sleeves was embroidered the name of Jesus. 
 They all took an oath that they entered upon 
 this work, " for the love of God, the preserva- 
 tion of the king's issue, the purifying of the 
 nobility, and driving away of all base-born and 
 ill counsellors; and for no particular profit of 
 their own, nor to do any displeasure, nor to kill 
 any for envy ; but to take before them the Cross 
 of Christ, his faith, the restitution of the Church, 
 and the suppression of heretics and their opin- 
 ions." To accomplish their purpose, this for- 
 midable body marched from place to place, took 
 one or two castles, the towns of York and Hull, 
 and replaced, wherever they went, the Monks 
 and Nuns in the deserted Monasteries. 
 
 The king despatched a force of about six 
 thousand men, under the command of the Duke 
 of Norfolk and the Earl of Shrewsbury, who 
 advanced as far as Doncaster, to prevent the in- 
 surgents from coming any farther south. Nor- 
 folk, partly on account of the inferiority of his 
 numbers to those of the enemy, and partly, per- 
 haps, because being a Roman Catholic he felt 
 some sympathy with their enterprise, obtained 
 
PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE. 197 
 
 permission from Henry to offer terms of pardon. 
 A herald was sent across the river Don, which 
 divided the two armies. Aske received him, 
 sitting in a chair of state, and supported on 
 either side by an Archbishop and Lord Darcy, 
 and having learned the tenor of his message, 
 would not allow it to be communicated to his 
 followers. A battle would now have taken place, 
 had not the river been made impassable by a 
 heavy fall of rain. This afforded time for new 
 negotiations. The insurgents demanded, among 
 other things, a general pardon, the restoration of 
 popery, the recognition of the princess Mary as 
 heir to the throne, the reestablishment of the 
 Monasteries, and the punishment of the Luthe- 
 rans. These demands were, of course, refused ; 
 preparations were made for an appeal to arms ; 
 when another fall of rain and a second rise of 
 the Don, intimidated the superstitious among the 
 rebels, who looked upon these repeated checks, 
 as an interposition of Providence. In the mean 
 time, Aske's troops were distressed from want of 
 provisions, and Norfolk took advantage of this 
 state of things and issued a promise of general 
 pardon. His conduct met the approbation of 
 the king, who, however, in a proclamation, 
 bluntly told his discontented subjects, " that 
 they ought no more to pretend giving a judg- 
 ment with regard to government, than a blind 
 17* 
 
198 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 man with regard to colors." " And we," he 
 added, " with our whole council, think it right 
 strange that ye, who be but brute and inexpert 
 folk, do take upon you to appoint us, who be 
 meet or not for our council." The royal clem- 
 ency, notwithstanding the ungracious mariner in 
 which it was expressed, put an end to the insur- 
 rection, and in a short time peace was restored 
 to the kingdom. 
 
 Soon after the above transactions the queen 
 bore a son, who was baptized by the name of 
 Edward. This event gave the king great joy, 
 since, as he had declared his two daughters ille- 
 gitimate, there was no heir to the crown ; but 
 his pleasure was soon clouded by the almost 
 immediate death of his wife, to whom he was so 
 much attached, that out of respect to her memo- 
 ry, as some say, he remained two years a wid- 
 ower. 
 
 The power and popularity of Henry were so 
 much increased by the suppression of the rebell- 
 ion and the birth of Prince Edward, that he was 
 resolved to continue his attack upon the relig- 
 ious houses. 
 
 When, in a convocation of the clergy, the 
 proposition to destroy the lesser Monasteries was 
 first advanced, it was opposed by Bishop Fisher, 
 who related the following fable, to show that 
 such a measure would point out to the king, how 
 
DESTRUCTION OF THE 
 
 , 
 
 he might come at the larger Monasteries. " An 
 axe/' said the old man, " which wanted a han- 
 dle, came upon a time into the wood, making 
 his moan to the great trees, that he wanted a 
 handle to work withal, and for that cause he was 
 constrained to sit idle ; therefore he made it his 
 request to them that they would be pleased to 
 grant him one of their small saplings within the 
 wood to make him a handle ; who mistrusting 
 no guile, granted him one of their smaller trees 
 to make him a handle. But now becoming a 
 complete axe, he fell so to work within the same 
 wood, that in process of time there was neither 
 great nor small trees to be found in the place 
 where the wood stood. And so, my Lords, if 
 you grant the king these smaller Monasteries, 
 you do but make him a handle, whereby at his 
 own pleasure he may cut down all the cedars 
 within your Lebanon." The ingenious predic- 
 tion of Fisher was now fulfilled. In the course 
 of three years the king dissolved most of the 
 remaining Monasteries in the kingdom, and 
 swept their revenues, amounting to upwards of 
 one hundred and thirty thousand pounds, into 
 his treasury. Care was taken to do this so as 
 to prevent any great commotion. The encour- 
 agement was held out to the people, that the new 
 addition to the royal funds would render any 
 taxes unnecessary. In the bill by which he effect- 
 
200 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 ed his purpose, Henry conciliated many of the 
 papists, by professing a belief in the principal 
 doctrines of the Romish Church. The king 
 also silenced much opposition by the freedom 
 with which he spent his newly-gotten riches. 
 In one instance, it is said, he gave the whole 
 income of a convent to a woman, as a reward 
 for making a pudding which happened to please 
 his palate. 
 
 Men were further reconciled to the work of 
 destruction by an exposure of the frauds with 
 which the priests had imposed upon the ignorant 
 and credulous. More pieces of the true cross 
 were produced than would have made a whole 
 one ; and a sufficient number of the teeth of a 
 certain saint, which had been distributed as a 
 sure remedy for the tooth-ache, to fill a hogshead, 
 were collected. In Gloucestershire a vial had 
 been shown as containing a portion of Christ's 
 blood, which was visible only when the pilgrim 
 had by penitence and gifts obtained the forgive- 
 ness of his sins ; now it was discovered that 
 one side of it was thick and dark and the other 
 thin and transparent, and that being supplied 
 every day with the fresh blood of a bird, the 
 pretended miracle was performed by turning the 
 vessel round as occasion required. At another 
 place was a famous crucifix, with an image upon 
 it, which, to the astonishment of the ignorant, 
 
THOMAS A BECKET. 
 
 would move its head and limbs ; this was 
 broken in pieces, and the springs and wires, by 
 which the trick had been played, exposed to the 
 derision of the multitude. 
 
 The discovery of these and other like imposi- 
 tions practised by some of the Monks, opened 
 the eyes of many, and caused them to look with 
 indifference upon their present discomfiture. To 
 increase this feeling, and to gratify still further 
 his own dislike to the popish priesthood, Henry 
 determined not to let even the dead rest. 
 
 In the reign of Henry II. Thomas a Becket 
 was made Chancellor. He was a prelate of a 
 fearless and arrogant temper, untiring in his 
 exertions to increase the power of the clergy, 
 and gave his sovereign much trouble by the little 
 respect he paid to his authority. Among other 
 bold acts, he, at one time, excommunicated 
 several of the clergy, who opposed his ambitious 
 schemes, and refused to obey a command to 
 restore them again to favor. The king was then 
 in France. When the news of Becket's disobe- 
 dience reached him, he exclaimed ; " What an 
 unhappy prince am I, who have not about me 
 one man of spirit enough to rid me of a single in- 
 solent prelate, the perpetual trouble of my life." 
 These angry words induced four noblemen to 
 resolve to relieve him of his plague. They went 
 over to England, and appearing before the Chan- 
 
202 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 cellor while he was engaged at public worship, 
 in the Cathedral of Canterbury, bade him, on 
 pain of instant death, obey the command of the 
 king. Becket, unmoved by fear, replied, that he 
 was ready to die for the good of the Church. 
 The confederates then endeavoured to drag him 
 out of the Cathedral, but not being able to do 
 this, they slew him on the spot. 
 
 The Pope took care to make the most of this 
 deed of violence. Becket was canonized. In 
 the reign of Henry III., his body was taken up 
 and placed in a magnificent shrine at Canter- 
 bury. His bones and other remains worked, 
 it was pretended, numberless miracles, and ple- 
 nary indulgence was granted to all who visited 
 his tomb ; and so great was the popularity of the 
 Saint, that many hundred thousands of persons 
 made a pilgrimage to the place of his burial. 
 
 Henry VIII. resolved now to avenge the in- 
 sulted authority of his ancestors, and to destroy 
 the reputation of Becket. He ordered him, 
 although dead, to be tried and condemned as a 
 traitor ; his name to be erased from the cata- 
 logue of the Saints, his bones to be burnt, and 
 his shrine, the gold taken from which filled two 
 chests, to be broken in pieces. 
 
 These attacks upon the dignity and prosperity 
 of the Church caused great indignation at Rome ; 
 and when the Pope heard of the contempt shown 
 
EXCOMMUNICATION OF HENRY VIII. 203 
 
 to the remains of Becket, he no longer delayed 
 the expression of his anger. He sent forth a 
 bull, " requiring the king of England and his 
 accomplices to appear at Rome and give an 
 account of their conduct ; if they did not, the 
 Pope deprived him of his crown and them of 
 their estates, and both of ' Christian burial.' " 
 Henry's subjects were absolved from their oath 
 of allegiance, and his kingdom given to the king 
 of Scotland, if he would go and take it. 
 
 In former days such an act of the Pontiff 
 would have been followed by dreadful conse- 
 quences to any monarch ; but now its impotency 
 only served to show how weak the foundations of 
 the papal throne had become. 
 
204 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 LAMBERT LAW OF SIX ARTICLES ANNE OF 
 CLEVES CATHERINE HOWARD PERSECUTION 
 DEATH OF CATHERINE HOWARD CATHERINE PARR 
 ANNE ASKEW DEATH OF HENRY VIII. 1538-1547. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Henry, to gratify his passions, had 
 treated the Pope with so little respect, and had 
 shown so little fear of his vengeance, yet he by 
 no means wished to be ranked among here- 
 tics. He was still vain of his reputation as a 
 Theologian, and, although many of his measures 
 had helped their cause, had little sympathy 
 with the opinions of the Reformers. There 
 were those in the royal council, quick to per- 
 ceive and ready to take advantage of this incon- 
 sistency between the creed and the conduct of 
 the king. Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, in 
 particular, being anxious to advance the plans of 
 the popish party, ventured to suggest to his master 
 a method by which he might restore himself to 
 favor with the Roman Pontiff. 
 
 Many of the English Protestants had ceased 
 to believe in the real presence of the body of 
 Christ in the bread used at the celebration of the 
 Supper ; and for this reason they were called 
 Sacramentaries. Gardiner advised Henry, who 
 
LAMBERT. 205 
 
 still held to the doctrine of transubstantiation, 
 to punish these heretics ; and an opportunity for 
 putting his advice in practice soon occurred. 
 John Lambert, a schoolmaster in London, hav- 
 ing heard a clergyman by the name of Tailor r 
 advocate, in a sermon, the doctrine of the real 
 presence, went to him in private and objected to 
 his arguments. Tailor requested Lambert to 
 state his views in writing, which he did. The 
 paper thus obtained was shown to several per- 
 sons, and its author was brought to trial on the 
 charge of heresy. In an evil hour Lambert 
 appealed to the king. 
 
 Henry was fond of theological controversy and 
 was also anxious, at this time, to show his de- 
 testation of the new opinions ; he therefore de- 
 termined, in person, to sit in judgment upon 
 Lambert. The Court was held in Westminster 
 Hall. The king, attended by the principal 
 clergy and nobility of the realm, was present in 
 great state. When the prisoner was brought 
 before them, Henry and ten of the most learned 
 prelates endeavoured to make him recant. Lam- 
 bert argued till he was wearied out and con- 
 founded by the number of his antagonists. 
 Being then asked if he would confess his error, 
 he refused, and said that " he commended his 
 soul to God and his body to the mercy of his 
 sovereign." He was condemned and burnt at 
 18 
 
206 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 the stake by a slow fire ; " and when his legs 
 and thighs were consumed to the stumps/' two 
 of the soldiers raised his body on their halberds 
 and cast it into the flames, he crying out to 
 the last, " none but Christ, none but Christ." 
 
 Henry now undertook to put an end to the 
 difference of opinion on religious subjects in the 
 kingdom. To accomplish this design, he di- 
 rected the Parliament to enact six articles as 
 the creed of the Church. By these it was de- 
 clared that, after their consecration, the bread 
 and wine became the real body and blood of 
 Christ ; that, according to the Romish doc- 
 trines, the laity should partake only of the bread, 
 at the celebration of the Supper ; that the 
 priests should not marry ; that private Masses 
 were good and right, and that auricular confes- 
 sions were necessary to salvation. To write, 
 preach, or speak against any of the last five of 
 these articles was to be punished with fines and 
 imprisonment, and the penalty affixed to a denial 
 of the first was death by fire. 
 
 So many persons were thrown into prison in 
 consequence of the passage of this sanguinary 
 law, that even the relentless Henry hesitated to 
 enforce its observation, till, on a certain occasion,, 
 he found it could be used for the gratification of 
 his selfish passions. 
 
ANNE OF CLEVES. 207 
 
 It has already been mentioned, that Thomas 
 Cromwel stood high among the eminent men at 
 the court of Henry. This individual, the son of 
 a blacksmith, was the confidential servant of 
 Wolsey, and after his death filled one of the 
 highest offices in the government. By his re- 
 commendation, the king was persuaded to form 
 an alliance with the German Protestant Princes, 
 by marrying Anne of Cleves, a sister of Sibylla, 
 the wife of the Elector of Saxony. The union 
 thus formed continued only for a short time. 
 
 Anne, who was ignorant of the English lan- 
 guage and destitute of personal beauty, failed to 
 win the affections of her husband ; who, more- 
 over, had been lately smitten with the charms of 
 Catherine Howard. The relatives of Catherine, 
 who were zealous Catholics, when they discov- 
 ered Henry's new passion, made use of it as an in- 
 strument to crush Cromwel and elevate themselves 
 to power. Cromwel was soon condemned and 
 executed for high treason ; Parliament granted 
 Henry's request for a divorce and sanctioned his 
 marriage with Catherine ; and Gardiner and 
 other Romanists obtained the ascendancy in the 
 government; being obliged, however, to submit 
 to the despotic will of the king. 
 
 The contradictory elements now at work, and 
 the inconsistent decrees of Henry, led to a per- 
 secution of persons belonging to both of the 
 
208 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 religious parties. Protestants and Papists were 
 drawn together on the same hurdle to the place 
 of execution, the former for denying the first 
 of the six articles, the later for denying the 
 supremacy of the king. This spectacle grew to 
 be so common, that a foreigner then in England 
 truly remarked, " that those who were against 
 the Pope were burned, and those who were for 
 the Pope were hanged." 
 
 In this reign there was little dependence to be 
 placed upon the smiles of the king ; the party in 
 power to day were in disgrace to-morrow. Thus 
 it happened at this time ; and the papist soon 
 met with a check. It was discovered that the 
 queen was a woman of an abandoned character ; 
 and when the fact became known to Henry he 
 was affected even to tears. But his grief was 
 quickly followed by indignation, and Catherine 
 and her confederates were condemned to death. 
 
 In 1543, the king took for his sixth wife 
 Catherine Parr, the widow of Lord Latimer, 
 a woman of talents and virtue, and inclined 
 to favor the Reformers. This new connexion, 
 although it did not entirely put an end to the 
 persecution, gave to the Protestants more influ- 
 ence at court. Cranmer was able, at some per- 
 sonal risk, to procure concessions in favor 
 of those who embraced the new doctrines. Gar- 
 diner, on the other hand, regarded the late mar- 
 
ANNE ASKEW. 209 
 
 riage with a jealous eye, and was indefatigable 
 in his intrigues to promote the cause of popery. 
 It was a common saying that he had bent his 
 bow to shoot at the head deer, meaning the 
 queen and Cranmer ; and, it may be added, his 
 aim was so true that they had a very narrow 
 escape. 
 
 The latter of the intended victims was saved 
 only by the personal regard of Henry, to whom 
 he had always been a submissive servant ; while 
 the former baffled her enemy with a woman's 
 wit. 
 
 As it would have been dangerous to begin by 
 direct charges against the queen, a plot was laid 
 to cast suspicion upon her by seizing upon one 
 of her attendants. Anne Askew, a woman of 
 noble birth, who, turned out of doors by her 
 husband because she had embraced the new 
 doctrine, came to London and was connected 
 with the court, was the person selected by 
 Gardiner as his first victim. She was sum- 
 moned before the judges and asked if she be- 
 lieved in the real presence ; the intrepid woman 
 replied that she did not, and then told them 
 that if the bread used at the supper was left in a 
 box three months, it would at the end of that 
 period be found to be mouldy like any other 
 bread. Her persecutors then tried, but without 
 18* 
 
210 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 success, to extort from her by torture some con- 
 fession prejudicial to the queen. 
 
 Finding Anne determined riot to yield to their 
 cruelty, Gardiner at length caused the sentence 
 of death to be pronounced upon her. On the 
 scaffold she appeared composed and even cheer- 
 ful, notwithstanding her limbs were broken and 
 mangled by the rack, and met her cruel fate 
 with firmness. 
 
 Disappointed in their hopes to force from 
 Anne Askew any confession which they might 
 use against the queen, Gardiner and his associ- 
 ates now proceeded with more direct endeavours 
 to effect their purpose. Taking advantage of 
 one of his moments of irritation they accused 
 Catherine of heresy to the king, and prevailed 
 upon him to sign a warrant for her committal to 
 the Tower. The queen discovered their plan 
 and immediately made a bold effort to outwit 
 them. She repaired to the presence of Henry, 
 who, in order to sound her opinions, turned the 
 conversation to religious subject. Aware of his 
 object, she humbly replied, " that on such topics 
 she always, as became her sex and station, re- 
 ferred herself to the wisdom of his majesty, as 
 he, under God, was her only supreme head and 
 governor here on earth." " Not so Kate," an- 
 swered her husband, " you are, as we take it, 
 become a sort of doctor, to instruct, and not to 
 
DEATH OF HENRY VIII. 
 
 be instructed by us." Catherine cautiously 
 replied, that she objected only that she might be 
 benefited by his superior knowledge. " Is it 
 so, sweet heart ? " said the king ; " and tended 
 your arguments to no worse end 1 Then are 
 we perfect friends again." After this interview, 
 Gardiner lost his influence, and was never re- 
 stored to the royal favor whilst Henry lived. 
 
 Henry VIII. had occupied the throne almost 
 half of a century ; but his life now drew near to 
 its close. He died on the 27th of January, 1547, 
 having been one of the most powerful, des- 
 potic, inconsistent and cruel monarchs that ever 
 wore a crown. He left the religious affairs of 
 his kingdom in an unsettled state. The creed 
 of the church was neither that of the Protestants 
 nor Papists, but a strange mixture of the doc- 
 trines of both, which no one probably except its 
 royal maker ever believed. It remained for 
 others to arrange the discordant materials be- 
 queathed them by the capricious Henry, and to 
 complete the unfinished work. 
 
SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 EDWARD VI. SOMERSET PROGRESS OF THE RE- 
 FORMATION JOAN BOCHER NORTHUMBERLAND 
 DEATH OF EDWARD VI. 1547-1553. 
 
 AFTER the death of Henry VIII. his son 
 Edward VI. then but little more than nine years 
 of age ascended the throne. " With his moth- 
 er's gentleness and suavity of disposition, this 
 young prince inherited his father's capacity and 
 diligence and love of learning." His precep- 
 tors were selected from among the Reformers ; 
 and he was early remarkable for the purity of 
 his character and his unaffected piety. At his 
 coronation, when, according to custom, three 
 swords were brought to be carried before him, 
 he observed that there was one yet wanting, 
 and called for the Bible. "That," said he, " is 
 the sword of the spirit, and ought in all right to 
 govern us, who use these for the people's safety 
 by God's appointment. Without that sword we 
 are nothing and can do nothing. Under that 
 we ought to live, to govern, and to perform all 
 our affairs. From that alone we obtain all 
 power, virtue, grace, salvation, and whatsoever 
 we have of divine strength." One who was 
 about the person of the youthful monarch, de- 
 
EDWARD VI. 213 
 
 scribes him as, " the beautifullest creature that 
 lived under the sun ; the wittiest, the most 
 amiable, and the gentlest thing-of all the world." 
 
 Edward, however, was a mere boy, and the 
 government of his kingdom was carried on by 
 others. During the first years of his reign, his 
 uncle, the Duke of Somerset, was appointed the 
 Governor of the king and the Protector of the 
 realm. This nobleman was favorably disposed 
 towards the Reformation, and encouraged Cran- 
 mer and the rest of the Protestant clergy in 
 their efforts to destroy the remnants of Popery 
 in England. The changes begun by Henry 
 were finished, and new innovations were intro- 
 duced. All acts which countenanced the Ro- 
 manists were annulled. The law of Six Arti- 
 cles was repealed; priests were allowed to 
 marry ; the images were removed from the 
 churches; the doctrine of the real presence 
 was given up ; auricular confessions were abol- 
 ished, and a book of Common Prayer was pre- 
 pared for the use of the people. 
 
 These and like innovations were proposed by 
 some of the Protestants from pure motives ; but 
 this remark cannot be applied to its full extent 
 to Somerset or many of his coadjutors. How- 
 ever much we may have occasion to rejoice at 
 the progress made by the Reformation at this 
 period, it cannot be denied that it was effected 
 
214 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 in many instances by unjust means and for 
 wicked ends. In monarchical governments, 
 during a long minority, it has usually happened 
 that the nobility have been busy with intrigues 
 to increase their own wealth and power ; this 
 was the case in the reign of Edward VI. To 
 enrich themselves by the plunder of the Church 
 was the chief object of the Protector and his 
 party. The Cathedrals were stript of their 
 ornaments ; the Monasteries were torn down 
 and their lands bestowed upon the nobles ; 
 even the libraries, with their valuable manu- 
 scripts, did not entirely escape the general havoc. 
 " Private men's halls were now hung with altar 
 cloths ; their tables and beds covered with the 
 priests' vestments, instead of carpets and cover- 
 lits. It was a sorry house which had not some- 
 what of this furniture, though it were only a 
 fair cushion covered with such spoils, to adorn 
 their windows or make their chairs have some- 
 thing in them of a chair of state/ 5 
 
 Such shameless proceedings were a source of 
 grief to the sincere friends of reform, and were 
 regarded with sorrow by the young king. On 
 one occasion, after the nobles had been carrying 
 on their work of plunder to an enormous extent, 
 the Lord Admiral, a brother of the Protector, 
 had the hardihood to propose, that the bishops 
 should be deprived of the most of their revenues, 
 
PROGRESS OF THE REFORMATION. 215 
 
 on the ground that they ought not to be troubled 
 with temporal concerns. Edward understood 
 his purpose, and answered him with great severi- 
 ty ; ' You have had among you," said he, 
 " the commodities of the abbeys which you 
 have consumed, some with superfluous ap- 
 parel, some at dice and cards and other ungra- 
 cious rule ; and now you would have the 
 bishops' lands and revenues to abuse likewise I 
 Set your hearts at rest ; there shall no such 
 alteration be made while I live! " 
 
 Under rulers so destitute of principle, and 
 amid such great revolutions in the religious in- 
 stitutions of the kingdom, we should naturally 
 expect to find the people at large in a most 
 wretched condition. This was the fact. Not- 
 withstanding the many exceptions, produced by 
 the labors of the most learned and pious among 
 the clergy, the general character of society was 
 sadly depraved. Controversy and intrigue, 
 amongst the different parties, usurped the place 
 of practical religion, and immorality and wick- 
 edness of all kinds every where abounded. 
 Licentiousness, oppression, pride, covetousness, 
 and a hatred of all religion, according to the 
 most eminent preachers of the day, were 
 widely spread among all the people ; chiefly 
 those of a higher rank ; " and the sins of Eng- 
 land," says Burnet, " did call down from heaven 
 
216 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 heavy curses on the land." The escape of the 
 nation from Popery was not followed by any 
 immediate or great improvement in its moral 
 character. Much as they had themselves suf- 
 fered from persecution, the Protestants had by 
 no means yet learned to be tolerant. Several 
 Anabaptists were burnt, because they would not 
 adopt the creed established by law. Even Cran- 
 mer, of whom better things might have been 
 expected, was, on one occasion at least, guilty of 
 great cruelty. 
 
 His victim was Joan Bocher, a woman of 
 good birth and education, from the county of 
 Kent. She was accused of maintaining an old 
 arid absurd opinion held by some in the early 
 ages of the Church, viz., that the body of Christ 
 was not a real, but only an apparent body. For 
 this crime she was brought to trial and con- 
 demned to death. " It is a goodly matter to 
 consider your ignorance ; " said Joan to her 
 judges, " not long ago you burnt Anne Askew 
 for a piece of bread, and yet came yourselves 
 soon after to believe arid profess the same doc- 
 trine for which you burnt her! and now, for- 
 sooth, you will needs burn me for a piece of 
 flesh ; and, in the end you will come to believe 
 this also, when ye have read the Scriptures and 
 understand them." When it was found that no 
 argument could persuade her to abandon her 
 
NORTHUMBERLAND. 217 
 
 opinion, Cranmer urged the king to sign the 
 warrant for her execution. The tender and 
 merciful Edward, not yet fourteen years of age, 
 for a long time refused ; at last, he yielded to 
 the solicitations of the archbishop, telling him 
 with tears in his eyes " that he must answer 
 for the act to God." 
 
 Somerset retained his power for several years, 
 and exercised it in many respects with ability 
 and wisdom. His unjust conduct in regard to 
 religious matters is probably to be attributed to 
 political motives and the advice of evil counsellors, 
 rather than to any bad personal qualities. His 
 nephew held him in much respect until his mind 
 was poisoned and deceived by the enemies of 
 the Protector, who at length accomplished his 
 ruin. He was tried on a false charge of having 
 formed a conspiracy against the king, and be- 
 headed January 22, 1552. 
 
 Warwick, Duke of Northumberland, by whose 
 intrigues Somerset had been destroyed, now 
 became the chief ruler in the kingdom, and 
 preserved that high office during the remainder 
 of Edward's reign. He was a bold, bad man ; 
 but as his interest led him to favor the Reformers, 
 he made no great changes in the church. The 
 abuses introduced under the administration of 
 his predecessor still continued ; and, amid the 
 political quarrels which agitated the court and 
 19 
 
218 SKETCH OF THE SEF'ORMATION. 
 
 distracted the country, the condition of the peo- 
 ple was much the same as we have above de- 
 scribed. There were not wanting, however, 
 among the clergy and nobility, those who made 
 great efforts to bring about a better state of 
 things ; and had Edward lived to take the 
 reins of government into his own hands, the 
 nation might have been redeemed from its 
 wickedness and saved from a relapse into po- 
 pery. 
 
 As the personal character of Edward furnishes 
 the brightest page in the history of his reign, 
 so the close of his short life was full of beauty 
 and interest. In the year 1552 he was attacked 
 first with the measles and then with the small 
 pox ; but he recovered from these diseases and 
 made a journey through his kingdom, during 
 which he took frequent colds, which greatly 
 impaired his constitution. In January of the 
 following year a severe and obstinate cough 
 with which he was seized threw him into a con- 
 sumption. As the Duke of Northumberland, 
 who was very unpopular, would allow none but 
 his own friends to approach the king, suspicions 
 arose that slow poison had been given to him ; 
 but no proof that any such vilJany was practised 
 has ever been found. 
 
 During Edward's illness Ridley, one of his 
 bishops, preached before him and took occasion 
 
DEATH OF EDWARD VI. 219 
 
 to speak of the obligation that lay upon men of 
 high condition to be eminent in works of be- 
 nevolence. This so touched his royal auditor 
 that after the service he sent for the bishop, 
 bade him sit down and be covered in his pres- 
 ence, and then telling him that he took the 
 sermon to himself, desired him to point out the 
 best way in which he could obey his exhortation. 
 Ridley, overcome by the humility and kind 
 disposition of the prince, requested leave to con- 
 sult with others before he answered his question. 
 This was granted ; and applications were made 
 to the magistrates of the city for their advice. 
 They replied that the poor might be divided 
 into three classes, those who were so by reason 
 of natural infirmity, such as idiots and madmen, 
 the sick and maimed, and those who were 
 too indolent and dissolute to work. When this 
 statement was reported to the king, he ordered 
 Gray-friars'. church to be turned into an asylum 
 for orphans, St. Bartholomew's into a hospi- 
 tal, and gave his own house of Bridewell as a 
 place of correction for the wilfully idle. This 
 order was not fully executed until the following 
 June ; and when Edward had signed the papers 
 necessary to finish its benevolent design, he 
 thanked God for prolonging his life till he had 
 completed this work. 
 
220 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 On the sixth of July the king found himself 
 to be dying, and gave his last moments to devo- 
 tion, praying most earnestly for his people, that 
 they might be blessed and saved from the errors 
 of popery. Having ended this supplication, he 
 said to one who was holding him in his arms, 
 " I am faint. Lord have rnercy on me, and re- 
 ceive my spirit ; " and " so he breathed out his 
 innocent soul." 
 
 Historians dwell with delight upon the char- 
 acter of young Edward, who, although he was 
 but sixteen years of age when he died, had given 
 the promise of being one of the wisest and best 
 of monarchs. His natural talents were of a 
 high order, and his diligence in the pursuit of all 
 knowledge that might be useful to him as a sove- 
 reign indefatigable. He kept a journal of his 
 life ; and likewise a book, wherein he recorded 
 the characters of the chief men in the kingdom, 
 that he might be able to select the most worthy 
 for his counsellors. To his fine mental endow- 
 ments was added an affectionate and merciful 
 disposition ; and, indeed, his whole character 
 deserves all the eulogy it has received, as well 
 as the study and imitation of every youth who 
 aspires to that true greatness, which comes from 
 the union of a cultivated mind with a sanctified 
 heart. 
 
USURPATION OF LADY JANE GREY. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 USURPATION OF THE LADY JANE GREY ACCESSION 
 OF MARY EXECUTION OF THE LADY JANE RES- 
 TORATION OF POPERY PERSECUTION JOHN ROG- 
 ERS LAWRENCE SAUNDERS LATIMER CRANMER 
 DEATH OF MARY ACCESSION OF ELIZABETH 
 REFORMATION ESTABLISHED. 1552-1559. 
 
 NORTHUMBERLAND, whose ambition was not 
 satisfied with the power he had already enjoyed, 
 formed a plan by which he hoped to maintain his 
 authority yet longer. Having married his fourth 
 son, Lord Guilford Dudley, to the Lady Jane Grey, 
 daughter of the younger sister of Henry VIII. he 
 prevailed upon Edward, who dreaded the effects of 
 his sister Mary's hatred of the Reformers, to make 
 a will and appoint the Lady Jane his successor. 
 Accordingly, after the decease of the king, Jane, 
 then only sixteen years of age, and contrary to 
 her own wish, was proclaimed queen. 
 
 The lovely usurper, whose reluctance to as- 
 cend the throne had been overcome chiefly by 
 the earnest entreaties of her father, the Duke of 
 Suffolk, maintained her dangerous elevation only 
 nine days. Northumberland was almost univer- 
 sally detested ; the right of Mary to the crown 
 was undisputed, and the rapacity of the pre- 
 19* 
 
222 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 tended friends of the Reformation, during the 
 last reign, had rendered the people quite indif- 
 ferent in regard to religious affairs. With these 
 circumstances operating in her favor, Mary found 
 it easy to defeat her enemies and recover her 
 rightful authority. She entered London sup- 
 ported by the whole nation, and was acknow- 
 ledged by all as the lawful sovereign of the 
 realm. 
 
 To enlist the Reformers on her side, Mary 
 had promised not to alter the religion as estab- 
 lished by her brother. This promise was soon 
 broken. The Queen, whose disposition inclined 
 her to cruelty, was bigoted in her attachment to 
 popery, and violent in her hatred of the new 
 opinions ; and indeed the injustice she had re- 
 ceived at the hands of the Protestants would 
 have excited the indignation of a far more mer- 
 ciful temper than she possessed. To them she 
 attributed the dishonor of her mother, the danger 
 to which she herself had been exposed during 
 the reign of her father, and the vexations she 
 had endured from her brother's anxiety to change 
 her faith. 
 
 Hardly, therefore, had the queen mounted the 
 throne, before she showed it to be her determi- 
 nation to restore the Catholic religion. She 
 granted a pardon to those prelates who had been 
 confined or' removed from office, on account of 
 
ACCESSION OF MARY. 
 
 their opposition to the Reformation. The cruel 
 Gardiner and the infamous Bonner were ad- 
 mitted to seats in the council. All ministers 
 were forbidden to preach, except such as re- 
 ceived the royal permission, which was carefully 
 confined to popish priests. The foreign Protes- 
 tants, many of whom had settled in England in 
 the time of Edward, were expelled from the 
 kingdom. The marriages of the clergy were 
 declared illegal. A Latin mass was performed 
 at the opening of Parliament. And to crown 
 the work, the Pope was secretly informed of the 
 queen's earnest desire to be reconciled to the 
 Roman see. 
 
 These changes gave great offence to a large 
 portion of the people ; and when in addition to 
 them it was known that the queen intended to 
 marry Philip, the eldest son of Charles V., a 
 step which threatened to bring England under 
 the control of that monarch, the general discon- 
 tent broke out in open rebellion. The insurrec- 
 tion was soon put down ; but Mary made use of 
 it as an excuse for the destruction of all whom 
 she feared as rivals or dreaded for their virtues. 
 
 The most eminent among the victims were 
 the Duke of Suffolk, who had been weak enough 
 to lend some countenance to the rebels, Lord 
 Dudley, and his wife the Lady Jane Grey. The 
 account of the execution of these nobles belongs 
 
224 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 to the civil history of this period ; but we cannot 
 forbear pausing to notice the firmness with which 
 the last met her sentence. 
 
 There are few characters in history so deserv- 
 ing of affectionate respect as that of the Lady 
 Jane Grey. Young, beautiful, learned, religious, 
 the unhappy instrument of her ambitious rela- 
 tives, she was now called upon by the inexorable 
 Mary to prepare for death. The summons was 
 received with composure, for it announced the 
 approach of that hour of. release from trouble to 
 which she had long been looking forward. With 
 calmness and clearness of mind she defended 
 her creed against the arguments of the priest, 
 sent to convert her to the Catholic faith. In a 
 letter to her father, " she expressed her sense of 
 her sin in assuming the royal dignity, though he 
 knew unwillingly she was drawn into it." "She 
 rejoiced," she continued, " at her approaching 
 end, since nothing could be to her more wel- 
 come than to be delivered from that valley of 
 misery, into that heavenly throne to which she 
 hoped to be advanced." To her sister she sent 
 the Greek Testament, which had been her daily 
 companion, extolling most earnestly its inestima- 
 ble value, and exhorting her to read and obey its 
 instructions. 
 
 On the day of her execution her husband 
 desired to take leave of her. This request she 
 
EXECUTION OF LADY JANE GREY. 
 
 declined, as to comply with it would only increase 
 their grief, and they would soon meet, as she 
 trusted, never to be again separated. She even 
 had the firmness to gaze upon his headless body, 
 as it was brought back, after his execution, to 
 the Tower to be buried. On the scaffold the 
 Lady Jane confessed that her usurpation of the 
 crown was unlawful, that she had also too much 
 neglected the word of God, and loved too much 
 herself and the world. Then, " having desired 
 the people's prayers, she knelt down and repeated 
 the fifty-first Psalm ; then she undressed herself, 
 stretched out her head on the block and cried, 
 Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit ; and 
 so her head was cut off." 
 
 Mary, finding that she had increased her 
 power and terrified her subjects into submission, 
 by suppressing the rebellion and by the executions 
 which followed, was now resolved to carry into 
 effect her other plans. In 1554 she married 
 Philip, and in the same year measures were 
 adopted publicly to reconcile her kingdom to 
 the Romish church. This latter act was per- 
 formed by the Pope's legate, Cardinal Pole. 
 
 Pole, a man of mild and amiable temper, 
 was a kinsman of Henry VIII. and a great 
 favorite with that monarch, till he ventured to 
 oppose his divorce from Catherine. This drew 
 upon him the displeasure of the king, and he left 
 
226 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 England in disgrace, and repaired to Rome where 
 he was treated with great regard. On the acces- 
 sion of Mary he returned home, as the agent of 
 the Pope, and granted absolution to the English 
 people for their apostasy from the Church. To 
 explain the ease with which this revolution was 
 accomplished, it must be remembered that the 
 nobility were more concerned about their prop- 
 erty than about their religion, and that their 
 consent to the desire of the queen to make peace 
 with the papal court was obtained by a promise 
 on her part, not to deprive them of the wealth 
 they had obtained amid the havoc in the pre- 
 ceding reign. 
 
 This reconciliation with Rome was accom- 
 panied by the almost complete restoration of the 
 old religion. To show her sincerity and zeal 
 the intolerant queen treated her Protestant sub- 
 jects with a severity so unmitigated, that she has 
 deservedly been styled the Bloody Mary. Justice, 
 however, requires us to say that this epithet was 
 merited rather by the extent than by the nature 
 of her sanguinary acts ; for both the Reformers 
 and the Catholics, in those days, held and prac- 
 tised upon the doctrine that heresy should be 
 punished by fire. 
 
 The severest laws against those who rejected 
 the doctrines of the Romish Church had been 
 revived, and the question as to their enforcement 
 
JOHN ROGERS. 227 
 
 was now debated in the royal council. Pole, 
 sincere as he was in his devotion to popery, 
 recommended a mild and merciful course ; while 
 Gardiner, who had never allowed his creed to 
 stand much in the way of his interest or safety, 
 urged the adoption of violent measures. The 
 advice of the latter best suited the disposition of 
 the queen, and accordingly the fires of martyrdom 
 were soon kindled. To record in its details the 
 history of that dreadful persecution which con- 
 tinued for three years, and during which it is 
 said two hundred and seventy persons perished 
 at the stake, is a task too horrible to be under- 
 taken. We can only advert to the cases of a few 
 of the victims, premising the remark that our 
 sympathy for their sufferings must not blind us 
 to the fact that some of them, while in power, 
 had inflicted upon their adversaries the same 
 kind of punishment they themselves were now 
 doomed to endure. 
 
 The first martyr was the memorable John 
 Rogers. He was advised for the sake of his 
 wife and children to leave the country ; but he 
 chose to remain and abide the worst. In the 
 last sermon he preached, he exhorted the people 
 to beware of popery, idolatry, and superstition. 
 He was condemned for maintaining that the 
 Church of Rome was not the true church and 
 for denying the " real presence." Upon receiving 
 
228 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 his sentence, Rogers asked permission to see his 
 wife ; Gardiner refused his request and affirmed 
 that she was not his wife. She met him, how- 
 ever, with her ten children, one of them an infant 
 at the breast, as he was on his way to execution. 
 This sight did not shake his courage. At the 
 stake he refused to recant arid receive a pardon. 
 The faggots were then set on fire and he ex- 
 pired. The death of Rogers was followed by that 
 of Lawrence Saunders. This clergyman had 
 continued to preach, notwithstanding the prohibi- 
 tion of the queen. It is said that when he was 
 brought before Bonner and commanded to write 
 his opinion concerning transubstantiation, he 
 obeyed without hesitation, saying, as he delivered 
 the writing, " My Lord, ye do seek rny blood, 
 and ye shall have it. I pray God that ye may 
 be so baptized in it, that ye may thereafter loath 
 blood-making and become a better man." After 
 an imprisonment of more than a year Saunders 
 was sent to Coventry to be burnt. He embraced 
 the stake and died exclaiming " Welcome the 
 cross of Christ, welcome everlasting life." 
 
 Hooper, bishop of Gloucester, was another 
 victim. When the executioners were binding him 
 with chains, he desired them to spare their labor, 
 for he was confident he should make no attempt 
 to escape. The wood being green kindled 
 slowly, and the martyr called upon the people to 
 
LATIMER. 229 
 
 bring more fire. This they did ; but the wind 
 blew the flame and smoke aside, and it was three 
 quarters of an hour before Kis agony terminated. 
 One of his hands dropped off before he died ; 
 with the other he continued to smite his breast 
 until the last. 
 
 Passing over many other instances of men 
 who were found ready to sacrifice their lives, 
 rather than do violence to their consciences, we 
 come to Latimer. 
 
 Hugh Latimer was born in the year 1475. In 
 the early part of his life he was a zealous Catho- 
 lic ; but he was afterwards converted by Thomas 
 Bilney, with whom he contracted a friendship at 
 Cambridge, and became thenceforward one of 
 the most active and fearless of the Reformers. 
 During the reign of Henry VIII. he was fre- 
 quently exposed to danger from the Romanists, 
 and the great exertions made by his patrons at 
 court alone prevented his sharing the fate of 
 Bilney. Latimer confined his attention to his 
 clerical duties and meddled but little with poli- 
 tics. His moral character was pure, his piety 
 warm ; and these together with his wit and 
 humor made him a popular and efficient preach- 
 er. Henry, who respected his blunt sincerity, 
 bestowed upon him, in 1535, the see of Wor- 
 cester. In this station Latimer failed not to 
 rebuke the vices of the day ; neither rank, nor 
 20 
 
230 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 power saved the wicked from his censure ; and 
 more than once he boldly denounced the sins of 
 the king himself. 
 
 Many attempts were made to destroy his influ- 
 ence by those who dreaded his honest zeal ; but 
 they were unsuccessful until the passage of the 
 Six Articles. Latimer would neither vote for 
 them nor assent to them. He resigned his bish- 
 opric, and, when he threw off his robes, leapt up 
 and declared that " he felt lighter than he had ever 
 found himself before." He then retired to the 
 country where he meant to spend the remainder 
 of his days ; but being obliged to visit London 
 for medical advice he was accused of having 
 spoken against the Six Articles and cast into 
 prison. 
 
 On the accession of Edward, Latimer was 
 released and took up his residence at the house 
 of Cranmer. He was often called upon to preach 
 before the king ; and such was the fame of his 
 eloquence, that, to accommodate the crowds who 
 flocked to hear him, the pulpit was removed from 
 the royal chapel into the garden. " Upon these 
 occasions he attacked the vices of the great with 
 honest freedom ; charging them in particular 
 with covetousness, bribery, and extortion so em- 
 phatically, that it was impossible for them by any 
 self-deceit to avoid the direct application of his 
 reproofs to themselves. And so great was the 
 
LATIMER. 231 
 
 effect of his sermons, that restitution was made 
 to the king of very considerable sums of which 
 he had been defrauded." 
 
 When Mary came to the throne, Latimer, with 
 other eminent prelates, was again committed to 
 the Tower. The usual liveliness of his tamper 
 did not, however, forsake him. As a servant one 
 cold day was leaving his apartment, Latimer 
 called after him and bade him, " tell his master 
 that unless he took better care of him he should 
 certainly escape him." Upon receiving this 
 message the lieutenant of the Tower came to 
 his prisoner for an explanation. " Why, you 
 expect, I suppose, Mr 4 . Lieutenant," replied Lati- 
 mer, " that I shall be burnt ; but if you do not 
 allow me a little fire this frosty weather, I can 
 tell you I shall first be frozen." 
 
 Latimer and his fellow prisoners were troubled 
 with many vexatious examinations. On one 
 occasion, when he was ordered before those ap- 
 pointed to sit as his judges, he appeared in his 
 prison-garb, with a cap buttoned under his chin, 
 a pair of spectacles hanging at his breast, a New 
 Testament under his arm, and a staff in his hand. 
 Being told that he must defend his opinions the 
 following day, he complained of his age and in- 
 firmities, and told the commissi6ners that he was 
 just as well qualified to be made Governor of 
 Calais as to enter into a debate with them ; and 
 
SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 then added, in allusion to the doctrine of the real 
 presence, that " he had the use of no book but 
 that under his arm, which he had read seven 
 times over deliberately, without being able to find 
 in it neither the marrow bones nor the sinews of 
 the mass." The venerable man was conscious 
 that his faculties were impaired by time and 
 suffering, and would not, therefore, venture to 
 injure, by a weak support, what he held to be the 
 cause of truth. 
 
 Bishop Ridley and Latimer were sentenced to 
 be executed at the same time. On the 16th of 
 October, 1555, they were led to the stake. Lati- 
 mer threw off his tattered gown and appeared in 
 a shroud prepared for the occasion, and animated 
 by holy courage, " stood bolt upright as comely 
 a father as one might lightly behold." When the 
 pile was set on fire, he said to his companion ; 
 "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, arid play 
 the man; we shall this day light such a candle, 
 by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never 
 be put out." Latimer expired first. Ridley who 
 was on the opposite side of the stake lingered in 
 agony till the flames caught some gunpowder 
 which had been tied about his waist. 
 
 About this time Gardiner died, expressing, as 
 it is said, remorse for his deeds, and often repeat- 
 ing these words, " Erravi cum Petro, sed non 
 flevi cum Petro I have erred with Peter, but 
 
CRANMER. 233 
 
 I have not mourned with Peter. " His decease 
 did not put a stop to the persecution, which con- 
 tinued to rage, and among others reached at 
 length Archbishop Cranmer. 
 
 This prelate was first arrested on the charge 
 of high treason, because he countenanced the 
 usurpation of the Lady Jane Grey. Of this act 
 he confessed himself guilty and besought the 
 pardon of the queen, which was granted, she hav- 
 ing determined to condemn him for heresy. He 
 was tried before commissioners sent from Rome, 
 deprived of his office, and degraded from his 
 dignity. Afterwards promises of safety were 
 held out to him, if he would abjure his opinions 
 and become a Catholic. Cranmer, to preserve 
 his life, consented and solemnly denied his former 
 faith. But his enemies only meant to insult and 
 disgrace him ; his fate had been already decided. 
 On the day appointed for his execution he was 
 brought to St. Mary's Church, Oxford, there to 
 listen to an account of his extorted penitence, and 
 to hear it asserted that his errors were too great 
 to be passed over by any earthly tribunal. When 
 he found that there was no hope, the Archbishop 
 resolved to atone as far as possible for his apos- 
 tasy. He openly confessed that the fear of death 
 had made him belie his conscience, and declared 
 his readiness to suffer for his sins. At the stake 
 he showed much firmness, keeping the 
 
234 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 hand, which had signed his recantation, extended 
 in the flames, that it might be consumed before 
 the rest of his body, crying out several times, 
 " that unworthy hand." 
 
 The tragical end of Cranmer and the coloring 
 of partial historians have given him a reputation 
 not wholly deserved. His life was for the most 
 part devoted to efforts to separate the church of 
 England from that of Rome, and to secure its 
 independence. He was also a man of talents and 
 of an amiable private character. But he was 
 guilty of actions which ought materially to 
 lessen the sympathy excited by his dreadful 
 death. It is not to be forgotten that he aided 
 Henry VIII. in his attempts to get rid of the 
 ill-used Catherine ; that he did not oppose with 
 boldness the condemnation of Anne Boleyn, and 
 that, in general, he was very submissive under 
 all the unjust and arbitrary acts of that tyrant. 
 It was Cranrner too who sat in judgment upon 
 Joan Bocher, and compelled the weeping Edward 
 to sign the warrant for her execution. These 
 and other facts are sad blots upon the character 
 of one from whom better things might have been 
 expected. "The truth seems to have been, that 
 he was fitted for private life, where the dangers, 
 trials, and temptations were less, and evil was 
 the hour when he left it to aid in a Reformation 
 which could have gone on as well without him. 
 
DEATH OF MARY. 235 
 
 From that hour he seems to have drifted upon 
 the stormy tides of party, and to have maintained 
 his ascendant, not by pressing gallantly forward 
 to a certain harbour, but by changing his course 
 as the wind might happen to blow. That he 
 was instrumental in advancing a great religious 
 reform will not entitle him to the great name of 
 Reformer. He did not, like Luther, go out to 
 strive against old abuses with a towering self- 
 devotion. He was not ready to sacrifice every 
 thing to the great cause of truth. He did not 
 speak with a voice of deep and burning convic- 
 tion, which must and would be heard. He was 
 not found to defend his cause with all the world 
 against him, nor did he master the fear of death, 
 till he found that no submission could save him 
 from the revenge of those who were thirsting for 
 his blood." 
 
 Notwithstanding the vengeance with which 
 she had visited her own enemies and the enemies 
 of her faith, Mary wore an aching heart under 
 the robes of royalty. Passionately fond of her 
 husband, she strove without success to induce 
 Parliament to bestow upon him a share of her 
 authority. And, to add to her trouble, when Philip 
 found he could not be sovereign of England, he 
 neglected and deserted the unhappy queen. To 
 win back his affection and to aid him in his 
 ambitious projects on the continent, sbe laid 
 
236 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 heavy taxes upon the nation, and this and her 
 cruelty to the Protestants caused her to be univer- 
 sally hated by her subjects. These misfortunes 
 preyed upon her health and aggravated the drop- 
 sical complaints with which she had for a lonsf 
 time been afflicted, until at last her reign and 
 her life both terminated on the 17th of Novem- 
 ber, 1558. 
 
 At the decease of Mary, Elizabeth, the daugh- 
 ter of Anne Boleyn, ascended the throne. This 
 princess, who narrowly escaped being one of her 
 sister's victims, was a Protestant. Her accession 
 was therefore hailed with joy by the enemies of 
 popery, now more numerous than ever. They 
 hoped soon to see their cause triumphant ; and 
 in this they were not disappointed. The Refor- 
 mation advanced with great rapidity, until it was 
 brought to a conclusion by several acts of Parlia- 
 ment, which denied the supremacy of the Pope 
 and established the independence of the Church 
 of England. 
 
REFORMATION IN SCOTLAND. 237 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 REFORMATION IN SCOTLAND PATRICK HAMILTON 
 JAMES V. DESIGN OF HENRY VIII. DEATH OF 
 JAMES V. MARY STUART EARL OF ARRAN RE- 
 GENT WISHART ASSASSINATION OF CARDINAL 
 BEATON JOHN KNOX QUEEN MOTHER REGENT 
 MARY STUART'S CLAIM TO THE THRONE OF ENG- 
 LAND AND ITS CONSEQUENCES DESTRUCTION OF 
 THE CHURCHES LORDS OF THE CONGREGATION 
 CIVIL WAR DEATH OF THE QUEEN REGENT- 
 PEACE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REFORMATION. 
 1525 - 1560 
 
 WE come next to the Reformation in Scot- 
 land, which took place almost simultaneously 
 with that in England, and is so similar in its gen- 
 eral features that only a brief account of it need 
 be given. 
 
 As early as the year 1525 there was a law 
 forbidding the importation of any of the books 
 of Luther into Scotland, which, it was said, had 
 always " been clene of all sin, filth, and vice ; " 
 a fact which shows that the new opinions had 
 already made their way into the kingdom. But 
 the honor of first announcing and sealing with 
 his blood the doctrines of the German Refor- 
 mers, belongs to Patrick Hamilton, the grandson 
 of a sister of James III. Having had his atten- 
 
238 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 tion drawn to the new light now breaking upon 
 the world, while yet a youth, he repaired to the 
 continent, where he became the pupil and com- 
 panion of Luther and Melancthon. Anxious to 
 communicate the knowledge he there obtained 
 to his countrymen, he returned home and began 
 the attack upon the errors of popery ; but his 
 career was short. He was decoyed by the clergy 
 to St. Andrews, and there committed to the flames 
 in February, 1528. 
 
 The fate of Hamilton served rather to increase 
 than to diminish the interest and courage of his 
 followers, and as some one has expressed it, the 
 smoke of the fire which consumed him infected 
 many with his heresy. Many of the people and 
 even some of the nobles began to study and em- 
 brace the opinions of the Reformers. Tindal's 
 translation of the Scriptures was obtained from 
 England and the continent, and circulated in 
 private with great diligence. "One copy of the 
 Bible supplied several families. At the dead of 
 night, when others were asleep, they assembled 
 in one house ; the sacred volume was brought 
 from its concealment ; and, while one read, the 
 rest listened with mute attention." In this way 
 the knowledge of the Scriptures was diffused at 
 a period, when it does riot appear that there were 
 any public teachers of the truth in Scotland. 
 
JAMES V. 239 
 
 Hamilton suffered in the early part of the 
 feign of James V., and when that monarch was 
 under the control of the Earl of Angus. Soon 
 afterwards the king escaped from his keeper and 
 took the government into his own hands. As 
 James was a wise and good, so, in any other 
 country or at a later period, he would probably 
 have been a fortunate prince. But the Scottish 
 nobility were rude and turbulent, and but little 
 disposed to respect the authority of the crown. 
 To this circumstance is to be attributed in part 
 the unwillingness of James to tolerate the Re- 
 formers, a course to which at one time he seemed 
 inclined. His uncle Henry VIII. urged him to 
 follow his example and throw off the yoke of 
 Rome. But the king of Scotland dreaded the 
 power of England and the violence of her mon- 
 arch ; and besides, he found the clergy from 
 their skill and learning more fit to assist him 
 in the administration of his government than the 
 fierce and ignorant nobles. He therefore resolved 
 to adhere to the Catholic faith, and to defend 
 himself against the indignation of Henry by an 
 alliance with France. He first married a daugh- 
 ter of Francis I., who died within forty days after 
 her marriage. He then obtained the hand of 
 Mary of Guise, whose family were bigoted 
 papists. 
 
240 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 Thus supported by their sovereign the clergy 
 took violent measures to prevent the spread of the 
 opinions of the Reformers, which were zealously 
 advocated by learned men, who had adopted 
 them while pursuing their studies in the German 
 and other foreign universities. Several persons 
 were burnt ; stricter arid more sanguinary laws 
 were passed for the punishment of heresy ; and 
 to dispute the power of the Pope, was made a 
 capital offence. 
 
 This severity did not stop the progress of the 
 Protestant cause. Many of the nobles, displeased 
 with the partiality of the king towards the clergy, 
 and anxious to enrich themselves by the destruc- 
 tion of the religious houses, began to favor the 
 Reformers, and to countenance Henry VIII. in 
 his renewed efforts to form an alliance with his 
 nephew. The king of England sent an ambas- 
 sador to James, to represent the advantages he 
 would gain by a rupture with the Pope, and to 
 propose a personal interview with him at York, 
 where they could consult as to the means of pro- 
 moting the mutual good of their two kingdoms. 
 James gave a partial assent to this invitation ; 
 but, being under the influence of the Catholics, 
 he was induced to retract it. Henry immediately 
 declared war ; and the Scottish army were de- 
 feated in a battle fought at a place called Solway- 
 Moss. When the news of this misfortune was 
 
EARL OF ARRAN, REGENT. 241 
 
 received, James shut himself up in his palace 
 and refused to listen to any consolation. His 
 grief and shame brought on a fever. Being told 
 of the birth of a daughter, he only replied, " It 
 (meaning the crown) came with a lass and it will 
 go with a lass : " then turning his face to the 
 wall he soon after died of a broken heart. The 
 infant who entered the world at such a mournful 
 season was that Mary Stuart whose beauty, mis- 
 fortunes, errors, and tragical end form so interest- 
 ing a page in the history of Scotland. 
 
 Mary, a babe only a few days old, ascended the 
 throne in December, 1542. The affairs of the 
 country were in a most distracted state. Two 
 adverse factions contended for the supreme 
 power ; the one led by the queen's mother, Mary 
 of Guise, and Cardinal David Beaton ; and the 
 other by the Earl of Arran. Arran, supported 
 by the nobility and the Reformers, obtained the 
 victory and was made Regent. 
 
 Arran at first chose his counsellors from among 
 the Reformers. He showed a disposition also to 
 favor the new project of Henry VIII. , which was 
 to unite England and Scotland by a marriage 
 between his son Edward and the infant Mary ; 
 and, notwithstanding the opposition of the clergy 
 to this measure, the match was agreed to by Par- 
 liament. But the Regent was a fickle and timid 
 man, and Cardinal Beaton and the Queen Mother 
 21 
 
242 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 had the address to persuade him not only to re- 
 nounce the friendship of the king of England, 
 but also publicly to abjure the reformed religion, 
 In consequence of this change the popish party 
 came into power, and the young queen of the 
 Scots was betrothed to the Dauphin, or eldest 
 son of the king of France, and sent to that coun- 
 try for her education. 
 
 While it received the patronage of the Earl of 
 Arran, the Reformation made considerable pro- 
 gress. Laws were passed permitting the people 
 to read the Scriptures ; the Bible was found 
 in the houses of the gentry, and the New Testa- 
 ment in the hands of all classes ; and the Protes- 
 tant preachers by their activity and eloquence 
 made many converts. But upon the apostasy of 
 the Regent, the cruel arid severe Cardinal Bea- 
 ton had almost the entire management of the 
 affairs of the kingdom, and soon again kindled 
 the fires of martyrdom. The principal victim 
 was George Wishart, a preacher celebrated for 
 his zeal and wisdom. He was burnt at the Cas- 
 tle of St. Andrews. Beaton sat on the walls of 
 the castle that he might behold with his own eyes 
 the sufferings of the martyr. When Wishart 
 was brought out he looked to the Cardinal and 
 then said to the captain of the guard, " May God 
 forgive yonder man who lies so proudly on the 
 wall, within a few days he shall be seen lying 
 
JOHN KNOX. 243 
 
 there in as much shame as he now shows pomp 
 and vanity." 
 
 This prediction was soon fulfilled. The death 
 of Wishart increased men's hatred of his judge ; 
 and a band of sixteen conspirators, actuated 
 partly by a desire to avenge that cruel deed, and 
 partly by some private grudge, assaulted and slew 
 Beaton in his own chamber, and exposed his man- 
 gled body on the battlements of the Castle. 
 
 When the slaughter of the obnoxious Cardinal 
 became known, many of the Reformers, who, 
 although they did not approve of the manner in 
 which that deed was executed, yet rejoiced at 
 the decease of their great enemy, joined the 
 conspirators and aided them in their defence of 
 the castle. Among these was the famous John 
 Knox, who has" been called the Father of the 
 Reformation in Scotland. 
 
 Knox was born of respectable parents at Gif- 
 ford, a village of East-Lothian, in the year 1505. 
 He studied at the University of St. Andrews, 
 and took orders as a Catholic priest. He early 
 embraced the cause of the Reformers, and was 
 greatly benefited by the instructions and discours- 
 es of Wishart. During the persecution by Bea- 
 ton, Knox was a tutor in the families of two 
 gentlemen, who were friendly to the new religion. 
 Disgusted with the cruelty and restrained from 
 preaching by the commands of the Cardinal, he 
 
244 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 was on the point of leaving Scotland, when the 
 assassination of that prelate changed his purpose 
 and led him to join his brethren at St. Andrews. 
 While in that fortress, he continued to instruct 
 his pupils and began to preach. His learning 
 and eloquence gave a new impulse to the Refor- 
 mation, and the number of converts to that cause 
 was rapidly increasing, when his labors were for 
 the present suddenly brought to a close. 
 
 The regent, having received reinforcements 
 from France, made a new attack upon the Castle, 
 and compelled the insurgents to surrender ; and 
 the garrison, together with Knox and other 
 preachers, were sent on board the French 
 galleys. The commanders of these prison-ships 
 employed both solicitation and violence to pre- 
 vail upon their captives to change their religion. 
 On one occasion an incident took place, which is 
 thus related by a biographer of Knox, who sup- 
 poses that he was the person referred to. " One 
 day a fine painted image of the Virgin was 
 brought into one of the galleys, and a Scots 
 prisoner was desired to give it the kiss of adora- 
 tion. He refused, saying that such idols were 
 accursed, and he would not touch it." " Bat you 
 shall ," replied one of the officers roughly, thru|t- 
 ing it in his face and placing it between his 
 hands. Upon this he took hold of the image, 
 and watching his opportunity threw it into the 
 
JOHN KNOX. 
 
 water, " Let our Lady now save T 
 
 light enough, let her learn to swim." The 
 officers with difficulty recovered their image, and 
 their prisoners were relieved for the future from 
 such troublesome importunities. 
 
 In February, 1549, Knox was released from 
 confinement and repaired to England, where, as a 
 chaplain to king Edward or an itinerant preacher, 
 he remained until the accession of Mary ; after 
 which he went to Geneva and formed a friendship 
 with John Calvin, the celebrated Reformer of that 
 city. 
 
 The Catholic party maintained their author- 
 ity in Scotland until the year 1554, when a 
 change took place in the government of the 
 kingdom. The queen mother by her intrigues 
 induced Arran to resign the regency, and obtained 
 that office for herself. Although she was herself 
 a Catholic, the new Regent found it for her inter- 
 est to favor the Scottish Protestants and even to 
 protect their English brethren, who at this time 
 fled to Scotland to avoid the persecution of the 
 Bloody Mary. 
 
 Knox, as soon as he heard of this revolution in 
 affairs, returned home and preached privately for 
 some time in Edinburgh. Afterwards he ex- 
 tended his labors to other parts of the country. 
 The clergy at length heard of him, and his 
 preaching formed a topic of conversation in the 
 
246 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 presence of the*Regent. . At one time some one 
 affirmed that it was an Englishman, who was so 
 successful and collected such large audiencies. 
 " Nay," replied a haughty prelate, " no En- 
 glishman, but it is Knox, that knave. " Efforts 
 were made by the Romanists to have the knave 
 arrested, but they were not supported by the 
 Queen Regent. While he was thus employed, 
 Knox received an invitation from an English 
 Congregation at Geneva to become one of their 
 pastors, which he accepted and left Scotland, 
 July, 1556. 
 
 For a few years after the departure of Knox, 
 the Reformation made a quiet but steady progress. 
 The Protestant ministers were protected by many 
 nobles of high rank, and their hearers were 
 always ready to show their patriotism by support- 
 ing the government in its wars with England. 
 This state of things was, however, altered when 
 the queen regent was persuaded to adopt a differ- 
 ent course from that she had hitherto pursued, and 
 instead of encouraging to endeavour to put an 
 end to the new religion. Her plan was defeated, 
 and a revolution took place which ended in the 
 entire downfal of popery in Scotland. To give the 
 reader a clear account of this event it will be 
 necessary to advert for a moment to a few facts in 
 the civil history of this period. 
 
MARY STUART. 247 
 
 It will be remembered that Mary Stuart was 
 sent to France to be educated as the betrothed wife 
 of Francis the Dauphin. The proposed marriage 
 had now been solemnized ; and the uncles of the 
 bride, the dukes of Lorraine, as the princes of 
 the Guise family were called, undertook the bold 
 enterprise of seating their niece upon the throne 
 of England. Mary argued that, as the popes 
 never sanctioned the divorce of Henry VIII. 
 from Catherine of Arragon, or his subsequent 
 union with Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was illegiti- 
 mate and had no right to the crown she now 
 wore ; but that it properly belonged to the Queen 
 of the Scots, who, as the granddaughter of Mar- 
 garet, Henry's sister, was the next heir. The 
 court of France were induced by this argument 
 to support the pretensions of Mary. At the in- 
 stigation of her brothers the Queen Regent also 
 joined in the proposed attempt ; and one of her 
 first steps was to change her conduct towards the 
 Reformers, who looked upon Elizabeth as one of 
 the champions of their cause. 
 
 The Regent began to throw off the mask, by 
 ordering the Protestant preachers to appear at a 
 court of justice to be holden in Sterling on the 
 10th of May, 1559 ; but such a concourse of 
 friends followed them, that she promised not to 
 proceed with the trial provided they would not 
 enter the town. The accused complied with her 
 
248 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 terms, but she broke her part of the engagement, 
 and had them proclaimed outlaws for not appear- 
 ing. This deceitful conduct alarmed the Re- 
 formers, and they prepared to defend themselves 
 by an appeal to arms. 
 
 At this critical moment Knox returned to Scot- 
 land ; and an incident happened at his appear- 
 ance which hurried on the hour of strife. Knox 
 preached at Perth, the principal head-quarters of 
 the Protestants, against the sin of idolatry, and in 
 his sermon failed not to reproach the Regent for 
 her late breach of faith. 
 
 When the discourse was finished, and while the 
 people were much moved by its effects, a priest 
 produced a little glass case, containing images of 
 saints, and called upon the crowd to worship them. 
 A boy cried out, " that was gross and sinful 
 idolatry." " The priest, as incautious in his pas- 
 sion as ill-timed in his devotion, struck the boy a 
 blow; and the lad, in revenge, threw a stone, 
 which broke one of the images. Immediately 
 all the people began to cast stones, not only at the 
 images, but at the fine painted windows, and 
 filially pulled down the altars, defaced the orna- 
 ments of the church, and nearly destroyed the 
 whole building." This example, although cen- 
 sured by the better class of the Reformers, was 
 followed in other places; and many noble edifices 
 were either totally demolished or reduced to piles 
 of shapeless ruins. 
 
PEACE. 249 
 
 These outrages increased the displeasure of 
 the Regent towards the Reformers. She refused 
 to listen to their apologies and petitions, and at 
 last left them no alternative but to maintain their 
 rights with the sword. To prepare for the con- 
 flict, the Protestant leaders formed a league to- 
 gether under the name of The Lords of the 
 Congregation. A civil war which now broke 
 out was not carried on very violently. The 
 Queen Regent depended upon troops sent over 
 from France. The Congregation were supported 
 by an army from England. Both parties at times 
 had the advantage ; but finally the Reformers, 
 whose numbers were constantly on the increase, 
 gained the day. 
 
 The Queen Regent died June 10, 1560 ; and 
 Francis and Mary, now sovereigns of France, 
 determined to restore peace to Scotland. They 
 granted a general pardon for all offences com- 
 mitted during the war ; they agreed that the 
 government should be vested in a council to be 
 chosen by Parliament, to which body they also 
 left the subject of religion to be disposed of as 
 they judged best. The foreign troops, which 
 had been employed on both sides in the late 
 contest, were withdrawn. The Parliament as- 
 sembled in August, 1560, and proceeded " to 
 condemn unanimously the whole fabric of popery, 
 and adopted instead of the doctrines of the 
 
250 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 church of Rome the tenets contained in a Con- 
 fession of Faith, drawn up by the most popular of 
 the Protestant divines. Thus the whole reli- 
 gious constitution of the church was at once 
 altered." 
 
CONCLUSION. 251 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 IN the foregoing pages the aim has been to 
 give a general view of the Reformation in the 
 16th century, by selecting the most important 
 and interesting facts connected with that event. 
 Before closing the work it may be well to add a 
 few remarks, to aid the young reader in the for- 
 mation of a correct judgment concerning the 
 character and consequences of a revolution, 
 which has been the cause of such momentous 
 changes in the condition of Christendom. 
 
 In reading the history of the Reformation 
 care should be taken not to imbibe unjust and 
 false prejudices against the Romish Church. 
 That history necessarily exhibits many of the 
 worst errors, and the most abandoned supporters 
 of popery. To receive it therefore as containing 
 the whole truth in regard to the papal system, 
 would be a grent mistake. Corrupt as were the 
 prevalent ideas of Christianity, while Europe 
 was shrouded in the darkness of ignorance, and 
 gross as were the abuses introduced by those 
 who, to accomplish their own bad ends, took ad- 
 vantage of the superstitious credulity of the 
 
252 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 people, it is not to be supposed that no good 
 thing remained in the church. Among the op- 
 ponents of the Reformers were men of piety, 
 sincere in their attachment to the ancient faith, 
 and conscientious in their dread of innovations. 
 Many of the clergy were indeed wicked, many 
 of the monasteries the abodes of vice, and many 
 men clung to popery from base motives ; but 
 there were also those among the priesthood 
 whose lives were pure, there were religious 
 houses where God was worshipped in sincerity, 
 and man was loved as a brother, and, among the 
 thousands who adhered to the old religion, mul- 
 titudes undoubtedly did so from a belief that 
 it was true. This statement finds proof of its 
 correctness in the fact, that the most diligent and 
 pure-hearted among the Reformers came from 
 the bosom of the church. Luther, Melancthon, 
 Zwingle, Knox, and others, were once Catho- 
 lics ; and even in the darkest of the middle 
 ages we may believe that many a pure spirit 
 was illuminated and warmed by rays from the 
 " sun of righteousness." 
 
 Another error which some Protestant writers 
 have encouraged, and against which the reader 
 of the history of the Reformation ought to be 
 on his guard, is the impression that Roman 
 Catholics of the present day are necessarily 
 chargeable with the same faults, as the Roman 
 
CONCLUSION. 253 
 
 Catholics of former times. However far from 
 the simplicity of the Gospel and pure Christi- 
 anity the church of Rome in its government 
 and its doctrines may have wandered, it would 
 be wrong to imagine that it has remained always 
 the same, or been entirely unaffected by the 
 changes which have taken place in the world 
 within a few centuries. Catholics as well as 
 Protestants have been taught wisdom ; and the 
 former as well as the latter have been benefited 
 by the clearer light which has been shed upon 
 the page of Revelation ; and where they have 
 been placed on a footing with other sects, and 
 enjoyed the privileges of knowledge, they have 
 given to the world, bright examples of Christian 
 character. Justice demands that this should be 
 remembered in their favor, however much we 
 may deplore what seems to us their corrupt faith ; 
 and justice also demands that they be judged of 
 according to their own deeds and opinions, at 
 any particular period, and not be made to answer 
 for the sins or absurdities of their ancestors. It 
 is unfair and irrational to argue that, because in 
 an age of comparative darkness a church was 
 sadly corrupt, it must be equally so in an age of 
 greater knowledge. 
 
 Again, while discrimination and charity are 
 to be exercised towards the defenders of popery 
 in the sixteenth century, we are to avoid bestow- 
 22 
 
254 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 ing unqualified admiration upon its adversa- 
 ries. Gratitude for the blessings they were 
 instrumental in procuring has sometimes be- 
 trayed men into extravagant eulogy of the Re- 
 formers. It has been forgotten that they were 
 but men, fallible, imperfect men, who could not 
 be expected to throw off at once all the errors 
 which had been accumulating for centuries. 
 The time has come to read their history with an 
 impartial eye ; and he who does so read it must 
 see that they were guilty of many mistakes. 
 These, it is true, are to be attributed, for the 
 most part, to the circumstances in which they 
 were placed, and explained by a reference to the 
 character of the age in which they lived. But 
 still they are not on this account to be passed 
 over without exposure. The Protestant leaders 
 were at times violent, intolerant, and cruel. 
 They accomplished their ends, in some instan- 
 ces, by unjustifiable means and instruments. 
 While they abandoned many of the hoary false- 
 hoods of popery, they retained doctrines which 
 to us appear hardly less unscriptural and irra- 
 tional; while they withstood, even unto death, 
 the tyranny of Rome, they failed on more than 
 one occasion to remember that " charity is not 
 easily provoked.'' The obstinacy and ill-temper 
 of Luther, in refusing to meet the friendly ad- 
 vances of Zwingle ; the persecution of the 
 
CONCLUSION. 255 
 
 Anabaptists ; the martyrdom of Joan Bocher ; 
 the condemnation of Sir Thomas More ; the 
 destruction of the monasteries, and other sad 
 facts, are too plainly recorded on the page of his- 
 tory, to permit us, with all our reverence for the 
 noble virtues and heroic courage of some of their 
 number, to bestow unqualified praise upon the 
 Reformers. 
 
 But leaving the character of the Reformers to 
 be tried by the history of their deeds, we turn to a 
 more important question, and that is, what was 
 the result of their labors, or, in other words, in 
 what did the Reformation consist ? We will first 
 give what seems to us the true answer to this 
 inquiry, and afterwards throw out a few sugges- 
 tions to show its correctness. We say, then, that 
 the Reformation consisted in a denial of the su- 
 premacy of, and a separation from, the church of 
 Rome, and in the declaration of these two princi- 
 ples, namely : the sufficiency of the Scriptures, 
 and the right of private judgment. Other bene- 
 fits were gained, undoubtedly, by the great revo- 
 lution in the sixteenth century : but this one 
 statement includes all that was alike effected by 
 that event in the different countries in which it 
 took place, all that belongs to it as a whole, 
 all that can be justly esteemed its essence. And 
 even this was not the consequence of a distinct 
 plan and a definite purpose, clearly formed and 
 
256 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 systematically pursued by the Reformers ; for 
 the truth is, they had, at least in the outset, no 
 plan and no distinct purpose. Luther did not 
 think of denying the infallibility of the Pope, when 
 he began his attack upon Tetzel; Henry VIII. 
 was far from desiring a breach with Rome, when 
 he sued for a divorce from Catherine ; and it was 
 the influence they had over the king, rather than 
 any opposition to them as papists, which led the 
 Scottish nobles, in the reign of James V., to re- 
 gard the Catholic clergy as enemies. The Pro- 
 testants were, in fact, driven by circumstances 
 and by the tide of events over which they had no 
 control, to results which even they had by no 
 means anticipated. 
 
 The Reformation has been frequently repre- 
 sented as consisting in something more than we 
 have allowed. It has been said, that it was a 
 reform in the government of the church : and so 
 it was to some extent. But that this was not its 
 great result, is evident from the fact that no 
 common form in the administration of ecclesias- 
 tical affairs was adopted by the Protestants. 
 The churches of Switzerland, Germany, Eng- 
 land, and Scotland differed as much from each 
 other in their constitution, as they did from the 
 church of Rome. Again it has been contended 
 that the Reformation was a reformation in doc- 
 trine. That the study of the Scriptures opened 
 
CONCLUSION. 257 
 
 the eyes of men to many of the errors of popery, 
 and gave them more correct views of Christianity, 
 is not to be denied. But this was not the one 
 great result of the conflict with Catholicism; for 
 the Reformers agreed in the reception of no 
 common creed. Zwingle differed from Luther, 
 Luther from Knox, and all three of them from the 
 church of England, on many articles of belief. If 
 then the Reformation is to be regarded as con- 
 sisting in those points common to all who were 
 engaged in carrying it on, all of these are embra- 
 ced in the statement given above ; for all the 
 Protestants denied the supremacy of the Pope, and 
 contended that the Scriptures were the only rule 
 of faith and practice, and that every one had a 
 right to read and interpret them for himself. 
 
 We have said that two great principles were 
 declared by the Reformers ; but we do not mean 
 by this that they were fully acknowledged by 
 them in practice. For a long time previous to 
 the appearance of Zwingle and Luther, all Eu- 
 rope admitted the authority of the Romish 
 Church to settle all points of doctrine . Soon after 
 the conflict with the Pope in the sixteenth cen- 
 tury began, his claims to infallibility were found 
 to be groundless ; and his opponents declared that 
 the Scriptures were the only standard of divine 
 truth. This declaration was most true ; but those 
 who made it did not act up to it. They formed 
 
258 SKETCH OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 churches and bound them together by cqnfes- 
 sions of faith of their own manufacture, and then 
 treated as heretics all who did not receive their 
 paper creeds. While they denied the supremacy 
 of the Roman Pontiff, they erected some other 
 human power to lord it over men's consciences. 
 The care of religion was intrusted to the state, 
 and kings and parliaments were allowed to dic- 
 tate to the people what they should or should not 
 believe. Perfect toleration was almost as little 
 known among the early Protestants, as among 
 the friends of popery. 
 
 The above remarks are not made to censure 
 the Reformers. The step they took towards 
 religious liberty was, for them, a great step. 
 When we remember how recent was their escape 
 from the superstitions and tyranny of Rome, we 
 are ready to admit that they did as much as we 
 have a right to expect. In adverting therefore 
 to their want of entire fidelity to their own prin- 
 ciples, we only wish to guard the young reader 
 against the erroneous impression that they 
 finished the work which they commenced. They 
 struck the first successful blow, and gained the 
 first victory in the cause of religious liberty. 
 They began to remove those corruptions with 
 which Christianity had for a long time been 
 obscured, and to restore its original simplicity 
 and power. Since their day others have taken 
 
CONCLUSION. 259 
 
 up and carried forward the great work ; and 
 with each succeeding generation, we trust, a 
 nearer approach has been made to just concep- 
 tions of the rights of man, and the truth as it is 
 in Jesus. The spirit which animated the best of 
 the Reformers in the sixteenth century was com- 
 municated to their immediate posterity. It was 
 that spirit which bade the Pilgrims brave the 
 storms of a winter's ocean and seek on our rock- 
 bound COaSt FREEDOM TO WORSHIP GoD. 
 
 The solemn obligation felt by our fathers, and 
 to discharge which they endured and sacrificed 
 so much, now rests upon their descendants. 
 They are now in the place of the Reformers. 
 And every lover of man, every friend to truth, 
 every disciple of Christ, is called upon to pro- 
 mote the peace of the church and the progress 
 of undefiled religion, by a meek, yet firm resist- 
 ance to any and every attempt to elevate the 
 authority of man above the authority of the 
 Bible, or to arraign any human being for his 
 religious faith, before any tribunal, except that 
 of his conscience and his God. 
 
 END. 
 

YA 02882 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY