rity of the see of Rome was appointed to be taken, expressed in these words:

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"I, A. B. do utterly testify and declare in my "conscience, that the king's majesty is the only 66 supreme governor of this realm, and of all other "his highness's dominions and countries, as well "in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes, "as temporal; and that no foreign prince, person, .46 prelate, state or potentate, hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence "or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within the "realm and therefore, I do utterly renounce and "forsake all foreign jurisdictions, powers, superi"orities, and authorities; and do promise that, from "henceforth, I will bear faith and true allegiance to "the king's highness, his heirs and lawful successors, and to my power will assist and defend all

jurisdictions, privileges, pre-eminences, and au"thorities, granted and belonging to the king's "highness his heirs or successors, or limited and "annexed to the imperial crown of the realm."

In a future part of this work, some observations will be offered on the nature of the supremacy conferred on Henry by this act at present, it only remains to add, that, immediately after it passed, the king issued a proclamation, commanding the supremacy to be preached in the most frequented auditories, and taught to little children; enjoining farther, that the pope's name should be erased out of all books: and that he should be treated no otherwise than as an ordinary bishop. "We have

seen," say the writers of the Parliamentary History*, "several books, printed before this time, "wherein the word 'pope,' is entirely obliterated;

particularly one in our collection,-Fabian's "Chronicle,-in which the name of 'pope' is "blotted out by a pen, throughout the volume. It "is probable the booksellers durst not sell them, "without this alteration."

CHAP. XV.

CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS ON THE STATUTES, REGULATING THE SUCCESSION TO THE CROWN, AND CONFERRING ON HENRY THE EIGHTH THE TITLE OF SUPREME HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

THESE statutes,-(the 25th and 26th of Henry the eighth),-have been mentioned. The oath, prescribed by the former, was generally taken; the title, conferred by the latter, was generally admitted:-I. But both were refused by cardinal Fisher;-II. Sir Thomas More ;-III. and some others. For their refusals to take the oath of supremacy, they were capitally condemned and

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XV. 1.

Bishop Fisher.

THE most memorable of these victims, were Fisher and sir Thomas More. Fisher suffered first in his praise, both Englishmen and foreigners, both the friends and the enemies of the reformation, are united: Erasmus represents him as a man of consummate integrity, profound learning, incredible sweetness of temper, and grandeur of soul: "All," say the authors of the Biographia Britannica, “acknowledge that he was a sober man ; pious, temperate, and charitable; learned, and "an encourager of learning." Margaret, countess of Richmond, mother of Henry the seventh, chose him for her confessor: his whole study, says one of our historians*, was to put her upon such undertakings as became her exalted station and his own character. She employed large sums of money in discharging prisoners, portioning young women, and providing for indigent families. By his persuasion, she founded the noble colleges of Christ, and St. John, in Cambridge; and Fisher largely contributed to the expense of enlarging and completing the latter; he founded in it two fellowships, a lectureship of Hebrew, a lectureship of Greek, four examining readers, and four under readers, to relieve the principal. He augmented the commons, and presented the college with his library. He was elected chancellor of the university. At first, he was greatly favoured by Henry, * Dodd's Church History, vol i. p. 154.

who called him, "the honour of his nation," and asked cardinal Pole, on his return from the continent, "whether he had found, in all his travels, a person, either in virtue or learning, comparable "with the bishop of Rochester." The monarch raised him to that see; and afterwards offered to promote him to the wealthier sees of Lincoln and Ely: but, in conformity to the language and spirit of the canons, Fisher declined the promotion.

He was unluckily implicated in the practices of Elizabeth Barton, commonly called "the Maid "of Kent." By an appearance of sanctity and pretended revelations, as well as by the co-operation of some weak and some designing men, she imposed upon many, and even obtained the esteem of several respectable persons. Among these, were Warham the archbishop of Canterbury, and Fisher. She declaimed against the king's divorce and supremacy; and prophesied, that his sins would speedily be visited by the judgment of Heaven. The king caused her, and her principal accomplices, to be arrested: they were brought before the star chamber, confessed their guilt, and suffered for it. An act of attainder was passed against Fisher, and some others, for being acquainted with her practices, and not making them known to the king. To exculpate himself, Fisher addressed a letter to the house of lords, in which he admitted his having been told by her, that it had been revealed to her by God, that, if Henry persevered in his irreligious measures, he would not, in seven months, be any longer king of England. Fisher

seems to acknowledge that he thought favourably of her and her revelations; and excuses himself for not having apprised the king of them, in consequence of her assurance, that she herself had already done so; and because he understood, that the event, whatsoever it might be, was to be produced, not by any human means, but by the immediate intervention of the Almighty.

Sir Thomas More had casually conversed with her; but he appears to have listened to her with distrust. He wrote her a letter of advice: it was so little favourable to the supposition of her extraordinary sanctity, that, when her advocates endeavoured, during the reign of queen Mary, to sanctify the memory of the Maid, they thought it advisable to suppress it. On this account, but not without some difficulty, sir Thomas More was left out of the bill of attainder; and suffered to remain at large.

The confinement of bishop Fisher was rigorous: he was stripped of his clothes, and, to copy the words of Hume, "notwithstanding his extreme

age, was allowed nothing but rags, which scarcely "covered his nakedness. In this condition, he lay in prison about a twelvemonth; when the

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pope, willing to recompense the sufferings of so “faithful an adherent, created him cardinal." This promotion roused the indignation of the king; and he was resolved to display the force of his resentment: Fisher was indicted for denying the king's supremacy; and soon after tried, condemned, and executed.