Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

291
Attainder
of Norfolk
and Surry.
292
Henry dies,
and is fuc-
ceedcd by
Edward VI.
2 93
’Reforma¬
tion com¬
pleted.
ENG [ 1
txoner, tvlio aimed many fruitlefs blows at her neck
before he was able to put an end to her life. Soon after
her, the lord Leonard Grey was likewife executed for
treafon, but we have very little account of this tranfac-
tion.
The la ft inftances of the king’s injuftice and cruelty
were the duke of Norfolk and his fon the earl of
Surry. The former had ferved the king with fidelity,
and the latter was a young man of the moft promilxng
hopes. His qualifications, however, were no fecurity
againft the violence of Henry’s temper. He had drop¬
ped fome expreflions of refentment againft the king’s
minifters, who had difplaced him from the government
of Boulogne ; and the whole family had become ob¬
noxious on account of the late queen Catharine Ho¬
ward. From thefe motives, orders were given to arreft
both the father and fon ; and accordingly they were
arrefted both on the fame day, and confined to the
Tower. The duchefs-dowager of Richmond, Surry’s
own After, was among the number of his accufers 5
and Sir Richard Southwell alfo his moft intimate
friend, charged him with infidelity to the king. Surry
denied the charge, and challenged his accufer to a
fingle combat. This favour was denied him 5 and,
notwithftanding his eloquent and fpirited defence, he
was condemned and executed at Tower-hill.—The duke
of Norfolk vainly endeavoured to mollify the king by
letters and fubmiflions. An attainder was found againft
him, though the only crime his accufers could allege
was, that he had once faid that the king wras fickly, and
could not hold out long ; and that the kingdom was
likely to be torn between the contending parties of dif¬
ferent perfuafions. Cranmer, though engaged for many
vears in an oppofite party to that of Norfolk, and
though he had received many and great injuries from
him, would have no hand in fuch an unjuft profecu-
tion but retired to his feat at Croydon. The death-
warrant, however, was made out, and immediately
fent to the lieutenant of the Tower; but a period
was put to the cruelties and violence of the king by
his death, which happened on the 14th of January
1547, the night before Norfolk was to have been exe¬
cuted.
Henry was fucceeded by his only fon Edward, a
boy of nine years of age. The moft remarkable tranf-
actions of his reign are thofe with regard to religion.
The reftraint which Henry VIII. had laid upon the
Proteftants was now taken off; and they not only main¬
tained their doftrines openly, but foon became the
prevailing party. Henry had fixed the majority of his
fon at 18 years of age*, and, in the mean time, ap¬
pointed 16 executors of his will, to whom, during the
minority, he entrufted the government of the king
and kingdom. This will, he imagined, would be
obeyed as implicitly after his death as though he had
been alive. But the firft aft of the executors was to
choofe the earl of Hertford, afterwards duke of Somer-
fet, proteftor of the realm *, and in him was lodged all
the regal power, together with a privilege of naming
whom he pleafed for his privy council.
The duke of Somerfet had long been reckoned a
fecret partifan of the reformers ; and immediately on
his elevation to his prefent high dignity, began to ex-
prefs his intention of reforming the abufes of the an¬
cient religion. Under his direftion and that of Cran-
5
17 ] ENG
mer, therefore, the reformation was carried forward England,
and completed. The only perfon of confequence ^ 1
w'ho oppofed the reformers was Gardiner biftiop of TS47*
Winehelter ; and, to the difgrace of their own prin¬
ciples, the reformers now fhowed that they could
perfecute as feverely as the Papilts had formerly per- 294
fecuted them. Gardiner was committed to the Fleet The refor-
prifon, where he was treated with great feverity. He mers l)erl~e~
was afterwards fent to tire Tower: and having con-^^6 ^
tinned there two years, he was commanded to fubferibe
feveral articles, among which was one confeffing the
juftice of his own imprifonment. To all the articles
but this he agreed to. fubferibe; but that did not give
fatisfaftion. He was then committed to clofe cuftody ;
his books and papers were feized ; all company was
denied him, and he was not even permitted the ufe of
pen and ink. The bilhops of Chichefter, Worcefter,
and Exeter, were in like manner deprived of their offi¬
ces 5 but the biffiops of Llandaff, Salifbury, and Co¬
ventry, efcaped by facrificing the moft confiderable {hare
of their revenues. The libraries of Weltminfter and
Oxford were ordered to be ranfacked, and purged of
the Romifti legends, miffals, and other fuperftitious vo¬
lumes ; in which fearch, great devaftation was made
even in ufeful literature. Many volumes clafped in
filver wrere deftroyed for the fake of their rich bindings j
many of geometry and aftronomy were fuppofed to be
magical, and deftroyed on that account; while the
members of the univerfity, unable to put a flop to thefe
ravages, trembled for their own fafety. *
The reformers, however, were not contented with
feverities of this kind. A commiffion was granted to
the primate and others, to fearch after all Anabaptifts,
heretics, or contemners of the new liturgy. Among
the numbers v’ho were found guilty upon this occalion,
was one Joan Boucher, commonly called Joan of Kent;
who was fo very obftinate, that the commiffioners could
make no impreffion upon her. She maintained an ab-
ftrufe metaphylical fentiment, that Chrift, as man, was
a finful man 5 but, as the Word, he was free from fin,
and could be fubjeft to none of the frailties of the
fleffi with which he was clothed. For maintaining
this doftrine, the poor woman was condemned to be
burnt to death as a heretic. The young king, who-
it feems had more fenfe than his teachers, refufed at
firft to fign the death-wTarrant: but at laft, being over¬
come by the importunities of Cranmer, he reluftant-
ly complied 5 declaring, that if he did wrong, the fin
fhould be on the head of thofe who had perfuaded him
to it. The primate, after making another unfuccefsful
effort to reclaim the woman from her opinions, com¬
mitted her to the flames. Some time after, one Van
Paris, a Dutchman was condemned to death for Aria-
nifm. He fuffered with fo much fatisfaftion, that he
hugged and careffed the faggots that were confuming
him.
The reft of this reign affords only the hiftory of in¬
trigues and cabals of the courtiers one againft another.
The proteftor was firft oppofed by his own brother
Admiral Sir Thomas Seymour, who had married Ca¬
tharine Parr the late king’s widow7. She died foon af¬
ter the marriage 5 and he then made his addreffes to
the princefs Elizabeth, who is faid not to have been
averfe to the match. His brother the duke, who
was at that time in the north, being informed of
his