and sessions, but in the end of the matter nothing cometh forth," nothing, that is, compared to what must be before the country could be restored to tranquillity and prosperity.

The sermon on covetousness, from which frequent quotation has been made, was the last preached by Latimer before the king (Lent 1550). But he was not silent. According to Augustus Bernher, his Swiss attendant and faithful friend, the man to whom we owe much for his loving gathering together and editing of his master's sermons, he preached twice every Sunday throughout the reign of Edward, with rare exceptions; and there have been preserved a certain number of these sermons, preached in Lincolnshire, at Grimsthorpe Castle, the house of the Duchess of Suffolk, who is spoken of as a great professor and patroness of true religion and an excellent woman.2 Whether before the king or the duchess, whether in London or Lincoln, the preacher's theme was ever the same; he always harped on the social evils prevalent everywhere, and called men to reform their ways and to practise their Christian principles. And, indeed, there was now, no less than before, need for this voice crying for reform. The Council, indeed, was mainly composed of men who nominally were of the reforming party, but in very truth many of them had no sort of religious principle, and only cared for their own advancement, for their own power, and not at all for the true good of the country. Somerset had fallen, and had expiated his offences on the scaffold, and the chief power was now in the hands of the Duke of Northumberland, hands very far from 1 Sermons, p. 320. 2 Strype, M. ii. i. 202.

clean. He showed himself severe indeed against all the supporters of Somerset, and was ready to visit their offences with heavy punishment; but the country was none the better, for he himself took advantage of his position to help himself to the public funds, and his family and friends to no small spoil. It is true that King Edward began to take a more active part in affairs, and showed that he had not been altogether unaffected by the many discourses against social evils to which he had listened during his young life. He appointed commissions of inquiry, and made various efforts after reform, but he did not live long enough to do much. He had never been strong, and it is not unlikely that the part he had to take in public affairs was too much for his weakly constitution. On the 6th of July 1553 he died, his last act being the formal disinheriting of his sisters in favour of Lady Jane Grey. This, of course, was done at the instigation of Northumberland, who felt that all his hopes depended on his securing the succession to his own household; and this he helped to accomplish by marrying his son to Lady Jane Grey, and persuading the king that on her succession depended the safety of the reformed religion. By threats or persuasions, but chiefly by the earnest appeals of the dying boyking, many very important men, and among them the Archbishop of Canterbury, were induced to sign the paper drawn up by Northumberland, an act of folly to be bitterly repented and atoned for. It is not necessary to enter into details as to the manner in which Northumberland's plans were frustrated, and his unfortunate victim, Lady Jane, brought to a tragic end.

Suffice it to say, Mary was proclaimed

queen amidst the acclamations of the nation, who rallied round her as the daughter of Henry, and who were in no mind to submit any longer to Northumberland and his friends. He was no favourite, and Mary was her father's daughter. It was speedily manifest that her claim was acknowledged; she was queen by virtue of her father's will, and the deed left by the dying Edward was null and of no effect.

CHAPTER V

THE Protestant party had little to expect at the hands of Mary. An ardent Catholic by training, the circumstances of her early life had not been such as were likely to incline her to tolerance. It was hardly possible to expect that the daughter of Catherine of Aragon could feel anything but bitterness towards those who had caused such suffering to her mother. Politically she seemed at first inclined to leniency, though strongly advised to severity by Renard, the Spanish ambassador, who was one of her chief counsellors. His great desire was not reconciliation with Rome, but the establishment of Mary's position as queen and the strengthening of the friendly relations between England and Spain. Despite his urgency, however, Mary showed herself in no great haste to rid herself permanently of her gentle rival, Lady Jane. It would seem that she was only finally convinced of this necessity by the rising of Wyatt, some eight months after her accession. Then, indeed, she listened to the insistent advice of Renard and Gardiner, and consented to the execution of the youthful Lady Jane and her husband.

In religious matters, Mary's spirit was very different. Here she needed no stirring up, no in

citing to vigorous action; on the contrary, Renaud, with his mind intent on the political crisis of the country, and seeing very clearly that the nation as a whole was far from inclined to return to allegiance to Rome, did his best to check and control Mary's zeal and ardour. She was, however, not unsupported, for she had the full sympathy and enthusiastic counsel of her cousin, Cardinal Pole, a man even more zealous than herself, if that were possible, in the cause of Rome, even more determined to haste and precipitancy in the matter of the restoration of the papal power. Her first measures were to restore

the bishops who were favourable to the old religion, to sanction the restoration of the Roman mass, and to forbid all general preaching, granting a licence to those preachers only who were well known to be inclined to Rome. The alarm of the Protestants can easily be imagined. It was rumoured that Cranmer himself was so untrue to his principles as to have offered to "sing the Mass and Requiem at the burial of the king, either before the queen or at St. Paul's Church, or anywhere else, and that he had said or restored Mass in Canterbury." He hastened to publish a declaration denying the accusation, and maintaining the principles of the Prayer-Book and of Protestantism. Mary could forgive anything but heresy; Cranmer had signed the deed of Edward VI., willing away the crown from his sister, an act she might very well have resented and fairly enough have punished as treason, but she had to all appearance forgiven that, for the archbishop had been left undisturbed; but now her resentment was roused effectually, and he was committed to the Tower. The