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lay down the Government, and expect what he, in his clemency, might think fit to decide.

In addition to these misunderstandings, and the war with France which still continued, it was a source of equal uneasiness to Elizabeth that Philip, fearing the union of England, France, and Scotland, under Mary Stuart, offered her his hand. The acceptance of this honorable offer would evidently have led to the Pope's recognition of her legitimacy and hereditary right-to his permission for the marriage with the King of Spain, his powerful support against France, and the entire setting aside of her dangerous rival: Philip too had formerly conducted himself in such a manner towards Elizabeth, that he believed himself to have some claim, if not to her affection, yet to her gratitude. On the other hand, there were many objections to the plan; Philip calculated that Elizabeth would remain a Roman Catholic, and maintain that religion in England, even against the will of her subjects. He was as nearly related to her as Henry VIII. to Catharine of Arragon. If Elizabeth left it to the Pope to decide the question of her legitimacy, she would acknowledge the superiority of his right and the uncertainty of her own. If she obtained his permission for a marriage with Philip, it would be liable to no less objections than those of Julius II. in the case of Henry VIII., and what if Paul, yielding to the in

stigation of France, should declare against Elizabeth, and in favour of the hereditary right of Mary? But independently of all these considerations, the Queen would not, upon any terms, make herself odious to her people, and dependent upon a foreign bigoted Sovereign. She gave Philip a grateful answer, politely declining his offer, with which the latter seemed, for the present, to be satisfied.

The Parliament met on the 25th of January, 1559, recognized, and solemnly confirmed, Elizabeth's right of succession to the throne, and then immediately turned its attention to religious affairs. In consequence of several representations on the part of the convocation, in favour of the old doctrine, religious conferences were commenced in March, between the Protestants and Catholics. The latter, being now deprived of their power, behaved very differently from what they had done in the time of Mary, and declared, refusing all changes, that their doctrine was immutable. After the Catholics had thus retired, their adversaries were doubly active, though their views again differed on this question, whether the Reformation should be at once effected in all its parts upon Calvinistic principles, or whether every thing that remained from ancient times, and was at all suitable to the present state of things, should be retained.

Meantime the Pope had indeed dropped his demand of supremacy over England, but required

that no change should be made in ecclesiastical affairs. The observation of the English Ambassador, Cairne, that he would meet with compliance as soon as he declared the marriage of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn to be valid, was considered, by Paul, as an affront; and Elizabeth, fully sensible of the inclination of the majority of her subjects, now paid no further regard to the Roman Court, though she was personally disposed rather to recede, than to advance in comparison with the Reformation of Edward VI. It having been proposed in Parliament to restore the tithes and first-fruits to the Crown, and again to give the Queen the highest authority in ecclesiastical affairs, the Archbishop of York, among others, declared, "If every King, as such, is head of the Church, then even Herod and Nero were so; if it must be a Christian King, then the Church had no head till Constantine. And shall he possess all ecclesiastical rights, even that of binding and loosing?" The opinions of the Parliament, however, were so protestant, or rather ultra royal, that in the Upper House only eight Bishops and two Lords, and in the Lower House scarcely any members opposed these laws, though many of those who now assented, had voted very differently under Mary. Whoever denied the royal supremacy in ecclesiastical affairs, was, for the first offence, to forfeit his property; for the second, to be liable to the penalties of præmunire, and for the third, to be punished as a

traitor.(22) Soon afterwards, the right of regulating the mode of divine worship and the liturgy, and the establishment of a court of high commission for all ecclesiastical affairs, seemed to be a necessary consequence. (23) Though heresy was to be punished only according to the Bible, to the resolutions of the general assemblies of the Church, and the decisions of Parliament, there was still scope enough for the exercise of arbitrary power:-for the Queen was empowered, with this tribunal which was entirely dependent upon her, and without the participation of the convocation, to make laws on matters of faith, church discipline and customs, to convoke synods, to confirm or reject their resolutions, to appoint Bishops, and to decide on all appeals in the last instance. Many Catholics took great offence at this transfer of ecclesiastical authority to a temporal sovereign, and a foreign Ambassador said with horror, "I have seen the head of the English Church dance."

Of nine thousand four hundred clergymen, fourteen bishops, fifteen heads of colleges, twelve archdeacons, and as many deans, fifty prebendaries and about eighty rectors and vicars resigned their benefices, or lost them because they would not submit to the new laws on the supremacy, and the liturgy, confirmed by Parliament. (24) The Queen, however, proceeded much more slowly and calmly in the execution, than the Parliament in passing these new

laws, and even the violent Calvin advised neither to act with precipitation, nor to neglect the establishment of truth and justice. By this moderation, disturbances were prevented: when, however, several powers requested Elizabeth would grant the Catholics complete religious liberty, which they, however, refused to their Protestant subjects, she first justified the new principles, then promised to treat the Catholics with lenity, and added in the spirit of those times, (25) with respect to the concession of entire freedom of religious worship, this would be only to confound the two religions, to disturb the minds of the good, to encourage the efforts of the heads of parties, to confuse the state and religion, and to mingle things divine and human together. It would be a real evil, a very bad example, dangerous to the Protestants; neither advantageous to the persons favoured, nor affording them any real security.

Elizabeth graciously received the grant of the necessary taxes, but to the wish that she would marry, she answered evasively, saying, "I am married to England, my people are my family; and the epitaph, Elizabeth lived and died a virgin Queen, will one day be my glory. This answer appeared at once flattering and modest, and Elizabeth behaved with so much prudence, affability, and condescension, joining in diversions and amusements, but without the smallest abatement of her dignity, that

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