IV A commission of subalterns reporting on the practice CHAP of promotion in the army could doubtless make out a case that would look very bad, until it was met by A.D. 1532 explanations from the War Office; and a commission of suitors would probably report very unfavourably respecting the fees taken by officers of the Court of Chancery. If such commissions were pledged, moreover, to foregone conclusions by pressure from above to which they were willing to yield, we should not attach much weight to their reports. tions an tion Convocation, however, felt it necessary to take the Accusareport before us into their deliberate consideration, swered by and it was answered clause by clause. Probably the Convocabishops had already prepared the draft of an answer, and on this the reply of Convocation was founded. This reply was addressed to the King, and was agreed to in the upper house of Convocation on April 15th, in the lower on April 19th. It was presented to the King, who forwarded it to Speaker Audley with a significant notification that it was not to be accepted as satisfactory. "We think this answer," wrote the King, "will smally please you, for it seemeth to us very slender. You be a great sort of wise men; I doubt not you will look circumspectly on the matter, and we will be indifferent between you.' And yet, the address of Convocation was a very In an adfair reply to the charges brought against the bishops Crown and clergy. It was quite as long as the address of the Commons, necessarily recapitulating a great deal of what they had said. Instead of further burdening these pages, its substance only, therefore, may be given, especially as its text does not offer any further illustration of the abuses alleged against the Church. dress to the CHAP IV As regards the "discords, variance, and debate about religion, which the bishops and ordinaries are A. D. 1532 said to have caused, they reply that it is a mistake to charge them with these, since it is sufficiently evident that they have been caused by "evil disposed persons infected with the pestilent poison of heresy," and that when any of these have been dealt with by the bishops, the latter have only administered the laws they were obliged to administer, Analysis of and against those with whom to be at peace would the reply be to forego their duty. As to the canons ecclesiastical, the authority of the Convocation to make these is grounded on Holy Scripture and the authority of the Church, and these are the basis also of the laws which have been made. They do not believe that any canons can be found which cannot be justified by this rule and square, if honestly interpreted according to the sense of their imposers: but, if such are to be found, they will not be remiss in reforming them according to the determination of Scripture and the Church. So, also, they hope in God, and will daily pray that the King will, if like cause appear, advise with his Parliament for the purpose of tempering secular laws to the same standard of Scripture and the Church; "whereby shall ensue a most sure and hearty conjunction and agreement; God being lapis angularis." In such It is impossible to pass by the wanton manner in which this is perverted by Mr. Froude, who represents that the bishops called upon the king to remove any discrepancies between the civil and ecclesiastical laws by altering the former till they agreed with the latter. "His Majesty," says this historian," was desired to produce 4 the wished for uniformity by altering the laws of the Realm; and although the Bishops might not submit their laws to his Majesty's approval, they would be happy, they told him, to consider such suggestions as he might think proper to make." Froude's History of England, i. 225. IV things as specially belong to their duty as certainly CHAP prescribed to them by God they cannot waive their responsibility: yet, they humbly desire the King A.D. 1532 to state to them his "mind and opinion" as he has hitherto done, and they will most gladly give effect to his wishes and directions if it should please God to inspire them to do so. The last expression is used with reference, it need hardly be said, to the recognised principle that a synod of bishops, or of bishops and clergy, solemnly and lawfully assembled, is under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. In respect to the extortions alleged against them, the reply states that no cases are known to them in which there has been any deviation from the law. But they desire it to be remembered that though "God of His spiritual goodness assisteth His Church, and inspireth by the Holy Ghost, as we verily trust, such rules and laws as tend to the wealth of His elect folk; yet upon considerations to man unknown, His infinite wisdom leaveth or permitteth men to walk in their infirmity and frailty; so that we cannot, nor will not, arrogantly presume of ourselves, as though being in name spiritual men, we were also in all our acts and doings clean and void from all temporal affections and carnality of this world; or that the laws of the Church made for spiritual and ghostly purpose be not sometime applied to worldly intent." Nevertheless, the offenders and offences should be specified; "for though in multis offendimus omnes, as St. James saith, yet not in omnibus offendimus omnes, and the whole number can neither justify nor condemn particular acts to them unknown but thus." See Act of Uniformity [2 & 3 Edw. VI. c. i.] for its recognition. (CHAP IV Respecting heresy, the bishops and clergy reply, that they are thankful to say no notable cases have A.D. 1532 arisen in their time, in which the person or the circumstances could have given any ground for a charge of unfairness. It is true, that some far from respectable foreigners, "certain apostates, friars, monks, lewd priests, bankrupt merchants, vagabonds, and lewd, idle fellows of corrupt intent, have embraced the abominable and erroneous opinions lately sprung in Germany, and by them some have been seduced in simplicity and ignorance." If any wrong has been done to those so seduced, or if, on the other hand, the bishops themselves have been remiss in doing their duty, right ought to be done; but no cases had been specified by the Commons, and mere general charges were difficult to answer. Of one thing the clergy are certain, that there is no necessity for making "the more dreadful and terrible laws against heresy, which the House of Commons desires for the statutes are quite sufficient as they stand." Archbishop Warham makes his own reply to the charges respecting extortion in his courts, and says that he had sometime ago reduced some of the fees of the officers by half and two-thirds, and others he had extinguished altogether. But he reminds the King that the civil lawyers are constantly employed on public business, with reference to treaties, truces, confederations, and leagues devised and concluded with foreign courts: and that, if their profession is It is curious to observe that persecuting measures have so frequently been initiated by the laity. Further illustrations of the fact will be found in what is said respecting the "Act of the Six Articles" in this and in Queer Mary's reign. discouraged, the want of such learned men would be CHAP a great national loss. To all the other charges the Convocation replies substantially by saying, that if they could be proved no doubt the wrong-doers ought to be punished; but they imply that in their opinion the Commons have much exaggerated their grievances, and have made their charges general because they could not prove them against any particular persons, or in any definite instances. IV A. D. 1532 answered This reply of the Convocation to the attack thus The Com made upon the clergy by a dominant faction in the mons fairly House of Commons, bears abundant marks of being framed by just-minded men, who had a keen sense of their responsibility to God for the due execution of their offices. It explained some of the charges, and showed that they were made on mistaken grounds: it justified others on the plea that the law enjoined and compelled the ordinaries to do that of which complaints were made; and it claimed for the clergy, equally with the Commons, a desire for justice to be done on any proved offenders. It was such a reply as should have met with respectful attention, and have led to further inquiry. But it was not at all But the` what the King wanted, so he sent it down to the speaker with the contemptuous message previously regarded given, and then acted as if it had never been written. What the King did want was that the Convocation should commit itself to so entire a subjugation of its authority to the control of the Crown that there should be no possibility of its maintaining the freedom of the Church against the tyranny of the King. The King's He therefore caused a form of "submission" to be ultimatum set before the Convocation, through Fox, Bishop of clergy P answer utterly dis to the |