ted by all, as his early virtues gave a profpect of the continuance of a happy reign. UPON the death of Edward, two candidates put in their pretentions to the crown. Mary, Henry's daughter by Catharine of Arragon, relying on the juftice of her caufe; and lady Jane Grey, being nominated in the late young king's will, and upon the fupport of the duke of Nortumberland, her father-in-law. Mary was frongly bigoted to the popifh fuperftitions, having been bred up among churchmen, and having been even taught to prefer martyrdom to a denial of belief. As the had lived in continual reftraint, fhe was referved and gloomy; fhe had, even during the life of her father, the refolu. tion to maintain her fentiments, and refufed to comply with his new inftitutions. Her zeal had rendered her furious, and fhe was not only blindly attached to her religous opinions, but even to the popifh clergy who main tained them. On the other hand, Jane Grey was ftrong ly attached to the reformers; and though yet but fixteen H 2 her her judgment had attained to fuch a degree of maturity, as few have been found to poffefs. All hiftorians agree that the folidity of her understanding, improved by continual application, rendered her the wonder of her age. Jane, who was in a great measure ignorant of all the tranfactions in her favour, was ftruck with equal grief and furprise, when the received intelligence of them. She fhed a flood of tears, appeared inconfolable, and it was not without the utmost difficulty that fhe yielded to the entreaties of Northumberland, and the duke her father. Orders were given alfo for proclaiming her throughout the kingdom; but thefe were but very remifsly obeyed. When he was proclaimed in the city, the people heard her acceffion made public without any figns of pleasure, no applause enfued, and fome even expreffed their fcorn and contempt. In the mean time Mary, who had retired, upon the news of the king's death, to Kenning Hall in Norfolk, fent circular letters to all the great towns and nobility in the kingdom, reminding them of her right, and commanding them to proclaim her without delay. Her claims foon became irresistible; in a little time she found herself at the head of forty- thousand men; while the few who attended Northumberland continued irrefolute; and he even feared to lead them to the encounter. Lady Jane, thus finding that all was loft, refigned her royalty, which he had held but ten days, with marks of real fatisfaction, and retired with her mother to their own habitation. Northumberland also, who found his affairs defperate, and that it was impoffible to ftem the tide of popular oppofition, attempted to quit the kingdom; but he was prevented by the band of penfioner guards, who informed him that he muft ftay to justify their conduct in being led out against their lawful fovereign. Thus circumvented on all fides, he delivered himself up to Mary, and was foon after executed in a fummary way. Sentence was alfo pronounced against lady Jane and lord Guildford, but without any intention for the prefent of putting it in execution. Mary now entered London, and, with very little effufion of blood, faw herfelf joyfully proclaimed and peace. ably ably fettled on the throne. This was a flattering prof pect, but foon this pleafing phantom was diffolved. Mary was morofe, and a bigot; fhe was refolved to give back their former power to the clergy; and thus once more to involve the kingdom in all the horrors it had juft emerged from. Gardiner, Tonftal, Day, Heath, and Vefey, who had been confined, or fuffered loffes, for their catholic opinions, during the late reigns, were taken from prifon, reinftated in their fees, and their former fentences repealed. A parliament, which the queen called foon after, feemed willing to concur in all her meafures; they at one blow repealed all the ftatutes with regard to religion, which had paffed during the reign of her predeceffors fo that the national religion was again placed on the fame footing on which it stood at the death of Henry the Eighth. While religion was thus turning to its primitive abuses, the queen's minifters, who were willing to ftrengthen her power by a catholic alliance, had been for fome time looking out for a proper confort: they pitched upon Philip, prince of Spain, and fon to the celebrated Charles the Fifth. In order to avoid, as much as poffible, any difagreeable remonftrances from the people, the articles of marriage were drawn as favourable as poffible to the interefts and honour of England; and this in fome meafure ftilled the clamours that had already been begun against it. The difcontents of the people rofe to fuch a pitch that an infurrection, headed by Sir Thomas Wyat, fucceeded; but Wyat being made prifoner, was condemned and executed, with fome of his adherents. But what excited the compaffion of the people most of all was the execution of lady Jane Grey, and her husband lord Guildford Dudley, who were involved in the punishment, though not in the guilt, of this infurrection. Two days after Wyat was apprehended, lady Jane and her hufband were ordered to prepare for death. Lady Jane, who had long before feen the threatening blow, was no way furprised at the meffage, but bore it with heroic refolution; H 3 folution; and being informed that the had three days to prepare, the feemed difpleafed at so long a delay. On the day of her execution her husband defired permiffion to fee her; but this fhe refufed, as the knew the parting would be too tender for her fortitude to withstand. The place at firft defigned for their execution was without the Tower; but their youth, beauty, and innocence, being likely to raise an infurrection among the people, orders were given that they should be executed within the verge of the Tower. Lord Dudley was the first that suffered; and while the lady Jane was conducting to the place of execution, the officers of the Tower met her bearing along the headlefs body of her husband ftreaming with blood, in order to be interred in the Tower-chapel. She looked on the corpfe for fome time without any emotion; and then, with a figh, defired them to proceed. On the scaffold the made a speech, in which the alledged that her of fence was not the having laid her hand upon the crown, but the not rejecting it with fufficient conftancy; that she had lefs erred through ambition than filial obedience; and fhe willingly accepted death as the only atonement fhe Could make to the injured ftate; and was ready by her punishment to fhew, that innocence is no plea in excufe for deeds that tend to injure the community. After fpeaking to this effect, the caufed herself to be difrobed by her women, and with a steady, ferene countenance, fubmitted to the executioner. At the head of those who drove thefe violent measures forward were Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, and cardinal Pole, who was now returned from Italy. Pole, who was nearly allied by birth to the royal family, had always confcientioufly adhered to the catholic religion, and had incurred Henry's difpleasure, not only by refusing to affent to his measures, but by writing against him. It was for this adherence, that he was cherished by the pope, and now fent over to England as legate from the holy fee. Gardiner was a man of a very different character; his chief aim was to pleafe the reigning prince, and he had fhewn already many inftances of his prudent conformity. A perfecution therefore began by the martyrdom of Hooper, Hooper, bishop of Glouceftér, and Rogers, prebendary of St. Paul's. They were examined by commiffioners appointed by the queen, with the chancellor at the head of them. Saunders and Taylor, two other clergymen, whofe zeal had been diftinguished in carrying on the reformation, were the next that fuffered. Bonner, bishop of London, bloated at once with rage and luxury, let loofe his vengeance without reftraint; and feemed to take a pleasure in the pains of the unhappy fufferers; while the queen, by her letters, exhorted him to purfue the pious work without pity or interruption. Soon after, in obedience to her commands, Ridley, bithop of London, and the venerable Latimer, bishop of Worcester, were condemned together. Ridley had been one of the ableft champions for the reformation; his piety, learning, and folidity of judgment, were admired by his friends, and dreaded by his enemies. The night before his execution, he invited the mayor of Oxford and his wife to see him; and when he beheld them melted into tears, he himself appeared quite unmoved, inwardly fupported and comforted in that hour of agony. When he was brought to the ftake to be burnt, he found his old friend Latimer there before him. Of all the prelates of that age, Latimer was the moft remarkable for his unaffected piety, and the fimpli city of his manners. He had never learnt to flatter in courts; and his open rebuke was dreaded by all the great, who at that time too much deferved it. His fermons, which remain to this day, fhew that he had much learning, and much wit; and there is an air of fincerity run. ning through them, not to be found elfewhere. When Ridley began to comfort his ancient friend, Latimer, on his part, was as ready to return the kind office: "Be of good cheer, brother, cried he, we fhall this day kindle fuch a torch in England, as, I trust in God, fhall never be extinguished." A furious bigot afcended to preach to them and the people, while the fire was preparing: and Ridley gave a moft serious attention to his difcourfe. No way distracted by the preparations about him, he heard him to the laft: and then told him, that he was ready to |