Son of God, who was himself the arbiter of the contest. The Church owes you a debt of gratitude, and will continue to owe it, to the latest posterity. I entirely assent to your judgment. I also affirm that your magistrates have acted justly, inasmuch as they have put a blasphemer to death, after a solemn and judicial trial."

The instrument, by which Joan Bocher was delivered to the secular arm, professed that this was done "with anguish of heart, and bitterness of spirit '.' That, with Cranmer, this was not mere formulary language, will readily be presumed by all, who have an ear for the story of his benevolent and amiable life. He joined, it is true, in a deed of cruel persecution. But he did it ignorantly, and in compliance with principles, which, for so many ages, had shut the gates of mercy on the reputed enemies to sound religious belief. In this, and in some few other instances, his fault was principally the growth of the period in which he lived; while his excellencies were more peculiarly and personally his own. It is gratifying to know, that as he advanced in knowledge and experience, he was enabled, partially at least, to emancipate himself from prejudices, which had long given a sanguinary aspect to the blessed religion of his Saviour.

1 "Cum animi amaritudine, et cordis dolore," is the language of the certificate of her conviction, addressed to the King.Burn. vol. ii. Rec. No. 35.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

Cranmer's Protestation against the authority of the Pope; in English.

THE original Latin of Cranmer's Protestation is in Cranmer's Register, Lambeth library, fol. 4. It is printed in Strype's Cranmer, Appendix, No. v. The following is a translation of it:

"In the name of God, Amen. I Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury elect, do before you, persons of authority and credible witnesses, here present, say, allege, and, by this present instrument in writing, openly, publicly, and expressly protest, that--whereas before my consecration, or at the time thereof, I am obliged to take the oath, or oaths, usually taken by the Archbishops of Canterbury elect to the Pope, for form' sake, rather than for any essentiality or obligation there is in the thing, in order to my obtaining the same: It neither is, nor shall be, my will or intention to oblige myself by the said oath, or oaths, howsoever the same may seem to be worded, to any thing hereafter to be said, done, or attempted, by reason thereof, which shall be, or seem to be, contrary to the law of God, or contrary to our most illustrious King of England, or the commonwealth of this his kingdom of England, or to the laws or prerogatives of the same: And that I do not intend to oblige myself by the said oath, or oaths, in any manner whatsoever, so as to disable myself freely to speak, consult, and consent, in all and singular the matters, and things, any way concerning the Reformation of Christian religion, the government of the Church

of England, or the prerogatives of the crown thereof, or the good of the commonwealth; and every where to execute and reform those things, which I shall think fit to be reformed in the Church of England. And I do protest and profess, that I will take the said oath, or oaths, according to this interpretation and this sense, and none other, nor in any other manner. And I do further protest, that whatsoever the oath may be, which my proctor hath already taken to the Pope in my name, it was not my intention or will to give him any power, by virtue whereof he might take any oath in my name contrary to, or inconsistent with, the oath by me already taken, or hereafter to be taken, to our said illustrious King of England : And, in case he hath taken any such contrary or inconsistent oath in my name, I do protest, that the same being taken without my knowledge, and without my authority, shall be null and invalid. And these my protestations I will have to be repeated, and reiterated, in all the clauses and sentences of the said oaths: From which [protestations] I do not intend, in any manner whatsoever, by deed or word, to recede, nor will recede, but will always hold the same to be firm and binding to me."

No. II.

Record of Cranmer's proceedings at his Consecration, in making his Protest public.

THE following is the Latin Record, (from Lamb. MSS. No. 1136.) of the proceedings of Cranmer, in making his protestation public: 1

"In Dei nomine Amen. Per presentis publici instrumenti seriem cunctis appareat evidenter, et sit notum,

1 From Todd's Cranmer, vol. i. p. 65, note 1.

quòd anno Domini millesimo quingentesimo tricesimo tercio, etc. mensis verò Marcii die tricesimo, in domo Capitulari Collegii sancti Stephani prothomartyris prope palacium Regium Westm. etc. constitutus personaliter reverendissimus in Christo pater dominus Thomas in Cantuar' Archiep' (ut dicebat) electus, in mea [Watkins] prothonotarii Regii ac notarii subscripti, ac venerabilium virorum magistri Johannis Tregonwell legum doctoris, et Thome Bedyll clerici à consiliis dicti domini nostri Regis, Richardi Gwent decretorum doctoris Curie Cantuar' officialis principalis, et Johannis Cocks legum doctoris etc. vicarii in spiritualibus generalis, testium in hac parte specialiter adhibitorum presentia, protestationes quasdam fecit, legit, et interposuit, ac cetera fecit, prout in quadam papiri scedula, quam tunc ibidem in manibus suis tenuit et perlegit, plenius continebatur. Cujus quidem scedule verus tenor, (nil addito vel dempto) de verbo ad verbum sequitur, et talis est. In Dei nomine, Amen. Coram vobis, etc." (See the Protest, in the two preceding pages.) Then Watkins adds, "Super quibus omnibus et singulis premissis dictus rev. pater me prothonotarium et notarium predictum unum vel plura publicum seu publica instrumentum sive instrumenta exinde conficere, ac testes superius nominatos testimonium perhibere rogavit et requisivit.

"Et deinde die mense et anno predictis dictus rev. dom. Thomas electus, in mea et prelibatorum ven. virorum presentia testium ad hoc etiam adhibitorum, dict' domum Capitularem exivit, et ad gradus summi altaris dicti Collegii vestibus sacerdotalibus amictus ad recipiendum munus consecracionis perrexit," etc. Then follows the recital of the oath of obedience to the Pope, and Watkins's account how Cranmer, as he had protested, understood it: "Manibus suis tenens, ante lecturam ejusdem scedule et juramenti in eadem contenti prestacionem, in