encouraged any fuch violent proceedings for the protection of their rights and property.

...

Archdeacon Paley, in his illuftration of the oath of allegiance, obferves: it permits resistance to the king, when his ill-behavour or imbecility is fuch as to make refiftance beneficial to the community... The oath does not require • obedience to fuch commands of the king as are ⚫ unauthorized by the law."* Some of the chief advocates of the revolution carry this doctrine still further. They contend, that the oath of allegiance is only conditional, and that it ceases upon a violation of the contract by the king. This I conceive to be an opinion extremely dangerous both to the fecurity of the fovereign and to the peace of the kingdom in general; but, however, I cannot help obferving, that the advocates of this doctrine, to be confiftent with themselves, must for ever free the above infurrection, and the others which followed upon the fame account, from the reproach of rebellion.

Henry the 8th was no fooner dead, than Seymour, the chief guardian of the young king Edward, began to carry on his projects against the church and its property, ftill farther than the late king had ever attempted. There still remained a few church lands, and fome belonging to the colleges and hof

*Principles of Philofophy, vol. 1, p. 206.

pitals, which had escaped the ravages of the former reign; and these his avarice could not permit any longer to remain undisturbed. His conduct was marked, at every step, with the greatest oppreffions. The nobility were infulted, their rights invaded, and the late king's will violated in almost every article. No wealth was able to quench his avaricious thirst, which could be equalled by nothing but his unbounded ambition. He imprisoned fome of the remaining bifhops, put to death his own brother, the admiral, and sent to the tower fome of the first noblemen of the realm. In the midst of this career of exceffes, he was at length brought to the fcaffold by his competitor, the Duke of Northumberland. That nobleman unfortunately continued to tread in the steps of his predeceffor; and his unmeasureable ambition at length proved fatal to him.

After the death of the young king Edward, he plied every engine, which his crafty and restless mind could invent, to place the crown upon the head of his daughter-in-law, lady Jane Grey. But the nation, which had long stood indignant at his exceffes, roufed at this last flagrant act of injuftice, flew to arms, foon put to flight the army, which he had brought into the field to fupport his pretenfions, and placed the crown upon their lawful fovereign Queen Mary.

During this tyrannic adminiftration under the minority of the king, the perfecutions against the

church were carried on with progreffive violence and injustice. The rapacious courtiers having fixed their eyes upon the remaining wreck of religious property, could not be fatisfied while any thing of value appeared within their reach: and to make their prey fecure, they profecuted the work of the reformation, with the utmost vigour. A great part of the nation, after the example of the court, enlisted under its banners, and they who remained attached to the old religion, beheld in filence, the subverfion of the fundamental laws of the constitution, and their property fequeftered, not into the public treafury, but to the private coffers of court-harpies. If under these circumstances, they had fhewn any dif position to resistance, who could have been surpris ed? Would not the violence and oppreffion which they fuffered have pleaded powerfully in the mind of at least every reflecting man, in extenuation of the crime? But no: they manifested no disposition to appeal to arms, but bore, to the astonishment of all Europe, with unexampled patience, this most wanton tyranny.

The infurrection which took place in the counties of Devonshire and Norfolk, does not ap pear to have had religion for its principal object; though the leaders of that rebellion, to cloak their real defigns and draw the catholics into their ranks, gave it a place in their manifefto. They contended, that the ministry had no power during the king's

minority to establish new laws deftructive of the acts in force in the former reign, and particularly, that religion ought to remain in the fame pofture in which it was left at the decease of the late king. They complained of the fcarcity of all forts of provifions, and of the great inconvenience and lofs which they sustained by the inclosure of the lands, that formerly belonged to the church: that maladministration of the kingdom was confpicuous in many important points, and that various grievances and oppreffions called loudly for redress. To these were added the different innovations in religion, as an additional bait to catch the good will of the populace. But if it had partly its intended effect in these two counties, yet the great body of catholics condemned the measure as contrary to the allegiance which they owed to their fovereign.

Whoever revolves in his mind the various events which occurred in the two preceding reigns, muft be astonished to find that fo many important changes, in which were involved the dearest interests of a large proportion of the nation, could be accomplished with the lofs of fo little blood. If the catholic church had profeffed the principles which have so often and fo unjustly been charged upon her; if she had founded the trumpet of rebellion, and called her children to arms in defence of her doctrine, her rights, and her property; then might England, perhaps to this day, have

F

had to lament the flaughter, which in that case must have been fuffered. But no: the catholic religion was unacquainted with any fuch fanatic doctrine; and the patient forbearance with which the catholics beheld the total destruction of their religion; the fequeftration of all the property, which for ages had belonged to their church; the extreme state of indigence to which their clergy were reduced; the grievous oppreffions which were exercised upon every clafs of their communion, will, to the latest posterity, remain a most glorious trophy of their allegiance, and will command the admiration of every unbiaffed reader, however much he may be a friend to the reformation.

After the death of the young king, Queen Mary afcended the throne with very little oppofition. She foon reinstated the old religion in all its ancient privileges. These proceedings were unanimously confirmed by both houses of parliament, and received with the greatest acclamations by the nation. But this calm was not of long continuance. The fabric, which had been raised with fo much folemnity, was again foon demolished by her fucceffor.

The princess Elizabeth was no fooner proclaimed queen, than all the chief perfons, both in church and state, hastened to pay her homage, and acknowledge her title to the throne. At Highgate, four miles from the city, fays Heylin, in his history of the reformation, fhe was met by all the bishops