"an extraordinary subsidy of the Clergy of England, for the * occasions of the Holy See, the King forbad the Clergy to "grant it.

"The like demand, made some years after by one VICENTINI a Nuncio, was bluntly denied by the Clergy. They began to stand less in fear of the Papal power, formerly so dread"ful to the whole Church, and particularly to England,

"During the whole fifteenth century we do not find that 66 any National Councils were held in England, but only con❝vocations of the Clergy in the two Ecclesiastical Provinces "of Canterbury and York. THE CONDEMNATION OF THE "LOLLARDS (or Protestants) WAS ALMOST THE WHOLE BUSI "NESS OF THESE CONVOCATIONS, As for National Synods, "they were become useless, since the Popes had engrossed the "cognizance of all Ecclesiastical matters. Besides, the least "appeal to the Pope was enough to make void all the "Canons of a Council. On the other hand, the Popes had "managed it so that no National Synods could be held without "their license. Now, as in these Synods there was but too

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frequent occasion to examine into the bounds of the Papal authority, they were grown so odious to the Court of Rome, "that the use of them was laid aside by degrees. At this "very day, in the States which have not admitted of a Reform❝ation, we hear no more of National Councils, or at least ❝ so very rarely, that it is plain the Popes do not allow them "but with regret and much difficulty. Of this we have seen "of late years a remarkable instance in France, in what "passed about the famous Constitution: UNIGENITUS of CLE << MENT XI.; LEWIS XIV. as powerful and formidable as he "was, could never obtain the Pope's leave to call a National "Council, but upon such terms as rendered the thing im "practicable, though that Monarch's sole aim in it was to get "the Constitution approved."

The above able summary of RAPIN affords a proper intro duction to the History of the Reformation in England, by BURNET, a work of the first authority and the highest value; and

one which it were well that certain English Protestants would make themselves acquainted with, before they begin to defend the REVIVAL OF THE ORDER OF JESUITS, or to contend for the granting of what is absurdly termed CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. They might then perhaps come to know something more of the Religion which they profess, and to entertain more correct notions of the Religion which they would arm with temporal power, and clothe with the functions of legislation in a Protestant State.

BURNET'S Abridgment of his History by himself will be found an invaluable compendium; and the following passages in it will give an accurate idea of the want of a Reformation here and elsewhere:

1st, His account of POPE CLEMENT VII.'s creation of Fourteen Cardinals for money in 1527, which, however, he says "may perhaps be excused from SIMONY, because they "took no care of Souls."-Burnet's Abridgment, p. 6.

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2d, His account of the ambition and profligacy of CARDINAL WOLSEY, who was first made Bishop of Tournay, then of Lincoln, afterwards of York, and had both the Abbey of St. Alban's, and the Bishopric of Bath and Wells in commendam; the last of which, he exchanged for Durham, and then quitted Durham for Winchester. "Besides all this" (says BURNET), "the King by a special grant gave him power to dispose of all the Ecclesiastical preferments in England, so that "in effect he was the Pope of this other world, and he copied skilfully enough after those patterns which were set him at "Rome. He had, in one word, all the qualities necessary for "a great minister, and all the vices ordinary in a great fa"vourite."-Burnet further informs us, that when 800,000%. was wanted from Parliament, this legitimate representative of the Papacy went to the House of Commons, and desired to hear the reasons of those who were against the supply; but he was told by the Speaker that it was against their orders to speak to a debate before one who was not of the House(see Burnet's Abridgment, p. 10); in which discharge of his

duty he was a worthy predecessor of the celebrated LEnthall, who when King Charles I. demanded that the four Members should be delivered up, who had expressed themselves with freedom respecting the disuse of Parliaments, and the introduction of Popery and despotism, had the courage to tell that misguided and unfortunate monarch, that he had neither ears to hear, nor eyes to see, nor a tongue to utter any thing, but what that House should command.

3d, BURNET's account of the Abbot of Winchelcomb, who contended, both in his Sermons and in a printed work, that all the Clergy even of the lower orders were sacred, and could not be judged by the temporal Courts, whatever crimes they might commit, whether murder, theft, or otherwise; a point which he carried, though against the sense of all the enlightened part of the nation.

4th, BURNET's account of the murder of HUN in prison by the Popish Clergy, where he had been placed for HERESY, that is, for having in his possession Wickliff's Bible.-See Burnet's Abridgment, p. 16.

5th, BURNET's account of WICKLIFF'S opposition to Popery, and of some of the corruptions of that religion, which will be best given in his own words :

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"From the days of WICKLIFF, there were many that dif "fered from the doctrines commonly received. He wrote many books that gave great offence to the Clergy, yet being powerfully supported by the DUKE OF LANCASTER, they "could not have their revenge during his life; but he was "after his death condemned, and his body was raised and "burnt. The Bible which he translated into English, with "the Preface which he set before it, produced the greatest "effects. In it he reflected on the ill lives of the Clergy, and "condemned the worship of Saints and Images, and the cor"poral presence of Christ in the sacrament: but the most "criminal part was, the exhorting all people to read the Scrip*tures; where the testimonies against those corruptions were "such, that there was no way to deal with them but to silence

"them. His followers were not men of letters, but being "wrought on by the easy conviction of plain sense, were by "them determined in their persuasions. They did not form "themselves into a body, but were contented to hold their "opinions secretly, and did not spread them, but to their par"ticular confidants. The Clergy sought them out every where, and did deliver them after conviction to the secular arm, that is, to the fire."-Burnet's Abridgment, book i. p. 23.-Again:

"In the beginning of this reign there were several per"sons brought into the Bishops' Courts for Heresy, before "WARHAM. Forty-eight were accused: but of these, forty"three abjured, twenty-seven men, and sixteen women, most

of them, being of Tenterden; and five of them, four men "and one woman, were condemned; some as obstinate He<< retics, and others as Relapses: and against the common ties of "nature, the woman's husband, and her two sons, were brought witnesses against her. Upon their conviction, a certificate

was made by the Archbishop to the Chancery; upon which, "since there is no pardon upon record, the writs for burning

them must have gone out in course, and the execution of "them is little to be doubted: for the Clergy were seldom "guilty of much mercy in such cases, having divested them❝selves of all bowels as the dregs of unmortified nature. The "articles objected to them were, that they believed that in the "Eucharist there was nothing but material bread: that the "Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Matri66 mony, and Extreme Unction, were neither necessary, nor "profitable: that Priests had no more power than Laymen: "that Pilgrimages were not meritorious, and that the money

and labour spent in them, were spent in vain that images "ought not to be worshipped, and that they were only stocks

and stones: that prayers ought not to be made to Saints, "but only to God: that there was no virtue in Holy-water, or Holy-bread. Those who abjured, did swear to discover "all that held those errors, or were suspected of them; and

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they were enjoined to carry a faggot in procession, and to “wear on their clothes the representation of one in flames, "as a public confession that they had deserved to be burnt. "There were also four in London that abjured the same opinions; and Fox says, that six were burnt in Smithfield, "who might be perhaps those whom WARHAM had con"demned; for there is no mention of any that were condemned "in the Registers of London. By all this it will appear, that many in this nation were prepared to receive those doc"trines which were afterwards preached by the Reformers, even before LUTHER began first to oppose Indulgences.

"The rise and progress of this doctrine are well known: "the scandalous extolling of Indulgences gave the first occa *sion to all that contradiction that followed between him and his followers, and the Church of Rome; in which if the

corruptions and cruelties of the Clergy had not been so visible "and scandalous, so small a matter could not have produced "such a revolution; but any crisis will put ill humours in fer❝mentation.

"The Bishops were grossly ignorant; they seldom re"sided in their dioceses, except it had been to riot it at high "festivals; and all the effect their residence could have, was "to corrupt others, by their ill example. They followed the "Courts of Princes, and aspired to the greatest offices. The "Abbots and Monks were wholly given up to luxury and "idleness: and the unmarried state, both of the seculars and "regulars, gave infinite scandal to the world; for it appeared, "that the restraining them from having wives of their own, "made them conclude that they had a right to all other "men's*. The inferior Clergy were no better; and not

*

* GROSE has published, in his Preface to his ANTIQUITIES OF ENG. LAND AND WALES, two Letters addressed by DoCTOR LAYTON and another (two of the visitors of the Religious Houses) to CROMWELL, in or about the year 1537; the originals of which are preserved, together with many others, in the Bodleian Library. They are as follows: "Pleas"ith it your Worship to understand, that we came from GLASTON*BURY to BRISTOW: I here send you for relics two flowers that on