Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/823

 MARY 767 BIABY

succession for Lady Jane, but Mary acted promptly apprehension which prevailed that the conopiete re-

and courageously, setting up her standard at Fram- establishment of Catholicism could only be effected at

lingham, where the men of the eastern counties rallied the price of the restitution of the abbey lands to the

round her and where she was soon joined by some Church. When, however, the marriage of Mary and

members of the Council. By 19 July Mary had been Philip had taken place (25 July), and the Holy See had

Proclaimed in London, and a few days later Northum- given assurances that the impropriators of Church

erland was arrested. property would not be molested, Pole towards the

Mary's success was highly popiilar, and the friends end of November was at last allowed to make his way

of the late administration, seeing that resistance to London. On 30 Nov., he pronounced the absolu-

was hopeless, hastened to make their peace with tion of the kingdom over the king and queen and

her. Her own inclinations were all in favour of Parliament all Imeelin^ before him. In was this same

clemency, and it was only in deference to the re- Parliament which in December, 1554, re-enacted the

monstrances of her advisers that she ultimately con- ancient statutes aeainst heresy and repealed the enact-

sented to the execution of the arch-traitor Northum- ments which had oeen made against Home in the last

berland with two of his followers. In his hour of two reigns.

distress Northumberland, apparently In all sincerity. All this seems to have excited much feeling among

professed himself a Cathohc. Lady Jane Grey was the more fanatical of the Reformers, men who for

spared, and even in matters of religion, Mary, perhaps some years past had railed against the pope and

by the advice of Charles V, showed no wish to proceed denounced Transubstantiation with impimity. Mary

to extremities. The Catholic bishops of Henry's and her advisers were probably right in thinking

reign, like Bonner, Tunstall, and Garoiner, were re- that religious peace was impossible unless these fana-

stored to their sees, the intruded bishops were de- tics were silenced, and they started once more to en-

prived, and some of them, like Ridley, Coverdale, force those penalties for heresy which after all had

and Hooper, were committed to custody. Cranmer, never ceased to be familiar. Both under Henry VIII

after he had challenged the Catholic party to meet him and Edward VI men had been burned for religion^ and

and Peter Martyr in disputation, was conunitted to the Protestant bishops like Craimier, Latimer, and Ridley

Tower upon a by no means frivolous charge of having had had a principal hand in their burning. It seems to

participated in the late futile rebellion. But no blood be generally admitted now that no vindictive thirst for

was shed for religion at this stage. bloodprompted the deplorable severities which foUowed,

In September Mary was crowned with great pomp but they nave weighed heavily upon the memory of

at Westminster by Gardiner, in spite of the excom- Mary, and it seems on the whole most probable that in

munication which still lay upon tbe country, but this her conscientious but misguided zeal for the peace of

act was only due to the constitutional impasse which the Church, she was herself principally responsible for

would have been created had this sanction to the royal them. In less than four years 277 persons were burned

authority been longer delayed. Mary had no wish to to death. Some, like Bishops Cranmer, Latimer, and

refuse obedience to papal authority. On the contrary, Ridley, were men of influence and high position, but

negotiations had already been opened with the Holy the majority belonged to the lower orders. Still these

See which resulted in the nomination of Pole as legate last were dangerous, because, as Dr. Gairdner has

to reconcile the kingdom. Parliament met, 5 October, pointed out, heresy and sedition were at that time al-

1553. It repealed the savage Treason Act of North- most convertible terms. In regard to these execu-

lunberland's government, passed an Act declaring the tions, a much more lenient and at the same time more

queen legitimate, another for the restitution of the equitable judgment now prevails than was formerly

Mass in Latin, though without penalties for non-con- the case. As one recent writer observes, Mary and

formity, and another for the celibacy of the clergy, her advisers "honestly believed themselves to be

Meanwhile Mary, owing perhaps partly to the fact that applying the only remedy left for the removal of a

she fell much under the influence of the Spanish am- mortal disease from the body politic. . . . What they

bassador, Renard, had made up her mind to marry did was on an imprecedented scale in England because

Philip of Spain. The suggestion was not very palata- heresy existed on an unprecedented scale'' (Innes,

ble to the nation as represented by the lower house of ** England under the Tudors", 232; and cf. Gairdner,

Parliament, but the queen persisted, and a treaty of "LoUardy", I, 327).

marriage was drawn up in wnich English liberties were Something, perhaps, of Mary's severity, which carefully safeguarded. All the Spanish influence was was in contradiction to the clemency and generosity exercised to carry this scheme safely through, and at uniformly shown in the rest of her life, may be at- the emperor's instigation Pole was deliberately de- tributed to the bitterness which seems to have been tained on his way to England under the apprehension concentrated into these last years. Long an in- that he might oppose the match. The unpopularity valid, she had had more than one serious illness of the project^ alliance encouraged Sir Thomas during the reign of her brother. But the dropsy had Wyatt to organise a rebellion, which at one time, 29 now Income chronic, and she was in truth a doomed Jan., 1554, looked very formidable. Mary behaved with woman. Again it was her misfortune to have con- conspicuous courage, addressed the citizens of Lon- ceived a passionate love for her husband. Philip had don at the Guildhall, and when they rallied round her never returned this affection, and when the hope of her the insurrection was easily crushed. "The security of bearing him an heir proved illusory, he treated her the State seemed now to require stem measures. The with scant consideration and quitted England forever, leaders of the revolt were executed and with them the Then in Mary's last year of life came the loss of Calais, unfortunate Lady Jane Grey. Whether Mary's sister and this was followed by misunderstandings with the Elizabeth was implicated in this movement has never Holy See for which she had sacrificed so much. No quite been made clear, but mercy was shown to her as wonder the Queen sank under this accumulated well as to many others. weight of disappointments. Mary died most piously, Meanwhile the restoration of the old religion went as she had always lived, a few hours before her staunch on vigorously. The altars were set up again, the friend, Cardinal Pole. Her good qualities were many, married clergy were deprived. High Mass was sung at To the very end she was a woman capable of inspiring St. Paul's, and new bishops were consecrated accord- affection in those who came in contact with her. ing to the ancient ritual. In Mary's second Parliament Modern historians are almost unanimous in regarding the title of supreme head was formally abrogated, and the sad story of this noble but disappointed woman an attempt was made to re-enact the statutes aeainst as one of the most tragic in histor\\ herwyjwt was defeated by the resistance of the Cords. g^„„_ „, q„^ of England (^„don. i90l): Z.-«.- Some of this resistance undoubtedly came from the jiiura.Aforio die iCoMo/i»cA«(Freibui». 1806) ;LtNOAHD.HiK.o/