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 carried into practice. The revival of Henry's Act of Submission, and of his Act of Supremacy, in everything except the particular title of Supreme Head, by 1 Eliz. c. 1, was now clearly held, as the words of the Act just quoted are sufficient to show, to mean that the government of the Church was a part of the prerogative of the Crown, and machinery was appointed by which this authority should be exercised—viz., one or more Commissioners, to be appointed by the Sovereign by letters patent under the Great Seal. How far into what may be called spiritual matters this authority of the sovereign was intended to go, is also well shown by the words of the Act now under discussion, wherein she does, by her own dispensing power, take upon herself to make good any defects whatever, which may be supposed to have existed in the order of the bishops or other ministers already made.

The Church of England is thus seen to be in very deed the creature of the State, and to be in all things subject, in Tudor times at least, to the personal government of the sovereign, and this as completely under Elizabeth as under Henry or Edward. As we follow the history during Elizabeth's reign, we shall have occasion to see how very much the mere personal predilections of the sovereign herself have affected the course of affairs in that Church, both in her own time and in every subsequent age to the present. Hitherto we have seen but one contest proceeding—that between the Reformed Church in England and the Church of Rome. The former, from the separation downwards, we have seen following the fluctuations, first of Henry VIII. and of Edward's Council, and then, after its temporary extinction under Mary, revived on the accession of Elizabeth; but through all this period Rome has been