Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 5.djvu/609

1556.] many of the spectators were in tears. He knelt and prayed silently, and Cole, the Provost of Eton, then took his place in the pulpit.

Although, by a strained interpretation of the law, it could be pretended that the time of grace had expired with the trial; yet, to put a man to death at all after recantation was a proceeding so violent and unusual, that some excuse or some explanation was felt to be necessary.

Cole therefore first declared why it was expedient that the late Archbishop should suffer, notwithstanding his reconciliation. One reason was 'for that he had been a great causer of all the alterations in the realm of England; and when the matter of the divorce between King Henry VIII. and Queen Catherine was commenced in the Court of Rome, he, having nothing to do with it, sat upon it as a judge, which was the entry to all the inconvenients which followed.' Yet in that Mr Cole excused him—that he thought he did it, not 'out of malice, but by the persuasion and advice of certain learned men.'

Another occasion was, 'for that he had been the great setter- forth of all the heresy received into the Church in the latter times; had written in it, had disputed, had continued it even to the last hour; and it had never been seen in the time of schism that any man continuing so long had been pardoned, and that it was not to be remitted for example's sake.'

'And other causes,' Cole added, 'moved the Queen