Page:The Church of England, its catholicity and continuity.djvu/98

 the loss of their old reverent customs, and many of them preferred the religion of the Pope to the barrenness and coldness of Protestant worship, brought over from the Continent. They hailed with great enthusiasm the accession of Queen Mary. The whole nation, almost to a man, looked upon her with affection. But they had yet to learn what she would do for England.

On her accession there was a great reaction against the work of the Reformers. The people, to a large extent, were with the queen. They expressed their discontent in Edward's life. Then even discontent reigned everywhere, especially in the east, west and midland counties, but all revolts were stamped out in blood. Cornwall, Devon and Norwich were foremost in opposing the Reformers. These facts enable us to understand why the people so heartily welcomed Mary.

But what was Mary's work?

Now she was a Roman Catholic. Most of her time had been spent in France, where she had received a splendid education. On account of her training she hated the Protestants. But still, if it had not been for her advisers, she might have steered England through her religious difficulties. She became allied with Spain, the very centre of Roman Catholicism, the home of the barbarous inquisition. She married Philip, a match never popular with the English, and this was the first step to lead to her unpopularity. Her work then, with the help of such a husband, was to make England Roman Catholic. We have now to relate that there was a deliberate attempt to put England under the Pope, and for the next few years he really had considerable power in England. Mary put our country in submission to Rome.