nation of parliament, by leaving the crown firs to prince Edward, then to the lady Mary, nex to the lady Elizabeth. The two princesses h cbliged, under the penalty of forfeiting their ti tle to the crown, not to marry without consen of the council, which he appointed for the go vernment of his minor son.

To delineate this prince's character, would be to mix the most discordant shades in the same picture. He was sincere, open, gallant, liberal and capable, at least, of a temporary attach ment and friendship; yet a catalogue of his crimes would 'embrace many of the worst qua lities incident to human nature, cruelty, profu sion, rapacity, injustice, obstinacy, arrogance, bigotry, and presumption. Notwithstanding his tyranny and extortion, he seems to have possessed, to the last, some share of his people's love and affection. In fact, his exterior qualities were advantageous, and fit to captivate the multitude; and his magnificence and personal bravery rendered him illustrious in vulgar eyes.

It was not till the end of this reign, that any sallads, carrots, turnips, or other esculent roots, were produced in England. The little of these vegetables that was used, was formerly imported from Holland and Flanders. Queen Catherine, when she wanted a sallad, was obliged to dispatch a messenger thither on purpose. The use of hops, and their cultivation, was introduced from Flanders about the beginning of this reign, or the end of the preceding.

So little was commerce understood, that it was attempted to fix the price of different articles, and to restrain the luxury of dress. A statute was even passed, but afterwards repealed,

to

to determine the price of beef, pork, mutton, and veal. Beef and pork were ordered to be sold at a halfpenny a pound; mutton and veal at a halfpenny half a farthing, money of that age. In the year 1544, it appears that an acre of good land in Cambridgeshire, was let at a shilling, or about fifteen-pence of our present money; a. proof of the low ebb at which agriculture was in that age.

In 1546, a law was made for fixing the inte rest of money at 10 per cent. the first legal interest known in England. Formerly all loans of that nature were regarded as usurious. The preamble of this very law treats the interest of money as illegal and criminal; and the preju dices still remained so strong, that the law permitting interest was repealed in the following reign.

In this reign also, some laws were made relative to beggars and vagrants. To provide for the poor is an object that powerfully recom mends itself to a benevolent legislator, and appears at a first view, the most easy thing to be adjusted; but nothing, as long and painful experience has shewn, is more difficult to fix on such a basis, as may answer the purpose, without destroying industry. The convents were formerly a support to the poor; but they tended to encourage idleness and beggary; and the laws which were passed in the subsequent reign, in favour of the aged and infirm, by weakening the pride of independence, and lessening the demands of industry, have in a great measure been perverted from their original design.

CHAP.

CHAP. XI.

The Reigns of Edward VI. and Mary.

A. D. EDWARD, at his accession, was little more than nine years

of age,

1517. and as his majority was fixed at eigh teen complete, his father had appointed sixteen executors; to whom, during the minority, he entrusted the government of the kingdom. Among these were, Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury; lord Wriothesely, chancellor; lord St. John, great master; lord Russel, privy seal; the earl of Hertford, chamberlain; viscount Lisle, admiral; Tonstal, bishop of Durham; sir Anthony Brown, master of horse; and other officers of state, with two or three private persons. To these executors, with whom was entrusted the whole regal authority, were associated twelve counsellors, who possessed no immediate power, and could only assist with their advice when any affair was laid before them. The council was composed of the earls of Arundel and Essex; sir Thomas Cheyney, treasurer of the household; sir John Gage, comptroller; sir Anthony Wingfield, vice-chamberlain; sir William Petre, secretary of state; sir Richard Rich, sir John Baker, sir Ralph Sadler; sir Thomas Seymour, sir Richard Southwel, and sir Edmund Peckham. The usual caprice of Henry is visible in this nomination,, by giving only the place of counsellors to per sons of such high rank as the earl of Arundel, and sir Thomas Seymour, the king's uncle.

The

The executors were no sooner met than it was represented government would lose its dignity for want of some head to represent the royal majesty. Though this alteration from the king's will was opposed by chancellor Wriothesely, it was nevertheless carried; and the choice fell of course on the earl of Hertford, the king's maternal uncle.

Henry had intended before his death to make a new creation of nobility, and as in his will he had charged his executors to make good all his promises, Hertford was created duke of Somerset, mareschal, and lord treasurer; Wriothesely, earl of Southampton; the earl of Essex, marquis of Northampton; viscount Lisle, earl of Warwick; sir Thomas Seymour, lord Seymour of Sudley, and admiral; while Rich, Willoughby, and Sheffield, were raised to the dignity of barons.

The earl of Southampton had always been engaged in an opposite party to Somerset; and it was not likely that factions, which had secretly prevailed even during the arbitrary reign of Henry, should be suppressed in the weak administration that usually attends a minority. The former nobleman, that he might have the greater leisure for attending to public business, had, of himself and from his own authority, put the great seal in commission, and had empowered four lawyers, two of whom were canonists, to execute in his absence the office of chancellor. Complaints were made of this irregularity to the council; who, influenced by the protector, gladly laid hold of the opportunity to depress Southampton. They consulted the judges with regard to so unusual a case, and received for an

VOL. XX.

G

swer,

swer, that the commission was illegal, and th the chancellor, by his presumption in grantin it, had justly forfeited the great seal, and wa even liable to punishment. The council sum moned him to appear before them; and notwith standing his able defence, declared that he ha forfeited the great seal; that a fine should b imposed upon him; and that he should be con fined to his own house, during pleasure.

The removal of Southampton, however, di not satisfy the ambition of Somerset. He pro cured a patent from the young king by which he entirely overturned the will of Harry VIII and produced a total revolution in the govern ment. He named himself protector with ful regal power, and appointed a council, consisting of all the former counsellors, and all the execu tors, except Southampton, reserving a power of naming any other counsellors at pleasure, and of consulting with such only as he thought proper. The protector and his council were likewise empowered to act at discretion, and to execute whatever they deemed for the public service, without incurring any penalty or forfeiture whatsoever.

Somerset had long been regarded as a secret partisan of the reformers; and he took care that all persons entrusted with the king's education, should be attached to the same principles, In his schemes for advancing the reformation, he had recourse to the counsels of Cranmer, who, being a man of moderation, was averse to all violent changes. By his advice, a visitation was made of all the dioceses of England, by a mixture of clergy and laity; and the chief purport of their instructions was, besides correcting immo

ralities