The history of the reformation of the Church of England. The first part of the progess made in it during the reign of K. Henry the VIII / by Gilbert Burnet.

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The Princes of Germany did always press the King to enter into a Religious League with them: the first League that was made in the year 1536 was conceived in general terms, against the Pope as the Common Enemy, and for setting up true Religion according to the Gospel: But they did afterwards send over Ambassadors to treat about particulars; and they having presented a Memorial of these, there were Conferences appointed between them and some Bishops and Divines of this Church. I find no Divines was sent over hither but Frederick Miconius Minister of Gotha, by whom Melanthon, who could not be spar∣ed out of Germany, sent several Letters to the King; the fullest and longest of them will be found in the Collection. It is all to this purpose, to perswade the King to go on vigorously in the Reforming of Abuses according to the word of God. The King sent over the particulars which they proposed in order to a perfect agreement, to Gardiner who was then at Paris: Upon which he sent back his Opinion touch∣ing them all; the Original of which, under his own hand I have seen, but it relates so much to the other Paper that was sent him, which I never saw, that without it his meaning can hardly be understood, and therefore I have not put it in the Collection. The main thing in it, at which it chiefly drives, is to press the King to finish first a Civil League with them, and to leave those particulars concerning Religion to be afterwards treated of. The King followed his advice so far as to write to the German Princes to that effect. But when the King de∣clared his resolution to have the six Articles established, all that fa∣voured the Reformation were much alarmed at it, and pressed their friends in Germany to interpose with the King for preventing it. I have seen an Original Letter of Hains Dean of Exeter, in which he laments the sad effects that would follow on that Act, which was then pre∣paring; that all the Corruptions in the Church rose from the establish∣ing some points without clear proofs from Scripture: he wished the Germans would consider of it, for if the King and Parliament should make such a Law, this was a President for the Emperor to make the like in the Diet of the Empire. Neither were the German Ambassadors back∣ward in doing their friends in England all the service they could: for af∣ter they had held several conferences with these that were appointed by the King to treat with them; they finding they could not prevail with them, wrote a long and Learned Letter to the King, against the taking away the Chalice in the Sacrament, and against private Masses and the Celibate of the Clergy, with some other abuses which the Reader will find in the Collection, as it is Copied from the Original which I have seen. To this I have added the Answer which the King wrote to it: He employed Tonstall Bishop of Duresm to draw it, for I have seen a rude draught of a great part of it written with his hand. By

both these compared together, every indifferent Reader will clearly see the force and simplicity of the Arguments on the one hand, and the art and shuffling that was used on the other side. As soon as the Act was past, notwithstanding all their endeavours to the contrary, they in an Audience before the King, represented the great concern their Masters would have, when the King on whom they had relyed so much, as the Defender of the Faith, should proceed with the severity expressed in that Act, against those that agreed with them in Doctrine, and pressed the King earnestly to put a stop to the Execution of it. The King pro∣mised he would see to it, and that though he judged the Act neces∣sary to restrain the Insolence of some of his Subjects; yet it should not be Executed but upon great provocation: he also proposed the renew∣ing a Civil League with them, without mentioning matters of Reli∣gion. To this the Princes made answer, that the League as it was at first projected, was chiefly upon a design of Religion, and therefore with∣out a common consent of all that were in their League, they could not alter it: they lamented this passing of the late Act, but writ their thanks to the King for stopping the Execution of it, and warn'd him that some of his Bishops, who set him on to these courses, were in their hearts still for all the old Abuses, and for the Popes Supremacy, and were pressing on the King to be severe against his best Subjects, that they might thereby bring on a design which they could not hope to effect any other way: they advised the King to beware of such Counsels. They also proposed that there might be a Conference agreed on between such Divines as the King would name, and such as they should depute, to meet either in Gueldres, Hamburgh, Bremen, or any o∣ther place that should be appointed by the King, to examine the Law∣fulness of private Masses, of denying the Chalice, and the Prohibiting the Marriage of the Clergy. On these things they continued treating till the Divorce of Anne of Cleve and Cromwells fall, after which I find little Correspondence between the King and them.

Notes

• Collect. Addenda Numb. 6.
• Collect. Addenda Numb. 7.
• Collect. Addenda Numb. 8.