The plain Englishman's historian, or, A compendious chronicle of England from its first being inhabited to this present year 1679 but more especially containing the chief remarques of all our Kings and Queens since the conquest, their lives and reigns, policies, wars, laws, successes, and troubles : with the most notable accidents, as dearths, tempests, monstrous births, and other prodigies that happened in each of their times respectively / by H.C.

CHAP. XXIII. Queen Mary

WAs crowned the first of October, 1553. and having settled her self against the Pretensions of the Lady Jane, as you have heard, and restored the Mass and Po∣pish Religion in all Churches, of which she was ever zealous, as being of Spanish Bloud, and bred up with the Mother of Cardinal Pool, and other Zealots of that Party, she thought it time to marry being 37 years old; and at last Philip Prince of Spain, eld∣est Son to the Emperour Charles, is pitch'd upon and concluded; but some rash Spirits oppose it, of whom the chief was Sir Thomas Wiat of Kent, pretending that this Match tended to bring England under the Yoke of Spain, and make the Land a slave to stran∣gers. Against him Forces were sent, but 500 revolted to him, who then boldly mar∣ched towards London, with so great terror to all people, that the Lawyers pleaded in Westminster Hall in Armour. The Queen by a loving Speech makes the City her Friend, who denied Wiat entrance; and his Army mouldring away, and being en∣compassed

by the Queens Forces, who offer∣ed like a true Daughter of King Harry to have gone against him her self in person, he yielded up himself, and was beheaded and quartered.

In the mean time the Princess Elizabeth being accounted a Protestant is kept as a Prisoner, sometimes in the Tower and some∣times at Woodstock, and many Trains laid to ensnare her; to which purpose being questioned one day what she thought of the Real Presence, after some pause she thus dis∣creetly answered;

Christ was the Word that spake it, He took the Bread and brake it, And what that Word did make it, That I believe and take it.

Thereby avoiding their Net better than by a direct Answer she could have done.

Three Bishops Cranmer, Ridley, and Lati∣mer are adjudged Hereticks, and burnt at Oxford; but before them Rogers, Hooper, and Bradford, suffered Martyrdom at London: and henceforward the Persecution continu∣ed very fierce during all her Reign.

On the 20 July 1554. King Philip arri∣ved at Southampton, and three days after

they were married at Winchester; and short∣ly after Cardinal Pool coming over, this Kingdom was absolv'd from what they then called Heresie and Schism, and restored to the Unity of the Roman Church. And the Queen in a fit of Devotion would needs de∣liver up all the Lands belonging to Mona∣steries that were in her own hands, to be disposed of as the Pope thought fit. And being told this would much lessen her Re∣venue, answered, She more valued her Salva∣tion than any Revenue. A Saying howe∣ver grounded perhaps on a mistake as to particulars, yet certainly most pious and Christian in general.

Anno 1557. there was a piece of notable Justice: The Lord Sturton (though much in the Queens favour) being hanged at Sa∣lisbury with four of his Servants, for a Mur∣der by them committed, all the favour he had being that the Halter was of Silk.

The Queen engages in her Husbands quarrel against France, and took St. Quin∣tine; but for that there was little cause of joy, for many of the Garrison of Calis be∣ing drawn out on that Service, the French took the opportunity to surprise it, and took the two best Sconces on a sudden, coming to the Walls the English had laid a Train

of powder to blow them up; but their Cloths being wet by passing the Trenches dropping on it quench'd it, so that it would not take fire, so that the Town was taken for want of strength to defend it, there be∣ing not above 700 Souldiers in it, after it had been in English hands 200 years. The loss of which, together with her Husbands absence, and the disappointment of proving not with Child, as she was generally report∣ed, brought her into a sickness, whereof she died 17 Nov. 1558. having reigned 5 years and 4 moneths. Cardinal Pool dying the day before, some time before she declared to this effect, That if when she were dead they would look into her heart, they would find Cal∣lis her greatest distemper.

Her Reign is written in Histories with bloudy Characters, for the burning of poor Protestants, of whom in her time there suf∣fered 5 Bishops, 21 Divines, and in all 277 persons.

In her second year appeared in the Sky a Rainbow reversed, and two Suns at a time. Near Alborough in Suffolk on a Rock by the Sea, where there never was grass nor earth, in a dear year there grew naturally of them∣selves such abundance of Pease, that the Poor gathered above 100 quarters.

She died childless, and King Philip, as by Articles he was bound that he should not, so he was out of the Land, and could not at∣tempt any thing on the State; yet he af∣terwards sollicited Queen Elizabeth in the way of Marriage, (to whom before he had been very respective) but was put off by making an alteration in Religion, after which he never would prosecute his suit further.