Drama of Dissent
Ss a = i Uh re a Drama of Dissent As Susanna slid next to her father in the coach, she felt a warm flush of pride. It was a privilege to be alone with him and to know that she would be reviewing some of the great dramas of history through his keen eyes. As the coach bumped and swayed, she handed him the chart.
Dr. Annesley was silent as he concentrated on the sheet of paper. Finally, after the carriage had sloshed through a section of mud, he said, ''Sukey, you did a good job; and I'm glad you showed that Henry had six wives! But I'm worried about one thing."'
""Yes?'' She studied his face anxiously.
''Many in our time are confusing Christianity with politics. Some think that being a Protestant or a Catholic or a Dissenter is like belonging to a political party. Don't let this happen to you. Real Christianity is as certain as up or down."'
The coach continued on to an area filled with
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crowded, vile-smelling tenements, crisscrossed by narrow, twisting streets.
As Susanna watched, a woman emptied a slopbucket out of a third-story window. Arcing down, the contents narrowly missed a man walking by. The woman was aiming for the sewer ditch running down the center of the street. Mercifully, it was almost bare.
Susanna pinched her nose to shut out the odor.
''We're fortunate in being able to make this trip,"' said Dr. Annesley. ''The only reason we can do so is because of the Declaration of Indulgence passed in 1672.
Otherwise, I might-be stopped and sentenced to the Tower of London!''
Susanna frowned. "'Declaration of Indulgence?
Please explain.'' Before he could answer, she added, **And, sir, please indulge me by closing the window.
My t-teeth are ch-ch-chattering.''
'"Nonsense! Cold air is good for one. Men my age have to wear glasses. But I can read fine print without them. Why? Because I keep my windows open and drink only water. Besides we're almost there.''
As Susanna stepped from the coach her father led her by the hand to a comfortable bench by the side of the massive building. ''St. Giles goes back to almost the time of William the Conqueror in the eleventh century,'' he said, nodding toward the church. Its squarish steeple had four sets of windows on each side.
The cemetery bristled with stone slabs standing on end.
'"You've asked about the Declaration of Indulgence of 1672. To understand that we must know something about Henry VIII and his three children: Mary,
Edward, and Elizabeth. Hand me the chart.''
Pointing to the line which listed Henry's brother and sisters, he said, ''Arthur, Henry's oldest brother, died in 1502. Being the oldest, Arthur was the Prince
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of Wales, and had he lived, he would have become King Arthur II! His death meant that Henry, born in 1491, was the new heir. But there were complications. Four months before his death, Arthur had married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Queen Isabella—''
'"The one who financed Columbus?'' Susanna interrupted.
''Correct. It was then arranged for Henry to marry Catherine.''
Catherine was his brother's widow!'' protested Susanna.
'"That's the way it was done. One reason for this move was to avoid offending Spain. Henry was only twelve. Catherine was seventeen. But the ceremony could not be performed until permission was received from the Pope; and the Pope didn't even bother to answer the request for three years. By the time permission was received, Henry was fifteen. Three years later, Henry's father, Henry VII, died. Eighteen-yearold Henry then followed him as Henry VIII. Henry was a large man. I've seen his armor. He had massive shoulders and was over six feet tall. With hair and beard the color of fire, he was stunningly handsome.
But eighteen years after his marriage, he decided to divorce Catherine.
''Facing her, he said, 'Catherine, since you were married to my brother, we're living in sin! And that may be the reason you don't have a son.'
'The real truth, Sukey, is that Henry had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn—the black-eyed sister of one of his mistresses! The Pope refused to grant him a divorce. But that didn't stop Henry! He immediately got two bills passed through Parliament in 1534. The first severed the power of the Pope over England, and the second made Henry the head of the Church of
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England. That bill was called the Act of Supremacy."'
"Did Henry VIII become a Protestant?''
'Politically, yes. Spiritually, no."'
''Had he ever been converted?"'
Dr. Annesley laughed. ''Certainly not. To him, Christianity was merely a form. Like the majority of the upper classes in his age, he lived in open sin. But, in the depths of his heart, he remained Roman
Catholic. You see, in his late twenties, Henry had written a book entitled The Defense of the Seven Sacraments. The purpose of this book was to denounce
Luther's book, the Babylonish Captivity. Henry's book became very popular. It went into many translations and was reprinted twenty times. This book so pleased the Pope, he gave him the title, Defender of the Faith.
Our kings and queens have been using that title ever since.
'"Now that Henry was the head of the Church of England, he secured his divorce, and married Anne
Boleyn. In time, Anne presented him with a daughter, Elizabeth. But three years after his marriage, Henry tired of Anne, and had her executed.
'"'Fearing the normal ax, Anne requested that an expert swordsman from Calais be employed. This man used a sword. Less than two weeks later, Henry married Jane Seymour. Jane presented him with his only son, Edward. Then she died.
'Since none of Henry's later wives had children, we'll forget them, and consider what happened to the offspring of his first three wives. But first, let's consider how Henry persecuted Protestants. In 1539 he pushed the Act of Stx Articles through Parliament. 'Those six articles demanded that believers confess their sins to a priest; that only the priest was allowed to drink the wine in a communion service; that priests remain
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single; and that everyone must believe in transubstantiation—that is the belief that when the communion bread and wine are blessed by the priest they become the actual blood and body of Christ.''
Susanna bit her lip. ''And what was done to those who didn't accept the Szx Articles?"
'"They lost their property. Many were even burned at the stake. One man was hanged simply because he ate meat during Lent!"'
'*Sir, I'm in a shadow. It's cold. Let's move."'
Dr. Annesley was like a tightly wound watch. The moment they were relocated in a patch of sun, he continued. ''Henry died in 1547. He was succeeded by his son, Edward, who was crowned as Edward VI.
At the time, Edward was only ten years old."'
''But why wasn't Catherine's daughter, Mary, made queen. She was the oldest!''
''Because the oldest male in a royal family is always the heir. But back to the story. Edward VI was a true
Protestant, both politically and spiritually. And the moment he came to power he released many Protestants imprisoned by his father.''
Annesley stood and stretched. Then he led Susanna to the coach.
thought you were going to take me through St.
Giles!'' she protested.
'"'T am. But you'll understand the rest of the story better if I take you to the actual place where it happened.' He signaled the coachman. '"Take us to West
Smithfield."'
As the coach rumbled past St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Annesley said, ''No one knows what would have happened to England if Edward had lived, for he was a true Christian. But he died when he was only sixteen. He was then followed to the throne by his halfsister, Mary—daughter of Catherine of Aragon.
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LD ''Mary was the worst queen England ever had.
John Knox called her Bloody Queen Mary, and John Knox was right! She hated—no, she loathed Protestantism, and she vowed that she would take England back to Rome.''
The coachman halted his vehicle at the side of a tiny park in West Smithfield and opened the door.
'"This is the place,'' said Annesley. ''For centuries it's been used for games and contests.'' He swept his arms around, indicating the large open space.
knights have jousted here. But in our time it is more famous for being the place where the Bloody
Queen burned Protestants.
''Poor Mary was a troubled woman. Though queen, her life was full of disappointments. Her father divorced her mother. Philip II of Spain married her, but he refused to live with her. She began a war with France and lost. She turned her wrath on Protestants.
She hated the laws of her brother, which favored Protestants, and cancelled them at the first opportunity.
Then she went after the Protestants. Come, let me show you where her first victim was burned.''
Dr, Annesley led Susanna to a place in front of a small shop. "'Tradition says that this was the spot.
The date was Monday, February 4, 1555. Her victim was John Rogers, a distinguished scholar and a vicar at St. Sepulchre's.'' Annesley pointed to the probable path Rogers had followed.
''As the old man was led to the stake, he passed his wife and eleven children. After he had been chained to the stake, the sheriff said, 'If you will change your religion, you will save your life.' Rogers, however, had just quoted the Fifty-first Psalm and was prepared. And even though he could see his wife, with their children huddling around her, his voice was as
A NI yy yA \ \ mess ce 'Nyy
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clear as a trumpet. 'That which I have preached, I will seal with my blood.'
"The torch was then applied to the straw and wood stacked around his feet. Mercifully,-the wood was dry and he died quickly.''
Susanna viewed the scene. "'It's hard to believe that anyone could be so cruel!'' With great effort, she asked, "'How many did Queen Mary burn?"'
"'She executed at least three hundred. But they weren't all burned.
Some were hanged; others beheaded. Mary was vicious. Among those she burned was her brother's friend, Archbishop Cranmer. The day after his death, she made Cardinal Pole the Archbishop of Canterbury. Pole was a favorite and did her bidding. She even ordered him to dig up her father's bones and burn.them!"'
"You mean the bones of Henry VIII?'' Susanna winced.
'"That's right.''
'""'Why would she do that?"'
'Because she considered him a heretic!
On the way back to St. Giles, Susanna was quiet »? until the coach entered the open space around the church. Then she asked, '"'Why did John Rogers refuse to change his faith when he faced the fire?'' caf ''Because Christ was extremely dear to him.
"'And what was his faith?''
"Church of England.''
'"Then there are members of our church who really know Christ?''
""Of course! There are members of all Christian faiths and opinions who know Christ, and to whom
Christianity is more than politics. But let's get back to the Bloody Queen.
""Mary died unexpectedly on November 17, 1558.
And, strangely, Cardinal Pole died twelve hours later.
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'Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, was a great improvement over Mary. She was a Protestant and ruled for almost half a century.''
''Was she a veal Protestant, or just a political Protestant?'' asked Susanna.
''T'm afraid she was just a political Protestant. Like her half sister, she burned some who didn't agree with here'
Susanna and her father had just entered St. Giles when she began to hold her side. "'I'm afraid I'm not feeling too well,'' she said.
'"Then we'd better go home. I had hoped to tell you about my ministry here, but I can do that later.''
The coachman had just lifted his whip when an old blind man and his wife shuffled up to the coach.
sir,'" mumbled the old man, ''me and wife ain't 'ad nothin' to eat for better 'n three days.'' He held out a dented cup.
After frantically searching through his pockets, Annesley said, ''Sorry. I'm afraid I don't even have a farthing.''
wailed Susanna. The couple started to leave, and then Susanna's face brightened. ''Robert,'' she said to the coachman, ''could you lend me a shilling?"'
''And I don't have any money either,'
'Thank you, miss,"' said the old lady after the coin had clinked in the cup. ''That was mighty sweet.''
On the return to Spital Yard, neither Susanna nor her father spoke. The only sounds that broke the silence were the noises of the high spoked wheels as they crossed the bumps, the swish of the snow, and the rhythmic clatter of the horses' hoofs. But in her head, Susanna kept hearing the tingling sound of the coin as it fell into the beggar's cup. Also, a memory of the old woman's toothless smile lingered with her.
Just as Susanna was preparing to go to her room,
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she remembered her father's reference to the Declaration of Indulgence of 1672. ''What was it?'' she asked.
"In 1665 Parliament passed the Five Mile Act. This bill meant that no dissenting minister was allowed to go within five miles of any church where he had preached. Since I had been vicar at St. Giles, I was not allowed in that vicinity. The Declaration of Indulgence of 1672 cancelled that law. It was because of that cancellation that I was allowed to take you there today."'
On the Rim of the Action While returning from the Sunday morning service at the neighborhood Church of England, Susanna's conscience troubled her. Just as she side-stepped a puddle, a line from one of her father's sermons lodged in her head. In her mind's eye she saw him in the pulpit and heard him say: ''A scruple in the mind is as gravel in the shoe, it vexeth the conscience.''
Those words now bit into her heart. It seemed she had a pebble in each shoe. Within minutes she would be facing him. What would she say? Keeping the Book of Common Prayer out of sight under her coat, she opened the door of their house, slipped down the hall, and hid it under the bed. As she prepared for dinner, the tantalizing smell of roast beef filled the air.
Standing before the mirror, Susanna pushed the comb through her hair and brushed her ankle-length, black skirt. The Church of England service had indeed been different! The bright vestments, the chanting, the intermittent kneeling, the colored windows, the candles, the high altar, and the reading of prayers