In the year 1549, the archbishop was engaged in a controversy of a very singular kind, on the following occasion.

The dissolution of monasteries, having thrown the landed interest of the nation, into new hands, introduced also a new kind of culture; which at first occasioned a scarcity. Mr. Hume, speaking of this matter, with great judgment remarks, ‘that no abuse in civil society is so great, as not to be attended with a variety of beneficial consequences; and in the beginnings of reformation, the loss of these advantages is always felt very sensibly; while the benefit resulting from the change, is the slow effect of time; and is seldom perceived by the bulk of a nation.’ Thus, on the present occasion, the bad effects of a new mode of culture were experienced, before its advantages took place; and the people expressing dissatisfaction in all parts, in some flamed out into acts of violence. Among other insurrections, one in Devonshire was very formidable. The insurgents felt the effects of famine, but in an age of ignorance they could not trace the cause. The discontented priests, who swarmed about the country, presently assigned one. ‘The famin• was a judgment for the abolition of the holy catholic religion; and till that was restored, the people must not look either for seed-time, or harvest.’

Such language changed riot into enthusiasm. The banner of the cross was reared; and the insurgents, marking themselves with the five wounds of Christ, called their march, the pilgrimage of grace.

Their first attempt was on Exeter, which they surrounded with their tumultuary forces. The town was reduced to extremity; but still resisted; encouraged chiefly by a brave old townsman, who bringing all his provision into the street, ‘Here, cried he, my fellow-citizens, take what I have, among you. For myself, I will sight with one arm, and feed on the other, rather than suffer these ruffians to enter.’

As the rebels were thus checked by the firmness of Exeter, they employed this time of inactivity in sending petitions and articles to the king, in which they demanded, the ceremonies of the popish worship to be restored—the new liturgy to be abolished—the use of the bible to be forbidden—and, in short, every thing to be undone, that had already been done.

General answers were given to these demands; but the rebels continuing still unsatisfied, Lord Russel was sent against them with a body of forces. He fell on them, as they lay before Exeter; and gave them a severe defeat.

But tho their spirit was broken, their prejudices continued. The archbishop therefore engaged in the humane part of bringing them to reason: hoping that their sufferings had, by this time, abated the ardour of their zeal.

The articles of their petitions, relating to religion, which were fifteen in number, the archbishop undertook to answer. The first rough draught of this work, which is of considerable length, is still extant in the library of Bennet-college in Cambridge, and is published by Mr. Strype in his appendix to the life of archbishop Cranmer. It contains a very extensive compass of learning; and is written with great strength of argument: but its principal recommenddation is, its being so admirably adapted to the capacity of those, to whom it was addressed. Nothing can shew more judgment or knowledge of the manners of the lower people.—I shall give the reader a few passages from this very masterly work, as a specimen.

The rebel articles begin with the phrase, We will have.

"In the first place, says the archbishop, I dislike your beginning. Is it the fashion of subjects to say to their prince, We will have? Would any of you, that be house-holders, be content, that your servants should come upon you with harness on their backs, and swords in their hands, and say, We will have?

But leaving your rude, and unhandsome manner of speech, I will come to the point. You say you will have all the holy decrees to be observed. But I dare say, very few, or none of you, understand what you ask. Do you know what the holy decrees be? As holy as they may be called, they be indeed so wicked, and full of tyranny, that the like were never devised. I shall rehearse some of them, that you may see how holy they be.—One decree sayth, That all the decrees of the bishop of Rome ought to be kept as God's word. Another, that whosoever receiveth not the decrees of the bishop of Rome, his sin shall never be forgiven. A third, that altho the bishop of Rome regard neither his own salvation, nor any man's else, but puts down with himself, headlong innumerable people, by heaps, into hell; yet may no mortal man presume to reprove him therefore. I cannot think that you be so far from all godliness, as to desire decrees, which be so blasphemous to God; and so far from all equity and reason. For I dare say, that the subtle papists when they moved you to stand in this article, that all holy decrees should be observed, never shewed you these decrees: sor if they had, they knew right well, you would never have consented to this article.

But now let me shew you, what a miserable case you should bring yourselves into, if the king's majesty should assent unto this first article. For among these decrees, one is, that no priest shall be sued before a temporal judge for any manner of cause or crime; but before his bishop only. Another is, that a priest may sue a temporal man either before a temporal, or a spiritual judge, at his pleasure. I cannot deny, but these be good, and beneficial decrees for the liberty of the clergy. But I suppose none of you will think it an indifferent decree: that a priest shall sue you, where he list: but if he had slain one of your sons or brothers, you could have no remedy against him; but only before the bishop. What mean these papistical priests, think you, that stirred you up to ask such decrees to be observed, but crastily to bring you under their subjection; and that you yourselves ignorantly asking ye wist not what, should put your heads under their girdles.

Surely, if ye had known these decrees, when ye consented to this article, ye would have torn the article in pieces: for by this article ye would have all the ancient laws of the realm to cease, and those decrees come in their room. Or otherwise, by your own article ye would condemn yourselves to be heretics.

How ye be bewitched by these false papists? Why do ye suffer them to abuse you by their subtlety? Why do ye not send them to the king, like errant traitors, saying unto him, ‘Most mighty prince, we present here unto you heinous traitors against your majesty, and great deceivers of us, your true subjects. We have erred; and by ignorance have been seduced to ask, we ist not what. Have pity on our ignorance; and punish these abominable raitors.’

What was in your minds to ask such a thing as this? and so presumptuously to fay, We will have it? I trust there be not in you so much malice, and devilishness, as the article containeth: but that you have been artfully suborned by wicked papists to ask, you know not what.

If you had asked, that the word of God might be duly observed, and kept in this realm, all that be godly Would have commended you. But as you ask Romish decrees to be observed, there is no godly Englishman, that will consent to your article. But clean contrary, a great number of godly persons within this realm, for the love of God, be daily humble suitors to the king's majesty, that he will weed out of his realm all popish decrees, laws, and canons, and whatsoever else is contrary to God's word. And is any of you so far from reason, as to think he will hearken to you, who say, We will have Romish laws; and turn his ear from them, who are humble suitors for God's word?"

From these few extracts, which are taken from the archbishop's answer to the first article, the reader may judge, in how admirable a way, he answered the remaining fourteen. The whole work indeed may be a model to those, who wish to make themselves masters of that mode of reasoning, which is adapted to the people.