The authority of Mary was much increased by the sup pression of \Viat's rebellion; the emperor had sent 400,000 crowns to be distributed, in bribes and pensions, among the members of parliament ; and the queen had removed all alarm regarding the restoration of the church lands, by resuming the title of supreme head of the church, which she had dropped some time before. But while the parliament readily ratified the articles of marriage, which were drawn so favourably for England, they refused to pass a law proposed by the chancellor, investing the queen with a power of disposing of the crown, and ap pointing her successor ; but, on the contrary, made such enactments, as effectually precluded Philip from possessing any authority in the government of the kingdom. They refused also to revive the law of the six articles, and to pass certain bills against heresy ; and the queen finding that they would not sufficiently serve all her purposes, finished the session by dissolving them.
Mary's whole thoughts were now occupied with the completion of her marriage with Philip ; and she dis covered all the impatience of the youngest and fondest lover for his arrival. Her health, and even her under standing, were visibly impaired, by her extreme anxie ty; and she at last became apprehensive, lest her per son should be so injured by time and sickness, as to become disagreeable to her future consort. News at length were brought of his arrival at Southampton, and they were married a few days after at 'Westminster. They made a pompous entry into London, where Phi lip displayed his wealth with great ostentation; but his cold and haughty manners were ill calculated to remove the prejudices of the English nation against him. Mary soon found that his ruling passion was am bition, and that the only way of securing his affections was to render him master of England. Ready to sacri fice to his pleasure the interest and liberty of her peo ple, she summoned a new parliament ; and the influ ence of Spanish gold, the zeal of the Catholics, the powers of the prerogative, procured a House of Com mons sufficiently compliant Both houses, upon the representation of Cardinal Pole, who had come to Eng land in the capacity of legate, addressed the King and Queen, professing their desire to be reconciled to the apostolical see, and requesting their intercession with the holy father for their absolution. Their request was easily granted, and the parliament and kingdom were formally re-admitted into the bosom of the church. But while they repealed all former statutes enacted against the Pope's authority in England, they took spe cial care to secure the plunder which they had made from the ecclesiastics, and to retain possession of all the abbey and church lands. Having thus made provision for the safety of their own estates, they became very indifferent shunt the interests of religion, or the lives of their countrymen ; and readily revived all the old san guinary laws against heretics, placing the national re ligion nearly on the same footing as at the death of Henry VIII. But, with all their submission, they still preserved a regard to national independence ; and re sisted all proposals to put the administration into the hands of Philip, to declare him presumptive heir of the crown, or even to assist his father by subsidies in his war against France. The Queen, however, in her
extreme desire to have issue, mistaking the commence ment of a dropsy for a state of pregnancy, great re joicings were made in the prospect of an heir to the throne ; and the parliament passed a law, which, in case of the Queen's decease, appointed Philip protec tor during the minority ; but, resisting all farther con cessions in his favour, they were unexpectedly dis solved.
It was now frequently debated in the council, whe ther the laws, lately revived against heretics, should be put in execution, or merely employed by way of terror, as a restraint upon the more turbulent and ob trusive. Cardinal Pole, though firmly attached to the Catholic tenets, strongly recommended a of the Protestants ; but Gardiner, though suspected of less sincerity in his religious principles, keenly con tended for the expediency of a violent persecution. The arguments of the latter being more agreeable to the cruel bigotry of Mary and Philip, it was determi ned to enforce the laws in all their rigour against the reformed religion; and England was for three years filled with scenes of horror, which disgraced human nature, and rendered the Catholic system an object of general detestation. It has been computed, that, du ring the above mentioned period, 277 persons were brought to the stake ; besides those who were punish ed by imprisonment, fines, and confiscation. Among those who suffered by fire, were 5 bishops, 21 clergy men, 8 lay gentlemen, 84 tradesmen, 100 servants and labourers, 55 women, and 4 children. Those persons, too, were not convicted of publicly teaching tenets con trary to the established religion ; but were seized upon suspicion of heresy, required to subscribe the Romish articles of faith, and were generally condemned for re fusing to acknowledge the doctrine of the real presence. Among the chief sufferers, were Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester ; Rogers, Prebendary of St Paul's ; Ridley, Bishop of London ; Ferrar, Bishop of St David's ; La timer, Bishop of Worcester ; and Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. The principal agent in these barbari ties was Bonner, Bishop of London, upon whom Gar diner had devolved the invidious office ; a man of pro fligate manners and brutal disposition, who seemed to rejoice in the torments of the unhappy sufferers, and who frequently applied the most cruel punishments with his own hands. Repeated orders were sent from the council, to quicken the diligence of the magistrates in searching out heretics; and, in sonic places, the gen try were constrained to countenance, by their presence, the barbarous proceedings against the unhappy victims. An attempt even was made to introduce the inquisi tion into the country. But all those instances of cruelty and oppression were so abhorrent to the feelings of the English nation, that they produced the very opposite effect of what was intended ; rendered the Spanish go vernment daily more odious; and forwarded, instead of checking, the progress of the new opinions.