The effects Of the public discontent appeared even in the next parliament that was summoned; and the Queen's application for a subsidy, and for additional enforcements of persecution, was resolutely rejected. Philip, in the mean time, finding his authority in Eng land extremely limited, sensible of the general hatred which he had incurred, and tired by the Queen's im portunate love and jealousy, went over to Flanders, where he continued to spend most of his time, and seldom took any notice of his consort's fond epistles, except when he had occasion to demand a supply of money. In order to gratify his wishes, Mary had re course to all the violent and irregular' expedients of loans, levies, and similar extortions; and, at the same time, engaged the council, not, however, without the most vehement importunity and menaces, to declare war in aid of Spain against France. This measure in volved the nation in new difficulties ; and the town of Calais, which had been held by England above 200 years, having been taken by the French, the whole kingdom was filled with murmurs and complaints against the improvidance of the Queen and her coun sellors. The Queen herself who had been long in a declining state of health, conscious of being hated by her subjects, dejected by the loss of Calais, apprehen sive, in the prospect of Elizabeth's succession, for the safety of the Catholic faith, and overwhelmed with grief on account of her husband's determination to re side in Spain during the remainder of his life, fell into a lingering fever, which terminated her days in the 43d year of her age, and the sixth of her reign. She pos sessed few qualities, that were either estimable or ami able ; and her person was as little engaging as her mind. She was cruel from natural disposition, and bi gottcd from a narrow understanding ; and, excepting the single virtue of sincerity, her character was a com plication of the most odious vices, of obstinacy, tyran ny, malignity, and revenge.
After the death of Mary, the Princess Elizabeth ascended the throne, in the 25th year of her age, not only without opposition, but with the joyful acclama tions of the whole nation. During the reign of her sister, she had been treated with great severity, and exposed to the most imminent dangers. Mary and the Popish bishops, well aware that, upon coming to the throne, she would instantly overturn that religion, which they were using such extreme means to esta blish, only waited for some new insurrection, or other favourable pretext, to take away her life. Compassion for her situation rendered her an object of interest to the nation; and the difficult part which she had to act, inured her to that exercise of prudence which qualified her to reign. Debarred also, by her confinement, from seeking amusement abroad, she applied herself to the pursuit of knowledge at home ; and improved her un derstanding by the study of languages and science. She entered London amidst crowds of people, who strove with each other to give her the strongest testi monies of their affection; and when she reached the Tower, where she had formerly been exposed to all the bigottcd malignity of her enemies, she gave thanks on her knees to the Almighty, for her deliverance from bloody persecutors ; but this was the only instance in which she testified her recollection of past injuries, and with a magnanimity truly laudable, she received, with affability, even those who had treated her with the great est malevolence. When the bishops, however, came
to express their homage, she turned aside from Bon ner, as from a man polluted with blood, and as a just object of horror to every friend of humanity. Imme diately after her accession, she received proposals of marriage from Philip of Spain, who still hoped to ob tain, by her means, that dominion over England, of which he had been disappointed in espousing Mary. But Elizabeth, neither attached to the person nor to the religion of her admirer, and sensible of the aver sion which her subjects entertained to the Spanish in fluence, declined his addresses ; yet in such an evasive manner, that for some time he retained hopes of suc cess, and even took measures for procuring a dispensa tion from the Pope for the match.
The young queen, who had formed a determination, even amidst the restraints of a prison, to reform the church, upon her coming to the throne, proceeded with out delay, in conjunction with Sir William Cecil, her secretary of state, to concert measures for restoring the Protestant religion ; and as the cruelties exercised in the last reign had completely alienated the people from the ancient faith, it became a very easy matter to accomplish this object. Resolved, however, to proceed by secure and gradual steps, she checked the furious attacks of the Protestant teachers on the Romish superstitions, by prohibiting all preaching without a special licence, and by exempting from this restriction only the more mo derate and judicious of her own party ; and made no other innovations in the form of worship, except to for bid the elevation of the hoste, and to cause the greater part of the service to be read in English. At the same time, she clearly indicated her intentions of supporting the Reformation, by recalling the Protestant exiles, and setting at liberty all prisoners who were confined on account of religion; but delayed the entire change of the national faith till the meeting of the parliament, which was summoned to assemble, and in the elections for which the Catholics scarcely struggled for the su periority. After recognizing the queen's title to the throne, they annexed the supremacy of the church to the crown; confirmed all the statutes enacted in King Edward's reign with regard to religion ; and, in one session, without violence or clamour, altered the whole public system of religion, nearly to the very state in which it is at present established. Thus did England change its religious tenets four times in the space of 32 years ; hut, in this last instance alone, without compul sion. The people were now Protestants from inclina tion, chiefly in consequence of the persecutions under Mary ; and out of 9400 beneficed clergymen through out the kingdom, only 14 bishops, 12 archdeacons, 15 heads of colleges, and about 80 of the parochial der gy, quitted their preferments on account of the Refor mation.