The ambassadors, finding all arguments unavailing to persuade Clement to favour the divorce, quickly returned to England. Cr:mi nter alone remained in Italy. At length oven his patience was exhatuted by continued refusals to allow him to maintain in public the judgments of the English and foreign universities, which were for the meet part favourable to the king's cause. The pope con ferred on him, for the sake of conciliation, the empty title of ' Supreme Penitentiary,' and soon afterwards gladly saw him turn his back upon Italy (1530). In prosecution of the same business, Cranmer now went to France, and also to the Emperor of Germany—an expedition which, altlioneh it produced no decisive public result, led to an event of great private consequence to himself. Regardless of the ltoinish is junction for clerical celibacy, during this residence abroad ho married (l53e) a second time ; the object of his choice being tho niece of his friend Oaiander, the pastor of Nurembure. This imprudent act, which lie could not avow, exposed him eventually to many unworthy evasions. It was not long after they were united, before Cranmer received news of Archbishop %Val ham'a death (August 1532), and of Henry's intention to raise him to the see of Canterbury. He suffered four months to elapse, in the hope that the king might change his mind, and then unwillingly accepted this promotion, which the necessary oaths respect ing celibacy acrl obedience to the pope rendered unacceptable : he was consecrated on the 30th of March 1533, making a public protesta tion, at the time when he swore submission to the pope, " That he did not intend by this oath to restrain himself from anything that he was bound to either by his duty to God, or the king, or the country." " By this," says Burnet (' Hist. Reformation,' vol. L), "if he did ;Sot wholly save his integrity, yet it was plain he intended no cheat, but to act fairly and above-board." Afraid of n rupture with England, the pope accepted less than the usual fee.
thatuner, soon after his appointment, discussed the king's cause in convocation ; and having travelled to Dunstable, to which town the commission adjourned in order to be near Queen Catharine's residence at A lapthill, he there (23rd of May 1533) declared the marriage null and void. Five days afterwards he publicly married the king to Anne Boleyn, a private marriage having taken place in the January previous. lie also officiated at their coronation on the let of June, and stood sponsor to the Princess Elizabeth, who was born in the following September. the business of his office and parliamentary duty now occupied his time. With his assistance were passed several statutes, by which the power of the pope in England was materially diminialied ; the convocation and uniesmities eeseuted to those statute% pronouncing that the bi-bep of Roma has not any greater jurisdiction conferred on him in this realm of England than any other foreign bishop." In 1531, when Sir Thomas 3lore and Fisher, bishop of Rochester, refused the oath of supremacy, Crantner's best endeavours were used in vain, first to overcome the scruples of the recusants, and after wards to di/suede the king from executing the sentence that had 'helm pronounced upon them. In this year, with the consent of the
convocation, he set on foot a translation of the Bible, by dividing Tyndale's version of the New Testament into nine or ten parts, which he required the most learned bishops to revise; the translation was completed and ultimately printed at Paris. In 1535 Cmnmer assisted in the correction of a second edition of the 'King's Primer,' a book coutaining doctrines bordering upon Proteetnutietn, of which it has been asserted that the archbishop was originally the compiler. His continual study of the lltble, and the notes that ho had collected upon all heads of religion, both from places iu scripture, and ancient fathers and doctors, fitted him most fully for the undertaking. lo August he wrote a curious letter (Strype) to the king, respecting the publicsoion of Lis supremacy by the clergy, And urged him to the suppression of the monasteries, which be coneidered Inconsistent with true and full refurrnation. Cromwell was now raised by tho king to be head of his ecclesiastical affairs, under the title of Vicar-general, and Creamer coneserated Latimer and Shaxton to the sees of Worcester and Salisbury. In 1530 died Catharine the divorced queen ; and Henry being now tired and jealous of Anne Boleyn, soon got rid of her. Granuler was forbidden the court, lest his presence might impede tha proceedings against the queen, from whom he received uniform kindness. In virtue of his office he pronounced her marriage void (1536). and on the day after her execution the king was milted to Jane Seymour. In June the archbishop opened the convocation, where Cromwell presided as vicar-general ; the record of the late que-n's divorce was ennetionsel without the opposition of Crnnmer or any other member. After mach violent and useless discussion, the synod proceeded to debate upon the sacraments. Cranmer spoke at considerable Ictigtb, and articles were afterwards framed by him, and others of the ' new learning, as the doctrines of the reformers were then called, by which considerable innovations were effected. The pope, who was watchful of the proceedings of Eaglet's', threat:snal to Resemble a synod, for the sake of passing censures upon Henry ; ht anticipation of which, Crammer and othens signed a declaration that the king need not obey their decisions, In case such an assembly was convened. With the assistance of many emineut divines, Cranmer arranFed as compilation called the ' Bishop's Rook,' inculcating the doctnncs of the reformers as expressed in the articles of the pre ceding year. The king, to whom this book was submitted, himself inserted some correction., from which the archbishop was bold enough to dissent. However ill Henry's temper might have brooked such contradiction from another, he bore it patiently from the archbishop, who had been his meet useful friend, and we find that in the October of this year, when the queen gave birth to Prince Edward, the primate and the Duke of Norfolk stood spoil/tors at his baptism.