ito The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. I. King after, the courier arrived from England with the king's fubmifïion under Hen. VIII. his hand in due form, but it was then too late, it being hardly decent for rt%Y43 the infallible chair to revoke its decrees in fo fhort a time. Such was the crifis of the reformation ! Pope's Au- The pope having decidedagainft the king, hismajefty determined to take Morley over away all his profits and authority over the church of England at once; ac- teC lanhud ctarh f cordingly a bill was brought into the parliament then fitting, and paffed ken away. without any proteftation, by which it is enacted, " That all payments 25 H 8. " made to the apoftolick chamber, and all provifions, bulls, or difpenfàtions, cap. 20, 2r. " fhould from thenceforth ceafe ; and that all difpenfations or licences, for °' things not contrary to the law of God fhould be granted within the king- ' dom, under the feals of the two archbifhops in their feveral provinces. " The pope was to have no further concern in the nomination or confir- " nnation of bithops, which were appointed to be chofen by congé de elire " from the crown, as at prefent. Peter Pence, and all procurations from " Rome were abolifhed. Moreover, all religious honks, exempt or not " exempt, were to be fubject to the archbifhops vifitation, except fame " monafteries and abbies which were to be fubjeët to the king." Moft of the bifhops voted againft this bill, tho' all (except one) let their hands to it after it was pafs'd, according to the cuftom of thofe times. Thus the church of England became independent of the pope, and of all foreign ju- rifdiction. Lawsagairfi Complaints being daily made of the fevere proceedings of the ecclefnafti- Hereticks re- cal courts againft hereticks, the parliament took this matter into confidera- PeaPld 4 .. 8: tion, and repealed the act of the 2d of Henry IV. abovementioned, leav- cáP r , ing the fiatutes of Richard II. and Henry V. in full force, with this quali- fication; that hereticks fhould be proceeded againft upon prefentments by a jury, or on the oaths of two witneffes at leaft ; that they fhould be brought to anfwer in open court, and if they were found guilty and would not abjure, or were relapfed, they fhould be adjudged to death, the king's writ de hceretico comburendo being firft obtain'd. By this a t theecclefiaftical courts were limited; hereticks being now to be tried according to the forms of law, as in other cafes. Clergy's Sub- Towards the latter end of this fefíiion, the clergy affembled in convoca- mjTon. tion, fent up their fubmfon to the king to be paffed in parliament, which was done accordingly : The contents were, " That the clergy acknow- " ledged all convocations ought to be affembled by the king's writ ; and " promis'd, in verbs facerdotii, that they would never make nor execute " any new canons or conftitutions without the royal affent; and,fnnce " many canons had been receiv'd that were found prejudicial to the king's " prerogative, contrary to the laws of the land, and heavy to the fubjeEts, " that therefore there fhould be a committee of 32 perlons, 16 of the two " houles
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