ENGLAND UNDER EDWARD THE SIXTH
HENRY THE EIGHTH had made a will, appointing a council of sixteen to govern the kingdom for his son while he was under age (he was now only ten years old), and another council of twelve to help them. The most powerful of the first council was the EARL OF HERTFORD, the young King's uncle, who lost no time in bringing his nephew with great state up to Enfield, and thence to the Tower. It was considered at the time a striking proof of virtue1 in the young King that he was sorry for his father's death; but, as common subjects have that virtue too, sometimes, we will say no more about it.
There was a curious part of the late King's will, requiring his executors to fulfil whatever promises he had made. Some of the court wondering what these might be, the Earl of Hertford and the other noblemen interested, said that they were promises to advance and enrich THEM. So, the Earl of Hertford made himself DUKE OF SOMERSET, and made his brother EDWARD SEYMOUR a baron2; and there were various similar promotions3, all very agreeable to the parties concerned, and very dutiful, no doubt, to the late King's memory. To be more dutiful still, they made themselves rich out of the Church lands, and were very comfortable. The new Duke of Somerset caused himself to be declared PROTECTOR of the kingdom, and was, indeed, the King.
As young Edward the Sixth had been brought up in the principles of the Protestant religion, everybody knew that they would be maintained. But Cranmer, to whom they were chiefly entrusted4, advanced them steadily5 and temperately6. Many superstitious7 and ridiculous practices were stopped; but practices which were harmless were not interfered8 with.
The Duke of Somerset, the Protector, was anxious to have the young King engaged in marriage to the young Queen of Scotland, in order to prevent that princess from making an alliance with any foreign power; but, as a large party in Scotland were unfavourable to this plan, he invaded that country. His excuse for doing so was, that the Border men - that is, the Scotch10 who lived in that part of the country where England and Scotland joined - troubled the English very much. But there were two sides to this question; for the English Border men troubled the Scotch too; and, through many long years, there were perpetual border quarrels which gave rise to numbers of old tales and songs. However, the Protector invaded Scotland; and ARRAN, the Scottish Regent, with an army twice as large as his, advanced to meet him. They encountered on the banks of the river Esk, within a few miles of Edinburgh; and there, after a little skirmish, the Protector made such moderate proposals, in offering to retire if the Scotch would only engage not to marry their princess to any foreign prince, that the Regent thought the English were afraid. But in this he made a horrible mistake; for the English soldiers on land, and the English sailors on the water, so set upon the Scotch, that they broke and fled, and more than ten thousand of them were killed. It was a dreadful battle, for the fugitives11 were slain12 without mercy. The ground for four miles, all the way to Edinburgh, was strewn with dead men, and with arms, and legs, and heads. Some hid themselves in streams and were drowned; some threw away their armour13 and were killed running, almost naked; but in this battle of Pinkey the English lost only two or three hundred men. They were much better clothed than the Scotch; at the poverty of whose appearance and country they were exceedingly astonished.
A Parliament was called when Somerset came back, and it repealed14 the whip with six strings15, and did one or two other good things; though it unhappily retained the punishment of burning for those people who did not make believe to believe, in all religious matters, what the Government had declared that they must and should believe. It also made a foolish law (meant to put down beggars), that any man who lived idly and loitered about for three days together, should be burned with a hot iron, made a slave, and wear an iron fetter16. But this savage17 absurdity18 soon came to an end, and went the way of a great many other foolish laws.
The Protector was now so proud that he sat in Parliament before all the nobles, on the right hand of the throne. Many other noblemen, who only wanted to be as proud if they could get a chance, became his enemies of course; and it is supposed that he came back suddenly from Scotland because he had received news that his brother, LORD SEYMOUR, was becoming dangerous to him. This lord was now High Admiral of England; a very handsome man, and a great favourite with the Court ladies - even with the young Princess Elizabeth, who romped19 with him a little more than young princesses in these times do with any one. He had married Catherine Parr, the late King's widow, who was now dead; and, to strengthen his power, he secretly supplied the young King with money. He may even have engaged with some of his brother's enemies in a plot to carry the boy off. On these and other accusations20, at any rate, he was confined in the Tower, impeached22, and found guilty; his own brother's name being - unnatural24 and sad to tell - the first signed to the warrant of his execution. He was executed on Tower Hill, and died denying his treason. One of his last proceedings25 in this world was to write two letters, one to the Princess Elizabeth, and one to the Princess Mary, which a servant of his took charge of, and concealed26 in his shoe. These letters are supposed to have urged them against his brother, and to revenge his death. What they truly contained is not known; but there is no doubt that he had, at one time, obtained great influence over the Princess Elizabeth.
All this while, the Protestant religion was making progress. The images which the people had gradually come to worship, were removed from the churches; the people were informed that they need not confess themselves to priests unless they chose; a common prayer- book was drawn27 up in the English language, which all could understand, and many other improvements were made; still moderately. For Cranmer was a very moderate man, and even restrained the Protestant clergy28 from violently abusing the unreformed religion - as they very often did, and which was not a good example. But the people were at this time in great distress29. The rapacious30 nobility who had come into possession of the Church lands, were very bad landlords. They enclosed great quantities of ground for the feeding of sheep, which was then more profitable than the growing of crops; and this increased the general distress. So the people, who still understood little of what was going on about them, and still readily believed what the homeless monks31 told them - many of whom had been their good friends in their better days - took it into their heads that all this was owing to the reformed religion, and therefore rose, in many parts of the country.
The most powerful risings were in Devonshire and Norfolk. In Devonshire, the rebellion was so strong that ten thousand men united within a few days, and even laid siege to Exeter. But LORD RUSSELL, coming to the assistance of the citizens who defended that town, defeated the rebels; and, not only hanged the Mayor of one place, but hanged the vicar of another from his own church steeple. What with hanging and killing32 by the sword, four thousand of the rebels are supposed to have fallen in that one county. In Norfolk (where the rising was more against the enclosure of open lands than against the reformed religion), the popular leader was a man named ROBERT KET, a tanner of Wymondham. The mob were, in the first instance, excited against the tanner by one JOHN FLOWERDEW, a gentleman who owed him a grudge33: but the tanner was more than a match for the gentleman, since he soon got the people on his side, and established himself near Norwich with quite an army. There was a large oak-tree in that place, on a spot called Moushold Hill, which Ket named the Tree of Reformation; and under its green boughs34, he and his men sat, in the midsummer weather, holding courts of justice, and debating affairs of state. They were even impartial35 enough to allow some rather tiresome36 public speakers to get up into this Tree of Reformation, and point out their errors to them, in long discourses37, while they lay listening (not always without some grumbling38 and growling) in the shade below. At last, one sunny July day, a herald39 appeared below the tree, and proclaimed Ket and all his men traitors40, unless from that moment they dispersed41 and went home: in which case they were to receive a pardon. But, Ket and his men made light of the herald and became stronger than ever, until the Earl of Warwick went after them with a sufficient force, and cut them all to pieces. A few were hanged, drawn, and quartered, as traitors, and their limbs were sent into various country places to be a terror to the people. Nine of them were hanged upon nine green branches of the Oak of Reformation; and so, for the time, that tree may be said to have withered42 away.
The Protector, though a haughty43 man, had compassion44 for the real distresses45 of the common people, and a sincere desire to help them. But he was too proud and too high in degree to hold even their favour steadily; and many of the nobles always envied and hated him, because they were as proud and not as high as he. He was at this time building a great Palace in the Strand46: to get the stone for which he blew up church steeples with gunpowder47, and pulled down bishops48' houses: thus making himself still more disliked. At length, his principal enemy, the Earl of Warwick - Dudley by name, and the son of that Dudley who had made himself so odious50 with Empson, in the reign9 of Henry the Seventh - joined with seven other members of the Council against him, formed a separate Council; and, becoming stronger in a few days, sent him to the Tower under twenty-nine articles of accusation21. After being sentenced by the Council to the forfeiture51 of all his offices and lands, he was liberated52 and pardoned, on making a very humble53 submission54. He was even taken back into the Council again, after having suffered this fall, and married his daughter, LADY ANNE SEYMOUR, to Warwick's eldest55 son. But such a reconciliation56 was little likely to last, and did not outlive a year. Warwick, having got himself made Duke of Northumberland, and having advanced the more important of his friends, then finished the history by causing the Duke of Somerset and his friend LORD GREY, and others, to be arrested for treason, in having conspired57 to seize and dethrone the King. They were also accused of having intended to seize the new Duke of Northumberland, with his friends LORD NORTHAMPTON and LORD PEMBROKE; to murder them if they found need; and to raise the City to revolt. All this the fallen Protector positively58 denied; except that he confessed to having spoken of the murder of those three noblemen, but having never designed it. He was acquitted59 of the charge of treason, and found guilty of the other charges; so when the people - who remembered his having been their friend, now that he was disgraced and in danger, saw him come out from his trial with the axe60 turned from him - they thought he was altogether acquitted, and sent up a loud shout of joy.
But the Duke of Somerset was ordered to be beheaded on Tower Hill, at eight o'clock in the morning, and proclamations were issued bidding the citizens keep at home until after ten. They filled the streets, however, and crowded the place of execution as soon as it was light; and, with sad faces and sad hearts, saw the once powerful Protector ascend61 the scaffold to lay his head upon the dreadful block. While he was yet saying his last words to them with manly62 courage, and telling them, in particular, how it comforted him, at that pass, to have assisted in reforming the national religion, a member of the Council was seen riding up on horseback. They again thought that the Duke was saved by his bringing a reprieve63, and again shouted for joy. But the Duke himself told them they were mistaken, and laid down his head and had it struck off at a blow.
Many of the bystanders rushed forward and steeped their handkerchiefs in his blood, as a mark of their affection. He had, indeed, been capable of many good acts, and one of them was discovered after he was no more. The Bishop49 of Durham, a very good man, had been informed against to the Council, when the Duke was in power, as having answered a treacherous64 letter proposing a rebellion against the reformed religion. As the answer could not be found, he could not be declared guilty; but it was now discovered, hidden by the Duke himself among some private papers, in his regard for that good man. The Bishop lost his office, and was deprived of his possessions.
It is not very pleasant to know that while his uncle lay in prison under sentence of death, the young King was being vastly entertained by plays, and dances, and sham65 fights: but there is no doubt of it, for he kept a journal himself. It is pleasanter to know that not a single Roman Catholic was burnt in this reign for holding that religion; though two wretched victims suffered for heresy66. One, a woman named JOAN BOCHER, for professing67 some opinions that even she could only explain in unintelligible68 jargon69. The other, a Dutchman, named VON PARIS, who practised as a surgeon in London. Edward was, to his credit, exceedingly unwilling70 to sign the warrant for the woman's execution: shedding tears before he did so, and telling Cranmer, who urged him to do it (though Cranmer really would have spared the woman at first, but for her own determined71 obstinacy), that the guilt23 was not his, but that of the man who so strongly urged the dreadful act. We shall see, too soon, whether the time ever came when Cranmer is likely to have remembered this with sorrow and remorse72.
Cranmer and RIDLEY (at first Bishop of Rochester, and afterwards Bishop of London) were the most powerful of the clergy of this reign. Others were imprisoned73 and deprived of their property for still adhering to the unreformed religion; the most important among whom were GARDINER Bishop of Winchester, HEATH Bishop of Worcester, DAY Bishop of Chichester, and BONNER that Bishop of London who was superseded74 by Ridley. The Princess Mary, who inherited her mother's gloomy temper, and hated the reformed religion as connected with her mother's wrongs and sorrows - she knew nothing else about it, always refusing to read a single book in which it was truly described - held by the unreformed religion too, and was the only person in the kingdom for whom the old Mass was allowed to be performed; nor would the young King have made that exception even in her favour, but for the strong persuasions75 of Cranmer and Ridley. He always viewed it with horror; and when he fell into a sickly condition, after having been very ill, first of the measles76 and then of the small-pox, he was greatly troubled in mind to think that if he died, and she, the next heir to the throne, succeeded, the Roman Catholic religion would be set up again.
This uneasiness, the Duke of Northumberland was not slow to encourage: for, if the Princess Mary came to the throne, he, who had taken part with the Protestants, was sure to be disgraced. Now, the Duchess of Suffolk was descended77 from King Henry the Seventh; and, if she resigned what little or no right she had, in favour of her daughter LADY JANE GREY, that would be the succession to promote the Duke's greatness; because LORD GUILFORD DUDLEY, one of his sons, was, at this very time, newly married to her. So, he worked upon the King's fears, and persuaded him to set aside both the Princess Mary and the Princess Elizabeth, and assert his right to appoint his successor. Accordingly the young King handed to the Crown lawyers a writing signed half a dozen times over by himself, appointing Lady Jane Grey to succeed to the Crown, and requiring them to have his will made out according to law. They were much against it at first, and told the King so; but the Duke of Northumberland - being so violent about it that the lawyers even expected him to beat them, and hotly declaring that, stripped to his shirt, he would fight any man in such a quarrel - they yielded. Cranmer, also, at first hesitated; pleading that he had sworn to maintain the succession of the Crown to the Princess Mary; but, he was a weak man in his resolutions, and afterwards signed the document with the rest of the council.
It was completed none too soon; for Edward was now sinking in a rapid decline; and, by way of making him better, they handed him over to a woman-doctor who pretended to be able to cure it. He speedily got worse. On the sixth of July, in the year one thousand five hundred and fifty-three, he died, very peaceably and piously78, praying God, with his last breath, to protect the reformed religion.
This King died in the sixteenth year of his age, and in the seventh of his reign. It is difficult to judge what the character of one so young might afterwards have become among so many bad, ambitious, quarrelling nobles. But, he was an amiable79 boy, of very good abilities, and had nothing coarse or cruel or brutal80 in his disposition81 - which in the son of such a father is rather surprising.
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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promotions
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| 促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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temperately
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| adv.节制地，适度地 | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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repealed
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| 撤销，废除( repeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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fetter
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| n./vt.脚镣，束缚 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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romped
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| v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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impeached
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| v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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discourses
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| 论文( discourse的名词复数 )； 演说； 讲道； 话语 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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distresses
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| n.悲痛( distress的名词复数 )；痛苦；贫困；危险 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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forfeiture
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| n.（名誉等）丧失 | |
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liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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reprieve
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| n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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67
professing
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| 声称( profess的现在分词 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
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68
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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69
jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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70
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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71
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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72
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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73
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
superseded
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| [医]被代替的，废弃的 | |
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75
persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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76
measles
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| n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子 | |
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77
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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78
piously
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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79
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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80
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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81
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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