a committee of prelates, that soon followed, under the title of The Institution of a Christian Man, popularly called 'The Bishops' Book,' shows yet more plainly how far the principles of the Reformation were affecting the best and most religious minds in England. But the wave had its flux and reflux. As ever in the history of the world and of the Church, the old and the new came into fresh and often unforeseen collisions. The 'Old learning,' as it was called, was represented by Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester. Cranmer was the champion of the New, or, as we should say, of the 'modern thought' of the period; and by his influence it came about that in 1538, two years after the publication of the 'Ten Articles,' negotiations were opened between the English king and the Lutheran princes for further conference on theological matters. Three envoys were accordingly sent from Germany to meet the Anglican representatives. One of these envoys was to have been Melanchthon himself, at the King's express invitation. He was, however, detained at Wittenberg by affairs of State, as well as by the necessity of remaining at his post in the University. The Conferences were held at Lambeth, and issued in

the adoption of Thirteen Articles, largely taken from the Augsburg Confession, although with considerable expansion, particularly on the topics of Justification and the Church. The manuscript of these Articles was discovered early in the present century among Cranmer's papers. They mark a very distinct advance in the direction of Protestantism, and, although never legalised, are of high interest as forming the basis of the Thirtynine Articles of the Church of England.

The reactionary party was probably alarmed by the progressive tendencies displayed in these Thirteen Articles, and almost immediately procured the enactment, in spite of Cranmer's most strenuous opposition, of the infamous 'Six Articles' (1539), afterwards known as 'the Whip with Six Strings,' which for a time reimposed the yoke of Romanism upon the English people in its most galling form; death at the stake being denounced as the penalty for denying Transubstantiation.1 The other Articles, to be accepted on pain of imprisonment, and death in case of persistent denial, were Communion by the laity in one kind

1 See the Act in full in Documents Illustrative of English Church History, edited by H. Gee and W. J. Hardy (1896), p. 303.

only, Priestly Celibacy, Permanence of Monastic and other Vows, Private Masses and Auricular Confession. The Bishops' Book' was now superseded for popular use by a treatise called 'The King's Book,' entitled A Necessary Knowledge and Erudition for every Christian Man (1543), in which Romish tenets were uncompromisingly enforced.

The reaction was tremendous. In fact, the King had been thoroughly alarmed by the consequences of his own procedure just before, in giving the English Bible to the people; and terrified persons are often cruel. For in 1535, four years previously, the whole Bible had appeared in English, as translated by Myles Coverdale; and in this very year of the Six Articles the edition called the Great Bible had been published, with that memorable frontispiece, designed, as some say, by Holbein-King Henry on the throne, handing copies of the Book on either side, to Cranmer and to Crumwell-representatives of the clergy and laity; a great crowd of whom are shown below, receiving the royal gift with joyful acclamations. This Bible was ordered to be placed in the churches so as to be at all times accessible to the people; and it is sadly curious

to read in the light of subsequent history that six copies were placed, in pursuance of this regulation, in St. Paul's Cathedral, by the notorious Bishop Bonner. At once, however, it became plain that the King had not calculated the result of thus giving an open Bible to the English people. He complains that 'his intent and hope had been that the Scriptures would be read with meekness, with a will to accomplish the effect of them; not for the purpose of finding arguments to maintain extravagant opinions, not that they should be spouted out and declaimed upon at undue times and places, and after such fashions as were not convenient to be suffered.' 1 a free Bible, came the Six the first time nor the last when those who claim to dictate opinion have said, 'Yes: you may read the Bible for yourselves, on condition of finding in it what we ordain; or it will be the worse for you!'

So, as an antidote to Articles. It was not

It was in vain that Melanchthon wrote a long and elaborate letter to the King himself, earnestly protesting against the enactment. The persecution was rigorously carried on; many persons

1 Strype, Memorials, ii. 434.

were imprisoned; others fled the country and found shelter in the Protestant states of Europe; and it was under this infamous Act that the heroic Ann Askew suffered in Smithfield in the last year of King Henry's reign.

Henry died in 1547, and was succeeded by his son Edward the Sixth, under whom Cranmer and the Reformation party once more gained ascendency. The first step towards religious freedom was to abolish the Six Articles, Gardiner being deposed and imprisoned. Then for a while the great Archbishop bent his endeavours to the accomplishment of a purpose magnificently conceived, but destined to remain unfulfilled. His dream was that all Protestant Confessions might be combined in one Declaration of the common Faith, in which the Evangelical and Reformed Churches on the Continent, as well as those of Great Britain, might agree. Probably, in view of the controversies still raging between Lutherans and Zwinglians, he thought that the Anglican Church might exert a moderating and harmonising influence; and that one evangelical Catholic Creed, maintained in common by all who held