第186章

Had the Emperor decided upon supporting the people of the north the course of English history might have been different， but as war had broken out once more between France and the empire， both nations， anxious to maintain good relations with England， abstained from active interference in English affairs. Pope Paul III.， deeply interested as he was in the English revolution， summoned to his assistance one who understood better than most of his contemporaries the character of the king and the condition of the country， namely， Reginald Pole. The latter， turning his back on the favour of the king and the offer of the Archbishopric of York， had left England rather than approve of the king's separation from Catharine. Henry， however， hoping to induce him to return to England， maintained friendly relations with Pole， and requested him to state frankly his views on royal supremacy. Pole replied in a long treatise afterwards published under the title /Pro ecclesiasticae unitatis Defensione/ (1536)， in which he reproved the conduct of the king， and warned him of the dangers that his religious policy might involve. Henry， though deeply mortified by the substance and tone of this work， pretended not to be displeased， and in the hope of silencing his distinguished kinsman whom he now both feared and hated he urged him to come back to England. Pole's mother and brothers besought him to yield to the royal wishes， or else he should prove the ruin of all those who were dear to him. Though deeply affected by their appeals， he preferred duty to family affection. He went to Rome where he was created a cardinal (1536)， and appointed to assist in drawing up a scheme of ecclesiastical reforms in preparation for the General Council. Soon news arrived in Rome that a rebellion had broken out in England， that the people were ready to die in defence of their religion， and that the king might be forced to adopt a more conciliatory attitude towards Rome. It was decided to appoint Cardinal Pole papal legate， and to send him to England. Such an appointment coming at such a time filled Henry with alarm. He feared that James V.

of Scotland might be induced to lead an army across the borders to the assistance of the northern rebels， and that France and the Emperor might unite their forces against one who was regarded by both as little less than a heretic. He induced the privy council to address a letter to the cardinal (Jan. 1537) reproaching him for his ingratitude and disloyalty to the king， and inviting him to come to Flanders for a friendly discussion with the English agents. Before the legate could leave Italy the Pilgrimage of Grace had been suppressed， and all hope of a successful mission in England was lost. He passed through France and Flanders， where he received a very cool reception from Francis I.

and the regent of the Netherlands， both of whom had been requested to deliver him to Henry VIII. After a short stay in the territory of the Prince-bishop of Liège he returned to Rome in August 1537.[37]

But though the rebellion in the north had been suppressed， it was sufficiently grave to show Henry the danger incurred at home by religious innovations， while the legatine mission of Cardinal Pole made it advisable to prove to the Catholic rulers of Europe that England had not gone over to the Lutheran camp. The greatest objection taken by the conservative party in England to the /Ten Articles/， drawn up by the king and accepted by Convocation in the previous year (1536)， was the absence of express reference to any Sacrament except Baptism， Penance， and the Eucharist. At the meeting of Convocation (1537) the battle was waged between the Catholic-minded bishops let by Tunstall of Durham and the Lutheran party let by Cranmer. At last the other four Sacraments were "found again，" and a settlement agreeable to both parties arrived at and embodied in a treatise known as /The Institution of a Christian Man/. It consisted of four parts， the Apostle's Creed， the Seven Sacraments， the Ten Commandments， and the Our Father and Hail Mary. Two separate articles dealing with justification and purgatory taken from the Ten Articles previously issued were appended. The bishops submitted /The Institution/ to the judgment of the king， inviting him as supreme head of the Church to correct whatever was amiss with their doctrine， but Henry， anxious to hold himself free to bargain with the Lutheran princes if necessary， refused to take any responsibility for the work beyond ordering that it might be read in the churches for three years.

Hence it was called the /Bishop's Book/.[38]