The History of England (1839) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. HENRY VIII. (CONTJSDBD.) 1538?154?. Burning of Lambert.?Act of Six Articles.?King's marriage with Anne of Cleves.?His divorce.?Execution of Cromwell.?Catherine Howard.?War with Prance and Scotland.?Conspiracy against Cranmer.?Anne Askew.? Attempt to injure the queen.?Execution of lord Surrey.?Death of the king.?His character.. While Henry was thus warring with the papacy ou points of authority, he was strenuous in maintaining its most revolting doctrines, and another victim was at this time offered to the real presence. This was a man named Lambert, vho had adopted the view of Zuinglius that the eu- charist was merely commemorative. Hearing one day (1538) Dr. Taylor preach on the subject of transubstantiation he went to him and offered to argue the matter. Taylor, pleading want of leisure, desired him to put his thoughts in writing. Lambert was so incautious as to do so. Taylor showed the paper to Dr. Barnes, who like himself held the reformed opinions, but still believed in the real presence; and Barnes advised him to proceed against Lambert for heresy in the archiepiscopal court. On the trial Lambert appealed to the king, to whom Gardiner suggested that this was a good opportunity for clearing himself from the charge of encouraging heresy. Westminster Hall was accordingly prepared, the nobles were summoned from all parts. The king took his seat, the bishops on his right, the temporal peers on his left; the hall was filled with spectators; the prisoner came surrounded by armed men. Bishop Sampson having made a speech, the king put a few questions to the prisoner in a haughty tone. Cranmer, Gardiner, Tun- stall, Stokesly, and six other bishops then argued successively with him. He became exhausted; the king demanded whether he would live or die; he said he t...