On the 1st of March, a new Parliament assembled at Whitehall, it being judged unadvisable, in the King's actual state of health, that he should proceed to the ordinary place of meeting. For the same reason the sermon, which otherwise would have been delivered in the abbey-church of Westminster, was preached in the palace. It was from the lips of Bishop Ridley, and chiefly related to the duties of persons in exalted stations, especially as to providing for indigence. Edward was much affected by this discourse, and after dinner, he desired that the preacher should wait upon him in the great gallery of the palace. When Ridley obeyed the call, he was, as usual, bare-headed. The King, however, mildly said, "Be covered, my Lord, and take a seat by me. I have to thank you most heartily for the excellent sermon which you preached this morning. In what you said I feel myself more concerned than any other person. For my means are the greatest, and my station is the highest in the kingdom. I therefore beseech you, give me your counsel as to how I may best perform the duty which you have shewn to be incumbent upon me." The Bishop was so much overpowered by this unexpected display of goodness, that after sitting for a short interval in silence, he burst into tears. At length, mastering his emotion, he replied, that indeed the city of London afforded ample room for the exercise of benevolence, but that he could wish, before pointing out any particular channel for the royal bounty, to consult the civic authori

ties. Edward approved this suggestion, and immediately furnished the prelate with a letter demanding the requisite information. A committee of the citizens was in consequence formed, and in its report, the indigent were distributed into three classes, the young, the diseased, and the idle. For the effectual relief of unfortunate persons under the first two designations, King Henry's grants to the Blue-coat and St. Bartholomew's hospitals were confirmed, and additional funds were supplied to those establishments. For the relief and reformation of the idle, the royal palace of Bridewell was appropriated and endowed".

On the 6th of March, a motion made for the grant of a subsidy gave rise to a strong opposition. Of this the frugality which honourably distinguished an English House of Commons is a sufficient reason. But it is not unlikely that many members were disgusted by the preamble to the bill submitted to them: a composition charging the Duke of Somerset with having deranged public affairs by involving the King in needless wars, causing a formidable rebellion, and debasing the coin. At length the proposed grant was carried, with the following compliment to the King, "that his temper was wholly set on the good of his subjects." In the House of Lords an ineffectual attempt was made by the prelacy to

e

Heylin, Hist. Ref. 128. 137. Life of Bp. Ridley, 397.

gociation. Maurice made a shew of treating, and then suddenly advanced upon Innspruck, where was at that time the imperial court". Charles was wholly defenceless against the force which menaced him, and he was not aware of his danger until late in the evening. He then learnt with dismay that the Saxons might be expected hourly, and knowing that nothing but instant flight could ensure his personal safety, he left Innspruck with precipitation. The night was dark and rainy, and Charles, debilitated by the gout, could only bear the motion of a litter. In that conveyance he was carried by torch-light along Alpine tracks, all but impassable, and his miserable journey ended at Villach, in Carinthia, where he found a temporary refuge. His courtiers and attendants followed him, some on horseback, others on foot; all in disorder and dejection. Within a few hours after the Emperor's departure, Maurice entered Innspruck, and finding himself disappointed of his expected prey, he gave up to pillage the moveables of Charles and his attendants". It was on the 20th of May when that Monarch's hopes of subjugating Germany were thus effectually blighted. His favourite instrument, the Trentine council, was already rendered ineffec

Charles "retired to Innspruck, on the 8th of November, 1551, from whence, as a central point, he could at once direct the affairs of Germany and Italy, influence the council of Trent, and superintend the movements of his vast and complicated system." Coxe, House of Austria, II. 171.

tive. Warlike rumours, and suspicions of danger had disquieted the fathers during many weeks, causing several departures. At length, on the 28th of April, the council was suspended for two years, or for a longer time, if necessary. When Charles recovered from his consternation, his inflexibility returned, and he would fain have negatived the propositions made by Maurice for the restoration of tranquillity. But the sun of his imperial greatness had gone down, his finances were irretrievably disordered, his veteran troops disbanded, Protestants abhorred him, Romanists dreaded his ambition, his whole life forbade any party to trust him, and he had even been overpassed in dissimulation. At length, his haughty spirit was compelled to yield, and on the 2d of August was concluded the pacification of Passau ; an arrangement by which he formally surrendered every hope of reaping any other fruit from all his labours and artifices than a conviction of their vanity and wickedness. At Passau, it was agreed that Protestants should profess their faith without molestation, that a diet should be holden for the purpose of terminating the religious dissensions of Germany, and that if in such an assembly this

• There were present at the Trentine council during the second period of its existence, the three papal legates, and the Cardinal of Trent; sixty-two prelates, of whom eight were Germans, twenty-five Spaniards, two Sardinians, four Sicilians, one a Hungarian, and all the rest Italians; and forty-two theologians, of whom nineteen were Spaniards, and twelve were either Germans or Flemings. Sleidan, 396.

procure the legislative proscription of a scandalous abuse then prevalent. Persons of influence obtained not uncommonly for some young man of their family, or acquaintance, a prebend, or other ecclesiastical preferment, under pretence of enabling him to pursue his studies until he could take orders. Of individuals thus admitted to share the emoluments of the clerical profession without establishing their claims to its qualifications, submitting to its restraints, or undertaking its responsibility; many, however, were found, as might be expected, unwilling to quit a laical character. In the Upper House a bill was passed to prevent this misappropriation of ecclesiastical emoluments; but among the Commons the measure failed. Both branches of the Legislature, however, concurred in a project to dismember the bishopric of Durham. The diocese hitherto subjected to that see was henceforth to be divided. A prelate seated at Newcastle, with a cathedral suitably endowed, was to direct the northern portion of this district : its remainder was yet to look for religious superintendence from Durham. The new bishop of this latter see was to receive an annual pension of two thousand marks, payable from the estates enjoyed by his predecessors. From the same source the bishop of Newcastle was to derive an income of half that amount. When it is recollected, that besides these payments, the wealthy bishopric of northern England was also to supply funds for endow