CHAP. 1533. 1536. 1537. formed doctrine. In 1531, the king acceded to the Smalkaldic league. He died two years afterwards, and great disorders ensued. The clergy endeavoured to prevent the succession of his eldest son, Christiern, because of his known attachment to protestantism, and set up his younger brother-a mere child, whom they intended to educate in the Romish faithagainst him; while some of the people proposed to restore the exiled, and now imprisoned monarch, Christiern II. Christiern III, however, prevailed, took Copenhagen after a siege of twelve months, and was established in the throne. He imprisoned, and afterwards publicly accused of treasonable practices, all the seven bishops of the kingdom, and produced evidence against them. They were deprived, and episcopacy, as it had hitherto existed, with powers and revenues that rendered it highly formidable to the crown itself, was abolished. Bugenhagius, who was invited from Wittemberg, placed the crown upon the king's head, drew up for the kingdom a scheme of ecclesiastical order, and ordained seven superintendants in the room of the deposed bishops. These superintendants were, indeed, still commonly denominated bishops; but they held no courts, and possessed no temporal power or preëminence. This change is said to have been more than Luther approved, as it certainly was more than would have been contemplated, but for the violent proceedings of the bishops themselves. This revolution was completed in the year 1539.-Bugenhagius reported, "that he never found greater desire of hearing the word of God, than in Denmark: that the people assembled on ordinary days, in the winter season, before it was light, and on holi days they had religious services throughout A. D. the day." Frederick, during his reign, had publicly ordered, "that the primary doctrine of evangelical religion, concerning justification by faith, should be proclaimed from all the pulpits throughout his kingdom." Tausson appears to have enjoyed high favour with the citizens of Copenhagen, and in other places. After the death of Frederick, the clergy procured a sentence of banishment against him: but the people resolutely opposed its execution, and were not to be quieted till it was rescinded by the senate. The reformation of Holstein still, as it had done before, kept pace with that of Denmark.1 It is not to be supposed that all the proceedings even of upright men, amid scenes of so much violence, should be approved when calmly reviewed, either by us or by themselves: we should find it infinitely more easy to censure others, than to act rightly ourselves in such trying circumstances: but the result, which has made Denmark a protestant kingdom to this day, may well deserve to be contemplated with pleasure and gratitude. From these notices of the progress of the reformation, we may proceed to some other miscellaneous topics. 1534. The year 1534 was distinguished by one of Anabaptists the most extraordinary bursts of fanatical ex- of Munster. travagance and fury, that ever disgraced the 1 Seck. iii. 88, 99, and 241-243, ex Chytræo, et Conr. Aslaci Hist. Reform. in Dan. et Norw. The account of all the transactions relative to Denmark is to be found more at length in Gerdesius, iii. 338-426. III. CHAP. history of mankind. A body of anabaptists 1 seized the imperial city of Munster, and fortified themselves in it. They made John Boccold, a journeyman tailor, commonly called John of Leyden, their king; who was to become "the monarch of the earth," and to march forth for the destruction of all other kings and rulers, giving quarter to none but the multitude, who were lovers of justice." They retained possession of the city, considerably more than a year, promulgating the wildest principles, and indulging in the most outrageous practices : and it was not without a confederacy of the German princes against them, under the leading of the bishop of Munster, that the city was at length reduced, and the insurgents suppressed. But the particulars of such a story belong not to this history it must suffice just to have mentioned the fact, and to refer the reader to places in which he may find the account in a more detailed, or a more popular, and at the same time more philosophic form.2 Correspondence with England. During the period of this chapter, and especially in the years 1535 and 1539, much com 1 Dr. Milner has properly cautioned his readers not to confound the seditious sect of anabaptists, of the era of the reformation, with the dissenters, called baptists, of the present day. iv. 517. (501.) 2 Sleid. lib. x. Du Pin, vi. 130-133. Robertson, iii. 71— 85. The reader may compare the account of the fanatical prophets, Munzer, Stork &c. in Milner, v. 44, 496, &c. (614, 1095, &c.)-Luther's observation upon this "ill-contrived farce at Munster" was, that it was "the work of some raw unpractised devil;" and that they had great reason to be thankful that "a devil of greater parts and knowledge-one that understood law and divinity," was not let forth against them. He contended, however, that the way to preserve or reclaim men from such delusions was, to enlighten their minds by the word of God, and not to withhold that word from them, as some would have done. Sleid. 199, 200. 6 munication took place between the court of England and the German protestants. Mutual letters and embassies passed; and Henry VIII corresponded personally, not only with the princes, but also with Melancthon. At the former of these periods, it was an object with him to obtain the sanction of the protestant divines to his intended divorce from Catharine of Arragon, (the emperor's aunt,) and to check, by means of the protestant princes, the effect of Charles's resentment against him for that measure. He was willing, therefore, to become the defender of the faith' of the Augsburg Confession, with some alterations; for the purpose of arranging which he desired to have commissioners sent over to him, and himself particularly invited Melancthon. The protestants, however, were shy of him, distrusting his professions in favour of reformation, and being determined to concur in no offensive measures against the emperor, so long as he suffered them to enjoy their religion unmolested. Their divines did, indeed, examine the question concerning Henry's divorce: but the conclusion to which they came was not favourable to his views. It was to this effect, "That, though it was not lawful to marry the wife of a brother, either during his life or after his death, yet, when such a marriage had actually taken place, they could not pronounce that it ought to be dissolved:" and Luther scrupled not to declare," that Henry would violate higher and more sacred obligations in divorcing his wife, than he had done in marrying his brother's widow." 1 1 Sleid. 188, 189, 205, 206. Seck. iii. 110-113, 179— 181. Two papers of Luther's on the subject of Henry's marriage are given by Buddeus: Epist. Luth. pp. 289, 325. A. D. 1534. 1535. CHAP. 1539. In the latter of the years above mentioned, Henry promulgated his famous law of the "six articles," establishing, under the penalty of death, the reception of many of the principal tenets and practices of the Romish superstition; after which the elector would scarcely hear of any further communication with him and, though Bucer withheld his concurrence, Luther, Jonas, Bugenhagius, and Melancthon, on being consulted, pronounced it to be "a new device of Satan, that, when the power of the pope failed, kings should thus take upon them to model religion according to their own fancies:" and that Henry should be "let alone, as one who had been sufficiently admonished, and sinned wilfully."-Luther also in private correspondence with the elector observed, He was "glad that Henry had thrown off the mask. He had demanded to be head and defender of the gospel in Germany: away with such a head! His power and wealth had so inflated him, that he would be adored as a god. He is fit," added the reformer, "for a pope himself; so crafty and designing is he!"-Melancthon, whose boldness appears to have risen in proportion to the disappointment which he felt at Henry's conduct, wrote directly to the king himself a long and faithful expostulation.2 1 Seck. iii. 224-228. 2 Melanc. Epist. i. 28: Pezel. Consil. Melanc. i. 343–355. I have seen few things more honourable to Melancthon than this epistle. With the courtesy and address which were becoming, it combines a high degree of boldness and faithfulness of censure. The measure itself he considers as monstrous, in some points going beyond what had elsewhere been heard of. He doubts not that the bishops were the authors of it; but it was the king's sanction which gave it validity: and all the German protestants lamented that he should become the |