you deserve in purgatory on their account; and I restore you to the holy sacraments of the church, to the unity of the faithful, and to that innocence and purity which you possessed at baptism; so that, when you die, the gates of punishment shall be shut, and the gates of the paradise of delight shall be opened; and if you shall not die at present, this grace shall remain in full force when you are at the point of death. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

Luther, who was indignant at the great practical abuse which was thus brought under his immediate observation, denounced, in no measured terms, the proceedings of Tetzel and his associates; and in the simplicity of his heart expected that the pope, Leo X, would stay the excesses of his emissaries as soon as they became known to him. Leo, however, treated the disputes between Luther and the vendors of the indulgences as unimportant, and said to those about him, "Brother Martin is a man of very fine genius; but these are only the scuffles of friars." But as the Wittemberg professor proceeded to question other papal practices, Leo at last saw the necessity for adopting decisive measures; and he issued a bull, in which he condeinned forty-one propositions extracted from Luther's writings, as heretical, and declared that if he did not publicly recant them within sixty days, he was to be deemed an obstinate heretic; and all secular princes were ordered, under pain of incurring the same penalty and the loss of their dominions, to apprehend him so that he might be punished for his heresies (June 15, 1520). The intrepid reformer burned the bull, together with the book of canon law, before a great multitude of spectators at Wittemberg; and being supported by the elector of Saxony, he was enabled to carry on the warfare against Rome both by his writings and sermons. The peculiar political cnodition of some of the European countries was favourable for those who desired to renounce their connexion with Rome; and before the close of the sixteenth century, England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, several states in Germany, and several cantons in

Switzerland, had adopted the evangelical faith. The Reformers were, also, numerous in France and the Netherlands. In the former many thousands were atrociously massacred on St. Bartholomew's day (1572), and the week following; but in 1598 full toleration was accorded them by the edict of Nantes; in the latter, as we have already mentioned, the Inquisition for suppressing heresy fearfully raged under the directions of that gloomy and superstitious tyrant, Philip II, of Spain, but without effecting its object, for an insurrection broke out which lasted several years, and resulted in the permanent separation of the "Seven United Provinces" from Spain.

We have not space to point out at any length the distinctions between the Roman Catholic and the Reformed, or Protestant* churches, and in doing so to show that the teachings of the latter are conformable to the word of God; but it may not be unprofitable to institute a brief contrast.

Contrary to the practice of the Romish church, the Protestants allowed the free use of the Scriptares to the laity; and in order that the people might be able to study for themselves the sacred pages, the Bible was translated into the principal languages of Europe. The service of the sanctuary was not conducted by the Protestants in an unknown language, and hence all were able to join heartily and intelligently in the worship of God. Preaching, which in the Scriptural sense of the term was rarely employed by the Roman Catholics, became in the hands of the reformers of mighty efficacy in leading men to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and in guiding them in the path to heaven; for from their pulpits were announced the great truths, that all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that they cannot be saved by superstitious observances, fastings, almsgiving, or penance, but only by repenting of their sins, and exercising a living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,

* The Protestants were so called because certain German princes protested against the decree of the Diet of Spires, the object of which decree was to prevent the spread of the Reformed religion (1529).

ELEMENTS OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

the result of the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit. The people were taught that "purgatory" is a baseless figment of the imagination, seeing that the Scriptures declare that man's eternal destiny is irrevocably fixed at death; that the worship of the Virgin Mary (a very prominent feature in the Roman Catholic system), and the adoration of images constitute a direct breach of the second commandment, which says we are not to bow down to any graven image; that to seek the intercessory offices of the Virgin and the saints in heaven is to slight the declaration of the apostle, that "there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" that it is contrary to the spirit of the gospel to honour the relics of any man, however pure and sincere his life may have been; and that the monastic system is equally contrary to its spirit, seeing that it is nowhere enjoined that Christians of any order shall separate themselves from the cares and responsibilities of life. The Reformers (restored to the laity the cup in the ordinance of the Lord's supper, and renounced the doctrine of transubstantiation—a tenet manifestly contrary to the teachings of Scripture. Nor did they render a useless service when they exposed those prodigious impostures—the alleged miracles of which the Roman church boasted, but which were shown, when carefully investigated, to be effected by the jugglery and fraud of the priests and their agents.

It becomes us who enjoy the religious privileges which have been, under the Divine blessing, preserved from the time of the Reformation, to exhibit devout gratitude for the boon; and having ourselves accepted the salvation offered to us through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, we should use our influence in guiding others into the true path, so that the arrival of that glorious period may be accelerated of which seers have prophesied and poets sung, and for which the Christian church earnestly prays-the age when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Reverting more particularly to home affairs, we learn from

Erasmus that the internal accommodation of English dwellings was very unsatisfactory at this time. He tells us that the floors were commonly of clay, strewed with rushes, under which lay unmolested an ancient collection of beer, grease, fragments, bones, and everything which is filthy.

The wealthy kept up large establishments, and in Elizabeth's reign, in particular, some of them magnificently entertained their sovereign. Each visit that the queen made to the country house of Lord Burleigh cost him three or four thousand pounds. The nobility began to acquire a taste for luxury, and many large and sumptuous mansions were erected by them, to the great adornment of the kingdom. Burleigh House, Hatfield House, and Hardwick Hall are fine existing specimens of the architecture of the period.

The most noted prose writers of the time were Sir Thomas More (1480-1535); Hall, the author of a History of the Houses of York and Lancaster (d. 1547); Tyndale and Coverdale, translators of the Scriptures; Leland, antiquarian (d. 1552); Ascham (1515-1568); Latimer (1475—1555), Jewel (1522— 1570), Hooker (1553–1600), divines; Fox, martyrologist (1517 -1587); Holinshed, chronicler (d. 1581); Stow, chronicler and topographer (1525-1605).

The most noted poets were Sir Thomas Wyat, the elder (1503-1541); the Earl of Surrey (1516-1547); Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586); Marlowe (d. 1593); Spencer (15531598); and Shakspeare (1564—1616).

The most noted artists were Holbein (d. 1554), Sir Antonio More, Nicholas Hilliard, and Isaac Oliver.

THE HOUSE OF STUART.

JAMES I.

Reigned from 1603 to 1625.

Birth.-James was born at Edinburgh, June 19, 1566. Descent.—He was the only son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, and, as the eldest lineal descendant of Margaret, daughter of Henry VII, was, judging by hereditary right alone, nearest heir to the crown. Through his grandfather, James V, he could trace his descent from Margaret, the sister of Edgar Atheling.

Marriage. He espoused Anne of Denmark, daughter of Frederick II.

Children.-Henry, who died much regretted, in 1612; Charles, who succeeded his father; Elizabeth, who married the Elector Palatine; and Robert and Mary, who died young.

Important Events.-James, who had occupied the Scottish throne from infancy, was acknowledged as king immediately on the death of Elizabeth, though the representative of Mary, the younger daughter of Henry VII, had in some respects a superior title.

A few months after James's accession, Raleigh, Lords Cobham and Grey, and some others, were charged with a conspiracy; a part of the alleged treason being a design to place Arabella Stuart, the cousin of the king, upon the throne. The prisoners were convicted, and three were executed. The Lady Arabella having contracted a marriage with the grandson of the Earl of Hertford, was committed to the Tower (1611), and died in confinement, having lost her reason through the harshness of her imprisonment (1615).

James, though he had been educated as a Presbyterian,* now

* The Presbyterians are those who maintain that there is no difference between a presbyter and bishop, and that all the presbyterian churches of a country should be incorporated into one body, to meet by representation in Presbyteries, Synods, and General Assemblies.