Page:The Queens of England.djvu/440

396 THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. child, or that she was not likely to bring forth living offspring. But though this much was accorded, none of the restrictions imposed in the articles of marriage were removed, and the queen and Philip marked their discontent by very unceremoni- ously dissolving parliament soon after. Philip now made an effort to acquire some degree of popu- larity by interceding in favor of Elizabeth, whose release from constraint and presence at court he solicited, as also for the liberty of some gentlemen confined in consequence of the out- . break of Wyatt, and other charges. Gardiner, Elizabeth's old enemy, opposed her liberation for some time ; but Philip, with deep policy, renewed his entreaties in her favor, actuated, no doubt, by the notion that in case of the death of Mary, Eliza- beth might be rendered serviceable to his views. Such was, even then, the precarious state of Mary's health, that it re- quired but little prescience to foresee that a long extension of her existence could not be counted on, and he infinitely pre- ferred having Elizabeth as heiress to the English throne to Mary Stuart, who, after her, was next in succession. The Earl of Devonshire was also released from prison, owing to the intercession of Philip, and proceeded to Brussels, where, finding himself narrowly watched, he set out to Italy, and died the following year at Padua — not without suspicion of having been poisoned by the Imperialists. The persecution against Protestants was now renewed with rigor. Dr. Rog- ers, prebendary of St. Paul's, was burned at the stake at Smith- field, on the 4th of February, 1555, and five days after Dr. Rowland Taylor met the same terrible death at Hadley ; Cad- maker, chancellor of the church at Wells, and Bradford, in London ; Bishop Hooper met his death on the 9th of February at Gloucester, and Bishop Farrer in the following month, in the market place at Carmarthen. This persecution and cru- elty excited such indignation and ill-will in the minds of her subjects against Mary that she feared to persevere in the raising of troops and arming of ships to enable her to carry out her desire of coercing her subjects into the admission of Philip as present ruler and future possessor of the kingdom, and of punishing her people for their repeated insults to the Span- iards. Yet there is little doubt but that her council and par- liament were far more to blame for these horrors, which have cast an eternal opprobrium on her reign, than the now feeble and invalid queen herself. It is to be remembered that most