inordinate life and conversation, declared themselves very unworthy of that vocation and dignity in the Church.
All these three important documents would appear to rest upon the royal authority only; that is, upon that very 'supremacy' which Mary was so anxious to resign and repudiate. The time chosen to issue the two latter was dictated, in all probability, not only by the feeling of irritation caused by Wyatt's rebellion, but also by considerations of policy,[1] to diminish the hostile votes in the House of Lords, when, in order to redeem her pledge to the City of London, the Queen would be compelled to submit the Spanish marriage to the final decision of Parliament. During all this time the disputes in the Council had been so hot, the general disgust of the people at the severity with which Wyatt's rising had been punished so great, and party spirit had run so high, that Renard had more than once threatened that the arrival of the Prince of Spain must be deferred until the country became more tranquil.[2]
Early in April Parliament met, but though the Marriage Bill was permitted to pass, the House showed no great complacency in other matters. Thus, of three bills introduced by Gardiner, viz. (1) for restoring the Six Articles, (2) to revive the Lollard statutes of Henry IV., and (3) to restore the episcopal jurisdiction, the first never reached a second reading at all, and the other two, though they passed the Commons, could not be got through the Lords, and Parliament was dissolved while they were still unpassed. It is to be noted that in these cases, as in several others about this time, the reactionary measures of Gardiner and his mistress were carried through the Commons with more ease than
