Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/467

I 5 66.] THE MURDER OF DARNLEY. 447 prisoners who had refused to swear. 1 The Bill, although thus modified, left the bench with powers which for the future they might abuse ; and although there was an understanding that those powers were not to be put in force, eleven lay peers still spoke and voted absolutely against admitting the episcopal position of men who had been thrust into already occupied sees. 2 To have thrown the measure out altogether however would have been equivalent to denying the Church of England a right to exist : it passed with this limitation, and the bishops, with a tacit intimation that they were on their good behaviour, were recognized as legitimate. The Consecration Bill was however but a preliminary skirmish, preparatory to the great question which both Houses, with opposite purposes, were determined to bring forward. The House of Commons was the same which had been elected at the beginning of the reign in the strength of the Protestant reaction. The oscillation of 1 ' La peticion que se dio en el Parlaraento por parte de los obispos Protestantes acerca de su confirma- . cion se paso por la Camara baja sin contradicion. En la alta tuvo once contradiciones, pero pasose ; no confirmandolo ellos sino a lo que hasta aqui se habia hecho en el ejercicio de su officio ; con tanto que no se entendiese la confirmacion contra lo que hubiesen hecho ni podrian hacer en materia de sangre ni de bienes temporales. Lo de la sangre se entiende por el juramento que pcdian a Bonner el bucn Obispo de Londres, y a otros, acerca de lo de la religion, que es por lo que princi- palmente dicen que pedian la confir- macion; aunque daban a entender que por otros fines lo de bienes tem- porales ban sentido; pero no fue segun entiendo este el intento ; sino que obviar a que no les pierdan los, que no querian hacer el juramento.' De Silva to the King, November II, 1566: MS. Simancas. 2 Non-contents Earls Northum- berland, "Westmoreland, Worcester, and Sussex; Lords Montague, Mor- ley, Dudley, Darcy, Mountcagle, Cromwell, and Mordaunt.