nt of Roman imperialism, (p. 438)
Fisher and More seeking to stem the secularisation of the Church, are
like those who would save men's lives from the avalanche by preaching
to the mountain on the text of the sixth commandment. The efforts of
good men to avert a sure but cruel fate are the truest theme of the
Tragic Muse; and it is possible to represent Henry's reign as one long
nightmare of "truth for ever on the scaffold, wrong for ever on the
throne"; for Henry VIII. embodied an inevitable movement of politics,
while Fisher and More stood only for individual conscience.

That is the secret of Henry's success. He directed the storm of a
revolution which was doomed to come, which was certain to break those
who refused to bend, and which may be explained by natural causes, but
cannot be judged by moral considerations. The storm cleared the air
and dissipated many a pestilent vapour, but it left a trail of wreck
and ruin over the land. The nation purchased political salvation at
the price of moral debasement; the individual was sacrificed on the
altar of the State; and popular subservience proved the impossibility
of saving a people from itself. Constitutional guarantees are
worthless without the national will to maintain them; men lightly
abandon what they lightly hold; and, in Henry's reign, the English
spirit of independence burned low in its socket, and love of freedom
grew cold. The indifference of his subjects to political issues
tempted Henry along the path to tyranny, and despotic power developed
in him features, the repulsiveness of which cannot be concealed by the
most exquisite art, appealing to the most deep-rooted prejudice. He
turned to his own profit the needs and the faults of his people, as
well as their national spirit. He sought the greatness of England, (p. 439)
and he spared no toil in the quest; but his labours were spent for no
ethical purpose. His aims were selfish; his realm must be strong,
because he must be great. He had the strength of a lion, and like a
lion he used it.

Yet it is probable that Henry's personal influence and personal action
averted greater evils than those they provoked. Without him, the storm
of the Reformation would still have burst over England; without him,
it might have been far more terrible. Every drop of blood shed under
Henry VIII. might have been a river under a feebler king. Instead of a
stray execution here and there, conducted always with a scrupulous
rega