all other that ever came, or
ever shall come, to England, none excepted, for us to be
reconciled to an outlandish priest, and to submit our necks
under a foreign yoke. What have we to do more with him than
with the great Calypha of Damascus? If reconciliation ought
to follow, where offences have risen, the pope hath offended
us more than his coffers are able to make us amends. We
never offended him. But let the pope, with his
reconciliation and legates, go, as they are already gone
(God be thanked): and I beseech God so they may be gone,
that they never come here again. England never fared better
than when the pope did most curse it. And yet I hear
whispering of certain privy reconcilers, sent of late by the
pope, which secretly creep in corners. But this I leave to
them that have to do with all. Let us again return to our
matter."--_Imprinted by Jhon Daie_, &c., 1575, 8vo., sign.
A. vij.-B. i.]

With Henry, himself, the question of spiritual supremacy was soon
changed, or merged (as the lawyers call it) into the exclusive
consideration of adding to his wealth. The Visitors who had been
deputed to inspect the abbies, and to draw up reports of the same
(some of whom, by the bye, conducted themselves with sufficient
baseness[307]), did not fail to inflame his feelings by the tempting
pictures which they drew of the riches appertaining to these
establishments.[308] Another topic was also strongly urged upon
Henry's susceptible mind: the alleged abandoned lives of the owners of
them. These were painted with a no less overcharged pencil:[309] so
that nothing now seemed wanting but to set fire to the train of
combustion which had been thus systematically laid.

[Footnote 307: Among the visitors appointed to carry into
execution the examination of the monasteries, was a Dr.
London; who "was afterwards not only a persecutor of
Protestants, but a suborner of false witnesses against them,
and was now zealous even to officiousness in suppressing the
monasteries. He also studied to frighten the abbess of
Godstow into a resignation. She was particularly in
Cromwell's favour:" &c. Burnet: _Hist. of the Reformation_,
vol. iii., p. 132. Among Burnet's "Collection of Records,"
is the letter of this said abbess, in which she tells
Cromwell that "Doctor London was suddenly _cummyd_ unto her,
with