om and judgment, and reputed
him no otherwise after the same, than in a manner the mirror and
light of all other kings and princes in Christendom." It was by such
flatteries that Henry was engaged to make his sentiments the standard to
all mankind; and was determined to enforce, by the severest penalties,
his "strong" and "manifest" reasons for transubstantiation.]

[Footnote 15: NOTE O, p. 254. There is a story, that the duke of
Norfolk, meeting, soon after this act was passed, one of his chaplains,
who was suspected of favoring the reformation, said to him, "Now, sir,
what think you of the law to hinder priests from having wives?" "Yes, my
lord," replies the chaplain, "you have done that; but I will answer for
it you cannot hinder men's wives from having priests."]

[Footnote 16: NOTE P, p. 265. To show how much Henry sported with
law and common sense, how servilely the parliament followed all his
caprices, and how much both of them were lost to all sense of shame, an
act was passed this session, declaring that a precontract should be no
ground for annulling a marriage; as if that pretext had not been made
use of both in the case of Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves. But the
king's intention in this law is said to be a design of restoring the
princess Elizabeth to her right of legitimacy; and it was his character
never to look farther than the present object, without regarding the
inconsistency of his conduct. The parliament made it high treason to
deny the dissolution of Henry's marriage with Anne of Cleves. Herbert.]

[Footnote 17: NOTE Q, p. 274. It was enacted by this parliament, that
there should be trial of treason in any county where the king should
appoint by commission. The statutes of treason had been extremely
multiplied in this reign; and such an expedient saved trouble and
charges in trying that crime. The same parliament erected Ireland into
a kingdom; and Henry henceforth annexed the title of king of Ireland to
his other titles. This session the commons first began the practice of
freeing any of their members who were arrested, by a writ issued by
the speaker. Formerly it was usual for them to apply for a writ from
chancery to that purpose. This precedent increased the authority of the
commons, and had afterwards important consequences. Holingshed, p. 955,
956. Baker, p. 289.]

[Footnote 18: NOTE R, p. 281. The persecutions exercised during James's
reign are not to be ascribed to his bigotry, a