hers. It was also enacted, that if the king married
any woman who had been incontinent, taking her for a true maid, she
should be guilty of treason, if she did not previously reveal her guilt
to him. The people made merry with this singular clause, and said that
the king must henceforth look out for a widow; for no reputed maid would
ever be persuaded to incur the penalty of the statute.[*] After all
these laws were passed, the queen was beheaded on Tower Hill, together
with Lady Rocheford. They behaved in a manner suitable to their
dissolute life; and as Lady Rocheford was known to be the chief
instrument in bringing Anne Boleyn to her end, she died unpitied; and
men were further confirmed, by the discovery of this woman's guilt, in
the favorable sentiments which they had entertained of that unfortunate
queen.

The king made no demand of any subsidy from this parliament; but he
found means of enriching his exchequer from another quarter: he took
further steps towards the dissolution of colleges, hospitals, and other
foundations of that nature. The courtiers had been practising on the
presidents and governors to make a surrender of their revenues to the
king, and they had been successful with eight of them. But there was an
obstacle to their further progress: it had been provided by the local
statutes of most of these foundations, that no president, or any number
of fellows, could consent to such a deed without the unanimous vote
of all the fellows; and this vote was not easily obtained. All such
statutes were annulled by parliament; and the revenues of these houses
were now exposed to the rapacity of the king and his favorites.[**] [17]
The Church had been so long their prey, that nobody was surprised at any
new inroads made upon her. From the regular, Henry now proceeded to make
devastations on the secular clergy. He extorted from many of the bishops
a surrender of chapter lands; and by this device he pillaged the sees
of Canterbury, York, and London, and enriched his greedy parasites and
flatterers with their spoils.

* Burnet, vol. i. p. 314.

** See note Q, at the end of the volume.

The clergy have been commonly so fortunate as to make a concern for
their temporal interests go hand in hand with a jealousy for orthodoxy;
and both these passions be regarded by the people, ignorant and
superstitious, as proofs of zeal for religion: but the violent and
headstrong character of Henry now disjoined these ob