n.

An act passed, declaring that the king's usual style should be "king of
England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, and on earth the
supreme head of the church of England and Ireland." It seemed a palpable
inconsistency to retain the title of defender of the faith, which the
court of Rome had conferred on him for maintaining its cause against
Luther; and yet subjoin his ecclesiastical supremacy, in opposition to
the claims of that court.

An act also passed for the remission of the debt which the king had
lately contracted by a general loan levied upon the people. It will
easily be believed, that after the former act of this kind, the loan
was not entirely voluntary.[*] But there was a peculiar circumstance
attending the present statute, which none but Henry would have thought
of; namely, that those who had already gotten payment, either in whole
or in part, should refund the money to the exchequer.

The oaths which Henry imposed for the security of his ecclesiastical
model, were not more reasonable than his other measures. All his
subjects of any distinction had already been obliged to renounce the
pope's supremacy; but as the clauses to which they swore had not been
deemed entirely satisfactory, another oath was imposed; and it
was added, that all those who had taken the former oaths should be
understood to have taken the new one;[**] a strange supposition to
represent men as bound by an oath which they had never taken.

* 35 Henry VII. c. 12.

** 35 Henry VII c. 1.

The most commendable law to which the parliament gave their sanction,
was that by which they mitigated the law of the six articles, and
enacted, that no person should be put to his trial upon an accusation
concerning any of the offences comprised in that sanguinary statute,
except on the oath of twelve persons before commissioners authorized for
the purpose; and that no person should be arrested or committed to ward
for any such offence before he was indicted. Any preacher accused of
speaking in his sermon contrary to these articles, must be indicted
within forty days.

The king always experienced the limits of his authority whenever
he demanded subsidies, however moderate, from the parliament; and
therefore, not to hazard a refusal, he made no mention this session of
a supply: but as his wars both in France and Scotland, as well as his
usual prodigality, had involved him in great expense, he had resource
to other methods o