of their country if they had neglected to do so. Nothing, in
fact, except their skill in fighting treason with its own weapons, saved
England from a repetition of the wars of the Roses, envenomed with the
additional fury of religious fanaticism. But the agents of Cromwell, at
least, were all volunteers;--their services were rather checked than
encouraged; and when I am told, by high authority, that in those times an
accusation was equivalent to a sentence of death, I am compelled to lay so
sweeping a charge of injustice by the side of a document which forces me to
demur to it. "In the reign of the Tudors," says a very eminent writer, "the
committal, arraignment, conviction, and execution of any state prisoner,
accused or _suspected, or under suspicion of being suspected_ of high
treason, were only the regular terms in the series of judicial
proceedings." This is scarcely to be reconciled with the 10th of the 37th
of Hen. VIII., which shows no desire to welcome accusations, or exaggerated
readiness to listen to them.

"Whereas," says that Act, "divers malicious and evil disposed persons of
their perverse, cruel, and malicious intents, minding the utter undoing of
some persons to whom they have and do bear malice, hatred, and evil will,
have of late most devilishly practised and devised divers writings, wherein
hath been comprised that the same persons to whom they bear malice should
speak traitorous words against the King's Majesty, his crown and dignity,
or commit divers heinous and detestable treasons against the King's
Highness, where, in very deed, the persons so accused never spake nor
committed any such offence; by reason whereof divers of the king's true,
faithful, and loving subjects have been put in fear and dread of their
lives and of the loss and forfeiture of their lands and chattels--for
reformation hereof, be it enacted, that if any person or persons, of what
estate, degree, or condition he or they shall be, shall at any time
hereafter devise, make, or write, or cause to be made any manner of writing
comprising that any person has spoken, committed, or done any offence or
offences which now by the laws of this realm be made treason, or that
hereafter shall be made treason, and do not subscribe, or cause to be
subscribed, his true name to the said writing, and within twelve days next
after ensuing do not personally come before the king or his council, and
affirm the contents of the said writings to be true, an