of Canterbury's custody, either there to be reformed, or further to be punished, as the obstinacy of his case required." Even the gentleness of Cranmer continued to be ineffectual. The proceedings of the Council state, that "on the 27th of January a letter from the archbishop of Canterbury acquainted them, that Mr. Hooper cannot be brought to any conformity, but rather, persevering in his obstinacy, coveteth to prescribe orders and necessary laws of his own head; and it was therefore agreed that he should be committed to the Fleet, and that the warden of the prison should keep him from conference of any person, except the minister of that house."

Ere six weeks more had passed, the matter was brought to a compromise; and he was consecrated on the 8th of March, in the rochet and chimere, the usual vestments of a bishop, which had been so obnoxious to him, and which he now consented to wear in his cathedral, and upon public occasions. The square cap, as well as other clerical habits, had given rise, at this time also, to abundant controversy. To the cap, however, Hooper in like manner occasionally submitted.

1 The rochet is the white linen garment, which had been the episcopal dress of the early ages, and is still continued. The chimere is the robe to which the lawn sleeves are generally sewed, and was, when Hooper started at it, of scarlet silk. In the reign of Elizabeth the scarlet silk was changed to black satin, which is the present robe of a bishop.

In the early part of the year, which had been thus distinguished by Hooper's objections to dress, he had been more successful in the choice of another subject for his preaching, which, however, gave rise to another controversy. He declared before the court, "that it would be well if the government would turn altars into tables, according to the first institution of Christ, in order to take away the false persuasion of the people, which they have of sacrifice to be done upon altars; for, as long as altars remain, both the ignorant people and the ignorant and ill-persuaded priest will always dream of sacrifices." Herein

2

Ridley agreed with him; and accordingly, in June, 1550, when he held his primary visitation, he enjoined the altars to be taken down in his diocese of London, and tables to be placed in their stead," to turn the simple from the old superstitions of the popish mass, and to the right use of the Lord's Supper." To such an injunction the Romish party naturally excited all the opposition in their power. The Council then interfered; and in a letter to Ridley in the following November, signed by Cranmer and others, corroborated what he had directed, and to the other prelates issued a mandate for their conformity to his example. But the order was not by all of them obeyed. In particular, Day, bishop

1

1 Heylin.

2 Burnet.

of Chichester, who had publicly declared his resistance to such a change, when Hooper's discourse and Ridley's precept became generally known, now resolved to disobey it. Nor could the conference of Cranmer and other prelates with him, conquer his non-conformity. In the month of December, he was therefore committed to the Fleet, and before the next year ended was deprived of his bishopric; to which he was restored on the accession of Mary, in whose reign his actions proved, that while in earlier days he had professed to be a Reformer, he was in reality a zealous Roman Catholic.

Heath, bishop of Worcester, who was still imprisoned for his disobedience in regard to the Ordinal, was at the same time deprived of his see. To that public formulary he now again declined his assent, and added, that "2 if he were demanded to take down altars and set up tables, he would refuse." He too, in the reign of Mary, recovered his rank, and was advanced to the archbishopric of York. Thus to the opinion, that an altar was necessary for the celebration of mass, two prelates now sacrificed their possessions; the Reformers judging the removal of the altar to be necessary for abolishing the Romish opinion, and the substitution of a table to be more in conformity to primitive practice. Nor was the posi

1 See before, p. 170.

1

2 Council-book.

236 THE LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP CRANMER.

tion of the table now always where the altar stood, which was at the east end of the chancel; in some churches the middle of the chancel being chosen for it. Through the reign of Edward other diversity of usage in this respect obtained. The accession of Mary restored the altars which had been removed; that of Elizabeth prudently constituted little difference between the altar and the table, and thus checked the undiscerning fury of the people, again freed from the shackles of Rome, in their demolition of what had acquired in the time of Edward an anti-protestant designation. Her injunction declared it to be "no matter of great moment, whether there were altars or tables, so that the sacrament was duly and reverently administered;" and ordered," that where an altar was taken down, a holy table should be decently made, and set in the place where the altar stood." The altar-controversy, however, was afterwards revived, and lasted till the Great Rebellion.

CHAPTER X.

1550 to 1551.

The archbishop's book upon the sacrament of the Lord's Supper-Frith's book upon the same subject-The answers of bishop Gardiner, now a prisoner in the Tower, and of Dr. Smith, to the archbishop's book-Proceedings against Gardiner-The archbishop's reply to him and to Smith-An explanation of Luther considered-Differently applied by Cranmer.

WHILE the preceding controversies were agitated, Cranmer was employed upon a labour of loftier character and of more important effect, his "Defence of the true and catholic Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ; with a confutation of sundry errors concerning the same; grounded and established upon God's Holy Word, and approved by the consent of the most ancient doctors of the Church." It was first published in 1550. So eager was the demand for the work, that in the same year 1 three impressions of it appeared; and many, who had hitherto opposed, were soon led by this invaluable book to embrace, the Protestant doctrine.

1

1 Herbert. See Dibdin's Typograph. Antiq. iv. 13.