meritorious to found and endow these institutions, that, had Richard lived a hundred years earlier, it might, notwithstanding his moral guilt, have procured for him the character of a pious prince; but Wicliff had been the instrument of awakening a spirit in England which did not expire with himself*. His bones had been taken up, burned, and thrown upon a dunghill; but the principles he had disseminated continued to take root in the minds of the people. Books containing the new doctrines were written in English, secretly circulated, and sought after with an eagerness which clearly showed the change of public opinion. Though it was deemed heretical to have these books, to sell them, to borrow them, or even to be acquainted with persons who possessed them, they still continued to be read, and new light was thus imparted to the people. The clergy also forfeited respect by their immorality-by their earnest pursuit of worldly business and worldly pleasures. Many of them were, by abilities and attainments, fitter for officers of state than the laity; but by giving this direction to their minds, they degraded the established religion in public estimation. It is true that they endeavoured to support the authority of * Turner, p. 560. the church by sanguinary laws against heretics, enforced by the most tyrannical exercise of arbitary power; but the people of England were beginning to think for themselves, and Wicliff had taught them to regard the authority of the Bible as superior to that of popes and councils*. LUCY. And lord Cobham too. I remember his noble conduct t. But I thought, when they had put him to death, the business of reformation was at a stand till the reign of Henry the Eighth. MRS. B. By no means, my dear Lucy. Many minds continued to perceive, and many hearts to feel, that papal Christianity was not the Christianity of our Saviour and his apostles. The adoration of the cross and the worship of images, were rejected by the supporters of the new opinions. They thought that there was too much singing and too little edification in the churches, and that the priests would be better employed in studying the Scriptures and preaching from them. They began to feel that masses and pilgrimages ought not to be substituted for contrition of spirit, and that true repentance * Turner, p. 219-225. +English Stories, ib. would manifest itself by renouncing such worldly advantages as had been criminally obtained. The prevalence of these feelings operated to the disadvantage of Richard the Third, who was, by many, but the more suspected of hypocrisy on account of his penitential actions. This was hard, because, in all probability, he was influenced by the prevailing delusions of popery; and persuaded himself that he might thus compound with Heaven, or rather with the church, for unrepented sins. It was, however, becoming obvious to sober-minded per sons, that, if such a compromise could be effectual, crimes would be as frequent as the inclination to commit them; and that religion must be regarded as an empty name, possessing no beneficial influence*. Whenever we look back to these unhappy times, we should gratefully acknowledge the wisdom of Providence, in thus permitting the gross corruptions of popery, and the mischievous tendency of its doctrines, to be brought before the people in a manner so clearly evident to common sense. HARRY. Indeed, I think those who did not perceive it, must have been greatly deficient in understanding. • Turner, p. 560, MRS. B. You would not form that conclusion, my dear Harry, if you were aware of the strength of that control which is exercised by prejudice over our rational faculties. I assure you that many wise and good men, notwithstanding the absurdities I have mentioned, continued firmly attached to the church of Rome. You would also be guilty of injustice, if you imputed the method which Richard adopted to atone for his crimes, to any deficiency of natural understanding. That he possessed considerable abilities, is evident from the character of his more rational endeavours to regain the good opinion of his subjects. He exerted himself in earnest to discharge the duties of his high station. His intelligence, activity, temperance, patronage of the arts, and encouragement of commerce, would, in other circumstances, have reflected great credit on himself, and proved very advantageous to his people. The old chroniclers, who are but little inclined to favour him, confess that, if he had continued lord protector only, and suffered his nephew to have lived and reigned, the realm would have prospered, and he would have been as much praised and beloved, as he is now abhorred and despised. It is also acknowledged that Richard, beside the regulations of an enlightened policy, adopted active measures for restraining vice among all classes of his subjects; but, unhappily, his endeavours to promote moral improvement were frustrated by his example. His regulations, though beneficial in themselves, coming from a man believed to be guilty of so great a crime, only strengthened the prevailing opinion of his hypocrisy *. HARRY. Then he was punished in the same way as a liar, who is not believed, even when he speaks the truth. Was this the punishment you meant, when you spoke of retribution? MRS. B. If Richard had suffered nothing but the remorse I have described, and the loss of public esteem, he would have been severely punished; but his example could have afforded a lesson to those only who had opportunities of closely observing his feelings, and the people who beheld him on state occasions, surrounded with all the pageantry of a court, might still have thought that he was happy. There were, however, some other circumstances obviously conveying a lesson to others, on account of their peculiar relation to his offences, and this induced me to make use of the term retribution • Turner, p. 552, 561—564. |