A Child's History of England.149

A Parliament was called when Somerset came back, and it repealed [撤销] the whip with six strings, and did one or two other good things; though it unhappily retained the punishment of burning for those people who did not make believe [假装] to believe, in all religious matters, what the Government had declared that they must and should believe. It also made a foolish law (meant to put down [stop] beggars), that any man who lived idly and loitered [闲站] about for three days together, should be burned with a hot iron, made a slave, and wear an iron fetter [脚镣]. But this savage absurdity soon came to an end, and went the way of a great many other foolish laws.

The Protector was now so proud that he sat in Parliament before all the nobles, on the right hand of the throne. Many other noblemen, who only wanted to be as proud if they could get a chance, became his enemies of course; and it is supposed that he came back suddenly from Scotland because he had received news that his brother, Lord Seymour, was becoming dangerous to him. This lord was now High Admiral of England; a very handsome man, and a great favourite with the Court ladies - even with the young Princess Elizabeth, who romped with [一起玩] him a little more than young princesses in these times do with any one. He had married Catherine Parr, the late King's widow, who was now dead; and, to strengthen his power, he secretly supplied the young King with money. He may even have engaged [get involved] with some of his brother's enemies in a plot to carry the boy off. On these and other accusations, at any rate [in any case], he was confined in the Tower, impeached [控告], and found guilty; his own brother's name being - unnatural and sad to tell - the first signed to the warrant [授权命令] of his execution. He was executed on Tower Hill, and died denying his treason. One of his last proceedings [进程] in this world was to write two letters, one to the Princess Elizabeth, and one to the Princess Mary, which a servant of his took charge of, and concealed in his shoe. These letters are supposed to have urged them against his brother, and to revenge his death. What they truly contained is not known; but there is no doubt that he had, at one time, obtained great influence over the Princess Elizabeth.

All this while, the Protestant religion was making progress. The images which the people had gradually come to worship, were removed from the churches; the people were informed that they need not confess themselves to priests unless they chose; a common prayer-book was drawn up [translated] in the English language, which all could understand, and many other improvements were made; still moderately. For Cranmer was a very moderate man, and even restrained the Protestant clergy from violently abusing the unreformed religion - as they very often did, and which was not a good example. But the people were at this time in great distress. The rapacious [贪婪的] nobility who had come into possession of the Church lands, were very bad landlords. They enclosed great quantities of ground for the feeding of sheep, which was then more profitable than the growing of crops; and this increased the general distress. So the people, who still understood little of what was going on about them, and still readily believed what the homeless monks told them - many of whom had been their good friends in their better days - took it into their heads that all this was owing to the reformed religion, and therefore rose, in many parts of the country.

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