The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-22
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Pilgrimage Of Grace.

GnStiiud9S VI ~ GSSs
The movement known as the Pill
grimage of Grace, inaugurated by the
commons. was espcused by a majority
OF the nobility of the North, not SO
much from conviction as from a fear
OF the power of the people. Henry
at first did not realize the full ex-
tent of its strength. When he did
so and found himself unable to meet
the situation by fair means he had
recourse to that base discrimination,
which promised pardon to the leaders
and redress to the masses, gaining
time by parley. until by sowing dis
trust between the mobiles and the COM
mons he had paralyzed their strength
and ensnared them into his royal web
OF treachery. The commons dis
persed, thinking themselves safe.
Henry, who never meant to keep his
pledges, ignored them; uprisings fol-
lowed; but when the country had
again been tranquillized he issued
the following instructions to his
leaders: Our pleasure is, that :. !.
you shall, in any wise, cause such
dreadful execution to be done upon, a
good number of the inhabitants of
every town, village and hamlet, that
have offended in this rebellion, as
well by the hanging of them up in
trees, as by the quartering of them,
and the settiL g of their heads and
quarters in ey cry town, great and
small, and in such other places, as
may be- fearful spectacle to all
others hereafter ;. =. J, which we re-
.quire you to do, without pity or
respect, according to our former let
tiers. -
Norfolk, man after Henry's heart,
who had taken sides with the COM
mons at first but soon turned traitor
on seeing their undoing, carried out
his instructions faithfully. Aske was
enticed to London and slain; Darcy,
after being pardoned, was sent to
Tower Hill.
Political Move.
The Pilgrimage of Grace thus
smothered in blood and treachery,
was as its name implies, not only a
battle for the religion of their fathers,
but as the terms of their demands
made to Henry clearly show,a formid-
able movement for political freedom.
The 18th article of the Pilgrims petit
ton contained the following points
II The King should not interfere in
elections; p complete freedom of
speech should be enjoyed in the
House of Commons; 81 additional
representation should be given in
Yorkshire; a spiritual matters
should be dealt with in Convocation;
s. the house of Lords should be sup.
piled with copies of Bills about to be
proposed. Thus early did the staunch
Catholic patriots in the 3rd clause
enumerated demand what was attain
ed only in 1882, adequate representa-
ton. "a i
I'VE cannot, therefore," as the
Dublin Reviewer aptly says, think
that the Pilgrims were behind their
age in constitutional matters. They
certainly wished England to remain
Catholic; but they also desired Eng
land to be free. The Pilgrimage OF
Grace was, indeed, popular move
ment in the best sense of the word"
This study of the Pilgrimage Of
Grace sheds a very clarifying light or
the methods employed to spread the
blessings of the Reformation and
should but whet our appetite for fur
Their study in the fruitful fields OF
historical research. The result viii
be but greater devotion to the an
cient Faith SO staunchly championet
by the sturdy English commons In
the Pilgrimage of Grace.