ABSTRACT
Thomas Cranmer had done evil for which his death would be but a slight atonement; unable to comprehend the state of mind which led men to reject the doctrine of Rome, they and many others since their time attributed the whole Reformation in England to the divorce of Queen Catherine. When arguing with Sir Thomas More about the oath of succession in 1534, he had suggested that More’s conscience was doubtful about his duty to swear, but there was no doubt about his duty to obey the King. Even more confesses that he was unable at first to rebut the argument; yet he had surer ground than Cranmer in 1556 when the same reasoning was turned against him. For more could say that the voice of the Catholic Church justified him in refusing in this instance obedience to the King; but Cranmer could not plead the authority of the Church.
