to the imperial
crown of his highness's realms of England."

By the supposed authority of this statute, and notwithstanding the
revocation of the title by Pope Paul III., and its omission in the Bull
addressed by Pope Julius III. to Philip and Mary, that princess, before and
after her marriage, used this style, and the statute having, been
re-established by 1 Eliz. c. 1., the example has been followed by her royal
Protestant successors, who wished thereby to declare themselves Defenders
of the Anti-papal Church. The learned Bishop Gibson, in his _Codex_ (i. 33,
note), treats this title as having commenced in Henry VIII. So do Blount,
Cowel, and such like authorities.

WM. SIDNEY GIBSON.

Newcastle-on-Tyne, Dec. 1850.

P.S. Since writing the above, I have found (in the nineteenth volume of
_Archaeologia_, pp. 1-10.) an essay by Mr. Alex. Luders on this very
subject, in which that able writer, who was well accustomed to examine
historical records, refers to many examples in which the title "Most
Christian King" was attributed to, or used by English sovereigns, as well
as the kings of France; and to the fact, that this style was used by Henry
VII., as appears from his contract with the Abbot of Westminster (Harl. MS.
1498.). Selden tells us that the emperors had from early times been styled
"Defensores Ecclesiae;" and from the instances cited by Mr. Luders, it
appears that the title of "Most Christian" was appropriated to kings of
France from a very ancient period; that Pepin received it (A.D. 755) from
the Pope, and Charles the Bald (A.D. 859) from a Council: and Charles VI.
refers to ancient usage for this title, and makes use of these words:

"--nostrorum progenitorum imitatione--evangelicae
veritatis--DEFENSORES--nostra regia dignitas divino Christianae
religionis titulo gloriosius insignitur--."

Mr. Luders refers to the use of the words "Nos zelo _fidei catholicae_,
cujus sumus et erimus Deo dante _Defensores_, salubriter commoti" in the
charter of Richard II. to the Chancellor of Oxford, in the nineteenth year
of his reign, as the earliest introduction of such phrases into acts of the
kings of England that he had met with. This zeal was for the condemnation
of Wycliff's _Trialogus_. In the reign of Hen. IV. the writ "De Haeretico
comburendo" had the words "Zelator justitia et fidei catholicae cultor;" and
the title of "Tres Chretien" occurs in several instruments of Hen. VI. and
Edw. IV. It ap