who simply differed from other good Catholics in his independence of the
Bishop of Rome: merely a domestic disagreement. With such suave hypocrisy
as this difficulties were soon smoothed over; and to prove the perfect
sincerity with which Henry proceeded, Protestants like Barnes, Garrard,
and Jerome were burnt impartially side by side with Catholics who did not
accept the spiritual supremacy of Henry over the Church in England, such
as Abell, Powell, Fetherstone, and Cook. The Catholic and aristocratic
party in England had thus triumphed all along the line, by the aid of
anti-Protestant Churchmen like Gardiner and Tunstal. Their heavy-handed
enemy, Cromwell, had gone, bearing the whole responsibility for the past;
the King had been flattered by exoneration from blame, and pleased by the
release from his wife, so deftly and pleasantly effected. No one but
Cromwell was to blame for anything: they were all good Catholics, whom the
other Catholic powers surely could not attack for a paltry quarrel with
the Pope; and, best of all, the ecclesiastical spoil was secured to them
and their heirs for ever, for they all maintained the supremacy of the
King in England, good Catholics though they were.

But, withal, they knew that Henry must have some one close to him to keep
him in the straight way.[211] The nobles were not afraid of Cranmer, for
he kept in the background, and was a man of poor spirit; and, moreover,
for the moment the danger was hardly from the reformers. The nobles had
triumphed by the aid of Gardiner, and Gardiner was now the strong spirit
near the King; but the aims of the nobles were somewhat different from
those of Churchmen; and a Catholic bishop as the sole director of the
national policy might carry them farther than they wished to go. Henry's
concupiscence must therefore once more be utilised, and the woman upon
whom he cast his eyes, if possible, made into a political instrument to
forward the faction that favoured her. Gardiner was nothing loath, for he
was sure of himself; but how eager Norfolk and his party were to take
advantage of Henry's fancy for Katharine Howard, to effect her lodgment by
his side as Queen, is seen by the almost indecent haste with which they
began to spread the news of her rise, even before the final decision was
given as to the validity of the marriage with Anne. On the 12th July a
humble dependant of the Howards, Mistress Joan Bulmer (of whom more will
be heard), wrote to Katha