BONNER

Edmund, an English prelate of infamous notoriety, was the son of a peasant at Hanley, in Worcesters hire, and was bom about 1495. He was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he was made D.C.L. in 1525. For his skill in busine he was patronized by Cardinal Wolsey, from whom he received several clerical preferments. On the death of Wolsey he acquired the favour of Henry YIII., who made him one of his chaplains, and sent him to Rome to advocate his divorce from Queen Catharine. Here he conducted himself with so much intemperance, that the pope is said to have threatened to throw him into a caldron of boiling lead, on which he thought proper to return. In 1538 he was nominated Bishop of Here ford, being then amba ador at Paris; but before his consecration he was translated to tiie see of London. At the time of the death of Henry he was amba ador to the Emperor Charles V., but retumed the same year (1547), when, refusing to take the oath of supremacy, he was deprived of Ms bishopric, to which, however, he was restored on making submi ion. StiU continuing to act with contumacy, he was, after a long trial, once more deprived of his see, and committed to the Marshal sea (1549); from which prison, on the acce ion of Mary, he was released, and once more restored by commi ion. During tiiis reign Bonner distinguished himself by a most sanguinary persecution of the Protestants, 200 of whom he was instrumental in bringing to the stake, whipping and torturing several of Uiem with his own hands. When Elizabeth succeeded, he went with the rest of the bishops to meet her at High gate, but at the sight of him she averted her countenance with an expre ion of horror. He remained, however, unmolested, until his refusal to take the oath of supremacy; on which he was once more committed to the Marshal sea (1560), where he r^nained a prisoner for nearly ten jeaxSf until his death in 1569. He was buried at midnight, to avoid any disturbance on the part of the populace, to whom he was extremely obnoxious.