POLE, REGINALD, cardinal, and archbishop of Canterbury, a younger son of Sir Rich. Pole, Lord Montague, was born at Stoverton castle, in Staffordshire, in the year 1500. At seven years of age he was sent to a Carthusian monastery at Shene, near Richmond in Surrey; and thence, when he was about 12 years old, removed to Magdalen college in Oxford, where, by the instructions of the celebrated Linacre and Latimer, he made considerable progress in learning. In 1515 he took the degree of bachelor of arts, and was admitted to deacon's orders some time after: in 1517, he was made prebendary of Salisbury, and in 1519 dean of Wimborne and
dean of Exeter. We are not surprised at this young nobleman's early preferments, when we consider him as the kinman of Henry VIII. and that he was bred to the church by the king's special command.
Being now about the age of 19, he was sent, according to the fashion of the times, to finish his studies at Padua in Italy, where he resided some time in great splendour, having a handsome pension from the king. He returned to England in 1525, where he was most graciously received at court, and universally admired for his talents and address; but preferring study and sequestration to the pleasures of a court, he retired to the Carthusian convent at Shene, where he had continued about two years, when the pious king began to divulge his scruples of conscience concerning his marriage with Catharine of Spain. Pole foreseeing that this affair would necessarily involve him in difficulties; he therefore determined to quit the kingdom, and accordingly obtained leave to visit Paris. Having thus avoided the storm for the present, he returned once more to his convent at Shene; but his tranquillity was again interrupted by the king's resolution to shake off the pope's supremacy, of which Pole's approbation was thought indispensably necessary. How he managed in this affair, is not very clear. However, he obtained leave to revisit Italy, and his pension was continued for some time.
The king, having now divorced Queen Catharine, married Anne Boleyn, and being resolved to throw off the papal yoke, ordered Dr Richard Sampson to write a book in justification of his proceedings, which he sent to Pole for his opinion. To this Pole, secure in the pope's protection, wrote a scurrilous answer, entitled Pro Unitate Ecclesiastica, and sent it to the king; who was so offended with the contents, that he withdrew his pension, stripped him of all his preferments, and procured an act of attainder to be passed against him. In the mean time, Pole was created a cardinal, and sent nuncio to different parts of Europe. King Henry made several attempts to have him secured and brought to England, but without effect. At length the pope fixed him as legate at Viterbo, where he continued till the year 1543, when he was appointed legate at the council of Trent, and was afterwards employed by the pope as his chief counsellor.
Pope Paul III. dying in 1540, Pole was twice elected his successor, and, we are told, twice refused the papal dignity: first, because the election was made in too great haste; and the second time, because it was done in the night. This delicacy in a cardinal is truly wonderful: but the intrigues of the French party seem to have been the real cause of his miscarriage; they started many objections to Pole, and by that means gained time to procure a majority against him. Cardinal Maria de Monte obtained the triple crown; and Pole, having kissed his slipper, retired to the convent of Magazune near Verona, where he continued till the death of Edward VI. in the year 1553. On the accession of Queen Mary, Pole was sent legate to England, where he was received by her majesty with great veneration, and conducted to the archbishop's palace at Lambeth, poor Cranmer being at that time prisoner in the Tower. He immediately appeared in the House of Lords, where he made a long speech; which being reported to the commons by their speaker, both these obsequious houses concurred in an humble supplication to be reconciled to the
Pole. the see of Rome. They presented it on their knees to her majesty, who interceded with the cardinal, and he graciously condescended to give them absolution. This business being over, the legate made his public entry into London, and immediately set about the extirpation of heresy. The day after the execution of Cranmer, which he is said, though we believe falsely, to have advised, he was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury. In the same year, 1556, he was elected chancellor of the university of Oxford, and soon after of Cambridge; both which he visited, by his commissioners. He died of a double quartan ague in the year 1558, about 16 hours after the death of the queen; and was buried in the cathedral of Canterbury.
As to his character, the Romish writers ascribe to him every virtue under heaven: even Bishop Burnet is extremely lavish in his praise, and attributes the cruelties of Mary's reign to the advice of Gardiner. In this Mr Hume agrees with the bishop, and represents Pole as the advocate of toleration. By every impartial account, he seems to have been a man of mild manners, and of real worth, though undoubtedly a zealous member of the church of Rome.—He wrote, Pro unitate ecclesiastica, De ejusdem potestate, A treatise on Justification, and various other tracts.
Mr Philips published a very well written, though a very partial account, of Pole's life, to which Glocester Ridley replied. This last work, which is entitled a Review of Mr Philips's Life of Reginald Pole, was published in 1766. It is a complete confutation of the former, and is a very learned and temperate vindication of the doctrines of the Reformation.