The Reformation made much progress here in the reign of this young and pious king; but even then a disposition lingered to retain and enforce some of the Romanist rites and ceremonies. The excellent Bishop Hooper, who after all became a martyr, would probably have lost his life simply for refusing to wear the priestly vestments, through the rigour of Bishop Ridley (who himself afterwards suffered martyrdom) had he not at length consented to wear them at his consecration. The Baptists, the Unitarians, and all who went beyond the new state model were consigned to the flames. Bishop Hooper was born in the year 1495, and was burnt in the reign of Queen Mary. The sixty years of his life formed the most important period of English history. When he was born, the Reformation had just begun; when he died it had struck such deep roots amongst the people, especially of Norwich and Norfolk, that neither force, nor persecution, nor argument could stop its progress. In Bishop Hooper’s time, and in his diocese of Gloucester, the ignorance of the clergy was amazing. Out of 311 of his clergy he found 168 unable to repeat the ten commandments; 31 out of the 168 could not tell in what part of the Bible the ten commandments were to be found; 40 could not tell where the Lord’s prayer was given, and 31 did not know who was the author of it. In Norfolk and Norwich the clergy were quite as ignorant of Scripture. They practised all kinds of impositions on the people who were debased by superstition, immorality, and vice. There was over all the land a darkness which might be felt. The people had no bibles nor testaments, and the prayers of the church were all in Latin, and of course the people could not understand them. There was scarcely any preaching at all, but instead thereof profane miracle plays were performed in the cathedral, and were paid for like any other dramatic performance. In 1574, so notorious was the city for the nonconformity of many of the ministers, that when orders were given to Archbishop Parker “to punish the Puritan ministers, and put down the prophecyings, and readings, and commenting on the Scriptures, which had been introduced into the church,” the queen gave him private orders to begin with Norwich. Accordingly, in 1576, many of the Norwich ministers were suspended and treated so severely, that even the Norfolk justices presented a petition to Her Majesty, praying for lenity towards them.