Such was the end of the pope's vassal--of his armed missionary in Great Britain. Never had so vile a prince been the involuntary occasion to his people of such great benefits. From his reign England may date her enthusiasm for liberty and her dread of popery. During this time a great transformation had been accomplished. Magnificent churches and the marvels of religious art, with ceremonies and a multitude of prayers and chantings dazzled the eyes, charmed the ears, and captivated the senses; but testified also to the absence of every strong moral and Christian disposition, and the predominance of worldliness in the church. At the same time the adoration of images and relics, saints, angels, and Mary the mother of God, the worships of _latria_, _doulia_, and _hyperdoulia_,[141] the real Mediator transported from the throne of mercy to the seat of vengeance, at once indicated and kept up among the people that ignorance of truth and absence of grace which characterize popery. All these errors tended to bring about a reaction: and in fact the march of the Reformation may now be said to begin. [141] The Romish church distinguishes three kinds of worship: _latria_, that paid to God; _doulia_, to saints; and _hyperdoulia_, to the Virgin Mary. England had been brought low by the papacy: it rose up again by resisting Rome. Grostête, Bradwardine, and Edward III, prepared the way for Wickliffe, and Wickliffe for the Reformation. CHAPTER VI. Reaction--Grostete--Principles of Reform--Contest with the Pope--Sewal--Progress of the Nation--Opposition to the Papacy--Conversion of Bradwardine--Grace is Supreme--Edward III--Statutes of _Provisors_ and _Præmunire_. [Sidenote: REACTION.]