words, Henry the Eighth, by the grace of God King of England, France,
and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and of the Church of England, and
also of Ireland, in earth the supreme head; and that the said style,
&c., shall be, &c., united {482} and annexed for ever to the imperial
crown of his highness's realms of England."

By the supposed authority of this statute, and notwithstanding the
revocation of the title by Pope Paul III., and its omission in the Bull
addressed by Pope Julius III. to Philip and Mary, that princess, before and
after her marriage, used this style, and the statute having, been
re-established by 1 Eliz. c. 1., the example has been followed by her royal
Protestant successors, who wished thereby to declare themselves Defenders
of the Anti-papal Church. The learned Bishop Gibson, in his _Codex_ (i. 33,
note), treats this title as having commenced in Henry VIII. So do Blount,
Cowel, and such like authorities.

WM. SIDNEY GIBSON.

Newcastle-on-Tyne, Dec. 1850.

P.S. Since writing the above, I have found (in the nineteenth volume of
_Archæologia_, pp. 1-10.) an essay by Mr. Alex. Luders on this very
subject, in which that able writer, who was well accustomed to examine
historical records, refers to many examples in which the title "Most
Christian King" was attributed to, or used by English sovereigns, as well
as the kings of France; and to the fact, that this style was used by Henry
VII., as appears from his contract with the Abbot of Westminster (Harl. MS.
1498.). Selden tells us that the emperors had from early times been styled
"Defensores Ecclesiæ;" and from the instances cited by Mr. Luders, it
appears that the title of "Most Christian" was appropriated to kings of