This contributed greatly to social
stability. In 1546, Henry ordered the London brothels closed. A
small gaol was established in the Clink district of Southwark,
giving the name "clink" to any small gaol. London ordinances
required journeymen to work from 6 am to 6 pm in winter, with a
total of 90 minutes breaks for breakfast, dinner, and an afternoon
drink, for 7d. In the summer they had to work for two hours longer
for 8d. At its peak in the 1540s the court employed about 200
gentlemen, which was about half the peerage and one-fifth of the
greater gentry. Henry issued a proclamation ordering noblemen and
gentlemen in London not employed by the court to return to their
country homes to perform their service to the king.
Though there was much agreement on the faults of the church and
the need to reform it, there were many disagreements on what
philosophy of life should take the place of church teachings. The
humanist Thomas More was a university trained intellectual. His
book "Utopia", idealized an imaginary society living according to
the principles of natural virtue. In it, everything is owned in
common and there is no need for money. All believe that there is a
God who created the world and all good things and who guides men,
and that the soul is immortal. But otherwise people choose their
religious beliefs and their priests. From this perspective, the
practices of current Christians, scholastic theologians, priests
and monks, superstition, and ritual look absurd.
Pages:
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564