The sweeping character of this act had a twofold effect. First, it
made the King more absolute than before, for, since it removed the
abbots, who had held seats in the House of Lords, that body was made
just so much smaller and less able to resist the royal will.
Next, the abolition of so many religious institutions necessarily
caused much misery, for the greater part of the monks and all of the
nuns were turned out upon the world destitute of means. In the end,
however, no permanent injury was done, since the monasteries, by their
profuse and indiscriminate charity, had undoubtably encouraged much of
the very pauperism which they had relieved.