made them odious, and made the people rather desire to be governed by a representative body. These flatterers proceeded further, that if princes should intend to destroy their subjects, yet their subjects were bound to obey them; yea, further, if they should destroy all religion and labour as much as they could to bring in atheism, yet their subjects had no other way to resist them but with their prayers and tears unto God. These were strange and lying positions."

The Bishop all along evinces a praiseworthy anxiety to defend the character of any of his old patrons and friends, but does not appear to have at any time been alive to the nicest or highest apprehension of moral sentiment, or to have ever experienced the loftiest emotions of which human hearts are susceptible. He sees nothing but perfection and notable example in the following worldly picture :

"And whereas he speaks of the King's jealousy, truly that might have been forborne; and I am confident there was no such cause. And whereas he says that he did not delight in the Queen's company, truly at that time they did keep company; they had children; one of them was born at Greenwich, and two of them lie buried at Westminster, where is their monument at this day. It is true that some years after they did not keep much company together. The King of himself was a very chaste man, and there was little in the Queen to make him uxorious; yet they did love as well as man and wife could do, not conversing together. She had many suits from the King; the King did prefer many upon her recommendations; when she died and left some things unfinished which she had past, the King made all good; whatsoever she gave the King made it good; and it was no small matter that she should give all her linen to Mrs. Anna, so mean a gentlewoman. Nor were they small sums of money which she had from the King, that she should be continually in building, both at Denmark House and in Greenwich. And to conclude, the King gave her a most royal funeral; and that he was never taxed or tainted with the love of any other lady, I dare boldly say, that there are many thousands in England that would be his compurgators."

James's feeding propensities, his childish fondness for sweet fruits, &c., do not escape the gentle regret of the Bishop. He

says,

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If it were fit for me to deliver mine own opinion, being the last man that did him homage in the time of his sickness, truly I think that King James every autumn did feed a little more than moderately upon fruits: he had his grapes, his nectarines, and other fruits in his own keeping; besides, we did see that he fed very plentifully on them from abroad. I remember that Mr. French of the Spicery, who sometimes did present him with the first strawberries, cherries, and other fruits, and kneeling to the King, had some speech to use to him,-that he did desire his majesty to accept them, and that he was sorry they were no better with such

like complimental words; but the King never had the patience to hear him one word, but his hand was in the basket."

The coward and the silly contriver appear from what we now quote:

"When Somerset did apparently fall, then all the means were wrought to bring on Mr. George Villiers, which they were not so forward to promote as the King did long to have it effected; and upon a St. George's Day, the Queen and the Prince being in the bedchamber with the King, it was so contrived that Buckingham should be in some nearness to be called in upon any occasion; and when the Queen saw her own time, he was called in. Then did the Queen speak to the Prince to draw out the sword and to give it her; and immediately with the sword drawn she kneeled to the king and humbly beseeched his Majesty to do her that special favour as to knight this noble gentleman, whose name was George, for the honour of St. George, whose feast he now kept. The King at first seemed to be afeard that the Queen should come to him with a naked sword, but then he did it very joyfully; and it might very well be that it was his own contriving, for he did much please himself with such inventions."

The Bishop saw a great deal that was attractive and excellent in the characters of both Buckingham and Somerset, and paints them accordingly. But we must hasten to sketches or anecdotes of one or two other persons that are more arresting in history. Take an index of the profusion in Henry the Eighth's household, the particulars of which might be correctly ascertained by the writer from some one who, like him, took a wordly cognizance of comparative trifles, or at least conducted himself without deducing from external circumstances any profound lesson :

"The state and magnificence of the English court did especially appear in the time of King Henry the Eighth; the order and allowance of his house was contrived by Cardinal Wolsey in as magnificent a manner as any Prince hath in the world; here was no putting to board-wages; the meanest yeoman had three good dishes of meat, every gentleman's table had five dishes, the clerk comptroller had eight dishes-very substantial meat, more than would have served forty or fifty people, and his table cost the King, buying the meat at the King's price, very near 1,000 per annum. The Lord Chamberlain had sixteen dishes; two joints of meat went for a dish."

We have a pleasant reminiscence of Queen Elizabeth. No wonder, from the account now to be quoted, and many other passages in her life, carriage and speeches, that she was the idol of the English nation; being herself so truly English, the moulder, in fact, of much of what is now regarded as characteristic of the people of this country :

"In the year '88, I did then live at the upper end of the Strand near St. Clement's Church, when suddenly there came a report unto us, (it was in December, much about five of the night, very dark,) that the Queen was gone to council, and if you will see the Queen you must come quickly. Then we all ran; when the Court-gates were set open, and no man did hinder us from coming in. There we came where there was a far greater company than was usually at Lenten Sermons; and when he had staid there an hour and that the yard was full, there being a number of torches, the Queen came out in great state. Then we cried, God save your Majesty! God save your Majesty!' Then the Queen turned unto us and said, God bless you all, my good people!' Then we cried again, God save your Majesty! God save your Majesty!' Then the Queen said again unto us, You may well have a greater prince, but you shall never have a more loving prince:' and so looking one upon another awhile the Queen departed. This wrought such an impression upon us, for shows and pageants are ever best seen by torch-light, that all the way long we did but talk what an admirable queen she was, and how we would adventure our lives to do her service. Now this was in a year when she had most enemies, and how easily might they have then gotten into the crowd and multitude to have done her a mischief."

But it is not every one that the Bishop can honestly afford to praise. He falls foul of the whole race of lawyers for example, having smarted, it is probable, at their hands. Chancellors and Judges are not spared. The grasping practices of the whole fraternity, their denial of justice, their habits and barefaced manner of accepting bribes, are with pungency and pith noted and chastised by the indignant ex-prelate. Follow him into Chancery and listen to his statement of what occurred in his time in that leviathan court:

"Now for the profits of these two great offices, the Chancellor and the Treasurer, certainly they were very small if you look to the ancient fees and allowance; for princes heretofore did tie themselves to give but little, that so their officers and servants might more depend upon them for their rewards. Mr. Coleman, who was to order my Lord Egerton's house and the course of his expense, told me, that when my Lord had considered the charge together with the newness of the profits, he was very sorry that he had accepted the office. How have the Lord Chancellors lived since, how have they flowed with money, and what great purchases have they made, and what profits and advantage have they had by laying their fingers on purchases. For if my lord desired the land, no man should dare to buy it out of his hands, and he must have it at his own price; for any bribery or corruption, it is hard to prove it; men do not call others to be witnesses in such actions; yet the Knight (Weldon) affirms that one who was censured in the Star Chamber for slandering the Lord Bacon and charging him with bribery, the same man was acquitted by Parliament and the bribery proved.

"The selling of offices hath been very common and usual. I have

heard that the cursitors office of Yorkshire hath been sold for 1,300. Certain it is, that an attorney in the Star Chamber did usually pay 1,500. for the office; and I have heard the justices of the peace, by their presents, new-year's gifts, and pensions, did not forget the Lord Chancellor."

Lord Bacon, among others who are specified, comes off with the sharpest hits, appears in the vilest light. Says the Bishop,

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Certainly he was a man of very great intellectuals, and a man who did every way comply with the King's desires; and he was a great projector in learning, as did appear by his Advancement of Learning,' to which book I would have given some answer if I durst have printed it. Over other men he did insult, and took bribes on both sides; and had this property, that he would not question any man for words against him, as knowing himself to be faulty, and therefore would not bring his adversaries upon the stage., Secretary Winwood was a man of courage, and the difference fell out upon a very small occasion, that Winwood, did beat his dog from lying upon a stool, which Bacon seeing, said that very gentleman did love a dog. This passed on; then at the same time, having some business to sit upon, it should seem that Secretary Winwood sate too near my Lord Keeper; and his lordship willed him either to keep or to know his distance. Whereupon he arose from table, and I think he did him no good office. It is certain there were many exceptions against Bacon: no man got more dishonestly, and no man spent more wastefully; and how fit this man was to carry the King's conscience, whom I believe no other man would trust! And so, no marvel, at length he came to be discovered; and even after his fall he still continued ambitious, and did practise so much as he could to rise again. Finding that King Charles was forward in wars, especially with the Spaniard, he was pleased to write a treatise to justify him and to encourage him. Such servants as he had and whom he supposed to have gotten in his service he would send for, and tell them, that although he were not able to do himself good, yet he was able to prefer a servant; but I suppose it was nothing but only to make them supply his occasions."

We think that the worthy Bishop judged wisely in refraining from attempting "some answer" to the "Advancement of Learning."

Before leaving the Court of Chancery let us have an anecdote relating to Sir Thomas More, the Bishop evidently dwelling with complacency upon times prior to the Reformation, when the Chancellor's office was generally filled by a dignified member of the priesthood:

"Then was the Chancery so empty of causes, that Sir Thomas More could live in Chelsea and yet very sufficiently discharge that office; and coming one day home by ten of the clock, whereas he was wont to stay until eleven or twelve, his lady came down to see whether he was sick or not; to whom Sir Thomas More said, Let your gentlewoman fetch me

a cup of wine, and then I will tell you the occasion of my coming;' and when the wine came, he drank to his lady, and told her that he thanked God for it he had not left one cause in Chancery, and therefore came home for want of business and employment there.' The gentlewoman who fetched the wine told this to a Bishop, who did inform me."

Our last extract from the Bishop's memoirs presents us with, we have not a doubt, a correct account of his promotions. The Knight" preferred some strong and acrimonious charges in regard to simony, and other alleged perversions of royal power in the affairs of the Church; and what better proof could the vindicator of James and his government advance, in support of his reply, than the history of his own case :—

"Because here is mention made of much simony, and of pensions and the like, give me leave, for the discharge of my own conscience and in my thankfulness to God and the memory of King James, to relate a truth, and so let God be merciful to my soul as I shall relate nothing but the truth. Being a little known to King James, when I never used any means unto him, nor to my knowledge did ever any man speak one word in my behalf, then did King James in a morning send John Packer unto me, to tell me that his Majesty had a full resolution to prefer me, and to bring me to some good place in the Church; and, lest his Majesty should forget me, he had therefore commanded Buckingham to put him in mind of me; and lest Buckingham, having many suitors, might forget me, the King commanded John Packer to put him in mind of me; and lest John Packer should forget me, the King had sent him unto me to engage himself unto me that he would solicit my business. Hereupon I never came unto John Packer but I had instantly access; I never proposed anything unto him but I had a true and real answer; no dilatory or complimental words. The year following I displeased his Majesty, and thereby I lost a very good preferment; the year after, I had the Deanery of Rochester, which was a very good preferment, and very agreeable to my disposition, for I did ever love seamen, and those of the King's navy were my special friends. When I came to give his Majesty thanks, his Majesty did seem to be more joyful in giving it than I could express joy in receiving it; using these words-that I should not give a farthing. When I was made Bishop, in my instruments there was the mistaking of some words, which I did fear was wilfully done only to draw on a fee; then the secretary had for mending those words twenty pieces; then I sent a piece of plate to Buckingham, which I think cost me between forty and fifty pounds. This he would not receive; but sent it back again, and rewarded the messenger with three pieces. So that I think no honest man could blame King James or the Duke of Buckingham."

Goodman's work is contained in the first of the present volumes. In the second we have contemporary illustrative letters said to be "now first published from the Original Manuscripts." We sus