ral's office last night, and I was told by another gent. that the fame lift was att the Secretary's office in Whitehall.

"Whether your Grace thinks fitt to acquaint my lords of Gl-r and B. and W-lls with this lift, or give me orders to doe it, I fubmitt it wholly to your Grace's pleasure, and I humbly defire to know, whether any intimation shall be sent them to come up in this criticall tyme.

"Dr. Tillotson, Archbishop; Chichester [Dr. Simon Patrick] to Ely, Dr. Grove to Chichester, Dr. Beveridge to B. and Wells, Dr. Moore to Norwich, Dr. Cumberland to Peterbor., Bristoll* [Dr. Gilbert Ironfide] to Hereford, Dr. Bathurst to Bristoll, Dr. Fowler to Glouceftor, Dr. Sherlock Deane of St. Paul's, Dr. Comber + Deane of Durham."‡

I

To which Sancroft replies,

"My dear Brother,

Apr. 24th 1691.

"I send you Mr. Fox; and send back yo' News-papers. pray you let me give you no more trouble of y' kind: I hear news too much, unless it were better. Yesterday St.

Sir John Trelawney, who was formerly at Bristol, had been already tranflated to Exeter.

† Although Bishop Ken and Dr. Comber were scarcely acquainted, they had a mutual respect for each other, as faithful opposers of the errors of Romanifm. The Rev. Dr. Mathew Hutton, who feems, from the style of his correspondence, yet extant, to have been the intimate friend of Dr. Comber, addreffed a letter to him from London, dated the 23rd of November, 1686, in which, among other matters, he informs him, that, according to his defire, he had presented his refpects to the Bp. of Bath and Wells, who replied; "Dr. Comber I know by his writings, but never faw him unless once, and that transiently; but I receive commendations from so very good and learned a person much the more kindly, in regard he offers me his friendship, which I fhall value very highly and I entreat you to return him my hearty acknowledgments, and refpects. He is one of those who will stand in the gap. I befeech God to preferve and fupport him." Memoirs of Dean Combei, 8vo, 1799, p. 221.

Tanner MSS., vol. xxvi. fol. 82.

Afaph, and Tenison, have din'd with my La Clarendon in y
Tower, came hither in y° afternoon. I foon faw in y° Bp's
folemn gravity what news he was big wth: but ftav'd him off
for half an hour wth comon difcourse, as brisk as I could con-
trive it. But at last, out it must come; and then I lett him
fee y' I knew more than he knew, or at least pretended to
know tho' Tenifon confirm'd all my pticulars. Your lift
is right throughout. Add only yt Talbot (yo Earl of Shrewf-
bury's brother) is Dean of Sarum. Yefternight y° Bp. of
London, * knowing nothing of these promotions, was ready
to enter yR Council Chamber; when a friend pull'd him by
ye fleeve, and fhow'd him y° whole fcheme; whereupon he
retreated.
Our abfent Brethren without all
doubt will know y° present Resolutions taken ağft them (and
fo will all England) before of letters can come to yTM; nor do
I affect to be yo teller of ill news; tho' fome others do, as it
seems by what I wrote a little before. When they know it,
it will be beft, I think, to leave their coming up, or not, to
their own refolutions; especially till we have refolv'd our-
felves (with the Dr's.† advice) that we may have something
to propound to them.

"In the mean time, and ever, I am
"Yor faithf. Friend and Brother,

* Compton, who expected to be made Archbishop.

"W. C."1

+ Probably Dr. Paman, Master of the Faculties, or Dr. Hickes, the deprived Dean of Worcester, whofe factious counfels continued, for many years, to exercise too powerful an influence over the extreme Non-jurors.

Dr. Williams's Collection of Original Letters.

CHAPTER XXI.

Ken is deprived of his Bishopric-Makes a Public Affertion in Wells of his Canonical right, and retires-His povertyLord Weymouth affords him an afylum at Long Leat.

Dr.

HE deprivals of the Non-juring Bishops, which had been delayed more than a year beyond the limit of the Act of Parliament, were now permitted to take their courfe. D'Oyly gives the particulars of Sancroft's forced ejection from Lambeth.* He had refolved not to yield poffeffion, until he was compelled to do fo; but he made preparations for his departure. † On the 9th of April, he fays to Lloyd,

"My dear Friend,

Apr. 29. 1691.

"I begin as yesterday. Colligo farcinas: the Carpentars are with me, putting up fome of my luggage: but I must have filenc'd y hamers for fome hours, to give any tolerable answer to fo ftrange, and fo bufy a propofal [probably from the Government], if y° expedient you

* D'Oyly's Life of Sancroft. Edit. 1840, p. 279.

ad

He removed from Lambeth Palace, on the 23rd of June, 1691; but left his Steward, with orders to remain until the Under Sheriff came, when the man civilly obeyed the fummons to depart.-Lloyd of Norwich, in anticipation of this, writes to the Archbishop, "I make no queftion but the Mufty [Tillotson], and his fellows, will make use of the crafty method which your Grace mentions, and by the Tyrant's clawes pull out the chefnutts for themfelves." Tanner MSS., vol. xxvi. fol. 52.

vance in y close of your letter (fc,-y° adjournm' of y debate to a personal conference to-morrow morning betimes) had not reliev'd me. 'Tis true, it will be to you an unreasonable trouble (while I take my ease), and so it is, whenever I have the benefit of your converfation: but without any niceness, or affectation, I beg of you, y' so it may be upō this perplext occafion. I send back y° enclosed; but I pray bring it wth you to-morrow. The truth is, they deal herein with yo' Lop much more civilly than with me; for, wthout writing to me at all, they have comiffion'd (y y° word) y' Fop, y' Goffip, Grigg, to write and knock at my door about this foolish affair. Let them (if they will) confult him, who brought them into y° Oaths, y° přjury, ye affociation, and Rebellion. But I go too farr, till I have heard y' Lops opinion: fed quis tam ferreus, ut teneat fe? No more then till we meet and in the mean time (and ever) God hold in His holy keeping.

"Yo",

A month later he writes,

"My deare Brother,

you

"W. C."*

"Lambeth, May 24, 1691.

"It is very true yt I have been twice fumon'd to make way for the confecron of J. T. [John Tillotson] here upō Whitfonday: once in y° beginng of y° weeke by yo Bp. of St. A-ph; and again, fince y', by an Under Clerk of La N-ha: and both in y° name of y° Great Woman.† The fumm of my answer was, that ye warning was too fhort; y' they might, if they thought good, turn me into y° street by force; but yt I could not be ready by y' time to remove. What further paffed upō this occafio, I now omitt, being in hope to give you to-morrow y° full relation of it: for which hope I thank you, and my good Brother of Peterborough.

* Dr. Williams's Collection of Original Letters.
+ Queen Mary; William being abfent in Holland.

"I have been very bufy, fince I was warn'd hence, to putt my impedimenta in order to an Ejectm' or a Remove; and have made some progress in it: but it happens very well, that I had, before I heard frō you, forbidden y° workmen to come to-morrow: so that you will come most seasonably. In the interim, and ever, God keep you under His protection.

"Your's, in all love,

"W. C."*

He retired, for the short remainder of his life, to a strict feclufion, in a small house at Frefingfield in Suffolk, which was his native village. There he lived for about two years, cheerful and refigned,-though an object of suspicion, and of watchful jealousy to the Government, who thought he was plotting the return of James,—calumniated by fuccefsful opponents,— and looked upon as a papistical Jacobite by the multitude. Even his admirers, and the friends of the Church lamented, that his confcientious refusal of the Oath should make way for Tillotson, as Primate, from whofe low Church views they anticipated future evil. It must be admitted, that from this year of 1691 we are to date the downward progress of Catholic principles, difcipline, and obfervances within the Church of England.

Sancroft left behind him, in the neighbourhood of London, his ever watchful and affectionate friend, Lloyd of Norwich: from him he received all the news of the town, and warnings against the "traps" of concealed enemies, and fpies, who occafionally came to Frefingfield, under pretence of asking his advice for their own guidance. Lloyd executed all

* Dr. Williams's Collection of Original Letters.