II. BOOK "the profits of the same lands shall be employed to the "maintenance of the said school and scholars; and not Anno 1582. ❝ otherwise." The Queen Archbishop The draught of this lay still before the Queen, remaining Jan. 30, unsigned. Which, among the rest of the Archbishop's present troubles, created him some uneasiness; and was one reason that retarded him from resigning, being desirous to get this first despatched. He had conceived now and then good hopes of recovering sends the her Majesty's favour, and that from divers likelihoods. One a new year's whereof seemed to be, that the last new year she sent him a gift. new year's gift, a silver standing cup of fifty ounces. Which he by will afterwards bequeathed to his constant friend the Lord Treasurer Burghley. But now it appeared the Queen not only continued to require his resignation, but also thought not fit to grant him further time to resign, than the - Annunciation next approaching. Which when he underHis peti- stood (though he had requested for sundry reasons to have tions to the held his place till Michaelmas) he humbly submitted unto Queen. tion. her order. And withal thanked her, for that, of her gracious goodness, she had made mention, as he was informed, of an honourable portion to be assigned unto him for his sustentation, in those few and evil days, as he said, which he had yet to live. He also thanked the Lord Treasurer most heartily for his mediation and pains taken concerning the premises, praying him to continue his honourable favour towards him, till this matter came to a perfect end. First peti- He had two petitions to make to the Queen. The one was, that she would grant him the house of Croyden, and some small grounds pertaining to the same, and of no great value, having not at that hour any house of his own to put his head in, after he should remove from Lambeth. This he signified to his friend, the Lord Treasurer; shewing him that in all resignations of Bishops, so far as he had read or heard, there had been always one house at the least pertaining to the see, assigned to the resigner, as partly might appear by a note which he sent him, taken out of the history Num. XIX. of Matthew Paris. Which I have laid in the Appendix. XIV. Croyden house, he said, was no wholesome house; and that CHAP. both his predecessor and he found by experience: notwithstanding because of the nearness to London, whither he Anno 1582. must often repair, or send to have some help by physic, he knew no house pertaining to the see so convenient for him ; nor that might better be spared of his successor for the 285 short time of his own life. The other petition was, that he The second might not be called to trouble after his resignation for dila-petition. pidations. From which, as he was informed by the learned in the laws, he was by law upon a resignation excused. Notwithstanding, although he did not distrust the equity of his successor, yet because he had been so much troubled with suits for dilapidations, he was fearful. And therefore prayed, that he might have some good assistance, if the case should so require. And in conclusion, he prayed his Lordship that hereafter he might more at length inform him of both these matters; and to further his petitions as opportunity served. This he wrote from Lambeth the 9th of February. the Lord The assigning of the Archbishop's pension lay very His penmuch in the appointment of the Lord Treasurer. In order sion. to which the Archbishop understood by Dr. Aubrey, that the said Treasurer was desirous to have some notes of the value of the archbishopric. Whereupon the last day of February but one, he sent the said Doctor and his own steward, to inform him of the estate of the same, and withal most instantly prayed him to be a means to her Majesty Applies to both for the proportioning of his pension; (wherein he Treasurer doubted not her Majesty would have honourable considera- in order tion of his place, age, and infirmities;) and also to declare her pleasure for order, how the same might be answered unto him for the short time that he had to live: and as he, the Lord Treasurer, had been, next unto her Majesty, the principal procurer of all his preferments, which he would acknowledge while he lived with all thanksgiving; so he prayed him in this doing to be a means to bring him to some hope of quietness in a private life, being now by age, sickness, and infirmity, not able to sustain the travails which thereunto. BOOK appertained unto that great office. And by the grace of II. God he would not fail at the time heretofore appointed Anno 1582. to resign up his place in due form, for her Majesty's better satisfaction in that behalf. The Trea sage to the the Archbi shop's re Lady-day now drawing near, and the aged Archbishop surer's mes- willing to be eased of his burden, the Lord Treasurer sent Queen for this message to some person attending about the Queen, (it seems to have been the Secretary,) to inform her Majesty at signation. his leisure, that the Archbishop was now ready at Lady-day, being the end of the half year allotted him, to resign his bishopric, to be conferred by her upon some other, to enter into actual government of the Church of England, which sustained, he said, great lack for present action. That he yielded himself to her Majesty's goodness to have some pension during his short life, which he [the Treasurer] wished to be great and honourable, although it should be to the successor burdenous for the present. But he that should have it must shape his garment with his cloth for the time. That he had seen into the value of the Archbishop's posses sions, and found them to be about 27801. per ann. according to the rate of the book of first-fruits. That he had also seen the particular books of the annual receipts; which grew somewhat, but not much, above: and if the then Archbishop 286 might have 7 or 800l. a year pension, he thought his successor with good husbandry might make the rest to be 20001. According to which he might compound for his first-fruits, and for no more. For some particular requests the present Archbishop made, (which the Lord Treasurer sent in a paper by itself,) he thought his successor might agree to; so as the value of the things demanded were parcel of the other pension. CHAP. XV. Moves for his resignation. Makes his last will. His bequests, and charitable gifts. His death. His monument and epitaph. The state of his school. His care of repairs. Dilapidations. His relations. His Chaplains and Officers. nation still BUT the going through with the resignation was not Anno 1583. compassed by the 25th of March, according to the time His resigthe Queen allotted: for in April 1583, the Archbishop in hand signified yet again to the Lord Treasurer, that he was with. ready to go through with the resignation of his place, as soon as it might please her Highness to appoint. I suppose she was not yet provided with one to put in his place, Whitgift Bishop of Worcester, if Fuller may be believed, resolving not to enter upon that see as long as Grindal was alive. Now did the Archbishop send Dr. Aubrey his officer to understand the Lord Treasurer's direction therein; praying him, that he would have favourable care of his pension, according to his continual wonted friendship towards him, and that his learned Counsel, at his Lordship's best opportunity and leisure, might have leave to attend upon him, and use such short conference, as his Lordship might well suffer, for the manner of the assurance thereof; which he wholly referred to his wisdom and consideration. And withal he sent a draught of his resignation by the said Dr. Aubrey, to whom he committed by mouth some order to understand his Lordship's pleasure in a point or two touching that matter. This message was from Lambeth, April 12, 1583. The sum of his petitions were these four. First, To have His rethe house at Croyden, which hath been lien at by his last quests. predecessors. Item, To have the park at Croyden; wherein at his entry to this see, Sir Francis Carew, Kt. and one George Withers had several interests. For redemption BOOK whereof the said Archbishop gave to them eighty-three II. pounds, six shillings and eight pence; and did mind to Anno 1583. leave the same after his death clear to his successor. Item, last will. To have a close called Stubbs, containing twenty acres, lying near to the said house. Item, To have eighteen acres of meadow lying at Norbury in Croyden. 66 The Archbishop all this while (though quick and unimpaired in mind) was but in a bad condition of health, beside 289 the loss of his sight. Which indisposition partly prevented the further transacting of this business, and bringing it to a conclusion: so that he remained still in May Archbishop. Makes his The eighth day of which month he made his last will and testament; wherein he styled himself Archbishop of Canterbury, whole in mind and of perfect remembrance. "There❝in, as he bequeathed his soul into the hand of his heavenly "Father, humbly beseeching him to receive the same into "his gracious mercies for his Christ's sake, so he bequeathed "his body to be buried in the choir of the parish church of Croyden without any solemn herse, or funeral pomp. "Notwithstanding his meaning was, that if it pleased God "to call him out of this transitory life, during the time "that he should remain in the possession of the archbishop"ric of Canterbury, that the heralds should be reasonably "compounded withal, and satisfied for their accustomed "fees in such cases. And then the first bequest he made "was, that having nothing worthy to be presented unto her "Majesty, he humbly beseeched the same to accept at his "hands, the New Testament of Jesus Christ in Greek, " of Stevens' impression, as an argument of his dutiful and loving heart towards her Highness." This was a truly royal present, not only in respect of the book itself, whose author is the King of kings and Lord of lords, but in regard of the print, being one of the finest and correctest editions of the New Testament that ever was. His bequests. MSS. penes me. 66 The bequests of his will were of two sorts; such as were for the uses of charity, and such as were intended as testimonies of his favour or respect. Which I will set down ac |