LETTER LV. TO MONS. DE VIC. [MS. Harl. 7000, last letter in vol.] S. in Christo. WORTHY SIR,-I received lately letters from you out of France, and with them others enclosed from Peter Moulin", for conveyance whereof I heartily thank you. I likewise received three sheets of the new Bible, which is now there under the press, I have heard heretofore very much of that work, but never saw anything of it till you sent me these sheets. That nation may brag of the work in many respects, for so many various and difficult characters of the Eastern languages did I never see together before; and it is a great and very chargeable work for an advocate or a greater man to undertake single. It is great pity that they are enforced to make use of a Jew for the correction of the Hebrew, for howsoever he be converted, (and I pray God he be heartily,) yet so few of the late converts have been hearty, that he must needs be himself, and expose the work also, liable to suspicion. I thank you heartily for this advertisement, and so wishing your employment there happy both to the state and yourself, I leave you to the grace of God, and rest Your very loving Friend, Lambeth, Decemb. 9, st. vet. 1633. To my much honoured Friend, Mr. de Vic, his Majesty's Agent in France, at Paris. W. CANT. LETTER LVI. TO JOHN WILLIAMS, BISHOP OF LINCOLN. S. in Christo. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,-Mr. Secretary delivered your Lordship's letters to me, and in them a petition to his Majesty. Truly, my Lord, I did not a little wonder (considering what answer I was commanded to give your Lordship's former letters) that you would choose me out to this service; yet, since you would needs put this office upon me, I resolved rather to venture upon it, than to give cause to think I was disaffected to yourself, or your peace. And how formidable I have been represented to your Lordship (to use your own word) you best know; but what I am to you or others, that, I think, I should know best. This I am sure of, I judge not your Lordship in anything by the false representations of other men, and shall thank you for the like measure. Having received your petition, I sought the first and best opportunity I could get to present it to his Majesty, and all that I got by it for myself was a smart chiding; his Majesty telling me, he thought he had forewarned me enough of this error, and that he had distinguished clearly enough to me between a Churchman and a Church cause when I moved it first. But when I had gotten leave to read it to him, his Majesty was pleased to say he would consider of it; and that was all the answer I could get. For Sir John Lambe, I think he is of as ancient acquaintance with your Lordship, as with me; if he have done anything unworthy either of himself or you, let him bear his own burden. I did never joy in the differences that are fallen out between you, and am sorry for some occurrences that have happened. Since this is all the account I am able to give your Lordship either of your letters or your petition, so I leave you to the grace of God, and rest Your Lordship's loving Friend and Brother. Lambeth, Decemb. 11, 1633. Endorsed: 'Decemb. 11, 1633. The W copy of my letter to the Lord Bishop of Lincoln.' [Lambe was early in life patronized by Bp. Williams. He, and his sonin-law Sibthorp, were the witnesses against the Bishop, on the charge of revealing the King's secrets. (See Hacket's Life of Williams, par. i. p. 37, par. ii. p. 80.)] LETTER LVII. TO DR. RICHARD ASTLEY, WARDEN OF ALL SOULS. [Tanner MSS. vol. cccxl. fol. 115 a*.] S. in Christo. SIR,-I thank you and that whole society very heartily for the respective letters which you writ unto me by two of the Fellows. I gave them hearing so soon as they came to me, and I think I do now understand the business concerning your surplusage, and the division of it; and how it arises, as well from the means your Founder left you, as from the Statute of Provision. And for this present year I am content to take no more from your dividend than to make your Tower-stock £1,000, which, if the Fellows inform me right, is £900 already. . For the rest which you desire for the years to come, I do not yet like for the present to pitch upon a certain medium, because the occasions of the College are, or may be, both greater and more various than your dividend. And further, I like not to make a certain rule for a business of which I have had so little experience as I have of this; and I had rather not make such a rule, than, by after-occasions, be forced to break it. Yet this I shall do for the College; I shall not every year cause two of the Fellows to take such a dirty journey as these two have done, nor put the College to any needless charge. But this I shall expect, that every year, after the audit ended, you give me an account, by letter, what the Tower-stock is, and what the surplusage of that year; and then I will return you an answer what I think fit for the Dead College, and what for the Living: Always provided, that my late predecessor's orders stand in force still, and that I may have two of the Fellows come up to me to give me further account by word of mouth in all such years, and upon all such occasions as I shall think fit to call upon them. And now, since I have dealt thus freely, and with such an * [Marginal notes are added by Archbishop Sancroft, and the text is corrected in his hand.] [This is the Act xviii. Eliz. cap. vi. which provides that upon leases made by Colleges, a third part of the rent shall be reserved in corn.] open hand to the Company, I must desire you, Mr. Warden, to let them know that I shall take it very ill if the Fellows do not every way conform themselves to honour their Founder, by obeying his Statutes, and conforming themselves to that which will be most beneficial for them. It is not long since I have heard of two complaints against the Fellows, or rather against the government; and I hope you, and they together, will mend both. The one is, that the scholar-like exercises required by statute are not duly kept: and the other, that the Fellows, divers of them, are too chargeable in their clothes, and follow the fashions too much. I hope the fault in these kinds is not so great as it is made to me, but the greater it is, the fitter to be amended, and I shall expect it be. This enclosed petition was delivered me not an hour before the Fellows came to me. I shall not ask you to do anything against either the Statutes or good orders of the College; but with preservation of them, pray do as much as you can for the youth. So, wishing all honour and happiness to that foundation, I leave you to the grace of God, and rest Your very loving Friend, Lambeth, Dec. 20, 1633. W. CANT. LETTER LVIII. TO ADAM BALLANDEN, BISHOP OF DUNBLANE2. [Baillie's Letters and Journals, Appendix, No. II. Art. iv. p. 431. Edinb. 1841".] S. in Christo. MY VERY GOOD LORD,-You are very much beholding to my Lord Sterling; and, for myself, I did you the very best [This prelate is also called 'Ballantyne,' and 'Bannatyn.' He was translated to Aberdeen on the death of Bishop Patrick Forbes.] a [The original of this letter is in Wodrow MSS. Fol. vol. lxvi. Numb. 13. It is mentioned in Prynne's Hidden Works, p. 149. Mr. Laing, the learned editor of Baillie's Journals, has prefixed to these letters of Laud An Account of Papers intercepted betwixt Archbishop Laud and the Scots Bishops,' from a contemporary MS. in his possession.] service I could, and am glad your troublesome suits are at an end. I hope that which the King hath now done will preserve you against your pressing necessities, through which I pray God send you a good passage. But for Westminster foes, they did very much wrong you, whoever they [were], that made those relations to you of great sum; for my former [letters told] the truth to you. Concerning your preferme [nt, until any better] place falls, I can promise nothing; but I assure [you, his Majesty] hath a very good opinion both of you and your service; and therefore I [cannot] doubt but that he will take you and your estate into his consideration. At this time you have given his Majesty good content, and he expects that you continue in that course; and let him still receive a note who they be that conform, and who not; for I see his Majesty is resolved to go constantly on, and therefore you must not fail. I have considered how much reason you speak concerning the poor singing men, and have received their petition, which you sent enclosed. I must needs say their case deserves a great deal of commiseration; and the very first time I got access to his Majesty, after the receipt of your letters, I acquainted him with their necessities, and he, like a gracious and a good Prince, was very much moved with it, and commanded me to deliver their petition to my Lord Sterling, that some course might be taken for them; and this, God willing, I will do so soon as ever I can meet with that Lord, which I hope will be this day, and so soon as I can drive it to any good issue you shall hear from me. So, in haste, I leave you to the grace of God, and rest Your Lordship's very loving Friend and Brother, Lambeth, Jan. 14, 1633. To the Right Reverend Father in God, my very good Lord and Brother the Lord Bishop of Dunblane, at Edenburrow, These. Endorsed: 'Anent his encouragement, and anent non-communicants.' W. CANT. |