the mockings and revilings of malicious people had no power to move him, or sharpen him into any difcontent or fhew of paffion, would needs put in, and try what he could do with his fponge and vinegar; and, ftepping to him near the block, asked him, with fuch a purpofe as the Scribes and Pharifees ufed to propofe questions to our Lord and Saviour, not to learn by him, but to tempt him, or to expofe him to fome difadvantage with the standers by, What was the comfortableft faying which a dying man could have in his mouth. To which he meekly made this answer, "Cupio diffolvi et effe cum Chrifto :" i. e. "I defire to be diffolved and to be with Chrift." Being afked again, What was the fitteft fpeech a man could ufe, to exprefs his confidence and affurance; he answered, with the fame spirit of meekness, That fuch affurance was to be found within, and that no words were able to exprefs it rightly. Which, when it would not fatisfy the trouble fome and impertinent man, who aimed at fomething else than fuch fatiffaction, unless he gave fome word, or place of fcripture, whereupon fuch affurance might be truly founded. He ufed fome words to this effect, That it was the word of God concerning Christ, and his dying for us. And fo,. without expecting any further questions (for he perceived, by the manner of Sir John's proceedings, that there would be no end of his interruptions if he harkened any longer to

him)

him) he turned towards his executioner (the gentler and difcreeter man of the two) and gave him money; faying, without the leaft diftemper or change of countenance, .. Here, honest friend, God forgive thee, and do thy office upon me with mercy; and, having given a fign when the blow fhould come, he kneeled down upon his knees, and prayed as followeth:

"Lord, I am coming as falt as I can; I know I must pass through the fhadow of death before that I can come to fee thee; but it is umbra mortis, a mere fhadow of death, a little darkness upon nature; but thou, by thy me rits and paffion, haft broke through the jaws of death: fo, Lord, receive my foul, and have mercy upon me, and blefs this kingdom with peace and plenty, and with brotherly love and charity, that there may not be this effufion of Chriftian blood among ft them, for Jefus Chrift's fake, if it be thy will."

Then laying his head upon the block, and praying filently to himself, he faid aloud,

Lord receive my foul;" which was the fignal given to the executioner, who very dexterously did his office, and took it off at a blow; his foul afcending on the wings of angels into Abraham's bofom, and leaving his body on the fcaffold to the care of men. fpectacle fo unpleafing unto the most of those who had defired his death with much heat and paffion, that many, who had come with greedy

A

eyes

eyes to see him fuffer, went back with weeping eyes when they faw him dead; their confciences, perhaps, bearing witness to them, that they had finned in being guilty of fuch innocent blood.

See his character by lord Clarendon : " It was within one week after the king's return from Scotland, that Abbot died at his houfe at Lambeth. The king took very little time' to confider who fhould be his fucceffor, but the very next time the bishop of London (who was longer on his way home than the king had been) came to him, his majefty entertaining him very chearfully with this compellation, My lord's grace of Canterbury you are very welcome, and gave order the fame day for the difpatch of all the neceffary forms for the tranflation: fo that within a month, or thereabouts, after the death of the other archbifhop, he was compleatly invefted in that high dignity, and fettled in his palace at Lam

beth.

This great prelate had been before in great favour with the duke of Buckingham, whofe chief confidant he was, and by him recommended to the king, as fittest to be trusted in the conferring of all ecclefiaftical preferments, when he was but bishop of St. David's, or newly preferred to Bath and Wells; and from that time he entirely governed that province, without a rival; fo that his promotion to Can. terbury was long forefeen, and expected; nor

was

was it attended with any increase of envy, or dislike.

He was a man of great parts, and very exemplary virtues, allayed and difcredited by fome unpopular natural infirmities; the greatest of which was (befides a hafty, fharp way of expreffing himself) that he believed innocence of heart, and integrity of manners, was a guard ftrong enough to fecure any man in his voyage through this world, in what company foever he travelled, and through what way foever he was to pafs and fure never any man was bet ter fupplied with that provifion. He was born of honeft parents, who were well able to provide for his education in the fchools of learning, from whence they fent him to St. John's college in Oxford, the worst endowed at that time of any in that famous univerfity. From a fcholar he became a fellow, and then the prefident of the college, after he had received all the graces, and degrees (the proctorship and the doctorship) could be obtained there. He was always maligned and perfecuted by those who were of the Calvinian faction, which was then very powerful, and who, according to their ufual maxim and practice, call every man they do not love, Papist; and, under this fenfelefs appellation, they created him many troubles and vexations; and fo far fuppreffed him, that though he was the king's chaplain, and taken notice of for an excellent preacher, and a scholar of the moft fublime parts, he had not any preferment to invite him to leave his

poor

poor college, which only gave him bread, till the vigour of his age was paft: and when he was promoted by king James, it was but to a poor bishopric in Wales, which was not fo good a fupport for a bifhop, as his college was for a private scholar, though a doctor.

Parliaments in that time were very frequent, and grew very bufy, and the party, under which he had fuffered a continual perfecution, appeared very powerful, and full of defign, and they who had the courage to oppose them, begun to be taken notice of with approbation, and countenance: under this ftile he came to be first cherished by the duke of Buckingham, who had made fome experiments of the temper and fpirit of the other people, nothing to his fatisfaction. From this time he profpered at the rate of his own wifhes, and being tranfplanted out of his cold barren diocefs of St. David's, into a warmer climate, he was left, as was faid before, by that great favourite, in that great truft with the king; who was fufficiently indifpofed towards the perfons, or the principles of Calvin's difciples.

When he came into great authority, it may be, he retained too keen a memory of thofe who had fo unjustly, and uncharitably perfecuted him before; and I doubt, was fo far tranfported with the fame paffions he had reafon to complain of in his adverfaries, that, as they accufed him of popery, because he had fome doctrinal opinions which they liked not, though they were nothing allied to popery