"On Sunday last the king commanded me to wait upon him the next morning at Kenfington. I did fo, and met with what I feared. His majefty renewed his former gracious offer in fo preffing a manner, and with fo much kindness, that I hardly knew how to refift it. I made the best acknowledgments I could of his undeferved grace and favour to me, and begged of him to confider all the confequences of the matter; being well af fured, that all that storm, which was raised in convocation the last year by those who will be the church of England, was upon my account; and that the bishop of L- was at the bottom of it, out of a jealoufy that I might be a hindrance to him in attaining what he defires, and what, I call God to witness, I would not have. "And I told his majefty, that I was ftill afraid, that his kindness to me would be greatly to his prejudice, efpecially if he carried it fo far as he was then pleased to speak. For I plainly faw they could not bear it, and that the effects of envy and ill-will towards me would terminate upon him. "To which he replied, That, if the thing were once done, and they faw no remedy, they would give over, and think of making the beft of it; and therefore he must defire me to think feriously of it; with other expreffions not fit for me to repeat. To all which I anfwered, That, in obedience to his majesty's commands, I would confider of it again, tho' I was afraid I had already thought more of it. than had done me good, and muft break thro' one of the greatest refolutions of my life, and facrifice, at once, all the ease and contentment of it; which yet I would force myself to do, were I really convinced, that I was, in any measure, capable of doing his majefty and the public that fervice which he was pleafed to think I was. He fmiled, and faid, You talk of trouble; I believe you will have much more cafe in it than in the condition in which you now are. Thinking not fit to fay more, I humbly took leave." To this letter her ladyfhip returned an anfwer which contributed not a little to determine him to acquiefce in the king's pleasure, if his majesty should still prefs him, who now infifted upon a peremptory anfwer. The refult of this affair is mentioned at large in his letter to lady Ruffel. "I went to Kenfington full of fear, but yet determined what was fit for me to do. I met the king coming out of his clofet, and afking if his coach was ready. He took me aside, and I told him, That, in obedience to his majesty's command, I had confidered of the thing as well as I could, and came to give him my answer. I perceived his majefty was going out, and therefore defired him to appoint me another time, which he did on the Saturday morning after. Then I came again, and he took me into his clofet; where I told him, that I could not H 2 but but have a deep fenfe of his majesty's great grace and favour to me, not only to offer me the best thing he had to give, but to press it fo earnestly upon me. I faid, I would not prefume to argue the matter any farther, but I hoped he would give me leave to be still his humble and earnest petitioner to spare me in that thing. He anfwered, he would do so, if he could; but he knew not what to do, if I refuted it. Upon that I told him, that I tendered my life to him, and did humbly devote [it] to be difpofed of as he thought fit. He was graciously pleased to say, it was the best news had come to him this great while. I did not kneel down to kifs his hand; for, without that, I doubt I am too sure of it; but requested of him, that he would defer the declaration of it, and let it be a fecret for fome time. He faid he thought it might not be amifs to defer it till the parliament was up. "I begged farther of him, that he would not make me a wedge to drive out the prefent archbishop; that, fome time before I was nominated, his majefty would be pleafed to declare in council, that, fince his lenity had not had any better effect, he would wait no more, but would difpofe of their places. This, I told him, I humbly defired, that I might not be thought to do any thing harsh, or which might reflect upon me; for, now that his majefty had thought fit to advance me to this ftation, my reputation was become his interest. He He faid, he was fenfible of it, and thought it reasonable to do as I defired. "I craved leave of him to mention one thing more, which, in juftice to my family, efpecially my wife, I ought to do, that I should be more than undone by the great and neceffary charge of coming into this place, and must therefore be an humble petitioner to his majefty, that, if it should please God to take me out of the world, that I must unavoidably leave my wife a beggar, he would not suffer her to be fo ; and that he would graciously be pleased to confider, that the widow of an archbishop of Canterbury, which would now be an odd figure in England, could not decently be supported by fo little, as would have contented her very well if I had died a dean. To this he gave a very gracious anfwer, I promise you to take care of her." The king's nomination of the dean to the archbishopric of Canterbury had been agreed between them to be poftponed till after the breaking up of the feffion of parliament, which was prorogued on the fifth of January, 1690.1; when it was thought proper to defer it still longer, on account of his majesty's voyage to Holland. While his majefty ftayed in England, he was refolved to fill the vacant fees, from which he had been hitherto diverted by the dean's advice, who was reproached for it by the king at his return from Flanders, and was now obliged himself to confent to his majefty's H 3 |