Jaw; and then, if it would bring profit to the king, how old and obfolete foever the law was, he thought he might juftly advise the profecution. And fo he did a little too much countenance the commiffion concerning depopulation, which brought much charge and trouble upon the people, and was likewise cast upon his account.

He had obferved, and knew it must be so, that the principal officers of the revenue, who governed the affairs of money, had always accefs to the king, and fpent more time with him in private than any of his fervants, or counsellors, and had thereby frequent opportunities to do good or ill offices to many men; of which he had had experience, when the earl of Portland was treasurer, and the lord Cottington chancellor of the exchequer ; neither of them being his friends; and the latter ftill enjoying his place, and having his former accefs, and fo continuing a joint commiffioner of the treasury with him, and understanding that province much better, ftill oppofed, and commonly carried every thing against him; fo that he was weary of the toil and vexation of that business; as all other men were, and fill are, of the delays which are in all dispatches in that office, whilft it is executed by commif fion.

The treasurer's is the greatest office of benefit in the kingdom, and the chief in precedence, next the archbishop's, and the greatfeal; fo that the eyes of all men were at gaze

2

who

who fhould have this great office; and the greatest of the nobility, who were in the chief employments, looked upon it as the prize of one of them; fuch offices commonly making way for more removes and preferments; when on a fudden the staff was put into the hands of the bishop of London, a man fo unknown, that his name was fearce heard of in the kingdom, who had been, within two years before, but a private chaplain to the king, and the prefident of a poor college in Oxford. This inflamed more men than were angry before,. and no doubt did not only fharpen the edge of envy and malice against the archbishop (who was the known architect of this new fabric) but moft unjustly indifpofed many towards the church itself, which they looked upon as the gulf ready to fwallow all the great offices, there being others in view, of that robe." who were ambitious enough to expect the rest.

In the mean time the archbishop himfelf was infinitely pleafed with what was done, and unhappily believed he had provided a fronger fupport for the church; and never abated any thing of his feverity, and rigour towards men of all conditions; or in the harpnefs of his language, and expreffions, which was fo natural to him, that he could not debate any thing without fome commotion, when the argument was not of moment, nor bear contradiction in debate, even in the council, where all men are equally free, with that.

C 3

patience

patience and temper that was necessary; of which, they who wifhed him not well, took many advantages, and would therefore contradict him, that he might be tranfported with fome indecent paffion; which, upon a hort recollection, he was always forry for, and most readily and heartily would make acknowledgement. No man fo willingly made. unkind use of all thofe occafions, as the lord Cottington, who, being a master of temper, and of the most profound diffimulation, knew too well how to lead him into a mistake, and then drive him into choler, and then expofe him upon the matter, and the manner, to the judgment of the company; and he chofe to do this moft, when the king was prefent; and then he would dine with him the next day.

The king, who was exceffively affected to hunting, and the fports of the field, had a great defire to make a great park for Red, as well as fallow deer, between Richmond and Hampton-court, where he had large waftes of his own, and great parcels of wood, which made it very fit for the ufe he defigned it to: but as fome parishes had commons in thofe wafies, fo, many gentlemen and farmers, had good houfes, and good farms intermingled with those waftes, of their own inheritance, or for their lives, or years; and without taking of them into the park, it would not be of the largenefs, or for the ufe propofed. His majefty defired to purchase thofe lands, and was very willing to buy them upon higher terms

than

than the people could fell them at to any body elfe, if they had occafion to part with them; and thought it no unreasonable thing, upon thofe terms, to expect this from his fubjects and fo he employed his own furveyor, and other of his officers, to treat with the owners, many whereof were his own tenants, whose farm's would at laft expire.

The major part of the people were in a fhort time prevailed with, but many very obfinately refufed; and a gentleman, who had the best eftate, with a convenient houfe, and gardens, would by no means part with it; and the king being as earnest to compass it, it made a great noife, as if the king would take away mens eftates at his own pleasure. The bishop of London, who was treasurer, and the lord Cottington, chancellor of the exchequer, were, from the first entering upon it, very averfe to the defign, not only from the murmur of the people, but because the purchafe of the land, and the making a brick-wall about fo large a parcel of ground (for it is near ten miles about) would cost a greater fum of money than they could easily provide, or than they thought ought to be facrificed to fuch an occafion; and the lord Cottington (who was more follicited by the country people, and heard most of their murmurs) took the business most to heart, and endeavoured by all the ways he could, and by frequent importunities, to divert his majesty from purfuing it, and put all delays, he could C4

well

well do, in the bargains which were to be made; till the king grew very angry with him, and told him, "He was refolved to go through with it, and had already caufed brick to be burned, and much of the wall to be built upon his own land:" upon which Cottington thought fit to acquiefce.

The building the wall before people confented to part with their land, or their common, looked to them as if by degrees they fhould be shut out from both, and increased the murmur and noife of the people, who were not concerned, as well as of them who were and it was too near London not to be the common difcourfe. The archbishop (who defired exceedingly that the king should be poffeffed as much of the hearts of the people as was poffible, at least that they fhould have no juft caufe to complain) meeting with it, refolved to speak to the king of it; which he did; and received fuch an answer from him, that he thought his majefty rather not informed enough of the inconveniencies, and mifchiefs of the thing, than positively refolved not to defift from it. Whereupon one day he took the lord Cottington afide (being informed that he difliked it) and told him, He fhould do very well to give the king good counfel, and to withdraw him from a refolution, in which his honour and justice was fo much called in queftion." Cottington answered him very gravely, "That the thing defigned was very lawful, and that he thought the king re

folved