The Lives of the Lords Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England

Accession of Charles I., 392. He continues Williams Lord Keeper, 393. Wil-
liams under Displeasure of Buckingham, 393. He is shunned by Laud and
other Courtiers, 393. A new Parliament, 393. Parliament adjourned to Oxford
against Advice of Lord Keeper, 393. Parliament dissolved, 394. Lord Keeper
charged with intriguing against the Court, 394 Buckingham resolved to turn

out Lord Keeper, 394. Lord Conway sent to demand Great Seal from Williams,

394. Williams writes farewell Letter to the Kiug, 394. Interview between

them, 394. Warrant for demanding Great Seal from Williams, 395. Williams

delivers up the Great Seal, 395. William's Conduct as Lord Keeper, 395. Un-

just Charge of Corruption against him, 396. Orders made by him in private,

396. His Irascibility, 396. He gave no Dinners, 396. His Decrees, 396. Sub-

sequent Career of Williams, 396. He settles at Buckden, 397. Gives Offence

to the Court, 398. Forbidden to appear at the Coronation, 398. Refused a writ

of Summons to Parliament, 398. Takes his Seat in the House of Lords, 398.

Supports the Petition of Right, 399 Private Conference with the King respect-

ing the Puritans, 399. Ascendency of Laud on Death of Buckingham, 399.

Puseyism, or the Laudean Controversy, 400. Prosecution against Williams in

the Star Chamber, 400. Second Prosecution, 401. Trial and Sentence, 401.

Williams is committed to Tower, 401. Third Prosecution against him in Star

Chamber, 401. Sentence, 401. His Firmness, 402. Meeting of Long Parlia-

ment, 402.
Williams is liberated and takes his Seat in House of Lords, 402.

His Moderation, 402. Records of all Proceedings against him cancelled, 403.

His Resentment against an Agent in his Prosecution, 403. Dissuades King from

assenting to Bill to prevent a Dissolution, 403. His Misconduct on Trial of

Strafford, 403. Visits his Diocese, 404. He is questioned by the House of

Commons, 404. Made Archbishop of York, 404.

CHAPTER LX.

CONCLUSION OF THE LIFE OF LORD KEEPER WILLIAMS.

Bill to exclude the Bishops from sitting in Parliament, 404. Opposed by Williams

404. Williams defends Westminster Abbey against Mob, 405. Protest against

violent Exclusion of Bishops, 405. Ten Bishops sent to the Tower, 405. Bill

for excluding Bishops passes, and receives Royal Assent, 406. Williams dis-

charged from Tower, 406. Ballads and Caricatures on the Bishops, 406. Wil-

liams at Cawood Castle, 406. Obliged to fly for his Life, 406. Interview with

the King, 407. Return to his native Town, 407. His Defence of North Wales

against the Parliament, 407. Commission to him as Governor of Conway Castle

407. He attends the King at Oxford, 408. His advice about Cromwell, 408.

Bishops excluded from sitting in Royal Parliament at Oxford, 408. His Address

to the King, 408. His return to Conway, 408. Conway Castle taken by Sir John

Owen, 409. Williams for a time inactive, 409. He joins a Parliamentary Gen-

eral and retakes Conway Castle, 409. He retires to a Country House, 409.

Horror at hearing that Charles had trusted himself to the Scots, 410. Faints

away on hearing of the King's Death, 410. His midnight Prayers, 410. His

Death, 410. His Character, 410. Fiery Temper, 411. His Munificence, 411.

Plays acted in his Episcopal Palace on Sundays, 411. Sincerely attached to the

Church of England, 412. Unfounded Scandal respecting him, 412. Accident

which befel him when a Boy, 412. His Person, 412. His Melancholy after the

King's Death, 413. Sons of Noblemen in his Family, 413. His Buildings, 413.

His Writings, 413. Archbishop Laud, 413. Williams's Speeches, 413. His Op-

portunities of Usefulness, 413. His Defects, 414. Attachment of Hacket, 414.

Williams's Funeral, 414. His Epitaph, 414.

CHAPTER LXI.

His

LIFE OF LORD KEEPER COVENTRY FROM HIS BIRTH TILL THE COMMENCEMENT OF

THE PROCEEDINGS RESPECTING SHIP-MONEY.

Sir THOMAS COVENTRY, Lord Keeper, 415. His Family, 415. His Birth and
Education, 415. Called to the Bar, 416. Proposed for Office of Chief Justice of
King's Bench, 416. His Domestic Habits, 416. Coventry made Solicitor General,
and knighted, 417. He is made Attorney General, 417. His Behaviour to Lord
Keeper Williams, 417. Floyde's Case explained, 417. Impeachment of Floyde,

419

by Commons before Lords, 418. Coventry made Lord Keeper by Buckingham,

His Letter to Lord Bacon, 419. His Patent, 419. Good Equity Judge, 419.

A Parliament, 420. Lord Keeper's Speech, 420. Expedient of making Sir E.

Coke a Sheriff, 421. Earl of Bristol refused Writ of Summons, 421. Sent to the

Tower, 421. The two Houses admonished, 421. Question, Whether the Sover-

eign can be examined as a Witness? 422. Earl of Arundel committed to the

Tower, 422. Dissolution of Parliament, 423. A new Parliament, 423. King's

Speech, 423. Parliamentary Leaders, 424. Declaration to the Two Houses, 424.

Petition of Right, 424. Tonnage and Poundage, 425. Abrupt Dissolution, 425.

Assassination of Buckingham, 425. Circulation of mutilated Copies of Petition

of Right, 425. Illegal Decision respecting Tonnage and Poundage, 425. Declar-

ation that Ministers not to be questioned for acting under King's Orders, 425.

Resolution proposed against Tonnage and Poundage, 426. Speaker Finch refuses

to put Question, 426. Tumultuous Dissolution, 476. Disuse of Parliaments, 426.

Plan of introducing Despotism into England, 426. Lord Keeper Coventry the

most culpable, 426. Commitment of Members of Parliament, 427. Dismissal of

Chief Justice Crew, and Appointment of Chief Justice Hyde, 427. Resolutions of

the Judges respecting Privilege of Parliament, 428. Members of House of Com-

mons convicted and punished for Words spoken in Parliament, 428. Leniency

of Lord Keeper in Chambers', 428 Sentence on Leighton, 428. Book in

support of Scheme of Despotism, 430. Sham Prosecution, 430. Arbitrary Pro-

clamations, 430. Cromwell, Pym, Hampden, and Hazelrig, prevented from emi-

grating, 430. Illegal Grants of Monopoly, 331. Trial of Lord Audley, 431.

King's Journey to Scotland to introduce Episcopacy, 432. Laud made Arch-

bishop of Canterbury, 432. Puseyism, 432. Sentence on Prynne, 432. Prosecu-

tions against Ex-lord Keeper Williams, 433. Prosecution of Lilburn, 433. Other

oppressive Proceeding of the Lord Keeper, 434.

CHAPTER LXII.

CONCLUSION OF THE LIFE OF LORD KEEPER COVENTRY.

Ship Money, 434. Death of Noy, 434. Address of the Lord Keeper to the Judges,

435. Questions to the Judges, 436. Their Opinions, 436. Fraud of the Lord

Keeper, 436 Pusillanimity of Judges, 437. Heroic Conduct of Hampden, 437.

Decision in favour of Ship Money, 437. Reflections of Lord Clarendon, 438.

Troubles iu Scotland, 438. The Tables," 439. The King's "Fool" prosecuted

for Defamation by the Archbishop of Canterbury, 439. Charles prepares to in-

vade Scotland, 439. He is obliged to yield to Abolition of Episcopacy in that

Country, 439. Threatened Invasion from Scotland to introduce Presbytery, 439.

A Parliament summoned, 440. Apprehensions of the Lord Keeper, 440. His op-

portune Death, 440. His Character, by Lloyd, 440. By Weldon, 441. By L'Es-

trange, 441. By Fuller, 441. By Clarendon, 441. Coventry responsible for Mis-

government of Charles I., and for the Civil War, 443. Anecdote of his opposing

a Grant to Buckingham of the Honour of Prince of Tipperary, &c, 443 Coven-

try a good Equity Judge. 443. His "Orders," 444. A Jest of the Lord Keeper

Coventry, 444. His Funeral, 445. His Descendants, 445.

CHAPTER LXIII.

LIFE OF LORD KEEPER FINCH, FROM HIS BIRTH TILL THE MEETING OF THE LONG

PARLIAMENT.

Infamy of new Lord Keeper, 445. Reasons for selecting him, 446. Family of Finch,

446. Birth of Lord Keeper Finch, 446. His Habits at Gray's Inn, 447. His Ca-

reer at the Bar, 447. Returned to Parliament, 447. Chairman of Committee on

Sir E. Coke's Case, 447. Elected Speaker of House of Commons, 448. His In-

augural Speech, 448. His Subserviency to the Court, 448. Brings Message from

the King, 450. Indignation of the House, 450. Committee of whole House, 450.

Leave of Absence to the Speaker, 450. He intrigues with the King against the

House, 451.

452.

Firmness of the popular Leaders, 451. Petition of Right passed,

451. Tonnage and Poundage, 451. Meeting after Recess, 451. Finch refuses to,

put the Question, 452. Tumultuous Proceedings in the House, 452. Dissolution,

Masque by the Four Inns of Court, 452. Procession to Whitehall, 453.

Finch returns thanks to the King and Queen, 453. He is made a Judge, 454.

His Misconduct, 454. He is made Chief Justice, 454. His Judgment in Hamp-

den's Case in favour of Ship Money, 454. His Conduct in the Star Chamber,

455. His Amendment to Sentence on an old Friend, 456. His Reason for altering

his Conduct to Bishop Williams, 456. Gross Impropriety of his Appointment

as Lord Keeper, 456. His Principles as an Equity Judge, 456. Preparations for

Meeting of Parliament, 457. Parliament meets, 457. Lord Keeper's Speech to

the two Houses, 457. Commons proceed on Grievances, 458. Lecture to the two

Houses at Whitehall, 458, Conference between the two Houses, 459. Resolution

of Commons, 459. Dissolution, 459. Commitment of Members of House of Com-

mons, 460. Illegal Proceedings of Convocation, 460. Flight of Army at Newburn

460. Grand Council of Peers summoned, 461. Proceedings of Grand Council of

Peers, 461. Writs for a new Parliament, 461.

CHAPTER LXIV.

CONCLUSION OF THE LIFE OF LORD KEEPER FINCH.

Meeting of the Long Parliament, 462. Artful Address of the Lord Keeper against

the Scots, 462. Sympathy with the Scots, 462. Commitment of Lord Strafford,

463. Finch intrigues with the popular Leaders, 463. Proceedings in the House of

Lords, 464. Prosecution of Lord Keeper Finch, 464. Speech of Bagshaw against

him, 464. Lord Falkland moves his Impeachment, 464. Motion of Hyde, 465.

Information from Judges, 465. Lord Keeper desires to be heard in House of Com-

mons, 465. Leave given to him by Lords, 465. Plans of opposite Parties with re-

spect to Finch, 495. The Lord Keeper in the House of Commons, 466. His

Speech, 466. Effect produced by it, 466. Analysis of this Speech, 466.

turns to House of Lords, 467. Speech of Rigby for Impeachment, 467. Motion

for impeachment, 468. Scheme to further his Escape, 468. Finch flies the Coun-

try, 468. Lord Falkland brings up Impeachment against him, 469. Finch's Letter

from Holland, 469. Finch in Exile, 470. His Return to England, 470. Sits on

Trial of the Regicides, 470. His Death, 470. Influence of his Example, 470.

CHAPTER LXV.

He re-

LIFE OF LOND KEEPER LITTLETON, FROM HIS BIRTH TILL THE COMMENCEMENT OF

THE CIVIL WAR.

Difficulty in selecting a Lord Keeper, 421. Sir EDWARD LITTLETON appointed,

471. Sketch of his Character, 471. His Family, 472. His Education, 472. At the

Inner Temple, 472. Returned to Parliament, 472. Takes popular Side, 472. As-

sists in carrying Petition of Right, 472. Goes over to the Court, 473. Is made Re-

corder of London, 474. His great Eminence at the Bar, 474. Is made Solicitor

General, 474. His famous Argument in support of Ship Money, 475. Chief Jus-

tice of the Common Pleas, 476. Excellent Common-law Judge, 477. A Privy

Councillor, 477. His high Contentment with his present Position, 477. Speaker

of House of Lords, 477. He is forced to accept the Great Seal, 478.

stalled, 478. Made a Peer, 478. Triennial Bill, 478. His Cowardice, 479.

raignment of Strafford, 479. Lord Keeper pretends Illness to avoid presiding at

he Trial, 479. Fate of Strafford, 480. Inefficiency of Lord Keeper in House of

Lords, 480. He encourages Prosecution of Lord Kimbolton and the Five Mem-

bers, 482. Charles's Attempt to seize the five Members, 482. Unavailing Conces-

sion, 482. Bill for regulating the Militia, 482.

He is in-

Ar-

CHAPTER LXVI.

CONCLUSION OF THE LIFE OF LORD KEEPER LITTLETON.

Scene

Preparations for Civil War, 433. King's Resolution to dismiss Littleton, 483. Little-

ton's support of the Ordinance of the two Houses for regulating the Milttia, 483.

Littleton's Conference with Hyde, 484. Littleton's Pledge, 485. Order from the

King to take the Seal from Littleton, 485. Difficulty about a Successor, 485. Con-

sultations respecting Littleton between Lord Falkland and Hyde, 486. Arrange-

ment for Littleton to be ordered with the Great Seal to York, 486.
Littleton pre-

pares for his Escape, 486. Arrival of a Messenger from the King, 486.

between Littleton and the Messenger, 487. Littleton's Communication to his

Purse-bearer, 487. Littleton escapes from London, 487. His Journey to York, 488.

Proceedings of the Parliament, 448. Littleton's mysterious Conduct at York, 488.

Exposure of Littleton's Duplicity, 489. His subsequent Career, 490. Parliament
or Convocation at Oxford, 490. Letters to raise Loans for the King, 491. Lord
Keeper raises a volunteer Corps at Oxford, 499. His military Zeal, for which he
is made a Doctor of Civil Law, 493. His Death, 493. His Character, 493. Inef-

ficiency as Equity Judge, 494. His Character by Lloyd and by Clarendon, 494.

His "
Reports," 494. His Marriages, 494.

CHAPTER LXVII.

LIFE OF LORD KEEPER LANE

Consistency of Lord Keeper LANE, 495. Obscurity of his Origin, 495. Made At-

torney General to the Prince of Wales, 495. Retained as Coudsel for Lord Straf-

ford, 495. Attempt by the Commons to intimidate him, 495. Courage of the Bar,

495. Lane's legal Argument in favour of Strafford. 495. Commons change Im-

peachment into a Bill of Attainder, 497. Oliver St. John, 498. Lane joins the

King at Oxford, 498. Law Courts at Oxford, 498. Lane made Chief Baron, 499.

Other Law Promotions at Oxford, 499. Lane one of the King's Commissioners at

Uxbridge, 500. Negotiations at Uxbridge, 500. LANE, Lord Keeper, 501. Grant