great man brought the Seals to his Sovereign James the First, the King was overheard to fay, "Now, by my foule, I am pained to the heart "where to bestow this; for as to my lawyers, "they be all knaves."

Williams, however, was not more honest than the perfons of that profeffion which James had fo fcandalized; for, as Keeper of the King's conscience, he gave to his Sovereign, Charles the First, that advice refpecting the figning the warrant for Lord Strafford's death, which prevented him from having afterwards any perfons firmly and steadily attached to him,

Lord Clarendon fays, "That Lord Keeper "Williams told his Sovereign, that he must "confider that he had a public conscience as "well as a private confcience; and that though "his private confcience, as a man, would not per"mit him to act contrary to his own understand

ing, judgment, and confcience, yet his public "confcience, as a King, which obliged him to "do all for the good of his people, and to pre "ferve his kingdom in peace for himself and "his pofterity, would not only permit him to do "that, but even oblige and require him; and "that he faw in what commotion the people "were; that his own life, and that of the

Queen and the royal iffue might probably be "facrificed to that fury; and it would be very "ftrange if his confcience fhould prefer the right "of one fingle perfon (how innocent foever) « before all these other lives, and the preserva "tion of the kingdom."

Williams, who foon after this ruinous advice was made Archbishop of York, fortified Conway Castle for the fervice of his Sovereign; and having left his nephew as Governor there, fet out to attend the King at Oxford, in January 1643. In an interview that he had with Charles, he is faid to have cautioned him against Cromwell; telling his Majefty, that when he was Bishop of Lincoln, "he knew him at Bugden, but never knew of

what religion he was. He was," added he, "a common spokesman for Sectaries, and took "their part with stubbornness. He never dif"courfed as if he were pleased with your Ma

cr

jefty or your officers; indeed, he loves none "that are more than his equals. His fortunes " are broken, so that it is impoffible for him to fubfift, much less to be what he afpires at, but by your Majefty's bounty, or by the ruin of us all, and a common confufion: as one faid "long ago, Lentulo falvo, Refpublica falva effe "non poteft. In fhort, every beast hath evil pro❝perties, but Cromwell hath the properties of “ all

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all evil beafts. My humble motion is, that ૬ your Majesty would win him to you by pro"mises of fair treatment, or catch him by some "ftratagem, and cut him off."

After the King was beheaded, the Archbishop is faid to have spent his days in forrow, study, and devotion. He indeed only furvived his unfortunate Sovereign one year. The Archbishop was extremely attentive to the Cathedrals fucceffively committed to his care.

By the kindnefs of PAUL PANTON, Efq. of the Island of Anglesey, the COMPILER is enabled to prefent the Public with Three Original Letters of this extraordinary perfon. The first two were written from St. John's College in Cambridge; and the other after he had loft the Great Seal.

LETTER I.

TO JOHN WYNNE, OF GUEDER, ESQ. IN

"My humble dutie remembred-I am righte heartilie forrie to fee you impute my turbulent

" & paf

" & paffionate Letter to ill nature, wch proceed. ❝ed only from fufpicious povertie, and a pre"fent feare of future undoinge, bredd and fof"tered by the fuggestions of those, who either "knewe not what it was, or else would not imparte the best counfaile. Well might your "Worshippe have guesde my fault to have been 66 noe blemish of nature, but fuch another as

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that of foolish Euclio in Plautus, who fuf"pected Megadorus, though he had foe farre "againste his eftate & reputation demeande ❝himselfe as to be a suytor for Euclio's daugh

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ter:

"Nam fi opulentus it petitum pauperioris gratiam, "Pauper metuit congredi, per metum male rem gerit; "Idem quando illac occafio periit, poft fero cupit :

"a faulte I have committed (for the wch I "mofte humblie crave pardonne, vowing heere "before the face of God to doe you what re66 compence & fatisfaction foever, how and when you will); but that faulte was not in writinge unto you, for therein I protefte I do not "knowe that I have any way misdemened my felfe, but it was in a certain fufpicion I con"ceived of your love towards me, caused part❝lye by your late letter, far more sharpe and "less courteous than at other times, partly also

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