66 66 66 " Christ, Thomas, by the Title of St. Cecile beyond "Tiber, of the Holy See of Rome, Cardinal Prieft, Archbishop of York, Chancellor of England; and kept in a certain Bag of white Leather, fealed fix "Times with white Wax and the Seal of the fame Cardinal, was delivered by the Cardinal in Person, " in Obedience to the Lord the King's Orders, to "the illustrious Princes, Thomas Duke of Norfolk, "Treasurer of England, and Charles Duke of Suffolk, "Earl Marshal of England, at the House of the faid "Cardinal at Westminster, and in an upper Appart ८८ ment near the faid Cardinal's walking Place, about " fix of the Clock in the Evening of the fame Day, " in the Prefence of William Fitz Williams, Knignt, "Trea MEMOIRS of the LORD CHANCELLORS, &c. ty came into Use; for, upon the Seal being taken from Sir Thomas More, May the 20th, his Ma1533, jesty committed the Custody of it to Sir Thomas Audley, and commanded him to be called Lord Keeper; and, Sept. the 6th, a new Seal was made and delivered to him; foon after which he was made Lord Chancellor, and created a Peer; who being taken ill, Thomas Lord Wriothefly was, by special Commission, (as appears in Rymer, Tom. XIV. fo. 446.) appointed to keep and exercise the Great Seal during his Illness. Lord Audley was Chancellor of England above 12 Years, and was a Man of consummate Parts and uncommon Prudence, and, by his wary Management, weathered King Henry's boisterous Humour; died, crowned with much Honour, April the 30th, 1545, and was buried in the Church of Saffron Walden, in Effex, leaving a great Estate to his Daughter, afterwards married to Thomas Duke of Norfolk, from whom is lineally defcended the present Earl of Suffolk. May the 30th, the Lord Wriothesley, who had been 1545. created Earl of Southampton, was conftituted Lord high Chancellor, who held the Seal to the 6th of March, I Edw. VI. when it was taken from him, on his sealing a special Commission for hearing Causes in Chancery, without Warrant from the Council. From this Nobleman his Grace John Duke of Bedford, by the Mother's Side, is descended; whose Brother, the late Duke, was baptized Wriothesley, in order to perpetuate the Memory of this noble Lord. June the 29th, it was committed to William 1547. Paulet, Lord St. John, with the Title of Lord Keeper, who held it " Treasurer of the Lord the King's Houshold; John "Taylor Priest, Master of the Rolls; and Stephen Gar“ diner, Prieft, of the said Lord the King's Privy " Council; in whose Presence, the said Dukes put " the Seal so inclosed into another Bag of Crimfon " Velvet, adorn'd with the Arms and Ensigns of " England; and which they had sealed with red "Wax by the said Stephen Gardiner; and thus fealed 66 they put it into a certain Box bound with Iron " and locked, the Key whereof the faid Stephen kept 66 ME MOIRS of the LORD CHANCELLORS, ४८. it no longer than from the 29th of June to the 30th of Nov. following, 3 Edw. VI. he was created Earl of Wiltshire, and the next Year conftituted Lord Treafurer of England. In the 5th Year of the fame Reign he was 103 honoured with the Title of Marquis of Winchester, and fat as High Steward upon the Trial of the Duke of Somerset. He was Lord Treasurer 21 Years, and died 14 Eliz. in the 97th Year of his Age, having lived to fee of his own Generation. On being asked, How he did to bear up in the dangerous Times be passed through, wherein great Alterations were made both in Church and State? he replied, By being a Willow, and not an Oak. His Grace, the present Duke of Bolton, is lineally descended from this great and worthy Peer. in of June, succeeded Sir Richard: But our Author tells us, that he could find nothing memorable concerning him, only that he was the first Clergyman who had the Custody of the Great Seal fince Cardinal Wolfey. Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, on the 1553. 21st of Sept. (whose Character we have already given in the foregoing Part of this Work) succeeded Goodrick. Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York, on the 1555. ist of Jan. followed Gardiner ; his Grace was a wife and learned Man, and of great Integrity, being more devoted to pursue the Dictates of his own Confcience, than to perfecute others. Sir Nicholas Bacon, on 1559. the 4th of April, was made Keeper of the Great Seal, 1 Eliz. who was doubtful whether he could act with the same Authority as if he was Chancellor. To obviate this Doubt an Act passed, 5 Eliz. declaring, That the Authority of the Keeper of the Great Seal was Richard Goodrick, Bi-the same with that of the 1551 shop of Ely, on the 19th Nov. the 30th, in the 1547 fame Year, succeeded Sir Richard Rich, with the Title of Lord Chancellor, from whom the present Right Hon. Edward Rich, Earlof Warwick and Holland, is defended. Chancellor." So that the Ju* in his own Custody, and delivered the Box to the * before-named Mr. John Taylor to be carried to the " Lord the King: Which John Taylor did afterwards; 6 on Wednesday the 20th Day of Oftober, in the " aforesaid Year, prefent the Seal, locked in a Box as above fet forth, to his Majesty, in one of the inner Apartments, near the Oratory of the faid Lord "the King, in the Castle of Windfor, about the Noon " of the same Day. The Lord the King then and " there immediately had the Box opened, and the from CARDINAL dicial Authority of both thof: Offices, if they were before distinct, were here united in one. His Lordship was educated in Bennet's College, Cambridge; and, having applied himself to the Study of the Common Law, he proved, says the Author of the Lives of the Lord Chancellors, Not only a good Lawyer, but a • Man of great Wifdom and Un• derstanding in all Sorts of Affairs; he had an admirable • Memory to recollect all the Circumstances of any Business before him, and as great Pa⚫ tience to confider them; his • usual Saying was, Let us fiay a little, and we shall have done the fooner. Grandeur he never affected, as appeared from the • Answer he made Queen Eliizabeth, when the paid him a Vifit at a neat House he had in Hertfordshire, who said, Your * House seems too little for your Lordship. - No, Madam, your Highness has made me too big før my House. " Great WOLSEY's Time. April the 29th, the April the 25th, Thomas 15.79. Bromley, Efq; Sollicitor Keeper, who also held it to the General, was made Lord Chan- " Great Seal, inclosed and fealed in the faid Bags, "taken out, and caused some Briefs and a Procla 66 66 66 mation, against the Exportation of Corn out of the Kingdom, to be fealed in his Prefence, the faid "Mellieurs John Taylor and Stephen Gardiner, as likewife Henry Norris, Thomas Henneage, and others of the Lord the King's secret Chamber; Radolph Paxfall, Clerk of the Crown of England; John Croke, Comptroller of the Hanaper; John Judd, Deputy; and Thomas Hall, Clerk of the faid Hanaper, being then prefent. 66 66 66 66 " Mat+ MEMOIRS of the LORD CHANCELLORS, &c. behaved during the four Years he had the Great Seal no way appears upon Record. No fooner did this 1596. Gentleman make his Exit, but the Lord Treasurer, Burleigh, and others received and kept the Seal for some little Time, without any particular Title. His Lordship's Character is, That he was a Person of great Learning, fingular Judgment, admirable Moderation, and comely Gravity, who became 'the chiefest Statefman of the beth: When King James, by Bill figned the 5th of April, 1603, appointed the Great Seal of England so to continue, until, on the 29th of June next following, the Seal being broken, the King delivered another Seal, with the Image, Arms, and Title of himself, to the faid Sir Thamas; and on the 24th of July made Sir Thomas (then created Peer, by the Title of Lord Ellefmere,) Lord High Chancellor, who carried himself with much Caution and Prudence in this great Post, and made several good Regulations, for the Benefit of the Suitors, many of which are in use at this Day. During this Lord's Chancellorship there were two Indictments for Premunire preferred against him in the King's Bench, on Account of Decrees made by him in Chanceryafter Judgment in the Common Law; [See the Articles exhibited against Cardinal Wolfey.] the one by Richard Granville, and the or ther by William Allen, which were by the Grand Jury, confitting of very substantial Persons, returned Ignoramus, though they were "Matters being thus transacted, the fame Lord the King caused the Great Seal aforesaid to be returned " into the fame white Bag, and to be fealed with his " own fealing Ring on white Wax, and with the Seals " of the faid Masters John Taylor and Stephen Gardi"ner, which, when he faw done, his Majesty kept "the Great Seal in his own Custody till Monday the 66 66 25th Day of the fame Month of October; on which Day, about three in the Afternoon, the aforesaid " Lord the King being at his Mannor of Plaisance, Nn2 from CARDINAL WOLSEY's Time. were twice sent out; and Sir Francis Bacon, in a Letter to King James the Ist, says, 'If they were set on that preferred them, they were the worst Marksmen that ever were that ' set them on, for there could not have been chosen two such 'Causes for the Honour and Advantage of the Chancery, ⚫ for the Justness of the Decrees, • and the Foulness and Scandal ' of the Fact and Person in those 'that impeached the Decrees.' This Attack on the Chancery Sir Francis imputes principally to the Lord Chief Justice Coke. After this King James, upon a folemn Hearing, on the Objection against the High Court of Chancery's Interpofing in Suits after Judgment in the Common Law, was pleased to give Judgment, That the Statutes of 27 Edw. III. cap. 1. and of 4 Hen. IV. cap. 23. did not extend to the Court of Chancery: And fince that, the Decrees made by this Court, in order to restrain the Rigour of the Common Law after Judgment have not been questioned, but on the contrary much encouraged. From Lord Ellesmere "other his Grace the present Duke of Bridgewater is defcended. 1616. March the 7th, it was given to Sir Francis Bacon, with the Title of Lord Keeper, who was foon after created Viscount Verulam, and, on the 14th of Jan. 1617, was made Lord High Chancellor. He was indeed allowed to be one of the greatest Men of the Age; his generous and affable Disposition procured him the Esteem and Admiration of all People: He instilled the wholesome Precept of Prudence and Honour into the Nobility; found Principles, Arts, and Sciences, he communicated to the Learned ; noble. Maxims of Government to Princes, and excellent Rules of Life to the People: But notwithstanding this Character, this moit learned Nobleman was, the 3d of May, 1621, removed for Corruption, &c. Wilson the Historian speaks thus of his Lordship; 'That he was a fit Jewel to have beautified and adorn• ed a flourishing Kingdom, if his Flaws had not disgraced the Luftre that should have fet • him off.' One Fault he had, fays A |