Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/47

 ABBOT. keeper, by an arrow from a crofs-bow, which he fhot at one of the deer. This accident threw him into a deep melan- choly ; and he ever afterwards kept a monthly fafton Tu. T- day, the day on which this fat.d mifchancc happened, lie fettled an annuity of 20!. on the widow. There were fe- *""""* Ch. veral pcrfons, who took an advantage of this miifoitune, lPxl?ni*b leflen him in the king's favour; hut his majcfly fjjd, "An P . 87. leging, that he had incurred an irregularjty, and was thereby incapacitated tor performing the offices of a primate, the kin* directed a commiffion to ten perfons, to enquire into this mat- ter. The points referred to their decifion, were, i. Whether the archbifhop was irregular by the fact of involuntary homi- cide. 2. Whether that at might tend to fcandal in a church- man. 3. How his grace fhould be reftored, in cafe the com- miflioners fhould find him irregular. All agreed, that it could not be otherwife done, than by refiiiution from the king ; but they varied in the manner. The bifhop of Win- chefter, the lord chief juftice, and Dr. Steward, thought ic fhould be d-ne by the king, and by him alone. The lord keeper, and the biftiops of London, Rochefter, Exeter, and St. David's, were for a commiffion from the king directed to fome bifhops. Judge Dodderidge and fir Henry Martin were defuo.us it fhould be done both wsys, by way of caution. The king accordingly pafled a pardon and difpenfation ; by which he aflbilzied the archbifhop of all irregularity, fcandal or infamadon, and declared him capable of all the authority of a primate. The archbifhop thence forward feldom afllfted Sa at the council, being chiefly hindered by his infirmities; b in the king's laft illnefs he was fent for, and attended with Ft great constancy, till his majefty expired on the 2Jth of March, XV)I - P- 1 625. He performed the ceremony of the coronation of king 3r> Charles I. though very infirm and much troubled with the. gout. He was never greatly in this king's favour ; and the duke of Buckingham, being his declared enemy, watched an opportunity of making him feel the weight of his difpleafurg. This he at laft: accomplifhed, upon the archbifnop's refuling to licenfe a fermon preached by Dr. Sibthorpe, to juftify a loan which the king had demanded. This fermon was preached at Northampton, in the Lent affizes, 1627, before the judges; and was tranfmitted to the archbifliop with the king's direction to licenfe it, which he refufed to do, and gave his reafons for it : neverthclef?, the fermon was licenfed b.y the bifhop of London. On July 5, lord Cbnway, who Rui!:.vor:l. t Was then fecretary of ftate, made him a vifit; and intimated c : to him a that the king expected he fhould withdraw to Canter- p ' bury,
 * ' ange) might have mifcarried in this fort." His enemies al-