LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP SHARP. 295 



In the case of Sir John Fenwick, the King 

 spoke to him and the Bishop of Norwich at 

 Kensington, Decembers, 1696; and did, ''with 

 a great deal of earnestness (as he expresses it) 

 recommend the passing the bill of attainder against 

 Sir John Fenwick, telling us how much his govern- 

 me?it was concerned in it. I then told him, that I 

 had always, in my own mind, been against bills of 

 attainder. He bid us consider well of the thing, 

 and he hoped we would.'' But how needful 

 soever it might be for the King's affairs, to 

 have the bill passed, yet he could not come 

 into it ; and accordingly voted against it, De- 

 cember 23d. And so did eight more of the 

 bishops, though twelve of that bench were for 

 it. This was grievously resented by the Bishop 

 of Sarum, which occasioned some little ruffle 

 between them, either in the House or in their 

 lobby. 



Something was said on this occasion which 

 seemed to reflect strongly on the dissentient 

 bishops (those of them at least who had been 

 promoted since the late establishment of the 

 Crown), as if it were unaccountable how they 

 who *^eat of the King's bread," should oppose mea- 

 sures necessary for his service. To which the 

 then Bishop of Bath and Wells is reported to 

 have replied, that ** if he might be said in any 

 sense to eat another marl's bread, it was Bishop 



