52 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP SANCROFT. 



this world's good had passed away, and every 

 hope and view were fixed upon a better, must 

 have felt that he had much serious and impor- 

 tant matter which demanded his attention ; 

 and that, except for the purpose of amusement 

 and relaxation to his mind, he had very little 

 inducement to apply himself to the pursuit and 

 acquisition of worldly knowledge. 



There was one literary employment, to which 

 he began to devote some attention during his 

 retirement, but which, probably from setting 

 about it with a languid feeling, and without a 

 relish for the business, he deferred so long, that 

 death surprised him in the midst. This was, 

 the preparing and arranging for the press the 

 diary and papers of Archbishop Laud. It has 

 already been mentioned, that he originally en- 

 gaged in the design of publishing these papers, 

 when he was Dean of St. Paul's, at the instance 

 of Archbishop Sheldon. The execution of the 

 design was at that time deferred on various 

 accounts. When he was Archbishop, he in vain 

 hoped for leisure to accomplish it. In his re- 

 tirement he seems to have intended from the 

 first to set about the work, but in consequence 

 of other intervening employments, and perhaps 

 from the unsettled state of his mind, arising 

 from the change of his circumstances, he did 

 not begin it till August, 1693, two years after 



