66 THE LIFE OF 



CHAP, past before he could do his homage; and so the conge 

 VL (Felire could not be hindrance to that. But this business 

 still stuck ; and finally came to nothing. 



Fed with However he was always fed with hope to succeed at last ; 



hope calling it therefore his long- lingering hope. For in June 

 1585, the Lord Treasurer sent him word by a certain Lord, 

 that he had it in his mind and purpose to purchase him 

 some more ease in his old years ; adding many favourable 

 speeches concerning him. Which revived again in him the 

 sense of this great man s honourable countenance towards 

 him ever since he came to that restless see, or euripus, as 

 he chose to call his bishopric, and the constant continuance 

 of his favour and furtherance in that long lingering hope of 

 his, which his Lordship and some other of his Mends had 

 divers times set on foot for him. 



Troubled It was mentioned a little above, that our Bishop had a 

 business depending at Court, concerning some complaint 

 made against him for embezzling his woods. Which was 

 the second time these informations were made to the Coun 

 cil or Star-chamber against him. Of which nevertheless he 

 had a discharge ; and the Lord Treasurer shewed himself 

 therein his greatest friend. The great informer now against 

 him was one Litchfield, a Court musician, who was the in 

 former of cutting down of the elms in Fulham. But the 

 Bishop was so confident of his own innocency in this busi 

 ness, that he prayed the Lord Treasurer, that he would 

 procure that he might answer any adversary he had : and 

 he doubted not but he should clear himself. Indeed for 

 his lewd officers, which he had then in suit, he could not so 

 well answer. The woods in the park were better than they 

 were before his time. And for the out woods he did his 

 best (both by suit of law, and by diligent looking to them) 

 to meet with the outrage of the borderers ; who indeed had 

 sought to spoil them, so much as in them lay. And in 

 truth a great share of that timber that had been felled since 

 his time was done by the woodwards : who having by his 

 predecessor a large grant of fees by the name of dead trees, 

 starveling trees, sear trees, and such as were in decay, car- 



