BISHOP AYLMER. 143 



whereof is enough to shew their malice, and to justify the CHAP. 

 Prelate ; there was another imputation cast upon him, both 

 of covetousness and falsehood. As that he protested once 

 at Paul s Cross, that he had no money, and that Paul s 

 church could bear him witness, [upon which he had laid 

 out so largely in repairs.] And that shortly after one of 

 his servants robbed him of an 100Z. As though these two 

 might not well consist together ; that at the time when he 

 spake those words he might have little or no money, and 

 soon after receive an 100/. and have it in his house. Nor 

 is it an unusual manner of speech for men to say, they have 

 no money, when they have not plenty of it. The slanderer 

 added, that for this offence of robbing the Bishop, he hung 

 three or four : some of which said, they knew he had 

 money at usury, and that his servants lived upon bribes. 

 The libeller was put hard to it to blemish the Bishop s 

 name, when he was fain to make use of the words of rogues 

 hanged at Tyburn to do it. What credit is to be given to 

 such, let any one judge. 



But in the midst of these enemies he had divers friends, His friends. 

 and some of them of power and quality at the Court. The 

 chief of these was the Lord Burghley, Lord Treasurer of 

 England; who indeed, as he was a very good and wise 

 man, so he was a general patron and friend to all the wor 

 thy and learned men of the Church. He was this Bishop s 

 great and constant friend ; and he shewed himself never 

 the less friendly, though he used, as he saw occasion, freely 

 to speak his mind, and admonish him in some things which 

 he thought reprovable. Whereat though the Bishop would 

 be sometimes a little nettled, and speak and write to the 

 Lord Treasurer somewhat hastily, yet this never abated 

 that real love the said Lord had for him : which the Bi 

 shop after long experience being very sensible of, vowed 

 himself unto him, as his chief patron under God and the 

 Queen. And when once, viz. in the year 1585, the said 

 noble Peer had by the Lord North sent a kind message to 

 him, expressing what an opinion and value he had for him ; 

 and particularly that he would endeavour to procure him 



