Forest of Rossendale. 169 



" After I despaired of finding the original Decree, I stated my 

 case, and laid my materials before Mr. Wilbraham with a resolu- 

 tion either of proceeding at Law, or desisting from my claims, as 

 his opinion should direct me ; and as it is his opinion that the 

 materials I produced would not support a trial at Bar, I did 

 immediately determine to give up my pretensions. 



" I should at that time have written to you and declared my 

 readiness to license your Clerk, if I had not thought it incumbent 

 upon me to enquire whether the Archbishop had still any objec- 

 tions to your nomination. 



" His Grace did not with his usual exactness answer my letter. 

 On my return to town last week I waited upon him, and he then 

 apologised for not writing, from his having been making some 

 further researches into this affair, and desired I would give him a 

 little more time. 



"On these facts, which I affirm to be true, I think I can vindi- 

 cate myself from the d»arge of unnecessary delay. 



" Whatever others may think or say on this subject, I please 

 myself with reflecting that I neither wantonly formed my preten- 

 sions nor prosecuted them peevishly. 



" I can easily conceive that a clamour may have been made, not 

 only among the Laity,, but some of the Clergy too, against a 

 Bishop endeavouring, as it may be called, to deprive one of his 

 Clergy of his right ; bjit as I have suffered in different parts of my 

 life, from my conduct having been misrepresented or mis-appre- 

 hended, I have long learnt to be content with the approbation of 

 my own mind — not indifferent, yet not over-solicitous, about the 

 precarious judgment of other men. Ed. Chester." 



On candidly reviewing the whole of this singular dispute, it is 

 impossible to divest one's-self of the impression that that eminently- 

 learned and pious Prelate, Archbishop Seeker, displayed through- 

 out the proceedings a degree of illiberality, heightened by vexatious 

 and unnecessary delay, amounting to culpable negligence, such as 

 would have been unbecoming in whomsoever evinced ; but in an 

 exalted Dignitary of the Established Church, was peculiarly 



