ro ABB 
"his (Indies at Oxford, and in 1597 was chofen principal of 
Univerfity College. In 1599, he was inftalled dean of 
Winchefter: the year following, he was chofen vice- 
chancellor of the univerlity of Oxford, and a fecond time 
in 603. In 1604, that tranflation of the bible now in ufe 
was begun by the direction of king James; and Dr. Ab¬ 
bot was the fecond of eight divines of Oxford, to whom 
the care of tranflating the whole New Teftament (except¬ 
ing the epiftles) was committed. The year following, he 
was a third time vice-chancellor. In 1608, lie went to 
Scotland with George Hume earl of Dunbar, to aflift in 
eftabli filing an union betwixt the kirk of Scotland and the 
church of England ; and in this affair he behaved with lb 
much addrefs and moderation, that it laid the foundation 
of all his future preferment. For king James ever after 
paid great deference to his advice and counfel; and upon 
the death of Dr. Overton bifliop of Litchfield and Coven¬ 
try, he named Dr. Abbot for his fucceffor, who was ac¬ 
cordingly conftituted bifhop of thofe two united fees in 
Dec. 1609. A.bout a month afterwards he was tranflated 
to the fee of London, and on the fecond of November 
following was railed to thearchiepifcopal fee. 
His great zeal for the proteftant religion made him a 
ftrenuous promoter of the match between the Elector Pa¬ 
latine and the princefs Elizabeth ; which was accordingly 
concluded and folemnized on the 14th of February, 161 2, 
the archbifhop performing the ceremony on a ftage erected 
in the royal chapel. In the following year happened the 
famous cafe of divorce betwixt the lady Francis Howard, 
daughter of the earl of Suffolk, and Robert earl of Ef- 
fex : an affair which has been by many confidered as one 
of the greateft blemilhes of king James’s reign: but the 
part atfted therein by the archbilhop added much to the 
reputation he had already acquired'for incorruptible inte¬ 
grity. He prepared a fpeech, which he intended to have 
fpokenagainft the nullity of the marriage, in the court of 
Lambeth ; but he did not make ufe of it, becaufe the king 
ordered the opinions to be given in few words. He con¬ 
tinued, however, inflexible in his opinion againft the ‘di¬ 
vorce ; and drew up his reafons, which the king thought 
fit to anfwer himfelf. It need fcarcely be added, that fen- 
tence was given in the lady’s favour. In 1618, the king 
publiflied a declaration, which he ordered to be read in all 
churches, permitting fports and paftimes on the Lord’s 
day : this gave great uneafinefs to the archbifhop ; who, 
happening to be at Croydon when it came thither, had the 
courage to forbid its being read. 
Being now in a declining ftate of health, the archbifhop 
ufedin the fummer to go to Hampfhire for the fake of re¬ 
creation ; and being invited by Lord Zouch to hunt in his 
park at Bramfhill, he met there with the greateft misfor¬ 
tune that ever befel him ; for he accidentally killed the 
game-keeper by an arrow from a crofs-bow which he fliot 
at one of the deer. The accident threw him into a deep 
melancholy; and he ever afterwards kept a monthly faft on 
Tuefday, the day on which this mifchance happened, and 
he fettled an annuity of 20I. on the 'widow. There were 
feveral perfons who took an advantage of this misfortune, 
to leffen him in the king’s favour ; but his majefty laid, 
“ An angel might have mifcarried in this fort.” Flis ene¬ 
mies alleging that he had incurred an irregularity, and 
was thereby rendered unfit for performing the offices of a 
primate ; thekmg directed a commifiion to ten perfons to 
inquire into this matter. 
The refult, however, was not fatisfaftory to his grace’s 
enemies; it being declared, that, as the murder w'as invo¬ 
luntary, he had hot forfeited his archiepifcopal character. 
The archbifhop thenceforward feldom affifted at the 
council, being chiefly hindered by his infirmities ; but 
in the king’s laft illnefs he was fent for, and attended with 
great conftancy till his majefty expired on the 27th of 
March 1625. He performed the ceremony of the coro¬ 
nation of King Charles I. though very infirm and much 
troubled with the gout. At length being worn out with 
cares and infirmities, he died at Croydon, the 5th of Aug. 
ABB 
1633, aged 71 years; and was buried at Guildford, the 
place of his nativity, where he had endowed an hofpital 
with lands.to the amount of 300I. per annum. A ftately 
monument is ereCted over the grave, with the effigy of 
the archbifhop in his robes. 
Fie (flowed himfelf, in moft circumflances of his life, a 
man of great moderation to all parties; and was defirous 
that the clergy (flould attract the erteem of the laity by the 
fanftity of their manners, rather than claim it as due to 
their function. 
Abbot (Robert), elder.brother to the former, born at 
Guildford in 1560, went through his ftuaies in Baliol 
college, Oxford. In 1582, he took his degree of mafter 
of arts, and foon became a celebrated preacher; and to 
this talent he chiefly owed his preferment. Upon his firft 
fernton at Worcefter, he was chofen lecturer in that city, 
and foon after refitor of All Saintsin thefame place. John 
Stanhope, Efq. happening to hear him preach at Paul’s- 
crofs, was fo pleafed with him, that he immediately pre- 
fented him to the rich living of Bingham in Nottingham- 
fflire. In 1597, he took his degree of dofitor in divinity : 
and, in the beginning of king James’s reign, was appoint¬ 
ed chaplain in ordinary to his majefty ; who had fuch an 
opinion of him as a writer, that he ordered the doctor’s 
book De Antichrijlo to be printed with his own commentary 
upon part of the Apoealypfe. In 1609, he was elected 
mafter of Baliol college; which truft he difcharged with 
the utmoft care and afliduity, by his frequent lectures to 
the fcholars, by his continual prefence at public exercifes, 
and by promoting temperance in the fociety. In Nov. 
1610, he tvas made prebendary of Normanton in the 
church of Southwell; and, in 1612, the king appointed 
him regius profefforof divinity at Oxford. The fame of 
his leftures became very great; and thofe which he gave 
upon the fupreme power of kings againft Bellarmine and 
Suarez, fo much pleafed his majefty, that wdien the fee of 
Salifbury became vacant, he named him to that bi(hop- 
ric, and lie was confecrated by his own brother at Lam¬ 
beth, Dec. 3, 1615. When he came to Saliftmry, he 
found the cathedral in a ftate of decay, owing to the covet- 
oufnefs of the clergy belonging to it; however, he found 
means to draw five hundred pounds from the prebenda¬ 
ries, which he applied to the reparation of the church. 
He then gave himfelf up to the duties of his function with 
great diligence and afliduity, vifiting his whole diocefe in 
perfon, and preaching every Sunday whilft health would 
permit. But this was not long: for his fedentary life, 
and clofe application to ftudy, brought upon him the gra¬ 
vel and done ; of which he died on the 2d of March 1618, 
in the fifty-eighth year of his age; having not filled the fee 
quite two years and three months, and being one of the 
five bifhops which Salifbury had in fix years. He was 
buriedoppofite to thebilhop’s feat in the cathedral. Dr. 
Fuller, (peaking of the two brothers, fays, “ that George 
was the more plaufible preacher, Robert the greater 
fcholar ; George the abler ftatefman, Robert the deeper 
divine; gravity did frown in George, and fmile in Ro¬ 
bert.” He publiflied feveral pieces: he alfo left behind 
him fundry manufcripts, which Dr. Corbet made a pre- 
fent of to the Bodleian library. 
Abbots, or Apewood-Castle, in Staffordfhire s 
fituated on a lofty round promontory, and a deep ridge of 
hills extending a mile in length, fuppofed to have been 
one continued fortification of the ancient Britons. It is in 
theparifh of Seifdon, feven miles from Wolverhampton. 
—Abbot’s-Anne, near Andover, Hampfhire.— Ab- 
bot’s-Beckington, on the river Towridge, Devon- 
(hire. 
ABBOTS-BROMLEY, a market-town in Stafford- 
fhire. After the diffolution of the monafteries, it was 
given to the Lord Paget'; and has fince been called Paget’s 
Bromley, and is fo denominated in the county map. But 
it retains its old name in the king’s books, and is a difcharg¬ 
ed vicarage of 30I. clear yearly value. W. long. 1. 53. 
lat. 52. 50.—The place conlifts chiefly of one ftreet, about 
3 the 
