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By the kindness of the prefent LORD ARUN DELL, these Volumes are decorated with an ENGRAVING of this incomparable Woman, from the original Picture of her at Wardour Caftle, Wilts.

WILLIAMS,

SUCCESSIVELY BISHOP OF LINCOLN, LORD KEEPER, AND ARCHBISHOP OF YORK.

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IT is faid upon the monument of this learned Prelate, at an obfcure village in Carnarvonshire, that he was linguarum plus decem fciens-that "he underflood more than ten languages." The Lord Keeper had found, in the course of his own life, the advantage of knowledge to himself, and was very anxious that other persons fhould poffefs thofe benefits which he had turned to fo good an account. His Biographer tells us, that in all the various progreffions in the dignities of the Church, whether as Canon, Dean, or Bishop, he always fuperintended the grammarschools that were appended to his Cathedral, and took care that they fhould be supplied with proper and able masters.

Williams had been Chaplain to Lord Bacon, and fucceeded him in his office. When that

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London Published March 13.1795by Cadell & Davies, Strand.

great man brought the Seals to his Sovereign James the First, the King was overheard to fay,

Now, by my foule, I am pained to the heart "where to bestow this; for as to my lawyers, "they be all knaves."

Williams, however, was not more honest than the perfons of that profeffion which James had fo fcandalized; for, as Keeper of the King's confcience, he gave to his Sovereign, Charles the First, that advice refpecting the figning the warrant for Lord Strafford's death, which prevented him from having afterwards any perfons firmly and fteadily attached to him.

Lord Clarendon fays, "That Lord Keeper "Williams told his Sovereign, that he must "confider that he had a public confcience as "well as a private confcience; and that though "his private conscience, as a man, would not per"mit him to act contrary to his own understand"ing, judgment, and confcience, yet his public "confcience, as a King, which obliged him to "do all for the good of his people, and to pre"ferve his kingdom in peace for himself and "his pofterity, would not only permit him to do

that, but even oblige and require him; and "that he faw in what commotion the people r were; that his own life, and that of the Queen

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Queen and the royal iffue might probably be "facrificed to that fury; and it would be very "ftrange if his confcience fhould prefer the right "of one fingle perfon (how innocent foever) "before all these other lives, and the preferva❝tion of the kingdom."

Williams, who foon after this ruinous advice. was made Archbishop of York, fortified Conway Caftle for the fervice of his Sovereign; and having left his nephew as Governor there, set out to attend the King at Oxford, in January 1643. In an interview that he had with Charles, he is faid to have cautioned him against Cromwell; telling his Majefty, that when he was Bishop of Lincoln, "he knew him at Bugden, but never knew of "what religion he was. He was," added he,

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a common fpokefman for Sectaries, and took "their part with ftubbornnefs. He never dif "courfed as if he were pleased with your Ma

jefty or your officers; indeed, he loves none "that are more than his equals. His fortunes "are broken, fo that it is impoffible for him to

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fubfift, much less to be what he aspires at, but by your Majesty's bounty, or by the ruin of 66 us all, and a common confufion: as one faid long ago, Lentulo falvo, Refpublica falva effe "non poteft. In short, every beast hath evil pro

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