State-worthies, or, The states-men and favourites of England since the reformation their prudence and policies, successes and miscarriages, advancements and falls, during the reigns of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, King James, King Charles I.

Observations on the Life of Sir William Cordel.

SIR William Cordel, where ever he was born, had a fair Estate at Long-Melford in Suf∣fal••, and lieth buried in that fair Church, under a decent Monument: We will tran∣••late his Epitaph, which will perfectly ac∣quaint us with the great Offices he had, and good Offices he did to Posterity.

Hic Gulielmus habet requiem, Cordelliae avito, Stemmate q••i elanus, cla••i••r inge••io: Hi•• Studiis primos consumpsit fo••titer dunos, Mox & causarum stren•••••• actor erat••

Tanta illi doctrina inerat, facundia tanta, V•• Parlamento publica linguaforet: Postea factus Eques, Reginae arcana Maria Con••ilia, & Patriae grande subibat opus. Factus & est Custos Rotulorum; urgente senecta, In Christo moriens cepit ad astra viam. Pauperibus largus victum vestemque ministrans, Insuper Hospitii condidit ille domum.

" Here William Cordel doth in rest remain; " Great by his Birth, but greater by his Brain: " Plying his studies hard, his youth throughout, " Of Causes he became a Pleader stout, " His Learning deep such Eloquence did vent, " He was chose Speaker to the Parliament: " Afterwards Knight Queen Mary did him make, " And Counsellour, State-Work to undertake; " And Master of the Rolls: Well-worn with Age, " Dying in Christ, Heaven was his utmost Stage. " Diet and Clothes to poor he gave at large, " And a fair Alms-House founded on his charge.

He was made Master of the Rolls November the fifth, in the fifth of Queen Mary, continuing there∣in till the day of his death, the 23 of Queen Eliza∣beth. Eight weeks and upwards passed between the Proclaiming of Queen Mary, and the first Parlia∣ment by her assembled; du••ing which time, two Religions were together set on foot, Protestantism and Popery; the former hoping to be continued, the latter labouring to be restored: And as the Jews Children after the Captivity spake a middle Language, betwixt Hebrew and Ashd••d; so during the foresaid Interim, the Churches and Chappels in

England had a mixt celebration of their Divine Ser∣vice between Reformation and Superstition: The ••ame day there was a Mass sung for Edward the Sixth's soul in the Tower, and the English Service for his Burial in Westminster. No small justling was there between the zealous Promoters of these con∣trary Perswasions: The Protestants had the Law on their side, and the Papists the Prerogative: These the Queens Opinion, the other her Promise. Be∣sides, seeing by the Fidelity of the Suffolk and Nor∣folk Protestant Gentry, the Queen was much ad∣vantaged for the Recovery of her Right;* 1.1 they con∣ceived it but reason, that as she by them regained the Crown, so they under her should enjoy their Consciences: Thus it is in the Evening Twilight, wherein Light and Darkness at first may seem very equally marched, but the later in a little time doth wholly prevai••. The Catholick canvass for the next Parliament, upon the Queens credit and authority•• the Reformed, upon the Nations Inclination.

The Body of the Kingdom meets, and chuseth our Knight for Speaker, whose temper was a Re∣presentative of the Parliament, as that is of the Kingdom: A temper made up of an equal mixture of Loyalty and Piety, that could at once stand to their Religion, and submit to their Soveraign; Ren∣der to Caesar what was Caesars, and to God, what was Gods: Long did he expect that the Queen would comply with the Parliament, and as long did she, stay for their compliance with her: Unite they could not unanimously among themselves, dissolved they are therefore peaceably by her.

But Cordel was too Popular to be neglected, and too honest to be corrupted: Useful Parts will finde

Preferment, even when the Dissenting Judgement findes not Favou••. The Speaker of the unhappily healing Parliam••nt was made Master of the Rolls in Queen Maries days, and of a more happily healing one was made so in Charles the Second's Reign: The one was of that Primitive Faith that was before the Modern names of Papists and Protestants; the other of a Moderation that was elder than the new Heats of Disciplinarians and Anti-Disciplinarians.

The miscarriages of Authority are chiefly six••

• 1. Delay.
• 2. Faction.
• 3. Roughness.
• 4. Corruption.
• 5. Ambition. And
• 6. Private Designs.

No delay hindred: where set times of hearing were observed, access was easie, the order and me∣thod of business uninterrupted. No corruption, where there durst be no suspicion of it; insomuch as that it was heinous to offer a Bribe to him, as to take it in another. Here was severity that awed men to a discontent, but no austerity that sowred them to discontent; all was smooth and grave, pleasing and becoming, yet nothing easi•• or soft; it being worse to yield to importunities that are day∣ly, than to be bought with money, which comes but seldom.

V••rtue in Ambition is violent, but in Authority, as here, it was calm and settled. He ••ided with no Faction in his rise, but balanced himself by all: He had no design when he lived, but to be spent in the Publick Service; and none when he dyed, but to spend himself in publick charity, a charity that is at

once the continued blessing and grace of that wor∣shipful Family. Cato Major would sa••, That wise men learn more of fools, than fools do of wise men: And King Charles the first would say, That it was wisdom in fools to jest with wise men, but madness for wisemen to iest with fools: And Sir william Cordel bequeathed us this O••servation, There is no man that talks, but I may gain by him; and none that holds his to••gue, but I may lose by him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Fuller E••∣cles. Hist. B. ••. Cont. ••••.