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MATTHEW WREN, D. D.

of Things which we foresee will e’er long come to pass (they meant KingJames ’s Death) resolv’d to speak withjou again, before you go hence. We

must now know of you, what are your Thoughts concerning your young Masterthe Prince. You have been his Servant above two Years, were with him inSpain ; he respects you well, you cannot but have obferv’d how Things arelike to go. What Things my Lord, said he. In brief, (quoth the Bishop)how the Prince’s Heart stands to the Church of England. The Doctor re-plied, however I am most unfit to give my Opinion herein, attending buttwo Months in the Year ; and then at great Distance, only in the Closet, andat Meals; yet being thus prest, I'll speak my Mind freely, I know my Ma-ster’s Learning is not equal to his Father’s, yet I know, his Judgment is veryright, and as for his Affections in the Particulars you point at (for upholding theDoctrine and Discipline, and right Estate of the Church) I have more Con-fidence of him than of his Father, in whom you have seen, better than I, somuch Inconstancy in some particular Cases. Durham and St. David's beganto argue it with him, what Grounds he had to think thus ; which he gavethem at large. And after an Hour’s Debate, the Bishop of Winchester whohad said nothing all this while, said, well Doctor, God send you be a true Pro-phet, concerning your Master’s Inclinations, which we are glad to hear fromyou. I am sure I shall'be a true Prophet, I shall be in my Grave, and soshall you my Lord of Durham. But my Lord of St. David's, and youDoctor, will live to' see the Day, that your Master will be put to it upon hisHead and his Crown, without he will forsake the Support of the Church.{Out of Bijhop Wren’r own MS. Relation .) To which he adds, of the Pre-diction made by that holy Father, I have no Witness (the three Lords beingdead) but my own Conscience, and the eternal God who knows I lie not.While King James liv’d, it was not easy to be imparted, nor after, but inprivate to intimate Friends ; as to my Tutors Dr. Hicrom Beat, Dean Mason ,and my Brother, and perhaps to Dr. Cosin, and Dr. Duncan. Since the Event,I have told it to many, not thinking fit any longer to conceal it. He told itto me at Ely-house, not long before his Death, and I earnestly desired him

to put it into writing.

JV. S.

Hereford, Norwich, Ely.

AT" J HEW Wren. He was Chaplain to Prince Charles, and went with

d VI ].,; m ; nt0 Spain. He went with him too, when King, into Scotland, in May1633, and came back in July. In the End of August, Bisliop Laud beingmade Archbishop, and the Bishop of London, Juxton , succeeding him in theDeanery of the King’s Chapel, the King designed Dr. Wren to be Clerk ofhis Closet, but gave him Time to remove his Family.

He came to London that Morning that James, Duke of York , was born;next Day, the King said to him, Now you are at my Elbow, there will bemany Devices to set the Arch-bistiop and you at odds; but I warn you of it,that you suffer no such Trick to be put upon you. And therefore, I re-quire you both by that Faith, which I am sure you both will perform to me,to bind yourselves mutually, neither of you to believe any Report against theother; and if you meet with any such Thing, tho’ you believe it not, yetpresently to impart it each to other; this was done with much Alacrity.

In November, Dr. Hacket coming to wait at Court as Chaplain, and withmuch Art congratulating the Clerk of the Closet’s nearer Access to the King;began to tell him what Hopes he and many others had, that he (Dr. Wren)should have been Bishop of London • and that, so the King first intended, hadnot the Archbishop interpos’d, that the Bishop of London should be a Man of

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