we embrace his members with most enlarged, yet straitest affections. "To this end, God assisting mee, my desire, prayer, endeavours, shall still be, as much as in mee lyes, to follow peace and holinesse: and though there may haply be some little dissent between my darke judgement, weake conscience, and other good men, that are much more cleare and strong; yet my prayer still shall be, to keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And as many as walke after this rule, peace (I hope) shall still be on them, and the whole Israel of God."] EDWARD, LORD KEEPER LITTLETON, 2 Is so fully described by my lord Clarendon, and there are so few additional circumstances related of him elsewhere, that it would be an useless recapitulation to mention more than the list of his compositions, which are, "Several Speeches3." "Several Arguments and Discourses." Reports in the Common Pleas and Exche 66 quer.” "His humble Submission and Supplication to the House of Lords, September 28, 1642.” Uncertain if genuine1. That good man, bishop Hall, insinuates in his Hard Measure, p. 48, &c. that the keeper attempted to make his peace with the prevailing party, by an untimely sacrifice of the protestation of the bishops. Vide Biogr. Brit. p. 2492. And whoever will examine vol. xi. p. 46, 123, 199, of that curious and useful work, the Parliamentary History, will find instances of even more than time-serving or prevarication in the keeper. • Wood, vol. ii. p. 83. • Ibid. Lord Littleton was the son and heir of sir Edward Littleton of Henley, in Shropshire, became a gentleman commoner of Christ-church in 1606, and removed to the Inner Temple in 1609; where he made such progress in the municipal laws, that the city of London chose him their recorder. In 1635 he was appointed solicitor-general, and soon after received the honour of knighthood. In 1640 he was made chief justice of the common pleas 4. In the same year, says Bolton, sir Edward Littleton was created baron Little. ton of Mounslow in Shropshire, by king Charles the first. He was made keeper of the great seal; and leaving the house of lords, he carried the seal to the king at Oxford in 1643; in consequence of which, the upper house appointed lord Grey, of Werk, their speaker. His lordship died without male issue in 16445, to the great grief of his sovereign; being at that time his privy counsellor, and colonel of a foot regiment at Oxon. Lord Clarendon gives him the report of a man of a grave and a comely presence, but whose learning in the law was his masterpiece, his other parts being overvalued. He was a handsome and a proper man, of a very graceful presence, and notorious for courage, which in his youth he had manifested with his sword. He had taken great pains in the hardest and most • Athenæ, vol. ii. p. 83. |