Chronicles of an Old Inn; Or, A Few Words about Gray's InnHope, Andrée
History
Chronicles of an Old Inn; Or, A Few Words about Gray's Inn
Hope, Andrée
Gray's Inn; Inns of Court; Lawyers -- Great Britain
Sir Edward's plans had succeeded. He had been restored to the King's
favour, he had married his daughter to the brother of the Royal
favourite; but he paid dearly for these triumphs. Not only had he to
bestow on his daughter the sum of £10,000, to be paid down in money on
the day of the marriage, but he had to assure to Sir John Villiers a
rent charge of 2,000 marks per annum during his (Sir Edward's) life,
and another one of £900 during Lady Hatton's life.
He engaged, also, to settle the manor of Stoke, in Buckinghamshire, a
property he had destined for his other two daughters, on Sir John and
Lady Villiers and their heirs.
Lady Hatton also had from her private fortune, which was considerable,
to make large settlements upon her daughter.
Lady Hatton, who, by her own showing, must have been an intolerable
woman, self-willed, passionate, and overbearing, had by this time
become reconciled to her son-in-law and his friends; but she still
pursued her quarrel with her husband with unrelenting acrimony.
Many letters still in existence testify to the heat and resentment of
both parties. At length the dispute became quite a public matter, many
persons of consideration interesting themselves keenly on one side or
the other.
So fiercely did the warfare rage between all the partisans, that at one
time Lord Houghton (formerly Sir John Hollis) was committed to prison
for having, in conjunction with Lady Hatton, framed some scandalous
libels respecting Sir Edward Coke.
This most disagreeable and trying wife seems to have lost no
opportunity of insulting her husband both by word and deed. One of her
means of annoyance was to give costly entertainments to the King, the
Duke of Buckingham, and the whole Court, ostentatiously omitting her
husband.
Not only was happiness far from this divided and discordant household,
but the fluctuations in Sir Edward's fortunes were frequent.
During the early session of 1621, important matters occupied the
attention of the House of Commons; liberty of speech, the increase of
Popery, and many popular grievances were eagerly debated.
Sir Edward spoke strongly and warmly on all these questions, and his
speeches are much commended by Camden. However, his views were not
those either of the Court, nor of the favourite, and were indeed so
ill received by the Government, that at the end of the year Coke was
committed to the Tower; his chambers in the Temple were broken open,
and his papers were delivered to Sir Robert Cotton and Mr. Wilson for
examination.
Soon after his committal, Sir Edward was charged with having concealed
circumstances relating to the trial of the Earl of Somerset.
Notwithstanding the assertions of his enemies, nothing could be proved
against him, so after a short imprisonment he was released from the
Tower. He regained his liberty, but at the same time he was made to
understand that he had signally incurred the Royal displeasure. He was
turned out of the Privy Council, the King observing:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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