< Slanders concerning him. >

Aspersions and envy. His work was attended with envy, which threw severall aspersions and false reports on him. For instance, one (common) was that he was afrayd to lye alone at night in his chamber, [I have often heard him say that he was not afrayd of of sprights, but afrayd of being knockt on the head for five or ten pounds, which rogues might thinke he had in his chamber]; and severall other tales, as untrue.

I have heard some positively affirme that he had a yearly pension from the king of France,—possibly for having asserted such a monarchie as the king of France exercises, but for what other grounds I know not, unles it be for that the present king of France is reputed an encourager of choice and able men in all faculties who can contribute to his greatnes. I never heard him speake of any such thing; and, since his death, I have inquired of his most intimate friends in Derbyshire, who write to me they never heard of any such thing. Had it been so, he, nor they, ought to have been ashamed of it, and it had been becoming the munificence of so great a prince to have donne it.

Atheisme. Testimonie. For his being branded with atheisme, his writings and vertuous life testifie against it. No man hath written better of ..., perhaps not so well. To prevent such false and malicious reports, I thought fit to insert and affirme as abovesayd.And that he was a Christian 'tis cleare, for he recieved the sacrament of Dr. <John> Pierson, and in his confession to Dr. John Cosins, at ..., on his (as he thought) death-bed, declared that he liked the religion of the church of England best of all other.

He would have the worship of God performed with musique (ad me).