got that Graunt was a City man himself, and likely to be a heavy loser by the fire which he was accused of creating.[1]
Petty regretted the change of religion of his old friend, but stood firmly by him in his troubles. Graunt had become an opulent merchant of London, of great weight and consideration in the City. Subsequently, however, to the Fire his circumstances grew embarrassed. As soon as Sir William became aware of the fact, though a heavy loser himself, he showed his anxiety to enable his former benefactor to retrieve his fortunes. 'You know,' he writes to him, 'I have allotted 500l., besides the year's rent for my own rebuildings, making, as I conceive, about 700l. I will rather forbear laying out that whole sum upon my own grounds, than that you should want a house of your own wherein to manage your trade.'[2] He accordingly made Graunt his agent in London. But misfortune seemed to dog Graunt's footsteps at every turn. His efforts to disentangle himself only sunk him deeper in the mire, and threatened to drag down others with him. Sir William, after the exercise of much forbearance, was obliged to withdraw the management of his affairs from his hands. He did not do so, however, without endeavouring to make an honourable provision for him elsewhere. This was a very difficult matter to arrange, as Graunt does not appear to have liked to be obliged to anyone, even to an old friend. Sir William proposed an Irish agency, where his change of religion would have been less injurious to him than in England; but Graunt was unwilling to reside anywhere in Ireland except in Dublin. This was an impossible arrangement, as will be seen from a letter of Sir William's.[3] '150l. per annum,' he says, 'is the least you can have.... All that I can contribute to this matter is from my own affairs, which are not at Dublin, viz. I was thinking to have gotten 3 great Baronys in Kerry belonging to me and several others to be united into
- ↑ As a matter of fact, Graunt was not admitted a Governor of the New River Company till twenty-three days after the breaking-out of the Great Fire, and the evidence of his guilt was invented long after the date of the supposed transaction. See article 'Graunt' in Chalmers' Biographical Dictionary, where the whole story is examined.
- ↑ Oct. 3, 1667.
- ↑ Dec. 24, 1672.
