When, therefore, towards the end of '76, Anthony received the offer of a
position in the household of the Archbishop of Canterbury, through the
recommendation of the father of one of his Cambridge friends, he accepted
it with real gratitude and enthusiasm.
The post to which he was appointed was that of Gentleman of the Horse.
His actual duties were not very arduous owing to the special
circumstances of Archbishop Grindal; and he had a good deal of time to
himself. Briefly, they were as follows--He had to superintend the Yeoman
of the Horse, and see that he kept full accounts of all the horses in
stable or at pasture, and of all the carriages and harness and the like.
Every morning he had to present himself to the Archbishop and receive
stable-orders for the day, and to receive from the yeoman accounts of the
stables. Every month he examined the books of the yeoman before passing
them on to the steward. His permission too was necessary before any
guest's or stranger's horse might be cared for in the Lambeth stables.
He was responsible also for all the men and boys connected with the
stable; to engage them, watch their morals and even the performance of
their religious duties, and if necessary report them for dismissal to the
steward of the household. In Archbishop Parker's time this had been a
busy post, as the state observed at Lambeth and Croydon was very
considerable; but Grindal was of a more retiring nature, disliking as was
said, "lordliness"; and although still the household was an immense
affair, in its elaborateness and splendour beyond almost any but royal
households of the present day, still Anthony's duties were far from
heavy.
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