The life and achievements of Sir John Popham, 1531-1607

"Even now the ambiguities of his career remain, for in spite of a lifetime of devoted service to his country, Queen Elizabeth's Lord Chief Justice lives in popular imagination as a terrifying ghost. This book relishes the legends but overall aims to present a more balanced portrait. The first full-length biography of Sir John Popham, it uses his own letters and other contemporary documents to reveal the forceful personality and wide-ranging concerns of a top official at the very center of English government."--Jacket.