Lloyd, Bishop of St.Asaph, whose piety and learning commanded general respect, continued to the end of his life to believe that a fraud had been practised.
The depositions taken before the Council had not been many hours in the hands of the public when it was noised abroad that Sunderland had been dismissed from all his places.

The news of his disgrace seems to have taken the politicians of the coffeehouses by surprise, but did not astonish those who had observed what was passing in the palace.

Treason had not been brought home to him by legal, or even by tangible, evidence but there was a strong suspicion among those who watched him closely that, through some channel or other, he was in communication with the enemies of that government in which he occupied so high a place.

He, with unabashed forehead, imprecated on his own head all evil here and hereafter if he was guilty.

His only fault, he protested, was that he had served the crown too well.