and form his own interpretation of a public statute. When Brereton sarcastically asked if Pepys would defy the whole world, Pepys replied that he would "defy the whole world and Lord Brereton in particular". Brereton was hampered by the fact that King Charles II and his brother James, Duke of York, were present for most of the hearings and made their support for Pepys evident. James on one occasion rebuked Brereton for improper language, and when Brereton produced what he described as written proof that Pepys had taken a bribe, the King asked drily if anyone could believe that Pepys would stoop to take such a paltry sum. When the committee was dissolved, having produced no lasting results, Brereton effectively retired from public life. Family Brereton married Frances, daughter and co-heiress of Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham and his wife Elizabeth Cecil. He died in 1680, aged only 48, and was succeeded by his sons John and Francis; on the death of Francis in 1722 the title became extinct. References 1631 births 1680 deaths Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall Original Fellows of the Royal Society 17th-century English mathematicians English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 William Barons Brereton