By Bale he is called Edvardus simplex, which may signify either shallow or single; but (in what sense soever he gave it) we take it in the latter. Sole and single he lived and died, never carnally conversing with St. Edith his queen: which is beheld by different persons according to their different judgments (coloured eyes make coloured objects); some pitying him for defect or natural impotence; others condemning him, as affecting singleness, for want of conjugal affection; others applauding it, as a high piece of holiness and perfection. Sure I am, it opened a door for foreign competitors, and occasioned the conquest of this nation. He died anno Domini 1065, and lieth buried in Westminster Abbey.

CARDINALS.

[S. N.] ROBERT PULLEN, or Pullain, or Pulley, or Puley, or Bullen, or Pully; for thus variously is he found written.* Thus the same name, passing many mouths, seems in some sort to be declined into several cases; whereas indeed it still remaineth one and the same word, though differently spelled and pronounced.

In his youth he studied at Paris; whence he came over into England in the reign of king Henry the First, when learning ran very low in Oxford, the university there being first much afflicted by Harold the Dane, afterwards almost extinguished by the cruelty of the Conqueror. Our Pullen improved his utmost power with the king and prelates for the restoring thereof; and, by his praying, preaching, and public reading, gave a great advancement thereunto.† Remarkable is his character in the Chronicle of Osney: "Robertus Pulenius Scripturas Divinas quæ in Angliâ obsolverant apud Oxoniam legere cepit," (Robert Pullen began to read at Oxford the Holy Scriptures, which were grown out of fashion in England.)

The fame of his learning commended him beyond the seas; and it is remarkable, that whereas it is usual with popes (in policy) to unravel what such weaved who were before them, three successive popes continued their love to, and increased honours upon him: 1. Innocent courteously sent for him to Rome. 2. Celestine created him cardinal of St. Eusebius, anno 1144. 3. Lucius the second made him chancellor of the Church of Rome.

He lived at Rome in great respect; and although the certain date of his death cannot be collected, it happened about the year of our Lord 1150.

[S. N.] THOMAS JOYCE, or Jorce, a Dominican, proceeded doctor of divinity in Oxford; and, living there, he became pro

Bishop Godwin, in his Catalogue of Cardinals.

† J. Bale; et J. Pits, de Scriptoribus Britannicis. Cited by Mr. Camden, in Oxfordshire.

vincial of his order, both of England and Wales.* From this place, without ever having any other preferment, Pope Clement the fifth created him cardinal of St. Sabine; though some conceive he wanted breadth proportionable to such an height of dignity, having no other revenue to maintain it, cardinals being accounted king's fellows in that age. Others admire at the contradiction betwixt friars' profession and practice, that persons so low should be so high, so poor so rich; which makes the same men to suspect, that so chaste might be so

wanton.

He is remarkable on this account, that he had six brethren all Dominicans. I will not listen to their comparison, who resemble them to the seven sons of Sceva,‡ which were exorcists; but may term them a week of brethren, whereof this rubricated cardinal was the Dominical letter. There want not those who conceive great virtue in the youngest son of these seven, and that his touch was able to cure the Pope's evil. This Thomas, as he had for the most time lived in Oxford, so his corpse by his own desire was buried in his convent therein. He flourished anno Domini 1310.

PRELATES.

HERBERT LOSING was born in Oxford, his father being an abbot, seeing wives in that age were not forbidden the clergy; though possibly his father turned abbot of Winchester in his old age, his son purchasing that preferment for him. But this Herbert bought a better for himself, giving nineteen hundred pounds to king William Rufus for the bishopric of Thetford.§ Hence the verse was made,

"Filius est præsul, pater abbas, Simon uterque;" meaning that both of them were guilty of simony, a fashionable sin in the reign of that king, preferring more for their gifts than their endowments.

Reader, pardon a digression. I am confident there is one, and but one, sin frequent in the former age, both with clergy and laity, which in our days our land is not guilty of, and may find many compurgators of her innocence therein; I mean the sin of simony: seeing none in our age will give anything for church-livings; partly because the persons presented thereunto have no assurance to keep them, partly because of the uncertainty of tithes for their maintenance. But whether this our age hath not added in sacrilege what it wanteth in simony, is above my place to discuss, and more above my power to decide.

To return to our Herbert, whose character hitherto cannot entitle him to any room in our Catalogue of WORTHIES; but

Bale, de Scriptoribus Britannicis, Cent. iv. num. 89; and Pits, in anno 1311. + Idem, ut prius. Acts xix. 14.

Godwin's Catalogue of the Bishops of Norwich, p. 481.

know that afterwards he went to Rome (no such clean washing as in the water of Tiber), and thence returned as free from fault as when first born. Thus cleansed from the leprosy of simony, he came back into England, removed his bishopric from Thetford to Norwich, laid the first stone, and in effect finished the fair cathedral therein, and built five beautiful parish churches. He died anno Domini 1119. See more of his character, on just occasion, in Suffolk, under the title of Prelates.

[AMP.] OWEN OGLETHORP was (saith my author)* born of good parentage; and, I conjecture, a native of this county, finding Owen Oglethorp his kinsman twice high-sheriff thereof in the reign of queen Elizabeth. He was president of Magdalen College in Oxford, dean of Windsor, and at last made bishop of Carlisle by queen Mary. A good-natured man, and when single by himself very pliable to please queen Elizabeth, whom he crowned queen, which the rest of his order refused to do: but, when in conjunction with other popish bishops, such principles of stubbornness were distilled unto him, that it cost him his deprivation. However, an author tells me, that the queen had still a favour for him, intending his restitution either to his own or a better bishopric, upon the promise of his general conformity, had he not died suddenly, of an apoplexy, 1559.

SINCE THE REFORMATION.

JOHN UNDERHILL was born in the city of Oxford;‡ first bred in New College, and afterwards rector of Lincoln College in that university; chaplain to queen Elizabeth, and esteemed a good preacher in those days.

The bishopric of Oxford had now been void twenty-two years; and some suspected that so long a vacancy would at last terminate in a nullity, and that see be dissolved. The cause that church was so long a widow was the want of a competent estate to prefer her. At last the queen, 1589, appointed John Underhill bishop thereof. An ingenious pen § (but whose accusative suggestions are not always to be believed) hinteth a suspicion, as if he gave part of the little portion this church had to a great courtier, which made the match betwixt them. He died 1592; and lieth buried in the middle choir of Christ's Church.

JOHN BANCROFT was born at Ascot in this county; and was advanced, by archbishop Bancroft his uncle, from a student in Christ Church, to be master of University-college in Oxford. Here it cost him much pains and expense in a long suit to reco

• Bishop Godwin, in his Bishops of Carlisle.

Sir John Harrington, in his Addition to Bishop Godwin.

Register of New College, anno 1563.

§ Sir John Harrington, in the Bishops of Oxford.

ver and settle the ancient lands of that foundation. Afterwards he was made bishop of Oxford; and, during his sitting in that see, he renewed no leases, but let them run out for the advantage of his successor. He obtained the royalty of Shot-over for, and annexed the vicarage of Cudsden to, his bishopric; where he built a fair palace and a chapel, expending on both about three thousand five hundred pounds; "cujus munificentiæ (said the Oxford orator of him to the king at Woodstock) debemus, quod incerti laris mitra surrexerit è pulvere in Palatium." But now, by a retrograde motion, that fair building "è Palatio recidit in pulverem," being burned down to the ground in the late wars; but for what advantage, as I do not know, so I list not to inquire. This bishop died anno Domini 1640.

STATESMEN.

Sir DUDLEY CARLETON, Knight, was born in this county; bred a student in Christ Church in Oxford. He afterwards was related as a secretary to Sir Ralph Winwood, ambassador in the Low-Countries, when king James resigned the cautionary towns to the states. Here he added so great experience to his former learning, that afterwards our king employed him for twenty years together ambassador in Venice, Savoy, and the United Provinces; Anne Garrard his lady (co-heir to George Garrard esq.) accompanying him in all his travels, as is expressed in her epitaph in Westminster Abbey.

He was by king Charles the First created baron of Imbercourt in Surrey, and afterwards viscount Dorchester; marrying for his second wife the daughter of Sir Henry Glenham, the relict of Paul Viscount Banning, who survived him. He succeeded the lord Conway (when preferred president of the council) in the secretaryship of state, being sworn at Whitehall, December 14, 1628. He died without issue, anno Domini 163., assigning his burial (as appears on her tomb.) with his first wife, which no doubt was performed accordingly.

SOLDIERS.

OF THE NORRISES AND THE KNOWLLS.

No county in England can present such a brace of families contemporaries, with such a bunch of brethren on either, for eminent achievements. So great their states and stomachs, that they often justled together; and no wonder if Oxfordshire wanted room for them, when all England could not hold them together. Let them be considered, root and branch, first severally, then conjunctively.

Father.-HENY lord NORRIS (descended from the viscounts Lovels) whose father died in a manner martyr for the queen's mother, executed about the business of Anne Bullen.

Mother.-Margaret, one of the daughters and heirs of John

lord Williams of Tame, keeper of queen Elizabeth whilst in restraint under her sister, and civil unto her in those dangerous days.

Thus queen Elizabeth beheld them both, not only with gracious but grateful eyes.

Ricot in this county was their chief habitation.

Their issue.-1. William, marshal of Barwick, who died in Ireland, and was father to Francis, afterward earl of Berkshire. 2. Sir John, who had three horses in one day killed under him in a battle against the Scots.* But more of him hereafter. 3. Sir Thomas, president of Munster. Being hurt in a fight, and counting it a scratch rather than a wound, he scorned to have it plastered; as if the balsam of his body would cure itself; but it rankled, festered, gangrened, and he died thereof. 4. Sir Henry, who died about the same time in the same manner. 5. Maximilian, who was slain in the war of Britain. 6. Sir Edward, who led the front at the taking of the Groyn; and fought so valiantly at the siege of Ostend. Of all six, he only survived his parents.

Father. Sir FRANCIS KNOWLLS, treasurer to the queen's household, and knight of the Garter (who had been an exile in Germany under queen Mary) deriving himself from Sir Robert Knowlls, that conquering commander in France.

Mother.... Cary, sister to Henry lord Hundson, and cousingerman to queen Elizabeth, having Mary Bullen for her mother. Thus the husband was allied to the queen in conscience (fellow sufferers for the Protestant cause); the wife in kindred.

Greys in this county was their chief dwelling.

Their issue.-1. Sir Henry, whose daughter and sole heir was married to the lord Paget. 2. Sir William, treasurer of the household to king James, by whom he was created baron Knowlls, May 3, 1603; viscount Wallingford, 1616; and by king Charles I. in the first of his reign, earl of Banbury. 3. Sir Robert, father to Sir Robert Knowlls of Greys, now living. 4. Sir Francis, who was living at, and chosen a member of, the late long Parliament; since dead, aged 99. 5. Sir Thomas, a commander in the Low Countries. 6. Lettice, though of the weaker sex, may well be recounted with her brethren, as the strongest pillar of the family. Second wife she was to Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, and (by a former husband) mother to Robert Devereux, earl of Essex; both prime favourites in their generations.

The NORRISES were all Martis pulli, (men of the sword), and never out of military employment. The KNOWLLS were rather valiant men than any great soldiers, as little experienced in war. Queen Elizabeth loved the Knowlls for themselves; the Nor

Camden's Elizabeth, in anno 1578.