archbishop of Canterbury, living five hundred years before him (oh the μéya Kárpa of barbarism in England!) endeavoured to restore the learned languages to their original purity, being a good Latinist, Grecian, Musician, Mathematician, Philosopher, Divine, and what not ?"*

What learning he could not find at home, he did fetch from abroad, travelling into France and Italy, companion to T. Becket in his exile, but no partner in his protervity against his prince, for which he sharply reproved him. He was highly in favour with Pope Eugenius the Third and Adrian the Fourth; and yet no author in that age hath so pungent passages against the pride and covetousness of the court of Rome. Take a taste of them:

"Sedent in Ecclesiâ Romanâ Scribæ et Pharisæi, ponentes onera importabilia in humeros hominum. Ita debacchantur ejus Legati, ac si ad Ecclesiam flagellandam egressus sit Satan à facie Domini.

trem.

"Peccata populi comedunt; eis vestiuntur, et in iis multipliciter luxuriantur, dum veri adoratores in Spiritu adorant PaQui ab eorum dissentit doctrinâ, aut hæreticus judicatur, aut schismaticus. Manifestet ergo seipsum Christus, et palàm faciat viam, quâ nobis est incedendum."+

("Scribes and Pharisees sit in the church of Rome, putting unbearable burthens on men's backs. His Legates do so swagger, as if Satan were gone forth from the face of the Lord to Scourge the Church.

"They eat the sins of the people; with them they are clothed, and many ways riot therein, whilst the true worshippers worship the Father in spirit. Whoso dissent from their doctrine are condemned for heretics or schismatics. Christ therefore will manifest himself, and make the way plain, wherein we must walk.")

How doth our author Luther it (before Luther) against their errors and vices! the more secure for the general opinion men had of his person, all holding our John to be, though no prophet, a pious man. King Henry the Second made him bishop of Chartres in France, where he died 1182.

[S. N.] RICHARD POORE, dean of Sarisbury, was first bishop of Chichester, then of Sarisbury, or Old Sarum rather. He found his cathedral most inconveniently seated, for want of water and other necessaries; and therefore removed it a mile off, to a place called Merryfield (for the pleasant situation thereof), since Sarisbury; where he laid the foundation of that stately structure which he lived not here to finish.

Bale, de Scriptoribus Britannicis, Cent. iii. num. 1. † Joannes Sarisburiensis, in Polycratico.

Now, as the place whence he came was so dry, that, as Malmsbury saith, "miserabili commercio ibi aqua veneat;" (by sad chaffer they were fain to give money for water); so he removed to one so low and moist, men sometimes (upon my own knowledge) would give money to be rid of the water. I observe this for no other end but to shew that all human happiness, notwithstanding often exchange of places, will still be an heteroclite, and either have too much or too little for our contentment.

This Poore was afterwards removed to the bishopric of Durham, and lived there in great esteem; Matthew Paris characterising him, "eximiæ sanctitatis et profundæ scientiæ virum." His dissolution, in a most pious and peaceable manner, happened April 5, anno Domini 1237. His corpse, by his will, was brought and buried at Tarrant in Dorsetshire, in a nunnery of his own founding; and some of his name [and probably alliance] are still extant in this county.

WILLIAM EDENDON was born at Edendon in this county; bred in Oxford, and advanced by king Edward the Third to be bishop of Winchester and lord treasurer of England. During his managing of that office, he caused new coins (unknown before) to be made (groats and half-groats) both readier for change and fitter for charity. But the worst was, "imminuto nonnihil pondere," (the weight was somewhat abated.)* If any say this was an unepiscopal act, know, he did it not as bishop but as lord treasurer; the king, his master, having all the profit thereby. Yea, succeeding princes, following this pattern, have sub-diminished their coin ever since. Hence is it that our nobility cannot maintain the port of their ancestors with the same revenues; because so many pounds are not so many pounds; though the same in noise and number, not the same in intrinsical valuation.

He was afterwards made lord chancellor, and erected a stately convent for Bonhommes at Edendon in this county, the place of his nativity, valued at the Dissolution per annum at five hundred twenty-one pounds, twelve shillings, five-pence half-penny. Some condemn him for robbing St. Peter (to whom, with St. Swithen, Winchester church was dedicated) to pay All Saints collectively, to whom Edendon convent was consecrated, suffering his episcopal palaces to decay and drop down, whilst he raised up his new foundation.† This he dearly paid for after his death, when his executors were sued for dilapidations by his successor William Wickham (an excellent architect, and therefore well-knowing how to proportion his charges for reparations), who recovered of them one thousand six hundred sixtytwo pounds ten shillings, a vast sum in that age, though paid Godwin, Catalogue of the Bishops of Winchester.

Speed, in his Catalogue of Religious Houses, in Wiltshire.

in the lighter groats and half-groats.* Besides this, his executors were forced to make good the standing stock of the bishopric, which in his time was impaired: viz. oxen, 1556; weathers, 4717; ewes, 3521; lambs, 3521; swine, 127.

This Edendon sat in his bishopric twenty-one years; and, dying 1366, lieth buried on the south side [of Winchester cathedral], in the passage to the choir, having a fair monument. of alabaster, but an epitaph of coarse stone; I mean, so barbarous that it is not worth the inserting.

RICHARD MAYO, alias MAYHOWE, was born nigh Hungerford in this county, of good parentage, whose surname and kindred was extinct in the last generation, when the heirs-general thereof were married into the families of Montpesson and Grove. He was first admitted in New College,† and thence removed to Magdalen's in Oxford, where he became president thereof for twenty-seven years. It argueth his abilities to any indifferent apprehension, that so knowing a prince as Henry the Seventh, amongst such plenty of eminent persons, elected and sent him into Spain, anno 1501, to bring over the lady Catherine to be married to prince Arthur ; which he performed with all fidelity, though the heavens might rather seem to laugh at, than smile on, that unfortunate marrying. After his return, he was rewarded with the bishopric of Hereford, and having sat eleven years therein, died 1516; and lieth buried in his church, on the south side of the high altar, under a magnificent monument.

SINCE THE REFORMATION.

JOHN THORNEBOROUGH, B.D. was born (as I am credibly informed) in the city of Salisbury, bred in Magdalen College in Oxford. He did εὐπροσοπῆσαι ἐν σαρκί, and his godly presence made him more acceptable to queen Elizabeth, preferring him dean of York, and bishop of Limerick in Ireland, where he received a most remarkable deliverance, in manner as followeth :

Lying in an old castle in Ireland, in a large room, partitioned but with sheets or curtains, his wife, children, and servants, in effect a whole family in the dead time of the night, the floor over head being earth and plaster, as in many places is used, overcharged with weight, fell wholly down together, and crushing all to pieces that was above two feet high, as cupboards, tables, forms, stools, rested at last on certain chests, as God would have it, and hurt no living creature.§

In the first of king James, 1603, he was consecrated bishop of Bristol; and held his deanery and Irish bishopric in commendam with it, and from thence was translated to Worcester.

Godwin, Catalogue of the Bishops of Winchester.

New College Register, in anno 1459.

Godwin, Catalogue of the Bishops of Hereford.

Sir John Harrington, in his Additions to Bishop Godwin, p. 158.

PRELATES-STATESMEN.

327

I have heard his skill in chemistry much commended; and he presented a precious extraction to king James, reputed a great preserver of health, and prolonger of life. He conceived by such helps to have added to his vigorous vivacity, though I think a merry heart (whereof he had a great measure) was his best elixir to that purpose. He died, exceeding aged, anno Domini 1641.

JOHN BUCKBRIDGE was born at Draycott nigh Marlborough in this county ;* and bred under Master Mullcaster in Merchant Taylors School; from whence he was sent to Saint John's College in Oxford, where, from a fellow, he became doctor of divinity, and president thereof. He afterwards succeeded doctor Lancelot Andrews, in the vicarage of Saint Giles' Cripplegate, in which cure they lived one-and-twenty years a-piece; and indeed great was the intimacy betwixt these two learned prelates. On the 9th of June 1611, he was consecrated bishop of Rochester; and afterwards set forth a learned book, in opposition of John Fisher, "De potestate Papæ in Temporalibus," of which my author doth affirm, "Johannem itaque Roffensem habemus, quem Johanni Roffensi opponamus, Fishero Buckerigium, cujus argumentis (si quid ego video) ne à mille quidem. Fisheris unquam respondebitur."t

He was afterwards preferred bishop of Ely; and having preached the funeral sermon of bishop Andrews (extant in print at the end of his works) survived him not a full year, dying anno Domini 1631. He was decently interred, by his own appointment, in the parish church of Bromley in Kent; the manor whereof belonged to the bishopric of Rochester.

STATESMEN.

EDWARD SEIMOR and THOMAS SEIMOR, both sons of Sir John Seimor, of Wolfull, knight, in this county. I join them together, because whilst they were united in affection they were invincible; but, when divided, easily overthrown by their enemies.

Edward Seymor duke of Somerset, lord protector and treasurer of England, being the elder brother, succeded to a fair paternal inheritance. He was a valiant soldier for land-service, He was of fortunate, and generally beloved by martial men. an open nature, free from jealousy and dissembling, affable to all people. He married Anne, daughter of Sir Edward Stanhop, knight, a lady of a high mind and haughty undaunted spirit.

Thomas Seymor, the younger brother, was made baron of Sudley. By offices and the favours of his nephew, king Edward the Sixth, he obtained a great estate. He was well experienced

* So am I informed by Mr. Anthony Holmes, his secretary, still alive.-F. † Godwin, in his Catalogue of the Bishops of Rochester.

in sea affairs, and made lord admiral of England. He lay at a close posture, being of a reserved nature, and was more cunning in his carriage. He married queen Katharine Parr, the widow of king Henry the Eighth.

Very great the animosities betwixt their wives; the duchess refusing to bear the queen's train, and in effect justled with her for precedence; so that what betwixt the train of the queen, and long gown of the duchess, they raised so much dust at the court, as at last put out the eyes of both their husbands, and occasioned their executions, as we have largely declared in our "Ecclesiastical History;" the Lord Thomas anno 1548-9; the Lord Edward anno 1551-2.

Thus the two best bulwarks of the safety of king Edward the Sixth being demolished to the ground, duke Dudley had the advantages the nearer to approach and assault the king's person, and to practise his destruction, as is vehemently suspected.

Sir OLIVER SAINT JOHN, Knight, lord Grandison, &c. was born of an ancient and honourable family, whose prime seat was at Lediard Tregoze in this county. He was bred in the wars from his youth, and at last by king James was appointed lord deputy of Ireland, and vigorously pursued the principles of his predecessors for the civilizing thereof. Indeed the lord Mountjoy reduced that country to obedience, the lord Chichester to some civility, and this lord Grandison first advanced it to considerable profit to his master. I confess T. Walsingham writeth, that Ireland afforded unto Edward the Third thirty thousand pounds a-year paid into his exchequer; but it appears by the Irish Records (which are rather to be believed) that it was rather a burden, and the constant revenue thereof beneath the third part of that proportion. But now, the kingdom being peaceably settled, the income thereof turned to good account, so that Ireland (called by my author the land of Ire, for the constant broils therein for four hundred years) was now become the land of concord. Being recalled into England, he lived many years in great repute, and dying without issue left his Honour to his sister's son by Sir Edward Villiers; but the main of his estate to his brother's son Sir John Saint John, knight and baronet.

Sir JAMES LEY, Knight and Baronet, son of Henry Ley, esquire, (one of great ancestry, who on his own cost, with his men, valiantly served king Henry the Eighth at the siege of Boulogne), was born at Teffont in this county. Being his father's sixth son (and so in probability barred of his inheritance), he endeavoured to make himself an heir by his education, applying his book in Brasen-nose College, and afterwards studying the laws of the

In the Life of Richard the Second.

Sir John Davies, in Discoveries of Ireland, p. 39, &c.