may date the decay of the Carmelites' credit in England; who, discountenanced by the Pope, never afterwards recruited themselves to their former number and honour, but moulted their feathers till king Henry the Eighth cut off their very wings, and body too, at the Dissolution. This Parker flourished under king Edward the Fourth, anno 1470. SINCE THE REFORMATION. Sir FRANCIS BIGOT, Knight, was born and well landed in this county.* Bale giveth him this testimony, that he was Evangelicæ veritatis amator. Otherwise I must confess myself posed with his intricate disposition; for he wrote a book against the clergy, "Of IMPROPRIATIONS." Had it been against the clergy of Appropriations, I could have guessed it to have proved tithes due to the pastors of their respective parishes; whereas now, having not seen (nor seen any that have seen) his book, I cannot conjecture his judgment. As his book, so the manner of his death seems a riddle unto me, being (though a Protestant) slain amongst the northern rebels, 1537. But here Bale helpeth us not a little, affirming him found amongst them against his will. And indeed those rebels, to countenance their treason, violently detained some loyal persons in their camp; and the blind sword, having aciem not oculum, killed friend and foe, in fury, without distinction. WILFRID HOLME was born in this county of gentle parentage; "Veritati Dei tunc revelatæ auscultans;"+ and Pits taxeth him, that his pen was too compliant to pleasure king Henry the Eighth. The truth is this; he lived in these parts in that juncture of time when the two northern rebellions happened, the one in Lincoln, the other in Yorkshire: and when the popish party gave it out that the reformation would ruin church and state, level all dignities and degrees; Wilfrid, to confute the priests' truthless reports and the people's causeless jealousies, stated the controversy truly, clearly, and wittily, in the manner of a dialogue. He survived not many months after the setting forth of this book, anno 1536. THOMAS ROBERSON was born in this county ; and, being doctor of divinity in Oxford, was one of the best grammarians for Greek and Latin in that age. He had an admirable faculty in teaching youth; for every boy can teach a man, whereas he must be a man who can teach a boy. It is easy to inform them who are able to understand; but it must be a master-piece of industry and discretion to descend to the capacity of children. He wrote notes upon the grammar of Lilly; and, besides others, one book, "De Nominibus Heteroclitis;"§ and another, "De Bale, in his book called "Scriptores nostri temporis." § Idem, ibidem. Verbis Defectivis ;" so that by his pains the hardest parts of grammar are made the easiest, and the most anomalous reduced to the greatest regularity by his endeavours. What Robert Robinson (under whose name Quae Genus in the grammar is printed) was to this Thomas Roberson, I have no leisure to inquire, and leave it to those to whom it is more proper, suspecting they may be the same person; and that Pitseus, our author, living mostly beyond the seas, might be mistaken in the name: however, he flourished anno Domini 1544. WILLIAM HUGH was born in this county; and bred in Corpus Christi College in Oxford, where he attained to great eminency in learning.* In his time the consciences of many tender parents were troubled about the final estate of infants dying unbaptised, as posting from the womb to the winding-sheet in such speed, that the Sacrament could not be fastened upon them. To pacify persons herein concerned, this William wrote and dedicated a book to queen Katharine Parr, entituled, “The troubled Man's Medicine." He died, of the breaking of a vein, anno Domini 1549. ROGER ASCHAM was born at Kirkby-weik in this county; and bred in Saint John's College in Cambridge, under doctor Medcalfe, that good governor, who, whetstone-like, though dull in himself, by his encouragement set an edge on most excellent wits in that foundation. Indeed Ascham came to Cambridge just at the dawning of learning, and staid therein till the bright-day thereof, his own endeavours contributing much light thereunto. He was orator and Greek professor in the university (places of some sympathy, which have often met in the same person); and in the beginning of the reign of queen Mary, within three days, wrote letters to forty-seven several princes,† whereof the meanest was a cardinal. He travelled into Germany, and there contracted familiarity with John Sturmius and other learned men; and, after his return, was a kind of teacher to the lady Elizabeth, to whom (after she was queen) he became her secretary for her Latin letters. In a word, he was an honest man and a good shooter; archery (whereof he wrote a book called "Tocopilog") being his only exercise in his youth, which in his old age he exchanged for a worse pastime, neither so healthful for his body nor profitable for his purse, I mean cock-fighting, and thereby (being neither greedy to get nor careful to keep money) he much impaired his estate.† He had a facile and fluent Latin-style (not like those who, counting obscurity to be elegancy, weed out all the hard words they meet in authors): witness his "Epistles," which some say Bale, de Scriptoribus Britannicis, Cent. ix. num. 72. † Edward Grant, in the Life of Ascham. Camden's Elizabeth, anno 1568. are the only Latin ones extant of any Englishman, and if so, the more the pity. What loads have we of letters from foreign pens, as if no author were complete without those necessary appurtenances! whilst surely our Englishmen write (though not so many) as good as any other nation. In a word, his "Tocópios" is accounted a good book for young men, his "Schoolmaster" for old men, his "Epistles " for all men, set out after his death, which happened anno Domini 1568, December 30, in the 53d year of his age; and he was buried in Saint Sepulchre's in London. Sir HENRY SAVIL, Knight, was born at Bradley, in the parish of Halifax, in this county, of ancient and worshipful extraction. He was bred in Oxford, and at last became warden of Merton College, and also provost of Eton. Thus this skilful gardener had at the same time a nursery of young plants, and an orchard of grown trees, both flourishing under his careful inspection. This worthy knight carefully collected the best copies of Saint Chrysostome, and employed learned men to transcribe and make annotations on them; which done, he fairly set it forth, on his own cost, in a most beautiful edition; a burden which he underwent without stooping under it, though the weight thereof would have broken the back of an ordinary person. But the Papists at Paris had their emissaries in England, who surreptitiously procured this knight's learned labours, and sent them over weekly by the post into France, schedatim, sheet by sheet, as here they passed the press. Then Fronto Duceus (a French cardinal as I take it), caused them to be printed there with implicit faith and blind obedience, letter for letter, as he received them out of England, only joining thereunto a Latin translation and some other considerable additions. Thus two editions of Saint Chrysostome did together run a race in the world, which should get the speed of the other in public sale and acceptance. Sir Henry's edition started first by the advantage of some months. But the Parisian edition came up close to it, and advantaged with the Latin translation (though dearer of price) outstript it in quickness of sale; but of late the Savilian Chrysostome hath much mended its pace, so that very few are left of the whole impression. Sir Henry left one only daughter, richly married to Sir William Sidley of Kent, baronet. He died at Eton, where he lieth buried under a monument with this inscription: "Hic jacent ossa et cineres Henrici Savill, sub spe certâ resurrectionis. Natus apud Bradley juxta Halifax, in comitatu Ebor. anno Domini 1549, ultimo die mensis Novembris, obiit in Collegio Etonensi, anno Domini 1621, xix die mensis Februrarii. It must not be forgotten, that he was a most excellent mathematician; witness his learned lectures on Euclid. Yet once happening casually into the company of Master Briggs of Cambridge, upon a learned encounter betwixt them, Master Briggs demonstrated a truth, besides (if not against) the judgment of Sir Henry, wherewith that worthy knight was so highly affected, that he chose him one of his mathematic professors in Oxford, wherein he founded two, allowing a liberal salary unto them. THOMAS TAYLOR was born at Richmond in this county, where his father (a bountiful entertainer of people in distress) was recorder of the town. He was afterwards bred in Christ's college in Cambridge, and chosen a fellow thereof. This Timothy, grave when green, entered very young, but not raw, into the ministry, at twenty-one years of age; and continued in the same at Reading and London for the space of thirty-five years. His sermons were generally well studied; and he was wont to say, "That oft-times he satisfied himself the least when he best pleased his people, not taking such pains in his preaching." His flock was firmly founded and well bottomed on catechistical divinity; it being observed that his auditors stuck close to their principles in this age, wherein so many have reeled into damnable errors. He was a great giver of alms, but without a trumpet, and most strict in his conver sation. "Zeal for the house of God" may be said in some sort to have "consumed him;" dying in the fifty-sixth year of his age, anno Domini 1632, comfortably avowing at his death, that we serve such a Master" who covereth many imperfections," and giveth "much wages for a little work." NATHANIEL SHUTE was born at Gigleswick in this county; Christopher Shute his father being the painful vicar thereof.* He was bred in Christ's College in Cambridge; a most excellent scholar, and solid preacher: though nothing of his is extant in print, save a sermon called "Corona Charitatis," preached at the funeral of Master Fishbourn. But the goodness of the land of Canaan may as well be guessed from one great bunch of grapes, as if the spies had brought whole vineyards along with them. Indeed he was a profound and profitable preacher for many years together at St. Mildred Poultry in London. One in the University, being demanded his judgment of an excellent sermon in Saint Mary's, returned, that "it was an uncomfortable sermon, leaving no hope of imitation for such as should succeed him. In this sense alone I must allow Master Nathaniel Shute an uncomfortable preacher (though otherwise a true Barnabas and son of consolation), possessing such as shall follow him in time with a despair to equal him in eminency. He died anno Domini 1638, when our English sky was So I am informed by Mr. Christopher Shute, minister of Saint Vedastus in London, heir to his father's virtues.-F. clouded all over, and set to rain, but before any drops of water fell down amongst us. Doctor Holdesworth most excellently preached his funeral sermon, taking for his text, "We have this our treasure in earthly vessels." JOSIAH SHUTE, brother to Nathaniel aforesaid, was bred in Trinity College in Cambridge, and became afterwards minister of Saint Mary Woolnoth in London; and was (Reader, I do say, and will maintain it) the most precious jewel that was ever shewn or seen in Lombard street. All ministers are God's husbandmen; but some of them can only plough in soft ground, whose shares and cultures will turn edge in a hard point of divinity. No ground came amiss to Master Shute, whether his text did lead him to controversial or positive divinity; having a strain, without straining for it, of native eloquence, he spake that which others studied for. He was for many years, and that most justly, highly esteemed of his parish; till, in the beginning of our late civil wars, some began to neglect him, distasting wholesome meat well dressed by him merely because their mouths were out of taste, by that general distemper, which in his time was but an ague, afterwards turned to a fever, and since is turned into a frenzy in our nation. I insist hereon the rather, for the comfort of such godly ministers, who now suffer in the same nature, wherein Master Shute did before. Indeed no servant of God can simply and directly comfort himself in the sufferings of others (as which hath something of envy therein); yet may he do it consequentially in this respect, because thereby he apprehends his own condition herein consistent with God's love and his own salvation, seeing other precious saints taste with him of the same affliction, as many godly ministers do now-a-days, whose sickles are now hung up as useless and neglected, though before these civil wars they reaped the most in God's harvest. Master Shute died anno Domini 1640; and was buried with great solemnity in his own church, Master Udall preaching his funeral sermon. Since his death his excellent sermons are set forth on some part of Genesis; and pity it is there is no more extant of his worthy endeavours. It must not be forgotten, how, retiring a little before his death into the country, some of his parishioners came to visit him, whom he cheerfully entertained with this expression, "I have taught you, my dear flock, for above thirty years, how to live, and now I will shew you in a very short time how to die." He was as good as his word herein; for within an hour he, in the presence of some of them, was peaceably dissolved. Be it also known, that besides these two brothers, Nathaniel and Josiah, fixed in the city of London, there were three more, bred and brought up in the ministry; viz. Robert, preacher at |