i |
# 1 |
' m |
^ |
||||
- 1 |
1 |
11 , |
fe^i
wKi i »:F.i
ir 1 r cy:i';iLii t*-*.'»:*^.^tiiJkt^..^^^
CCKCi3J3
rrf: K f.£.€EM' $^..K¥M
t«:ci:»^^«.RFJ
NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
3 3433 08253731 1
^f^;
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2007 witii funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/britisliplutarclic02lond
^
M-il
sK
THE
BRITISH PLUTARCH,
CONTAINING
THE LIVES
O F T H E
Mofl Eminent Statesmen, Pat][iiots, Di- vines, Warriors, Philosophers, Poets, and Artists, of Great Britain and Ire- land, from the Acccfiion of Henry VIIL to the prefent Time. Including a Compendious View of the Hiilory of England during that Period,
IN EIGHT VOLUMES,
-;^>\AjJj;i?,
VOL. IL
THE T H I P. D EDITION,
Kevifedj correfVed, any, conilclerxbrY/^nLve'dd,' by the AdJitioa'ijfuNcAVEivGS.'-
L- o N d; q;;kv/^;^ T
Pi-inted for CHARLES D I L L Y, in t;ie Foukry, M DCC XCI»
CONTENTS
OF T H E
SECOND VOLUME,
THE Life of Roger Afcham — • page i The Life of John Jewel, Bifliop of Salifoury
9
The Life of John Knox — - — i8
Matthew Parker, Archbifhop of Canterbury, in- cluding Memoirs of George Browne, and of Hugh Corwin, Archbifhops of Dublin — 39
The Life of Sir Thomas Grefham, Merchant and Citizen of London — — ^g
The Life of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicefter, including Memoirs of Sir Philip Sydney, and Sir Robert Dudley — — 78
The Life of Sir Francis WaHingham, Secretary of State to Qiieen Elizabeth — — 114
The Life of Sir John Perrot — — j2i
The Life of Sir Francis Drake — — 140
The Life of Sir John Hawkin?, including^ Memoirs of '^ir Richard Hawkins,^ his Son, and of^^Sjr Martin Frobiflier >. — ,' — '^ 'i7
The Life of William Cecil, ;LcTd Eiyrleigli> in- cluding Memoirs of bir Niciiclan :Baco,n, Sir Nicholas fhrogmorton, and Thoma^ Howard, Duke of Norfolk — '. ., -^,^ .. ^ c I77
The Life of Robert Devereux, Earl of'Eitex' igg
The
CONTENTS.
The Life of Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham,
and Lord High Admiral of England, including
an Account of the Jaft lllnefs and Death of
Queen Elizabeth — — page 230
The Life of George Buchanan — 248
The Life of Edmund Spenfer _ 258
The Life of William Shakefpeare 272
The Life of William Camden, including Memoirs of Sir Thomas Bodley, Founder of the Bodleian Library — — — 287
Being the moft eminent perfons, who flourifhed an the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
r • c » • k
THE
THE
BRITISH PLUTARCH.
The life of
ROGER A S C H A M,
[A. D. 1515, to 1568.]
■^ T* T E are now entering upon one of the moll %/%/ fplendid periods of th& Engiilh hiftory.
^ ^ It was in the year 1558 that queen Elizabeth afcended the throne ; flie was endowed with great talents for government ; and (he ha';-.- pily found herfelf furrounded by men of d\\- tinguiflied eminence, equally qualif-ied to leive their country in every public aepartn^ent of the chutxh and ftate.
VoL.IL B The
2 I^HELIFEOF
The feeds of true piety, of found learning, and of civil liberty, which had been fown at the Reformation, and had efcaped the cruel ravages of Popilli bigotry during the turbulent reign of Mar}% now produced a plentiful harveil: of illuftrious Kngljfhmen, many of whom were wandering in exile, and fuitering all the inconveniences of ob- fcurity and indigence, till this happy revolution rtftored them to their country and their friends.
Of thefc, as they contributed to lay the foun- dation of Elizabeth's future glory, concife memoirs mufl be given, before we bring upon the carpet a general review of the important national tranf- a^lions of this long and profperous reign, not lefs celebrated by foreign, than by Britifh hiftorians.
And the frfi on the lift, who merits our grateful remembrance, for the principal fliare he had in forming the mind, and improving the underfland- ing of our renowned queen, is Rogeii Ascham, the fon of John Afcham, fteward to the antientand noble family of Scroop. He was born at Kiikby- Wiike, near Northallerton in Yorkfliire, about the vear 1515 ; and, in his early youth, was taken into the family of the Wingfields, by Sir Anthony Wingfield, who became his patron, and finding in him an apt difpolition for literary attainments, he fent him in the year 1530 to St. John's col- lege, Cambridge, at the critical junfture when tlie Greek language began to be taught without op- polition, in our univerfities. The doftrines of Luther, promulgated and circulated through all parts of Europe, by means of the rapid progrefs of the art of printing, had diffufed a general inclina- tion throughout the republic of letters, to Itudy the points in controverfy between the Romilh church, and the celebrated reformer, which could befl be done by attaining a competent knowledge of Grcck-^ and our young Audent being one of 5 ' thole
ROGER ASCHA ?vr.
^
thofe whole mind was fired with generous emula- tion, applied himfclf fo aliiduouily to this brancii of learning, that he foon became fo great a profi- cient, as to be able to read leftures, and to teach other yonth, who were defiroiis of inllruftion. " To teach, or to learn, was at this a^rathe buflnefs and the pleafure of the academical life ;'* and young Afcham had the happinefs to afTociate witli men of uncommon genius, and of fimiiar difpofi- tions with himfelf. Sir John Cheke, who was preceptor to Edward VI. and died in the reign of A/Iary, of grief, at having recanted his profeiiion of the reformed religion, was his rival and friend. This gentleman, in conjundion with Sir Thomas Smith, fecretary of Hate in the reigns of Edward VI. and Elizabeth, had introduced a more jufc pronunciation of the Greek tongue than had be- fore prevailed, w^hich Afcham at firft oppofed, till being convinced that they were in the right, he finally adopted ,and recommended it in his public leisures ; a circumftance which ferved to ftrengtheii the fecial intimacy that had fubiifted betv/een tlis three fludents. Mr. Afcham likewife gained tlie approbation of Dr. Metcalf, the mailer of his college, who, having the interefl of learning greatly at heart, recommended him to a fellowlliip in 1534, when he w'as but eighteen years of age. At the fame time, Pember, a perfon of great emi- nence in the univerfity, and a zealous promoter of the fludy of the Cireck language, took him un- der his proteiSlion, and incrcafcd his reputation, not only by applauding liis public lectures, but by recommending the young gentlemen of his ac- ciuaintance to attend Mr. Afcham at his cham- bers, to hear the Greek autliors read and explained by him. By the advice of this gentleman, Mr. Afcham, as a relaxation from ftudv, learned to play on mufical inftruments, and to \^-ite a ve; v B 2 fine-
4 T H E L I F E O F
fine hand, an accomplifliment then growing into repute ; and he excelled in it, which contrib\ited not a little to his future fuccefs in lite.
In 153^ he took the degree of mailer of arts, and loon after, he was appointed, bv the unrverlity, teacher of the Cjreek language in the public fchools, for which he had a genteel faiary. He Jikewife commenced tutor, and had feveral young fludcnts of rank under his care for other branches of education ; fome of whom proved eminent fcholars, particularly William Gnndal, recom- n"^ended by Sir John Cheke to be mailer of lan- guages to the princefs Elizabeth.
The reputation of Mr. Afcham, as a man of ex- tenlive learning, was fo iirmly eftabliflied in the univerlity, that he w-as ele£led to the honourable office of public orator, and all the univeility letters were compofed by him ; his fkill in the Latin language, and his fine writing, which he ufed to embellifh with drawings, having recommended liim to thefe employments. But in all ages, and in every country, confpicuous merit, while it meets with its due reward from the liberal mind, will always be expofed to the hatred of the feltifh and envious. It is no wonder, therefore, that Mr. Afcham Ihould find himfelf attacked by his ene- mies, for indulging himfelf in a manly cxercife at his leifure hours. He was particularly fond of archerv, and this being an amufement better fuited to the foldier than the fcholar, he was freely cen- fured for beftowing his time on it, w'hich gave birtli to a vindication of himfelf, in an excellent and learned treatife, intituled *' Toxophilus, or, the fch'de or part'iiUns of (hooting.'* He dedicated this tra£l to Henry VIII. who was fo well pleafed with it, that he allowed him an annual penfion of ten pouiids, a fum which has been iV.ppofed to be ctjual to one hundred pounds at prelent. With
this
R O G E p. A S C H A ^'T. 5
this penfion, and his other appointments in the univerlity, it appears he had a very comfortable income, beiides gratuities for teaching peribns of the firft dilun£lion to write, particularly prince Edward, the princefs Elizabeth, and the two brothers, henry and Charles Brandon, dukes ot Suffolk.
Upon the accelTion of Edward VI. Mr. Afcham's penlionwas renewed, and he was deiiredto continue at Cambridge, to promote the cauie of the Reforma- tion, irt conjunction with his learned friend Bucer, tliecekbrated German divine, who had beeu Invited over by the univeruty, to fill the chair of divinity profeilor. But the death of Grindal brought him to court, to attend the piincefs Ehzabetli, whole iuidies he directed for rwo years, by lier own ap- poiMitment; and, in tins time, fbe acquired a con- {iderable knowledge of the bell Greek and Latin autiiors> by readii^-g thern familiarly with Mr. Afciiam. This pleafiiig tafk Dcrformed, he re- turned to his former ftation at tlie univeriitv ; and in 1550* being upon a villt in Yorkiliire, lie re- ceived iiJteUigence that he was appointed fecrctary to Sir Richard Morifine, who w'as preparir.g to fet out on an embaiiy to Charles V. emperor of Ger- many. This promoti n obliged him to proceed dire61ly to London, but in his journey he vifitcd Lady Jai:ie Grey, at her father's houfe at Broad- gate in Leiceilerlliire. He found her reading the Fhoedo of Plat£) in Greek ; and he difcovered fuch an uncommon fhare of learning and good lenfe in her converfation, that he mentions her in his works, as the wonder of her lex.
Mr. Afcham attended the ambaffador to Ger- rtiany, and remained with him three years, during which time he cultivated the friendfnip of the learned in that country, and applied himfelf to the ftudy of politicks, wdiich made him very ufeful B3 to
6 T H E L I F E O F
to Sir Richard, whom he anhled in his private iludies, and in the pubHc bulinels of his embafly. Yet neither the concerns of his ilation, nor his aifiduity in reading the Greek authors with the ambairador, prevented his keeping up a corre- fpondence with his friends at Cambridge, to whom he v/rote feveral letters, wiiich are {lill preferred with his other works, and ihew him to have been an accurate obferver of men and manners ; but his abilities as a poUtical writer likewife appeared, in a curious treatife which he wrote, while he was on an excurfion to Italy. It is intituled '' A report and difcourfe cf the affairs and flate of Germany," and is addreffed in the form of a letter to his friend, Mr. John Allley, to whom he gives the cleareft apcount of any writer of thofe times, of the motives which induced the emperor to refign his crown to his fon, and retire from the world. It ccTitains alfo a great number of hifcorical and political anecdotes and retiedtions of a very in- terefiing natare.
^-^^ bile he was thus agreeably employed, his f; lends at home procured him the pod of Latin fecretary to the king ; but before he could return to take pofleilion of his new dignity, he received the melancholy news of the death of his royal maiter, by which fatal event he not only loft his place and his penfion, but feemed to have loft every profpecl of future preferment. However, contrary to his expeftations, being prote£led by lord Paget, he was raifed to the fame poft under queen Mary, and fuch w^as his diligence and ciifpatch, that it is laid, he compofed and tran- fcribed, in three days, no lefs than forty {even Latin letters to princes and other foreigners of diltin£lion, particularly to the cardinals, on the iubje£l of ele6ling cardinal Pole to the papal chair, lie v.as greatly cartiled by the cardinal on account
of
ROGER ASCHAM. 7
of his literary talents ; and though Pole was hini- lelf particularly eminent for his Ikill in Latin, he yet thought io highly of Aicham's ilyle, that he employed him to tranflate into Latin the fpeech which he made to the parliament when he recon- ciled the kingdom to the fee of Rome ; and our author's traiillation was fent to Rome, where it was greatly admired, for the purity of the diftion.
In 1554, Mr. Afcham reiigned his fellowlhip, and married Mrs. Margaret Howe, a young lady of good family, with whom he had fome fortune ; and though he always made open profellion of the reformed religion, he had the good fortune to con- tinue unmolefted, during the remainder of the reign of Mary.
Upon the acceiHon of Elizabeth, his royal pupil, he was fent for to court, continued in his riation of Latin fccictary, and allowed the fame falary as in the late reign, wliich v/as only iwcnty pounds per anr.um ; and though lie was admitted to a degree of familiarity with the queen, fome- times aiiifiiiig her in her private ftudies, and at others partaking of her diveiiions, fhe never made any addition to his fortune, except a prebend in the cathedral of York, which was beflowed on him in 1559. 1 his inconliJerabJe preferment was fo inadequate to his fervices, and to the rank he held at court in the reign of Edward VL that it has been thought extraordinary, that he fhould not have received more fubftantial favours from the queen. But Elizabeth was not naturally boun- tiful ; and Afcham, though he often felt the v^ant of money, feems not to have been well verled in thofe arts, by which court favours are obtained. He was alfo deficient in oeconomy : and Camden tells us, that he impaired his fortune by a love of dice and cock-fighting. " But, however he might ** fail in his ccconomy," fays Dr. Johnfon, '• it ,B 4 *"' were
ROGER ASCHA M.
*' were indecent to treat with wanton levity the me- *' mory of a man, who lliared his frailties with *' all, but whole learning or virtues few can attain, *' and by whofe excellencies many may be im- *' proved, while himieif only fuffered by his *• faults."
In 1563, he compofcd his celebrated treatife, intituled '* The School-Master,'' which he un- dertook at the requefl of Sir Richard Sackville ; but this work was not publifhed till after his death.
From this time, to the year 1568, we have no .;iccount of any exertion of his literary talents ; and it appears, that his bad fiate of health obliged hirn to forbear all clofe application to fludy, except in the morning. Yet, as a laft effort, he at- tempted to .compofe a poem this year, to be pre- iented to the queen on the anniverfary of her accef- lioii ; but hi:^ diil^f^niper, wiiich was a comfump- tion, growing vvoife by this attempt, and depriv- ing him of rcii, he was obliged to decline it, and prepare to meet his approaching end^ which he did with pious fortitude and reiignation. He died on the 3'~'th of December, 1568, and was interred m St. Sepulchre's church, London, in the mofl private nianner, agreeably to his ow^n direction. Being only in the fifty-third year of his age, his death v/as greatly lamented by the queen, and by ail his contemporaries in the literary world, who jufiiv confidered It as a public lofs, eitecming him one of the moil: learned men of the age, and one of the greateil improvers of his native language.
*.y^* /^iitho' ith'S. Graunt's Oration in honour of Afcham, prefixed to his tpiftles. Life of Af- cliam, written by Dr. Johnfon, prefixed to Mr. J^cnnct's edition of Afcham's Englilh works, pub- iilhed in 4to. in 1761,
The
[ 9 3
=±:
T^E LIFE OF
JOHN J E W E L,
BISHOP OF Salisbury,
[A. D. 1522, to 1571.]
THIS eminent cllviae, and zealous champioii for the Proteilant caaic, was a deicendant of an aiitient family in Devonlhire, and was born at the village of Buden, in that county, in 1522. When he was kven years of age, he was inltru6led in the rudiments ot grammar learning by his ma- ternal uncle, Mr. John Bellamy, rc£lor of Ham- ton. He was afterwards fcnt to Ichool at Branton, whence he was removed to bouth molton, and from thence to Barnftaple. Before he was four- teen years of age, he was fent to the univerlitv of Oxfordj and placed in Merton college, under the tuition of Peter Burrey, a man of inconfiderable learning, and no great friend to the Reformation. But he was afterwards committed to the care of Mr. John Parkhm-ft, fellow of the fame college, v/ho was a learned man, and a zealous Proteilant. Under this preceptor, who was afterwards biihop of Norwich, young Jewel w^as imriated in the principles of the reformed religion^ and made a coafidciable progrefs in his academical iludies.
B s In
10 J O H N J E W E L,
In 1539, he removed to Corpus Chrifiii college, of which he was eleded a fchoJar ; and the foJIow- rng year, he was admitted to the degree of batchelor of arts, after which, he apphed himfelf with un- common afliduity to theological learning ; ac- cuftoming himlelf to rife at four in the morning, and to continue at his books till ten at night, fo that it was abfolutely neceflary to remind him of the hours of refrefhment. By this indefatigable indullry, he acquired an amazing fund of know- ledge, but at the expence of his health, for in confequence of a cold, he contracted a lamenefs %vhich became incurable.
Thus qualified, Mr. Jewel commenced tutor, and greatly contributed to promote the Reform- ation, by educating his pupils privately in the do£lrines of the Proteflant religion. He was like- wife chofen profelTor of rhetoric in his college, which office he held with diflinguifhed honour ftvcn years ; and his le£lures were fo much ad- mired, and followed, that the fame of them brought his old preceptor Mr. Parkhurfl from his country retirement to attend them, v/ho was {o highly pleafed. that he not only beftowed the greateft encomiums on his abilities, but took upon him.felf the charge of his commencement as mafter of arts. In his moral charafter, he was the example of his college, infomuch that the dean, who was a rigid Papift, ufed to fay to him, *« I Ihould love thee, Jewel, if thou wert not a Zuinglian. In thy faith, I hold thee to be an heretic, but furely, in thy life, thou art an angel."
On the acceffion of Edward VI. Mr. Jewel threw off the veil of fccrecy ; made a public de- claration of his religious opinions ; entered into clofe friendlhip with Peter Martyr, the divinity profelTor of the univerfity, and took all oppor- tunities
BISHOP 0 1- SALISBURY, it
tnnities to promote the Reformation- In 155c, he took the degree of batchelor in divinity, and upon this occafipn he preached an excellent Latin kr^ mon. About this time, he was prefented to the re£lory of Sunningvvell, in Berkfhire, the income of which was but fmall ; but though his lamenefs made walking painful to him., he never negle£led the duty, but went to his church en foot every other Sunday to preach and to catechife.
The refult of Mr. Jewel's indefatigable zeal in promoting the Pvcformation, during the reign of Edward, was av virulent profecution inftantly fet on foot againft him by the Papifts, when Mary came to the crown. The fellows of his own col- lege began it, by expelling him for herefy, before the queen was well feated on the throne, or an/ public orders iflbed for reftoring the old religion. But the univerhty at the fame time, liaving the highefl opinion of his literary abilities, employed him to compofe their congratulatory addrefs upon the queen's acceffion, and appointed him their orator. It is furmifed, however, that this diftin- guiihed honour was intended to enfnare him, by- rendering him odious to his own party if he ac- cepted it, or by provoking the Roman Catholics if he refufed it. Admitting that fuch was the delign of his enemies, they mull have been greatly mor- tified ; for the addrefs was drawn np by him with fuch dexterity, that it gave offence to neither party; it was at once refpe6tfui and guarded; it met with the approbation of Trefham the vice- chancellor, and the heads of the colleges, and was favourably received by the queen.
Mr. Jewel did not quit the univeriity when he was expelled his own college, but withdrew to Broad-gate-hail, now Pembroke college, where he continued his letlures, and attended his pupils as ufual. But being required foon after^ upon the B 6 re-
12 T O IT N J E W E L,
re-c{lribilll)mcnt of Popery, to fubfcrlbe to the Popiih tenets, his life being threatened if he re- fuied, he outwardly complied, but as it was vvell ktiowQ that his fif^nature v/as coinpuliive, Dr. Martial, dean of Chrift-church, alleged that his lubfcription was infincere, and, therefore, he re- folved to fecure him, that he might be clofely ex:- amincd In- Bonner the giand inquriitor. Mr. jewel receiving private intelligence of his delign, left Ox- ford the very night that Martial fent for him, aiid took a bye- road for London. He purfued his iournev on foot, till he was quite exhaufted, and obliged to lie dowii upon the ground. In this de- ploiTfble lituation, totally in.capable of proceeding any farther, he was providtntiaiiy found by Aq- guftine l]ernher, a Swifs, who had been in the ler- vice of bilhop Latimer, and was now a divine. This gendeman procured him a horfe, and con- ducted him to the houfe ot lady Anne AV^arcup, by whom he was hofpitably entertaiiied for fome time, and then privately accompanied in fafety ta the capital. Here he was obliged to ii=fe the greateil precautiLn, for incredible pains weie taken to dif- cover him by Bonner's enuflaries, which obliged him to change his lodgings frequently in the night. At length ius efcape from Englan.d was happily ef- fedled, by the care of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, his particular friend, who provided him a vefTel, snd gave him money for his fupport; and of Giles Lawrence, a fellow collegian, who lived near the Tov.er, and conveyed him on board.
As loon as he landed ijpon the continent, he proceeded di redly to FVankfort, where he arrived in 15^4» and immediately made a public pro- rcHation of his fincere contrition, for the fub- fcripiion he had made to the Romifh faith. Peter jMartyr had left England upon the firll notice of the death of Edviard VL and new i-efided at
Sti-af-
BISHOP OF SALISBURY. 13
Strafburgh ; Mr. Jewel, therefore, accepted the invitation of his old friend, and went to refide with him. Peter Martyr had converted his houfe into a kind of college for learned men, and he made Mr. Jewel his deputy ; he hkewife ailifted him in compoling his theological ledlures, and ac- companied him to Zurich ; and it was probably from this place that Mr. Jewel made an excurlion to Padua, where he commenced a friendlhip with Signior Scipio, a noble Venetian, to whom he • afterwards addreffed his epiflle relative to the coun- cil of Trent.
When the joyful news of queen Elizabeth's peaceful acceflion rendered his return to England not only fafe, but eligible, he joined feveral other Froteifant exiles, who w^ere all equally anxious to be reftored to their native country, and embarked for London the beginning of the year 1559. The fortunate exiles (for fuch they may be called who efcaped the horrors of the lall reign) were all gra- cioully received by our Froteftant queen, and many of thofe who were moil eminent for their piety and learning, among the clergy, were fcon pro- vided for in the church. Mr. Jewel, in particular, was put into the lift of the Sixteen divines, who were appointed to hold a public difputation againft the Fapifts in Weftminfter Abbey, on the 31ft of March, 1559. -^'^ J^^y of ^be fame year, he was conliiiuted one of the vifitors of the diocefes in the w^eft of England, who were enjoined to purge them ©f Popery, and in January 1560, he was promoted to the fee of Saliibury.
Certain ecclciiaftical habits were enjoined by authority, about this time, to be worn by the different orders of the clergy of the church of England, which occalioned a warm controveify ; and it appears that our new prelate, though he thought proper to comply with the orders iflued by
his
14 J O H N J E W E L,
his fovcrelgn, by no means approved of tliefe veft- ments ; for he cohiplained of them in his letters to his fiicnds upon the,contiaent, as th€ relicks of Popilh iupcrftition. He likewife objected to the cruci{i>c bemg retained in the qaieen's Ciiapel, con- lidering it in the hght of worldly policy. Soon after his confecration, he gave a public challenge, in a fermon preached at St. Paul's Crofs, to all Roman Catholics, whether natives or foreigners, to produce a lingle evidence, either from the fa- thers, or from any other writers who fiouriihed in the fix firfl: centuries of the Chriilian sra, in fa- vour of any one of the articles of the church of Rome ; and two years after, wheji he found no convincing anfwer was likely to be made to this open appeal to tlie public, he publifhed his famous apology for, or rather defence of the church of England.
The advocates for the Romiih religion, how- ever, were not idle, either at home or abroad. The deprived dean of Stc Paul's, Dr. Cole, com- menced an epiftolary controverfy with our prelate, upon the fubje6l of his fermon, but railing inftead of argument was Cole's talent, which the reader will recoUedt in his condu£l to archbifliop Cran- mer. The biihop's challenge was publifhed at London in 1560 ; and four years afterwards, John Raflal, a Jefuit, publillied at Antwerp, what he fly led, '* A confutation of Jewel's fermon." The fame year Thomas Dorman publilhed, at the fame place, " A proof of certain articles of re- hgion -lenied by Mr. Jewel.'* Raftall was anfwered by VVilliam Fulke, and Dorman by Alexander Nov^ell, a brother exile with Jewel, who had been rewarded for his merit and fufFerings with the deanery of St. Paul's. But the only opponent, vvhofe work out-lived the controverfy, was Thomas Harding of Louvain. This autlior publiihed an
an-
BISHOP OF SALISBURY. 15
anf-vver to Mr. jewel's challenge in 1564, a quarto volume ; a full refutation of wbicli was publifhed by the bilhop in folio, in 1556. It is intituled, ** A reply to Mr. Harding's anfwer." His anta- goniil printed two rejoinders, and thus ended the controverfy. By the perufal of the bifhop's work, in which ail the arguments in Harding's anfwerare candidly flated, the unbiased reader will be able to determine with whom the victory manifeflij remains.
Our prelate's apology for the church of Eng- land, and his reply to Harding, were tranflated into all the modern languages of Europe, and into Greek, fo that his works converted many thou- fands to the Proteftant religion, who could not have the benefit of his perfonal inflruftions. In re- ward for thefe eminent fervices, the univerfity of Oxford conferred on him the honorary degree of do£^or in divinity, in 1565. The following year, bifhop Jewel preiided at the divinity difputations held at this univerfity, in prefence of the queen.
His public condu6i in his diocefe, likewife pro- cured him the veneration and efteem of all good men. By paying a particular attention to the pro- ceedings of his chancellor and archdeacons, by preliding frequently in his conliftory court, and by infpe^ling the lives of the private clergy, he pro- duced a great reformation, and delivered the people from the fham.eful extortions of the ftewards, and the inferior officers of the ecclefiaflical court. His hum.ane concern for the welfare of the poor, was extended alfo to the civil jurifdi6lion ; for as he was in the commillion of the peace, he frequently fat on the bench with the juftices, and corrected many abufes in the exercife of that office ; and afting in the fame capacity at his epifcopal feat (for bifhops at that time refided on their diocefes, except they were fumnioned to court, or to attend
the
i6 J O H N J E W E L,
the parliament) he compofed the petty quarrels arifiiig among neighbours, and prevented vexatious law fuits.
But his conftant unwearied application to fo many pious and important concerns, added to his fondnefs for ftudy, and the httle inclination he had for any recreative amufements, deflroyed his health ; yet no intreaties or perfuafions of his friends could induce him to alter his ufual hours, or to remit his inceffant labour. He llill con- tinued his pradtice, of riiing about four in the morning; at five, he called his family to prayers ; at fix, he attended public worfhip in his cathedral ; the remainder of the morning was pafled in his ftudy ; the afternoon was taken up in public au- diences. About nine in the evenipg, he called his fervants to an account, examining how they had pafiTed tlieir time ; and then went to prayers with his family. From this time to midnight he with- drew to his ftudy, and then he went to bed ; but generally one of his chaplains read to him till he .fell afleep. A life fo watchful and laborious, could not fail of bringing on a decline, but when a vifible alteration was obferved, all the anfwer he gave to the friendly hints throvv'n out upon this melancholy fubjecl was, ^' A bifhop fnould die preaching.'* And his w^ords were very nearly fiil- fiUed to the letter: for a fbort time before his death, having promifed to preach at fame church in Wiltlhire, he was met oji the road by a gentle- man, who. perceiving by his looks that he was very ill, advifed him to return home, telling him, that the people had better lofe one fermon, than be totally deprived of fuch a preacher. But the bilhop contuiued his journey, and preached his laft fermon, but with great difficulty, for upon his return he grew worfe, and died in a few days, in September 1571, at Mo nktcii Farley, in his own
diocefe<.
BISHOP OF SALISBURY. 17
diocefe. He was buried in the choir of SaHfbury cathedral.
It is almoft needlefs to obferve, after the cha- Ta61:er already given of this primitive bilhop, that his death was nniverfally lamented ; much iefs can we attempt any addition to it ; we fhall therefora only mention, that he was remarkable for an uncommon memory, which he improved by art. It is aflerted, bv the firfl: writer of his life, Dr. Lawrence Humfrey, that he taught this art to Dr. Parkhuril: his old tutor, while they were in exile at Zurich, and enabled him in the fpace of twenty-eight days, with only one hour's appli- cation each day, to repeat the whole Gofpel of St. Matthew, and upon naming any feparate verfe, to recite the preceding and fubfequent verfes. As to his own fermons they were chietiy extempore, from heads put down in writing, on which he iifed to meditate while the bell was ringing to fummon him to church. Several experiments were likewife made of the ftrength of his memory, v»'hich are related at large by the fame writer ; but It is of much more confequence for us to know, that his theological and polemical works rendered his name celebrated all over Europe ; and that all his Englilh works, flill held in efieem by divines, were publiHied together in folio, at London, in 1609.
*-^* Authorities. Wood's Athen. and Hift. and Antiq. of Oxford. Humfrey, and Featly's Life of ]^ss^U Britilli Biography, 8yo. vol. ill.
The
[ i8 ]
The life of
J O 11 N KNOX.
[A. D. 1505, to 1572.]
OUR c!:ironological plan now condii£i:s vis to a review of the progrefs of the Preformation in the church of Scotland, where it was manfully- propagated by one of the moft em.inent men of the age in which he lived, the celebrated John Knox, defcended from an ancient and honourable family. He was born at Gifiard, near Haddington in Scot- land in 1505, from whence he was removed at a proper age to the univerfity of St. Andrew, and placed under the tuition of the learned Mr. John Mair ; and he applied with fuch uncommon diligence to the academical learning then in vogue, that, in a fliort time, and w^hile yet very young, he obtained the degree of mailer of arts.
As the bent of his inclination led him flrongly to the church, he turned the courfe of his ftudics very early to divinity, and, by the advantage of his tutor's inftruftions, foon became remarkable for his knowledge in fchoiaflic theology j fo that
he
JOHN K N O X. 19
he took priefl's orders before the period ufually al- lowed by the canons : and, from being a learner, began himfelf to teach with great applanfe his beloved fcience. But, after fome time, upon a careful perufal of the fathers of the church, and particularly the wruings of St. Jerome and St. Au- ilin, his fentiments were entirely altered. He quitted the cobweb fubtilty of the fchools, and took to the fludy of a more plain, fohd, and ra- tional divinity.
Having once embraced the fcriptural do6lrines of Chriilianlty, he attended none but fuch preach- ers, whom he knew to be of the fame way of thinking, the moil eminent of whom was Guil- liam, a black friar, whofe fermons were of extra- ordinary fervice to him. This friar was provin- cial of his order in 1543, when the earl of Ar- ran, then regent of Scotland, favoured the Refor- mation ; and Mr. George Wifnart, anotlier cele- brated reformer, coming from Er. gland in the fucceeding year, w^ith the commifiioners fentfrom king; Henry VIIT. Knox being of an inquiiitive nature, learned from him the principles of the Protefrants ; with which he was fo pleafed, that he renounced the Romifli religion, and became a zealous reformer, having left St. A'ldrew's a little before, to be tutor to the fons of the lairds of Ormiiloun and Languidry, who were both favour- ers of the Reformation.
Mr. Knox's ordinary reiidence was at Langui- dry, where he not only inftru£led his pupils in the different branches of academical learning, but was particularly careful to infill into their minds the principles of piety and of the Protefiant religion. This coming to the ears of David Beaton, the car* dinal and archbifliop of St. Andrew's, that prelate profecuted him with fuch feverity, that he was txequently obliged to abfcoad, and flee from place
to
20 THELIFEOF
to place. Whereupon, being wearied with fuch continual dangers, he refolved to retire to Ger- many,, where the new opinions were fpreading very fail; knowing that in England^ though the pope's authority was fupprelTed, yet the greater part of the Romiih tenets Hill prevailed, and had the fanftion of the king's authority. But he was difiuaded from this ftep, by both the fa- thers of his pupils: and cardinal Beaton being af- falTmated by Norman and John Leflie, in the caf- tic of St. Andrew's, in 1546, in confequence of his having condemned and burnt their relation the venerable George Wifliart for herefy, Knox was advifed to take Ihelter with his pupils in the caftle, now in poiTeffion of the Leflies, the determined friends of the reformed religion.
Here he began to teach his pupils in his ufual manner. Belides the grammar, and the claffical authors, he read a catechifm to them, which he obliged them to give an account of publickly, in the parifh-church of St. Andrew. He likewife continued to read to them the gofpel of St. John, proceeding vvhere he left off at his departure from Languidry. I'his lefture he read at a certain hour, in the chapel within the caftle, and was attended by feveral gentlemen of the place. Among thefe Mr. Henry Bolnaveis, and John Rough, a preach- er there, being pleafed with the manner of his do£lrine, began earneftly to entreat him to take ■upon him the olhce of a preacher. But he abfo- lutely refufed ; alleging, in a ftrain of humour for which he was remarkable, " that he would not run where God had not called him." Here- upon, thefe gentlemen deliberating the matter in a confutation v/ith Sir David Lindfay, of the Mount, Lvon king at arms, a perfon of great probity and learning, it was concluded to give
Mr.
JOHN K N O X. 21
Mr. Knox a charge publickly by the mouth of Mr. Rough from the pulpit, to preach the gofpel of Chrift to the deluded multitude, at a time when they flood moft in need of fuch able teachers ; and this was accordingly done in a fermon com- pofed for the occafion, the congregation at the lame time joining with their minifter, in declar- ing their belief that this was a holy vocation Avhich he could not refufe.
Mr. Knox, with fome relu£lance, confented, and after retiring for a few days from all fociety, he -afcended the pulpit, and at once difcovered that the Proteflant caufe had now acquired a moll in- trepid leader, whofe fortitude, eloquence, and learning, would both allonifh and confound his adverfaries. Inftead of trifling with the fubjefl, he ■boldly laid the axe to the root of Popery in his lirfl: fermon, proving to the fatisfa6lion of his au- ditors, that the doctrine of the Rom.illi church %vas contrary to the doftrine of Chrift and his a- poftles.
This fermon made a great noife ; and the Po- pifh clergy being much incenfed at it, the abbot of Paifley, lately nominated to the lee of St. An- drew, and not vet confecrated, wrote a letter to the fub-prior, who, fede vacante^ was vicar-gene- ral, expreffing great furprize, that fuch heretical and fchifmatical doftrines were fuffered to be taught without oppolition^
Upon this rebuke, every official meafure was taken to oppofe Mr. Knox ; but he carefully a- volded incurring eccleiiallical cenfure, by a pe- culiar and happy addrefs. \n particular, the fub- prior having ordered all the learned divines in St. Andrew's, who vs-ere to preach by rotation in the parilh churches on Sundays, to a^^oid all contro- verlaal points, his difcourfes were properly guarded
on
22 THELIFEOF
on the Sabbaths ; but as the injunction did not extend to other days, he made amends to his Pro- teflant auditors, by preaching frequently on week- days, and with unbounded latitude, againft the er- rors of Popery ; and his public miniflry at St. An- drew's was attended with that fuccefs, which na- turally accompanies the do6lrines of truth, deli- vered with manly eloquence and pious intrepidity. Popery fenfibly lou ground- while converts to the reformed religion increafed daily ; and he was the firll miniiler who ventured to adminiller the facra- ment in Scotland, according to the rites of the reformed church ; but fuch was the zeal he had infpired, that all the people in the caftle, and many of the inhabitants of the tov/n, joined in commu- nion with him. But this rapid fuccefs only lailed from Eafter to July, 1547? when the caftle was furrendered to the French.
Mr. Knox continued in the diligent difchargc of his minifterial work till that time, when he was carried with the garrifon to France, and remained a prifoner on board the gallies till the latter end of the year 1 549 ; when, being fet at liberty, he paiTed to England ; and going to London, was there licenfed, and appoint- ed preacher, firft at Berwick, and next at New- caftle.
While he .was thus employed, he received a fummons, in 1551, to appear before Cuthbert Tonftal, bifhop of Durham, for preaching againft the mafs ; but what was the event we are not in- formed ; however, in 1552, he was appointed one of the fix chaplains^ whom the council thought proper to retain in the fervice of Edward VI. not only to attend the court, but to be itinerary preachers of the Proteflant religion all over the kingdom, and, the enfuing year, he had the grant of forty pounds per annum, till fomc benefice in the church fliould
be
J O H N K N O X. 2^
be conferred on him. The fame year lie came into fome trouble on account of a bold fermoii preached at Newcaille, upon Chrifimas-dav, againft the obfllnacy of the Papifts ; after which he returned to London ; and, being well eileemed by his Majefty, and fome of the court, for his zealous preaching againft the errors of the Romiili church, he was appointed to preach before the king and council at Weftminfter ; and in his fer- mon he levelled fome fevere firokes, w^ith honeft freedom, againft fome great men of the court, who were fecret abettors of Popery. Yet, it is evident, that the council were not difpleafed ; for about this time, the hving of Allhallows, in Lon- don, was offered to him ; but he refufed it, not caring to conform to the Englifn Liturgy as it then ftood.
He was called before the council on the refii- fal, and was told, that they were forry to find him of a contrary mind to the common order. Knox replied, *' he was forry the com.mon order *' was contrary to Chrift's inftitution," alludmg to fome ceremonies ftill retained in the church of England, to which he objefled ; and on the fame ground, it is faid, he refufed a bifhopric, vehe- mently condemning all ecclefiaftical dignities. However, he ftill held his place of itinerary preacher; and, in the difcliarge of that office, going to Buckinghamfhire, was greatly pleafed with his reception at fome towns, particularly at Ameriham, in that county ,• and he continued to preach there, and at other places, fome time after queen Mary's acceffion to che ihrone.
But, in the year 1554, he left England, and, crofung the fea to Dieppe, in France, went from thence to Geneva ; where he had not long refided, wlien he was called by the congregation of Eng-
llih
t4 THELIFEOF
lifh refugees, then eftabliflied at Frankfort, to be preacher to them. This vocation he obeyed, though unwilhng, at the command of John Calvin : and he continued at Frankfort till fomc of the principal perfons of his congregation, find- ing it impolTible to perfuade him to ufe the Eng- lifh Liturgy, refolvcd to eifedl his removal from the place.
With that view, Dr. Cox^ an Englifh Protef- tant exile (bifhop of Ely, in the reign of Eliza- beth), and his party, being determined to eftablilh the church of England fervice at Frankfort, in oppofition to that of Geneva, efpoufed by Knox, took the moft ungenerous meafures ta oblige him to quit the city. Knox had publifhed a treatife fbme time before in England, intituled, *' An Ad- monition to Chriftians ;'* in which, with his ufual boldness, he had faid, that the emperor of Ger- many was as great an enemy to Chrill as Nero ,• and his adverfaries, taking advantage of this and fome other unguarded expreilions in the treatife, accufed him to the magiiirates, oftreafon, com- mitted both againfl their fovereign, the emperor of Germany, and alfo againll their own fovereign in England, queen Mary. The magiiirates, not having it in their power to fave him, if he Ihould be demanded, either by the emperor, or, in his name, by queen Mary, gave him private notice thereof; which he no fooner received, than he fet out for Geneva, where he arrived on the 26th of March, 1555, but ftaid there only till Au- guil following; when, refolving after (o long an abfence to make a vilit to his native countrv, he went to Scotland.
Upon his arrival there, finding the profefibrs of
the reformed religion much increafed in number,
and formed into a fociety under the infpe<5lion of
fome teachers, he alTociated himfel/ with them,
4 and
JOHNKNOX. 25
and preaclied to them. PreTently after this, he accompanied one of them, the laird of I>uh, to his feat in the north ; where he relided a montli, teaching and preaching daily to coniiderable num- bers who relorted thither ; among whom were the chief gentlemen, in that country. From thence returning to Lothian, he Hved, for the niofl part, in the houfe of Calder, with Jam.es Sandilands, where he met with many perfons of the hrft rank, with whom he converfed famiharly, and confirmed them, in the truth of the Proteftant do<5lrine.
He afterwards pre?.ched for a confiderable time at Edinburgh ; and in 1556, he went to the weft of Scotland, at the defire of fome Proteftant gen- tlemen, and preached in many places in KyJe. In fome, he alfo celebrated the Eucharift after the manner of the reformed churches. He likewife Tiilted the earl of Glencairn, at liis houfe of Fyn- laifton in the county of Renfrew, and adminiflered the facrament to his lordH^ip's family.
From thefe weftern parts he returned to the eaO", -and reiided fome time at Calder, where many re- forted to him both for do6lrine and the benefit of tlie facraments. From thence, he \vent a fecond time to the laird of Dun's houfe, in the county of Meanis, where he preached more publickly than before, and adminiflered the facram.ents to many perfons of note at their defire.
The Popidi clergy being greatly alarmed at thl^j fuccefs of r\ir. Knox, in protefling the Proteftant caufe, fummoned him to appear before them in the church of the Black-Friars in Edinburgh, 011 the 15th of May, 1556; and feveral gentlemen of diftintlion, among whom was the laird of Dun, refolving to ftand by him, he determined to obey the fummons. But tlie profecution was dropped when the btfhops perceived fach a conEucrable
Vol. II. C • part\
26 T H E L I F E O F
party in his favour. However, he went to Edin- burgh on the day on which he was cited ; where he preached to a greater audience than ever he had done before ; and in the bifhop of Dunkeld's houfe he intruded great numbers of people, w4io were de- firous of embracing the Proteliafit religion, twice a clay, for ten days fucceliiveiy.
At this time the earl of Glencairn preTailed with the earl marlhal, and his truilee, Henry Drummond, to hear one of Mr. Knox's fermons. •'i hey were extremely well fatisfied with his dif- courfe, andpropofed to him to write to the queen- regent an earned letter, to perfuade her, if poili- ble, to hear the Proteflant doflrine. He comphed with their delire, and wrote to her the latter end of Alay, a556. The letter was dehvered by the eari of Glencairn. 7 he queen read it, and gave it to James Beaton, arclibilhop of Glafgow' (nephew of the cardinal who was aflafiinated) with this = farcailic exprellion, " Pleafe you. my lord, to " read a paiquil f" This gave occafion to Mr. Knox to make fome additions to his letter, which he printed at Geneva in J 558.
"VV'hile o|3r reformer was thus occupied in Scot- land, he receivc-d letters from the Engliih congre- gation at Geneva, earncflly entreating liim to come thither; and, having ferioufly conlidered this in- vitation, he determined to comply \yith it. Ac- cordingly, in July, 1556, he left Scotland, went firil to Dieppe, in France, and from thence to Geneva.
tie had no fooner turned his back, than the biihops fummoned him before them ; and, upon hi^ n Oil -appearance, they paffcd fen te nee againft hiio for lierefy, and burned him in effigy at the crois of luunburgh. Againft this procels he after- wards piintcd, atGf neva, in i 5 c8, his famous " Ap- pelia;.. ;) from (he iiiji and niofc unjuil: fcntcnce
pronounced
J O H N K ISI O X. ' 27
pronounced agaiiift him by the falfe bifnops and clergy of Scotland, with his fupphcation to the nobility, eftate^, and commonalty of the laid realm ;" a mailer -piece of its kind, not only for the noble defence of religious independency con- tained in it, but for the elegance and purity of tiie ftyle.
in March, 15^7, feveral noblemen, the chief promoters of the Reformation at that time in Scot- land, judging their affairs to be in a pretty good pofture, and being feniible of the ufefulnefs of Mr. Knox for this purpofe, fent him an exprefs, earneilly defiring him to return home. This let- ter coming to his hands in May 1557, he imme- . diately communicated it to his congregation, who were very unwilling to part with him ; but, hav- ing confulted with Calvin and other mini- flers, they gave it as their opinion, that he could not refufe fuch a plain call, unlefs he v/ould de- clare himfelf rebellious to God, and unmerciful to his country. The congregation, upon this^ yielded to his departure ; and he wrote back by tlae melTengers v/ho brought the letter, that he would return to Scotland with all reaionable expe- dition.
Accordingly, having provided for his flock at Geneva, he left them about the end of September, and came to Dieppe, in his way to Scotland, in Odober. But there he unexpefledly met with letters from thence, contrary to the former, in- forming him, that new confultations were entered into, and advifing him to flay at Dieppe till the conclufion of them. This was alio farther ex- plained in another letter, direded to a friend of Mr. Knox, wherein he was told, that many of thofe who had before joined in the invitation, were becoming incondant, and began to draw b.ick.
C 2. U,..on
28 T H E L I F E O F
Upon the receipt of thefe advices, Mr. KnoK wrote an ex poflu later v letter to the lords who had invited him, conceniiiig their rafhnefs ; wherein he denounced judgments againil: fuch as fhould be inconflant in the religion they now profefled. Be- fides which, he wrote feveral other letters from Dieppe, both to the nobility and to the profelibrs of the rt>rormed religion of an inferior degree ; ex- horting them to conftancy in that doftrine, and giving fome ufeful cautions againil: the errors of leftaries, which grew up about tiiis time, both in Germany and in England. In thefe letters he al- fo enjoined them to give due obedience to autho- lity in all lawful things : and they had fuch an ef- fect on thofe who received them, that they, one and all, entered into an agreement to commit themfelves, and whatfoever God had given them, into his hands, rather than fuffer idolatry to reign ; or the fiibje£ls to be defrauded of their religions liberties ; and to fecure each other's iide- iity to the Protefiant caufe, a common bond^ or covenant, was made and entered into by them, dated at Edinburgh, on the third of Decem^ber, 155- ; and from this period, they were known by the title of the Congregation.
Mr. Knox returned to Geneva in the'beG;inninQ: o-fi558, and the fame year he printed there his trcatife, intituled, '*• The Fiirt Blall of the trum- *' pet againil the monilrous regimen of women. '^ He defigned to have written a fubfeqnent piece, which was to have been called, *' I'he Second *' Blaft :" But queen Mary dying foon after the Firft was publilhed ; and having a great efteem for queen Elizabeth, whom he looked upon as an infirument raifed up, by the providence of God, for the good of the Proteilants, he went no farther.
In
JOHN KNOX. 59
'Til 1559? he determined to return to his native country ; and, having a ftrong deiire, in his way thither, to vilit thofe in England, to whom he had fornierly preached the Goipel, he applied to Sir William Cecil, his old acquaintance, now fe* cretary of flate, to procure leave for that pur- .pofe. But this petition was fo far from being granted, that the raeffenger, whom he fent to fo- • licit that favour, very narrowly efcaped imprifon- ment. For it appears, that Knox's doclrine, con- tained in his '* Firil Blaft," needed no fequel, and had given great difgufl to Elizabeth ; for he main- tained in it, " that it is unnatural, abfurd, and *' impious, for women in any country to be " intrufted with the government of ftates and •*' kingdoms."
Hereupon, he made the btil of his way to Scotland, wliere he arrived in May, and was very active in promoting the Reformation there, as ap- pears from the fecond book of his hiitory, which contains a full account of his conduct till the Pro- teftants were obhged to apply to England. For carrying on which tranfaclion, in July of the fame year, he was pitched upon to meet Sir Wil- liam Cecil, incognito, at Stamford ; but his jour- ney being retarded by the danger of paffing near the French, who lay at Dunbar, he was after- wards fent, in company with Mr. Robert Hamnl- ton, another Proteftant miniiler, to negotiate thefe affairs between the Proteilants in Scotland and queen Elizabeth.
When they came to Berwick, they remained fbme days with Sir James Crofts, the governor, who undertook to mana^^e their bulinefL for them, and advifed them to return home, which they did. Sccsetarv Cecil fent alio an anfvi^er to the Protef- tant nobility and gentry, concerning their propo- h.k to queen Elizabeth ; which was fo cool, that C 3 they
30 T H E L I F E O F
they were very near refolvingto break off the' ne- gotiation, had not Mr. Knox interpofed with \o wiuch eanieftnefs, that they allowed him to write once more to the fecretary. To this letter an anl\ver was rcturrxcd without lofs of time, defil- ing that feme perfons of credit might be iVnt to confer with the Enghlh at Berwick ; and th'e iame difpatch informed them, that a fum of mo- ney was ready to be dehvered for carrying on the common caufe ; affuring them, that, if the lords of the Congregation were willing to enter iiuo a league with queen Elizabeth, upon lio- 7iourabie terms, they neither fhould want men nor money.
Upon this anfwer, Mr. Henry Balnavers, a maiv well refpe£led in both kingdoms, was fent to Ber- wick, who foon returned with a fum of money, which deflated the public expence till November ; wh.en fohn Cockburne, of Ormifloun, being fent ior the lecond fupply, received it, but fell into the hands of earl Lothvvell, who took the money irom him.
The eftevfl of thefe negotiations, w^as the fend- ing of an P-ngiilh armv under the command of the duke of Norfolk, to aflift the Scotch Proteilants, and protect them agaiiill the perfecutions of the qucen-rggent, dowager of James V. who was fup- ported by tl>c arms of France. But the duke of Norfolk's army beiiig joined by almoft all the great men in Scotland, a peace was concluded be- tween the three kingdoms, on the eighth of July, 1560.
1 he Congregationers being freed by this peace from any difturbance, made feveral regulations to- wards propagating and eflablifhing the I'roteftant re- ligion ; and, in order to have the reformed doftrine preached throughout the kingdom, a diviiion was made thereof into twelve diftrids (for the whole
number
JOHNKNOX. 3f
fiBiiiber of the reformed minillers at this time was only twelve) ; whereby the diilrid of Edinburgh- was affigned to Mr. Knox. Thefe twelve mi- nillers compofed a Confeffion of Faith, which was afterwards ratified by parliament. They alfo com* piled the firll books of difcipline for their new church ; and thus the papal anthority, and the Romiih worfhip, v/ere aboiiflied in the kingdom of Scotland.
In the following year, however, the celebrated Mary, queen of Scots, arrived in her native coun-- try, from which fhehad been abfent thirteen years, though fhe was now but nineteen, and the widow of Francis II. king of France, who had been dead about a year. On the Sunday after her arrival, fhe commanded mafs to be celebrated in the chapel of her palace, v/hich ftep occa- fioned great murmurs among the Proteilaniis who attended the court ; arid Knox, with h's accof-^^ tomed freedom and boldnefs, declared , from the pulpit, that, '' One mafs was more frightful to ** him, than ten thoufaud armed n mies landed ** in the kingdom." And the anunoiiry of the people againil Popery, being increalcd by the ap- prehenf.on of feeing it reilored again by roycd authority, was fo great, that the queen's fervants belonging to the cl^apel were greatly infulred and abufed ; farther violence in all probability would likewife have enfued. if the prior of St. Andrew's, who V7as one of the heads of the Proteftant pag:y, had not feafonably interpofed. And by the per- fuahon of this gentleman, who brought over lome of the nioft moderate of the Proteftant leaders to his opinion, the queen and her domeftics v/ere permitted to enjoy the free exercife of their reli- gion unmolefted. But Knox's freedom of Ipeech was not fo readily forgiven ; it had given great of- fence to the queen, who fent for him, and they C 4 hdd
3« THELIFEOF
held a long conference together on different fub- jeds, which only fervid to increafe Mary's aver- fion to him : for, in anfwer to the queen's accu- fatlon, that he had written a book which tend- ■ed to fubvert her authority, he told her, in an uncciirtly ftyle, ** That if the realm found no *' inconvenience in being governed by a wo- ** man, that which the people approved, he fhould *' not difailow, farther than within his own breaft ; " but fhould be as well content to hve under her *' Grace, as Paul v/as under Nero." " And my ** hope is,'* continued he, ** that fo long as you ** defile not your hand with the blood of the *' faints of God, that neither I, nor my book, '* fhall either hurt you, or your authority ; for in " very deed, Madam, the book was written *« againft that wicked Jezebel (Mary) of Eng- *' iand.''
In 1562, we find him employed in reconciling the earls of Both well and Arran ; which is an evidence how much he was regarded by the molt eminent pevfons in the kingdom, and how much intereft he had with them. I'he fame year, the queen being informed, that her uncles were likely to recover their former intereft at the court of France, received the news with great joy. Mr. Knox hearing of her behaviour, and apprehend- ing that the power of her relations would produce difmal eifcv^s, in prejudice of the reformed intereil in thefe parts, thought fit to preach a fermon, wherein he taxed the ignorance, vanity, and de- fpite of princes againfl all virtue, and againil all thofe in whom hatred of vice and love of virtue appeared. This, and other exprelhons, in reproof of dancing for joy, at the difpleafure taken ac;ainll God*s people, coming to the ears of tlie queen, hernia- jefly fent for bim, and had a k^coad conference witii liim.
This
pO H N KNOX. 35-
This year alfo, he was appointed, by the general afleQihly, commiJioner to the counties of Kyle and Galloway ; and, by his influence, feveral of the moft eminent gentlemen entered into a cove- nant, which was fubrciibed on the fourth of Sep- tember, 1562.
From the fnire of Air he went to Nlthfdale and Galloway, and had feveral conferences about mat-» ters of great importance with the mafler of Mox- well ; and from this county he wrote to the duke of Chaterault, giving him cautions both againd the biftiopof St. Andrew's and the earl of Huntley, whofe counfels he judged might prove obnoxious to the Proteilants. About this time he accepted a challenge, made by an eminent perfon among the Papifts, to a^ public difputation upon the mafs, which continued the fpace of three days, and was afterwards printed.
In the beginning of the queen's firfl: parliament, held in 1563, Air. Knox endeavoured to excite ^he earl of Murray to appear with zeal and cou- rage to get the Protellant religion firmly eftablilh- ed by law ; but findip.g him cooler than he ex- peeled, a breach enfued between them, which continued for a year and a halj:': and, after the bill was rejefted, the parliament not being diilblv- ed, be preached a fermon before a great many of the members, wherein he exprelled his fenfe of that matter witi vehemency ; and, at the clofr, declared his abhorrence of the queen's deiign of marrying a 1 anift. This gave great offence to, the court; and her majeily, fending for him a third time, expreilod much pailion, and thought to have punifhed him, but was prevailed upon to • deiift at that tim<".
In 15 5, Icrd Darnley being married to the
queen, was advifed by the Proteilants about court
to hear Mr, Knox preach, as thinking it would
C q contribute
34 THELIFOF
contribute much to procure him the good will of the people. Darnley accordingly comphed, but was fo much offended at the fermon, that he com* plain.ed to the council, who immediately ordered Mr. Knox before them, and fiJenced him for fe- veral days.
His text indeed was very remarkable, and his application of it ftili more flriking. The words w.ere, ** O Lord cur Gcd, other lords ^ hejides iher, ** hai)e had dominion over z/jj'* from which he took occafion to fpeak of the government of wicked princes, who for the fins of the people are lent as tyrants and fcourges to plague them ; and fometimes, faid he, God fets over them, for their offences and ingratitude, Boys and Women.
The general affembly, which met in December this year, in their fourth feffion, appointed Mr. Knox to draw up a confolatory letter in their name, to encourage the minifters to continue in their vocations, which many were under tempta- tion to leave for want of fubfiilence \ and to ex» hort the profeffors of the realm to fupply their ne- celiitics. He was alfo appointed by this affembly to vifitj preach, and plant the kirks of the fouth. But he requefted the next general affembly, whick metat Edinburgh in December 1566, that he might have leave to go to England to vifit two of his fons in tiiat kingdom, and alio to tranfaft fome other bu- finefs there. The affembly granted his requell, but limited his ftay in England to their next an- nual meeting. I'hey then furniffied him with am- ple teftimonials of his life, doctrines, and public ufefulnefs iii the miniftrv, and a ffrong recom- mendation to all Proteftants. He alfo carried with him a letter from the affembly to the biHiops of England, drawn up by himfelf ; complaining of their fevere treatment of the Englifh Puritans, aiid ioliciting indulgence for them.
liV
J O H N K N O X. 55
In 1567, Mr. Knox preached a fermon at the coronation of king J:\mes VI. of Scotland, after- wards lames I. of England. This year was very remarkable in Scotland, on account of the great turn of affairs there, queen Mary being obliged to refign the government, on the appointment of the carl of Murray to be regent. The firil p:irHa- ment which was called by the earl, met upon the 15th of December. It was a very n-umerous con- vention of all the eftatcs, and Mr. Knox- preached a very zealous fermon at the opening of it. He was alfo extremely aifli£led at the regent's death in J569.
in 157 1, tihc Hamiltons and others, who had entered into a combination againll the earl of Lenox, then regent, began to fortify the town of Edinburgh. While they were thus employed, a council was held by them in the caftle on the fourth of May ; where the laird of Grainge, cap- tain of the caftle, propofed that they might give fecurity for the perfon of Mr. Knox, which vras alfo much defired by the town's people. The Hamiltons anfwered, Tliatthey could not promife him fecuFity upon their honour, becaufe there were many in the town who loved him not, be- fides other difordcrly people that might do him- harm without their knowledge.
Upon this anfwer, which plainly fhewed no good intention to Mr. Knox, his friends iii the town, with Mr. Craig, his colleague, at th ir head, entreated him to leave the place. Incom- pliance with their requeils, he left Ediiib-jgh on the fifth of May ; he went firft to Abbot- li)all in Fife-, and from thence to St Andrew'?, wliere he remained till the twenty- third of Auguft>-
1 his year there w^as a convention oi^ the mlni-
fters at Leith, where it was agreed, that a ce tain
C 6 kind
36 THELIFEOP
kind of epifcopacy fhould be introduced Into the church, which was zealoufly oppofed by our re- former. The troubles of the country being much abated, and the people of Edinburgh, who had been obhged to leave it, being returned, they fent two of their number to St. Andrew's, to invite Mr. Knox to return to them, and to afK his ad- vice about the choice of another minifler to affiil him during the time of the troubles. The fuper- intendant of Lothian was with them, when they prefentcd the letter ; which, when Mr. Knox had perufed, he confentcd to return, upon this condi- tion, that he fhould not be deflred in any fort to ceafe fpeaking againfl the treafonable dealings of thofe who held out the caftle of Edinburgh ; and this he defired them to fignify to the whole body of the brethren, left they fhould afterwards re- pent ; and, after his return, he repeated theie Vvords more than once, to his friends there, before he entered the pulpit. They anfwered, that they never meant to put a bridle on his tongue, but defired him to fpeak according to his confcience, as in former times. They alfo requefted his advice upon the choice of a minifter; and, after fome debates, they agreed upon Mr. James Lawfon, iub-principalof the king's college at Aberdeen.
Mr. Knox left St. Andrew's on the feventeenth cf Auguf^, and came to Leith on the twenty- third. Upon the laft day of that month, he preached in the great kirk ; but his voice was become very weak, and therefore he defired ano- ther place to teach in, where his voice might be heard, if it were but by an hundred perfons j which was granted : after which Mr. Knox con- tinued to preach in the Tolbooth as long as he had flrength ; but his health received a great fhock from the ne^rs of the maffacre of the Proteftants at Paris, about this time. However, he introduced
it
JOHN K N O X. 37
it into his next fermpn, with his ufual denuncia- tion of God's vengeance thereon, which he defired the French ambalTador, moniieur La Crocque^ might be acquainted with. On Sunday, Novem- ber the ninth, 1572, he admitted Mr. LawTon to be miniiler of Edinburgh. But his voice was To weak, that very few could hear him -, he declared the mutual duty between a miniiler and his flock; he praifed God, that had given them one in his room, he being nov/ unable to teach, and delired that God might augiiient his graces to him a thoufand-fold above what he had poiTclled, if it were his pleafure, and ended with pronouncing the bieffing.
From this time his approaching diflblurion was ■obferved with concern by all his friends ; an un* wearied application to fludy, continual agitation in bulinefs, during troubhfome times, joined to the frequency and fervour of his public preaching, had worn out a conflitution naturally ftrong, and had brought on a hngering decay ; during the courfe of which, he difcovered the greateft forti- tude and resignation, conltantly employing him- felf in a6^s of devotion, and comforting himfelf with the profpect of immortality, which not only preferves good men from defpondency, but fills them with exultation in their lafl moments. Thus in his death, which happened on the 24th of No- vember, 1572, did he fet a glorious example, as he had done in his life, to thoic whofe principal di- rector he had been, in the laudable but arduous tafk of reforming them from th.^ errors of fuperflition, ignorance, and priellcraft.
A lummary of the chara£ter of this extraordi- nary man is fo admiiably drawn up by J:he mallerly pen of Dr. Robertfon, that we cainiot iinifh this ar- ticle with greater propriety, than by borrowing it upon fo juftihable an occafion as the embellifhment
of
38 THELIFEOF
of a work, which in its very nature difclaims ori- g-inaliry, and can only ftand indebted for its merit to thejudicious introdu6lion of eftabiifhed authori- ties, and of the refined fentiments of celebrated writers.
'^ Knox was tlie prime inftrument of fpreading and eftabHfhing the reformed reJigion in Scotland. Zeal, intrepidity, difmtereflednefs, were virtues which he pofleffed in an eminent degree. He was acquainted too with the learning cultivated in that age ; and excelled in that fpecies of elo- quei-.ce, which is calculated to roufe and to in- flame. His maxims however were often too fe- vere, and the impetuofity of -his temper excelTive. Rigid and -uncomplying himfeif, he fhewed no in- dulgence to the inf.rmities of others. And re^ gardiefs of the dn1in£tions of rank and character, he uttered his admonitions with an acrimony and vehemence, more apt to irritate than to reclaim. Thofe very qualities, however, which now reor- der his charadcr lefs amiable, fitted him to be the inftrument of Providence for advancing tlie Re- formation among a fierce people, and enabled him to face dangers, and to furmount oppofition, from which a peifon of a more gentle fpirit would have been apt to fhrink back.*'
He was interred with great folemnity in the kirk-yard of St. <5iles's, the corpfe being attended by fevferal of the nobilitv then in Edinburgh, par- ticularly by the earl of Morton, that day chofen regent, v/ho, as fcon as he was laid in his grave, faid, *' Thci^e lies a man wlio never in his lite feared the face of a mail, who hath been often threatened wiih dag and dagger, but yet hath ended his davs in peace and honour. For he had God's providence watching over him in an efpe.- cial manner, when his very life v;as fought,"
Dr.
MATTHEW PARKER. 39
Dr. Robertfoii juftly obferves, that this eiilogif I3m is the more honourable, as it came from one whom he had often cenfured with peculiar feverity.
Mr. Knox publiflied feveral theological and con^ troverlial pieces in his own time, which were re- printed, and annexed to the fourth edition of his ** Hiftory of the Reformation of Religion within the Realm of Scotland, &c." which was printed at Edinburgh, in folio, in 173a.
*^* Authorities. Biog. Britan. Mackenzie's Lives of the Scotch writers j Dr. Robertfon's Hifr- tory of Scotland..
The L I F E of
MATTHEW PARKER, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,
(A. D. 1504, to 1575.)
IncIudingMemoirs of George Browne, and of Hugh Corwin, Archbiihops of Dublin.
TH E sra of the complete and permanent eftablifhment of the Proteftant religion in England, Scotland, and Ireland, comprizes the moll interefling part of the ecclefiaftical hiftory of thefe k'ngdoms ; and it is hoped, that the reader's patience will not be put to too fevere a
trial.
40 M A T T H E W P A R K E R,
trial, by attending to the meafures which were taken by qneeii Elizabeth and the eminent divine (he placed in the fee of Canterbia-y, to eflablifh and confirm the church of England.
One of the principal inllruments for accompHfli- ing this important bulinefs, was Matthew Parker, the fon of a reputable citizen of Norwich, where he was born in the year 1504. His father died when he was very young, but having ordered by his will, that he fhould be devoted to the church, his mother fent him at a proper age to Beniiet, now Corpus Chrifti college, Cambridge; where his lively genius, improved by alTiduous application to thofc ftudies which are pecuharly adapted to the facred function, eftablilhed his reputation in early life, as a man of uncommon leariiing for his age. ■^^ I537» ^^ entered into prieft's orders, took the degree of mailer of arts, and was chofen fellow of his college. At this time, a flattering teili- inony of his confpicuous abilities was given by cardinal Wolfey, who offered him one of the iirll: fellowlhips in his new college ac Oxford ; but, by the perfualiOn of his friends, he declined tlie invi- tation, and continued at Cambridge, diligently profecuting his iludies.
In the year 1^33, he commenced preacher, and Hecame lo popular, that his fame reached the ear of Cranmer, who, on enquiry, finding likewife, that his opinions favoured the Reformation, fent him a fpecial licence to preach in his diocefe, and recommended him to the notice of Henry Ylll. '1 he king fent for him to court the fame year; and his queen, Anne Boleyn, being highly pleafed with a ferinon preached before her, in v/hich Parker avowed the princio'es of the reformed churches abroad, fhe appointed him one of her diaplains, placed the greateft confidence in him 7 ever
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 41
ever after, and upon her fatal reverfe of fortune gave liim feveral private injun£lions refpe£ling her daughter the prhicefs Elizabeth, the care of whofe education file particularly dire(£led fhould be en- trufled to him ; and thus the balis was laid of the ilrong attachment of that princefs to her learned and pious fpiritual guardian.
iViR. Parker's firft benefice in the church was the deanery of Stoke in Suffolk, which the king gave him on the queen's folicitations in 1534; and from this time, to the death of his royal patronefs, we meet with nothing remarkable concerning him, except an accufation brought againil him by the Popiih party, for expoling the errors of , the Romilh church with great freedom, in his fermons at St. Paul's Crofs : but he de- fended himfelf in a molt fatisfaulory manner, and was ordered by the lord chancellor Audley, w4io tried the charge, to perfevere in fo good a caufe, regardlefs of the menaces or accufations of his ad* verfaries.
King Henry made Mr. Parker one of his chap- lains after the fall of Aniie Boleyn ; and during the remainder of this reign, he continued riling in the church, and in the univeriity of Cambridge. The degree of do£lor of divinity was conferred on him in 1538. In 1544, he was eledled mafter of his college ; and the following year,, vice-chan- cellor.
Dr. Parker had indulged a iincere affe«5tion for a- young lady, of the family of HarHe'itoiie in Nor-* folk, and a tender intercourfe had been carried oil for fome years, but the fix bloody articles, one of which forbade the marriages of the clergy, being put in force with uncom.iion rigour, about the time that this connection was formed, the happy union of the parties was delayed till the llatute was re- pealed on the accefTion of Edward VI. when they
were
41 MATTHEW PARKER,
were married ; and it ihould feem by the feqiiel, that the Papills, his avowed enemies, always had their eye upon this expected event. Our divine, during the Ihort reign of Edward, chiefly diftin- guilhed himfeh'as a frequent and zealous'preacher ' in fupport of the Reformation, and confequently could not efcape tat notice of the oppoilte party, to whom he rendered himfelf extremely obnoxious, by the (hare he had' in the fupprelhon of the re- bels, under Kett, the tanner of Norvv-ich. For Dr. Parker, being one of their countrymen, with great intrepidity w'ent to their camp, and preached to the rebels from the oak. of r>.eforma'tioa5 per- fuadingthem to fubmit to the kiiig, and to retv;rii to their fam.ilies and occupations ; which had fuch an efr-61 that many difperfed ; and their army be- ing confiderably diminilhed, became an ealier con- queft to the king's forces, commanded by the earl of VVarv/ick, who totally defeated them. This eminent fervice, how^ever, was performed at the peril of his hfe, for fom.e of the leaders', aware of the confequences of his fermon, which cooled the ardour of their ?iicn, were for facriiicmg him on the fpot ; but a large party, better pleafed with his friendly admonitions, conducted him fafely out of the camp.
It is rather extraordinary, that Parker was not promoted in this reign, in which we do not find that he received an.y addition to the ecclefiaitical preferments he enjoyed at the demife of Henry. We are told, indeed, by Strype, that, " he was nominated to a bifhopric, which he either refufed, or others ft^pped in before him ;" but from the relu£lance he afterwards fhewed to accept the higheil {Ration in the church, it is moft probable that he declined the offer, and preferred a private life, efpecially as he was perfectly at eafe in his
eir-
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 43
circumftances at this period. But queen Mary no Ic'oner afcended the throne, than his inveterate enemies avaihng tlicmfeives of his marriage, made him experience a total reverfe of fortune ; for he was deprived of aU his preferments, and reduced with his wife, and two Ibns, to the necelTity of living with the utmoll parfimony, and in the greateil: privacy and ohfcurity, often changing their place of abode, to prevent his falling into the hands of the bloody perfecutors of the re- formed clergy ; whcfe fury, however, he moft fortunately efcaped by his own vigilance, and tlic \3n wearied afTiduity of his friends.
At length, he had the happinefs to be called forth from his retreat, to new acceilions of ho- nour and fortune. Queen Elizabeth embracing the earliefl opportunity to reward him for his fer- vices and his fufferingsin the Proteftant caufe, no- minated him, foon after fne was proclaimed, to fill tiie archiepifcopai fee of Canterbury, vacant by the death of Cardinal Pole. Dr. Paiker, however, was fo far from being elated at this moft diftin- guifning mark of the approbation of his fovereig'i, tiiat he requeued the lord keeper Bacon, to ufe his intereft with the queen, to permit him to de- chne the acceptance of this great honour, alleg- ing, amongif other excufcs, his bodily infirmities, particularly a hurt which he had received by a fall from his horfe, in flying by night from fome perfons w^ho were kwt to apprehend him in the late reign. The injury he complained of was the ronlequence of a contuiion on his breaft, wdiich made preaching very painful to him, and there- fore, in his opmion, difqualined him for the moit eifential duties of his high ftation. But the queen perfifting in her choice, he was confecrated at Lambeth in 1559 j ^^^ it was fcon perceived, that
this
44 M A T T H E W P A R K E R,.
this appointment was one of the many vvhlch^ manifefted the great penetration and pohtical ge- nius of the fovereign : for the archbifiiop, being in- vefted with full powers to eftablilh the Proteftant Religion, took a fpecial care to recommend to the queen fuch divines who hvid diilinguifhed them- felves for their piety, their learning, and their zeal, in promoting the Reformation, to fill the vacant fees, and the other ecclefiaflical benefices, of which- the Popiili priefls were foon after deprived, for not conforming to the new llatutes and injunctions concerning religion.
Archbiihop Parker likevvife extended his influ- ence and his concern, for the Proteilant interefr,. to the kingdom of Ireland, where religion had fufFered the fame revolutions as in England ; the Reformation having been let on foot during the adminiflration of Cromwell, earl of Eflex, in the reign of Henry VIII. by George Browne, arch- biihop of Dublin, an Englifliman, and an Auguf- tine Friar of London, who was promoted to that fee by Cromwell's recommendation. This pre- late w^as the firft clergyman in Ireland who em- braced the Reformation. He proceeded in it with fuch zeal, that he carried the bill for eftablifhing Henry's fapr-emacy through the parliament of Ire- land at a time when even the attempt was reck- oned dangerous. He a!fo removed all images and fuperflitious relics from the churches, and was the firft who ordered the Lord s Prayer, the L reed, and the Ten Commandments, to be placed in their Head, at the altars; after which, he deteded fome cc*i- fpirators who were fent from Rome, to raife a re- bellion in Ireland, and to root out herefy. He continued to exert the fame aftive zeal in the reign. of Ldward, but in the lirit year of Mary, being a married man, he was deprived, and died foon after.
Popery.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 4-
Popery was then reftored again In Irehnd, but when archbiiliop Parker had fettled the affairs of the church of England, he fent over proper inftruc- tions to Hugh Corvviii, archbifhop of i3ub]in, for completing the Reformation of the church of Ire- land, and he was to be fupported by the earl of SulTex, newl}^ appointed the queen's lieutenant of that kingdom. Accordingly, the Litany was fnng in Englifh -at the cathedral in Dublin, the earl and his court being prefent, which fo exafperated the Popilh party, that they had recourfe to the old facrilegious fraud ef inventing a miracle. The particulars of this lafl: effort to impofe on the cre- dulous are very curious, and therefore we Ihall give them in the >.vords of Strype, who relates the fl:ory, as comnnnicated in a letter from archbilhop Corwin to archbimop Parker.
" There was in the cathedral an image of Chrilf in matble, ftanding with a reed iii his hand and a crown of thorns on his head ; and while fervice was faying before the lord-lieutenant, the archbilTiop, the reft of the privy council, and the corporation of Dublin (on the fecond ^unday of finging the c nglifh Litany), blood was {een to run through the crevices of tiie crown of thorns, trickling down the face of the image. The peo- ple did not perceive it at firft ; therefore, fome who were in the fraud cried out to one another, and bade them fee, how our Saviour's image fvveat blood. Whereat feveral of the common people fell down with their beads in their hands, and prayed to the image. Vaft numbers flocked to the fight, and one prefent, who indeed was the contriver, and formerly belonged to rhe priory of the cathedral, tnld the' people the caufe, viz, that he could not chufe but fweat blood, whilft hercfy was then come into the church. The contufion hereupon was fo great, that the affembly broke up.
But
46 MATTHEW PARKER,
But the people flill fell upon their knees, thump" ing their breads ; and particularly one of the aldermen, the mayor of the city, whofe name was Sedgrave, and who had been at the Englilh fervlce, drew forth his beads, and prayed with the refc before the image. I'he earl of Suffex, Jind thofe of the privy council, hailed out of the choir, fearing fome harm. But the archbilTiop being difpleafed, caufed a form to be brought out of the choir, and bad the fexton to fland thereon, and to fearch and walh the image, and fee if it would bleed afrclh. The man foon perceived the cheat, obferving a fponge Vv'ithin the hollow of the image's head. 1 his fponge, one Leigh, the perfon above mentioned, had foaked in a bowl of blood, and, early on Sunday morning, watching his opportuiiity, place.! the faid fponge fo fwohi and heavy with blood, over the head of the image within the crown ; and fo, by litt;le and little, the blood foaked through upon the face. The fponge was prefently brought down and Ihewn to thefe worn:iippers ; who began to be aihamed, and fome of them curfed father Leigh, v.ho was fooii difcovcred, and three or four others, who had been the contrivers of it." Thefe were expofed and |)unifhed, and the archbifhop ordered the image to be removed.
Ridiculous as this flory mufl appear, it had a very happy effeft at the time in England ; for archbilliop Parker caufed it to be univerfaliy cir- culated, to cool the ardour of thofe who flill re- tained a veneration for images, a folly which feems to have adhered to queen Elizabeth for fome time after her accefiion, though many writers impute it to policy. tlowever this be, the light ot this letter, backed by feveral paiuiges produced f om fcripture by our Protefiant divines, 6 overcame
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 47
overcame her fcruples, and flie confented to have them taken down throughout the kingdom, and demohfhed.
But llill the great work of fixing tr;e rehgion of the llate on a peraiancnt footing, and as con- fonant to the civil pohty of the kingdom as pof- fible, fuffered many impediments and obftruc- tions, not indeed from the Romifn perfualion, who had now ]ofl ail hopes > but the defperate one of cQtting off the fecular power, that prefumed to countenance an eftabUfhed herefy. The oppoli- tion arofe from the difciples of Calvin, and other fe£taries, who, though they v/ere Ptoteflants, ob- jefted as much as tiie P-ipifts to fome of the doc- trine§, and more generally to the worfhip of the church of England, as it was then j^uil: eflabUfhed by the a£l of uniformity. Some of thefe rejedled infant baptifm, and were llyled Anahaptifii ; fome again afhrmed, while others denied, the doftrines oi free-will 2Si^prcd:jtinaiiQn^ and adminidered the facraments in their own manner ; thefe hkewife branched out into many other dillin6lions ; and Cal- vin fupported their pretenfions to a fnare in the ec- clefiailical part of our conftitution, by writing a poUte, but artful letter to archbifhop Parker, re- quefting him to prevail v^^ith the queen to call a general aiierably of all the Proteilant clergy where- foever difperfed, that they might agree upon one common form of worfhip and of church govern- ment, to be eftabliflied not only within her do- minions, but alfo among all the reformed and evangelical churches abroad. But the Englilh ex- iles who lived abroad, during the reign of Mary, fome of whom were men of great piety and learn- ing, as well ecclefiailics as laics, having already flievvHi great diverfity of opinions on this delicate fubjed ; fome having contended (as we have no- ticed
4^ MATTHEW PARKER,
ticed in the life of Knox) for the fervice of the church of England, and others for that of Geneva, the privv-council confidering, that the church of England' in thi<^ its infant {late, required fome fop- port from authority, refslved to maintain epif- copacy, and this refolution Parker was ordered to iranfmit to Calvin, thanking him at the fame time for his candid offers.
A more effedual method could not be taken to filence Calvin, who was a great enemy to any cpifcopal government of Chrift's church : ac- cordingly, he made no farther application to the Britifh court, but he fecretly encouraged all the Englifh diflenters from the worfhip of the church of England ; who, upon their feparation from that church upon the publication of the a6i of uni- formity, were called Puritans, from their laying claim to a purer form of worfhip and church dlf- clpline, in their idea, than that which was now eflabliflied in England.
Another prejudice, ftiil retained by queen Eliza- beth, was a firong averfion to the marriages of priefts, upon which fubje£l fhe v^ould certainly have come to a ruplure with the archbifhop, if Cecil had not compromifed matters between them, by getting Paiker, who was as tenacious of his opinions as her majeily. to agree to a royal in- jundion, that no head or member of any college or cathedial fliould bring a wife, or any other woman, into the precinds cf it, to abide in the fame, on pain of forfeiture of ail eccleliailical pre- ferments. It fl^.ould feem as if the queen and our archbifhop had derei rained to plague each other on the fubje<ft of matrimony ; for l^arker had writteii a letter to her majefly, exhorting her to enter in- to that holy ftate, to which he had procured the fignature of fome other p)relates, and now upon his application to her, to revoke this injundion,
Ihe
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 47
ihe ti-eated the inftitution with fevere fatire and marked contempt, telling the archbifhop Ihc re- pented having made any married men bi)nops ; which mortified him not a little, and occalioned his writing a fharp letter to the fecretary of fcate, m which he informed Irim, that the billiops were all difiatisfied with the queen, and that for his part he repented his having accepted the HiaLion he new hdd.
This mifunderflanding, however, was nofooncr adjufled, than a religious quarrel of another na- ture broke out among the clergy of the eftabliihed church, which threatened an alarmin^^ and dan- gerous fchifm, and could not fail of giving caufs of fcandai to ail well-difpofed Chriftians ; lince even the biihops were divided in opinion, and formed themfelves into diilin^t parties.
The queen in confequence of a-claufe in the a£t of -ardformity, Vv'hich impowereddier ^~ add 2ny rites and ceremonies fhc thought proper to the eftablifned church, had enjoined particular e-ccleli- afcical habits to be worn by the different ordera of the clergy ; to thefe regulations fome implicit- ly con fo^;med, others rejected part of their drefs, and not a fev7 the whole, as the relics of Popiili fuper^ition. Surplices and copes in particular were ilrongly objcfted to ; and this diff^erence in opinion had fuch an ^ft'ecl upon the congregations; that divine fervice was almoil deferted by thofc who had a prcpolTeilion in favour of thefe habits, if the prieft of the parilh was of a contrary opi- nion ; and the fame happened in parifhes where tile people abhorred thefe garments, and their pafiors perlifted in wearing them. In fliorc, as it happens in all public difputes, which give rife to parties, the infe6i:ion fpread to private families, ■?.nd caufed demefric altercations. And, as, tli;:
Vol. II. D maj jniv
50 MATTHEW PARKER,
majority cf the laity were againft thefe habits, the clergy who w'ore them were fuhjefted to the infalts of the common people, who confidered them as hypocrites, believing theai to be Papills at heart, and conformifts to the reformed religion only from worldly motive^. This fpirit in the people in- creafed with their averlion to Popery ; and our archbifiiop, whole advice the queen cliiefiv follow- ed, wMs feverely cenfured as the principal author of thefe diilur'^ances. But neither Parker, nor the reft of the prelates of his party, made any concef- licn to quiet the minds of the dilTatisfied : on the contrary, when the two archbilhops were fent for to court, and commanded to reilore the peace of the church, they imm.ediatelv purfued fuch meafures as were calculated to inforce obedience from the clergv ; and the laity v>'ere totally left out of the queftion, unlefs they thought proper to con- form to th.e ordinances now drawn up by Parker and his alibciates, for due order in preaching and adminiflering the facraments, and for the appaiel of perfons eccledaftical.
In confequence of thefe regulations, the breach was widened, and has not been clofed to this hour; for all the licences for preaching were di- re6lly cancelled, and no new ones granted but to fuch of the clergy as would fubfcribc to the queen's original injunftions concerning the ec- clefiaftical habits, and to the ordinances fet forth by Parker, containing fome articles to which many of the clergv, and a confiderable body of the laitv, couid by no means be brought to con- form. Among other tilings, the principal mi- iiiiler was to w-ear a cope when he adminiflered the iacrament : at pravers they were all to wear lurpiice<^ ; in the parifli chuiches, and in cathe- drals, hoods, in which they were to preach : the
commu-
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 51
communion-table was to he placed in the eall, and no perfon permitted to receive the facrament in any other pofture bat kneeling. And, finally, no per- fon to be ojdained, who had not taken degrees at Oxford or Cambridge.
A violent fchifm enfued, and fuch numbers of the clergy religned their benefices and cures, that the two univerlities could not fuppiy men cf tolerable abilities to fill up the vacancies. '] he bhhops were therefore obliged to procure degrees for, and to ordain, many illiterate perfons, but whom they found ready to comply w^thany forms or ceremonies by which they might be induced to valuable livings.
But among the clergy who refufed to conform -were many perfons of the firil reputation for piety, learning, and moral chara£ler, for whom the candid and difinterefted in general conceived the highell veneration. Thefe had confidei able in- tereil at court ; and they were countenanced by a few of the moderate bilhops, particularlv by Jewel, biihop of Salifoury, and Pilkington. biPnop of Durham, w'ho, as they had been exiles for their profeffion of the Proteflant faith in the worfl of times, could not be fufpetSled of w^ant of zeal : and, therefore, they wrote with great freedom and intrepidity to the earl of Leiceller, the reigiiing court favourite, reprefenting that the reformed countries abroad had call off Popilh apparel with the pope, that in things, indifferent in themfelves, compuifion fhould not be ufed by any means ; and that fo manv minifters were refolved to leave their livings, rather tlian comply, that it w^ould be inipoffible to find proper teachers, the realm being fcarce of them, and manv places entirely drftitute of any. Leicefter, already inclined to favour the caufe of the non-conforraiils, gained D 2, over
52 MATTHEW ARKETt.,
•over fc'veral otlier courtiers, and their reprefen- tations had fuch an efFe£l on the queen, that flic Tcfolved to withdraw the royal fandtion, and leave the ordinances to the ecclefiaftical court, which had fufhcient authority over the inferior clergy by the canon law, to inforce obedience if it was judged neceirary to exert it ; z.nd thus the odium of a fpi ritual perfecution againft the Puritans was taken off from the crown, and thrown upon the arch- bifhops and their party.
Farker, exafperated at this meafure, openly de- clared, that the qiieen had ordered him to draw up , t'ne injuni^tions and the ordinances, and he refolved to abide by thcra. He now pubhlhed them under n\e title of Advertifements, and foon gave the clergy to underftand, that he Avould inforce them with rigour in the fpiritual court-; for he cited Samp- ion', dean of Chrifl's church Oxford, and Hum- phreys, pfeiidcnt of Klagdalen college, to appear nefore Irim, and other eccleiiailical commilhoners ; and after trying every perlualive argument to in- <5uce them to conform, they were menaced wnth deprivation in cafe of refufal, and a Ihort time Tv.as allowed them to give in their anfwer. This, however, they einployed in writing an elaborate letter to the commiffioncrs in defence of tlieir con- du6t, and in fupport of religious liberty. With great coolnefs and judgment they exprefled their concern, that fuch a dilfention Hiould arife for io trifling a fubje^l, propter lanam et linum ; meaning, the fquare cap, and the furplice ; and only required the fame.1 indulgence for their opinions, which they ■were ready to grant to thofe, who differed from them. This law% concerning the reiloring the ceremonies of the church of Rome, they faid, nppcared to tb.em to be joined w^ith the hazard of fjavery, neceliity, and fi^perllition : " But becaufe tJiis doe;> TiOt fec:n to yon, you arc not to be con- demned
ARCH-BISHOP OF CANTERBUxR^Y. 5^
demned by ns 3 becanfe this does feem fo to us^ we are not to be vexed by you." Theib and othet: arguments, equally fraught with the fpirit of pri- mitive Chriftianity, charity, and a^e^iion, had no v/eight with the commiffioners, who acted under ' the inEuence of the archbifnop, and he was deter- mined to make aii example of thefe two divines^ who were univeri'ally efteemed for their great learn- ing ; their zeal ir-i the Proteftant caufe, and tlieir fufferings on that aceount in the reign of queea^ Mary, being of the number of the unfortunate e>dies, who were reduced to great extremities- abroad, fubiiiling Ibleiy on the charity oT the fo- reign ProteHants. AcGordingl^, on their fecond appearance, they were ordered to comply in a pe- remptory manner by the archbifiiop, and on their refuial, they were taken into cuifody, and con- iined in the archbifliop's p^J^xe at Lambetli, vvith 3. view of terrifying the inferior clergv. But this proceeding not having the defired efie6l,., they were- deprived, and then releafed.
^oon after, the archbifhop ordered the whole body of the London clergy to appear before hirn, and fome of the eccleliallical coramiffioners, ac Lambeth, on a certain day, to fubfcribe their con- formity to the injunftions and ordinances, and having given proper notice of his intention to ths^ court, he requefted fecretary Cecil and fome of the privy council to be prefent ; but he could not obtain their confent ; however, he found means to procure a royal proclamation, requiring uni- formity in the habits of the clergy, under pain,, upon refufal, of being filenced and deprived.
When the London clergy appeared in court,, they v/ere adnionilhed to follow the pious example of one Thomas Cole ; who overcoming his fcru- ples, by the force of perfuafions, had conformed, and being dreffed in the habits required by the in- D 3 jun£lions->
54 MATTHEW PARKER,
jun(^ions, was placed in a corifpicuou? manner near the commiiiioners. The archbifhop's chan- cdloT then addreiled them m thefe words, as re- late ' Sv Strypc, in his life of Grindal, bifhop of Lond jn.
*• My mailers, and ye mlnifrers of London? the council's pleafure is, that itri(ft}y ye keep the unity of apparel, hke to this man (pointing to Mr. Cole; that is, wear a fquare cap, and a fcho'ar's gown, prieft-hke, a tippet, and in the churcli, a linen furphce, and inviolably obferve the rubric of the Boo'<c of Common Prayer, and the queen's majefty's injunctions, and the Book of Convocation (the Thirty-Nine Articles) ye, that will fubfcribe, write ^010. Thole that will not iubfcribe, write Nolo. Ee brief, make no word^.'* And when feme of the clergy offered to fpeak, he interrupted them, crying, '* Peace, peace, — ap- paritor call over the churches ; and ye mafters an- fwer prefently fu^ peena contenipius, and fet your names." Of ninety -eight prefent, fixty-one fub- fcribed ; and- when the reft prefented a paper to the archbiihop, aligning their reafons for refufing, his grace told them, that it was no part of the duty of the commifTioners to debate ; adding, ** he did not doubt, but when they had felt the fmart of want and poverty ; they v,?ould comply ; for the wood as yet was but green."
It would be a tedious and unfatisfa6lory tafk to follow the archbiihop through all his inquifitorial proceedings againft the non-conforming clergy, in which he perilled to the lail: ; nor fhould we have dwelt fo long upon this article, if it had not en- able.! us to trace the origin of the fubfcriptions requ red from the clergy to the Thirty-Nine Ar- ticles, and other canonical ordinances, a fubjefl which is become intereiliVig in our dav, by the vigorous but inefFe6:ual applications lately made
to
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 55
to parliament for relief, from this ad of religious thraldom.
We are likcwlfe indebted to this part of onr hiftory, for the rife of that re'pe6table bodv of diflenters from the church of England, who have ever fince approved themfelves the zealous and ikady friends of the religious and civil liberties of their country.
For, the archbilhop did not ilop here ; but find- ing that the books and pamphlets publifhed by the deprived clergy, who with the diflenting laity were now flyled Puritans, were written with manly free- dom, and contained unanfwerable arguments in favour of their refufal to comply with ceremonies retained from the Romifh church ; he complained to the privy-council, that the queen's injunftions v/ere difobeyed, and the fchifm in the church in- creafcd by the publication of heterodox libels. Tiiis application to the government produced an order from that arbitrary tribunal the ilar-cham- ber, prohibiting all books and pamphlets iii v^hicli any thing was advanced againft the injunftions, the ordinances, or the efl:abiifhed mode of v;orlhip of the church of England. The wardens of the fla^-ioners company were likewife empowered to fearch the bookfellers Ihops and the printing-houfes for fuch works, and to bring the offenders before the ecclefiaftical commifTioners. Thus was the finifhing hand put, to a total feparation of the confcientious Puritans, from the new church of England. On the merits of the controverfy, it is difficult to make an impartial decilion at this dif- tance of time, though Ibme hundreds Oi volumes have been publiflied on both fides : but we may venture one remark ; that, as the difference arofe only from external ceremonies, both parties agree- ing in the fundamental doctrines of Chriftianity, the extremes to which it w^as carried, could only
D4 be
56 MATTHEW PARKER,
be the efFefl of pafiion, prejudice, and felfixliners^ which prevails to this hour, and prevents that li- berality in religion which ought to be the refult of the exteniion of human knowledge, and of the moft refined fentiments, that prevail all over Europe, with refpedl to other fciences excepting that of di- vinity.
The archbifhop's zeal at length carried him be- yond the limits of his duty, for he wanted to in- fluence thehoufe of commons to fubmit all matters concerning religion to the bifhops ; but two re- nowned patriots of thofe days, Mr. Strickland and Mr. Wentworth, ftrennoufly oppofed this arbitrary proceeding, in which tlie queen was impoliticly concerned ; and, after very warm debates, the com- mchs were obliged to agree to her majefty's pre- tenfions, though by no means well founded, that as fiipreme head of the church, the ordering of all things thereunto belonging, was a branch of her royal prerogative; and ?vlr. Wentworth, for his frtedcni of fpeech in this debate, was fent to the \\ov;tT. The queen then committed this prero- gative into the hands of Parker, and the prelates of his party, w'ho not content with requiring fub- fcription to the Thirty-nine Articles, exceeded thQ penalties prefcribed by law for refufal. And to crown the whole, the archbifiiop made a per- fonal yiiitation in t^ie lile of Wight, at that time chiefly inhabited by foreign Proteftants of different periuallons, who had fled from Romilh perfecu- tion. It had been the policy of government hi- therto to let thefe Grangers enjoy religious tolera- ■ tion, cfp-cially as there were amongfl them many. Calvinifts ; but Parker having information, that not a few of the non conforming clergy had found 2:1 afylum, and an hofpitable reception in this inand,"^he refolvcd to enforce the a£t of uniformity there, never thought of before, and upon meeting
with
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. ST
with almoft a general refufal, he deprived the clergy, and ordered the churches to be (hut up. This intemperate zeal, when it came to be known: . at court, highly difpleafed the queen, who juftly Goniidered, that as this place was reforted to by mariners of different nations, her repuiation would;' - loon luffer in foreign countries ; where thefe. pro-- ceedings would aftoniih the Proteftants, and giv^ the Roman Catholics an opportur»ity of retorting the charge of perlecution upon the church of England. About the fame time the biihop of Wincheiler remonflrated, that the archbilliop in a^ vifitation of his diocefe, had infringed on his pri- vileges, and eftablilhed an inquifitoriai power aver his clergy. The council upon thefe complaints, declared their difapprobation of the- archbilhop*s conduifl, and ads'ifed her majeily to order the churches to be opened in the Ifle of Wight,, and- the minifters to be reilored, without fubfcribing. unlefs they did it voluntarily, which was accord.- ingly done, and when Parker, came to court, the queen publicly reprimanded him. But tlie mK^ chief was done, the fpirit of fuperiority, ofeccle- iiailicai pride, arid of dlfdain for their Proteitaac brethren of different, perfualions, which remains to this hour a reproach to the dignified clergy of the church of England as a body, had dlffeminatcd itfelf in all Darts of the kincrdom, never to be era.-- dicated.
Parker cculd but .ill brcok 2jny. coo]i>efs fiOra. the queen, or her minillry, as lie always pretended that the warmth of his zeal,, was for the advance- ment of her majefl:y*s honour, and the fupport of her royal prerogative, and thcrcf:ire he retired fro/u court, and wrote a very Iharp Letter to Cecil lord Burleigh, now high treafurer, and firlb minifter of-ilate, expreliir.g his difcontent at the. .opi^^-^fitioR formed againil his meafures, and declaring both • ' D ^ , ■ the
58 MATTHEW PARKER, c^c.
the church and the ilate to be in danger of diflb" lution Irom t' e countenance given to the Puritans ; but he did not long furvive this letter, for being feverely afflidl d with the llone, and its common attendant the Uranguary, he was taken off by a violent fit of the laft in May 1575.
This prelate how^ever, with all his faults, muft bp confidered as a principal agent in adding to the luflre of the reign of Elizabeth, by fixing the Proteflant rehgion on fuch a permanent footing, as left not the leall probability of the refloration of Popery, to which the people, from the natural inconflancy of their difpofitions, fo readily re- turned after the death of Edward VI. a circum- flance which will be hereafter enumerated with the reft of the fignal advantages obtained for this kingdom, by her prudent and fuccefsful admi- niftration.
His reputation, as an author, and a ufeful an- tiquaripn, ftill preferves his name with veneration in the learned world. He was a diligent inquirer into Saxon and Kritifh antiquities, he ipared nei- ther labou ■ nor expence to colieft and preferve the writings of the moft a.xient autliors of our own country, and according to Strvpe, one of his agents only procured for him no lefs than 6;oo volumes, in four years. His controveifial works are bur few and of fmall eftimation, but he had a confiderable fhare in revifing and correcting Avhat was called the Bilhop's Bible, which was pub- lilhcd ^in 1568, and the preface to which vvas v/ritten by him. The archbifhop like wife pub- lilhed editions of four of our an.cient Enghih hif- torians ; Matthew of Weftminfter, Matthew Paris, AfTtrls I ife of Alfred, and 1 horaas Walfingham's hiftcry from Fdwardl. to Henry V. with his ac- couQC of iNormandy. I o iheie we may add, the
lives
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 59
lives of his prcdecefTors the archbifl'iops of Can- terbury, the joint labour of Parker and Jocehne, one of his chaplains. The befr edition of this work is that publifhed by Dr. Samuel Drake, at London, in 1729.
*-* Author U'les, Life of Matthew Parker by John Strype, jVI. A. Neal's Hiftory of the Pu- ritans. Warner's Eccleiiaftical Hiftory of England. Sir Jame's Ware's Hiflory of the Bifhops of Ire- land. Stow's Chronicle.
The Life of
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM,
Merchant and Citizen of London. (A.D. 1519, to 1579.)
TPIE Revolutions in the commercial afrairs of Europe, form as ftriking a pidure of the glo- rious age of Elizabeth as thofe of religion, with which they were at this period intimately con-. nested; and, perhaps, there is not to be founJ in the hiflory of any nation luch a concurien.c of happy events as thofe, which at almofl one and the fame initant, contributed to infure the profperity of En<rland, and to hx the renown of its foveieisn
•t>'
during; this glorious sra.
"O
D 6 It
6o T H E L I F E O F
It is impoflible to illuftrate the truth of thefa hiftorical lemarks, in more preciie terras than thofe of the celebrated Voltaire, in his Univerfal Hiilory ; and as he makes honourable mention of the emirient citizen and patriot, to whofe life they are applied, the reader cannot be prefented with a more beautiful and apt introduction,
'' From the firil beginning of EHzabeth's reign, *' the Englifli applied themfeives to manufactures : '* the Flemings being perfecuted by Philip II. *' king of Spain, (who permitted his governor of " the Low Countries, now the Auftrian Nether- *' lands, to exercife every a£t of cruelty for the *' extirpation of herefy) removed to London, ** bringing with them an increafe of inhabitants, *' induftry and riches. This capital, which en- ■*' joyed the bleffings of peace under Ehzabeth, *' cultivated likevN/ife the liberal arts, which are the ** badges and confequences of plenty. London ** was enlarged, civihzed, and embelliihed ; and, ** in a fnort time, one half of Vhe little ifland of *' Great Britain, was able to counterbalance the ** whole power of Spain. TheEnglifh now figured ** as the fccond nation in the world in induflry, as ** in liberty they were the iirft ; and a private mer- ** chant in London, Vv^as rich enough to build the ^' Royal Exchange, and to found and endow a ** college for the education of the children of hh ^' fellow-citizens. '^
Ey what means Efigland attained this accefiion of national power, fplendor, and riches, will be developed in the liie of this ih'uitrious citizen, and of thcfc great ftatefmen, warriors and na- vigators, who by their lignal fervices in their difiercnt ilations of life, at once immortalized their own reputations, and aggrandifed their na- ti\e country, .
Tkom^vs
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 6r
Thomas Gresham was the defcendant of an ancient family, who, according to Camden, took their name from a town fo called in Norfolk, and this family had produced feveral eminent men in the earlier periods of the Britifh hiftory, nor was the father of this gentleman, Sir Richard Grefham, of lefs note than his anceftors. For being fortu- nate in the buiinefs of a mercer, and enaHed to purchafe confiderable eftates, he became llierifF of London in 1531, and recommended himfelf to Henry VII i. who conferred upon him the honour of knighthood, and made him his principal agent for the negotiation of his mercantile concerns and loans at Antwerp, during his wars with France ; and he was afterwards mayor. But Sir Richard is Hill more memorable as a citizen, for obtaining the privilege for private merchants to be bankers, and to negotiate bills of exchange without apply- ing for a fpecial licence, which was before re- quired, and as this privilege was firfl exercifed by merchants refiding in Lombard-ftreet, this m.ade that iituation fo well known afterwards for this buiinefs, and here it was that Sir Richard propofed to build a bourfe or exchange, but this honour however, was referved for his fon Thomas ; but he purchafed the chapel of St. Thomas of Acres now Mercer's chapel for that compan)". It is ob- fervable, that at this period and long after, no per- fon could belong to any other company but that of the trade he followed, which bred an attachment, friendfhip and fociety among citizens of the fame trade, aad occalioned valuable donations and lega- cies to the feveral companies from their refpeftive members ; whereas at prefent, one of the principal ufes of fuch companies is defVroyed, for a fiih- monger by trade may be a clothworker in his cor- porate capacity, a lawyer a goldfmith, and a peer
a fad-
62 THELIFEOF
a fadlcr, to the deftrufVion of all order, and of the original dcfign of inftituting fuch fraternities.
Sir Richard Grefham had two fons, the eldeft, John Grefliam, was an eminent citizen in the reif^n of Edward VI. and though bred to his fa- ther's bufinefs, accompanied the protedlor Somer- fct, in his expedition to Scotland, and was knighted by the duke on the fpot, after the vidory he ob- tained over the Scots in Mufsleborough field in 1547. He died in the reign of queen Mary in 1560. The youngeft fon, our famous merchant, was born at London in 1519, and was bound ap- prentice to a mercer when he was very young; but he certainly did not follow^ the bufinefs a^s an apprentice; for we find him pafling fome years in his iludies at Caiu<; college, under the celebrated founder Dr. Caius, who m commendation of his application and proficiency, flyleci him Do^'ijjimus Afcrc'dor. the very learned merchant. However, thepiofits of trade were then io great, and fuch large eOates had been raifed by it in his own fa- mily, that he alio em^aged in it, and was made free of the Mercer's ct)mpanv in • 543. It is fuppofed, that Mr. 'ircfliarn married about this time the da'jghtcr of Willism Femley of Suffolk, reli£l of W illiam R<.ade, Klq; of Middlefex, for he had a fon nanv d Kichard, in ijonour of his grandfather, born fome time before the death of Sir Richard, whicu hit|.i)cneu in 1548.''
S'.T Wihiam ivaniell lucceedcd Mr. Grefliam's fatlier as the king's agent at Antwerp, but by his bad management, ijiftead of fupplying the king with muiicy, he brought him fo conhderably in dcut, that the me: chants at Antwerp w^ould not make any farther advances, which greatly embar- raflcd the king's afTairs at home, and occafioned a letter of recall, whicii J -..Jell refufed to obey. Hereupon our merchant was fcnt for by tiic coun- cil,
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 63
cll, and his opinion required by what means his majefly might befl be enabled to difcharge the debt, amounting to 260,000 /. or put it in fuch a Hate of liquidation and fecurity, that his loans might go on in the ufual channel at Antwerp. His fentiments upon this point muft have been very fatisfadory ; for without any requefl on his part, he was appointed agent, and removed with his family to Antwerp in 1551, where he foon found himfelf involved in very troubleibme and tmeafy circumftances ; but his fertile genius ena- bled him to extricate himfelf with great honour. The money that had been borrowed by the late agent for the king's ufe, not being repaid at the Itipulated times, he found himfelf under a neceffity to procure an additional term of prolongation ; but this the avaricious Flemings would by no means agree to, unlefs his majefly would purchafe jewels, or fome other rich commodities, to a con^ iiderable amount, on which they might gain im- ip.enfe profits, befides the interefl, at that time rated at 16 per cent, on the value, till paid for. And it deferves the reader's notice, that the prin- cipal commerce of Antwerp, at this early period, conlifled in the importation of diamonds, pearls and other precious llones, and of wool ; together with the negotiation of loans of money and ex- changes. The perfecution of the duke of Alva drove the manufadlurers, and the merchants traf- ficking in bulky commodities, molt liable to feizure and confifcation, from this ancient mart of com- merce ; but many of the diamond merchants, and money agents remained, whofe defcendants have preferved this city from a total decline, by keeping alive the two branches of the diamond trade, and negotiating bills of exchange, for both of which Antwerp is at this day famous, being the cheapefl European market for jewels, and fo remarkable, I with
64 THELIFEOF
with refpefl to exchanges, that a well known mer- chant, or gentleman, either native or foreigner, may get a bill difco anted, drawn on the reraoteft part of the habitable globe.
Mr. Grclham did not judge it compatible, either with the king's honour, or his own credit as his ae;ent, to comply with the venal propofals of the Flemings ; he therefore peremptorily reje£led them^ and tranfmitted a plan to England for difcharging the king's debts at Antwerp in two years. He propofed, that the council fhould immediately re-* mit about 1300/. a week to a friend in their in- tereft with the utmoft privacy, and he would make fuch a difcretional ufe of this fum thus thrown into the market as to prevent the artful fall of the exchange with England. The council approved his defign, and remitted the money, with which fum he contrived to take up 200 /. every day upon his own credit, on bills of exchange drawn at dou- ble u fa nee on England, and thus he gained time, and negotiated 72,000 /. in one year. In addi- tion to this fcheme, he propofed that the king fhould take the commerce of the lead mijies wicb Antwerp into his own hands, and iffue a pro- clamation, forbidding the exportation of this arti- cle, except on the king's account, for five years. This meafure being taken had the defired efFetl ; the king's agents engrofled the lead, v.hich caufed the price to rife confiderably at the Flemifh mar- kets, and at the enhanced value, they fuppLied Antwerp difcretionally ; fo thit by thefc two .mer- cantile flratagems the balance was turned in favour of England, and the king's debts honourably dif- charged vrithin the term propofed by Mr. Gre- Iham. And the credit of the crown of England, which before his time, was confidered by the Fle- milh merchants as very fiender, rofe to fuch a height of reputation, that Mr. Grclham could bor- row
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 65
row what fums he thought proper, on equitable terms, either on his mafter's, or his own private credit.
The demife of king Edward retarded, for a time, the honours due to this great man for his eminent fervices ; for upon the acceffion of queen Mary, he was recalled ; but he had been enabled to live very comfortably as a private gentleman by the munificence of his royal mailer, who, befides larnds, to the yearly value of 300 /. fettled a pen- fion of 100 /. on him and his heirs for ever, about three weeks before he died, making ufe of thefe words, among other honourable exprefiions in the patent, *' You ihall know thafj'ou have ferved a kmg.".
Hov/ever, his friends importuned him to pre- fent a memorial to the queen, ftating the fignal fervices performed by his father and himfclf to the crown in their public charaQers, often at the rifk of their lives and fortunes, and making particular mention of a heavy lofs fuilained by our merchant on his return to England, the vefTei in which his houfhold furniture, plate, and the wearing apparel of himfelf and his lady were embarked, being ihip- wrecked, and not one article faved ; yet no indem- nification had been given him for a misfortune incurred, while he was employed in the public fervice. It appears, that this memorial procured him the reiloration of his former employ, and other commiffions from the queen, for the ma- nagement of her affairs in the Low- countries, which are inferted in the i^th volume of Ry me r's Feeder a ^ When queen Elizabeth fucceeded to the crown, he was one of the firft of her loyal citi- zens taken into favour. She employed him foon after her acccfiion to buy up, and furnifh the royal arfenals with arms ; and the year following, her majefly conferred on him the honour of knight- hood,
66 T H E L I F E O F
jiocd, and appointed him her agent in foreign parts. Being now in the higheft efteem with his fellow citizens, and in great credit at court, he thought pioper to iix his reiidence iji the citv, and to hve thtre in a manner fuitable to his rank and fortune: for this purpofe, fays 6t&w, "he built *' that large and fumptuous houfe for his own «* dwelling on the weft fide of Bilhopfgate-ftreet," vvlich, af^er the demife of his lady, was converted info a college, puifuant to his will, called Gre- Jh^m college, and has fince been pulled down, to build the New Exciie Office.
But the joy which profperity naturally infpires was checked by a family misfortune about this time, by the ficknefs and death of Richard Gre- fham his only fon, who died in 1564.
The merchants of London ftiil continuing to meet in Lombard-ftreet in the open air, expofed to liie inclemencies of the weather, Sir Thomas refolved to revive his father's plan of building for them a commodious bourfe, on the plan of the bourfe at Antwerp. With this view he generoufly propofed to his fellow citizens, to eredl this pub- lic edifice at his own expence, if the corporation would affign over to him a proper fpot of ground, fufficiently fpacious to render it both ufeful and convenient. Such an inftance of public munifi- cence is but rarely to be met with, and therefore the city moft readily and gratefully accepted this offer, in confequence of which they purchafed eighty houfes in Cornhill, fituated in the three allies, then called, Swan's, New, and St. Chrifto- phcr*s allies, for which the corporation paid to the fevcral owners, in the year 1566, the fum of 3532 /. and immediately fold the houfes under contrail, to pull them down and remove the ma- terials in three months, for the trifling fum of 47 y /. This done, the ground plot was laid out at
the
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 6?
the expence of the city, and poiTeffioii given to Sir Thomas, who in the deed of alignment is flyled *' Agent to the queen's highnefs ;" and on th,e yth of June, 1567, the founder laid the fiift Hone of tht edifice, accompanied by fome of the aldermen, who laid eight pieces of gold upon the bricks for the workmen ; and after this ceremony \vas over, they feemed to vie with each other in exprefling their gratitude ; for they proceeded on the build- ing with fuch amazing diligence and difpatch, that in November the roof was covered in, and the. timber work, which had been framed and fitted for putting up at Batisford near Ipfwich, was com- pleted foon after.
The plan of this bourfe, or exchange, w^as an oblong fquare, with piazzas on the north and iouth lides, fupported by ten pillars of marble on each lide ; and thofe on the eaft and weft ends were fupported by feven pillars on each lide : un- der thefe piazzas, fhops, to the number of 120, were neatly fitted up, which were lett by Sir Thomas, upon an average, at 4/. 10 s. per annum. Other fhops were iitted up at firft in the vaults under ground, but the darknefs and damp rendered them fo unwholefome and inconvenient, that they were very foon removed, and the vaults lett for fuitable ufes. Upon four pinnacles at each corner of the roof was placed a gralhopper, the creft of the arms of the Grefham family ; and in honour of Sir Thomas, a very large grafliopper v/as placed on the turret of the new Royal Exchange, which ferves hkevvife as a vane. The old building was burnt in the great fire of 1666, and the prefent noble fl rupture was ere6Vcd at the joint expence of the city and of the mercers company. It coft 8o,oco /. and was finiihed in the year 1670.
Sir Thomas GreHiam's exchange w^as entirely completed, and the iliops opened in 1569, and in
January,
68 THELIFEOF
J?.nuary, 1570, queen Elizabeth attended by her nobility, came from Sonicrfet-hoiife, and paffing by Temple Bar, through Fleet flreet, Cheap, and the north fide of" the new bourfe, to Sir Thomas's houlc in Billiopfgate-ilreet, dined there, and after dinner, returning through Cornhill, entered the bourfe on the fouth lide, and having viewed every part thereof above ground, efpecially the Pawn, (the ranges of fliops) which was richjy furnilhed with all forts of the fined v^-ares in the city, ihc caufed tlie bourfe, by a trumpet and a herald, to be procl.'iimed the Royal Exchange, and fo to be called from thence forth, and not otherwife. A ridiculous tradition is handed down to this time,, founded on no hiliorical evidence whatever, that in honour of his royal vifitor, and in proof of his great wealth, Sir Thomas Grefham, ordered a pearl of imraenfe value to be reduced to powder, and thrown into a giafs of wine, which he drank to the queen's health. It fecms to have been only a poetical licence, taken from an hiftorical play, in two a6ts, compofed to compliment tlie queen upon two great events in her reign ; the building of the Royal Exchange, and the deilruaion of the Spanilh Armada, The lines in the drama are —
Here fifteen hundred pound at one clap goes. Indead of fugar, Grefham drinks this pearl. Unto his queen and midrels : pledge it lords.
The dlike of Alva, by order of Philip II. king of Spam, prohibited, about this time, all commerce in Flanders with the Englifh; upon which our merchants and fadors left Antwep, and retired to Hamburgh ; and Cecil, then fecretary of flate, apprehcnhve that the merchants would not have money lufficient to carry on their trade at their nt\r fettlemcat, where their credit was not yet eftablh^i -
ed,
ISiR THOMAS GRESHAM.. 69
ed, and confequently that the import duties at home, efpecially on woollen cloths, would fall (hort, the queen's only reiburce for difcharging her foreign debts, communicated his fentiments, in this em- barraiTed lituation, to Sir Thomas Grcfham ; who, being well acquainted with the circumflances of the Bnglifli merchants at Hamburgh, and the ftate of their commercial tranfa£Lions, difpelled the mi- niiler's fears, by alluring him, that if the queen could contrive to pay the London mer(;hants the i\vi\ payment, being one half of her debt to them, they would thereby be enabled to make fuch remit- tances to Hamburgh, as would firmly eftablifh the credit of the Engliih merchants fettled there ; and before the fecond payment, enable them to ihip from thence for England, commodities totheam ount •of 100,000/. which, with the exports for Ham- burgh then ready to be fhipped and efiimated at 200, oco^. would produce duties to the amount of 50,000/. and remove every doubt of the queen's ability to pay her creditors.
_ Sir Thomas farther added, that the demand for Englifh commodities was fo great, that the mer- chaj;its at Hamburgh would have plenty of money, as well as full credit to obtain any quantity of fo- reign commodities for England, after they had re- ceived the merchandize now (hipping for London ; but in the mean time, left thefe Ibould be retarded by any unforefeen accident, he advifed Cecil to remit money to Hamburgh, to enable them to ful- fill the contra6ls they had made for goods fent to England en their firft fettlement, before they could receive any returns.: this being being done, the credit of tlie queen and the EiigilPn merchants was in fuch high repute, that the duke of Alva, who ^orefaw his own ruin in that of the Flemilh com- luerce, '' quaked for fear." The perfecution fct <Dh foot by the duke of Alva has been already no- ticed :
yo THELIFEOF
ticed ; but befides this fconrge, he laid a heavy im- pofitio'i on commerce, demanding the tenth penny upon the valje of all goods brought into the Low- countries for fale, which completed the ruin of the commerce of thofe countries, and removed it to AmUerdam, Hamburgh, and London. The pru- d?"iit meafure of procuring loans ^rom her own fubje6t«; for the public fervlce was next carried into execution ; bat the laudable projefl received a confiderable check at iiiil fiom the corporation of Merchants Advent tirers, who, at a general court, rejefled the queen's demand of- a loan, which the queen highly refented, in a letter written by Cecil to the company at her exprefs command ; however, the fum being onlv 16,000/. was obtained through Cjrelliam's intercfl: in the city from fome of the al- dermen, and other merchants, at fix per cent, for fix months ; and at the expiration of that term a prolongation was readily agreed to. This hap- pened in the year 1572, a!id is a revolution in the finance operations of government, which adds another wreath of fame to the annals of this reign.
To remedy the fcarcity of filver coin, which ob- ftrufted inland trade, our patriotic merchant, ever zealous in the ferviceof his country, knowing that one Reggio, an Italian merchant, had lodged thirty thoufand Mcmifh ducatoons in the Tower for fecu- rity, and that he had likewife a confiderable quan- tity of the fame pieces in the hands of private friends in London, advifed the queen to purchafe them of Reggio, and to coin them into Englifh Ihillings and fixpences, by which fhe would gain three or tour thoufand pounds, and keep all this fine filver in her realm : (many of thefe IhilJings and fixpences are fiill to be met with in the cabinets of the curi- ous in high prefervation). The ducatoons were ac- cordingly purchafed of the Italian, and the queen
borrowed
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM, 71
borrowed the amount of the London merchants for two years, at moderate intereft. At the fame time Sir Thomas fent five facks of new Spanilh ryals, his own property, to the Mint ; and this example encouraged others, fo that when the new coinage was ilTued, filver currency became. very plentiful at home, and the greatefl part of the queen*s debts in Flanders w^ere paid with it ; the refidue being foon after remitted in bills of exchange on Ham- burgh, to the great honour of the queen, and the farther advancement of the commercial credit of the kingdom in foreign countries.
Thefe wife regulations of courfe abolifhed the office of queen's agent for money matters in foreign parts ; but the queen, to Ibew her high regard for 8ir Thomas Grefham, and that he might not lofe the dignity of a public charafter in the city, put him into the commiilion with the archbilhop of Canterbury, the bifliop of London, and fome lords of the council, who, in this reign, were ufuilly appointed afliftants to the Lord Mayor in the government of the city, during the queen's fum- mer progrefles through the kingdom. This ho- nour he held as occalion required, from 1572 to
1578-
Sir Thomas Grefham's a£tive life would not per- mit him to be long abfent from the buille of the mercantile world ; he loved to viiit his favourite exchange, and to aiTociate with merchants : upon which account, he would not retire to any of the confiderable eilates he had purchafed in the remoter counties, but built a magnificent feat at Oilerley Park, near Brentford in Middlefex.
Here he indulged himfelf with Ihort intervals of relaxation, but his mind was always fo full of plans for the pubhc good, and the promotion of ufeful induflry, that even here he mixed utility with re- creation, and made bufinefs part of his amufement ;
for
72 THELIFEOF
for within his park he erected paper, oil, and corrt mills, thus finding conftant employment of various Ibrts of workmen, who were conftantly devoted to his fcrvice, he being likewife a Hberal mailer. There is a ftory concerning this feat of Sir Tho- mas Grcfham's, which is related as a pieafant in- fiance of his great activity and difpatch, in any was thing he determined to effe£l. It is related by- Fuller, in his Worthies of Middlefex. According to him, *' C>ueen Elizabeth, having been once very magnificently entertained and lodged at Of- terley Park, fhe found fault with the court before it, as being too large, and faid it would appear better, if divided by a w^all in the middle : he took the hint, and fent for workmen from London, who in the night built up the v^all with fuch pri- vacy and expedition, that the next morning the queen, to her great furprife, found the court divided in the manner fhe had propofed the day before."
The greatefl part of the very ample fortune which Sir Thomas Grefliam had acquired by his clofe application to, and confummate fldll in mercantile trarifaftions, he now refoived to devote to the be- nefit of his fellow-citizens, and their children's children, having no legitimate heir to inherit it after his deceafe. He had indeed a Jiatural daugh- ter, by a Flemifh woman, while he refided at Bruges in F landers ; but having given her in marriage to Nathaniel Bacon, the fecond fon of the lord keeper of the great fcal, with a portion fuitable to his own circumftances, and thpe rank of the gentleman who had married her, he thouglit himfclf free from all family claims, after he had made a comfortable pro- vilioa for his lady, in cafe Ihe furvived him. Ac- cordingly, he made no fecret of his laudable defign, to have his manfion-houfe (as it was then called) converted into a college, for the profelTioii of the
feveii
S T R T H O M A S G R E S H A M. r%
fcven liberal fcieiires, and to endow it with the revenues of the Royal Exchange, after his own and his lady's deceafc. As foon as this was known, the univerfity of Cambridge, at which place he lidd been educated, ordered their public orator, Mr-. Richard Bridgewater, to write him an elegant Latin letter, reminding him of apromife he had formeily made (as the univeriity were informed) to give them 500/. either towards building a new college, or repairing an old one at Cambridge, for the fame purpofes. This letter was expedited the beginning of March, 1575 : and before the end of the month they wrote him another, acquainting him, that they had heard, he had pofitively declared his in- tention of founding a college to Lady Burleigh; and as there were but three convenient iituaaons, iii their opinion, for fuch a foundation, i>ondoilj Oxford, and Cambridge, they hoped'a fuperior re- gard for Cambridge would determiiie him to give that univerfity the preference. At the fame tiaie, they wrote to Lady Burleigh, requeuing her intereft with him upon this occafion. But thefe letters failed of the delired efFeft, owing to very juft and prudent caufes. London, at that time, had no fimi- lar inftitution, and tlie want of liberal education made the principal merchants obflinate and tena- cious of every idle prejudice adopted from cuflomi This Sir Thomas had experienced, in the trouble they had given him, by oppoling his very rational plan of ellablifhing a reciprocal union of interells and attachment between them and the government, by fupplying the public loans inllead of foreigners. Another motive, undoubtedly, was that immortal fame, which every public-fpirited, every good citizen ihould have in view, whereby, as he was venerated while livmg, fo, in after-ages, his memory might be gratefully preferved in that community of which he was a refpedable member.
Vol. IL E Peififting
74 T H E L I F E O F
Peiluliiig llieretbic in the refolution of fixing the college in liis dwelling-houfe, he executed a deed of IcuJcmcnt, dated May 20, 1575, difpoilng of his feveral manors, lands, tenements, and heredi- taments, with fuchlimitation.s and leflriflions, par- ticularly as to the Royal Exchange, and his houie in Bifhopfgate-llreet, as might belt fecure his views \vith refpeS to the purpofes for which they were intended. This deed, which was an indenture quadripartite, was fuccteded by two wills, the one bearing date July 4, and the other the following day, of the iame year: by the iirft he bequeaths to his wife, whom he appoints his fole executrix, all )iis pcrfonal eitatc, coniifiing of calTi, plate, jewels, chains of gold, nnd f.ocks of Ilieep, w^th other cattle ; except feveral legacies to his relations, friends, and fervants, amounting to upwards of a»ooo/. and a few^ fmall annuities. Ey the fecond, he gives one moiety of the Royal Exchange to the mayor and commonalty of the city of London ; and the other to the Mercers company, for the falarics of fevcn profeflbrs, one for each of the li- beral fcicp.ces, to be chofen by them, '' being meet and futiiciently learned," to read public ledures in divinity, law. phylic, afironomy, geometry, inufic, and rhetoric, tor which they are to receive a falary of 50/. per anymm^ and to be provided with apartments for their relidence in his faid manlion- houfe. He likewife bequeaths 53/. 65. 8ri'. yearly, to be divided equally between poor perfons, inha- biting the like number of alms-houfes built by him, behind his houfe. Alfo 10/. pir annum to the pri- fons of Newgate, Ludgate, the King's-bench, the Marfhalfea, and the two Compters ; with the like annuity to the hofpitals of Chriil, St. Bartholo- mew, Bedlam, and St. Thomas. Alfo ico/. an- nually, to provide a dinner for the vrhole company of Mercci'5 in their hall, on every quarter-dav, at
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 75
115/. for each dinner. Thefe difpofitions were made ^omformably to the produce of the rents of the Koyal E>rchange, and the nnes for alienations, which exceeded at the time the annual payments appointed by the will ; fo that the two corpora- tions had more than fufhcient inveftments for the trufts they were to execute. But-as the lady Anne, his wife, was to enjoy the manfion, and the rents of the Royal Exchange, for her life, in cafe Ihe fnr- vived him, they were both vefced (after her deceafe) in the two corporations for the term of fifty years ; whicli limitation was made on account of the {la- tutes of Mortmain^ prohibiting the alienation of lands or tenements to any corporation, without licence firft obtained from the crown ; the procur- ing of which the teilator not only recommended in the ftrongeft terms, but by a prudential claufe in fome meafure fecured ; for the efiates were to re- vert to his heirs at law, if no licence was obfaijied within the time hmited. The two corporations, liowever, in conformity to the conditions of their truft, applied for a patent, which \vas granted to them by James I. in the year 16 14, to hold the be- queathed eftates forever, for the ules declared in the will.
His worldly concerns being thus adjufted in a manner that could not but aiford him much fcci'ct fatisfaition, and the mofl pleafmg reneclions, it is mofl probable, that he lived a retired life, enjoying the happy tranquillity, which affluence acquired by lionefc induftry, and peace of mind, the refult of pious and benevolent a£lions, always afford ; for no particular memoirs of the four laft years of his life are handed down to us. All the account we have of him, after the year 1575, is, that on the 29th of November, 1579, this great and good man was taken off in an apopleftic fit : Hollingfhed fays, ■** that coming from the Royal Exchange to his E 2 ' houfe
76 T H E L I F E O F
houfe in Bifliopfgate-ftreet, he fuddenly fell down in the kitchen, and being taken up was found fpecclilels, and prefently died."
By his death, many large eftates in feveral coun- ties of England, amounting to the yearly value of 2388/. an amazing income in thofe days, devolved to his lady for her life ; and as file furvivcd him many years, this accounts for the late date of the patciit to the corporations, Lady Grefliam reliding in winter at the manilon-houfeinBilhopfgate-flreer, and in fummer at Ollcrley Park.
His obfequies were performed in a public and folemn manner, and his charitable works followed liim to his very grave ; for he had ordered by his will, that his corpfe fhould be attended by one hun- dred poor men, and the fame number of poor wo- men, cloathed in black cloth gowns, at his expence. His remains were depofited at the north-eafl corner of St. Helen's, his paiilh church, in a vault which he had long fince provided for himlelf and family, lire funeral charges amounted to 800/. Over the vault is a large, curious marble tomb, on the fouth and weft tides of which arc his own arms, and on the north and eaft, the fame empaled with thofe of liis lady ; the arms of Sir Thomas, with thofe of the city of London, and of the Mercer's company, arc lilccwife painted on glafs, in the eaft window of the church, above the tomb, which remained without any infcription upon it till the year 1736, when, for the information of the curious, the fol- lowing words, taken from the parilh regifter, were cut on the ftone':hat covers it: i9/V Tho^na^ Grejham^ Knl/Jt, zyji /?,vr/^./. December 15, 1579.
i"o the copious account already given of the prinripal evcnt'j in the iiic of this generous citizen, we ijave only to add, fr m Ward's fummary of his chiui'.iSler, the loUowing particulars. He was well
acquamted
Sir THOMAS GRESHAM. 77
acquainted with the ancient and feveral modern languages, and he was a Hberal patron to learned men, both natives and foreigners, which is acknow- ledged in the dedications of their works to him. by different authors, particularly by John Fox, the celebrated martyrologift ; Hugh Goughe, writer of the hiflory of the Ottoman I'urks, he. He iran- fafted queen Elizabeth's affair^ fo conil^.ntly, that he was commonly called, " The Royal Merchant." And he had the very lingular honour, upon many occaiions, to be appointed to receive foreign princes oil their firft arrival in England, and to entertain them at his houfe till they were prefented at court. In fine, having no Ion to keep up his name, he took the moil efFe£lual method to perpetuate it, in the higheft degree of grateful veneration, as long as the city of London exills as a corporation.
*^* Authorities. Camden's Britan. edit. i/^o. Journal of Edw. VI. of his own writing, in the Cotton Library at the Mufeum. Rymer's Faedera, vol. 15, Ward's Life of Grelham,
The
C 78 1
The life o5
ROBERT DUDLEY,
EARL OF Leicester. .
[A.D. 1532, to 1588.]
Including Meraons of Sir Philip Sydney, and Sit Robeit Dudley.
SOME mention has already been made of this nobleman, in the lifeof the duke of Northuni- berl'and, Vol. I. p. 180. It is therefore only ne- cellar y to add, as to the juvenile part of his life,, that he v/as the duke's fifth Ion, by Jane, the daugh- ter and heirefs of Sir Edward Guilford. 1 he ex- a£t time of his birth is not recorded, but it is fup- poftd to liave been in the year 1532 ; and in the vear 15(^0, he was married to Amy, the daughter of Sir John Rofbart, wheii, as a compliment to his. father, the king was prcfent at the nuptials ; and it is remarkable, that from early youth to the lalt liour of his life, he was a fuccefsful courtier. Upon the kinp;'s death, lie engaged with his father, in iupport of lady Jane Grey's title to the crown, and artei-i >:d upon him in his expedition into Nor- folk i but upon the duke's, b.eijig arrelled at Cam-
bridge,,
E ARL OF LEICEST ER. 7^
Bridge, he fied to queen Mary's camp, and fur-^ rendered ; from whence he was brought up pri- foiier to London, and confined in the Tower, oil the twentV'lixth'of July, 1553. and on the fif- teenth of January following was arraigned for high treafon at the Guildhall of London, cohfeiled the indictment, and was adjudged by the earl of Suilex to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. Bat the lords interceding for him with the queen, fhe re- ilored him and his brethren, (except the lord Guil- ford) in blood, received him into favour, and made him mailer of the Engliih ordnance at the liege of St. Quintin, in 1557..
As loon as queen Elizabeth afcended the throne, file advanced him to one of the higheil pofts of ho- nour near her person, making him her mafler of the horfe, and in the fecond year of her feign, to the great furprize of his rival courtiers, her majefly advanced him to the dignity of privy counfeilor, and honoured him with the noble order of the garter.
Encouraged by thefe favours, he gave into the opinion, that, if he could get rid of his wife, he need not defpair of foon rendering himfelf perfon- ally agreeable to her majefty. The lady was dif- patched into the country, to the houfe of one of his dependants, where, it is faid, he firft attempted to have taken her off by poifon ; but, failing in this defign, he caufed her to be thrown down from the top of a fiair cafe, and niurdered by the fall. She was at firil obfcurely buried, but that having given occafion to cenlure, he ordered her body to be taken up, and Ihe was interred again in St. Mary's church at Oxford, with all imaginable pomp and folemnity.
Aiiibition and lull were the ruling paffions
of Dudley ; and his perlbnal accompHIhments,
derived both from nature and polite education,
E 4 infpired
Zo R O n E R T D U D L E Y,
iiiipiicd hliii- with confummate vanity: nor mull r.Iizabeth pafs unceniured, for it appears, th:u e\cn lxt=oic the death of his wife, Ihe ex- ceeded the bounds of female decorum in her con- cludl towards him, infomuch, that at foreign courts her reputation was but flightly treated, and her ambafladors complained of it, in their dif- pa-tcbes to the miniftry at home. But after this tragical event it was obferved, that he met with a more favourable reception than ever from the queen ; and though (he did not openly countenance his pretenrio,n3 of marriage, yet flic feemed not at all difpleafcd with the overture ; and when her mar- riage with him was moved by the French ambaiTa- dor, file only objected, that he was not of the- loyal blood, nor could flie think of railing a de- pendant to the rank of a companion. But envy and hatied arc the fure attendants upon greatnefs, and l^udlev, by being thus diftinguifhed above the reil in her niajeily's favour, drew upon himfelf the odium of the courtiers. Yet it muil: be noticed, iu juflice to the queen's political character, that not- vvithvianding her blameable partiality to him as afa.- vo-Uiite, which fometims gave him a prevailing in- terell at the council-board, (he never confided to bin-) the. general adminiftration of affairs ; and this may be accounted for, by admitting that Cecil's great abilities as a ftatefman enabled him to undermine the voluptuous Dudley, whofe fenfuality checked the progrefs of his ambition. Yet his fkilful anta- goniil, that he miglit fecm to gratify him even m this. palTion, while he was attempting either his re- moval trom court, or a diminution of his intiuence, fuggclled to her majefty the propriety of a match between Dudley and Mary queen of Scots, then about to fcrm a foreign alliance, which mufl be prejudicial to England. The crown of Scotland in poiltflion^and the ri^ht of inheritance to the crowQ
oi
EARL OF LEICESTER. 8i
©f England, were mofl alluring baits; and Cecil knew, that fhould he be over-earneil: in the purfuit of the match propofed, he would be infallibly loH in the good graces of the queen ; at the fame time, he was under no apprehenfion, from the known tem- per of the que&n of Scots, that a perfon of his iordlhip's extra6lion could ever render liimfelf ac- ceptable to her, in the character of a hufband.. Elizabeth, whatever was her motive, gave ear to this propofal, and fent immediate inftrudions to- Randolph, her ambaifador in Scotland, to open the matter to Mary ; but that queen refolved to rejedl the offer, though ihc feared to come an open rupture with Elizabeth. She difpatched Sir James Melvil to London, with inflruftions full of friendlinefs and regard. But when Eiiza- keth enquired if the queen of Scots had fent any anfwer to the propofition of marriage flie had made her, the ambafTador gave an evalive anfwer. Her majefty then entered upon the commendation of lord Robert Dudley, declared the would marry him- herfclf, if fhe had not been determined to end her days in virginity : and fhe farther told Sir James- ]\Ielvil, *' ihQ wiihed that the^queen her filler might marry him, as meeteft of all other with whom ihe could find in her heart to declare her fecond perfon. For being matched with him, it would befl remove out of her mind all fears and fufpicions to be of- fended by any ufurpation before her death-; being alTured, tliat he was fo Icving and trufty, that he would never permit any fuch thing to be attempted during her time." In the courfe of this curious converfation, given at large by Sir James Mclvii, in his memoirs, Sir James had named the earl of Bedford as firil: commilTioner to be icnt]to Scotland, to fettle all differences between the two crowns ;- and.iord Robert Dudley only as his fecond. The E 5. queca
82 ROBERT DUDLEY,
queen took fire at this, vowed (lie would make hirrr a tar greater earl than Bedford, and defired the am- bairador to ftay till he flioui-d fee him made earl of Leiccftcr, and baron Denbigh, which was ac- cordingly done at Weftminfler on the 29th of Sep- tember 1564, v/ith great folemnity, the queen her- felfaffifting at the ceremony, and helping to put on fome of his robes. And not long after, upon the refignation of Sir J. Mafon, he was made chan- cellor of the imivcrfity of Oxford.
1 he earl, however, feemed now rather to decline the match, than defire it ; he excufed himfelf ta the Scottilh ambailador, from having ever enter- tained fo proud a pretence, declared his fenfeof his own unworthinefs, and begged her majefty would not be offended, nor impute a matter to him, which the n^alice of his enemies had devifed for his de- ilru6lion. Within a few days after. Sir James Melvil obtained his difpatch, with a more ample <3eclaration of the queen's mind, upon the fubjedl of his embaiTy.
In the mean time, the earl of Leicefter wrote letters to the earl of Murray, to excufe him to the queen of Scots. And that he might the better re- commend himfelf at court, by fliewing his zeal in the fervice of his royal miilrefs, he accufed Sir Nicholas Bacon to Elizabeth, that he had inter- meddled in the affair of the fucceflion, and affifted in the publication of a book againft the queen of Scots title. The queen was highly offended, the author. Hales, was taken up and imprifoned, and Sir Nicholas Bacon would have infallibly loft his office, if Leicefter could have perfuaded Sir An^ thony Brown to have accepted it.
In November following, the earl of Bedford and Mr. Randolph, the earl of Murray and fecretary Lidington, commifTioners on both fides, metnear Berwick, to treat of the marriage, but with ten- derer
Earl of Leicester. 83
derer offers, and lefs effe^lnal dealing, than was expeited. The earl of Leiceiler's behaviour, and the prudence and dilcretion which appeared in the letters he had written to the earl of iVl^rray, had made an impreffion upon the queen of Scots, and llie feemed fo far to approve of the match, that queen Elizabeth began to be afraid it might take efFe£t. Under thefe apprehenlions, and at the fo* iicitation of fecretary Cecil, Ihe permitted lord Darnley to take a journey into Scotland, in hope, that his pr' fence might be more prevalent than Leice-ftei's abfence. And the eari of Leicefter, perceiving the queen's inclination, wrote private letters to the earl of Bedford, to defift fi-om pro- fecuting his propofed match any farther. The queen of Scots was foon after folemnly married to lord Darnley, in the royal chapel of Holyrood- houfe, and the next day he was pubhcly proclaimed king, and afTociated with her majeily in the go- vernment.
In 1565, application was again made to queen Elizabeth to think ferioufly of marriage, by this means to weaken the party of the queen of Scots in England, and to iirengthen the intercft of the Proteilant religion. The emperor Maximilian pro- pofed his brother, the arch-duke Charles, with very honourable conditions. 1 he earl of Sulfex favoured the match ; but Leiceiler, prefuming up- on his power with the queen, took pains to pre- vent it. This oppofition was ill digclted by the earl of SuiTex, who was of an high fpirit, and not)Iy deicended. The honelly of his nature led liim to a profefled enmity, which divided the whole court ; and whenever the two earls went abroad, they were attended with a retinue of armed followers ; infomuch', that the queen was obliged to interpofe her authority to make up the breach : but Suiiex continued his averfion E 6 till
84 R O B E R T D U D L E Y,
till his death ; and, in his laft ficknefs, is faid t& hive addrefTed his friends to this purpole : '* I am now pafling into anotslier world, and muft Jtave you to your fortunes, and to the queen's grace and goodnefs ; but beware of the gypfie (meaning Lcicciler) for he will be too hard for you all ; you know not the beaft fo well as 1 do."
The ground of this quarrel, however, is mora fully explained in Cecil lord Burleigh's papers^ v^'hercin it appears, that the queen permitted it to be debated in council, whether (he fl:iould marry the arch-duke or Leicefler ? Sudex and his friendS: drew up ths reafons why flie fliould not marry Leicefler. And from this very meafure we may judge of the real intentions of Ehzabeth, which were to gain the confent of Mary and her miniflera to the propofcd match between the queen of Scots and Leiccllerj that it might not appear derogatory to her honour to marry him after another queen had agreed to accept his hand ; but the Englifk council pr-udently over-ruled her fecret inclinations.
We have already obferved, that the earl of Lei- cefler w-as made chancellor of the univerfjty of Ox- ford, towards the end of the preceding y.ear. At this It 1 a, the univerfity was in a molt deplorable condition : tluir difciphne had long been negle<5ted, and their Laming mpil miferably impovcrilL.ed. Ihe whole univcrfity could fuiniih only three? preachers ; and in the abfence of two of them, tha audience v/as frequently put off with verv lame per- formances. 'Lo give the reader an inftance ; tl»a congregation being one Sunday deflitute of a preacher, Taverner of Woodeaton, the fherilF of tjie county, entejs St. Mary's, with his fword by his fjde,.and his gold chain about his neck, mounts the pu!pit, and haraiigues the fcholars in the foU lowing firain ; "Arriving at the mount of St. MAiy^s. in, tlie. Hony ftage, where I now Hand,. I
h?i.ve
EARL OP LEICESTER. 8^
have brought you forae fine bifcaits, baked in the' oven of charity, carefully conferved for the chickens of the church the fparrows of the fpirit, and the . fweet fwalJows of falvatiron." This Taverner, it feems, had been brought up in the cardinaFs col- lege, was an inceptor in arts, and in deacon's or- ders, and a perfon at that time in eileem for his learning in the univerfity ; fo that from this fpeci- men it appears to how low a character their fludies were reduced.
The earl of Leiceiler laboured by all pofTible means to introduce an improvement in literature, and give a new turn to the face of affairs in the ■aniverfity. By his letters he recommended to theirr the practice of religion and learning, and preifed them to a more clofe obfcrvance of their duty. This application was not without irs effef^ ; provifion was immediately made for reforming abufes in graces and difpenfations, lectures and public exercifes were enforced by ftatute, and the habits brought under regulation ; the earl continuing to patronize and regulate the univerfity upon every occafion.
In the beginning of the year 1566, Monfieur "BambouUet was dilpatched into England to queen Elizabeth, by Charles IX. king of France, witlr the order cf St. Michael, to be conferred on two Englifh noblemen, fuch as fhould be mofi: agree- able to her aiajeliy- I'he queen made choice of 'the duke of Norfolk and the earl of Leicefter ; the- one diftinguiflied by his high birth, and the other by her majefty's favour. And on the twenty-fourth ©f January, they were invefted in the royal chapel at VVh-itehall, v;ith very great folemnity ; no Eng- lifhman having ever been admitted before into this order, ex-cept king Henry Vill. king Edward VL and Charles Brandon_duke of Suffolk.
This fumm.er the queen made her firfl progrefs iato the country, a laudable euilom v>rhich Ihe af-
. terwards 6
^6 R O B E R T D U D L E y,
tcrwards kept up, the greatefl part of her reign j and upon her return ihe vil]ted Oxford. She was attended by the earl of Leiceiler, who previoufly informing the univerfity of her dengn, defired they would confult th-clr own credit upon this occafion, and make an ho:iourable provifionforher majelly's reception. On the twenty-ninth of Auguft his lordlhip, witli foine others of the nobility, were difpatched before by her niajefty, to give notice, that Ihe would be there within two davs. 1 he vice-cliancellor and the heads of houfes came out to meet them on horfeback, and entertained them with Latin orations addrefied to their chancellor and fecretary Cecil. And in the afternoon the lords returned to V\'ooduock, where the court lay, and exprefled their fadsfadlion at then" honourable reception.
On the thirty-firft of Auguft in the forenoon, the earls of Leicefter and Huntingdon were prefent at Dr. Humphreys's ledures in the fchools, who read as queen's profeffi^in divinity, and then they attended at the publi^TO'patations. Towards ev^^n- iiig, as her majefiy approached, Ihe was met at Wcivercote, where the jurifdi6lion of the uni"Verlity ends, by the chancellor the earl of Leicefter, by four dodors, and the vice-chancellor, in their fcarlet robes and hoods ; and by eieht mafcers of srts, who were heads of colleges or halls. The chancellor then delivered the fiaffs of the three fu- perior beadles into lier majefty's hand, and having received them again from her, and likewife re- llored them to their refpe-ftive officers, the canon of Chrilt- church made an elegant fpeech to her majefty upon the occalion. She then held out her hand to the orator and the do6lors, and as Dr. Humphreys drew near to kifs it, '' Mr. do£tor/' faid' the queen, fmiling, " that loofe gown becomes you mighty well, 1 wonder your notions fhould be fo narrow." This Humphreys, it fecms, was at
the
EARL OF L K IC E'&T E K. tj
the head of the Puritan partv, and had oppofed the. ccclefiaflical habits with violent zeal.
As Ihe entered the town, the ft reets were lined with fcholars from Bocardo to Q\5atervois, who,. as her njujellv paiTed along, fell down upon their knees, and with one voice cried out, '' Long live- the queen!" At Qiiatervois the Greek profelTor addreffed her majefty in a Greek oration, and t he- queen anfwered him in the fame language, and commended his performance. From hence Ihe was? conveyed with the like pomp to Chrift- church, where fne was received by xVlr. KinfmilJ, the pub- lic orator ; who, in the name of the univerfity,. congratulated her majeiiy on her arrival among them.
For feven days -together the queen w^as magnifi- cently entertained by the university, and exprefled an extreme delight in the le£lures, difputations,- public exercifes, and flievvs ; which Ihe conftantly hearcl and faw. On the fixth day ihe declared her fatisfa6lion in a Latin fpeech, and aiTured them of her favour and protection. The day after {he took her leave, and was condu6led by the heads as far as vShotover-hiil, when the earl of Leicefler gave her notice, that they had accompanied her to the limits of their jurifdiftion. Mr. Roger Marbeck then made an oration to her majefty, and having laid open the difficulties under v^liich learning had formerly laboured, he gratefully acknowledged the encouragements it had lately received, and the profpeCl of its arlnng to a fuperior degree of fplen- dor under her majefty's mofl: gracious adminiflra- tion. The queen heard him with pleafure, and returned a very favourable anfwer ; and cafting her eyes back upon Oxford, with all pofiible marks of tendernefs and affeftion, fhe bade him farewell. Here it may not be amifs to obferve, that the q^ueen's countenance, and the earl of Leicefler^s
care.
88 ROBERT DUDLEY,
care, had fuch an efFe£t upon the dihgence of this ].'araed body, that, within a few yeais after, it produced more eminent men in every branch of fcience, than in any preceding age.
Upon the queen's return to fondon, the par- liament met on the fird of November, fell into warm debates, and ieemed refolved to iniifb upon her majcfly's immediate rar.rriage, or the declaration of a fuccelTor. The earl of Leicefter had earneftly fupported the title of the queen of Scots ; but, not meeting with the fuccefs he defired, he faid that an huiband ought to be impofed on the queen, or a fucceffor appointed by parliament againft her in- clination. Wherein he was openly joined by the earl of Pembroke, and privately by the duke of Norfolk. But the queen was highly incenfed at this behaviour, and, for feme time, they were ali excluded the prefence-chamber, and prohibited ac- cefs to her perfon : however, it was not long be- fore they iubmitted, and obtained her majefly's pardon.
During this difgrace, Leicefler is charged with having entered into a traiterous correfpondence with the Tnfh, who had juft before broken out into an open rebellion. His letters are faid to have been found upon a perfon of ditlin£^ion, who was killed in battle ; but, before the difcovery could be made,, he was reconciled to the queen, and placed above the reach of any private accufation.
The next year, count Stolberg was difpatched into England, by the emperor, to renew the treaty of marriage between his brother, the archduke Charles, and the queen. The earl of SufTex had not long before been fcnt to his Imperial majeily \ipon this fubjeft, and had ufcd his utmofl efforts that her majelly might be married to a foreign prince : but LeiceHer took care to fupplant him'iii his deligns, and privately engaged the lord North,,
wha
EARL OF LEICESTER. 89
who attended him in his journey, to be a fpy upon his acStions, and to break the meafures he Ihould enter into, by adverfe infinuations. In the mean time, he difcouraged her majeilyfrom the attempt, by laying before her the inconveniences that would neceffarily arife from a foreign match : and the archduke, not long after, married the daughter of the duke of Bavaria ; and Leicefter was now no longer under any apprehenfion that the queen would marry a foreigner, indeed, the difficulties with re- fpe£i to religion were a fufficient bar, if no other impediment had flood in the way, to the fuccefs of future negociations, as it had been in the cafe of the archduke.
In 1568, the queen of Scots fled into England ; and Leicefter appears to have continued ftrongly attached to her intereft. He even ftands charged with having entered into a confpiracy againft fe- cretary Cecil, becaule he fufpecled him to favour the fucceffion of the houfe of Suffolk.
Mary at this period was a widow for the third time, her fecond hufband, lord Darnley, having been firft murdered, as it is conjectured, and then blown up by gun-powder, with all his attendants, at his hunting-feat, in 1566 : Eothwell, the fup- pofed chief confpirator, and the queen's favourite, was tried for the inurder, but by her influence ac- quitted ; and that no room might be left to doubt who was the real contriver of this foul trealbn. Alary married Bothwell foon after ; upon which the earl of Murray, and other lords, railed an army againft her, took her prifoner, and obliged her to refign her crown to her fon, by lord Darnley, an inftuit of thirteen months old, who was thereupon crowned by the title of James VI. and Murray was appointed regent. As to Bothwell, he fled to Denmark, where he died obfcurely, and Mary cfcaping, took refuge in England.
Here
^o R O B E R '1 D U D L E Y,
Here Leicefrer conf ived ^ new plan to reftore the unfortunate, euii^v^ queen, by propofing a mar-
i the duke of Norfolk* He
lound the matter to the duke;
■s {he was acculed of; and
in commendation of. Nor-
eilly perfuaded her to ap-
and, farther, he drew up
e fent to her by the biiliop
on her acceptance of the
procure for her the crown
oifeffion, and the crown of
riage between her a; took upon him to pi extenuated the crir. wrote letters to Mar folk ; in which he ea prove of the marriag certain articles, whic of RoiTe, proii'ifing, propofed conditions, of Scotland in prefen England in reverfion
Whillf aiTairs were^ri this fltuation, and the earl ■of Leiccfter was waiting for a convenient opportu-
to his milb-efs, the earl ice to her majefly of the :ged the duke of Norfolk
ur i.cicfiLer was w;:!r/"& '^* nity of opening the cjjiis'\' of iMurray fent fecreP^<^^'i^ whole tranfa£lJon, zi^ chari with having engagcci in private pradices to get the prcfent poflelfion of' tlie two crowns by means of this marriage. Thi-S report, though very foreign to the duke's inclinations, was fupported by cir- cumilantiai evidence and raifed the queen's jejr- loufv, to a high dcg/ee, againft the duke and the lords that were concerned with him : which when Norfolk underfloodj l^e would have perfuaded the earl to impart the fcheme to her majefty without But Leiceft("r P"^ it off from time to time, ^ fick at Titcbfield, or, at leafl,. (for he was a complete mailer of the cou'i'tly art of diiTimulation), and being there he declared the whole matter becrcring forgivenefs with fighs and tears t , the duke and the lords being , the earl of Leicefler was exa- queen and council ; where he gave fuch an accoiii^t c-f his proceedingSj and be-
iiave^
delay
till, at length fai
pretcndiig lick
vifucd by Elizabet to her an-d, not long afte taken into cuftod^ mined before the
EARL OF LEICESTER. gn
haved in fuch a manner, that he eaiily obtained her niajtfty's pardon.
In 1 57 1, died, in a fc range manner, Sir Nicholas- Throgniorton, who had been at tiie head of Lei- ceiler's partv^, againft Cecil fecretary of ftate, but had lately gone over to him. Being at Leiceiler's houfe, as he was at fupper, he was feized, in a- mofl: violent manner, with an impofihumation ia his Inngs, and died in a few davs, but not without fufpicion of poifon. It is faid, that, on his chang- ing fides, the earl was apprehenlive he might make a difcovery of his fecret pra£lices, and for this rea- fon took care to difpatch him. He lik-^wife bore him a fecret grudge for a former meflage fent over to queen Elizabeth, whilfl her ambalTador in France^ that he had heard it reported at the duke of Mont- morency's table, that her majelly was about to marry her horfe-keeper, meaning Leiceller her mafter of the horfe.
The day before his death, Throgmorton is faid to have declared the caufe of his dillemper to be a poifoned fallad he eat at the earl's ; and he broke out into bitter invectives againfl his cruelty. The fearl, however, made a mighty {hew of lamentation over him ; and, in a letter to Sir Francis Walfing- ham, then ambaffador in France, he thus exprtlles himlelf upon the occalion. '^ We have loft, on Monday, our good friend Sir Nicholas Throgmor* ton, who died in my houfe, being there taken fud- denly in great extremity on Tuefday before. His Jungs were perilhed, but a fudden cold he had tal.en was the caufe of his fpeedy death. God hath his foul; and we, his friends,, great lofs of hi% body."
About this time, a marriage was propofed be- tween queen Elizabeth and the duke of Anjou ;. 3nd tiie earl of Leicefler i-s faid to have laid aiide liis preteaiion.s to the queen upon this occalion-,
ap-d
92 ROBERT DUDLEY,
and to have folicited the marriage with zeal. But this is not 4)robable ; and it appears, that when the duke of Anjou inlifted upon a toleration in the exercife of his own religion, the queen abfolutely refufed to comply.
With a view to prevent any farther attempts ifi favour of the queen of Scots, a law was now made, prohibiting, -under a fevere penalty, the declaring any perfon whatfoever to be heir or fucceiTor of the queen, except it were the natural ilTue of her body. This expreilion, as it was uncuflomary in flatutes of this kind, and the term Natural was ufually applied by the lawvers to i'uch children as were"^ born out of wedlock, gave great occafion to cen- fure ; and loud clamours v/ere raifed againft Lei- cefter, as if, by inferring this claufe in the ilatute, he had defigned to involve the realm in new dif- pures about the fucceiiion. It was urged, that no polTible reafon could be imagined, why the ufual form of Lawful ilTae ihould be changed into Natu- ral Iffue, unlefs with a view to reflect upon the honour of her majefty, and to obtrude hereafter upon the Englifh feme baflard fon of his own, as the Natural UTwq of the queen.
From this time, it appears, that Leicefter was nniverfally detefted, and very juftly ; for his pride and venality offended all the great officers of iiate, and his other crimes drew vpon him the odium of the people. He had quarrelled openly with arch- bifnop Parker and the bifhop of London, for re- fufing to grant a difpenfation for a child to hold a valuable benefice, whole father had bribed Lei- cefter to obtain this favour. He had likewife pri- vate gifts on the difpofal of bilhopricks, befides many lucrative grants from the crown. In con- fequcnce of bis favour with the queen, he carried his infolence to fuch a pitch to other courtiers, that even m her prefence he treated them with
great
I
EARL OF LEICESTER. 93
great indignity. A privy-counfellor, we are told, unable to contain his refentment at fiich ufage, ftruck him ; upon which the queen told him, '* he had forfeited his hand ;" but the gentleman, with great prefence of mind, and noble intrepidity, ** intreated her majefty to fufpend this judgment, till the traitor, who better deferved it, had loft his head."
The year 1572 is but too fatally memorable, for the barbarous maiTacre of Paris, called the maflacre of St. Bartholomew, becaufe the bloody bufinefs commenced on the eve of St. Bartholomew. This plot was laid with as deep diffimulation, as the aftion itfelfw^s horrid ; and whether we conlider the high dignity of the perfons who projected it, the high rank of the victims facrificed to bigotry, or the innocence of the flaughtered multitude, we Ihali find no traces in modern hiilory of fuch examples of perfidy and cruelty as Charles IX. Catharine of Medici s his mother, and Pope Gregory XIIL the perpetrators of this inhuman butchery.
The particulars in brief ought to find a place in all memoirs of thefe times, written by Proteftants, at the rem.oteft ages, from the melancholy event ; that they may never lofe light of thofe maxims of dilfmrnlation, conftantly pradifed by the church of Rome, to conceal her hatred of, and cruelty to the profeiTors of the reformed religion of every denomination. The queen-dowager of Navarre was decoyed to Paris, by a propolal of marriage between her fon, afterwards Henry IV. of France, and the princels Margaret, filler to Charles IX. The fame pretext drew thither Henry prince of Beam, and his uncle the prince of Conde. The famous admiral of France, Coligni, was invited by the king, with a promife to declare him his ge- neral in a v/ar againll Spain ; and the other chiefs
of
94- ROBERT DUDLEY,
•of the Huguenots (French Proteflants) depending" upon the peace that had been lately granted them, accompanied him. The queen of Navarre was taken off by poifon. Coligni was fhot at, as he was going home at noon, by a villain hired for the purpofe, but he was only woianded. And in the evening, the duke of (juife communicated the king's fecret intentions to Charron, intendant of Paris, who ordered the captains of the different v/ards to arm the burghers privately ; giving or- ders, that the Roman Catholic citizens, as foon-as they heard an alarm flruck on the bell of the pa- lace clock, Ihould place lights in their windows by way of diftinftion, and then breaking into the houfes of all the Huguenots, put them to the fword, without regard to fex or age.
At midnight, Guife, accompanied by the duke D'Amaule, grand prior of France, a number of ofticers, and three hundred chofen foldiers, marched to the admiral's hotel, broke open the gates, and entered the houfe. A colonel and two fubaltera officers difpatched the wounded Coligni, and threw his body from his chamber-windov/ into the ftreet. All his domellics were affaffinated, without mercy; and while this was tranfa£ling, the alarm was ftruck on the bell, and the militia joining with the fol- diers, a general maffacre enfued. Two thoufand perfons were put to the fword before morning, and ^ great number in the courfe of the enfuing day. At the fame time, by orders from the court, the HuguenotSj in all the capital cities of the kingdom of France, fliared the fame fate : but in two or three garrifon- towns thty were fpared, the gover- nors rcfurmg to execute the bloody mandates, ex- cufing themfelves by faying, the king muft be out of his fenfes when he gave them. The mangled •. body of the admiral was infulted by the bigotted populace, and hung upon the gibbet of Montfau-
con;
EARL OF LEICESTER. 95
con ; and the young king of Navarre; the prince of Ream, and the prince of Conde, were clofetted by Charles and his fav'age mother, who told them, that if they did not embrace the Roman Catholic religion, they fhould not live three days. By fair promifes thev gained time, and made their efcape.
But according to Camden, it was intended to have involved England in the fate of this evil day ; for he favs, that the earl of Leiceiler, and Cecil, then lord Burleigh, were invited to the nuptials, and were to have been cut off, being the fapporters of the Protcnlant intereft both in England and in. France, by their councils and ailiflance : and the truth of this is juftificd by the conduft of the French ambaiTador foon* after, who haughtily de- manded, that all the French Proteflants, who had fled to England, on hearing of the maflacre of Paris, fliould be delivered up as rebellious fubjeds:, which the queen, with equal humanity and refolu- tion, abfolutely refufed.
To return to Leicefter : moft hiflorians agree, that it was in the coarfe of this year he privately married lady Douglas, dowager- baignefs of Shef- field ; and though lome fecret memoirs of the ad- ventures of this unfortunate ladv; whom he would never own as his wife, were handed about, yet the affair did not reach the queen's ear. But the wits of the court, after his marriage Vv'ith the countefs dowager of Effex was known, flyled thefe two ladies, Leicefcer's two teftarnents, calling lady Douglas the old, and lady Eilex the new teflament. Unable, liowever, to make lady Douglas delift from her pretentions, he endeavoured, fays Dugdale, to take her cfF by poifon, and Ihe narrowly efcaped death, with the lofs of her hair and her nails.
Yet all the reports and reprefentations made
to the queen of the earl's repreherfible condu6l
and bad character, had io litde eaC'tl upon her,
Q that
96 ROBERT DUDLEY,
that in 1575 her majefty made him a vifit at his calHe of Keneiworth, which had been granted to his lordOiip and his heirs, by the queen's letters patent, ever fmce the fifth year of her reign ; and his expence in enlarging and adorning it amounted to no lefs than 60,000 /. Here he entertained the queen and her court with all imaginable magnifi- cence for feventeen davs.
*' At her firft entrance, a floating ifland was dif- cerned upon a large pool, glittering with torches ; on which fat the lady of the lake, attended by two nymphs, who addreffed her maiefly in verfe with an hiflorical account of the antiquity and owners of the cafhle ; and the fpeech was clofed with the found of cornets, and other inftruments of loud muiic. Within the lower court was ere6ted a ftatcly bridge, twenty feet wide, and feventy feet long, over which the queen was to pafs ; and on each fide ftood columns, with prefents upon them to her majefiy from the gods. Silvanus offered a cage of wild-fowl, and Pomona divers forts of fruits ; Ceres gave corn, and Bacchus wine ; Nep- tune prefented fea-fifh, Mars the habiliments of war, and Phoebus all kinds of muficai inllru- ments.
*' During her {lav, variety of fports and fhews were daily exhibited, in the chace was a favage man with fatyrs ; there were bear-baitings, fire- works, Italian tumblers, and a country wake, run- ning at the quintain, and morrice-dancing. And, that no foit of diverfion might be omitted, the Coventry men came, and adled the ancient play, fo long fince ufed in their city, called Hocks- Tuefday, reprcfenting the deftru6lion of the Danes in the reign of king Ethelred ; which proved fo agreeable to her majefty, that flie ordered them a brace of bucks, and Hve marks in money, to de- fray tlie charges of the feaft. There were, befides,
on
EARL OF LEICESTER. 97
^n the pool, a triton riding on a mermaid eighteen ■feet long, and Arion upon a dolphin.'*
An elliniate may be formed of the expence front the quantity of beer that was drank upon this oc- calion, which amounted to 320 hogilieads.
Towards the clofe of this year, Walter D'Eve- reux, earl of Eifex, was, by lord Leicefter's ma- nagement, commanded to reiign his authority in Ireland ; and returned into England, after having "fullained a coniiderable lofs in his private fortunes. But expreffing his refentment with too much eagernefs againfl Leicciler, to whofe under-Jiand dealings he imputed the whole caufe of his rnis- fortunes, he was again fcnt back, into Ireland by "Ifis procurem.ent, with the unprofitable title of earl- -marlhal of the country. And here he continued iiot long before he died of a bioody-fiux, in the midft of incredible tornsents.
The death of this no{)ieraan carried with it a fufpicion of poifon, and was charged upon the earl of Leicefter. Two of Eilex's own lervants are reported to have been confederates in the murder: and it is faid, that a pious iady, whon^ths earl much valued, was accidentally poifoned at the fame time. It is farther alleged, that his lord- fliip's page, who was accuftomed to tafte of his drink before he gave it him, very hardly efcaped with life, and not without the lofs of his hair, though he drank but a fmall quantity.; and that the earl, in companion to the boy, called for a cup of drink a little before his death, and drapk to him in a friendly manner, faying, " I drink to " thee, my Robin ; but beji't afraid, "'tis a better '^ cup of drink than that thou tookefl to tafce *' when w^e both were poifoned."
This report, however, was contradicted by Sir
Henry Sidney, the lord deputy of Ireland ; y^/.t
the fufpicion was ihcreafed foon after, when Lei-
VoL. IL F ceiler
c,.8 ROBERT DUDLEY,
cefler married the countefs dowager of Eilex, an event which he wiihed to conceal. But the French amhalTador Simier, preiiing the queen's manlage with the duke of Anjou, and imagining })cr private att:achmcnt to Leicefler was the only cbilacle to it, revealed the cari*s marriage to lier ; and*fhe vva5 fo intemperate in iier rage upon this occaiion, that (he forbade him the couit, and would have committed him to the Tower, if the carl of SufTex had not prevented it, on prudential reafons.
It ha: been fuggefled, that Leicefler plotted againft the life of Simier in refentment of this dif- covery. 'i lie fufpicion was founded on two cir- cumflances ; the one was a proclamation ilFued by the queen, that no perfon Ihould prcfume to offer any affront to the French ambaffador or his fer- vants. Tlie other was, that, as Simier was attend- ing the queen in a barge upon tlie river, a gun was iired, the fhotfrcm which paffmg the ambalTador's barge Ihot one of tlie queen's watermen through both arms.
In if79, the duke of Anjou came over to Eng- land, thinking thereby the better to forward his fuit; but for a long tim.e he met with no better fuccefs than his ambaflador. At length, however, as he wa<; one day entertaining her majefly with amorous difcourfe, Ihe drew a ring from off her finger, and placed it upon his, on certain private conditions, which had been a^rreed between them. The company prefent miftook it for a contrail of marrJace ; and the earl of Leicefler, and the reft of his faiftion, who had fpared no pains to render the deilgn abortive, cried, I he queen, the realm, and religion, were undone. 1 he ladies of honour, who were all in his interefl, broke out into bitter )an":entations, and fo terrified the quc^en, that, early the next morning, fhe lent for the duke of
Anjou,
EARL OF LEICESTER. 99
Anjou, and, after fome private converfatlon with him, difmifled him her court, after he had Itaid in England three years. To do him honour, the queen attended him as far as Canterbury, and or- dered the earl of Leicefter, and forne others of her nobihty, to wait upon him to Antwerp, to which place he retired in 1582.
From this time, to 1585, we meet with nothing material in Leicefter's tranlaclions, except his fub- fcribing an alTociation with tiie reft of the nobility to defend queen Elizabeth, at the h^zar4 of their lives and fortrines, againft the open violence and fecret machinations of her enemies.
In 1585, the United Provinces in the Nether* lands, who had lately thrown off the SpanjQi yoke, being greatly diftrelTcu, made application to queen Elizabeth, and defired her niajefty to accept of the government of thofe provinces, and to take them into her proteftion. The queen heard their de- puties favourably ; however, Ihe refufed the fove- reignty, and only entered into a treaty, by which Ihe engaged to furnilh them with a large fupply of men and money, which fhe fent to them, foon after, under the condu£l of her general, the earl of Leicefter.
On the eighth of December he embarked, at- tended by feveral perfons of diftindion. His fleet €onfiil:ed of fifty fail of fhips and tranlports ; and, on the tenth, he arrived at Fluftiing, where, with his whole train, his perfon being guarded by fifty archers, fifty halberdiers, and fifty raufqueteers, he' was magnificently entertained by Sir Philip Sidney, his nephew, governor of the town for her majefly ; by Grave Maurice, fecond Con to William of Naf- fau, prince of Orange, then lately deceafed ; by the magiftracy of the city; and by the queen's am- balfador. This town, with the cd,i\k of Rami /if s^ F 2 and
ICO R O B E R T D U D L E Y,
and tlie town of Tervere in Zealand, and the JSnlle in the province of Holland, had been deli- vered to Elizabeth, as a fccurity for the repayment of the expcnces l]:ie had been at, to enable the United Provinces to maintain their new republic, independently of Spain, and they are tlience flyled in hiitory, The Cautionaiy Towns,
1 he lame fplendid and honourable reception was given to the earl throughout his progrefs to the Hague ; every tovv^n endeavouring to outvie the other in demonilrations of refpe£l ; ali manner of fhc\AS a: d ejitcrtainments by land and on their canals v^ere exhibited. At the Hague, the States defirous of engaging queen Elizabeth fl:ill farther 3J1 their defence, as a compliment to her majefly, conferred on her favourite the highefl honour that republic can bedow : they made him governor and captain general of the United Provinces, gave him a guard, in the fame manner as had been the cuflom for the prince of Orange, and permitted him to keep a court, to which the States and the magiflracy repaired to pay their compliments, and in mofl refpe6\s he was treated as their fovereign.
But this llep had a contrary effecl to what the States expefted ; for the queen had given a flrift charge to Leicefter before his departure, not to exceed his.commiffion, which was fo limited, that his acceptance of thefe honours highly militated againil liis fecret inilru£lions, as well as his com- miffion. Her majefty therefore confldered her pcr- ional honour as injured, rather than complimented by the extravagant reception her heutenant had met with, and thought the States, who were con- fiderably indebted to her, might have found a bet- ter ufc for their money, than to expend it on pa- geants, triumphal arches, and feafts ; fhe therefore leverely reprimanded them iu a letter written
with
EARL OF LEICESTER. ici
tvlth her own hand, and to Leicefter (lie feat her vice-chamberlaiii, to check his ambition by per- ioiial reproof.
The States returned a fubmillive anf-vver, and e:c- cuied what they had done bv the neceffitv they lay under to lliew her reprefentative all polnble tokens ofrefpeft. The earl of Leicellcr, too, lamenting his hard fate in having dilbbliged her, fo wrought upon her, that fhe overlooked the offence, and even acquiefced in the title given him by the States, It has, indeed, been fuppoled, that Elizabeth's an- ger againft Leicefter and the States was only pre- tended ; and that it was nothing but an artifice, bv which fhe Ihifted from herfelf the odium of airum- ing the fovereignty of the United Provinces, at ths fame time that fhe transferred it to her own de- pendant, whom fne could turn out of it, or con- firm in it, as circumftances iliould render it ex- pedient.
The earl afterv/ards proceeded to the exercife of his high authority, and having appointed natives' of Holland to be deputies in every province, he put the whole army, both Dutch and Englifli, under fuch excellent regulations, that the prince of Parma, general of the Spanifh forces, began to Goniider him as a formidable enemy, and to de- fpair of recovering thefe provinces for the crown of Spain, though not long before he had boafted, that he fhould make them an eaf^- conqueft. Se- veral fku-midies now happened, in which the Eng- liih forces gained the advantage ; and the prince of Parma having laid fiege to Grave, Norris, who was Leicefter's lieutenant general, and count Hoi- lack, repulfed him with conliderabie lofs ; but Van Hemart, a young Dutch nobleman, the governor,, furrendered it, for which he loll his heacT..' How- ever, upon the whole, the Englilh were fo fuccefs- £ul,. that, in honour of their vi^lories, Leicefter F 3 determined
102 ROBERT DUDLEY,
determined ro celebrate the fcflival of St. George at Utrecht, where he had his head-quarters, with tliC iame ridiculous ofteatation, a fondnefs tor which was one of his great foihies. And this frelh proof of his vanity embroiied him again with his royal miftrefs, whofe frequent remilfion of his offences has been ahvays urged as the ilrongeft proof, by foreign hiflorians, of a criminal attach- ment to liirn.
But the future fuccefs of the campaign n5t an- fwering to the high cxpe£lations formed by the Dutch on the iirft enterprizes of the iinghfh, the mifcarriages were imputed to Leiccfler's want of mi- Jitary courage and conduft, efpecially after the fai- lure of the i^cge of Zutphen, a town in poiTeflion of the S-'paniards, and oF the moil importance of any they held in the Netherlands.
7"he ilrength of this place canfifled in a foit built upon the river YlIcL 1 his Leicefler en- deavoured to block up by batteries erected againfl it, and he reduced the governor to fuch extremi- ties, that he was obliged to fend to the prince of farma, then beiieging Rhinberg for fuccours. T he prince, at the head of a flrong detachment, iiev/ to his aifiilance ; and at this critical juncture, by foine unaccountable mifcondu(5l, Leicefter neg- }e£led to fend money to the Count de Meurs, ro pay two ihoufand German mercenaries, whom the count had haflily levied and brought into Holland for the fervice of the States ; and the prince of Par- ma being informed that the men were on the point of mutinying, fhewcd his generalfnip, by furround- ing them in this temper, whereupon fome threw down their arms, and the reil entered into the Spanifh fervice. After which he contrived to throw fuccours into the fort of Zutphen.
But the flower of the Engliih vohmteers being iu the field, and amon^ theca many perfons of high
rank.
EARL OF LEICESTER. 1(33
rank, particularly the gallant Sir Philip Sidney, Sir WilJiani Stanley, Sir William Rirjel, and Sir John Norris, they refolvedto piirfue the enterprize, notwithilanding this difcouragemcnt; and rather to die for the honour of their country, than raife the fiege. With fuch fentiments, it is not far- prifing that they performed prodigies of valour ; but all their efforts proved inefFe6tu3l ; for Leiccf- ter again facrificed to his idol vanity in this fa- mous battle Having taken a chapel which flood m tlie iield of battle, he erriployed too, much time and attention in fecuring this pofb, which lie had taken in perfon, by a trench, inrtead of infpe«5\ing the motions or" the enemv, who had broken through the hne of the Engliih foot, and fupported by a flrong fire from their cavalry, had made dreadful havock. But feeing i.eicciler chiefly intent on his triPung acquiiition, the enemy direfted tlieir attack with three thoufand men againit the general's fa- vourite chapel, which occalioned a bloody conttilv the Spaniards gaining polTeilion of it ; but at lcng:ii they were driven with confiderable daughter to their intrenchments ; however, the advantages which had been gained by the Englifh in other quarters were loft by this manoeuvre, and time was given to the prince of Parma, who had hitherto left the fate of the day to the marquis of Vailo, to advance with his main force againll the Englijh, juft as they were preparing to force the entrench- ments. 7 hen it was that the lieutenant-general ISJorris, obferving the delign of the prince of Par • ma, which was to flank the Englifh, ad'-nfed Lei- cefler either to call off the troops under Sir W^il- liam Pelham from their attack on the entrench- ments, to fupport the body of the Engliih againil the prince, or to order a retreat. Leicefter unfor- tunately chofe the latter ; and Zutphen remained in the hands of the Spaniards.
F 4 la
TC4 ROBERT DUDLEY,
In the battle, the Engllfh, in general, gave fig- nal proofs of their military Ikill and perfonal valcar; but Sir Philip Sidney furpaiTed all others. This gallant officer, who was the fon of Sir Henry Sidney, by IMary, the eldeit daughter of jcbn Dudley, duke of Northumberland, dif- tinguifhed hiaifelf Very early at the court of Eliza- ^ eth ; for after having made the tour of Europe,,
: was cfieemed fuch an accompliflied young geh- ikrnan, that~in the year 1576, when he was but in the twenty- fecond year of his age, he was fent by tr^e queen to congratulate Rodolphus II. em- peror of Geimany, en his acceflion to the imperial throne. And in his way home, he vifited Don John of Audria, governor of the Low-countries^ a moll; haughty prince, accvdibmed to treat all foreigners with infolent contempt. Sir Philip Sid- ney therefore met with a very cool reception ; but afierv;ards, upon the report of his courtiers, that he was a gentJemari of great learning and knowledge of the world, though fo young, he condefcended to converfe with him, and from that time he ihevved him every po'ffible mark of refpedl and elleem.
HepoiTeiTed the ancient fpiritof Eritifh freedom, w^hich he exerted manfully upon all occaiions, par- ticularly when a quarrel happened between' him and the earl of Oxford at the Royal tennis-court, which was carried to fuch lengths that the queen interpofcd, and told Sidney ", to conlider the dif- ference in degree between earls and gentlemen, ad- ding, that princes were under a ncceliity to fup- port the privileges of thofe on whom they con^ ferred titles and dignities.; and that, if gentlemen contemned the nobility, it would teach peal'ants fo infultboth." To which he made the following reply, with due reverence; ** That rank was never.
intended
EARL OF LEICESTER. 105
inteiicled for privilege to wrong ; witncfs her Ma- jefly herfelf, who, how Tovereign Ibever (he were by throne, birth, education, and nature, yet wivs Ihe content to call her own affbclions into- the fame moulds wnth her fubje£ls, and govern all lier prerogatives by tlieir laws. And he befought her Majeiiy to coniider, that although the earl of Ox- ford were a great lord by birth, alliance, and favour, yet he was no lord over him ; and there- fore the difference in degrees between froemen could challenge no other homage but prece- dency."
With the fame independent fpirit he wrote an elegant Latin letter to the queen, containing the foundeft arguments, founded on the principles of general policy, and the conftitution of the king- dom, diitbading her from the marriage then nearly concluded betv/een her Majelly and the duke of Anjou ; which letter was well received, and is prefer ved in the Britilh Mufeum.
But his natural fire and vivacity made him fcorn the idle life of a courtier, and led him on to the lield of military glory ; the queen therefore, by the recommendation of Walfingham, whofe daughter he had married, and of his uncle the earl of. Lei- cefter, appointed him governor of Fluihing, and .lieutenant-general of the horfe. Being arrived in Zealand, he foimed a clofe friendihip and intimacy with JMaurice, fon of tlie prince of Orange, and in coniun£lio^n with him entered Flanders, and took Axel by furprize. Though the prince is named in this enterprize, yet the honour. of the contrivance, and the execution of it, is generally afcribed to Sidney, v/ho revived the ancient difci* pline of lilent order on the march : and by this condu(ft his foldiers were enabled to fcale the walls in the dead of night, when- no enemy was F 5 expefled.
io6 ROBERT DUDLEY,
expelled. Having fucceeded fo far, a chofen band niadedire6irlv to the guard-chamber on the market- place, took the officers pjifoners, and thus became maflers of the place before the commandant, who had the keys of the town In his bed-chamber, had the Icafl notice of the furprize.
Encouraged b)' this fuccefs, he made an attempt upon Gravehne: but the Qt£gn proved abortive^ through the treachery of La Mottc, the command- ing officer. His next and laft fervke was at the iuge of Zutphen. Here he was conflantly engaged in the heat of the a£lion, and fignalized himfelf by prodigies of valour. He had two horfes killed under him, and was mounting a third, when he was wounded by a mufket-fliot from the trenches, which broke the bone of one of his thighs ; and being then unable to manage' his horfe, he bore him from the field, *' the nobleft bier to carry a martial commander to his grave." In this ago- nizing lituaticn he rode to the camp, near a mile and half diilant, and paffing by the reft of the army,, faint with the lofs of blood, he cailcd^ for drink; but when it was brought to him,- as he \v?s putting the bottle to his mouth, he faw a pooE foldier carried along more dangeroufly wounded^, who cafl a longiag eye towards the bottle, whicb the generous, heroic Sidney obferving, he gave it^ to the foldier, before he had tailed a drop himfelf, feyiiig, *•' Thy neceiluy is yet greater than min.e.'*' He drank however afttr the foldier, and was then?, carried to Arnhcim, v/here the principal furgeons were. During iixteen days they entertained hopes, of his recovery, hut at laft finding they were not. able to extraft the ball, and, a mortification enfuing,. this, brave man prepared to meet death wi'Ji a pious, fortitude and refignation, correipondent to {he great a.dioni of hjis life. He expired in the arms
oi
EARL OF LEICESTER, toj
of his brother, Sir Robert Sidney, oq the i^th of Oftober, 1586, in the thirty-fecond year of his age.
The States of Zealand requefled of the queen that they might have the honour of burying hiui ;. but this was refufed : and her Majefly, in confi- deration of his uncommon merit, ordered the body to be embarked for England, which was acco-rd^ ingly done, with the ufual miUtary honours. It was received with the fame at the I'ower, and, af- ter lying in ftate feveral days, was interred witk great pomp in St. PauPs cathedral. But befides his mihtary fame, he left an unfading memorial of his fine genius, in his celebrated romance, intituled, ilrcadia.
The lofs of this promifing heru, in the bloom of youm, combined wiih the ill fortune of the day, occafioned loud murmurs in the army, and aliena- ted the elleem of the Dutch, who now openly ar- raigned I.eicefler, and did not fcruplc to charge him with want of mihtary fklll, if notof perfonal valour* When therefore he arrived at the Hague, after this campaign, the States being then affembled, they received him with eoldnefs, and foon broke out in expoftulation and complaint, in a moderate way deliring red efs. But Leieefter, in return, enter- ed upon a juuincation of his proceedings, Ifrovc to remove their fuppofed mifconflru6lions and mis- takes, and atiaft endeavoured to diUblve the ailem- biy ; but not being able toeffed it, h'C declared hi? refolution of returning to England,, and left them in an angry manner. However, he feems afterwards to have been brought to temper, and to have told the States,- that hv his journey into England Iw fnould be th^ better enabled to affift them 'm their affairs, TUid to provide a reuiedy for ail griev-*
F 6 Whea
3o8 ROBERT D U D L E Y,
.' Wlien the day came for his departure, by a puB** jic a6l, he gave np the care of the pirovinces into< the hands of the council of flate ; but privately^ tlie fame day, by an a£l of reilriftion, he referved ail authority to himfelf over all governors of pro- vinces, forts, and cities, and farther took away from the council and the preiidents of provinces their accullomed jurifdi£tion. And then he fet fail for England.
But whatever might be the pretence for Leicefter's leaving the Lowr-countries at this conjun6luic, his prefence in England feems now to have been defired Jecretly by Elizabeth, who wanted him near her perfon at this jundure ; for the late confpiracies, which had been formed in favour of the queen of Scots, had made a deep impreffion upon her Ma- 5e{ly, and fhe now refolved to facrifice her to her own fafety ; but the difficulty lay in what manner it fhould be done ; and fhe knew flie could rely upon Leiceiler's fidelity. When the matter was brought before the council, his lordfhip is faid to have advifed to take her oft by poifon ; but this bafe defign being openly oppofed by fecretary 'VValfingham, it was determined to proceed againft her by public trial, the proceedings and ifTue whereof the reader will find in the life of Cecil lord Burlegh.
In the mean time, the affairs of the Low-coun- tris were in a very unprofperous condition. And the governors of the provinces gave in loud com- plaints againil the earl of Leicefier*s adminiftration. During his Hay in England, they called together the States General, and to preferve their country,, they agreed to inveft prince Maurice with the full power and authority of Stadtholder. Purfuant to this determination, they obliged all the officers to. receive a new commilfioa from him,, and to take
■ " a ne\y
EARL OF LEICESTER. ic^
n new oith to the States, and difchafged all recii- fajits whatlbever from the fcrvice.
Qiieeii Elizabeth was highly difpleafed with thefe alterations in the government, bhe immediately lent over lord Buckhurfl to enquire into the mat- ter, to complain of the innovations they had in- troduced in the earl of Leicefter's abfence, and to fettle all differences between them. The States in return allured her Majeily, that their proceedings were but provilional, and enforced through fear oF a general revolt in confeqoence of their lofles ; and that at his lordfliip's return they would readily ac^ knowledge both him and his authority ; for the IStates were too well acquainted with the iliare Lei- cefler bore in her Majefty affe£lion, to abide by any accufation againft him. But notwithilandiiig many outward profeiTions of regard, they inwardly hated him, and privately proceeded in the execution of the projects, to limit his power.
The queen, however, openly efpoufing the caufe of her favourite, Leicefter went over to Holland again j where, by his profellions of zeal for the Pro- teilant religion, he formed a ftrong party among the divines and devotees, and thus railed two fa£li^ ons in the country, by which the States were greatly diftreffed, the magiftrates and perfons of rank only being of their party, while the mafs of the people, with the clergy, were devoted to Leiceiler. From this embarraffing Situation, tiiey were fortunately relieved by Leicefler's recall in<i588, when Eng- land was in a general conilernatien on account of the intended invalion by the Spanilh Armada, And to the aftoniihment of the Dutch minifter in Eng- land, as well as of the whole Englilh nation-, though lord Buckhurft nov/ delivered in acculations againil him at the council-board, for mal-adminiftration- in the Low-countries, fupported by the States, who were exafperated at thelois of Sluys. and the gene- ral bad fuccefs of the campaign in 1587, the queen
inter-
no ROBERT DUDLEY,
interpofcd ; and as a token of her great efteem for, and confidence in the earl, flie made him lieutenant- -general of the army, which had marched to 1 il- burv, to prevent the landing of the Spaniards. As her Majefty intended to put hcrfclr at the head of this army, if the Spaniards had made a defccnt on tiie coaft, no greater honour could be conferred on a fubjeft, nor could a greater proof be given of bhnd favouriiifm ; for Leicefler certainly wanted many of the talents requilite to form a great gene- ral ; and it is not without reafon that he is fuppofed to have been deficient in perfonal bravery. In- deed, it can hardiy be imagined, that cool reflec- tion, temper, and courage, could lublifl in a mind over-charged with the remembrance o( crimes of the deepefl dye.
^ Yet Elizabeth, when file reviewed this army^ beftowed the highefV encomiums on him, in her memorable fpeech, which, considering the great oc- caiion, and the dignity of the fpeaker, claims a place in this work, without abridgment, or alteration.
In imitation of the celebrated generals of ancient Greece and Rome, the iilullrious Englith-heroiae thus harangued her troops :
*' My loving People, *' We have been perfuaded by fome, that are careful of our fafety, to take heed how we commit ourlelves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery ; but I afTure you, I do n-ot deiire to live to diftruft my faithful and loving people, l-et tyrants fear : 1 have always fo behaved myfelf, that, under God, 1 have placed my chiefeft llrength and fafegaard in the loyal hearts and good-wiU of my fubjeils. And therefore 1 am come amongftyou, as you fee, at this time, not for my recreation and djfport^ but being refolved, in the midft and heat cf the battle, to live aiid die aniongH you ail r to lay 6» (iew»
EARL or LEICESTER, in
down for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honour and my blood, even in the duft. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but 1 have the heart and ftomach of a king, and of a king of England too ; and think it foul fcorn that Parma, or Spain, or any prince of Europe, fhould dare to invade the borders of my realm ; to which, rather than any dilbonour fhall grow by me, 1 myfelf will take up arms, I myfelf will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the tield. 1 know al- ready, for your forward nefs, you have deferved re- wards and crowns ; and we do allure yau, on the word of a prince, they fball be duly paid you.
In the mean time, my lieutenant-genei-al fliall be in my flead, than whom never prince com- manded a more noble or worthy fubje6l, not doubt- ing but by your obedience to my general^ by your concord in the camp, and vour valour in the field, we fhall ibortly have a famous viclory over thofe- enemies of my God, af my kingdom, and of my people."
The Spaniih invafion w^s providentially pre- vented by 3 violent ftorm which difperfed their fieet, and it v/as afterwards defeated ; but for the account of this engagement, we refer to the lives ©f the lord hi^h admiral, Charles Howard earl cf Nottingham, and of Sir Francis Drake,
This was the lafb expedition in which- the earl of Leice'ler was engaged ; for retiring foon after ta h-is-callle at Keiielworth, as he was upoji his jour- ney, lie was taken ill of a fever at Corubury Park^ in Oxfordfliire ; of which he died on the 4th of September^ 1588.
His death, according to fome authors, was haf- iened by poifon, and the crime is im.puted to Sir Ja^ues Crafts^ ii\ revenge foi: lora£ injury dojie by
112 ROBERT D U D L E Y,
•the carl to his father. His corpfe was removed CO Warwick, and niagnincently interred in a chapei, adjoining to' the choir of the collegiate church, and over it an handfonie monument was ere<?ted to his memory.
His chara£ler is given in a few words, by Cam- den : " He was a raoli: accomplilhed courtier, free and bountiful to foldiers and lludents ; a cunning time-ferver, and re(pe£ler of his own advantages ; of a difpolition ready and apt to pleafe ; crafty and fubtle towards his adverfaries ; much given for* merly to women, and in his latter days doating ex> trem.ely upon marriage. Hut, whillf he preferred power and greatnefs, which is fubjeft to be en- vied, before folid virtue, his detracting emulators •found large matter to fpeak reproachfully of him V and, even when he was in his mofl flourilhing con*- dition, fpared not difgracefully to defame him by libels, not without a mixture of fome untruths."' But there is much reafon to believe, that he was well fkilled in and a frequent pra6tifer of the dia- bolical art of poifoning ; which formed part of the Alachiavelian accomplilhments of a courtier in fome of the courts of Europe at this gira-
The earl of Leicefter left only one fon, to whom he bequeathed the greateft part of his real eftate, by tlie title of bis bife Jon R.bcrt^ on account o>f his having always denied his marriage with the lady Douglas, his mother ; but the young gentle- man, with great reafon, laid claim to legitimacy, and to the hereditary lionours of his family, in the beginning of the reign of James L and commenced a luit for that purpofe in the eccleliailical court ; and when he had proceeded fo far as to prove the marriage of his mother, by indubitable evidence, the caufe, through the influence of the dowager xountcfs of Leicefter (foimerly countefs of Eilex) now married to a third hufband, Sir Chriflopher
Blur.t,
EARL OF LEICESTER. 113
Blunt, was amoved into the flar-chamber, where the king in an arbitrary ma^nner put an end to the fuic, by ordering the examinations of the witneffes to be locked up, and no copies to be taken without the royal licence.
This adl of injuflice determined Sir Robert Dud* ley to leave his native country, and at this time he was efleemed one of the moft accomphlhed gentle- men of his age. The Dudley family, for three dcfcents, had furnlflied men of very great abilities ; but this reputed hnfe fon^ in learning, furpafled them all, elpecially m Che ufcful part of mathema^ tics. And in the lad years of Elizabeth, he had fitted out fome fhips, and made fome valuable dif- coveries m navigation : he alfo took and deflroyed nine fail of Spanifh fliips ; and he behaved fo ga!» lantiy at the fiege of Calais, that the queen con- ferred on him the. honour of knighthood ; but he certainly did not receive the encouragement- he ap- pears to have merited, either in her reign, or that of her fucceflbr.
Difgufied at the Englilh court, he obtained a licence to travel for three years ; but upon the death of his uncle the earl of Warwick, he allumed his title abroad, which giving offence to king James, he was ordered home, and not thinking it prudent to comply, his ellate was confiicated, for his life, to the crown.
Upon this reverfe of fortune he retired to Flo- rence, where he w'as kindly received by Cofmo IL great duke of Tufcany ; aJid for his eminent fer- vices to the manufactures and commerce of that country, the emperor, on the recommendation of. the archduchefs, to whom he had been appointed chamberlain, created him a duke of the Hoiv Ro- man Empire in 1620 ; and he then afTumed his grandfather's title, that of duke of Northumberland,
He:
: 14 U O B E Pv T D U D L E Y, &c.
He died at his country-feat near PJorence hi 1639, leaving a great characfler in the jearned world for his Ikill in philofophy, ch^miflry, and medicine ; and in the means of applying them for the benefit of mankind.
He was an author of feme repute ; and his prin- cipal work, enlituied, Del Arcnno dtl mare^ Sec. printed at Florence in 1630, and again in 1646, in two volumes, folio, is highly valuable and very fcarce. He was alfo the inventor of a fudoriiic powder, for a long time known, under the name of The Earl of Warwick's Powder.
*^* v^uthoritiei, Camden's Annals and Birch's Life of Queen Elizabeth. Dugdale's Antiquities of Warwicklhire. Fuller's V\orthies of Surrey. Melvil's Memoirs, edit. 1752. Haklun's Col- lection of Voyages, Travels, and Difcoveries of tlie Englilh Nation, fol. edit. 1580.
The life of
Sir FRANCIS WALSINGHAM,
Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth,
[A. D. 1536, to 159c J
FRANCIS WALSINGHAM v.as defcende^ of an ancient and good family, and born about the year 1536. He was educated at King's- college in tiie univeriity of Cambridge. His frieids feiit him to travel in foreign countries while he was
very
Sir FRANCIS WALSINGHAM. 115
very young ; and It was owing to this happy cir- cumftan.e, that he remained abroad during the perlbcuting adniiniinati.'^n of queen Mary, to whofe faiigainary zeal he mighr other wife have fallen a victim, for his declared attachment, while he was at the univerlity, to the reformed re- ligion.
A genius for political knowledge, dire£\ed his attention in early life, to the ftudy of the forms of government, iegiflatioiis, manners and cuftoms of the different nations of Europe; and of thefe he acquired fuch an extenfive knowledge, that, on his return to England, in tlie reign of queen Eliza- beth, his abilities recommended him to Sir Wil- liam Cecil, by whofe means he was employed in fome of the mofl important affairs of flate. I'ha firfl of his public employments was an enibali/ into France, where he refided feverai years, during the heat of the civil wars in that kingdom. In Augufl, 1570, he was fent there to treat of a marriage between queen Elizabeth and the duke of Alencon, with other matters of the higheft confe- quence ; and he continued at the court of Kiance till April, 1573. He acquitted himfelf in the chara6ler of ambalTador with uncommon capacity, fidelity, and diligence, fparing neither pains nor money to promote the queen's fervice to the ut- moft. But Elizabeth was fo extremely pariimo- niouSj that it was with great difficulty he could procure fuch fupplies of money, as were requisite for fupporting the dignity of his chara-£ler. But on his return to England, he was appointed one of the principal fecretaries of ftate, and foon after he received the honour of knighthood.
It was on the promotion of his conftant friend and patron Sir WiUiam Cecil, now created a peer, and made lord-treafurer, that Wallingham was raifed to his new dignity i but ilill he was the ju- nior
ii6 THE LIFE OF
nior fecrctary, till the death of Sir Thomas Smith, which Iiappcnccl in 1577 j from which time Sir Francis Walfingham niay be conliclered as fecond in the adminiflration of public affairs, and the firm, gmtcful fupporter of Cecil lord Burleigh's power and influence, againll Leicefler and his party. ^
Sir Francis, was peculiarly happy in the difco- very of court intrigues, and treafonable confpiracies at home ; and he v/as no lefs fuccefsful in procuring the earliefl: and moft autlientic iniclligence of the fecret defigns of the principal powers of Europe.
This experienced ilatei'man was fent over to Holland in 1578, to ailiil: at the congrefs held by the i'roteftant ftates of the provinces of FlollaiKl, Zealand, Friezland, and Utrecht. He a£ted as the reprefentative of queen Elizabeth at their meet- ings ; but thofe writers who ilyle this private agency an cmbafTy; forgot that the republic was not yet eftablifhed, or in a capacity to receive ambalTadors. Waliingham, hov/ever, contributed by his political talents and influence to the formation of the alli- ance entered into by thefe provinces, the beginning of thefoUowingyear. ftyled, The Unio?iof\jTKECui\ .which was the object of his commilfion.
On his return home, he was confulted by the queen and Cecil on the coiKlitions of the propofed marriage between her majeily and the duke of Anjou ; and thefe being adjufted, he was appointed ambalTador to the court of France, for the third time, and he repaired thither in 1581 ; but Henry HE of France, rejefting the propofals, the embaify proved unfuccefsfiil. Walfingham was recalled tov/ards the clofe of the year ; and the duke of Anjou finally quitted England, as we have related more amply, in the life of Eeicefter.
Upon every occafion, when fkilful addrefs and •pohtical intrigue were effcntially requifite, Walfing- bam was furc to be employed,. As foon therefore
as
Sir FRANCIS V/AL SING HAM. ii^
as the queen received inteliigeiice that the yonng king of Scotland, afterwards James I. of England, had Ihewn a flrong attachment to the earl of Arran, and had made him his chief confident, Walfingham was difpatched to Scotland, to endeavour to remove the earl ; or if that could not be efFefled, to form a party at court and in the kingdom againft him. The latter he accomplllhed, and at the fame time, he purfued another fecret defign of Elizabeth, " which was to obtain from a man of Walfingham's pene- tration and difcernment, the real character of James.'* This we give on the authority of Hume, who farther adds, " that Walfingham v/as greatly deceived upon this occaiion, entertaining higher ideas of his talents for public bufinefs than they merited." But this does not impeach the judgement of our ftatefman, who at the time of his arrival in Scotland, and during his refidence there, was in a very bad and declining (late of health : and in this lituation, James, who knew his fame as a man of letters, engaged him chiefly in converfations which tended to Ihevv his own fcholaflic learning ; and Walfingham, fays Lloyd, " fitted the humour of the king by palTages out of Xenophon, Thucydides, Plutarch, or Tacitus." In fuch literary conferences, .the young monarch took great delight, and he ge- nerally exerted himfelf upon fuch occafions ; fo that from his critical knowledge of ancient hiftory and .other branches of fcience, Walfingham was war- ranted to draw, a conclufion, that he would not prove fo miferably deficient, as we fliall find he was, in the application of his knowledge to prac- tice.
In 1586, by his peculiar fagacity and manage- ment, he unravelled the whole plot of Babington, iind others, againfl the life of the queen.
Soon after this, he was appointed one of the £ommifIioners for the trial of the queen of Scots,
having
ii8 T H E L I F E O F
having before oppofccl the advice of the earl of Lei- ctHer, who was inclined to difpatch her by poifon, and had privately fent a court divin.e to fecrctary Walfnv^ham, to perfuadt- him toconfent. But the latter perfjllcd in his opinion, that fuch a method of proceeding was not only unjuft, but hkewifc dangeroiis and dilhonourable to their roval miihefs. In the courfe of the trial, queen Mary charged him with counterfeiting her cyphers, and With pra<flifin.g aG;ainll: her's and her fon's life. Where- upon Wallingham, riling from his feat with great earneOnefs, protcfted that his heart was free from all malice againft the queen — he called God to witnef?, that, in his private charter, he had done nothing unbecoming an honeft man, nor in his public capacity aiiy tiling unworthy of his ftation. He owned, indeed, that out of his great care for the perfonal fafety of his royal miflrefs, and the fecurity of her realm, he had curioufly endeavoured to fearch and fift out all plots and deflgns againft both. And he added, that in this view, if Bal- lard, though an accomplice with Babington, had offered him his fervice in the difcovery of the plot, he would not only have accepted it, but have re- warded him for it. Mary feemed to be fatisfied with this vindication of himfelf, and expreffed her concern that fhe fhould have credited every idle re- port to his di fad vantage.
In 158;, the king of Spain having made vafl preparations, which furprifed and kept all Europe in fufpenfe, not knowing on what nation theflorni would break, Wallingham employed his utmoil endeavours for the difcovery of this important fe- cret ; and accordingly procured intelligence from Madrid, that the king had informed his council of his having fent an cxprefs to Home, with a letter under his own hand to the pope, acquainting him with the true defign of his preparations, and beg-
Sir FRArJCIS WALSINGHAM. 119
ging his bleiTing upon it; which, for fome rea- foiis, he could not difclofe to the council till the retu' n of the courier. The fecret being tlius lodged with the pope, W alfingham, by the means of a Venetian prieil retained at Rome as his fpv, got a copy of the original letter, which was flolen out of the pope's cabinet bv a gentleman of tlie bed- chamber, who took the key out of the pope's pocket while he flept.
After this, by his dextrous management, he caufed the Spaniards bills to be protelled at Genoa, which Ihould have fupplied them with money for their extraordinary preparations ; and, by this means, he happily retarded this formidable invaiion for a whole year.
This feems to have been the lafl public tran- faflion in which he was concerned, and as to his private life we have no intereiVmg anecdotes rela- tive to it. We Ihall therefore only obferve, be- fore w'Q drop tlie curtain on this true patriot, that every attempt to promote the trade and navigatloA of this country, met with his protetlion and en- couragement. Hakluyt's voyages and difcoveries in foreign parts, and Gilberts fettling of New- fjj^undland, were promoted by him ; and he af- filed thefe adventurers from his private purfe. He likewife founded a divinity-le£lure at Oxford, and a librarv at King's College, Cambridge,
Yet auerali his eminent fervices to his country, this great man gave a remarkable proof at his d^kth (which happened on the iixth of April, 1590,) how far he preferred the public to his own intereft ; for, though, befides his poft of fecretary of ftate, he was chancellor to the duchy of Lancafler, and to the order of the Garter ; he died fo poor, that ' his friends were obliged to bury him by night in St. Paul's church, leil: his body (hould be arrefted for debt : a circumflance, of which we have few
or
120 T H E L I F E O F .
-or no examples ; nor is it likely that any of our modern ITatefmen will make fuch facrifices of their fortunes, acquired in the public fervice, to the public good. It mull:,, however, be acknowledged, that the want of generofity, and even of juflice, inanifefted by queen Elizabeth towards this able iiiinillcr, reflects no honour on her charafter.
But let every generous Britifh youth bear in grateful remembrance, that the head, the heart, and the purfe of Waifingham, were devoted to his country — that he was eminently inftrumental in *the eftablifliment of the Proteflant religion — ruined the machinations of Rome to undermine it — and by his encouragement of navigation, arts, and ma- nufaftures, extended the commerce of England to various regions of the habitable globe, till his time unknown by our coumrymen.
His negotiations, or f late-papers, were colle£led by Sir Dudley Digges, mafter of the rolls, and pub- lifhed in 1655, foho. A work is likewife afcribed to him, inUtultd, Ar-ca^ia Julica, or Wallingham's manual of prudential maxims, which has been of- ten printed ; but it is not probable that he was the author.
A maxim, however, which w^as undoubtedly his, being adapted to perfons of all ranks, and of .every age, may fupply the place, wdth advantage, of the engraver's tail-piece :
Knowledge IS
NEVER TOO DEAR.
*':;^* Ju'horities. Camden's Annals. Llovd's State Worthies. Mclvil's AJenioirs. Bior. Biitan.
The
( 121 )
asP
The Life of
Sir JOHN PERROT,
(A.D. 1527, to 1592.)
WE are now to prefent to the reader one of thofe genuine Englifli miHtary characVeri^ with which our hirtory abounds, whole roughs unconquerable valour, noble fiercenefs, and manly fpirit, untempered by the fofter pafTions, could only recommend them to future ages, and enrol their names in the regifters of fame, by heroic ac- tions in the fervice of their country, performed at feme particular crifis, when its welfare depended in a great meafure on the exigence of fuch eccentric beings.
The French flyle them favage, hrutal and fe- rocious, but Engliflimen will know how to fet'a proper value on thofe uncivilized fons of Mars and Neptune, whole daring intrepidity has often been the falvation of their country ; and they will call a veil over the faults and foibles of their domeftie lives, in confideration of their glorious actions in' the field.
Such indulgence mud we claim, for fir John Perrot, the reputed fon of Thomas Perrot, efq. of South Wales, by Mary the daughter and heirefs of James Berkeley, efq. fecond fon to the lord Berke- ley ; but it was generally believed, (according to Lloyd) and many circumflances in his lifs will confirm it,, that he was the natural fon of Henry yiir. whom he greatly vefembled both in his per-
VoL. IL Q fovi
Ill T H E L 1 F E O F
foil and his difpofition. An Intimacy of a fufpi- cious nature had fublifted between the king and liis mother, a Ihort time before flie was married to Mr. Perrot ; and it is remarkable, that we have no certain indication of the time of his birth, being obbged to compute it only from the aera of his be- ing placed under the care of the marquis of VVin- chciter, lord high treafurer, about the year 1545 ; and it is generally allowed, that he was then eighteen years of age, which calculation fixes his birlh to the year we have aiTigned it.
"i he marquis, following the example of Wolfey; and other flatefmen of thofe times, received young gentlemen of rank and fortune into his houfe, to complete their education, efpecially fuch as were deiiined for public life. Young Perrot's reputation for peifona! valour, llrength, and dcKterity in mar* tial exerciies, which had been his chief rural fports, reached * ondon before hirn. and it ferved to in- troduce an extraordinarv Icene in lord Wincbeiler's houle on his arrival, w'hicli at once difcovered the call f his difpofition.
One of the young noblemen, the lord of Aber- gavenny, was io fierce and hafly, that no ftr- vant or geniijman in the family could continue quiet for him : but, when young Perrot came, his lordfhip was told, there was now a youth arrived, who would be more than a match for him. " Is there fuch a one ?" faid he. *' Let me fee him/^ Upon which, being brought w-here Perrot was, for the fir ft falutation, he afked him, " What, ** Sir, are you the kill-cow that mufl; match «Vmc f" No,'* faid Mr. Perrot, *' 1 am no *' butcher ; but, if you ule me no better, you ** fhali find 1 can give you a ''butcher's blow," ** Can you fo f" faid he, *' I will fee that."^ And fo being both an^^ry, they fell to .blows, till lord Abergavenny found himlelf overmatched, and
was
Sir JOHN P ERR OT. 12^
was willing to be parted from him ;^after which, the ferving men> and otheis, when they found the young lord unruly, would threaten him with Mr* Ferrot.
But this trial of their fkill produced for a ^-ime a refpeflful behaviour to each other, which ri- pened into a Hiort-lived friendlhip : being founded, however, onlv on a forced reftraint of their iiery tempers, it was not likely to be peniianent. Ac- cordinglv, having agreed to make a joint enter- tainment for tiieir com'.iion acquaintance ; 0:1 the day appointed, they quarrelled, upon Vv'hat fub- je^ is not known, and repairing to t'ne buiTet, wiierein they had provided good lloie of glaiVes, before their guefts came, they broke them all about each other's ears, fo that when they arrived, in- ilead of wine, they found blood fpiiied in the cliamber, and the reproaches of their mutual friends only lerved to Vi/ideii the breach between them.
Shortiv after, it was Mr. Perrot's fortune to go into Southwark (as it was fuppoled to a houie. of pieafure) taking only a page v>^ith him, where he fell out with two of the king's yeomen. 1 hey both drew on him ; but he defended himfcif fo valiantly, that the king, being thevi at VVinciiclur- houfe, near the place, was told how lultiiy a young gentleman had fought with two of his nia- jelly's fervajits. Henry being deiirous to fee hhn, fent for him, demanded his name, countrv, and kindred. 1 his being boldly by him related, it pleafed the king very w eh to fee fo much valour and audacity in fo young a man ; and therefore he defired him to repair to the court, where he would bellow preferment on him.
It is highly probable, that Perrot took this op*
portunity of giving the kirjg fome isitimation ot'
his affinity to him j for it will, appear by the fc-
G i quel.
124 THE LIFE OF
quel, that he all along knew it hi mfelf; and it is moft likely that his mother, in this view, had con- trived to get him placed in the honfe of the mar- quis of Winchefter, a ftep which a private gen- tleman of Wales would hardly have thought of, if he had not been influenced by his wife, whofe fe- cret motive he could not fufpeft.
Henry died Toon after this interview, and it is be- yond a doubt, by the early notice taken of him at the court of Edward VI. that he left fome private '3nfl:ru<5lions concerning this youth. For, at the ><:oronation, he was made a knight of the Bath ; and foon after, when the marquis of Southampton went into France to treat of a marriage betwixt king Edward and the French king's daughter, Sir John Perrot accompanied him.
" The marquis being a nobleman wdio delighted much in all feats of activity, keeping the moft excellent men that could be found for moil kinds of fport, the king of France underflanding it, en- gaged him to hunt the wild boar ; and, in the chace, it fell out, that a gentleman, charging the boar, did not hit right, fo that the beaft was ready to rjn in upon him; upon which Sir John Perrot, perceiving him to be in danger, came in to his refcue ; and, with a broad fword, gave the boar fu^i a h\o\v as aluiofc parted the head from the llioulders."*
*' The king of France, who hw this, came pre- fently to him, took him about the middle, and, embracing him, called him Bcau-foUe, Our Eng- hlli knight, thinking the king came to try his Hrength, took his majefty alfo about the middle, and lifted him up from the ground ; with which the king was fo far from being difpleafed, that he of- fered him a good peniion to ferve him. " To this compliment Sir John Perrot nobly replied. That, he humbly thanked his majelly, but he was a gen*
tleman
Sir JOHN P E R R O T. 125
tleman that had means of his own ; or, if not, he knew he ferved a gracious prince, who would not lee him Want, and to whom he had vowed his fer- vice during hfe."
Shortly after, Sir John returned from France, and reiiding chiefly at court, he hved at fo extra- vagant a rate, that he involved himfcif in debt, and could not extricate himfelf, though he mort- gaged his ellate.
Thus reduced, he fell upon a flratagem to attra(^ the king's attention to his fituation. He placed himfelf in a bye-part of the court, where he pre- tended to think hiimfelf out of hearinc; ; and there, in a melancholy tone of voice, he be?an to re- proach himfelf for his prodigality, and to argue the cafe with himfelf, whether he iTiould continue at court, or feek his fortune in the army. The king, as he very well knew, overheard moft of his, foliloquy, having paifed that way and ftepped be- hind him. At length difcovering himfelf, his ma- jefty thus accoiled him, *' How now, Ferrot, w'hat *' is the matter that you make this great moan ?'* To whom Sir John replied with well afFe£led fur- prife, ** So pleafc your majefty, I did not think *' that your highnefs had been there." ** Yes," faid the king, " we heard you well enough : and " have you fpent your living in our fervice ; and *' is the king fo young, and under government^ ** that he cannot give you any thing in recom- *' pence ? Spy out fomewhat, and you fnall fee *' whether the king hath not power to beftow it on *' you." Then he mod humbly thanked his ma- jefty, and fhortly after found out a concealment of fome lands or other efFe6ls that had been forfeited- to the crown ; and, on his petition, the king be- flowed them on him ; wherewith he paid the greatefl part of his debts, and ever after became a more frugal manager*
G 3 Soon
126 THE LIFE OF
'^ocn after the arcellion of queen Mary, Sir John Perrot was committed to the Fleet prllbn, for harhourina; heretics at his lionie in Wales ; but thoiic^h riie ■•ntereft oi his friends, and the queen's perronal favour, he \va<? releafed, to the great mor- lification of one Ga^erne, his countryman, a bi- gotted ParMft, who had lodged the information ai;ai!>f^him. Shortly alter he went to St. Qiiin- tin, where lie had a command under the earl of Pem!)roke vvho at th,s time lived in the firictcil friendihip w'ch him . but alter their return to F'-^land, Sir [ohn foon found, that no ties of f-iendihip cou-d reftrain his lordlhip's zeal for Popery. The earl being pref.dent of Wales, re- ceived an order from the qu:.en, not to fuffer any heretics to remain in Wrdes ; and his friend, Sir Jc'lin Pe' ro", being with him at the time, he re^ e-uired his alfilfance in cairvingit into execution. P^^FrGt refuhng, on confcientioas principles, a qw'irrei enfued, vvliich came to blovvS; and tliey were never a^ter reconcijed.
■ lhtel!5i;e!U:e of th'S affair foon reached the court, tL\\ the bigottrd qu.-rcn was liighly diipleaicd ; in- f much, that .^ir jolrn, having at tluu time a fuit for the cau^e af>d !nrill>ip of Carew, ?zn(\ a promife C-i the gran.t being given him ; wd^.en he came to c<iurt :he would Icaicely lock on liim, much lefs give him any |-ocd anfwer ; which lie perceiving, dtreimi ned not to be baulked with auflere looks, hit preilld fo jiear to the queen, that he fell upon her train, be'eeclnng her majefty to remember her pjomiie made to him for Carev-/ ; wherewith Ihe fc^^ipfd liighly offended, and ]n an angry fort aiked, '* Wha^ ! Perrot, will vou offer violence to our ** pcifon r'' Then he befoughr of her pardon for his botdneis ; but Ihe denarted with much indignation. Yet foon after, Sir John Perrot found friends a- bout the c^ueen, vvhp sdyifed her to jeniit wdiat
Sir JOHN P F R R O T. 127
was pafl, and to refer his fuit to the lords of the. privy-coiinci],
VVheii he came before the council to know their plealures, wheihcr he ihouid have Carevv, accord- ing to the queen's promife, (jardiner, bifhop of V, inchefter, began very iharpiv to cenfure hirn^ .faying, *' Sir John Perrot, do you come to feek: ** luits of the queen ? 1 teii you, except you alter *' your heretical religion, it were more lit the *' queen Ihould bellow faggots than any living on *' you ?" But, when it carne to the turn of i- e earl of Pembroke to deliver his opinion, he, Vvith a truly noble generofiry, efpoufcd his caufe, in the .following terms : '• My lords, I muft tell you my " opinion of this man, and of the matter. For *' the man, I think he would, at this time, if he *' could, eat my heart with fait; but yet, not- *' withitanding his ilomach towards me, I ♦.vill ** give him his dne. 1 hold him to be a man of ** good worth, and one who hath deferved of her ** majefty in her lervicc, as good a matter as this ** which he leekerh ; and will, no dou'pt, deferve *' better if he leform his relic!;ion : tlierefore, fii-ice *' the qu'^en hath pallid her gracious pro m-iie, 1 fee
no reafon but he (liould have that which he
<(
** feeketh," When they heard the e-^rl of Pem- broke lb favourable, who they thought would have been moll vehement af?ainfl: him, aU che r^il were content ; and lb her majefty (hordy after granted him his fuit.
From tlris time, the better to avoid all future queftion concerning his rehgion, which might put his life in jeopardy, he prudently retired into the country. But his ambition and his hopes revived on the acceffion of queen Elizabeth, from whom he met with a moil gracious reception, and he had tlie honour to aflin: at her coronation, being one of .the knights who fupported her canopy of ilate in
128 T H E L ! r E O F
the proceffion. And in the firft year of this reigr?^ Sir John was the principal ador in a romantic, ru- ral cntci tainment given by the queen and her court, to the treneh amb-iffador in Greenwich-park. The particulars of which are thus recorded : *' Tents being fet np, and a banquet provided, her majefty accompanied by the ambafTador, and the principal officers of lier court, entered the Park.
*' As (he palTed through the gate a page prefented a fpeech to her, fignifying, that there were certain knights come from a far country, who had dedi- cated their fervices to their feveral miflrelTes, being ladies for beauty, virtue, and other excellencies, incomparable ; and, therefore, they had vowed to advance their fame through the world, and to ad- venture combat with fuch as ihould be fo hardy as to affirm, that there w^ere any ladies fo excellent as the faints which they ferved. And, hearing great fame of a lady which kept her court thereabouts, both for her own excellency, and the worthinefs of many renowned knights which flie kept, they were come to try, whether any of her knights would encounter them for the defence of the ho» iionr of their miilrefies.
*' When this fpeech was ended, the queen faid to the page, *' Sir ]3warf, you give me very fhort •' warning, but I hope your knights fnall be an- ** fvvered." And then looking about, fhe af^ed the lord-chamberlain, '' Shall we be out-bragged *' by a dwarf?" " No, may it pleafe your majefty," anfwered he •, " Let but a trumpet be founded, and *' it fhall be {ten, that you keep men at arms enough *' to anfwer any proud challenge." 7 hen was the trumpet founded, and immediately there iiTued out of the eail lane at Greenwich, feveral peniioners gallantly armed and mounted.
" The challengers were, the earl of Ormond, the lord North, and Sir John Perrot. Prefently,
Sir JOHN P E R R O T. 129
-upon their coming forth, the challengers prepared theaifelvcs. Amongll the reft, there was one Mr. CornwalHs, to whofe turn it fell, at length, to run agairift Sir John Perrot. As they both encountered, Sir John, through the unfleadinefs of his horfe, and uncertainty of the courfes in the field, clianced to run Mr, Cornwalhs through tlic hole, razing bis thigh, and fomewhat hurting his horfe ; wherewith he being offended, and Sir John discontented, as they were both choleric, they fell into a challenge to run with fharp lances, without armour, in the prelence of the queen ; which her majeily hearing of, fhe would not fufFer ; fo they were reconciled, and the combat ended, after cer- tain courfes performed on both fides by the chal- lengers and defendants.
" After finiihing thefe exercifes, her maiedy in- vited the French ambailador to partake of tiie ban- quet ; but a courier arriving, who brought his ex- cellency an account of the tragical end of tlie king his mafter, Henry H. of France, he craved pardon of her majeily, and retired."
It is very remarkable, that the French monarch was accidentally killed at a tournament, given 611 account of the marriage of the Dauphin, after- wards Francis II. with Mary queen of Scots ; and this melancholy event principally contributed to the fuppreilion of thefe warlike entertainments ; at one of which, a Turkifli ambalFador being pre- fent, he obferved, *' that if the combatants were *' in earneit, it w^s not enough ; if they were iu *' jeft, it was too much.'* HenauhU Hif.ory of France.
From this time to the year 1572, nothing me- morable is related concerning our hero, but in that year, his valour and activity v^^ere properly em- ployed, not in idle feats of chivalry, but in the fer- vice of his country : he was appointed Lord Piefi- G S dent
130 T H E L I F E O F
dent of the province of Miinfter in Ireland. This provinct^ was in a defoJate condiiion, having been l?iid vvafcc by the carl of Defmond and his ac- complices, v,ho vvere in aclaal rebellion againll the queen, as were many other provinces of that kingdoin-
* But the principal author of the cruel devaflations ill the province of Munltery was one Fitz-Morris,- the earl of Defmond's lieutrnant.
Sir John Perrot landed at Waterford the firft of March 1572 ; and three days after, the rebel Fitz:- ^'Jorris, by way of defiance, burned the town of Kyllmalog, hs^nged the chief magiftrate, and others of the townhr.en, at the high crofs in the market- place, and carried all the plate and wealtli of the tov/n with, him; with which, exploit our new prelident was mnch difcon tented, and ther€^ fore he haftened to Dublin to take his oalh before the lord deputy, Sir Henry Sidney, in order to qualify hi~m to proceed with vigour, and withouS ^ehy^ againfl this cruel and arrogant rebel.
L'pcn his return to Corke, about the tenth of April following, he initantly nrarched with the ibrces under his command to Kyllmslog, where he took- up his quarters in a houfe that had been partis burnt down, and then iffued a proclamation^ inviting all the rnhabitants- who had fled to return; Iio'me ;. which they did accordingly,, and began tO' huild their gates, to repair the town; walls, and to .rebuild their houfes;
After he had properly fortified this place, and re- :fto red good order and ti-anquillity, he purfued the rebels- from place to place, witlx fuch intrepidity and dihgeiice, and with fuch good fortune, that they neviT chofe to come to a regular, decifive- Battle with him, only hazarding^ flight fkirmillics^ T/here they had the- advantage of fituation. ** "Whixja, isir Jchrj, Perrot obferving, he purfued 4 ** tlieiii
Sir JOHN P E R R O T. 131
** them night and day without remiliion, even in *' the midil of winter, a.'id Jay out many nighis. *' in tlie field both ia iVoft and Inow, enduring *' fuch hardlhips as would hardly have been be* *Mieved, if two of his followers, men of great ere- *« dit, had not related them."
The detail of liis militaiy exploits in a lude^ "uncultivated country, would be both tedious, a^ well as unjntereiling at this diilant period. We?- fhall therefore only mention, that in lefs than th^ fpace of a year, by continual purfuits, by harrailing the rebel army, and by cutting ofF tiieir commu-- iiications, fo that they could not procure fuppliest either of money, ammunition, or proviiions, he entirely difperfed the povver of fitz Ivlorris. and made him glad to fue for pardon, ciFering to fab- mit himfelf to the queen's mercy. '\Vhich at length Sir John Perrot confented ro grant, but iiii the following humiliating manner, winch indeed- was a proper punilhrnent for a poltroon, who after agreeing to accept a challege from Sir John ta decide the war by fmgle combat, had reiufed tc^ meet him.
Fitz-Morris came to Killmalog, where in th^ church the lord-preiident cBufed him to lie pro- ftrate, putting the point of his fvvord to his hearta, in token that he had received his life at the queen's hands. Then he took a folemn oath to continue a true fubjedl 10 the crown of England, where- by tlie province of Mur.fter was rtitored to, an4 maintaiiied in as good a fiate of peace an.d cbccli- ence, as any part of Ireland.
The feverity he had exerciied in the courfe 0%- his campaigns, m. order to, put an end to the Febel-.^ |ion, particularly his hanging up lonie merchuaits^ who fuppljed the rebel forces with proviiions and brandv, and his obliging tiie eari of Thomop.dj, " \\itii QtUer Iriih noblemen, v.diom he fulped^d to
Q 6 b.
132 THELTFEOF
be fecret favourers of the rebellion, to follow his camp, occafioned fome heavy complaints to be fent home againft him, accuting him of abufe of autho- rity and arbitrary proceedings. His temper took fire upon the firfl reproofs tranfmitted to him from the mlniilry of England, and following the natu- ral bent of it, without waiting for have of abience, he took fuch fteps as he judged moft prudent, for the prefervation of the public peace in Munfler, made up his accounts, and fuddenly embarked for England in March i 573.
When Sir John Perrot came to court, it was thought, that the queen would have been highly offended at his coming over without licence. Yet as foon. as he appeared before her, and had related the flate of Ireland, the particulars of his fervices, and the caufe of his coming over, her majefty commended his conduct, and dcfired him to return fpeedlly to his charge, left in his abfence fome difturbance might arife. To which Sir John anfwered, I'hat for the general ftate of the pro-, vince, it was fo w^ell fettled, that no new commo- tion on a fudden need to" be feared. Yet there were many particulars which might be amended without any great difficulty : which being allowed by her highnefs, he was ready to ferve her there, whenfoever it Ihould pleafe her to appoint him. And that the fame might be the better underfioed, he prefented a plan to the queen, to be confidered by her mrjefty, and her privy-council.
In general, it contained many excellent regula- tions, but the carrying fome of them into execu- tion, was likely to be -^.ttended with greater incon- veniences than thofe he intended to remove, ^nd he himself owned the difficulty of accompli ihing fome pnin'S. The faft is, he was a better foldier than a ftaiefman ; but being una])le to brook op- pofiUon,. on tlie council's rejewting liis plan, he
defired
Sir JO HN P E R R O T. 13-
de-fired leave to retire for his health to his cftatc ii\ Wales.
Sir John Perrot had enjoyed his retirement but a few years, when upon inteiHgence that Fitz- Morris, lince his fubmillion, had been in Spain, and procured the promife of Ihips and men to in- vade Ireland, efpeciaily the province of Munfter, the queen and her privy-council fent for him to take the command of fuch lliips and pinnaces as Ihould be made ready, to intercept or interrupt the Spanifh fleet and forces, which were deligned for Ireland. Sir John made fuch fpeed in his. journey, that he came from Pembrokelhire to Greenwich in lefs than three days. The queen, when fne faw him, told him, fhe thought he had not heard from her fo foon : '' Yes, madam, an- *' fwered he, and have made as much hafle as I ** might to come unto your majefty." " So me- ^* thinks, faid the queen, but how have you done *' to fettle your affairs in the country r" May it ** pleafe your majelly, faid Sir John, I have taken *' this care for all ; that fetting private bufinefs *' afide, in refpe£t of your majefty's fervice, I have *' appointed the white iheep to keep the black : ' ** for I may well enough venture them, when I " am willing to venture my life in your majefty's ** fervice." With which anfwer the queen was -^^ell pleafed, and fhe conferred with him privately for fome time ; then diimhied him, and appointed him to receive farther directions for that fervice from the lords of her privy-council.
After this interview with the queen, he prepared for his expedition with all convenient fpeed ; and tlie fleet being ready, Sir John left London about Auguft, 1578, and went from thence in his barge, accompanied by feveral noblemen and gentlemen. As they lay sgainil Greenwich, where the queen kept her court, Sir John fent ons of his gentle- men
134. T H E L I F E O F
men on fliore, with a diamond, as a token to Mrs. Elanch Pairy, willing him to tell her, that a dia- . mond coming unlocked for did always bring good luck w^ith it : which the queen hearing, fent Sir John a fair jewel hung by a wiiite cyprefs ; figni- fying, that as long as he wore that for her fake, fhe believed, with God's help, he Ihould have no harm. The meflage and jewel Sir John received joyfully, and he returned anfwer to the queen, *' 1 hat he would wear that for his fovereign's ** fake, and doubted not, with God's favour, to *' return her (hips in fafety, and either to bring ** the Spaniards (if they came in his way) as pri- *' foners, or elfe to link them in th: feas." As Sir John pafled by in his barge, the queen looking out at the window Iliook her fan, and put out her hand towards him, upon which he made a low obey- fance, while he put the fcarf and jewel about his neck ; and then repaired to his fqiiadron, v^/hich was riding at anchor off Gillingham, and con- iifted of three fhips of the line and three pinnaces. He failed from thence to the Downs and pafTi ng by Falmouth and Plymouth put to fea for Ireland, •where they arrived at Baltimore, a lea-port tow^n in the province of Muniler. The people, in grate- ful remembrance of his former government of this country, appeared in great numbers upon the fhore, upon his landing, fom.e embracing his legs, and others preffing to touch any part of the body of their deliverer from the cruelties of Defmond and Fitz-Morris : but thefe marks of their affec- tion had nearly produced fatal confequences ; for the vice-admiral, miffaking them for ibme hoftile intention, had pointed hb guns to lire upon them^ which Sir John perceiving, inilantly fent off a boat with proper fignals, to invite him on fhore, where^ they were kindly entertained.
The
Sir JOHN PERROT, 135
The fquadron remained on the coail till the feafon was far aSvanced, and intelligence was re- ceived that the Spaniards had laid afide their ddlgii for that year, when it was ordered hgme. In the courfe of his voyage, Sir John met with one Derryfield, a noted pirate, whom he took, but 111 the chace he very narrowly efcaped Ihipwreck : and a fecond accident happened to him on entering the Downs, when his Ihip flruck on the Kentilh- knocks, from which Ihe was got off with great difficulty.
Sir John Perrot was gracioufly received at court, and permitted to retire to his cftate in Wales; but the affairs of Ireland ftill remained in a turbulent, unfettled ilate, except in the province of Munfter. In other parts, rebellion and lawlefs licentioufnefs deftroyed all order, and rendered private property^ as w^ell as the lives of the inhabitants, infecure. In this fituation of things, Sir Henry Sidney, the lord deputy, who had found that poll full of trou- ble and danger, without any proportion of reputa- tion or profit, folicited leave to relign ; and having obtained it, Sir William Drury was advanced to- that dignity; and in 1579, ^'^^^ ^^"^' J^^-^ ^^ ^^^^ adminiilration, the Spaniards, to the number of 1500, made a defcent on the coaft, and joined the rebels under the earl cf Defmond. But they were all taken prifoners, and put to the (word the fol- lowing year, and Defmond fuffered death as a trai- tor; yet his party continued to carry on the rebel- lion in his name. In fhort, the troubles of the country increaiing daily, and no commander being to be found of equal intrepidity and capacity for the fervice, Sir John Perrot, by the advjce of Walfingham, who continually correfponded with him on Irifli affairs, w\is appointed lord deputy of Ireland in 1583; and taking with him the eaii of Ormond, a veteran in the iriHi fervice, and who
befides
io6 T H E L I F E O F
befidcs had great interefl there, he embarked at Milford-havcn, and arrived at Dublin in the Ijpring. of the year.
Sir John Penot, before his departure, had drawn up a plan for the government of Ireland, which had been approved by the queen and council ; and as if there had been magick in his very name, his landing in Ireland ilruck the rebels of every fac- tion with a panick. But when it was known that he propofed to make a progrefs through the coun- try, many confiderable parties came to Dublin, and made their fubmiffion, taking the oaths to the queen, and giving hoflages for their future good behaviour. But O'Neale, O'Donnel, Connaught, and feveral other confiderable Irifh chiefs,^ ftiii re- mained in arms, and were fupported from Rome by the pope with money, while tiie Spaniards occafionally landed fmali detachments of men, headed by veteran officers, to difcipline the raw Irifh rebels.
A refolution, therefore, which had been taken In England to proceed in a fummary way with the rebels, both with refped to their perfons and their ellates, was carried into execution v.^ith great ri- gour; and many innocent perfons fuffering with the guilty, this raifed a great clamour againft the lord deputy, who was charged with exceeding the bounds of his commiffion. His commiflion im- powered him to execute the rebels as traitors by martial law, when found in arms, and to fell their ci^ates on the fpot to any adventurers, at eafy rates, who would undertake to cultivate and improve the land. This brought over many followers of for- tut e from England, men often of bad charaders, but poffefled of money to buy the forfeited eftates ; and the lord deputy was accufed of favouring the rap.icity of thefe purchafers, and of hanging fom^e confiderable men, whofe guilt was not very appa- rent, I
Sir JOHN PER ROT. i3>
rent, in his choler, that he might put an end to the rebeUion on their extenfive eflates, by the faie of the lands to Englifh purchaiers. The charges however, though vague and ill-fupported, were founded upon the abules of the purchafers. Whole baronies were expofed to fale (into which the Irifli counties are divided, as the EngJifli are into hun- dreds) ; and the new proprietors turned the iimo- cent Irifli as well as the guilty out of their pof- feffions. Yet the meafure was political, for the chiefs, feeing that they lliould not only ruin them- felves, but all their poflerity, by remaining in arms againfl the queen, came in bodies to the lord d«- puty on his progrefs, to furrender in time, parti- cularly O'Neale and, all his adherents, and the lords of Uliler, who fwore fidelity to the queen, and gave hoflages, that they would raife troops for her fer- vice againft the other rebels.
But Sir John Perrot's temper was fuited only to the field. His haughtinefs and impatience of controul in the council made him unfit for the milder duties of civil government; and, therefore, every remonftrance from the queen and her mini- flry, founded on complaints fent home againfl him, exafperated him beyond meafure ; and upon thefe occafions he would vent his wrath in the mofl difrefpeftful and indecent terms againft the quoen. Thefe unguarded expreflions were taken down in writing by Vv^'illiamfoii, his fecretary, who had been bought over by the lord chancellor of Ireland and by the archbiihop of Dublin, who fent over an impeachment againft him, little regarded by him ; for he relied fo much on the merit of his military fervices, that he did not take any pains to fecure any evidences in Ireland, to appear in his favour.
At length, however, partly owing to the-delicate iitiiatioo of affairs, and partly to his own haughty
difpofition,
138 THELTFEOF
cliipohtion, he difplcafed the F.ngliih as well as the Irilh ; tor the queen having lent over a procla- mation to reprefs the rapacioufnefs of the former, with refpeft to ahufes in the purchafes and pof- felTion of the forfeited eftates, he executed it with fuch rigour, that the country reaped the benefit, many of the natives being re inflated. But it made the bnf^lilh outrpgeous againfl him : and as to tlie 3n(h nobility, their neareft relanons having beei\ either executed bv him, or deprived of their eltates, they fecrerly fought his ruin. In a word, he met with the fate of all conquerors, he was detefled ; but he had this confolation, that he did not con- quer for himfelf, but for his fovereign, who cer- tainly iliould have overlooked his paifionate tem- per, in confideration of his delivering her from very Imminent danger, the rebels in Ireland being all along fupported by her foreign and domcllic enemies. At the fame time, Sir John Perrot was highly culpable for flighting the rebukes he re- ceived from England upon fome occalions, and for refenting them at others, inflead of condefcending to jufiify hirnfelf in his difpatches. At length,. the difcontent againil him ran lb high in Ireland, and the queen herfelf was fo difpleafed with his ill behaviour to lier, that (he recalled him in 1588. And tliis led him into another error, the conle- quence of his proud fpirit ; inflead of embarking for r.ondon, and making ufe of his remaining in- tereft at court, he fct fail from Dublin for his caftie of Carew in Pembrokefhire, and arrived there with a numerous and Iplendid retinue.
Such a flep could not fail of alarming the queen, efpecialiy as it was now reported, and afterwards made an article of his impeachment, that he held a fecret correfpondence with the duke of Parma and the queen's foreign eneiiiies.
The
Sir JOHN PERROT. 13^
The articles fent over from Ireland were there- fore laid before the privy-council; the attorney- general was ordered to prepare an indictment of high-treafon npon them, and he was taken into" cuftody. At firft, he was brought to the lord trea- furer's houfe, and confined there ; but how long is uncertain j nor are we able to account for a fpace of near four years, between his arrival at the caftle of Carew^and his trial. All that we can find on record is, that he was committed to the Tov/er, and from thence brought to his trial, on the 27th of April, 1592, in Vveftminiier-hall, a fpecial commiffion being granted for that pur- pofe to the lord chancellor and the two chief juflices.
The only charge proved againil him was, his having .treated the perfon and chara£^er of the queen contumelioufly ; but by the artful manage- ment of Popham, the attorney-general, who ad- n'iitted men of the moft abandoned principles and chara£lers to be evidences againll him, he was convidled upon the other articles of the accufa- ticn, which v/ere, that he had relieved Popilh priefts — that lie held a fecret correfpondence with, the queen's foreign enemies — and that he had fof- tered the commotions in Ireland. Nothing could be more abiurd than the laft article, fince it was evident, on lire contrary, that Ireland had never been in fuch a ftate of trajiauillity and of alle- giance to tlie queen, as whei^ he prefided over it. But the true m.otive of his condemnation was, his own imprudent boaftings, that he was the queen's brother, that ihe knev/ his value in Ireland too well to let him fall a facrifice to his friilcing ad- verfaries ; and that whenever the Spaniards landed a force in Ireland to join the difafte6led there, he Ihould then be cheriflied again, and be, once more, one of her White Boys,
In
I40 T H E L I F E O F
In a word, finding he had deceived hnTifeirby an ill-grounded confidence in the fecret of his birth, and his great mihtary fervices, his violent painons, after fentence of death was pafled on him, which happened in June, preyed on his conftitu^ tion, and in September following he died in the Tower, and left it doubtful whether Elizabeth in- tended to have pardoned him.
Thus fell Sir John Perrot, the introducer of military difcipline amongft the natives of Ireland. And thus have we given a fhort fketch of the fiate of affairs in that kingdom, the better to complete our annals of the reign of Elizabeth.
*^^' Juthortius. Cox*s Hifl. of Ireland. Life of Sir John Perrot, 8vo. 1728. Biog. Britan* Salmon's Chron. Hill,
The LIFE of
Sir FRANCIS DRAKE. (A. D. 1545, to 1596.)
THIS celebrated Englifli navigator, and brave naval officer, was the fon of Edmund Drake, a mariner, and was born at a village near Tavi- flock in Devonfhire, in the year 1545. He was the eldefl of twelve brethren, and the tather being diflreffed by fo large a family, captain Hawkins, his mother's relation (afterwards the famous ad-
mira}
Sir FRANCIS DRAKE. 141
fnhal Sir John Hawkins), kindly took him under his patronage, and gave him an education fuitable to die fea-fervice. Through the intereft of his patron, at the age of eighteen, he was made purfer of a fill p trading to the Bay of Bifcay. At twenty, he made a voyage to Guinea; at the age of twenty- two, he was appointed captain of the Judith ; and, in that capacity, he was in the harbour of St. John de Ulloa, in the gulph of Mexico ; where he be- haved very gallantly in the glorious avftion under Sir John Hawkins; and returned with him to Eng- land with a riling reputation, but totally deftitute, having loft the little property he had acquired in his former ftation, by this unfortunate expedition, in confequence of the treachery of the Spaniards.
Soon after this, he conceived a deiign of making reprifals on the king of Spain; which, accoi'ding to fome, was put into his head by the chaplain of the (hip : and, indeed, the cafe was clear in fea- divinity, fays Dr. Campbell, " that the fubjetls of the king of Spain had undone Mr. Drake, and therefore he was at liberty to take the beft fatisfac- tion he could on them in return." This doctrine, however roughly preached, was very taking in Eng- land ; and, therefore, no fooner did he publilh his defign, than he had numbers of volunteers ready to accompany him, though not a£luated by the fame motives, and without any fuch pretence to colour their proceedings as he had.
In 1570, he made his firll: voyage with two Ihips, the Dragon and the Swan ; and the next year, in the Swan alone : from which laft expedi- tion he returned fafe, if not rich. Though wc have no particular account of thefe tvvo voyages, or what Drake performed in them, yet nothing is clearer than that captain Drake had two grea*: points in view. The one was, to inform hirafeif perfedlly of the lituation and iliength of certain
places
14^
THE LIFE OF
places In the Spanifli Weft-Indies ; the other, to convince his countrymen, that, notwithflanding what had happened to captain Hawkins, in his laft voyage, it was a thing very prafticable to fail into thele parts, and return in fafety. For it is to be obferved, that Hawkins and Drake feparated in the Weft- Indies ; and that the former, finding it im- pollible to bring all his crew home to England, had fet part of them, with their own confent, alliore in the bay of Mexico ; and, indeed, few of thefe finding their way home, the terror of fuch a captivity as they w^ere known to endure had dif- heartened our feamen. But captain Drake, in thefe two voyages, having very wifely avoided coming to blows -vith the Spaniards, and bringing home fufficient returns to fatisfy his owners, dilii- pated thefe apprehentions, and eftabUfhed his own chara6ler : fo that, at his return from his fecond voyage, he found it no difticult matter to raife fuch a force as might enable him to perform what he had long meditated in his owni mind, w^hicli otherwife he would never have been able to eftecl. Without lofs of time, therefore, he laid the plan of a more important defign ; which he put in exe- cution on the 25th of March, 1572: for, on that day, he failed from Plymouth, in a Ihip called thi^ Pafcta, burden ilventy tons ; and his brother, John Drake, in the Swan, of tw^entv-five tons ; their whole ftrength confifting of only feventy- three men and boys. But they were all provided with ammunition and provifions, and in cafe of an accident happening to either of the Ihips, or an occafion preienting of approaching nearer to any place, than the ihips could lie, they had three pn:«- naces on board, framed and fitted in fuch a dex- trous manner, that they could eafily be put toge- ther, by the fhip-carpentdrs, when wanted. VV ith this fmall armament, on the 22d of July, in the
year
Sir FRANCIS DRAKE. 145
year following, they attacked the town of Nombre de Dios, which then ferved the Spaniards for the fame purpofes as Porto-Bello does now. He took it in a few hours by Iform, but he made little or no advantage of this conquell, owing to the cow- ardice of part of his foUow^ers, w^io were ordered to guard the pinnaces, while the reft were taking poffellion of the immenfe wealth contained in the king's treafury. In one room they law bars of iilver piled up againfl the w^ali ; as near as they could guels, each bar weighing about thirty or forty pounds, and the pile meafuring 70 feet in length, 10 in breadth.- and 12 in height. But the town being ftill full of people, the Englifh failors in the pinnaces miftook the flying parties for large de^ tachments, who w^ere coming to overpower them, and to cut oiT their communication wdth their ll:iips.
Drake, however, fent his brother to pacify them ; but nearly at the fame time, this gallant officer fainted with lofs of blood from a dangerous wound he had received in his leg during the af- fault, which he had till then carefully concealed, that he might not dilhearten his people Upon his recovery, he iniifted on completing their vic- tory, by making themfelves mailers of the treafure; but the major part of his followers, appreheniive for their own fafety, in cafe they fnouid lofe their commander, pai'tly by intreaties and partly by force, carried him off to the pinnaces, and then let fail for the fliips, content with the booty that they had taken, but abandoning the richefl fpoil, fays Le- diard, that ever railed the expe(5lations of fucli adventurers, amounting, as they were afterwards J!iformed, to 360 tons of liiver, beiides feveral iron cheils of gold, of far greater value.
His next attempt was to plunder the mules laden with liiver, which paifed from Vera Cruz to Nom- bre
144 T H E L I F E O F
bre de Oios ; but in this too he failed : however, attacking the former town, he carried it, and got fome httle plunder. In their return, they unex- pectedly met with fifty mules laden with plate ; of which they carried off as much as poffible, and buried the reft. In thefe enterprifes, he was very greatly affilled by a nation of Indians, perpetually engaged in war with the Spaniards. The prince, or captain of this tribe, whofe name was Pedro, captain Drake prefented with a iine cutlafs, which he law the Indian admired. In return, Pedro gave him four large wedges of gold ; which captain Drake threw into the common flock, faying, he thought it but mil:, that fuch as bore the charge of fo uncertain a voyage, on his credit, fhould ihare ail the advantages that voyage produced. Then embarking his men, with a very considerable booty, he bore away for England ; and in tw^enty- three davs failed from Cape Florida to the ifies of Scilly j and from thence arrived fafe at Plymouth in Au- gull: 1573.
His fuccefs in this expedition, joined to his ge- nerous behaviour to his owners, gained him great reputation ; and, in 1575, fitting out three frigates at his own expence, he failed with them to Ireland ; where, in the capacity of a volunteer, under Walter earl of Ellex, the father of the unfortunate favou- rite, he performed many gallant exploits, and was fo highly in favour with the earl, that he recom- mended him to Sir Chriflopher Hatton, vice-cham- berlain to the queen, in a letter v^^ritten but a iTiort time before his death, wliich ferved him as an in- troduftion to her Majefty in 1576, who from this time took him under her ow'n immediate protec- tion. Thus countenanced at court, his fellow- citizens were Aill more animated to engage in any adveiiture he fhould project, and he was enabled to •undertake that grand expedition which v/iil immor- talize
Sir FRANCIS DRAKE. 145
tallze his name. The firft thing he propofed was a voyage into the South-Seas, through the Streights of Magellan, hitherto unattempted by any Englifh- man. Tliis projeft was well received at court, and captain Drake foon faw himfelf at the heii^ht ofhiswifhes; for, in his former voyage, having had a diftant profped of the South-Seas, he ar- d-ently prayed to God that he might fail an Enghlli Ihip in them ; which now he found an opportu- nity of attempting.
The fmali tieet with which he failed on tliis ex- traordinary enterprize, conlifled of the following fhips : viz. The Pelican, of 100 tons, commanded by himfelf; the Elizabeth, vice-admiral, of 80 tons, under the command of captain John Winter; the Marygold, a bark of 50 tons, under captain John Thomas ; the Swan, a tly-boat of 30 tons ; and the Chrillopher, a pinnace of 15 tons, under captain Thomas Moon. In this fleet the whole number of hands embarked amounted to no move than 164 able men, with all ncceflary proviiions for fo long and dangerous a voyage ; the intent of Wiiich was, however, not publicly declared, b«t given out to be for Alexandria, though it was ge- nerally fufpefted, and many knew, that it was de- iigned for America.
On the [5th of November, 1577? caotain Drake failed from Plymouth, but w^as forced, by a violent IVorm, into Falmoutli, in a very bad con Jitioa, Biit fuch was his activity and diligence, that he put to fea agam, on the 13th of December; on the 25th of the fame month, he fell-in with the coall of Barbary ; and, on the 29th, with Cape ie Verd. The 13th of March he palTed the line ; the 5th of April he made the coaft of Brazil, and entered th^ river de la Plata, where he mllTed the Swan, an 1 the pinnace ; but, meeting them again, and taking out all their hands and the provifioiis they had un
Vol. 1[. H board,
146 T H E L I F E O F
board, he turned them adrift. On the 2Cth of May, he entered the port of St. Juhan, to take in provifions. -»,
After he had continued about two months in port St. Juhan, lying within one degree of the btreights of Magellan, to make the neceffary pre- parations for palling the Streights with fafety, on a fudden, having carried the principal perfons en- gaged in the fervice to a defart illand lying in the bav, he called a court-martial, where he opened his com million ; by which the queen granted him the power of life and death, which was delivered to him with this remarkable expreffion from her own mouth : " VVe do account that he, Drake, who {trikes at thee, docs ftrike at us." He then laid open, with great eloquence, the caufe of the aflembly ; for though his education had been flender, he was an excellent fpeaker, and pro- ceeded to charge Mr. John Doughty, ^vho had- b^en fecond in command during the whole voyage, firft, with plotting to murder him, and then to ruin the enterprize.
*' I had," laid he, ''the firll notice of this gentleman's intentions before he left England, but was in hopes my behaviour to him would have cx- tinguiflied fuch diipolitions, if there had been any . truth in the information."
He then appealed for his behaviour to the whole aflembly, and to the gentleman accufed : he next expofed his practices from the time they left Eng- land, while he behaved towards him with all the kindnefs and cordiality of a brother ; fupporting his charge by producing papers under his own hand ; on which Mr. Doughty made a full and free confelhon. After this, the captain, or, as he was then called, the general, quitted his place, tel- ling the affembly he expeded that they iliould pafs .
a ver*-
Sir F p. AN CIS DRAKE. 147
ft verdid upon hiiil ; for he would be no judge in his own caale.
Camden lays he was tried by a jury. The ac- counts affirm, that the whole forty peribns, of which the court confided, adjudged him to death, and gave this in writing under their hands and feals, leaving the time and manner of it to the general. Upon this, captain Drake, having ma- turely weighed the whole affair, gave Mr. Dough* ty his choice of three things. Firft, to be exe-. cutedon the ifland where they were ; fecoiidly, to be let ,a{hore on the main land ; or, laftly, to be fent home to abide the jullice of his country. Af- ter defiring tiH the next day to confider of thefe, he declared, it is faid, that he made the £rll his choice ; and afterwards received the facrament with tlie general, from the hands of Mr. Francis Fletcher, chaplain to the fleet, in the morning, snd dined chearfully with the officers, of whom he feverally took leave, as if he had been going a journey. Dinner being ended, he walked very compoledly to the place prepared for his execution, and fubmitting to his fate with aflonifhing for- titude and fercnitv, he was beheaded, in Julv^
■'57f .
1 hiS is the mofl authentic account of his ca~ tailrophe ; but as it was v\''ell known that the earl of Leicefter bore. a mortal hatred to Doughty, for iiaving accufed /lira of poifoning V/alter earl of Eilex, it v/as credited by many at the time, and has been tranfmitted to us, by fome hiflorians, that Drake had fecret orders from Leicefler, then in power, to take him off, on lome pretence or other, and that being both a fkilfui mariner and a- man of great courage and conduct, Drake, jealous cf his riling fame, readily con fented to execute this fecret, bloody commiffion. Buta^ the imputation is not ftnported by any fatisfa^tory evidence, the II 2 moil
T48 T H E L I F E O F
moft humane and candid method, in all fnch cafe?, is, to try the accufation by the general charaderot" the accufed. On this equitable fyfiem, Drake muil Hand acquitted.
This ifland had been the fcene of another tra- gedy of the fame kind, 58 years before, when Ma- gellan cauled John de GartJiagena, who was joined in commiffion with him by the king of Spain, to be hanged for the like offence ; and from hence it was called the iiland of True ^ujiice.
Brake left St. Julian on the- 17th of Auguft, on the 20th he entered the Strcights of Magellan, and after a difficult navigation he paiTed them on the 2 ah of September, and found himfclf in the Great South«Sca. Here he met with fuch tempeilous weather, that he was forced back to the wcftward near loo leagues, and the Marvgold, captain Thomas, was loft. Near the 57th degree of fouth-latitude, he entered a bay, where he found a naked people, ranging from one ifland to another in canoes, in fearch of provifions. Sailing north- ward from thence, on the 3d'of 06lober, he found three illands, in one of which was an extraordinary plenty of birds. On the 8th, he . loft iight of the Elizabeth, captain John Winter, who returned through the Streights, and arrived fafe in England, on the 2d of June 1579, being the firft Ihip that ever made that paffage homewards.
Captain Diake had now only his own, fhip^ which he had nevv-- named the Hind, with which he arrived at Macao on the 25th of November, 1578 ; and from thence failing along the coafts .of Chili and Peru, he greatly annoyed the Spaniards, t iking and deftroying fcveral (hips, and frequently landing to fcize on rich booties, till his crew^ were fatiated with plunder ; when he boldly attempted to fmd a palfage by iVorth America, failing to the
latitude
Sir F R A N C 1 S D R A K K. 149
latitude of 42 degrees ; but then meeting with fc- ^ere cold, and open' Ihores covered with Ihow, he returned back to 38 degrees of latitude, and there Ti>ut into a harbour in the north part of Cahfornia, wliere he was kindly, received by the Indian inha- bitants, who were lb highly plcafedvvith him, that tliey oifered to make him their king.
To this country Drake gave the name of New J:hion ; and erc£l:ing a ftone pillar, he placed art iiifcription thereon, witli the name, ftyle, and titles of queen Elizabeth, denoting his having taken pof- fellion of the country for his Ibvereign ; to which was added his own name, and the date of this tranfadion. Some of the queen's coin were like- wife depoHted under its bafe ; and then, after ca- reening his fliip, he fet fail for the Molucca iflands.- He chofe this palTage round, rather than to return by the Streights of Magellan ; partly from the danger of being attacked by the Spaniards, and partly from the latenefs of the feaibn, when dread- ful ftorms and hurricanes w^ere to be apprehen.ded.
On the 13th of October, 1579, Drake fell -in with certain iflands, inhabited by the moll barba- rous people he had met with in all his voyage. Oa the 4th of November he had fight of the Moluccas ; and, coming to the ifland of Ternate, was ex- tremely well received by the king of that ifland,. wiio feems to have been a wife and polite prince.^ On the loth of December he madeCelehes, w^ierc his fhip ftruck upon a rock, on the gth of January,. 1580, from which ine was got off with great dif- ficulty, after being in the utmofl peril for twenty- {cwtn hours, and under the necelhty of throwing over-board eight of her guns, and foms vaiuabl-^ merchandize. Then touching at Java, where he received great civilities from one of the kings of the ifland, he continued his courfe for the Lape of Good Hope, and from thence to Rio Grande iiv H ^ Negroland ;
I50 T H E L I F E O F
Kcgroland ; where taking in water, he fet fail for England, and arrived faie at Plymouth, on the 25th of September, 1580 ; having failed round the globe, in iefs than three years, to the great adnii- jation of the people of thofe times.
]3rake's fuccefs in this voyage, and the immenfe treaiure he brought home with him, became the general tcpick of converfation, fome highly com- jnending, and others. as loudly cenfuringhim. In this uncertainty matters continued during the re- mainder of this year, and the fpring of the next 5 when, at length, on the 4th of April, her Majefty gcing to Deptfoid, went on board Drake's fhip ; where, after dinner, rae conferred the honour of knighthood on him, and declared her abfolute ap- probation of all he had done. She alfo gave di- regions for the prefervation of his fhip, that it might remain a monument in honour of himfelf and his country. But this famous veffel, which for many years had been viev.'ed with admiration at Deptford, being decayed, was at length broken up, and a chair made out of the planks was pre- fented, by John Davies, Efq ; to the univeriity of Oxford, wliere it is flill prelerved.
In the year 1585, Sir Francis, nov/ admiral Drake, w'as feiit on. an expedition againft the Spa- * iiifh Weft-India fettlements, with aflectof tv^^enty- one fail, having on board 2000 land forces, under the command of Chriftopher Carhfle. Taking the Cape Verd Illands in their wav, they landed at St. Jago, and taking the chief town of the fame name, they facked it, and carried off a confiderable booty. From thence they proceeded to Hifpaniola, and took St. Domingo, Carthagena, and St. Auguftine '; by which he exceeded the mofi: fanguine hopes of his waimeft friends. Yet the profits of this voyage were but moderate, Sir Francis's inftructions be- ing, rather to weaken the enemy, than to take pii es.
Two
Sir FRANCIS DRAKE, 151
Two years after, he proceeded to Liibon with a fleet of thirty fail ; and, receiving inteUigeiice of a coiiliderable fleet affembled in the bay of Cadiz, intended to make part of the Spanilh aniiada, he bravely entered that port, and burnt upwards of ten thoufand tons of ihipping : then, having ad- vice of a large Caracca fhip expefted at the illand of Tercera from the Eail-Indies, he failed thither ; and, though liis men were in great want of pro- viiions, he prevailed on them to go through thofe liardfhips for a few days ; in which time the Eaif- India Ihip arriving, he took and carried her lioma in triumph. This capture was of very great impor- tance ; for, beiides the value of the treafure on board, eftimated at 200,000 crowns, it gave the Englifh merchants the fuil idea of the profitable traffick carried on Vv^ith the Eaft-Indies, and was the occaiion of eftabiilhing the lirll Eail-India company.
The general applaufe bellowed on him, when he returned from this glorious expedition, was height- ened into grateful admiration, when it was ob- ferved, what a laudable ufe he m?.de of the wealth he had acquired from the enemies of his country. " In the year 1588, Sir Francis undertook to con- vey water to the town of Plymouth, for want of which, till then, it w^as greatly diltreiled ; and per- formed k by bringing thither a ftream from fprings at the diuance ot eight miles, if the diftance be meafured in a flrait line ; but in the manner by which he conducted it, the courfe it runs is up- wards of twenty miles.
This year alio, he was appointed vice-admiral tinder lord Charles Howard of Effingham, high- admiral of England, and fignalized himfelf in the engagements with the Spiniih armada. Here he was as fortunate as ever, for he took a very large galleon, commanded by don Pedro de Valdez, who H 4 yielded
1^1 T H E L I F E O F
yieflded without fti iking a blow, at the bare meittiorj of his name. 1 his don Pedro remained above t\\to vcars Sir Francis Diake's prifoner in England, and, when he was relcafed, he paid kini for him- felf and his two captains, a ranfom of 35C0!. In Iiis ihip were found upwards of 50,002 ducats, which Drake generoully diftnbuted amonghi-s failors and foldiers. It muft, however, be owned, that, through ail overtight of his, the admiral raa a greats liazard of being taken by the enemy ;. for brake was appointed, the firil: night of the engagement, ro carry Jights in his fnip for the dije£\ion of the Engliih iieet ; but, being in. purlliit of fome hulks belonging to the Hans-towns, he negle£led it j- which occafioned the admiral's following the Spa- i)ifh lights, and in the morning he found himfelf in the centre of the enemy's fleet. But his fuc- ceedina fervices fufficiently ato.ned for this over- ■(ight, the greatcft execution done oa the flying Spaniards being performed by his fquadron. But of this boafted Armada, and its defeat, a more fa- tisfa£lory account will be found in the hfe of the lord high admiral Howard.
In 1589, Sir Francis Drake was appointed ad- miial of the fleet fent to reflore don Antonio, king of Portugal, and the command of the land forces was given to Sir John N orris. But the fleet was fcarcely at fea before the commanders differed. On this occafion the general was earnefl for land- ing at the Groyne, whereas the admiral and fea-of- iicers were for failing dircdiy to Lilbon ; in which^ had their advice been taken, doubtlefs their enter- piizc had fucceeded, and Don Antonio been re- ilorcd ; for the enemy made fuch good ufe of theiF time in fortifying Lilbon, that no impreflion could be mace. Sir John, indeed, marched by land to Lifoon ; and Sir Francis promifed to fail up the river with his whole fleet, but, upon perceiving the
confe«
Sir FRANCIS DRAKE. 1^-3
Confequences, he chofe rather to break his word than hazard the queen's navy ; for wliich he was highly reproached by Norris, and the mifcar- riage of the whole affair imputed to the failure of his promife. Yet Sir F'rancis juftified hiinfelf on- his return ; for, he Ihev/ed the queen and council, that whatever was done there, for the credit of the nation, was performed folely by the fleet, and by his orders ; in confequence ot which, a large fleet, laden with naval ftores from the Hans-towns, was taken, with a great quantity of ammunition and artillery on board : that 1 is failing up the river of Lilbon would have flgniflcd nothing to the taking: the caftle, w^hich was two miles off; and that,. without- reducing it, there was no taking the- city.
The war with Spain flill conlinuing in I5g5,' and it being evident, that nothing diil:refl!ed the^ enemy fo much as the loflJes they met with in the Weft' Indies, an offer was made to the queen, by Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake, -to let- on foot a n^iore efFeftual expedition to thofe parts than had hitherto been attempted : at the fanio; time, they agreed to bear a great part of the ex- ptence, and to engage their friends to aflifl: them,. The queen readily lifiened to this propofal, and furnillied a. flout fquadron of fhips of war, on- board one of which, the Garland, Sir John Haw- kins embarked. Their whole force coniifted of twenty-feven Ihtps and. barks, having on board a land-force coniifting of 2500 men. The- fleet was detained fome tinie after it was ready on the Englilh coafis by the arts of the Spaniaids, who,, receiving intelligence of its ftrength aud deflina- tion, gave out, that they were ready themfelves to^ invade England ; and to render this the more prc»- bable, they actually fent four gallies to make a^ defccnt en thecoall of Cornwall. This had th^ H 5. . defired.
154 THELIFEOF
defired efFeft ; for the queen and the nation bein^ thereby alarmed, thought it by no means advifeabie to fend fo great a number of Ihips on fo long a voyage, at that critical jan£lure. At lafl:, this alarm blowing over, the fleet fet fail ; but when out at fea, the admirals differed : Drake and Baik- erville, the commander of the land-forces, deter- rQined, againfl the advice of Hawkins, to attack the chief of the Canary iflands, inftead of proceed- ing directly to Porto Rico, where the richefl of the galleons lay at anchor. The failure of the defign on the Canary ifiaiuls, fhewed, that Hawkins was Tight, for they could not recover the time they loft there.
The day after the death of admiral Hawkins, in ■vv'hofe life will be found farther particulars of the expedition, Sir Francis made his defperate attack on the (hipping in the harbour of Porto Rico, in purfuancs of a refolution taken by a council of war. This was performed with all imaginable cou- rage, and with confiderable lofs to the Spaniards^ but with little advantage to the Englifh, who, meeting vvMth a ilronger refinance and better forti- fications than they expelled, were obliged to Iheer off. 7'he admiral then lieered for the main, where he took the town of Rio de la Hache, which, (a church and a lady's houfe excepted) he burnt to the ground. After this, deftroying fome other vil- lages, he proceeded to Santa Martha, which he alfo burned. Nombre de Dios finally fhared the fame fate, the Spaniards refufingto ranfom thefe places; and HI them an- inconfiderable booty was taken. On the 29th of December, Sir Thomas Bafkerviile, commnajer of the troops, marched with 750 men towards Panama, but returned on the 2d of January, finding the defign of reducing tliat place wholly impracticable : {o that the whole of this expedition was a ferics of misfortunes. If they had gene at
firit
Sir FP.ANCIS DRAKE. 155
firil: to Porto Rico, they had done the queen's bufi^ net's and their own : if,, when they had intelligence of the Spaniih fuccours being landed there, they had proceeded direftlv to the iilhmus, in order to have executed their defigns againil Panama, before their forces had been weakened by that defpe rate attack, they might pofiibly have accomplifhed their firfh intention ; but grafping at too many things fpoil- ed all.
A very ftrong {qulc of this threw Sir Francis Drake into a deep melancholy ; and brought on a bloody flux, the natural difeafe of the country, which put a period to his ufeful life. His body, according to the cufiiom of the fea, was funk very near the place, where he iirfl: laid the foundation of his fame and fortune. Such was the end of this great man. His death was lamented by the whole nation, but more efpecially by thofe of his nativ^e place, w^ho had great reafons to love him from the circumiiances of his private life, as well as to eileem him in his public character. He had been eletSled burgefs for the town of Eoffiney in . Cornwah, in the parliament held the twenty-feventh of queen EHzabeth, and afterwards for Plymouth in Devoiin>ire, in the thirty-fifth of the fame reign. Having hitherto chieliy confined ourfelves to his public tranfadions, it may not be unacceptable to add a few words concerning his perfon and his private charafter.
He was low of feature, but well (zt, had a broad open cheil, his eyes large and clear, of a fair complexion, with a frefh, chearful, and engaging Countenance. As navigation had been his wiiole lludv. he was a perfect maiier in every branch of it, efpeciailv aftronomy, and the application of it to the nautical art. His voyage round the v/orld is an incontcftible proof of his courage, cap.icity, patience, and public fpirit ; fince he performed H 6 every
ii5 T H E L I F E kc.
-every thing that could be expe£\ed from a man-;, who preferred the honour and profit of his coun- try to his own private advantage. And it is appa- lenf, that if Sir Francis Drake amafled a large fortune by continuahy expcfing himfelf to labours and peri Is > which hardly any other man would have undergone, for the fake even of the greateft -expeftations, he was far from being governed by a narrow and private fpirit.. On the contrary, his notions were free and noble,, and the nation flands- indebted to him for many advantages which ihe at prcfent enjoys m arms, navigation, and com- merce.
He 15 reprefented as having been choleric in. his temper, and too fond of flattery ; but to coun- terbalance thefe foibles, he was a Heady friend, and very liberal to thofe who ferved under him. It is alfo obferved, that in his profperity he was always affable and eafy of accefs.
This great man left no iffue ; and his landed cftate, which was very confiderable, defcended to his nephew, Francis (the fon of his. brother Tho- i?ias), who was created a baronet in the reign of James 1.
*,^* Authorities. Campbell's Lives of the Ad-- tfimh. Biog. Britan. Kapin's Hiil. of England?
Tbu
[ m 3
The life op
Sir JOHN H A W K I N S^
[A,. D. 1520, to 1598,1
l^ncluding Memoirs of Sir Richard Hawkins, hJs Son, and of 5ir Martin Frobiiher.
THE improvement's made by the Spaniards in navigation towards the clole of the iiftee»ithj and early in the lixteenth century, and the vifible effefts they had produced in aggrandizing that king* dom, excited a noble fpirit of emniation in other nations to attempt difcoveries by fea, in the then unknown regions of the globe ; and in this deiign^ no people inanifefted fuch a genius for bold and hazardous enterprifes on the ocean as the Englifli* But their ardour and indefatigable induftry iDeing checked by domeftic troubles durino; the reigns of Henry VIIL, Edward Vi. and Marv, the plans which had been formed, in private, for extending^ the maritnne power and commerce, of- England, could not be carried into execution vvilh any^ profpec^ of national fuccefS) till thefe troubles had in< ibme degree fubhded, and the government had ac-* •quired a proper ilrene:th and itability.
The
158 T H E L I F E O F
The fuccefsful navigations, therefore, of onf countrymen, which ended in permanent commer- cial fettlements, began late in the Sixteenth cen- tury, and their fortunate iffue was owing to a variety of concurrent circumflances which deferve our notice.
The private adventures of the merchants of Southampton, who had traded to the Brazils as early as i 540, had thrown a great light upon the nature of the profitable trade carried on ^ by the Spaniards from the Weft- Indies, and the South- Seas, with Europe; and had laid open the fources of their immenfe wealth.
The accounts brought home by the failors and mailers of the merchant-fhips employed in carrying on the trade to Brazil, circulated through the weft of England ; and encouraged nismbers to bring up their children to the fea, in hopes that feme future rupture with Spain, or other favourable circum- flances, might make the fea-fervice the channel to riches and honours. With this view, the iludy of navagation and cofmography wa^ preferred to ali others ; and the event juflified their expectations ; for it is very remarkable, that the weft of England proved a nurfery of abl" mariners, and gave birth to moft of thofe renowned naval officers, whofe difcoveries and vi£lories extended the power, in- creafed the commerce, and fccured the indepen- dency of their country, in the glorious reign of EHzabeth.
Before her time, the naval force of England was infufficient to prote6l adventurers in any important foreign enterprife. But loon after her acceflion, our navy was put upon a refpe6lable footing ; not only by building Ihips in the royal yards, but by encouraging the merchants to build large trading veff.ls, which could be occaftonally employed in the lervice of the crown.
The
^SiR JOHN HAWKINS. t^g
The commanders, in general, were men of equal bravery, Ikill and gencrofity : as the failors fhared the dangers, fo they liberally divided with them, the fpoils of war.
The manufa6lures newly eftablifhed In England by the foreign Proteflants, vjho had lied to England for refuge, furniihed valuable commodities to enable us to carry on a beneficial barter with the natives of the new world ; and fome of thefe being re- ceived by them, with a degree of veneration, as if they had been prefents from heaven, this was ano- ther circumilance, which tended to abate the fe- rocity, and to eftablifli a friendly intercourfe, even with favage nations.
And finally, the bad policy of Spain contributed in the highell degree to the eilablilliment of the Englifh in America ; for the cruelties they had committed on the natives, had rendered their very name odious, in the fouthern hemifphere. The fame bad policy likewife plunged them into a war with England ; and if ever war could be confide red as a national happinefs, at certainly mufl be allowed to have been fuch for Enq;land at this period, when her merchants and adven'jurers found their p.ivate interefl combined with that of the public, which in- duced them to fit out fleets to undertake expedi- tions againft Spain at their own expence. And our brave feamen, at the fame time that they enriched themielves with the fpoils of the Spaniih fettle- ments in America, defeated the defigns of the ene- mies of their country, whofe deep-concerted plans threatened no lefs than the alTalTination of Eliza- beth, and the total annihilation of the Proteftafit religion and fucceffion in England.
'I hefe hiflorical anecdotes, we hope, will be confidered as a proper intruduftion to the impor- tant maritime and commercial tranfaftions in which Sir John Hawkins had fo conliderable a fhare.
This
i6o THELIFE OF
This gentleman was the fecond {on of William Hawkins, Eiq. wlio gained great reputation as a ieanian, and acquired a competent fortune by tradinp; to the coali: ot Brazil, being the firft Englilh- man who eftahlifhed a friendly intercourfe with the natives, a people reprefenltd by the Portuguefe to have been fo favage, that no other Europeans would venture to viiit them. Young_ ^^'awkiiis, early in youth, difcovered a llrong inclination for the fea, and applied himfelf with great afiiduity to the lludy- of navigation ; and at a proper age, he n^ade feve- ral voyages to ^paj^,. Portugal, and the Canaries, in the merchants fervice, it is I ike wile fuppoled, that he went with his tather to. the coailof Brazil ; but this is not quite certain ; for he was born at Plymouth in the year t 52c, and we have reafon to think his father quitted the fe?., to rettre and live upon his fortune, about the year 1536. In fadt^ we have no authentic memoirs cf the fiiil vosages-- of the fon, upon his own account ; but our hillo- rians take notice, tlmt lie was em.pio)ed by queen ' Elizabeth, loon alter h.r. acceihon , and moft of the celebrated admirals^ v^hofo eminently diilin-^ guifhed themfelves in the ie; vice of their country, in the latter part ot litr. leign^ weie brought up, under him.
It was culiomary, however, in thofe days,, fop naval officers of great reputation, when they were- not adlually engaged by the crown, in any national, fervice, to undertake coniniercial voyages by th© aid, and in conjuivflion with the merchants j for. which they obihined p.rmifTion from the queen ;. and geneiallv irnie cond'.tlonal privileges w^ere an^ nexcd lo their fpecial licences upon thefe occafions.- 1-hephnof a voyage of this kind was propofed, by ra..taiii JoImi Ha\vkins, . to a fet of gentlemea and nKrchiritc \ t, e fpriiig of. the. year 1562, and a fnia.i Iquadion Was foon alter fitted out at theic
owa
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 162
#wiV expence, to cilabJifh a trade to the coaft of (julnea for (laves, to be bartered at the Spanifh V/cil: India iflands for filver, fogar, hides, 6cc, 'J 'heir whole force confifted of only two fhips of 100 tons, and one bark of forty tons, with only- one hundred men in a)L VVith thefe he fet fail in Odober for the coall of Guinea, and having by- force or purchafe acquired 300 negroe flaves, lie llieered his courfe for Hifpaniola, wliere lie ex- changed them for tlie commodities already fpeciiied, on very advantageous terms, and returned fafe from this fuccefsful enterprife in September 1563.
The following year captain Hawkins undertook a fecond voyage, but with greater force, his own fliip the Jefus, being of the burthen of 700 tons ; the Solomon of 120 ; the Swallow of 100, and the Tyger bark of 4c. He failed from Plymouth in 0£tober, and on his arrival at Guinea, he pro- cured the number of negroes he wanted^ and pro- ceeded with them to the Weft Indies. He ar- rived at the ifland of Dominica on the 9th of March 1565, and this place being at that time very in- confiderable, he repaired to the ifland of Mar- garetta, where he v»'as hofpitably receiv^ed by the Alcaide, and fupplied with provilions. But the go- vernor pofitiveiy refufed to permit him to traffic with the inhabitants : he likcwife detained a pilot whom he had hired, and difpatched intelligence of his arrival to the governor of St. Domingo, who immediately ifiued orders, and caufed them to be notified to all the Spanilh fubjefts along the coafts,. prohibiting every fpecics of traffic with the tng- lilh fleet. Thus difappointed, our adventurer made for the continent, and took in water and frefli. provilions at Santa Fe, then cruizing along the- coaif, he call anchor on the third of April, before the town of Burboroata, and lent a deputation on feoxe,, to ssqucil the iibertv gf trading with the
in*.
1^2 THELIFE OF
inhabitants : but after wai.tliig fourteen days, ths conditions annexed to the pcrmimon, were found to be fuch, as could by no means be coniplied with; for the duties impofcd, were calculated fo as to make it a loling contrail for the Englilli. Captain Hawkins exafperated at this ill ufage, fent a detachment on Ihore, confifling of an hundred men completely armed, to demand better terms, which they obtained, and he then traded with them on an equitable footing. The fame refufal he met .with at other places, and by the fame fpirited meafure, he compelled the Spaniards to trade with him, and in the end made a profperous voyage, and then returned home through the Gulph of f lorida. Soon after his arrival in England, which was in September 1565, the queen in commemo- ration of his opening the trade to the coall:s of Guinea, granted him a patent to bear for his creft, a demi moor, bound v/ith a cord, and to do hira the greater honour, clarencieux kin.g at arms was commanded to wait upon him, in proper form with the patent.
Captain Hawkins was next employed in thi; go- vernment fervice, and in a much more jufliiiable bufinefs than the flave-trade ; namely, in convoy- ing the Enghfn troops fent to the relief of the French Proteftants at Rochelle, and after his re- turn from France, while he was Iving with his fquadron at Cat v/ater, waiting for farther orders from the queen, the Spanifli fleet, confifting of fifty fail, palTed by without paying the honours of the flag to the Enghfh fquadron : upon which Hawkins ordered a fliot to be fired at the admiral's flag, which producing no effect, a fecond was lircd, "which went through it, and then the Spanifh fleet came-to, and took in their colours. The ad- miral then fent off one of his principal oflicers in a boat to deflrc an explanation ; but the captain
would
^iR JOHN H A WKINS. 163
would not fufFer him to come on board, neither would he receive his mefTage in pcrfon : it was .therefore reported to him by one of his own in- ferior officers, by whom he fent to the Spaniard, to require him to inform his admiral, that as he had palled one of the queen's ports, and ncgledled the cuftomary honours paid to her majefty, efpe- cially as he had fo large a fleet under his com- uiand, it gave room to fufpe£l fome hoftile deiign, •wherefore he infiilied on his departure in twelve •hours, otherwife he IhouJd treat him as an enemy. This gallant behaviour brought the Spaniih ad- • niiral himielf to wait on caplam Hawkins, in the i-ame boat, and upon their -meeting, the Spanifb admiral de fired to know if the two crowns were at war uiiknown-to him ? Captain Hawkins replied in the negative, but that poffibiy this affront might occaiian one, for he was determined to fend an exr prefs, to inform the queen what had paired. The Spaniard, at firft, pretended not to underfland the nature of the offence he had committed, but being at lall fully- co^nvinced of his error, he genteely acknowledged it, and captain Hawkins as politely agreed to let it reft with them ; after which they reciprocally entertained each other, on board their refpe£tive ihips and on fliore ; and with the firft fair wind, the Spanifli ileet fet fail for the coail of Flanders.
In the month of Oi^tober of the fame year, 1567, captain Havvkins failed on a third trading voyage to the coaft of Guinea and the Weft Indies, in his old Ihip the Jefus, accompanied by the Minion, Slid four other fhips, one of which was commanded by captain, afterwards admiral Drake. On their arrival at Guinea, they took on board about 500 negroes, and then purfued their voyage to the Spaniih fettlements in America. Rio de la Hacha was the firfl place where he attempted to trade,
but
i6-4 T H E L I F E O F
but being refufed, he landed his men and took polTcfiion of the town, and then an accommo- dation took place, and he met with luchjuccefa-, that he difpoied of great part of his negroes: with the remainder lie failed for Carthagena, and there compacted his commercial tranfa£lions. But on his return home, he met with {lormy weather on the coait of Florida, w^iich obliged him to put into the harbour of St,.J'hn de UUoa, in the bay of Mexico, on the i6tli of September,. 1568-. The Spanilh inhabitants, imagining his fquadron was part of the fleet of their own nation expefted"; from Spain,, readily canae on board,, and wers greatly terrified when they diicovered their mif- take. But captain Hawkins entertained them with great civility, and to difpel their fears, affured. them, that he only came there by flrefs of wea- ther, and wanted nothing but provifions,. nor did he attempt any thing againft twelve merchant- fhips richly laden,, then lyhig in the port. For his own fecurity, iiowever, he detained two perfons of rank, as. hoilages, till the return of an exprefs fent to Mexico.) with an account of his arrivah The next day, the Spanifh ^^Qt^ appeared, having on board ihe viceroy newly appointed, and on his voyage to his government. In tliis delicate litu'a- tion, captain Hawkins w^as at a lofs how to a6l : for as England was not at war with Spain, he was- apprehenfive of his fovereigu's difpleafure, if he Ihould prevent their exitrance into the harbour, ef^ pecially as the ilorms continued, and they mulV have perilhsd. At the fame time he had :Qrong. fuf- picions, that fome treachery would be praftifed againft him, when the Spanifh fleet was fecure in their own port, and that he fhould be overpowered by numbers. He, therefore, took the precaution to. infill on fuch conditions from. the viceroy, before; \t wouid admit his lieetinto the harbour, as.^wer^
bell
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 165
1>cft calculated to guard the Englifli agalnll any la-. tent perfidy on the part of the inhabitants of the town, from whom every thing was to be dreaded, with the affiftance of their fleet. With this view he required, that the EngHrti fleet fhould be fup- plied with proviflons en their paying for them ; that hoflages for keeping the peace fhoiild be givea by both parties ; and that the ifland, with the cannon on the fortifications, fhould be put into the hands of his people during their flay. The vice- roy at firft reje£led thefe propofals with difdain, but upon being told, that captain Hawkins conli- dered himfeif as the reprefcntative of the queen of England, and therefore of a rank equal to his, he voychfafed to negociate the matter with him in perfon, and folemnly promifed to fuhil the agree- iinent in every particular.
The treaty thus concluded, the Spanilli fleet ■entered the harbour on the 26th, and as it had been agreed, the canal of the port being narrow, that the fleets of the two nations Ihould be ranged on each fide, this arrangement took up two days, during which the greatell harmony feemed to pre- vail between the EngHfh and the Spanifli officers. Yet a confpiracy at this time was forming at land, to attack the Englifh, no lefs than looo men be- ing muflered on fhore ; and it was agreed that the people of the town (honld fupport the operations of the fleet. Accordingly, on the morning of the 24th, the Englilli obferved unufual manoeuvres on board the Spanifh fliips ; their fmall arms were iliifted from one fliip to another, and their ord- nance pointed at the Englifh fleet. A greater num- ber of men than ufuai likewife appeared upon the decks ; and feveral other circumftances contri- buting to alarm captain Hawkins, he fent to the viceroy, to know the meaning of all thefe extraor- dinary motions : when, in order to carry on the
bale
x66 T FT E L I F E O F
bafe deception, the viceroy, to all out^vard appear- ance, gave all poi^';bie fatisfaftion to the I nglilli commander, and affured him, on his parole of honour, that if tiie inhabitants of the place had any iecr.t def o;ns, and iViOuld attempt any violence againil: the Fngjilh fleet, he vv^ould protect and aiaft then, tut captain Hawkins, from a variety of circuml^ances, had reafon to doubt the fincerity of the viceroy, and therefore he ordered his people. to ftand upon their defence Soon after, fafpe6ling that a conliderable latid force was concealed in a Hiip which lay next to the Minion, he fent to the viceroy, to demand a categorical anfwer, who, unable any longer to conceal his treachery, de- tained the meiTenger, and ordered a trumpet to he founded, which was the fignal for falling upon the E nglilli.
Captain Hawkins was at dinner when he heard the trumpet, and in the fame inilant, Don Au- guftine de Villa Neuva, a Spaniard, whom he had Treated with great refpeft and civility, felt in his' ileeve for a dagger, which he had concealed, hav- ing engaged to aflafiinate Hawkins : but one John Chamberiayne, who waited at table, perceived his motion in time to ftoo Ins hand and arrell him.. He was diredlly fecured in the Reward's room, aiid' Hawkins liew upon deck, where he perceived the Spanifn troops boarding the Minion from the velfel vvlierein they had been concealed, upon which he exclaimed with great ardour, '* God and Saint '' George fall upon thefe traitors, and refcue the *' Minion : I truft in God the day tliall be ours." His crew thereupon boarded the Minion, drove out the Spaniards, and fired a fhot into the vice- admiral, which, it is imagined, paiTcd through the * powder-room, for three hundred Spaniards on board were blown up into the air. Anotlier fhot let fire to the Soanilli admiral, which continued I burn-
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 167^
burning half an hour. But this dreadful havock was unhappily retaliated upon the Lnglilh on fhore, who were all cut off except three, who fwam to -the Englhh ihips. H'avvkins, though overpowered, continued the enga<!;ernent with undaunted refo- lution. even arter the ordnance of the fort had funk his. fmail fnips, at tiie utmoll peril of his life ; for his fhlp was alread}'' greatly difabled, when, hav- ing drank fuccefs to his men, encouraging them ta ply their guns biifkly, a fhot from a demi-culve* rin ftruck the cup he hadjuil put out of his hand, carried that, and a cooper's plane, which lay near the main-mail, overboard, and went out through the oppofite iide of the (hip. Upon which Haw- kins only re-animated his men, by telling them *' to fear nothing, for God who had preferved *' him from that Ihot, would alfo deliver them all *' from thofe traitors and villains the Spaniards." At length, the mails and rigging of the Jef-as be- ing fo Shattered by the artillery of the fort, that it was impoilible to bring her off, it was rcfolved 10 place her as a fcreen to the Minion till night, and then it was propofed to take out her provi- lions. neceilaries, 8:c. and abandon her. Butfooii after, two Spanifh nre-fhips bearing down upon the Minion, the crew confulting their own fafety, without waiting for orders from their ofiicers, hove away from the Jefus, with fo much precipitation, that it w^as with great difficulty Hawkins was taken, on board. As for his people, they were obliged to take to their boats, and row after the Minion, which had got under fail. Some reached her, but others fell vidlims to the favage barbarity of the Spaniards,
The Spanifn fleet fuffered greatly in the a£tion. The admiral and vice-admiralwere rendered unfitfor fervice, and four other fliips were totally deflroyed. They loll likewife about 500 men j and this was all
the
rSd T H E LIFE OF
the reward they had, for their infamous condu.^. Of the EngHfh rquadroji, which coiiiiiled of five fail, none but the Minion and the Judith efcaped ; and the latter, a bark of 50 tons, feparated from tlie Minion in li\e night, foon after the engage- nient was over ; and w^e have no farther account of her. As i'ov the Minion fhe was crowded witli men, having on board all the wounded they could bring off, and great part of the crew of the Jefus, and feme of the men, who had efcaped in boats from the fliips that were funk. Captain Hawkins now took the command of the Minion, and it <does not appear whether this was the fhip before under Prake ; all we know is, that he returned liome in her. They remained out at fea, in want of provifions and water, for their numerous com- plement of men, till the 8th of 0£lober, when they entered acreek in the bay of ^lexico, in fearch of refrelhments. This was near the mouth of the river Tampico, and here, fortunately for thofe who remained on board, upwards of an hundred of the men requeued to be put on fliore, preferring the uncertain fate to which they expofed them- felves, to the apparent rifiv of perilhing for want of neceflaries for fuch numbers, before the Ihip could reach any friendly port.
T.h.efe unhappy people, however, endured every fpecies of human milcry. A few were killed, and oihers wounded by the Indians upon their march u^^ the coujury ; but when the affrighted favages found they were not Spaniards, they treated them kindly, and directed them to tlie port of Tampico. Here they divided, and the major part unfortu- nately marched wellvvard, and fell into the hands of the governors of different Spanifh fettlements, by whom they were inhumanly treated, and fold to flavery. Some were burnt, and others tortured by tiie Inquifitioa i and of lixty-iive perfons, we
hvive
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 169
liave no certain account of the return of any to England, except Job Hortop, gunner of the Jf- fus, who, after twelve years imprifonment by the Inquifition, found means to obtain his liberty^ and got fafe to England in 1590, after havnig fufFered incredible hardfhips for tvs^enty-tiirec years.
Captain Hawkins, with the reft of the crew, •coniili^ing likewife of about 100 men, failed through the gulph of Florida, the latter end of 06lober, and after running the hazard of being feized at a Spanifh port, which they were obliged to en- ter for provifions, they got fafe to Vigo, where they met with fome EngHfh fhips. From them they received full fupplies of every neceflary for their voyage, and on the 25th of January, 1570, they arrived fafe in England ; which was all the confolation they had after this unfuccefsful difmaf cnterprife ; for as to Hawkins, he fuffered greatly in his fortune by the lofs of his merchandife, and the inferior officers and men faved nothing but their lives.
To indemnify our brave commander for the fa- tigues and hardlhips he had endured, the queen promoted hini to an honourable office at ;home, admirably l^uited to his capacity ; a circumftance which is but feldom attended to, in thci difpofal of the public employments. He was made treafurer •of the navy : in virtue -of this poft, he had the chief diredion of the royal docks, and he took care to keep the navy upon a refpeflable footing, more fhips being built and repaired after he came into this office, than had ever been known in Eng- land before. It v/as likewife part of his duty to take the command of any fquadron^ fitted out for the purpofe of clearing the narrow feas of pirates j and upon thefe occafions he exerted himfelf fo ef- feflually, that the merchants thanked him in a
Vol IL I bodv.
I70 T H E L I F E O F
body, for the prote£lion and fecurity given to com- mercial navigation, in 1575.
From this time to the year 1588, we have no- thing memorable tranfmitted to us concerning him, except an ahami ng accident which happened to him, as he was walking in the Strand. A lunatic iiiillaking him for Sir Chriftopher Hatton, the queen's vice-chamberiain, fuddenly flabbed him iu the back. The wound did not prove mortal, but was fo dangerous, that there were httle hopes of his recovery for fome time. This defperate wretch was committed to the Tower, where he killed his keeper with a billet brought to him for firing, and being tried and condemned for this murder, he was executed in the Strand, near the place where he had wounded captain Hawkins ; who wai providentially preferved to Ihare the glory of that great day, when the Spanilh Armada was defeated. He ferved under the lord high admiral Howard in the rank of rear-admiral, and he chaced the flying Spaniards with fuch iJitrepidity and fuccefs, that the queen in perfon publickly applauded his con- du£V, before the whole court, and conferred on him the honour of knighthood.
The war continuing with Spain, a grand expe- dition was meditated foon after the delirudion of the Armada, to annoy tlie coafts of Spain, and at the fame time, ifpofiible, to defray the expences of the enterprife, and reward the valour of the fub- jefts engaged in it, by intercepting the Plate-fleet. A fleet of ten Ihips of the line was fitted out for thefe purpofes, and divided into two fquadrons of five fail, with iiiftruflions to aft in concert, bu-t each fquadron had a fcparate commander ; and upon this occafion Sir Martin Frobifner was judged tiie propereft perfon to be joined in commiflion with Sir John Hawkins. Very great expeftations were formed of the fuccefs of Uiis expedition from -
the
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 171
^lic known valour and abilities of the two admi- rals, for they were rivals in naval reputation.
Sir Martin Frobifhcr was born in Yorklhire, and T/as put apprentice by his parents, who were of low degree, to the mailer of a coafting vclTel, and having difcovered great talents for navigation, joined to a bold enterprifing genius, and un- daunted courage, he was diftinguiilied early in life as an able feaman. He afterwards obtained recoixi* mendations to Ambrofe Dudley, earl oi Warwick:, who, with other perfons of rank and fortune, pa- tronifed an enterprife Frobilher had long medi- tated, which was to difcover a north-weft pailage to the Eaft Indies. Being provided with three fmail velTels at the expence of his patrons, he failed from Deptford, in the fummer of the year 1576, and in about five weeks he found himfelf in 61 degrees of north latitude, where he difcovered high points of land covered with fnow ; but not being able to approach the fliore on account of the quantity of ice, and the impoffibility of calling anchor from tlie extraordinary depth of the water, he entered his obfervations in his journal, and gave the titfc of ^ucen Elizabeth^ s Foreland^ to the eaflern pro- montory or the coail.
In the month of AuguH he failed into the Streights, lying a littlr to the northw^ard of Cape Farewell and Weft Greenland, in 63 degrees of latitude ; thefe he named FroblJh:r*s SireightSy and they llill continue to be fo called. His endeavours^ however, to open an intercourfe with the natives on the coafls proved unfuccef^ful ; the Indians feizing his men and his boats ; and, according ta fome accouuts, either by ilorms, or hollilities, he loll two of his velTels^ which obliged him to make for England, where he aiTived fafe in U£lober; and though the chief objed of the voyage wH- aoc accompiilhsd, yet the difcovery of the lituatijn of 1 2 tiicfe
172 THELIFEOF
thefe places proved highly beneficial to future na- vigators.
Frobiflier made two voyages to thefe parts in 1577 and 1578, and with great perfeverance and bravery attempted to approach nearer to the North Pole ; but being the firlt adventurer, as it fre- quently happens, his obfervations ferved rather as inftru£lions to his fucceffors, than as fplendid mo- numeiits of his own great reputation ; and 'tis probable that his uripoliflied manners might pre- vent the good fortune he had promifed hinifelf in thefe enterprifes ; for he was a very fevere com- mander, rigid in his difcipline, and more dreaded than beloved by his men. With this caft of tem- per, his fuccefs w^as more fignal in engagements with an enemy, than in attempts to traffic, or to eflablifh a friendly communication with the na- tives of North America. Accordingly, he per- formed wonders againfl the Spanifli Armada, was knighted on the recommendation of the lord ad- miral in 1588, and in 1590 he was fent with Sir John Hawkins on the expedition, to which we now return. The king of Spain gaining early in- telligence of this armaraent, and of its deflination, at firft propofed to oppofe it with a more formida- ble fleet; but his council wifely judging that Eli- zabeth, who had a ftrong navy at this time, would fpeedily reinforce the admirals, if fhe found it re- quilite, that plan was laid afide, and a more pru- dent meafure adopted ; which was, to keep his fhips in their harbours, and to fend expreffes over land to India, to order the Plate-fleet to remain in port, inflead of failing that year. Thus circum- flanced, the admirals were obliged to remain in- active for feven months, cruizing off the Azores, without taking a fingle Ihip. At laft, determined to attempt fome fignal action, they attacked the Jiland of Fayal j but the governor being well pro- vided
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 17^^
vided with every neceifary to fnpport a long fiege, they were obliged to retire with fome lofs and lit- tle reputation ; and foon after, they were ordered home, where they were but coolly received by the people, who are ftruck only with brilliant afts. But the intentions of th€ court being in a great meafure anfwered, by obliging the Spanifh fleets to remain in their harbours, and preventing the arri- val of the Plate-fleet in Spain, which occafioned bankruptcies amongfl: her merchants, the court confldered them in the light of faithful fervants, Rnd they were highly efleemed by their fovereign.
The lafl: and the moft arduous enterprize, in which Sir John Hawkins w^as engaged, proved fatal to himfeif. In the life of Sir Francis Drake, wc have given an account of the armament fitted out in the year 1595, ^^ attack the Spanifh fettlements in the Weft-Indies ; and w^e have marked the ope- rations of the fleet under the joint commaiTd of Hawkins and Drake, till they made an unfuccefs- ful attack on the chief of the Canary Iflands. Sir John Hawkins, being the oldeft commander, was not a little chagrined at having his advice over- ruled ; and his refentment againft Drake and Bafker^ ville was increafed, w^hen he found, that while they were employed in this fruitlefs attempt, the Spa- niards had time to put their chief places in the Weft-Indies in a proper ftate of defence. With much chagrin, therefore, he failed for Dominica, where the feamen and the troops, by fome mifma- nagement> wafted more time in taking in provi- fions and other refrefhment, and in preparing their pinnaces, which were defigncd for failing clofer to the harbour of Porto Rico than the men of w-ar could approach. In the interval, ;lie Spaniards ieiit five large frigates well manned, to bring off the gal-r kon ; thefe, on their w^ay, feil-in with the rear of the divifion of the fleet under Sir John Hav^kins,
I 3 who
174 T H E L I F E O F
who had farletl from Dominica for Porto Rico m the eveniiigof the 30l;li of Oftobcr. The Spaniards took the Francis, a bark of 135 tons, and having tortured fome of the crew into a confeiTion, that all tlie Engliih force was bent againit Porto Rico, the Spanifh admiral crowded all his fail, and made the bcft of his way, without attempting to "engage Sij John Hawkins, though he had a fuperior fquadron, and by this prudent conduct he faved the place. As for Hawkins, he forefaw the inevitable confe- quences of the repeated delays of the Englifh iiect, and of the capture of the Francis, which augment- ing his chagrm, thr'=4v him into a fever, and put a period to ins life on the 2 ill of November, 1595, when they had juft made the ifland of Porto Rico, The unfortunate iffae of the defjperate attack 011 Porto Rico, and its fimilar fatal effe6l on Sir Francis Drake, the reader will naturally recur to in the life of that admiral.
The great charafler Sir John Hawkins acquired was tarnilbed by the mean paffion of avarice ; and it is much to be feaied, that it had too great an influence on fome parts of his public condu£t. However, his great abilities in the naval depart- ment, both at land and at fea, extenuated his de- fe<fls : he was no lefs than forty-eight years com- mander at fea, and twenty-two years treafurer of the navy, for the regulation of which he eilablifhed many excellent or(3ers ; and he was both the au- thor and the patron of feveral ufeful inventions and improvements in the art of navigation. Laftly, in conjunftion with his brother William, he contributed to the great increaie of failors, by promoting commercial navigation ; for they were owners of thirty fail, fays Dr. Campbell, of goodly Ihips.
He likewife bred up his fon Richard to the fea, and had the happinefs of feeing him knighted, two
yea IS
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 17^
years before he died, for his fignal fervices. Sir. Kichard Hawkins accompanied his father in moll' of his expeditions, and upon all occalions proved that he inherited his father's valour. In the en- gagement with the Armada, he commanded the Su^allow, a frigate, which was ciofely attacked, and fufFered more than any Ihip in the Englifh fleet. In I ^90, under the command of his father and Sir Martin Frobilher, he exerted himielf in a fignal manner on the coafts of Spain ; and in 1593, he fitted out two large fhips at his own expence, having iirft procured a commilTion from the queen, to annoy the Spaniards in South-America : he had likewife'a farther defign of failing round the globe, that he might (hare the glory of Drake and Caven- diili : with this view, he palled the Streights of Magellan with only one fhip, in the fpri ng of the year 1594, and cruized along the coafts of Pata- gonia, which have lately been the obje£l of curio- lity, and the fubjeft of general converfation. In 48 degrees of fouthern latitude, he difcovered a fair and promifmg country, fituated in a very tempe- rate climate, and to particular places he gave dif- ferent names ; but the land colleflively, he called Hawkinses Maiden Land, aiiigning as a rea* fon, that he had difcovered it at his own expence, under the aufpices of a maiden queen. After taking fome valuable prizes in the South-Seas, and once bravely difengaging himielf from an attempt made by Don Bertrand de Caftro to take him, it would feem flrange that he did not return home, if it did not appear, that with his valour, he inhe- rited his father's foible, an inordinate love of mo- ney, which detained him in thofe parts, to make more valuable captures, till in the end, he himfelf was taken with all his treafure by the S pa nifli ad- miral, after a defperate engagement, in the courfe ©f which he received feveral dangerous wounds., i 4 He
'ij6 THE LIFE OF
He furrendered on a promife, that the whole cre^ fliould have a free paiiage to England as foon as pofhble ; but the Spaniards, with their ufual per- fidy, lent him to Seville, and afterwards to Madrid^ retainuig him a prifcner in Spain, till the peace between that country and England was negociating in 1600 ; and though the treaty was broken off, he then obtained his releafe, and returned home ; after which, he pafled the remainder of his days in re- tirement. He died fuddeniy of an apople£lic fit,. in an outer chamber, while he was attending on the privy-council; but upon what buiinefs, or in Avhat year this event happened, we are left in the dark by the writers of his life. He left an account of his voyage, to the time of his being taken, part of which was put to prels by himfelf, and the whole manufcript w^as printed and publilhed after his de- ceaie, in one volume^ folio, intituled, " The Ob^ i^-^rvations of Sir Richard Hawkins, in his voyage to the South-Seas ;" but it is imperfect, the au- thor ha^ving deligned to complete it, in a fecond
- [{ now remains,, that we fliouid conclude the. memoirs of this refpe<5^able ?iaval triumvirate, by con)pieting our account of Sir Martin Frobillier.
In the year 1592, he commanded a fquadron^ f.tted out at the expence of Sir Walter Raleigh and his friends, with inllrudions to watch the ar- rival of the Piate-iieet on the coaft of Spain ; and though his whole armament confifted of only three fl;iips, he burnt one galleon, richly laden, and brought home another.
In 1594, the queen fent him to the aiTiilance of Henry iV. of France, ag?iinft his rebellious fub- jefts the Leaguers, and the Spaniards, who had gained poffcffion of part of Bretagne, and had for- tified then-jfelves in a very ftrong manner at Croy- zon near Breft. Admiral Frobifhcr commanded
foui-
Sir JOHN HAWKINS. 177
four fhips of the line, with which he blocked up the port ; at the fame time, Sir John Norris, with 3000 infantry, attacked the place by land, which however would not have been carried, if the admi- ral had not landed his failors to reinforce the ge- neral. The failors made a defperate attack, and took it by ftorm ; but their brave admiral received a mufket-ball in his lide, and by the mifmanage- ment of the furgeon, the v/ound proved mortal, in. a few days after his arrival at Plymouth.
*.•.* Juthorities* Lediard's Naval Hiflory,, Campbell's Lives of the Admirals. Baker's Chro- nicle. Hume's Hiflory of England.
The life of
WILLIAM CECIL,
Lord Burleigh.
[A. D. 1520, to 1598. J
Including Memoirs of Sir Nicholas Bacok, Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, and Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk.
WE »are now to refume the thread of Britifh hiflory, which we fhall find regularly con- 3ie6led with the principal incidents of the life of this great ilatefman, who had the chief guidance of the reins of government forty years.
is'' William
178 THE LIFE OF
William Cecil was the fon of Richard Cecil, Efq; of Burleigh, in the county of Northamptoh,. principal officer of the robes in the reign of Henry Vin. and in great favour with the king. His mother was the daughter and heirefs of William Hickington, Efq; of Bourn, in the county of Lin* coin, at which place he was born in "the year 1520.
The firft rudiments of his education he received at the grammar-fchools of Grantham and. Stam- ford, and difcovering an ardent thirft for know- ledge, his father determined to qualify him for the law. With this view, he fent him to St. John's college, Cambridge, where his clofe application to his ftudies, affifled by an uncommon genius, foon acquired him confiderable reputation, but at the expence of his health, for he contracted a humour in his legs, from Ins long iittings, which laid th^ foundation of that tormenting difeafe, the gout> which afterwards was a difagreeable companion to him for life.
In his nineteenth year, he had completed his xiniveriity education, and was therefore removed by: his father to Gray's-inn, London, then the moft eminent of the inns of court. Here his proficiency in the law was as rapid, as his general learning at the univerfity. And while he was thus laudably employed, an accident happened, which introduced him to the notice of his fovereign, and diverted his attention, in fome meafui=e, from the law, to the attainment of courtly accomplifhments.
In the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII. Mr. Cecil went to court, on a vifit to his father, and in the prefcnce- chamber he met two priefts, chaplains to 0*Neale, a famous Irifh chief, who was negociating the affairs of his country with the king. With thefe priclls, who were bigotted Pa- piils, young Cecil fell into converfation upon theo- logical
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. 17^
logical topics. A warm dilpute enfued, which was carried on in Latin, and managed with fo much wit and found argument on the part of Cecil, an advocate for the reformed religion, that the chap- lains, feeing themfelves foiled by a youth, broke from him in rage. Upon this, it was reported to the king, that young Cecil had confuted both O'Neale's chaplains ; and his majefly thereupon ordered him into his prefence, and was fo delighted with the pertinent anfwers he gave to feveral intri- cate queftlons, that he directed his father to find cut a place for him at court ; but as it happened t^ere was no vacancy. The old gentleman, there- fore, afKed for the reverfion of the Cuftos Brevium Office in the Common Pleas; which the king wil- lingly granted.
About this time, Mr. Cecil married Mary Cheke,- fifler to Sir John Cheke, by whom he had his firft fon, Thomas, This lady died in lefs than two years after her marriage. Five years after, he- married Mildred Cooke, a daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, one of the tutors to Edward VI. a lady of great merit, and uncommon learning.
Upon the acceffion of Edward VL- h&was pro- .iiioted at court ; for Sir John Cheke recommended him to the lord protestor, the king's uncle, who made him mafler of the requefls, and foon after he came- to the pofleffion of his office of Cuftos Bre- vium. Thefe acquilitions, and the fortune of his fecond wife, enabled him to make a diftinguifhed iigure amongft the courtiers.
Mr. Cecil attended the prote£lor Somerfe-t in his expedition to Scotland, and was at the battle ot Muffeiburgh, where he had a narrow efcape, his life being faved by the generous interpofition of one of his friends, who pufhed him out of the level cf a cannon, and had his arm inftantly fhattercd to L 6' pieces^
i8o T H E LIFE OF
pieces bv the ball, which would otherwife hav^ deftroyed Cecil.
In 1548, he grew into pjreat favour with the young king, which Somerfet obferving, he ad- vanced him to the oflice of lecretary of ftate. But the following year, a party being formed againft the prote(5lor, he was involved in the misfortunes of his patron, and was committed to the Tower, where he remained a prifoner three months. But to recompenfe him for this temporary difgrace, the king conferred on him the honour of knighthood, ibon after his releafe ; and in Odlober, 1551, he was fworn of the privy-council. The following year, party difputes ran very high at court ; and though Sir William Cecil a<fted with great caution, endeavouring, on the one hand, to avoid involving ■ himfelf in the fate of his falling patron, and on the other, not to court the duke of Northumber- land, the riiing favourite, in an unbecoming, fer- viie manner, yet his enemies accufcd him of pro- moting the ruin of Somerfet. But the afperlion is. grounded folely on his cool reply to the duke, when he told him, he was apprehenlive of forae evil de- flgn againlt him. *' If you are not in fault, faid Cecil, you may truft to your innocence; if yovfc are, I have nothing to fay, but to lament you."
In 1553, Sir William Cecil undertook the liqui- dation of the crov/n debts, and having propofed ways and means which were agreed to by the coua- ci!, he was, for this eminent fervice, made chan- cellor of the noble order of the garter ; and about this time, the people began to form great expecta- tions of him, on account of his attention to the commercial affairs of the nation ; for the promo- tion of which, he patronized every rational fcheme propofed to him.
. At the council-board, he (Ireimoufly oppofed the lefolution for changing the fucceffion to the crown
in
CECIL, Lord FURLEIGH. rSr
in favour of Lady Jane Grey, and retufed to {ign the inilrument for that purpofe, as a privy>coun- iellor, but he witnefled it as the a6l and deed of the- king. But on his majefly's demife, he refufed to draw up the proclamation declaring Lady Jane's- title ; neither would he write a letter, on the duke of Northumberland'^s fohcitation, to acknowledge her ri?[lit, and to treat Mary as illegitimate.. This- difcretion .paved the way to his future advance- ment. For queen Mary, foon after her acceliion^ granted Sir William Cecil a general pardon ; and, on chunng her counfellors, fhe faid, if he would change his reHgion, he fhould be her fecretary and counfelior : to which he nobly anfwered ; *' he was taught and bound to ferve God firfl, and next the queen : but if her fervice fhoRld put him out of God's fervice, he hoped her majeily would give him leave to chufe an everlafting, rather than a momentary fervice : that flie had been his fo gra- cious lady as he would ever ferve and pray for her in his heart ; and with his body and goods be as ready to ferve in her defence as any of her loyal fubje6ts ; but hoped fhe would pleafe to grant him leave to ufe his confcience to himfejf, and ferve her at large as a private man, rather than to be her greatefl counfeljor." Yet the queen ftill treated him' very gracioufly, and forebare cither to hear his enemies, who were ma.ny, or to difgrace him ; for, in the fecond year of her reign, he was lent ta BruiTels, with the lord Paget, to bring over cardi- nal Pole.
During the remainder of this reign. Sir Williara Cecil continued in a private flation, only attending his duty in parliament, as knight of tlie fhire for the county of Lincoln ; and though, in parliament, he frequently oppofed the meafures of a^dminillra- tion, yet he was held in fuch refpeft by the queen's Hiinifters, and particularly by cardinal Pole, that
iie
tSz T H E L I F E O F
he was never molcfled either for his rehgious 6?" pohtical fentiinents, though he openly avowed both^ with manly freedom.
When queen Ehzabe.th fucceeded to the throne. Sir Wilham Cecil, for his truth and ti-ied fervice to- her, was worthilv called and honourably advanced by her mijcfty to be her fecrctary of ilate and a- privy-counfellor ; and was the firft fworn of any Gounfellor fhe had, at Hatfield, where fhe refided ai her iirft coming tothe crown.
In the firft parliament holden in the beginning- of the queen's reign^ great difficulties arole in re- forming and altering religion ; and for the better fatisfadion of the parliament, by Sir William's ad-- vice, a conference was held in Weftminfler church, by the old and new bifhops-, and other learned men, upon fome queftions andpoints devifed prin- cipally by himielf touching the exercife of religion;- which produced that form of worlhip, which has ever lince been the eftabliihment of the church of England.
His next care was, to remedy the abufes in th«- eoinage ; for this purpofe, he called in all the bafe money, and ordered a new coinage, and put the gold and filver coin in a better flate than it had ever been before.
In the beginning of the year 1560, he was made raaller of the wards, upon the death of Sir i homas parry ; and the fame year he wa^ fent to Scotland rn conjundrion with Dr. Wotton, to negociate a treaty of peace with the bilhop of Valence and tiie CG)unt de Randan, between England, Scotland, ar:d France. l"hev executed their commifiion fuccefs- fully, but the French count abfolutely refufed to ratify it, thcugh the above-named arabaffadors, vefted with full powers,. had figned it.
llie influence of Sir Wiiliara Cecil inereafed every day at the councih board j and alRired of the
qucen*s
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. r%
queen's fupport, xyho befides the high efleem- in which ihe held his political abilities, was under confideiable obhgations to him, for giving her in- telligence of all the motions of her enemies in the late reign ; he now began to oppofe the earl of Leicefter, and that nobleman, iealous of his riling reputation, as earneftly endeavoured to ruin Cecil. This, cohtefl between two fuch coniiderable men, produced a powerful divifion at court, but as yet Leicefler''s party pre\^iled ; and theie being in league with the Popifli zealots, feme of whom Elizabeth had allowed to retarn their feats in council, they accufed him to the queen of having written or patrc^nized a book, found upon his ta- ble, containing fcandatous reflexions on the whole body of the nobility ; and when this, and fome other dark intrigues failed, they bafeiy plotted againft his life, hiring allaffins to take him off, from whom he narrowly efcaped, at one time, by- going down the back ftairs, an a hint that a vil- lain waited for him at the foot of the great Hairs. of the palace ; at another, by the failure of the cruel refolution of the aiTaffin, who being alone with him in his chamber, v,iih a poignard in his hand, had not the power to- perpetrate the horrid crime.
Notwithftanding his great difcernment, and his warv conduct, he would moil probably have fallen a viftim to the inveterate malice of the Popifli party, and the envy of Leicefter, if he had not been firmly fupported by Francis Rulfel, earl of Bedford, and Sir Nicholas Bacon : of the latter, whofe cool judgment, whole knowledge of the hw, and whofe high flation, all combined to protect Cecil, we Ihall liere introduce concife memoirs.
Sir Nicholas Bacon lirft diftinguiihed himfelf in the rergn of Henry Vlll. by prefenting a plan to that prince of a leminary for the education of
youth,
r84 THE LIFE O F
vouth, of rank and family, in order to qualify them for the public fervice. The outhnes of the^ plan were, that they ftiould ftudy in a college, the elements of natural and political law, and the in- ilitution of government : then tliey were to be di- vided into claifes ; and fome, being diflinguiflicd; by fuperior talents and addrefs, were to be fent abroad under our ambaffadors, whi'e others were to write the hiftory of our foreign negociations,. and treaties, and of domeftic national events, at home. But, though this noble defign was not carried into execution, it remains a perpetual me- morial of the extenlive views of its, author, for the honour and happinefs of his country. Mr. Bacon's liigheft promotion, in the law, (for which he had been educated) in the reign of Henry VIII. was tlie poll: of attorney to the court of wards, which he held under his fucceiTor. In the reign of Mary, to avoid being involved in the troubles of the times,-. he refided abroad, and had the honour to correfpond privately with the princefs Elizabeth, who on her accellion, nominated him to be one of the eight privy-counfellors, in the Proteftant intereft, to be added to the old council, whom for political rea- fons file did not choofe to remove fuddenly, To^ this honour, her majefty added that of knight- hood : and foon after, Heath, archbilhop of York, and lord chancellor of England, having refufed to- comply with the queen's orders, refpefting the re- formation of religion, the feals were taken from him, and given to Sir Nicholas Bacon, with the title only of lord keeper, but with the full powers of chancellor.
As he came into office by the Proteftant interefl,. fo he firmly fupported all his friends, embarked in the fame caufe ; and in this view, he favoured the fucceirion of the houfe of Suffolk, in oppoiition to- the claim of Mary queen of Scots ^ and as this fuc- 3 ceffioiij
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH, i^^
ceffion, in cafe of Elizabeth's death without iiTue, was the principal obje£l of the fecret cabals at court, he rendered himfelf extremeiy obnoxious to the earl of Leicefter. But, regardJefs of menaces or intrigues, he boldly adhered to his friends, and he and Sir William Cecil may be truly faid to have been the reciprocal dehverers of each other. Sir Kicholas Bac^n performed the iirfl good office to Ceci], as we have ah'eady feen ; and when Leicefter had prevailed fo far with the queen, that flie forbade- Bacon the court, and ordered him to confine him- felf fole]y to the buiinefs of his tribunal, Cecil prevented the farther progrefs of her majefly's dif- pleaCure, and reftored him to her favour, on con- dition that he (hould not give his opinion any mors about the fucceflion.
Sir Nicholas Bacon enjoyed his office with an unfullied chara6ler, and the higheft reputation, for the wifdom and equity of his decrees, upwards of twenty years, w^hen he grew extremely corpulent, and was fuddenly taken off by the effe6ts of a vio- lent cold, to the great grief of the queen and the whole nation, in the year 1579, and in the 6gth year of his age.
Sallies of wit and repartee were the fire of con- verfation in his time ; we mufl: not therefore omit two, which have been preferved in all the memoirs of this great man. The one by the queen, re- fpefting his corpulency, her majefty faid, " the foul of Sir Nicholas Bacon lodged Vv-ell." At an- other time, the queen honouring him with a vifie at his houfe at St. Alban's, her majefly obfcrved, that the houfe was too little for him. " No, ma- dam." anfwered Sir Nicholas, "but your majeiiy. has made me too great for my houfe."
Having given this fliort account of Cecil's befc friend, it may not be improper to iketch. the cha-
A.
i85 T H E L I F E O F
ra6ler of the pcrfon employed by Leiceller, as the chief agent of his practices againft him.
This was Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, a gentle- man defccnded from an ancientfamily in Warwick- Ihire, and educated in foreign parts. From earlv youth he manifefted an incHnation for poHtical lludies, and before he was thirty years of age he was efteemed an accomplilhed courtier. His know- ledge of the true interefts of his country, led him to oppofe the marriage of queen Mary with Phihp of Spain, in parhament ; and his attachment at that time to the Proteftant caufe, engaged him irt fecret meafures for the fupport of Wyat's rebellion^ which being drfcavered, he was indi£led for high treafon ; but he pleaded his own caufe fo ably, that neither the ftrength of the evidence, nor th© influence of the miniftry, could prevail againft him, fo that the jury acquitted him ; for which offence, they were profecuted by the attorney-general in th«t Har-chamber.
Queen Elizabeth, who was a ready difcerner of merit, called him to court in the firft year of her reign, and employed his talents in the department wherein Ihe knew he chiefly excelled. She fent him on various fpecial embaflies to France and Scotland, his knowledge of the political ftate of Europe, and of men and manners, having acquired him the reputation af being one of the ableft nego- ciators of his time. But the fame talents-, under the influence of ambition, carried him deep into- c-ourt nitrigues at home, and made him facrifice his honour to fupport hrs intereft: wrth the reigning favourite. It h nov/onder, therefore, that he be- came a principal in Lcice{ler's fadion, and involved himfelt in troubles on his account ; particularly in the year 1569, when Leicefter cfpoufed the pro- pofal made to bim by the earl of iNlurrav, regent
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. 1S7
©f Scotland, of marrying the queen of Scots to the duke of Norfolk* I'hrogmorton, upon Lei- cefter's confefficn of the whole fcheme to Elizabeth, was taken into cuflody ; but finding, by this in- ilance of perfidy, that he had mifiaken Leicefter's true cbara^ler, he made fome concefficns to Cecil, and went over to his interefl ; and it is imagined, he betravcd fome important fecrets, which ren- dered him fo obnoxious to Leicefter, that he only kept upon good terms with him to outward ap- pearance, the better to accomplifh his deiign of taking him ofF, in the manner related, in the lifo of Leicefter.
About the time of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton*s death, which happened in 157 i, the queen began to be jealous of Leicefter's high fpirit and towerihg ambition ; and probably, being confcious of her unjuftiiiable partiality in his favour, fhe prudently advanced Cecil in honours and confidence, as a check upon her own palTions, and the deep defigns of her favourite.
Be this as it may, certain it is, that fhe never conferred particular marks of diftin£lion on any of her fubje£^s, but upon the moft urgent occafions, and from political motives ; and fhe now raifed Sir William Cecil to the dignity of a peer, by the ftvle and title of Baron Lord Burleigh ; and hrs ene- mies obferving the high degree of eftimation in which he was held bv the queen, contended who fhould be fir ft reconciled to liim. Lord Burleigh farther recommended himfeif to her majefty, by his afhduity in watching all die motions of Mary queen of Scots, whole friends were for the mofl part the fecret enemies of Elizabeth, and the abet^ tors of all the Popifh plots to dethrone, or to af- failinate her.
The unfortunate queen of Scots, from the time that fae was detained prifoner i:i England, thought
every
jS3 T H E L J F E O F
every mcafure juflifiable, which had a tendency to reftoie her to the throne of Scotland ; to llrengthen her claim to the lucceiTion of that of England j to gratify her perfonal refentment againft Elizabeth ; or to promote the re-eftabiifhment of the Romiih religion in both kingdoms.
7"o one or other of thefe objeds, fne continually facrificed her reputation ; and I'he was fo eager in the purfuit of them, that llie placed her confidence, frequently, in the very perfons who were placed about her, to betray her. Confpiracy upon con- fpiracy was difcovered by lord Burleigh's agents ; and at length, the deiign of marrying the duke of Korfolk completed her ruin.
This nobleraan was tlie eldeft fon of Henry earL of Surrey, whofe memoirs the reader will find in the firlt volume of tliis work. Queen Mary re- flored him in blood, and he fucceeded to the titla of duke of Norfolk on the death of his grandfather^ When Elizabeth came to the throne, flie made him a knight of the Garter, and beflowed on him many other marks of her royal favour ; but his ambitious^ defign of fucceedi ng to the throne of England, be- ing avowed by Leicefler, he was taken into cuflody^ and from that moment, Elizabeth regarded him with a jealous eve ; yet, upon his going over ta Cccirs party, and promifing to drop all intercourfe with the queen of Scots, he was releafed.
But no tie of honour or gratitude could keep him within the bounds of his duty, for he renewed- his correfpondence with Mary, entered into a con- tiad of marriage, exchanged vows with her, tranf- mitted money to her friends in Scotland to fupport her caufe there, and took fuch unguarded meafures at home, to releafe the royal captive, that the fpies employed by Burleigh, foon procured fufficient grounds to accufc him to the privy-council of higtv Uegfoii; upon which he was committed to the.
Tow.er^
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. iSg
Tower, the fecoiid time, and was brought to his trial in yaiiiiary 1572, the earl of Shrewfbury be- ing appointed high rteward upon the occafion ; -and upon thefiiUefl evidence, he was found guilty. But fo greatly was he beloved by his brother peers, that they all lamented the impoffibility of faving him, the lord high fleward buriling into tears when he pronounced the fatal fentence ; and it is certain, that the peers who condemned him folicited his pardon, which occaiioned a fufpenfion of his •execution for five months. But unfortunately, in the interval, Mary and her friends were more^adive than ever, in their attempts to take off queen Eli- zabeth. The parliament, therefore, addrefled her inajefty on the expediency of executing the fentence againft the duke of Norfolk, and the neceffity of bringing on the trial of Mary. In compliance with the addrefles of both houfes, Norfolk fuffered oa the fecond of June ; and died greatly regretted by the people, being a nobleman of great merit, who had cultivated popularity, by his affability and li- berality, and whofe crime was rather coniidered as the effect of his high rank, being the firil peer of the realm, and perhaps led to believe, as there were no princes of the blood, that his afpirin.g to the crown was not fo criminal, as to be coiillrued into high treafon, for his enemies acquit him of being privy to any deiigns on the queen's life. Thefe bafe plots Mary artfully concealed from him, while file held forth the lure of one crov/n in pof- fefiion, and another in reverfion.
The execution of the duke of Norfolk efFc(fl:u- ally put a flop to the intrigues -of all ambitious ad- venturers, who had entertained any hopes of mar- rying the unfortunate queen of Scots ; and, there- fore, this obilacle being removed, fome concilia- tory meafurcs were tried " Elizabeth even treated with her, for her enlargement j and difpatched
lord
x.oo THE LIFE OF
lord Burleigh, and Sir Thomas Mildmay, chaii-» ceiior of the Exchequer, a privy-counfellor, re- markable for his great modeiatioii, hh popularity, and his wildom, to negociate the conditions of a reconciliation, Mary was, at this time, confined at Chatfvvorth, in Derbyfhire (now the feat of the dake of Devon(hire) but all the arguments and intreatics of thefe great men, were loft upon this devoted woman, who with afirmnefs which would have done honour to a better caufe, adhered to the party (he had efpoufed, and refolved to merit the crown of martyrdom from the Roman pontiff; for, upon no conlideration, could flie be prevailed i:poa to break off her connections and correfpondencc with the Engliih, the lri(h, and the Scotch Pa- pifts, who were declared enemies to Elizabeth, and were continually forming plans to deilroy the happy conftitution in church and ftate, now firmly ellablilhed, and glorioufly maintained by the wif- dom of her councils, and the valour of her fleets and armies.
Yet Elizabeth, though file thought it highly ex- pedient for her own fecurity, to detain her in cuftody, fhewed no inclination to proceed to vio- lent meafures againft her, in the courfe of fifteen years, from the tune of Norfolk's execution, when the parliament addrelled her majeily to proceed ca« pitally againil: her.
In fadt, fhe relied fo entirely on the vigilance, the policy, and the general influence of lord Bur- leigh, whom, upon the death of the marquifs of Winchefler, in 1572, ihe raifed to the offlce of lord high treafurer, that fhe gave herfelf little or no concern about the queen of the Scots, till fuch daring attempts v/ere made againft her royal perfon, that Ihe began to think ihe (hould fall a vidim to her own, and Burleigh's moderation ; and, there- fore, upon the convidion of Babington, on whofe
trial
CECIL, Lord BURL£IGFI. 191
^rlal it appeared that he was countenanced bv Mary, and her party, Hie was more clofely confined, and at length removed to Fotherlngay-caftle, in North- amptonfhire, in order to take her trial, a com- mifiioa being iiTued out for that purpofe, by the adfice of the privy-council, in the month of Oc- tober 1586.
It is a difficult matter todetermine whether Mary was guilty or not, as an accomplice, in any direct attempt, againft the life of Elizabeth ; and charity fhouid incline us to believe her own dying words upon this tender point ; for though the commif- fioners, before whom Ihe was tried, unanimoufly found her guilty of having been privy to Babington's confpiracy, yet the whole charge refted chieily on the evidences of Nau and Curie, her two fecre- taries, who had deferted her in her misfortunes, and had been countenanced by the Englifli miniflry to betray her.
Indeed, it would have (hewn more temper and founder policy to have proceeded againil her, on the heavy accufations brought againft her by her own fubjefls, particularly her being acceffary to the murder of lord Darnley, her fecond hufband. However, from the high rank, confummate know- ledge of the laws, and the great number of the commidioners, being no lefs than forty-two of the chief perfons in the kingdom, including five of the judges, the majority of our hillorians decide, that fhe had an impartial trial, and was clearly convict- ed of " confpiring the deilruCtion of the queen, the realm of England, and the Protcftant religion.'* Thuanus, the celebrated French hiilorian, like- wife obferves, that '* though there were fcveral Popilli lords in the commifhon, even thefe found her guilty of the impeachment."
The difcovery of the correfpondence between Mary and BabingtoDj was efFeded by the policy
of
t9^ THE LIFE O T
•of Sir Francis Walfingham ; but the bringing the royal criminal to condign punifhment, required a degree of iirmners and rcfolution fuitedto the crifis ; ■and nothing but a confcioufnels of the rectitude of the raeafure, of the afcendency he had gained over ■the queen, and of the popularity he had acquired by his public virtues and his private beneficent cha- rafter, could have fupported Cecil, under that load ■of cenfure which fell upon him from all quarters, as the chief caufe of Mary's execution.
But, being now fully convinced, that the fafety <>f his fovereign and of his country, depended on •cutting off the hopes of the Popifh fadion, by- making a facrifice of their chief, the only branch of tiie royal blood devoted to their caufe, the fen* tence pronounced againft Mary was executed, near four months after her trial. She fuffered in the great hall of Fotheringay-caflle, on the 8th of February 1587, in the 46th year of her age. She met death with noble fortitude, and with pious re- fignation ; and it may be truly faid, that the hil moments of her life did her more honour than all her preceding years.
Queen Elizabeth, apprehenfive that this execu- tion would excite great clamours againft her in all the Popifh courts of Europe, artfully, but unge- neroufly, endeavoured to throw the blame of it upon Davifon, one of the fecretaries of flate, to whofe department it belonged to get the warrants iigned, after the condemnation of criminals ; who, accordingly, prefented the warrant for the execu- tion of Mary to the queen, fooii after fentence was paffed, and her majefty figned it, without hefita- tion ; but fhe afterwards declared, that fhe had charged him not to part with it, nor even to let any perfon know fhe had ligned it. Davifon, however, from hints dropped by the queen at fundry times, which fhewed her fecret deiire to
have
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. 193
have her taken off, thought it his duty to Inform the privy-council, that the warrant lay in his of- fice ligned ; and fome of the lords, knowing that, the queen had reproached the council in private, for their dilatorinefs in this affair, made a motion at the board, that orders fhould be given to Da- vifon to forward the v/arrant to Fotheringay-caftle, without the queen's knowledge, which was agreed to, and the execution followed ; for which Eliza- beth thought proper to profecute Davifbn, as her- ewn immediate fervant, in the ftar-cliamber, where he was fined 10,000/. and fentenced to imprifon- nient during the queen's pleafure, for having dif- obeyed her majeily's fecret orders.
As for lord Burleigh, being convinced in his own mind, that Daviion had a£led the very part the quoen wifhed, though flie dejiied it :o the world, he remonilrated with great freedom, againll the difgrace of Da vifon, in a letter to the queen, ilill exta!?t.
One of the chief objects of the mighty prepara- tions made in Spain in the courfe of this year, for invading England, was to releafeMary, and to re- place her on the throne of Scotland ; but by the •aiFiduity and great abilities of lord Burleigh, the whole expedition failed for this year, as we have related in the life of Sir Francis Drake.
The following year, however, the Spaniards re- folved upon ample vengeance ; and the thunder of the Vatican was fulminated in aid of the Spaniih. arms. Excommunications, anathemas, denuncia- tions of the wrath of heaven, and every other PopiHi engine cf terror, was made uie of, to fhake the lillegiance of the Englifh, ai.d to terrify them into defection from their renowned fovereign. But lord Burleigh had taken advantage of ten years of peace, to put the nation in fuch a pofture of defence, as to be able to refill the attempts of the moil formi- VoL. II. K cable
,c)4 T H E L I F E O F
dable enemy. The navy had been confiderably improved and augmented, and the feamen kept in pra6llce, by the frequent naval expeditions, fent out in qucil of difcoveries, under the great admi- rals, whofe Uves we have already given. The army likewife was well difciplined, and had gained experience ii\feveral campaigns in Holland and in Ireland. And fo exad was his intelJigence, in foreign parts, that, to ufe the words of I.loyd, *' he could write to a friend in Ireland, what the king of Spain could do for two years together, and what he could not do."
Ihe defeat of the Spanifli Armada having de- livered the nation from all farther apprehenfions of a revolution in religion, and the queen from the* perfonal dangers to which flie had been contiiMialiy expofed, the plots for afialnnating her majeflv having for their ultimate objed the fubjedlion of the realm to the fee of Rome, univerfal joy and transport prevailed among all orders and ranks o/ people.
But the inexprefTihle fatisfaftion which Budeigh mull: have felt, on this final happy iiTue of all his political manoeuvres at home and abroad, was che« cjucred v.ith an adverfe flroke of fortune, in his family, wliich call a gloom of melancholy over his remaiiiing days. In the beginning of the year 1589, he loft his fecond wife, a lady diftijiguifhed by her rare talents, being no iefs celebrated for her piety znd learning, than for thofe domefiic virtues vi'hich rendered her the ornament and example of her fex. This aiBi£\ion was the more feverely felt from their long and happy union, lady Burleigh having been the faithful companion of her liufband upwards of forty three years. She was the daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, and was well ilvilkd in the learned languages ; and when her lord's prof- pcrity placed her in a li'tuarion to a<5t agreeably to
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. 19^
her dlfpofition, flie was a conllant patronefs of learned men ; and, among other inllances of her
benevolence, fhe founded two perpetual fcllovvlhips in St. yohn's-Coliege, Cainhridge.
It was now, that ahnofi: exhauOed with inceilant appUcation to public bufinefs, and rendered infirm, by that mofl painful diftemper the gout, this great ftatefman earneftly folicited leave to refign all his emplovments ; but the queen, who knew the vahie of fuch an able fenator, and ileady co^anfellor, whofe wifdom increafed with his grey hairs, would by no means confent to it. Eat to confole him for his great lofs, fhe paid him frequent vilits, and took every opportunity to do him honour iw the eyes of the people, than which nothing could be better calculated to foothe and flatter declining age, and to excite it to freth exertioiis of zeal in the public fervice. Accordingly, we nnd the good old man very adlive, upon fundry occalions, during the lail: ten years of his ufeful life. In iS9i» the queen founded the univerfity of Dubhn, by the advice of lord Burleigh, by whom the plan of education was drawn up ; and in 1593, he had the management or direftion of every branch of adminiflration, filling the dangerous poft of prime minifter, and acquitting himfelf of all its painful and exteniive duties, with as much ability, accuracy, and dif- patch, as if he had been in the prime of life.
*' To him (fays one of his earlieft biog''aphcrs) all ranks of people addrefled themfelves, to the very iaft. The bifhops and clergy for encouv?.genient, protection, and preferment : the Puritans, (who were perfecuted againft his opinion in coancil) for favourable treatment and relief from the oppref- {ions of the prelates, and of trie eccleliafi-ical. courts: fugitives in foreign countries for pardon, which he granted, in coniideration of the intelligence they procured him of the de%ns of the pones, and of K 2 ^ the
296 THE LIFE OF
the king of Spain, againft his country. The lieu- tenants of counties for inflrudions and advice ; the admiials for fleets and fupplies ; in a word, the in- terefls of the ftate abroad, and its domeftic tran- quiHity at home, were provided for, and preferved to the iateil hour of his life.
" At lengih, his dilfolntion approached by ilow and eaiy gradations ; and m fact, his difeafe, pro- perly fpeaki ng, was nothing more than the decay ■of old age, hailened by inceliant labour, and fatigue of mind and body.
*' His death was not fudcen, nor his pain in fick- nefs great ; for he continued languilhing two or riiree months, yet went abroad to take the air in his coach all that time ; retiring from the court, fome- tinies to his houfe at Theobald's, and fometimes at London. His greateit apparent infirmity was the weaknefs of his ftumach. it was alio thought his mind was troubled, that he could not cfFe6t a peace for his countrv, which he earneitly defired, feeking to leave it as he had long kept it.
" About ten or twelve days before he.died, he grew weak, and fo was driven to keep his bed, complain- ing onjy of a pain in his breafl: ; -whiGh was t:iought to be the humour of the gout, wherewith he was fo Jong poiTefled, falling to that place, without any Jtgue, fever, or lign of diftemper, and that pain not great nor continual, but by fits ; and fo con- tinued till within one night before his death. He -expired on .the 4th of Auguil, I5(^ 8.
'* N.OVV iiiiight one fee all the world mourning.; the queen, for an old and true fervant ; the coun- cil, for a wife and grave counfellor ; the court, fox their honourable benefactor ; his country, and com- monwealth, trembling as it were at one blow, to have their head flricken off ; the people, widows, ;aad wards, lamenting to lofe their proted^or ; re- hgion, her patron J juilice, her Irue jrninifler ; and
peace.
CECIL, Lord BURLEIGH. 15)7
peace, her upholder. His children bewailing the iofs of fnch a father, his friends of fiich a friend, an4 his lervants of fuch a mafier ; all men rather bewailing his iofs, than hoping ever to find fucli another. Yea, his very enemies, who in his life- time conld not abide him, did now both- forrovtr for liis death, and wiih him alive agaiii.
*' He was the cldeft, the graveft, and greatell ilatefman of Chriflendom ; for there was, before his death, nevc\- a coimfeilor left alive in Europe, that were counfeilors when he was lirft made.''
As to !i!s perfon, it is thus defcribed by his con- temporaries. " He was rather well-proportioned than rail, being of the middle {ize, very ftraight and upright of body and legs, and, until age and his infirmity of the gout furprifed him, very atflivc and nimble of body."
Vv^e fhall fubjoin lord Burleigh's general cha- radler, as drav/n by that able hiflorian, the learned Camden, v/ho furvived him many years, but who- fiourilljcd with him in the reign of Elizabeth.
'• Having lived long enough to nature, and long enough to his own glory, but not long enough to his country, he refigned his foul to God with fo much peace and tranquillity, that the greateft enemy he had, freely declaied, that he envied him nothing, but that his lun went down with fo much luftre ; v/hereas, generally, public rniniilers are not blelTed with fuch calm and fortunate periods.
'* Certainly he was a moil excellent man ; for he v/as fo liberally furnillied by nature (to fay no- thing of his prefence and afped, which had a commanding fvveetnefs in them) and fo polilhed and adorned with learning and education, that every way, for honeily, gravity, temperance, in- duftry, and juilice, he w^as a moll accomphlhed- perfon.'*
K 3 •* He
IQ^
THE L I F F, kc.
** He bad alfo an eafy and flowing elocjyence, which coniiiled not in a pomp znd oflentation of words, but in a mafculine plainnefs and lignifi- cancy of Icnle. H-: vras mafter of a prudence formed upon experience, and regulated by temper and mo- .deration. Kis joyalty was true, and would endure the touch, and was only exceeded by his piety, which indeed was eminently great. To fum up all in a word, tlie queen was happy in fo great a counfeilor, and the flate of England for ever in- debted to him for his fage and prudent counfel.
'' 1 ihall forbear (fays Camden) too lavifh a commendation of him ; but this I may venture to aftirm vvith truth, that he was one of thofe few, who lived and died with equal glory. Such a man, as while others regard with admiration, I, after the ancient manner, am rather inclined to contemplate vvith the facred applaufe of lilent veneration."
Lord Burleigh left two fons, Thomas, the eldefl, by his firil v/ife, who vjas created earl of Exeter by James I, fi'bich title continues in the fame family^ at tins time.
The younseit, by his fecond wife, was Sir Ro- bert Cecil, afterwards earl of SaHfbury, who fuc- ceeded him in ail his offices. And this title like- W'ife continues in the family.
^.^'••- Au^horhifs, Life of Cecil, by Collins, 1.732. Camden's Anp.als of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. Lloyd's State Worthies. Salmon's Chronological Liiftorian. Biop;. Eritan, Walpoie's Catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors..
Th«
( ^99 )
The Life of ROBERT D E V E R E U X%
EARL OF E S S E X. (A. D, 1567} to 1601.)
ROBERT DEVEREIJX wa? the M^Ht ^on of Walter, the ^\{[ emi of Ef!^;x, by Lettice, the daughter of Sir Francis Kaoilys, who wai related to queen Eli?;abcth. Hq wa^ horn la tha year 1567, at Nethervvood, his father's feat, in HcreFordihire
In his tender years, he gave no tokens of a brig'iu genius ; but, on the contrary, he was fo backward in. his learning, i"hat his father died with a very cold conceit of his abiUties ; which, fome thought, proceeded from his great afFeclion for his younger ioii, Walter Devereux, who, it feems, had quicker and more lively parts in liis childhood. However, when he breathed his lafl in Ireland, he recom- mended his i'on Robert, then in tlie tenth year of his age, to the protection of Thomas RadclilFe, earl of SulTex ; and to the care of lord Burleigh, whom he appointed his guardian.
Mr. Waterhoui'e, then fecretary for Ireland, a pcrfon equally favoured by his father aiid Si>r Henry {Sidney, lord-deputy of Ireland, had the in^ mediate direction of his perfon and cftate, Which, thous:li not a little injured by his father's public Ipirit, K 4 was.
200 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
was, however, very confiderable ; and the regard' ihcwn for his concerns, by the moil powerful per- fons at court, was fo remarkable, that Mr. Watcr- houlf made no difliculty of affirming, there was not, at that time, any man lb ibong m friends as the iiUl^. earl of Effcx.
in 15/8, when he was about twelve years of age, he wrs Tent to the laniverfity of Cambridge by lord Eurki:.d:, who placed him in Trinity-college, under tlie care ol Dr« \Vhi:gift, the mailer, after- wards archbidiop of Canterbury. Here he firft began to apply bimfelf to learning, with uncom- mon alliduity : fo that, inafnort time, he furpalTed all the young noblemen of his age in the univerlity.
In 1582, having taken the degree of mailer of arts, he foon after left Cambridge, and retired to his own houfe at Larablie, in South -Wales, where he fpent fonie time in privacy and retirement; and was {o far from having any thing of the eagernefs or impetuofity natural to youth, that he grevv^ fond of his rural retreat ; fo that it was with difficulty he v/as prevailed upon to leave it.
His iiril appearajice at couit, at leaft as a candi- date for royal favour, v/as in tlie feventeenth year of his age. However, Vv'hen he came thither, it is certain, that he could not have hoped, or even wifhed abetter reception. He brought with him, with other pov/erful recommendations, a fine per- fon, a polite addrefs, and an afTability v.'hich pro- cured him many friends.
Befides thefe qualifications, which, together with his high rank, and the interceiTion of his friends, reconimended him to the jiotice of the queen, it muft not be forgotten, that his mother, who was her majefty's coulin, not long after his father's deadi, had married the famous earl of Leiceftcr, the queen's favourite. At firft, how^ever, the young earl of EiTex Ihewed a Ilrong reludlance to make any ufe
of
EARL OF ESSEX. 201
of Leicefter's intereft, being difgufteJ at his mo- ther's fecond marriage ; but in the end, by the; perfuaiion of his beft friends, he was fo far recon- ciled to Leiceiter, that, towards the clofe of the year 1585, he accomp.;nied him, with many others of the nobihty, to Holland; where we find him the next year in the field, with the title of general of the horfe ; and, in this quality, he gave the higheil: proofs of perfonal courage, in the battle of Zutphen ; and, for his gallant behaviour upon this occaiion, the carl of Leicefter conferred upon hiiii' the honour of a knight-banneret in his camp.
On his return to England, it very quickly ap-^ peared, that the queen not only approved, but was defirous alfo of rewarding, his fervices ; and his flep-father, the earl of Leiceiler, being advanced- .to the office of lord-fleward of her majefly's houfe- hold, in 1587, the earl of Eflex fucceeded him as mafter of the horle.
The following year, when her majefly thought fit to affemble the army at Tilbury, for the defence of the kingdom, in. cafe the Spaniards had landed, and gave the command of it, under herfelf, to Leiceiler, fhe created the earl of EfTex general of the horfe : fo that, from this time, he was confi- dered as the rifing favourite ; and in this opinion of him, the people were foon confirmed, by the queen's conferring on him, Hiortly after, the order of the garter.
The earl of Leicefler's death, which happened the fame year, placed this new favourite on the pinnacle of ^ profperity: he had now no rival near the throne; but, on the contrary, the chief perfon III power, lord Burleigh, was his patron.
From this time, the queen fhewed a decifivs par- tiality in his favour, which, joined to his rapiv* pro- motions, aife^led his better judgement, obfcured liis reafon, and made him give way to the impe- K 5 tuous
202 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
tuous failles of pride, vanity, and arrogance, tlie efFe(fls of which dircovered thcmfelves occafionally in rude behaviour to the queen, who v>as pleafed with the following incident, which gave a check to his prefumption.
Sir Charles Blount (afterw^ards carl of Devon- fhire) a very handlome youth, having diftinguillied hinifejfat a tilting-match, her majefty fent him a chefs-queen of gold enamelled, which he tied upon his arm with a crimfon ribbon. EiTex perceiving it, fred with jealoufy, cried out with aitefteddif- dain, " Now I perceive, every fool mufl have a favour/' 'I his affront was jufily refented bv Sir Charles, who thereupon challenged EiTex : they fought in Marybone-park, and the earl was dif- armed, and wounded in the thigh. 7" he queen was lO far from being difpleafed at the difgracethat had befallen her favourite, who, 'u\ affronting Sir Charles, had called in queilion her judgement, ti^.it ihe fwore a round oath, that it was fit that io'ne one or other Ibould take him down, other- wife there would be no ruling him. However, llie reconciled the rivals, who to their honour continued good friends as long as they lived.
in the beginning of the year 1589, Sir John Norris, and Sir Francis Drake, undertook an ex- pedition for reiforing Don Antonio to the crown of Portugal; v;hich the earl beheld as an acflion too glorious i'ot others to perform, while he was only a fpeftator. He, there; ore, followed the fleet and army to Spain, and, having joined them at Co- runna, profecuted the rell of the expeditioii with great vigilan;:e and valour ; which was not attend- ed with mucli iuccefs, and it expofed him to the queer's difpleafure ; for he went vvilhout her ma- rriy's leave. At his return, however, he foon re- ; crcd her good graces; nor was it long before Uiis v.as teftifed to the worlds by his obtaining
new
EARL OF ESSEX. 203
new marks of favour, in grants of a very con- liderable value ; a circumftaiKe ia which his credit with the queen feemed much fuperior to that of all her other favourites.
About this time, he ran a new hazard of the queen's favour, by a private, and, as it was then conceived, inconiiderate match with Frances, the only daughter of Sir Francis Walhnghain, and the widow of Sir Philip Sidney ; whicJi her majelly pretended to be, 'in fome raeafure, derogatory to the honour of the houfe of EiFex ; and, though, for the prefent, this bufinefs was palTed by, yet it is thought that it v/as not foon forgotten.
In 1 59 1, Henry IV. of France having de- manded frelli ailifiance from the queen, though he had already a body of her troops in his fcrvice, fhe v^as pleafed to {end the earl of Ellex, with four thoufand men, a fmail train of artillery, and a competent fleer, into Normandy ; where it was propofed that he lliould join the French army, in order to undertake the fiege of Rouen. The French king, hovvevcr, either throui;h v/ant of pov^^er, the diftratiion of his affairs, or fome other caufe, neg- lefted to perform the conditions upon which the fuccours were fent, though EfTex made a long and hazardous journey to his camp, at that monarch's requeft, in order to concert meafurcs for giving the queen fatis faction.
Upon his return from tliis journey, which proved of little confequence, ElFex, to keep up the jplrits of his cffioers, conferred the ho4iour of knighthood upon many of tliem : a circurnftance with which the queen was much offended. He hkewife niaue excuriions from his camp to the very walls of Rouen, and expofed his pcrlon very freely in the fe &irmi (lies, and came off unhurt, but he was much blamed for his raihnefs, his younger
K 6 bro»
204 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
brother, Walter Devereux, then in the flower of his age, being flain in one of thefe mad exploits.
He went to England foon after, to give an ac- count of the ftate of things to ♦'he qneen ; and then returned to take the commaiid of hU troops ; the fiege of Rouen being formed, and ihe French king exprefiing a great define to become mafter of it.
The winter fervice harraffing the troops ex- ceedingly, provoked ElTex not a little, who foli- cited king Henry for leave to proceed in his own manner, promiiing to make a breach with his ar- tillery, and then to fliorm the place with the Kng- lilli troops, which the king refufed ; being unw^il- ling to let the Englifh take and plunder one of the richeil tow^ns in his dominions.
Eiiex, fcill more difpleafed at this, and refolving not to continue in a place wdiere no reputation could be acquired, challenged the governor of Rouen, Mr. Viilars ; and, upon his refufing to light, he kit the command of the Englifh troops to Sir Roger Williams, an officer of great courage and experience, and then embarked for England, vvliere his preience ^^^as become verv necelTary, his enemies having repref .nted his behaviour in a very unfavourable light to the queen.
The next mc:'ition made of him by refpc61able hiftorians, relr.tes to his being prefent in the par- liament w^hich bfgan at Weflminiler in February, 1595; in v;hich feffion, chietiy through his in- tercft, Sir Thomas Perrot, (the fon of Sir John Pf.r ot) who had married his filler, was reilored in b'ood.
About this time the queen raifed him to the cignity of an efficient privy-counfellor, which in cur day is ftyled a cabinet-counfellor.
He met, however, in this, and in the fucceed- ing years, with various caufes of chagrin ; partly
from 7
EARL OF ESSEX. 205
from the loftinefs- of his own temper, and partly from the artifices of thole who envied his great- nefs.
A dangerous and treafonable book, written a- broad by a Jefuit, was publilhed under the name ofDoIeman, with a view to create diifenfion in England about the fuccelTion to the crown. This book, as the whole dcfign of It was mod villain- ous, fo, from a fuperior fpirit of malice, it was dedicated to the earl of ElTex, on purpofe to gi-ve him trouble ; in which it had its effect ; but his great populaiity at this time raifed him fo many friends, that in the end, the artifice of his ene- mies vvas difcovered, and borh they and the book fell into the contempt they fo juilly merited.
Eflex was ambitious of military fame, and un- eafy v^^ithout it. This made him folicit the queen for the command of the land-forces fent out with the fleet, under Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins, againft the Spanifh colonies in 1594; but the queen abfolutely refufed him, and upon this occafion manifeitcd a perfonal interefl in his fafety, which expofed her to defamatory cenfures. She told him, '* She loved him and her realm too *' much to hazard his perfon in any lelfer aftion *' than that which thou Id import her crown and *' ftate ; and therefore willed him to be content ;'* and in order to make him fo, though Ihe was ge- nerally very parfimonious, ihe gave him a warrant for 4000 1. adding thefe remarkable words, " Look *' to thyfelf, good EiTex, and be wife to thyfelf, ** vi^ithout giving thy enemies advantage, and my ** hand lliall be readier to help thee than any other." Thus difappointed of going abroad, EiTex em- ployed his talents at home in culcivating the queen's good graces and the favour of the people ; an.d he happily fucceeded in both, to which an alarming confpiracy againft the queen, difcovered
by
io6 ' ROBERT DEVEREUX,
by him, greatly contributed. Roderigo Lopez, a Portuguele Jew, of whofe medical abilities and integriiy queen Elizabeth entertained fo high an opinion, that fhe made him her domeftic phyfi- cian, had been bribed by the agents of Spam to poifon the queen ; but by the adlivity and vigilance of Effex, and of his dependants, who frequented the palace, and were famlhar with the royal houfehold, the whole diabolical plan was traced and dete<fied. Lopez, and two other Portuguefe fubje'ls, were condemned,, and executed for high trealon, and Effex was highly extolled by the whole nation. And after this affair, the queen could not decently deny him thofe military ho- nours which he had fo long folicited in vain.
Accordingly, in 1596, v;hen the Spaniards laid fiege to Calais, and the difcharges of their artille- ry were heard at Greenwich, an army was hafiily railed, and marched to Dover, the command of which was given to the earl of Efiex, the queen intending to have embarked thefe troops for the affiilance of the French : which, however, they wifely declined, being willing rather to let the Spaniards keep Calais for a fhort time, than to fee it refcued from them by the Englilh, who would, prefuming on their old rights, probably keep it for ever.
But the queen taking advantage of the difpofi- tion which appeared in her people, to contribute, as far as in them lay, to keep the war at a dif- tance, and to prevent the Spaniards from meditat- ing a fecond invaiion, ordered a fleet to be equip- ped for attacking Cadiz, the greateft part of the ex- pences being borne by the principal perfons en- gaged in that enterprize.
. The connriand of the army and of the fleet for this expedition was intruiled to the earl of Effex, and lord Howard, then lord high admiral of Eng- land,
EARL OF ESSEX. 207
land, with joint and equal autlicrity : the fleet, for its number of fliips, and for the land-foldiers and mariners aboard, being the mofl: conliderablc that in thole times had been feen at fea.
' Amongll: other perions of diftin£lion,who ferv- cd on this expedition, 'were lord Thomas Howard, Sir Waker Raleigh ; Sir Francis Vere, a veteran general, and who had acquired immortal fame in feveral campaigns in Holland and Flanders ; Sir George Carew ; and Sir Conyers Clifford ; and thele were nominated to be a council of war ta the commanders in chief, up-sn any emergency. The Engilfli ficet confifted of 150 fail, and they were joined by a Dutch lieet, coniiiling of 24 fhips of the line, under the command of admiral Van Duvenvoord.
On the iirft of June they failed from Plymouth, but were forced to put back by a contrary wind ; which changing, they took the iirfl: opportunity ©f putting again to fea. On the 18th of the fame month they arrived at Cape St. Vincent, where they m.et Vv-ith an Irilh bark, which informed them that the port.of Cadiz was full of rich merchant iliips, and tliat they had no notice whatever of the failing of the Englifli fleet, or that fuch an expe- dition wa> fo much as intended.
After this welcome news they purfued their voyage, and, on the 20th, in the marning, they -anchored near St. Sebaftian's, on the weft fide of the iiland of Cadiz, where the admiral would have had the forces landed, in order to their immedi- ately attacking the town ; which Effex caufed ta be attempted, but found it to be impracticable, and, upon the advice of Sir Walter R&leigh, de- liiled.
. It was then propofed by the ear' to begin with attacking the fleet, which was ; very hazardous enterprize, but, at laft, agreed to by the lord- admiral ;
%oS ROBERT DEVEREUX,
admiral; on which Effcx, when he received the news, threw his hat into the lea for joy. The next day this gallant refolution was executed with ah' imaginable bravery, and, in point of fer- vice, none did better, or hazarded his perlbn more, than the earl of Elfex, who, in his own fhip, the J)ue Repulfe, went to the aflifiance of ^ir Walter Raleigh, and offered, if it had been necelTary, to have feconded him in boarding the St. Philip. The Spaniards behaved very gallantly, fo long as there were any hopes ; and, wlien there were none, fet lire to their Ihips and retired.
The earl of ElTex then landed 8oo men at the port of Puntall ; and having iiril: taken proper ineafures for deilroying the bridge, he attacked the place with fo much fury, that it was quickly taken; and the next day the citadel furrendered upon capitulation, by which a great ranfom was llipulated for the town. An offer was then made of two m.illions of ducats to (pare the lliips, and more niight have been obtained ; but the lord high- admiral faid, Ke came there to confume, and not to compound. When the Spaniards were informed of this, they refolved to have tlie burning of their own fleet, which they accordingly fet on lire ; and their lofs v/as computed at twenty millions.
The earl was very delirous of keeping Cadiz, wliich he offered to have done with a very fmall garrifon ; but the council diifered from him in opinion : fo that, having plundered the ifland and. demoliihed the forts, they embarked on the fifth of July, and bore away for the port of Faro, a bi- Ihop's fee in Portugal, which they plundered and dcftroyed. But a very valuable library belonging to Jerom Oforius, a celebrated Portuguefe prelate, who died in 1580, fell to the fhare of the earl of Elfex, who gencroufly gave it to the Bodleian
library.
E A R L o F E S S E X. 209
library, foimded by Sir Thomas Bodley the fol- lovvnig year, 1597.
They then proceeded to Cape St. Vincent, and, being driven by a brifk wind out to fea, it fell un- der confiJeration, whether they fliould not fail for the Azores, in hopes of intercepting the Plate- fleet, which was carried in the negative ; and the earl's propofal, with two of her majefty's iisips, and ten others, to make this attempt, w^a's likewife rejecSled, which Camden attributes to the denre of fome of the officers, who had made large booties, to get their treafure fafe on fnore. I'hey looked in, however, at Corunna, and the earl would have, proceeded to St. Andreo and St. Sebaiiian ; but others thinking they had done enough, the whole fleet returned profperoufly to Plymouth on the Stk and I oth of Aug^ud: following.
The earl of Edex was fo much difgufted at the other officers, for refafing to concur in the ente.r- prizes he had propofed, that, after his return, he drew up and difpcrfed an account of this expedi- tion, in which he frc'^ly cenfured the condud of his brother officers, no^: fparing even the lord- high admiral himfclf. This produced a recrimina- tion, in which Eflex was charged with want of cool judgm.ent, and intemperate raffinefs. His adveriaries likewife being men of approved valour, and long experience, he created a number of pow- erful enemies by this indifcreet Hep, and they never forgave him.
The party againil him was daily firengthened by allw^iio envied his greatnefs ; and the firll: raea- fure they took, was, to make the queen jealous of his^ popularity. On this accoant^" they' told her majeily,^ that it would not be at all expedient for her fervice to receive fuch as he recommended to civil employments ; and this they carried fo far as to make even his approbation deflrudive to mens
fortunes.
aio ROBERT DEVERECrX,
fortunes whom themfelves they had encouraged and recommended : a thaig hardly to be credited^ if we had not the h'lgheft evidence to prove it.
It was a natural confequence, that the earl fhould* "behave to thofe he took to be tlit.^ authors of fuch counfels with vilible marks of aiiger and difcon- tent ; and this conduct of his, made him frequently tipon bad terms even with the queen herfelf, who was a princefs very jealous of her authoritv, and, in cafes of this nature, bore but very indifferently with any expoltulations. However, as wtU out of her natural kindnefs to him, as from a dclire of fhewing a juft acl;nowledgment for his late fervice^ Ihe was pleafed to appoint him mafler of the ord- nance by patent, in the year 1597.
This feems'to have had a good effefl, in quiet- ing the mind, and railing the fpirits of the difcon-- tented Efiex, who, upon a report that the Spani- *firds were forming a new fleet at Ferrol and Co- runna, for the invafion of Ireland at leail, if not England, readily offered his fervice to the queen, and chearfally declared, as Camden afTures us, that he would either defeat this new armada, which had threatened England for a year together, or perifh in the attempt. The queen, well pleafed ■with this propofal. acceded to it, and caufed a confiderable fiect, though not fo confiderable as the aftion required, to be equipped for this fer- vice ; and the earl of EfTex was appointed gene* ral, admiral, and commander in chief.
We may guefs at, the interefl which the earl had in the fuccefs of this voyage, by the number of his friends who engaged therein as volunteers ; par- ticularly the earls of Rutland and Southampton, and the lords Cromwell and Rich. And his fecret enemies obferving his influence over the queen, could not refufe to ferve under him in this expe- dition. His fanguine hopes, however, were, in
foms
E ARL OF E S SEX. 211
fome rneafure difappoiritccl ; for, failing about the ninth of July, 1597, from Plymouth, they met, at iixty leagues diilance, vvith fo rough a ftorm, and of four days continuance, that they were obliged to put back to Plymouth, where they re- mained wind-bound for a month ; in v/hich time a great part of their proviiions was confumed.
While the fleet was thus laid up, the earl of ElTex and Sir Walter Raleigh fet out pod for the court, in order to receive freih inilru£lions. The propofals' made by EiTex, even after this difap- pointment, were very bold and great ; but, as- Camden feems to infinuate, very difficult and dan- gerous, if not impra£licabie ; fo that the queen w^oald not countenance his proje£ls, but rather left the direction of the expedition to the commanders in chief, according as the feafon and circumilances might encourage or permit.
The fleet being refitted, and victualled, EfTeK put all the land-forces on fhore, and difbanded them by the queen's exprefs command, except 1000 veterans, the regiment belonging to Sir Francis Vere, who \Yent on the expedition. On the 17th of Augull, the fleet failed a fecond time from Plymouth, having now two points in view, the one to burn the Spanilh fleet in their own harbours, the other to intercept the homeward- bo and Plate-fleet, expefled to touch as ufual,. about this time, at the Azores.
EfTex therefore made the befl of his way for thefe iflands ; but firil he took care to inform Sir W'alter Raleigh, who commanded one divilion of the fleet, that he himfelf intended to attack Fayal,. one of thofe iflands. By fome accident the fqua- drons feparated, and Raleigh arriving firfl, and juftly apprehending that the fmallefl delay might have prevented their defign, very gallantly at- tacked, and very happily fucceeded, in making
himfelf
ei2 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
himfelf mafler of the iiland, before the arrival of Elfex with the refl of the fleet..
But EfTex, jealo-as of Raleigh, exprelTed great difpleafarc at his conduct, and conlliuing it into a defign to rob him of the honour of the conqueil, he cafhiered the captains who ferved under Kaieigh, and would have ihewn his refentment to the ad- miral himfelf, if lord Thomas Howard had not prevailed on Raleigh to make fome conceffions to the earl, as his fuperior in command, v;hich pro- duced a temporary reconciliation between them.
The Spanifh fleet, the grand obje(5i of the expe- dition, got fafe into the port of Angra, owing to the raifcondud of one of tlie pilots, who dilTuaded Efl^ex from fcaying at Graciola, where the whole fleet always touched ; alleging, that the haven was unfafe, which occafioned a feparation of the Eng- lifh fleet into different divifions, with a view of intercepting the Spaniards ; and thus they palTed unfeen, excepf by Sir William Monfon, a naval officer of difl:inguilhed reputation, who had figna- Jized himfelf in almoll evejy engagement againil the S^paniards, and was but iil-rf^quited for his great fervices, in'the reign of James L This brave officer's ftation happened to be mod: remote from the Spanifh fleet, yet he was the only commander who obferved them, and gave the proper flgnals for a fi^eneral chace, but without effeft. However, the eail of EflTex feilin with three rich Spanifli merchant-men from the Havannah ; the value of whofctargoes according to Sir William Monfon's account ol this voyage, more than defrayed the ex- pences of the whole armament.
Effex, greatly chagrined at the efcape of the Plate-flfeet, refolved to attempt fome enterpiife of confequence, that might keep up his popularity. With this view, he took the town of Villa Franca by furprife, and pillaged it ; after which he fet fail
for
EARL c F E SSEX. 213
f^r Fnj^Innd ; and, en his palTap^e, he liad certainly fe!I in with a fbrriiidable fleet of Spanifh men of war, dellined to make a fecond attempt to invade l^ngiand, if a violent floim had not prevented it, and greatly damaged the Hnghih fleet- Bnt the fame ftorm proved fiiU more fatal to the enemy, who loH: eighteen capital ihips ; and the rell being difperfed, this projefled invaiion failed.
The earl of EiTex, foon afterhis arrival in Eng- land, repaired to court, wliere he found the queen incented againd him, becaufe the expedition had not been more fuccefsful ; and as he met with feme mortifications at court, he retired :.to his boufe at Wanllead, and, under pretence of ^iick- nefs, abfented hinifelf from the fervice of parha- nent, then fitting. ,Camden reports, that his dif- latisfa6lioa arofe from the lord admiral's being created earl of Nottingham in his abfence, wiili fome particular claufes in the preamble of his pa- tent, .which, as they were highly honourable for that noble peer, Eflex conceived threw fome dif- parageiiient .upon himfelf. And, by way of fatif- faflion, he was created earl marfhai of England, in December, 1597.
But another caufe of difgufi: was the appoint- ment of Sir Robert Cecil, in his abfence, to the office of fecretary of ftate. This gentleman was a fecret enemy to Eflex, and retrained only from oppofing him to the utmofl, by the advice of his father, the good old lord treafurer Burleigh. And, as if Elizabeth meant to apologize to h^T fa- vourite for every flep Ihe took contrary to his in- clinations, file made EfiTex a prefent of icwcn thou- sand pounds, to reconcile him to the promotion of Sir Robert Cecil, with whom he appears to have been upon good terms, foon after ; for Sir Robert J^eing lent on an embalTy to France, he undertook Ihe difcharge of the duties of his office, during his
abfence.
ai4 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
ablence. But on Cecil's return in May, 1598, with an account of a peace being concluded between Henry iV. of France, and Piiilip 11. of Spain, a peace xbetween England and Spain was propofqd, which caufed violent difputes in the council about the expediency of tha^ meafuie ; which was very earntlily, as well as eloquently prefTed by the old and wife lord treafurer Burieiih ; and as warmly decried by the tarl of r fiex. ' he tr-^^afurer, at length, grew into a greai h^at ; i^ifomuch that he told the earl, that he fcuned to be intent upon no- thing but blood and fliugliter. Eflex explained himfelf upon this, that the blood and llaughter of the queen's enemies might be very lawfully his in- tention ; that he was not againft a folid, but a fpe- cious and precarious peace ; that the Spaniards were a fubtle and ambitious people, wiio had contrived to do England more m.ifchief in time of peace than of war ; and, that, as to any enemy, whofe hands it was impofiible to bind by treaty, it was better net to tie up our own. The treafurer at lafl produced a prayer-book, in which he fhewed ElTex this paf- fage, *' Men of blood ihall not live out half their days."
EiTex, in vindication of his own opinion, drew ■up an Apology (which he addrelTed to his learned friend Mr. Anthony Bacon) " againil thofe who jealoufly and mahcioufly taxed him to be the only hinderer of the peace and quiet of his country.'* This piece is a lafting memorial of his great abili- ties, both as a flatefman, and a writer ; but being printed and publilbed, it gave great offence to the (jueen, who abhorred nothing fo much, as fubmit- ting any political meafure to the notice, and con- fequentiy to the ftriflures of the people.
To add to his misfortune, death deprived him
of l)ls great patron the lord Burleigh ; and now his
enemies, freed from all rcflraint, began to form a
4 • powerful
EARL OF ESSEX. 21.5
powerful party agaiiift him. But he {lill had fuch ail afceiidency over the queen, that if he had kept within the bounds of decent refpeft to his fove- reign, all their attempts to dilgrace him would have been abortive.
By the death of the lord-treafurer Burleigh, the -chance llorfhip of the univerlity of Cambridge be- came vacant; upon which, that learned body chofe the earl of EfTex in his room. Upon this account he went down to pay them a vifit, and was enter- tained at Queen's-college with great magnificence ; and, as aproof of their aife6lion, the room in which he flept w^as, long after, diftinguirtied by the name of ElTex-chamber. We may account this one of the iaft inilances of this great man's feUcity, for he was now advanced too high to fit at eafe ; and thofc who wifhed for his honours and his employments watched every opportunity to accomplifli his fall.
In this fituation of his affairs, unfortunately, in- ilead of controuhng his high and ftubborn fpirit, he fufFered his paihons to get the better of his rea- fon ; when his advice was not followed, he affumed the tone of a di£lator ; and if this failed him, he then afi'efled to treat his opponents with fuperci- lious contempt. In a difpute v/ith the. queen, con- cerning the choice of a proper peribn to be fent out governor of Ireland, towards the end of the year 1598, unable to prevail upon her Majefty to relinquiih her own nomination of Sir WiiHani Knbliys, the earl's uncle, in oppofxtion to his re- commendation of Sir George Carevv, he had the infolence to turn his bac'c upon her majefly, who, taking fire at this diiVefpe^l, inilantly gave him a violent blov/ on the cheek j at the fame time, bid- ding him go and be hanged.
The exafperated earl,'lofing all prefence of mind, committed a fecond error, for he put his hand upon his fvvord ; upon which the lord high admi- ral
2-i6 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
ral ruflicd in between him and the queen, and EiFcx withdrew, iwearing bitterly, that he neither could, nor would put up with fuch an affront. Kis ruin may be dated from this event ; for Eli- zabeth, naturally jealous of her authority, and alarmed at the impetuoiity of his temper, though ihe appeared to be reconciled to him, from a mo- tive of prudence, no longer placed the fame unli- mited confidence in him.
An event happened much about this time, which fliewed the fentiments the enemies of England had of the ear], and ought therefore to have endeared him to fuch as had a real affedl ion for their coun- try. One Edward Squire was feized and impri- foned for treafon, and his cafe came out to be this. He had been a groom in the queen's flables, went afterwards to fea with Sir Francis Drake, was taken prifoner and carried to Spain, where he was per- fuaded by a jefuit to undertake pcifoning the earl of EfTex, and afterwards queen Elizabeth : for per- forming which, h€ had poifon given him in a blad- der. He found means to rub this, as he was di- rected, upon the pommel of the queen's faddle ; got himfelf afterwards recommended to ferve on board tlie earl's fhip in the ifland voyage, where, in like manner, he poifoned both the arms of his great chair ; yet no effe£l followed in either cafe. Upon this, the Spanifh jefuit, fufpe£ling the man and not his drug, caufed information to be given in England againft Squire, who, finding himfelf betrayed by his confefiTor, opened the whole fcene, and plainly acknowledged his endeavours to dif- patch both the queen and the carl ; for which he was defervedly executed.
The miferies of Ireland continued all this time, or rather increafed; and, when propofals were made, in the queen's council, for fending over a new go- vernor, with certain reftri^lions, JiiTex took occa-
fioIV
E ARL o F ESSEX. 217
fion of fhewing, that nothing had been hitherto {0 expeniive as an ill-timed frugahty ; and that the Irifh rebels had been the only gainers by the re* Uraint put upon the Englifh deputies. Tlioie who hated the earl, were not difpleafed when they found him in this difpof.tion ; and, at length, in their turn, took occafion from his objeftionsi, to fuggeil that the total reduftion of that ifland was to be ex- pelled from none but himfeif, which, at hrft, he declined : but perceiving that he could enjoy little quiet or comfort at home ; that it was with diffi- culty he maintained his credit, and that, by dif- appointing thee:^pe£lations of his friends, he Ihould gradually lofe them, he con fen ted to accept t!i6 fatal poll: of lord lieutenant of Ireland, and agreed to go over to that kingdom, which had been the grave of his father's fortunes, and which, his beft friends forefaw, would prove the gulph of his owni It is true, indeed, that he had a gieat army granted him ; that due care was taken for the payment of it ; that his powders w^ere very ample, and his ap^ pointments very great. But thefe were obtained with many flruggles ; and notice was taken of every thing he promifed, or feemed to promife, in order to obtain them ; and, when all, things were regulated, he was fo far from going with ala- crity, as to a place which he had fought, and to a command wdiich he meditated for the fake of greater things, that he feemed rather to look upon it as a banilhment, and as a place atiigned him to retreat from his fovereign's prefent difpieafure, rather th^i a potent government beftowed upon him by her favour.
The truth of this is apparent, from anepiftle of his to the queen, written after his appointme;ir to the government of Irelaiid, and before his em:);rk- ation for that kingdom. It is prefer ved among
Vol. U. L ti^
iti^ ROBERT DEVEREUX,
the Harletan MSS. at the Britilh Mufeum, froin which the following copy was taken ;
*' To the Queen.
** From a mind delighting in forrow ; from fpi- Tits wa{led with paffion ; from a heart torn in pieces with caie, grief, and travail ; from a man that ha- teth himfelf, and all things elle that keep him alive ; whit fervice can your Majefty expe<fl, lince any fervice part deferves no more than banKhment and profcription to the curfedeft of all illands ? It is your rebels pride and fucceiiion mufl: give me leave to ranfom myfelf out of this hateful prifon, out of my loathed body ; which, if it happen fo, your Majelly Hiall have no caule to miflike the falhion ©f my death, fince the courfe of my life could never pleafe you.
*' Happy he could finifh forth his fate *' In fome unhaunted defert, moH obfcurc *^ From all fociety, from love and hate " Of worldly folk ; then Ihould he fleep fecure ;
*' Then wake again, and yield God ever praife ; ** Content v/ith hips, and haws, and bramble* '* berry ; " In contemplation palling out his days, *^ And chan^ze of holy thoughts to make him
* merry : «* Wlvo, when he dies, hi-S tomb may be a bufh, ♦* WlKre harralefs Robin dwells with gentle ** Ihrulh.
** Your .Vajefly's exiled fervant,
ROBERT ESSEX.'*
On the Tit!i of March, isgg, his commiflion for lord li^u^enant paifed the grtat leal; and, on the twenty feventh of the fam^^ month, about two in the aiteinoori, he fet out from Seething-lane,
and
earlofEsse:^^. 219
and pafling through the city in a plain habit, ac- companied by many of the nobility, he was at- tended by vaft crowds of people out of town ; and it was obferved, with a view, perhaps, to prepare the world to have a bad opinion of his conduft, that the weather was exceedingly fair when he took horfe, but by that time he came to lilington, there was a heavy ftorm of rain, attended with thunder and lightning. The like bad weather he met with at fea, fo that he did not arrive at Dub- lin, or take upon him his charge, before the fifteenth of April, 1599.
He found things in that country In a {late very tlifferent from what he expefted, and perceived, that there was nothing to be done, at leail to any pur- pofe, till he was well acquainted w^ith the country in which he w^as to aft. He found, likewife, that the new-raifed men he had brought over were alto- gether unfit for aftion, till they were leafoned to the country, and well acquainted with difcipline. Thefe considerations hindered him. from marching eireftly to Ulfter, lell the earl of Tyrone fliould take any advantage of his weaknefs ; and the coun- cil defiring that he would fupprefs fome diforders in Munfter, he thought tliat a fair occafion of exercilhig his new troops, and did it effeftually.
On his return to Dublin, he v.'oLe a letter to the queen, containing a free and full reprefentation of the ftate of things in that country ; which moil admirable performance, pointing out all the fleps that were afterwards taken, and by which his fuc- cedbr made an end of the wp.r, remains upon record i-n Ireland. This letter he fent over to the queen by his fecretary, in hopes, that from thence fhe might have derived a }uft notion of the Hate of thifigs in that ifiand ; but it produced no fuch' effect. On the contrary, the queen w\is exceed- L z j'^gly
£20 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
ingly provoked that he had not marched into Uliler, in order to attack Tyrone, and repeated her orders upon that head in very llrong terms. Before thele arrived, however, Sir Henry Harring- ton, with fome of the frefli troops, had been woiikd by an inferior number of the O'Brians ; which fo provoked EiTcK, that he cafhiered all the officers, and decimated the private men.
When he received the queen's orders, and was on the point of marching into Ulfler, he was pre- vailed upon to enter the county of OpheHe, to re- duce the O'Connors and the O'Moores ; v/hich he performed ; but his troops were fo harraffed and dimin idled thereby, that, with the advice and con- fent of the council of Ireland, he wrote hom.e for a recruit of two thoufand men. In the midft of tiiefe croffes in Ireland, an army was fuddenly raifed in England, under the command of the earl of Nottingham; nobody well knowing why; but, in realitVj from the fuggefiions of the earl's ene- mies to the queen, that he rather meditated an in- valion of his native country, than the redudlion of the Irilh rebe's.
At length, EfTex-, intending to proceed direftly to Ulfler, fent orders to Sir Conyers Clifford, who commanded in Connaught, to march towards the enemy on that fide, tliat Tyrone might be obliged to divide his forces; which was executed, but with I'uch ill-fortune, that the Engiifh, being furprifed, were defeated, with the iofs of their commander in chief, together with Sir Alexander Ratcliffe, and one hundred and forty men.
But this frelh difappointment did not prevent hif march againll: I'yrone, as foon as the rein- forcement from England arrived. His army, even with thj*; augmentation, was confiderably inferior CO th^t of Tyrone ; and, to 3,dd to his ciftrefs, a ^■?-:c.ai iijflike to the i'':iv.\cQ prevailed among his
noops,
EARLoF ESSEX, 221
troops, fo that many deferted, and others counter- feited iicknefs. 1 he feafon alio was too far advanced for him to be able to bring on adecifive adiou with the enemy, who, polIelTed of all the flroiig holds, and advantageous iituations for encampment, feemed refolved to harrafs the Engliih troops by- fatiguing marches and countermarches, and to avoid a battle by every ftratagem of war.
Thus circumitanced, he accepted the propofal of a conference with Tyrone, who fent an ex- prefs to him for that purpofe by a fpecial mef- fenger. The generals, according to the agree- ment, met alone, at fonie diilance from their camps, which were formed on the oppoiite banks- of a river.
The earl of Tyrone, as a mark of refpe^l and fubmiiTion to the lord-lieutenant, advanced froir his lide of the ford of Ballyclynch into the river, faddle-deep ; and being then within hearing, he conferred with Effex, who remained on the oppo- iite bank. This interview liappened on the 8th of September, and a truce was concluded to the firfl of May, to be ratified hovrever afrelh every fix weeks, and to be broken off by either party, on giving fourteen days notice from the expiration of any of the intermediate periods. The policy of Elibx, in this referved condition, is evident; for sll that he wanted was to gain time to repair to^ England, to counter-a£t the deiigns of his ene- mies ; and in cafe the queen fhould blame him for treating with Tyrone, he had it in his power to declare, that he could renevv the war, if hermajefty thought proper, in a few days.
However, his artifice not only failed of its effe£t, but appeared to the queen to be fuch an unwar- rantable ftretch of power in a fubje6l, that Ihe rea- dily liflened to the fuggeflions of the earl of Not-- tingham, Sir Robert Cecil, and Sir Waiter Ra- L 3 leigh,
222 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
leigh, who all perluaded her, rliat this treaty con- cealed a trcafonable defii>ii to invade England with the alliftance of Tvrone^^s army, joined to his own forces ; and as thffe minifters liad the -chief ad- niiniftration of puhHc affairs, and had conflantly cppofed l^ilex, it is not at ?]\ fnrpriling, that their pcrional feas llioald have made them fafpe£t too much, efpeciitlly as Eilex had openly declared he would ufe every means m his power to remove them from the quecii's perfon aud councils for ever. . Yet fomc of our moft relpeciable hiftorians feem to think, that un]awtu] connexions took place between Tyrone and Eilcx at their private meeting ; and from not permitting any of their attend:mts to be prefent, a prefumptive proof of tre^fon is acdjc:^d. Be this as it may, it is cer- tain, that he took a flep immediately after the treaty with Tyrone, which was extremely cen- furabie ; for he quitted the fupreme command with which the queeji had invelled him, and leaving the affairs of Ireland in an unfettled ftate, re- paired privately to England againfl tlie confent of his p;ivy council tbeie, and at the very inilant he had received inftruclions from the privy council at home, to aft with more vigour againil the rebels in that kingdom.
Ke arrived in hnghnd before the miniftry or the queen had the flighteil notice, or even any fuf- fpicjon cfhis rafn deilgn ; and by riding night and cay he reached the court before any intelligence could be conveyed to his enemies. His eagernefs to fee the queen before Ihe could confult her mi- jiifters upon his return w'as fo great, that without Haying to change his drefs, in the dirty condition lie was in, he entered the queen's bed-chamber, who was but juft rifen, and was fitting with her hair about her face. The earl inftantly fell on his kaccs at her feet, killed her hand, and intreated 5
private
EARL OF ESSEX. 223
private conference, v/hicli we mayprefume turned upon the iiecedity of his prefeuce, to wipe ofF the afperfions c:ift on him by his enemies ; and it is certain he fo far prevailed, before the queen hsfd time to reiie£l'cn his unprecedented condu6t, that he withdrew with vilible marks of farisfaclion, and was heard to fay, though he had met with Horms abroad, he had found a fweet calm aE home.
But as fooa as the news of his reception at court reached the ears of the lord high admiral, and Sir Robert Cecil, now lord treafurer, they re- paired to court, and molt probably afcribed the earl's fecrer journey to- England to difloyal and faftious motives ; for when Elfex returned to her raajeily in, the afternoon, he found the ftorm ga- thering againfl him.; for Ihe not only received hint with great coolnefs, but ordered him to be con- tined to his houfe, and to fubniit his conduft ia Ireland, as v»'-ell as his defertion of his high Na- tion, to the examination of the pi ivy council : the refult of which was, bis commitment to the cuftody of the lord keeper Egerton, and all inter- courfe was cut off between him and his friends, even by letters, nor was tlie coiintefs of EiTex permitted to fee him.
At this time, it is probable, the queen would have been appeafed, if he had afked pardon and returned to Ireland; nor is it fufpe£led, that his enemies had any w^orfe defign againfl him, than that of keeping him at a diftance from court. But his pride was too deeply w^ounded ; and though he^ behaved with great humility to appearance ; yet he w^as fo ilruck with the queen's change of be- haviour, and the manifeft advantage his enemies had gained over him, by his ow^n ralhnefs, that it' threw him into a dangerous ilinefs ; upon which tliQ (^ueen relented. She even w^ent fo far,, as to L 4 fend
224 ROBERT DEVEREUX,
lend mefl:tges to him, and affured him, that if H could have been .done, confiftently v\-ith her honour, Ihe would have vifited him. As his diiorder pro* cccded from grief and vexation, her majefly's kindnefs reilored him to health, after he had been }n a weak and ianguifhing condition near three months.
In the fummerof theyear 1600, EiTex recovered his liberty ; and, in the autumn following, he made Mr. Cuffe, who had been his fecretary in Ireland, his chief con^dent, who laboured to per- fuade him, that fubmiffion would never do him any good; that the queen was in the hands of a fa6lion, who were his enemies ; and, that the only way to rellore his fortune, was to iind the means, at any rate, to- obtain an audience, in which he might be able to reprefent his own cafe, 7 he earl heard this dangerous advice without con- fenting to it, till he found that there were no hopes of getting his farm of the fvveet wines re- newed : then, it is faid, that giving loofe to his paffion, he let fall many vehement expreflions ; and, amongll the reft, this fatal refle6tion, *' that *' the queen grew old and cankered, and that her " mind was as crooked as her carcafe.*' Camden fays, that this was aggravated by fome of the court ladies, whom he had difappointed in their intrigues. His enemies, who had exa£l intelligence of all he propofcd, having provided effeflually againfl the execution of his defigns, hurried him upon his fate, by a meifage fent on the evening of the feventh of February, 1601, requiring him to at- tend the council, which he declined. He then gave out that they fought his life, kept a watch in Eifex-houfe all night, and fummoned his friends, for his defence, the next morning.
The queen being informed of the great refort of people of all rajiks to the earl, fent the lord keeper
Egerton,
E A R L OF E S S E X. 225
Egerton, the earl of Worcefler, Sir Francis Knol- lys, and the lord-chief-juftice Pcphain, to know his grievances j whom, after a Ihort and ineffec- tual conference, he confined ; and then, attended by the earls of Rutland and Southampton, the lord Sands, the lord Monteagle, and about two hundred gentlemen, he went into the city, where the earl of Bedford, the lord Cromwell, and lome other gentlemen, joined him. But his depend- ance on the populace failed him ; and Sir Robert Cecil prevailing upon his brother, the lord Bur- leigh to go with Sir Gilbert Dethick, then king at arms, and proclaim ElTex and his adherents traitors, in the principal ilreets, the earl found it impoflible to return to his houie by land ; andr therefore, he fent Sir Ferdinand© Gorges before, to releafe the chief juftice, who, for his own fake, thought iit t-o extend that order to the reft of thp: privy-counfeliers, and then W'ith his principal at- tendants he returned in boats to ElTex-houfe ;, which was quickly invefted by the earl of Not- tingham, lord-admiral, with a great force; to whom, after many difputes, and fame blood fpilt,> he and his aiTociates at laft furrendei ed..
}L{[ex was carried that night to the archbifliop of Canterbury's palace at Lambeth, with the earl ot*' Southampton; and the next day they werefejittp- the Tower.
Great pains were now t?-ken to draw from him^ very jarge and full ccnfcflions ; which was the more eafy, as he was truly and fincereiy piuus ; ^nd, after he was once perfuaded, that his projed was of a treafoaabie nature, he made a point of confcience to diiclofe all he knew, tliongh it was Jlighly prejudicial to his friends, and cjuid do lio good to himfelf i and, indeed, he- did not appear ciiher to dclign oxiiclire it.
L 5 On
22,6 ROBERT DE VEREUX,
On the 19th of February, the earl of El!ex, an'd his friend the earl of Southampton, were brought to their trial before twenty-five peers, who una- nimoufly found them guilty of high treafon. When fentence was pronounced by lord Buck- hurft, appointed lord high fleward for this occa- sion, the earl of Southampton, received it as a man fenfible of the crime of which he had been guilty. His behaviour was ferene and fubmiffive ; he in- treated the good offices of his brother peers, in fuch pathetic terms, that he excited the compaf- fion of all the fpe£tators ; and it is highly proba- ble he owed his pardon to their lordfliips, for he had laboured under the queen's difpleafure before this laft offence, on account of his marrying with- out her majefly's confent.
The earl of EiTex a£led a very different part i he faid in a haughty flrain, that he was prepared to die, and though he would not wifh to have it reprefented to the queen that he defpifed her cle- mency, yet he deiired it might be underftood, that he fhouM not folicit it by any mean fubmiffions.
However, it is certain, that he relaxed as to> his cbilinate denial of his guilt, fhortly after his, condemnation, and made an ample confeflion in, the Tower of the confpiracy to Alhton his chap^ lain* and was reconciled to Sir Robert Cecil,, whom he hadjuilly confidered as his greatefl eric?- my. Sir Robert poffeffed the political talents of- his father, but not his integrity ; fo that his ta- lents were fometimes abufed, and particularly in the cafe of the earl of Effex, whofe r«in he occa*> fioned by artful tricks of ilate ; fuch as procur- ing him to be appointed lord-lieutcnantof Ireland, and then fending him inflructions which he knew he could not follow, for want of a fufficient force; At the fame time, availing himfelf of. his abfenca, lie mihepi dented all his actions to the queen;
and:
EARL OF ESS EX. 227
and by thefe means hurried him into thofe crimi- nal excelTes which proved fatal to him. Cecil is even accufed of having taken a bale unwarrantable Hep to determine Effex to quit Ireland precipitate- ly, which was the foundation of his difgrace, by flopping all the fhips bound from England for Ire- land, except one, which failed direct for Dubhn,. and by his orders carried over and fpread a falfe report of the queen's death ; an event whiqh he- knew would make Effex defert his flation.
The earl now cafl a blemifh on his chara£ler,. independently of his public condufV, which turned' the tide of his popularity, and made his death much 'Icfs lamented than might have been cxpeded, as he- had been fuch a favourite with all orders of men.- He unnecelTarily gave up his friends,- delivering iw his own hand-writing a detail of his connedVions,- which proved fatal to feveral, who had not theieaft apprehenfion of being thus betrayed by the very' man, who had feduced them into a treafonable- correfpondence with him. Annongil others, the lord Montjoy, refident in France, was recalled- and committed to the Tower ; nor is it at all im- probable, that the high fpirit of Eilex fuggefled to him, aftei he was fenlible of his guilt, this me- thod of faving his own life, as lefs degrading thajV that of foliciting for mercy : the difcovery of the whole plot, he might conlider as a fervice, which entitled him- to a pardon as a matter of right, not^ of conceffioni
However this be, it was natural for Elizabeth^ to feel lome relu6i:ance to fign the warrant for tak- ing off the head of a nobleman, who had been herprofcifed favourite who, notwithflandingail his^' faults and toibles, had done the nation fignal fer- vice upon various occafions, and had fo lately been' the ornament ot her court ; in which he was re- fpe<5led for every amiable accomplilhment. She L 6^ ' accord-
fiiS ROBERT DEVEREUX,
accordingly appeared irrefoliUe, but after waiting a few days, in expeftation he would fue for a pardon, fhe was exafperated at his pride, and her own get- ting the better of any remaining afFeftion for him, (lie iigned the warrant, and ordered his execution, complying only with his wifii, in permitting it to '"he as private as pofhble. A fcaffold was therefore prepared in the inner court of the Tower ; and he was beheaded on the 25th of February, 1601, only a few of the aldermen, and fome noblemen of the- court, being prefent, by the exprefs command of the queen.
The behaviour of Effex in his lafl: moments was •truly pf nitcnt and devout, and though at the point ■<yf hting cut off in the flower of his age, hed"id not •exprefs any foiicitude for life, or fear of death ; but, unfortunately, he muft have fuffered great pain ; for the executioner gave him three blows of the axe before he fevered the head from the body.
I'hus fell the gallant Earl of Effex, whofe mi^ jitary glory, loyalty to his fovereign (the treafori: for which he fuiFercd excepted), zeal for the true intercil and profperity of his country, and many eminent virtue?, would have rendered him one of the brighl-ei"l cliara^ters in the records of fame ; if ambition, frif-conccit, and impetuofity of temper,. •%\bich sre bat too frequently the companions of rapid profperity in the early ftages of life, had not tiiomphed over fortitude, reafon, and integrity.
Hrs royal miilreis did not long furvive this do« fnefiic calamity, and the ill flate of health which> Game upon her after the death of the countefs of Notti'ignam, h:is by moft hiftorians been attri- buted to a conkihon m.idc by the countefs on lier deatii-bed to the queen concerning Eirex. 7 lie particulars of this interview and Icciet, will be k>u!^.d in tliw luccccding life of the earl of Not- tingham,
EARL OF ESSEX. 229
tingham, which follows next in order, as his lordihip, after the fall of Eilex, was the queen's principal confident, and, in fa£l, her firfl minifter of ftate.
The earl of Eflex was a liberal patron of learned men, and feveral fmall tra£ls written by him, have likewife obtained him a place in the ingenious Mr. Walpole's catalogue of Royal and Noble Authors, who bellows very great encomiums on a ilate of Ireland, drawn up by the earl and tranfmitted to the queen ; ftyiing it a mafterly compolition, in which the abilities of a great general and flatef- man are confpicuous, as well as the talents of a fine writer.
The earl was much courted by the poets of his own time, and was the fubjeft of numerous fon-' nets, or popular ballads. *' I .could produce evi- ** dence," lays Mr. \Varton, *' that he fcarce ever '* went out of England, or even left London, oa ** the mofl frivolous enterprize, without a paftoral ■** in his praife, or a panegyric in metre, which *' were fold and fung in the ftreets."
*^* Authsriiks, Camden's Annals. BakerV Chronicle. Winftanky's Englilh Worthies, Bixch's Memoirs of thr Reign of Qucea Eli^a.- betl^, Hume's Hiftory of England.
Int
[ 230 ]
Thb life of
CHARLES HOWARD^
EARLofNOTTINGHAIM,
A N B
Lord High Admiral of ENGLAND.
Including an account of the la-fl: Illnefs and Deatk of Queen ELIZABETH.
[A. D. 1536, to 1603.]
TH E glorious catalogue of immortal patriot-^ whofe valour, wifdom, anvi integrity, fup- ported the dignity, and prelervcd the independency of the realm of England, at acrifis, when the moll formidable power of Europe, aided by the Roman pontiffs, and the fecret tMemies of our happy con- llltution, meditated her ruin, is now to b. doled with concife memoirs of the illuflrious admiral, who had the command of tiie Englifh fleet in that great and viftorious engagement, which happily decided the fate of this country, and fixed the flandard of religious and civil liberty on a fure and permanent l->afis,
Charles Howaid was thcfon of Thomas Howard, created baron of Effingham in Surry, by queen Mary in 1554, and raifed to the dignity of lord, high admiral, in wluch ofhce he was continued by
queen
Earl of NOTTINGHAM, ^p
queen Elizabeth, till age and infirmities rendered him unfit for that aftive department, and then he was made lord-pi ivy-leal, in which ftation he died in 1572. This, his only ion, was born in 1536, and in his early youth, having difcovered an incli- nation for the iea-fervice, his father bred 1 im up iihder him, and took him out with him upon fome cruifing voyages, in the reign of Mary. In the fecond year of Ehzabeth, by his father^s intereft with the queen, he was appointed ambafiador ex- traordinary, to compliment Charles IX. of France on his accefiion to the throne of that kingdom ; and this his firft promotion was confidered as a lignal inftance of the queen's favour, as he was then not quite twenty-three years of age. The next account we have of him is in the year 1569, when he was made general of the horfe, under the earl of Suflex, warden of the northern marches, on oc- cafion of the infurre<3:ion, headed by the earls of Weflmoreland and Northumberland, in favour of Mary queen of Scots. In this fcrvice he greatly fignaiized himfelf, an.d greatly contributed to the- fuppreffion of the rebellion, having obliged the earl of Weltmoreland to fly, and take refuge in, Scotland, before the arrival of the earl of War- wick, who bringing a confiderable reinforcement from the midland counties, to the afiillance of the earl of huffex, lord Charles Howard, and Sir George Bowes, completed the vi£iory over the re* bels, which they had partly accompliihed;
In 1570, the command of a iieet of ten (hips of the line was given to lord Chnles Howard, with inftrudions to receive the Imperial and Spanifh. fleets, which were to convoy the emperor's lifter, Anne of Auilria, to the coaft of Spain, at their entrance into, and to cfcort thenr through ^.he Britifh channel. Upon this occafionj our galhnt commander bravely maintained the privileges of
«32 CHALES HOWARD,
the Brkifti flag, by obliging the fleets, confifiin^ of one hundrtd and flfty fail, to pay him the com- pliment of ilriking their colours in the Engliih feas : after which he obeyed his inftruflions, and Hiewed every mark of honour and. couitefy to the princefs and her attendants. ^The following year, he was chofen knight of the ihire for the county of Surry, but he did not fit long in the houfe of commons, for in 1572, his father dying, he fuc- cceded to the title, and took his feat in the houfe of peers ; and from this time, the queen conflant- ly honoured him with her royal favour, and by de- grees raifed him to the higheil and moll honour- able employments in the government. Soon after his father's death her majelty made him lord cham- berlain of th-e houfnold, and in 1573, he was in- ftalled a knight of the moft noble order of the garter. From this period to the year 1585, lord Efhngliam led the life of a courtier, and enjoyed not only the fmiles of his royal miftrefs, but the a.ffc£Vions of the people, by wliom he was greatly efl:eemed for his afFability, hofpitality, and otlier focial virtues. It therefore gave the nation er.tire fatisfa6lion, and more elpecially the feamen, v^'heu upon the death of the earl of Lincoln, in the ccurfe of that year, lord Effingham was conili^ tuted lord high admiral of England.
This very extenfive department required a man- of great abilities and cool judgement, nor could he have fuccceded to it at a tinie when the exertion of luch talents was mor^ wanted ; for Philip 11, of Spain was now meditating his grai:jd dtiign of liibvcrting the Fr-otellant religion in Kiu-ope, as the firft flep to which, England was to be invaded and conquered, in refeiuhient for the ajhdance gueen Elizabeth had given to the United Pro- vmces, alter tiieir revolt from the Spanifl"i govern- Hieiit. The imaienfe preparations for this impor- tant
Earl of NOTTINGHAM. 2^3
tant enterprife, had been carried on with the ut- moil precaution and fecrecy, but they could not efcape the notice of the vigilant Walfingham, who as early as the year 1584, had dilcovered the bale plots of the king of Spain and the duke of Guife, againft the perfon of the queen, w^hich were to facilitate the conqueft of the kingdom. But foon after fhe had appointed lord Effingham to be lord high admiral, the deligns of the Spanifh court were openly avowed ; and the ele6lion of a Proteftant prmcefs to fill the throne of England, being deemed in the Popifh countries null and void, the Jefuits encouraged Phihp II. boldly to aifert a claim to the imperial crown of England, derived by genealogical defcent from John of Ghent, duke of Lancaiber, the fourth fon of Edward III. No bar to his title remained in the Popifh account, Elizabeth having been depofed by the bulls of pope Pius V. and Gregory Xlll. except the nearer affinity to the royal blood, of Mary queen of Scots, who was ealily perfuaded formally to affign over her right to the crown of England in favour of the king of Spain, as the only means of re- lloring Popery in this nation. The whole project being brought to light, by means of a letter from the kmg of Spain to pope Gregory Xlll. a copy of which was obtained by a Venetian priefi, who tranfmitted it to Walfingham, the lord high ad- miral fent Sir Francis Drake to Cadiz, to interrupt and retard the preparations, which fervice he per- formed in the manner mentioned in his life. In the mean time, the lord high admiral was affiduous in augmenting the royal navy, which, only ten years before this cera, was in fo low a flate,' that it confided of no more than 24 fhips, the largefl of which was of the burthen of ico tons, and the fmalleil under 60. In 1585, it had only re- ceived the addition of three ihips, and the total
nu.rn-
234 CHARLES HOWARD,
number of feamea fit to be employed in the fervic* ofthecrowiij amounted to no more than 14,295 efFe£\ive men. On this emergency, therefore, it -was neceflary to adopt the moft vigorous raeafures, and, owing to the wife regalations of the lord ad- miral, whofe popularity daily increafed, the queea foon faw herfelf in pofleilion of a formMable na- val armament. Every commercial town in E'lGf- land was required to furnifh a certain number of fhips fpeciiied by the lord admiral, and propor- tioned to their abilities ; but the zealof thcqueen^s fubjects, in moft parts, exceeded the ftipulated de- niand ; the city of London, in particular, fitting out double the number required as its quota. The principal nobility and gentry likevvife formed alTo- ciations in all parts of the kingdom, and produced forty-three fhips completely aimed, manned and vi^lualled, ready to put to fea.
In the lives of fecretary Walfingham, and ad- miral Drake, we have amply related, by what means the king of Spain was difabled from car- rying his grand defign into execution, till the year 1588, though it had been in agitation up- wards of three years. However, all impediments being got over, the Spaniih fleet, proudly called, llie Invincible Armada, fet fail from the port of Lifbon, on the third of June, 1588, but was forced back by a violent ilorm, and obliged to take fhelter at the Groyne, which had been the llation of general rendezvous for the diiFerent fqua- drons, as they were fitted out. The whole fleet coniifled of 92 galleons, or large fliips of the line ; 4 galliafljss ; 30 frigates ; 30 tranfports with ca» valry, and 4 gallies.
The force on board confifled of 19,290 regular troops, 83,50 marines, and 2080 galley flaves, pro- vided w^i-ch 2&30 pieces of ordnance. This for- midable armament, which exceeded every thing
thai
Earl of NOTTINGHAM. 235
that had been known in modern times, was iridei^ the command of the Luke de Vledina vSidonia, admiral in chief; Don Juan Martinez dcRi.aldo, a naval otficer of great abilities, and an experienced mariner, was vice admiral, and almoll every noble family in Spain, baa fome relation embarked as a volunteer on this expedition. But ill 11 farther to inilire fuccefs, PhiJip order^.d the duke of Parma to provide iranfports to carry over an army of 25,000 men from the Netherlands to England. The duke punclualiy obeyed thefe orde *;, and quartered his army in the neighbourhood of Gravelines, Uu»n- kirk and Nieuport. Dunkirk has been from time rmmemorial, an afvlum for fugitives from Log- Jand, who fullied witli ciimes of various dyes are permitted to find fecunty for thc> r^erfons, and ro cany on a defpicable kind of commerre for their fuppovt. Here the duke of Parma picked up 700 defperadoes, chiefly Infti and Scotch Papiils, who enlifled linder his banners, to conquer England.
To oppofe this mighty armament, the lord high admiral of England failed wqth a ftrong fquadroii to the Weft, where he was joined by the vice- admiral Sir Francis Drake ; and lorii Henry Sey- mour, fecond fon to the duke of Somerfet, with another fquadron, cruifed along the coafls of Flan- ders, to prevent the embarkation of the troops under the duke of Parma. The preparations made by land have been mentioned in th*"; life of the earl of Leicefter. We fliall, therefore, only give an account in this place of the operations of the fleet.
About tlie 1 2th of July, the Spanifh Armada fet fail a fecojid time for England, and after a tempeftuous palTage, they appeared on the 19th bff the weftern lliore, and fpread a general alarm and conllernation all along— -the coafts,' w-hich was^ greatly increafed by obferving, that moft of the
Spanifh
53^ C H A R L E S H O W A R D,
Spaiiifh galleons were of fuch an enormous fize, that they fcemed like rioating cafiies in comparifoii to the Englifli, and their upper works were almoft cannon -proof, being three feet thick. The firft defign meditated by the Spanilli admiral, was to attempt burning the Englilh fleet in their har- bours ; for he had no idea, that they would ven- ture to put to fea, to face his Invincible Armada ; but being difcovered off the Lizard, by one Fle- ming, a Scotch pirate, this man crowded all the fail of his light pinnace, and bore away for Ply- mouth, the ftation of the Englilh admiral, and the rendezvous of the different fquadrons now out on cruizes to watch the motions of the Spaniards. Fleming arrived in time to enable the lord admi- ral to take what meafures he thought proper, with- out being furprized by the enemy. Lord Effing- ham hereupon refolved, to get the fhips under his xommand out of the harbour without lofs of time^; and to encourage the failors, he worked hirafelf, and perfonaily gave orders to the other officers ; which fo encouraged the men, that on the morn- ing of the 20tli of Julv, he got clear of the port, and defcried the Spanifh fleet, which muA have made a moll formidable appearance, and have ap- palled any other but his brave feamen ; for he had but thirty fail of the line with him. Our admiral fuffered them to pafs without feeming to take any notice of them, that having the advantage of the wind, he might bear down upon their rear and at- tack them. They moved very flowly along, though with all their fail out, being extremely heavy and unwieldy, fo that fcarcely one of them anfwered to the helm. A circum.ftance greatly in favour of the Englifh admiral, who with his light veffels, if he had been worffed in his attempt upon the Spanilli rear, could have retreated with eafe, and it would have been impoffible to have purfued
him
Earl of NOTTINGHAM. 237
him with thefe heavy fhips. Lord Effingham, how* ever, took care to fend a fpecial melTenger to the queen, to inform her majeily of the arrival of the enemy, of the fuperio-rity of their fleet, and of his defign, notwithllanding this difadvantage, to fall upon their rear ; and likewife to defire her to make the proper diTpolitions by land, in cafe the Spa- niards ihould fucceed fo far as to (et their troops on Ihore ; and to give orders for all the other Iquadrons and fhips in her majefty's lervice, to om him with all poiTible expedition. Having taken thefe pru- dent precautions, the lord-admiral refolved to make a vigorous attack on the enemy, with a view of preparing for a general engagement, and to take cff the terror which the fight of the large Spanifh galleons had imprefled on the minds of the Englifh feamen. He therefore gave chace to this formi- dable fleet, and foon fell in with the rear divilion, commanded by Don Ricaldo. A fkirmifh enfued, in which the Englifh had the advantage ; and it fully anfwered our admiral's purpofe, who perceiv- ing that the Spanifh admiral in the center, and Don Alphonfo de Levya commander of the van, were endeavouring to incircle his little fleet, he made a lignal for a retreat, which was foon made in excellent order ; and this trial convinced both his officers and his men, how ealily they could manage their own fhips, and either attack or retire from the heavy floating caftlcs of the enemy.
The Spaniards being greatly worfted in feveral attacks, and finding the Englifh fleet more nu- merous and powerful, than it had been reprefented, on a fudden tacked about, and made for the coall of Calais. The lord-admiral then called a council of war, and after conferring the honour of knight- hood on vice-admiral Drake, Hawkins, Frobifher, and three other principal officers, he propofed to purfae the >'panilh fleet ; and he was farther in-
d uced
6
238 CHARLES HOWARD,
duced to advife this meafure, by the profpeft of being joined by the fquadrons under lord Henry Seymour and Sir William Winter, Rationed off the Flcmifh coaft. The council concurring in opinion with the lord-admiral, the EngHQi fleet gave chace to the Spaniards ; and on the 27th, the other Iquadrons joined them, in the Streights of Calais ; and then their whole force coniifted of one hundred and forty fail. Yet ft ill it was inferior to the Armada, which now lay at anchor off Calais, and difoofed in fuch order, that lord Effingham faw there were no hopes of feparating the tieet, and attacking different divilions as he had propofed ; •unlets iome ftratagem could be devifed to throw the whole fleet into diforder. His g-eai capacity, however, fupplied him with the happieii expedient for this purpofe. He converted eight of his worft barks into lire-ihips, and thefe, under the condu£t of two experienced captains, v/ere convoyed about midnight to the Spanifh fleet, and being properly filled with combuftibles and their fails let, they were fired by the crews of the two fhips that con- voyed them, who then took to their boats. Thefe barks went into the center of the Spanifh fleet, and threw the whole into the utmoff difmay and confufion. Some fell foul of each othei, after cutting their cables, others got up their anchors, and put to fea to avoid the flames, which had caught the rigging of feveral fhips ; and as foon as the dawn appeared, the fnglifh fell upon them in this difperfed Hate, and took or deftroyed twelve of their largefl fliips. 1 his was the firft intro- duction of the life of fire-fhips in the Englifh navv. The Spaniards now laying afide the thouuhis of jnvafion and conqneft, endeavoured to make th; ir cfcape through the Streights of Dover, but adverfc winds drove them on the coaft of Zealand, where the Spanilh admiral narrowly efcaped Ihipwicck. i - Alter'
Earl of NOTTINGHAM. ^239
After this, a council of war was held, and it was determined to retreat entirely, by failing round the horth-part of our iiland ; but here, a fecond ftorni difperfed them, and the admiral, with twenty-five fail, {leered his courfe for the Bay of Bifcay, leav- ing the reft of hh Invincible Armada to the vio- lence of the tempcft, and the mercy of the Engliih. Upwards of thirty of their beft fhips perilhed on. the In 111 coaft, others were driven on fhore in the Orkney Iflands, and feveral were taken by thofe brave admirals Hawkins, Drake, and Frobifher. In fine, out of the whole fleet, confiding of one hundred and thirty fail, only fifty-four got fafe to Spain, and thofe in a fhattered condition. It is likewife computed, that they loll 2 5. coo men in this fatal expedition, among whom were lb many vo- lunteers of diftinguilhed rank, that mofl of the noble families in Spain went into mourning, after the return of the remains of the fleet. As for the Engliih admiral, after he had cleared the channel, of the Spaniards, he returned triumphant to the Downs ; and then repairing to London, joined in the joyful acclamations and thankfgivin^zs of the whole nation upon this great deliverance from im- pending deftrudtion. The q icen repaired publicly to the cathedral of St. Paul's, and there, with great folemnity and devotion, exprefled her grati- tude to God, for his great mercv^ in refcunig her from the manifold fecret plots and open violence ef her enemies. Son-, aiter, f^e ordered two me- dals to be ftruck in coai r.emoration of this fii;nal victory ; and as the niventive geniu*;, cool judg- ment, and aftive valour of the lord high admiral, had greatly contributed to the fuccets of the Eng- liih, her majefty a k'jowledged his fignal merit in the moft honourable manner for him before the whole court, and rewarded him with a penfion for lafe. Fleming, the pirate, was pardoned at his
in-
140 CHARLES HOWARD,
interceffion ; and an annual gratification was al- lowed him for the intelligence he had given to the lord-admiral of the arrival of the Spanifh fleet.
The next important fervice performed by the lord -admiral was agai ift Cadiz, which was taken by the Englifh fleet and the land-forces under the earl of Eflex in Aunnft 1596, to the incredible lofs of Spain ; for belides two rich galleons, thirteen men of war, and one hundred pieces of brafs can- non, fell into the hands of the Englilh ; and the lord-admiral refufed a ranfom of two millions of ducats for the merchant fhips in Port-Real, his inl\ru6lions being to burn them, becaufe a fecond invaiion of England had been meditated.
Upon lord Effingham's return, the queen, who had been generajly partial to the earl of Eilex, at- tributed the conqueft of Cadiz chiefly to the ad- miral : in honour of the glorious expedition fne created him earl of Nottingham ; and in the pa- tent, the reafon afligned for conferring this new dignity, was his f gnal fervices in the taking of Cadiz. This gave birth to the quarrel between the admiral and Effex, which ended only with the deatk of the latter.
In 1599, the nation was alarmed with another proje<Sled invaiion from Spain ; and EfTex being in Ireland, the queen, to manifeft her intire confi- dence in the earl of Nottingham, made him fole commander of her fleets and armies, with the ad- dition of a new title, that of lord lieutenant-ge- neral of ail England ; by which he was invefted with more ample powers than had ever been granted to any fubje^l : but this extraordinary commiilion expired with the occafion tljat gave birth to it, 'i lie dread of an invaiion fabfiding in fix weeks, the earl of Nottin_G;ham refigned it into the queen's hands; however, he became her chief miniiler foon
after,
Earl of NOTTINGHAM. 241
after, and by the death of the earl of Eflex, fole admiiiiilrator of the government. But, in order to fecure this high llation, it is flrongly fufpeded, that the earl of Nottingham aggravated every aft of rafhnefs committed by the earl of ElTex, and fomented the quarrel between that unhappy noble- man and his royal miftrefs, till by the unkind nefs of the one, the other was driven to defperation and rebelHon.
From the moment that EfTex furrendered to the earl of Nottingham, the queen, who had been un- commonly terrified by fo daring an infurre£lion in the heart of the capital, was extravagant in her praifes of the lord-admiral. She faid publicly, that he was born to be the Saviour of his Country. Thus raifed to the fummit of a flatefman's ambi- tion, w^e have but too much reafon to believe, that fearing a relapfe on the part of the queen, in fa- vour of his great rival, he intercepted the token fent from the unfortunate ElTex as the lafl appli- cation for mercy.
On thefe well-grounded fufpicions, the carl Hands accufed of an a£l of cruel policy, which throws a baleful fhade over the bright charafter of this Saviour of his Country, and even leaves z {lain upon his loyalty : for a man of his abilities could not but be aware of the fatal confequences to the queen, if ever this fecret reached her roval ear.
*For many years after the event, the following remarkable anecdote was difcredited by our beft liiftorians ; but later difcoveries, which have thrown more light upon the court intrigues in the lafl years of the reign of Elizabeth, have left little room to doubt the truth of it, as it is here related.
The earl of EfTex, foon after his return from the fuccefsful expedition againfi; Cadiz, grew ex- tremely iealous of being fupplanted in the royal Vol. II. M fa-
242 C H A R L E S H O V/ A R D,
favour ; and being confirmed in his apprehenfions by the new peerage conferred on the lord-admiral, he refolved to fecure himfelf againft any fatal re- verfe of fortune, while the queen's attachment to him remained. In this difpolition. having obtain- ed a private audience, lie took occafion to regret, that her majeliy's fervice fliould fo frequently oblige him to be abfent from her perfon ; by which he was expofed to all thofe ill-offices which his ene- mies, in the courfe of their confiant attendance on her, had it in their power to do him, by mifrepre- fentations of his condu£i:, and falfe accufiitions, while he was at a remote difiance from court, per- haps not even in the kingdom. Her majelly, it is faid, being greatly moved at his pathetic remon- firance, took a ring from her finger, defired him to keep it as a pledge of her afFe6lion, and afiurcd him, that whatever prejudices Ihe might be in- duced to entertain againfl him, or whatever dif- grace he might happen to fall into, if he fent her that ring, Ihe Ihould inftantly call to mind her former affc6Hon for him, and grant him his re- qacll, whatever it m.ight be. The reader will be pleafed to reccJle£t that Henry Vlll. had afted in the very fame manner in the cafe ofarchbifliop Cranmer ; and he will farther obferve, that in many infiances Elizabeth affeded to imitate the manners of her. father. This is a circumftance which has cfcaped the notice of our hiflorians, in their warm contefts upon the credibility of this flory, but is liighly piefumptive in favour of its authenticity. After lentence of decth had been palled upon the unfortunate Ellcx, it is a well-known fadt, that he requefred the favour of a vi fit from the countefs of Nottiiigham, at that time principal lady of the bed- chamber to the queen ; to what purpofe, but to give her this ring, ajid to charge her to deliver it to her Majefly, and to enforce hispriiyer lor par- 4 don.
Earl of N O T T I N G H A ^/f. 243
don, by her interceffion ? The countefs was pre- vailed upon by her hufl^and to keep the ring, and to flifie the commi(iion flie had undertaken ; and the queen, who hourly expected this laft appeal from her fallen favpurite, found various exCuies tb delay figning the warrant for his execution, till female rel'entment, at his fuppofed pride and obili- nacy, made her liften to the poUtical motives urged by Cecil, and fhe confented to his death.
Towards the clofe of the year 1602, the coun^ tefs of Nottingham was feized with her laft ilinefs', and finding her dilTolution faft approaching, ihe fent a fpecial melTenger to intreat a private viiit from the queen, alleging, that flie had ibmetliing of importance to impart to her majefiy, which troubled her confcience. The queen complying with her earned: requeft, as foon as the attendants withdrew, the countefs revealed the fatal fecret, and at the fame time implored the queen's pardon ; \vho, aftonilhed at the foul deed, burfh forth into a violent pallion of rage, fhook the dying coun- tefs in her bed, and exclaiming with great vehe- mence, " God may forgive you, but I cannot,'' flis broke from her, and the countefs expired foon after.
As for the diftracled queen,' a deep melancholy and iriceffant grief fucceeded to rage ; and from this time her health vifibly declined : ftiil, however, fhe affefled to conceal it, and fhe caufed her inau- guration-day, the 17th of November, to be obferved with the ufual magnificence and rejoicings. But the courtiers, according to cuflom, began already to pay their court to the riling Sun, the young king of Scotland, her prefumptive lieir. This did not efcape her notice, and llie v/as heard to lament, in bitter terms, that fhe was negie£led, betrayed, and deferted. And, when fne found the very fame minifters advifing her to lign the pardon of the-earl of 7'yrone, v.'ho had urged her to put Effex to M 2 deaths
^44 CHARLES HOW AH D,
<]eath, flie could not forbear making a juft com- parilbn between the guilt of an arch-rebel, who had defolated great part of IrelaiKl, and the fingle a6l of mad defperation committed by ElTex, for which tliefe fiatefmen had made her forget and cancel all hts great fervices to her and his country. Her grief, upon this occa^on, cowld not be con- cealed j and as if flie had been determined not to out-live the difgrace of-being duped bv her fervants, ihe ncAV negle<^led the care of herhenlth, removing from Weftminfler to her palace of Non-.Such at zShcei^e, in very tempeftuous weather, an the laft 4Jay of January, 1603. Here fhe daily grew worfe ; r.iid the privy-council fat in London, -deliberating on the mtafur'^s for fecuring the peaceable fuccef- fion of James L With this view, they thought it nioft adviieable, that t lie <j.ueen, in ber life-time^ iliould abfoiutely nominate him to focceed her ; c.r.d though the earl of Nottingham and Sir Robert Cecil knew* how paiiiful this talk would be to her, ;ind tb^t in faCt it was by j>o means necelTary, the wliole council being of one mind ; yet they, together with the lord-keeper BuckhDrfl, under- took the difagreeable office. The queen, before Ibe left Wef!:minfter, had declared to the lord- admiral, now likewife earl-maifhai of England, that the crown ought to go to her next heir. But the jealous Scots, and the EiigHdi minifters, who wilhed to ftaiid high in favour with James, did jjot tnink this declaration fufficicnt. The three deputies from the council found the .^ueen almoft fpeechlefs ; but ihe had flrength enough to repeat the meaniiig of her former declaration to tlie lord- admiral. '' I have filled," faid Ihe, ** a royal tiirone, and I defire to have a royal fucceflbr." The Stuart party, not yet fatisfied, wrote to Sir Robert Cecil, to prefs the dying c^ucen to be more cxjiicit. Being therefore importuned again on
the
Earl of NOTTINGtrAM 24:5
the fame fubje£l, fhe feemec! to refent it ; and, with tokens of vexation, fhe lUtered thefe her lafl: words iipon this fubjeft : *' I defire that a king Ihoukl tucceed me ; and who fhould that king be, but my neareft kinfman, the king of Scotland r" Her ma- jefty continued langiiifhing, in a moft deplorable- condition, near two months, and for ten days to- gether fhe fat up dreiTed, upon cufhions and car- pets, and woiild not be put to bed till i]\Q was compelled , and after this refrefhm«nt flie feemcd eafier, but continued to lay on her iide without fpeaking or taking notice of any of her attendants. At times, fhe would however joia in prayers with- "Whitglft, archbilhop of Canterbury, wiio was con- ftantly in waiting. On the 23d of March fhe was- quite fpeechiefs, but compofed ; and at night ihe fell into a fleep, which lafted five hours, when Ihe waked only to breathe her lall, feemingly with lit- tle pain or fenlibility. Thus, in the 70th year of her age, and the 45th of her glorious reign, at about two in the morning of the 24th of March, 1603, was England deprived of a fovereign, who raifed the fplendor of the Britifh throne, and in whofe reign was laid the foundation of the extenfive commerce of EnG;land in after- a2;es.
The remaining miemoirs of the earl of Notting- ham hardly merit our notice. It may therefore fuffice to obferve, that his zeal in the affair of the fucceffion procured him the honour of officiating as high-fleward at the coronation of James I. that he was fent on a fplendid embalTy to Spain, to conclude a treaty of friendfliip v/ith that crown, in which he had been very inilrumental ; that he religned his office of high -admiral, forapenfion, to "Villiers duke of Buckingham, and retired into the' country, where he died in 1624.
M q *** Jjdthoritieh,.
24^ CHARLES HOWARD,
*^* /Juiho^hhs. Salmon's Chronol. Hifiorjaw,- Hume's Hillory of England. Birch's Negociations and Memoirs of the Reign of Ehzabtth. Camp, bell's Lives of the Admirals.
SUPPLEMENT.
THE lives of the moft eminent perfons, whd were diilinguiflied chiefly by their public chara£ters aiTd the high ftations they held unde? queen Elizabeth, are contained in the preceding pages. It remains now, therefore, to trace the progrefs of the liuman underftanding in Britain, during, and for about twenty years after, this glo- rious cera of our hiftory ; the age of Ehzabeth hav- ing given birth to a few celebrated men of un- common genius, whofe memoirs could not bs blended with the civil hiftory of the times. Be- fides, fome of them, though they flourilhed under Elizabeth, furvived her many years : on which ac- count, v/e have aligned them a diftinft department, as not belonging entirely to the annals of either <i.iizabeth or James L
■ So great was tlie attention of the people to the revival andexteniion of commerce, to the encour- agement of navigation, and to the eflablilhment of manufaftures in the kingdom (brought from foreign countries), that the mechanical and ufeful arts vyere greatly preferred to the polite and liberal ia the reign of Elizabeth, We have there forq
only
Earl OF NOTTINGHAM. 247
only to mention, that painting flill continued to be of foreign grov/th, tkough England produced two perfons w ho are noticed as men of fome emi- nence, Nicholas Billiard, a limner, jeweller, and goldfmith, whofe natural inclination for painting led him to copy after Holbein, while he was aa apprentice as a jeweller and goldlniith. He con- lined hi mfelf chiefly to portraits, and wai, excellent in miniature. This artifl: was born in 1547* and died in St. Martin's in the Fields, 16 19. Ifaac -Oliver, another miniature-painter, was his pupil, and the virtuofi give his performances the prefer- ence. He died in Blackfriars two years before his mafter.
Engraving, as a branch of the mechanic arts, met with great encouragement in the reign of Eli- zabeth, and by the indefatigable indufcry of the celebrated Virtue in our times, forae capital per- formances, and a lift of the artifls of repute in this branch, have been reflored ; an account of which the reader will find at larsx in Mr. Walnole's Ancc- dotes of Painting in England, Vol. il.
Mufic was likewife at a low ebb, though Eliza- beth endeavoured to revive a tafle both ibr vocal and inftrumental, fetring the example by her own performances ; but hiftory and poetry received confiderable improvements from the immortal pens of Buchanan, Spenfer, Shakefpeare, and Camden ; of whom we Ihall give concife memoirs in chro.- nological order..
M 4 Tk<
( 248 )
The life of
GEORGE BUCHANAN.
(A. D. 1506, to 1582.)
TH I S celebrated hiflorlan, and Latin poet, was a native of Scotland, of whofe family we have little or no account, except that his grand- father was a perfon concerned in trade, by whofe failure his father and mother were reduced to dif- treffed circumflances. George Buchanan was born in the Shire of Lenox, in 1506; and his father dying while he was very young, the care of his education devolved on his mother, who v,-as left almoll unprovided for, with five fons and three daughters. But by the kind alhfiance of her bro- ther, Mr. James Heriot, fhe was enabled to fend George to fchool, where his inclination for learn- ing recommended him to the farther patronage and dillinguiflied attention of his unde, at whole ex- pence he was fent to Paris, the univcrfity in that city being then eileemed the bed in Europe. But the death of Mr. Herict, after he had been tv/o years at Paris, depriving him of the means of pur- suing his ftudies, he was obliged to return to Scot- land. It is obfeived, however, that if this altera- tion had not happened, his bad flate of health alone would have forced him to leave Paris.
About
G E O R G E B U C H A N A N. 249
About the year 1524^ having a defire to acquire fome knowledge of miHtary affairs, he made a cam- paign with the French auxiharies, who came over to Scotland ujider tiie command of John duke of Albany, to aliiil: in carrying on the war againil England, the French and the Scots being in aUi- ance againil Henry VI 11. But the fatigues he under- went were too much for his delicate conlfitution ; and this martial experiment occafioned him a fe- vere lit of ilinefs, which confined him to his bed during the enluing winter.
In the fpring, however, he was fo well reco- vered, that he went to the univcriity of St. An- drew's to learn logic, under the famous Mr. John Mair, with w-hom he went a fecond tiaie to Paris. There he embraced the tenets of Luther, which be- gan to prevail in France about this time. After ilruggiing for near two years againfl the niileries of indigent circumlfances, his great merit procured him ad million into the college of St. Barbe, where he became prof-ffor of grammar, which he taught near three years, and acquired by it a decent lub- fiilence. At length, one of his pupils, Gilbert Kennedy, earl of Caiiils, a voung Scotch noble* man, admirilig the converfation, and eilceming the literary al^ijities of his countryman, engaged him folely as his tutor and companion, and they remained five years in Frnnce, after which rhev returned together to Scotland. The death of iho earl of CaiTils, in 1534, left Mr, Buchanan once more without a patron: thus circumilanced, he was preparing to return to France, when James V. fent for him, and made him preceptor to his natu- ral fon, James Stuart, afterwards the famous earl of Murray, chofen regent of Scotland, when queen Mary was depofed. But his evil genius again in- terpofed to thwart his fortune, for having wiitteu • a fatirigal, but elegant Latin posiii, intituled S m- M 5 nium^
250 T H E L I F E O F
r'lum^ \\\ which the igiionisice and lazliiefs of t^i(^ Fraiiclfcaii niars wa^ f^verely laflied, the pions fraternity were fo highly exalperated, that they ac- ciifed him of atheifm and herefy. This proof of their malice anfvvercd no other piirpofg, but to animate our young poet to frefh exertions of his vein for fatire ; and the irregular lives of the friars liaving furnilhed fufficicnt grounds, he was highly pleaftd to find in his royal patron an ejicourager of his defign. A confpiracy againfl James V. was difcovered at this time, and the Francifcans were fufpe£led by the king to have been privy to it y irpon which he commanded Buchanan to write n poem againil them. Itl'hould feem, however, as if the poet was apprehenfive of the confequences to himfelf, of carrying matters too far, for he wrote a &etch of his poem, fufceptible of a double in- terpretation. But the king, being ditpleafed at this evalion of his orders, pofitively enjoined him to lafli their vices, without difguife or referve^ which gave occaiion to the celebrated Latin poem of our author, intituled Franxiscanu?. All the religious orders in. Scotland now took the alarm, and vowdd dcftruftion to the man who had the in- folcnce to expofe them to the fcorn and deriiion of the laity ; and though the king v,a5 highly pleafed with the performance, he had the meannefs to leave him to the mercy of the clergv. Buchanaiv received private intelligence, that tlie Francifcans had a deligti upon liis life, though of what nature his friends could not exaftjy inform him ; but it ibon appeared that they intended to have him burnt as a heretic ; for being accufed of this capital crime, he was arrefled and imprifoned in the beginning of the year I53Q» Fortunately, however, he watched his opportunity, and while his keepers were afleep, got out of his chamber-window, and made liis efcape to England undiscovered. There, finding that
Henry
GEORGE BUCHANAN. 251
Heiirv VI ir. had fet on foot a bloody perfecutioii 4igaliiil both Papilis and heretics, who did not con- form to the fix articles, he went to Paris, where^ he hoped to find an afylum from the vengeance of his enemies ; but unfortunately cardinal Eeatoun, who was his great enemy, had been fent on an embalTy from Scotland to the court of France, and was jull arrived. Buchanan, therefore, thought it moil advifeable to retire to Bourde^ux, having received an invitation from Andreas Govianus, a celebrated profelTor of the civil law, who had been invited from his native country, Portugal, to pre- fide at the head of a college newly founded in that citv. Here Buchanan taught the claiiics, rhetoric, hill:ory, and poetry, in the public fchools, for his fubiiilience, near three years, and at his leiTure- hours he compofed four tragedies, Jeptha, Alccjiesy Baptifta^ and a tranflation of the Medea of Euripides. He wrote them in compliance with the rules of the fchools, a new fable being required from the pro- felTors every year ; and inftead of the trifling alle- gories ufualiy furnifhed upon thcfe occsiions in the French univeriities, by w^hich the ralle of their youth for rational entertainment had been vitiated, he introduced regular dramatic pieces,' founded on liiftorical fadls, and thus engaged the {Indents to imitate the antients. Such an improvement as this could not efcape the notice of the moft emi- nent men in France, who highly approved it, and Buchanan's reputation was circulated throughout the whole kingdom, to the no fmall mortification of the haughty cardinal Beatoun, who w-fote to the archbifhop of Bourdeaux, informing him, that Buchanan was a profeded heretic, and lequeiling that he might be apprehended. But thecaidinal's letters falling into the hands of his friends, he was delivered from this fnare •, and his patron, Andreas Govianus, being foon after ordered home by the M 6 ' kiii^
252 THELIFEOF
king of Portugal, and commanded to bring with him fome learned men capable of teachmg philo- fophy and claflkal learning in the univerlity he had juft founded at Coimbra, Buchanan em^ braced this opportunity of avoiding the meditated vengeance of Beatoun and his clergy.
While Govianus lived, Buchanan and the other learned men, who had followed him to Portugal, met with all fuitable encouragement ; but after his death, the natural aveifion of the Portuguefe to foreigners overcame their defire of improvement, and thefe profeflbrs were extremely ili-ufed. Our author's poem againft the Fiancifcans, his eating meat in Lent, and his having advanced, in private converfation with fome Portuguefe youth, that he thought St. Aufiiii's doclrines were more favourable to the reformed, than to the Romilh religion, were made the grounds of an accufation of herefy ; in confequence of which, he was felzed and thrown into the prifon of the inquliition in the year 1549 ; but the hopes of converting a man of his great re- putation in the learned w^orld procured him the indulgence of a removal to a monailery, to be in- truded in the myfleries of the holy Roman Ca- tholic faith by the monks, who, by his own ac- count, treated him with great civility. It was during this confinement that he tranflated thePfalms of David into elegant Latin verfe.
In I 551, by the interefl of fome of his pupils of difiinclion, the king ordered, that he fliould be fet ai liberty ; and to indemnify him for his impri- fonment, he now fupplied him liberally with mo- ney for his current expences, and promifed him preferment. But Buchanan, having no opiincn of Portugufe faith, and having already experienced their treachery, obtained a paiTport to return to England, and embarked on board a fhip then in the harbour of Lifbon, taking in a cargo for Lon-
doi^.
G E O R G E B U C H A N A N. 253
don. The confufion that prevalJed in the councils of Edward VI. during his minority, did not leem to promife any great encouragement to hterature : Buchanan therefore returned again to France in 1552. Our author was now famous all over Europe for h\r, great learning, but more particu- larly for the elegance and correftnefs of his Latin poetry> a fpecimen of which he had prefented to the renowned Charles V. emperor of Cjermanv, in a fmall complimentary poem, while he relidcd at Bourdeaux ; and copies of it had been difperfed in Spain and Germany by order of his Imperial Ma- jefty, I'he principal nobility of France, tliere- fore, thought it an honour to proteft and encour- age him upon his return to Paris 5 anl this gave him an opportunity of publilliing his tragedy of Jephthain the moft advantageous manner; Charles de Colli, marllial of France, permitting him the honour to dedicate it to him. Buchanan, in re- turn, made fo jufl an culogium on the chnrafter of that great man, that the marlha!, highly pleafed with this well-judged compliment, gave him an invitation to fettle in Piedmont, with genteel ap- pointments, in quality of perceptor to his fon. Buchanan accepted the offer, and paffed five years very agreeably with this youth, employing the hours of recefs from his charge in the ftudy of the Scriptures and polemical authors, vvith a view of forming his own opinion on the controverfies which at this time involved ail Europe in religious feuds.
He returned to Scotland about the year 1560, and finding the Reformation in a man'^.er eftabliihed there, he openly renounced the Romiih religion, and declared himfelf a Proteftaiit. He was fhortly after made principal of St. Leonard's college, in the univerfity of St. Andrew's, where he for fome ^ years taught philofophy j and at his ieifure-hours :
AC
2154 T H E L I F E O F
he coIIe£Ved together all his poems, excepting fuch of them as were in the hands of his friends, and of wliich he had no copies. In 1657 he was, though a layman, appointed moderator of the ge- neral aflembly of the clmrch of Scotland. He was alfo appointed, by the ilates of the Icingdom, pre- ceptor to the young king, James VL afterwards king of Great Britain. That prince was accord- ingly fome years under his tuition ; and it is faid, that when it was afterwards obferved to him, that he had made his majefty a pedant, he replied, *' that it was the bell he could make of him." When the civil dilTenfions broke forth between queen Mary and her fubjefts, he joined the party in oppofition to the queen, and became a favourite, of the earl of Murray, chofen regent of Scotland, by whofe order he Vvrote a piece, intituled The De^ ieiiion^ containing very fevere reiiections on tht charafter and conduct of Mary ; for which his memory has been afperfed, as a writer, by all Po- pi(h hiftorians, and by thofe who have undertaken the more than Herculean labour of endeavouring to exculpate that w^eak and vicious woman.
In 1568, Buchanan was chofen one of the com- millioners, who were fent to England to accufa queen Mary of the heinous crime of being privy to the murder of her hufoand lord Darnley ; and upon his returr., he had the revenues of the abbey ot* Crofs Raguel afiigned to him for life. He was alfo made director of the chancery ; one of the lords of the council ; and finally, lord privy-feal. Bcfides all thefe promotions and emoluments, it is faid, that queen Elizabeth allowed him a penfion of one hundred pounds yearly.
Ihis feems not probable ; but flie appears occa^ fionally to have made him prefents. He employed the remaining thirteen years of his life chietiy in literary purfuits i and from the time he was firft
employed
G E O R G E B U C H A jNf A N. 255
Employed- in tlie public fervice of his country, he dire6ted his ftudies to thofe important fubjefts, politics and hiftory. His two laft performances of this kind, were his celebrated traft, Di Jure Regni apud Scotos^ and his Hillory of Scotland ; both of them by impartial judges arc eftcemed as mafterly prodn6tions ; but, favouring the principles of de- mocratic government, they were both condemned by the ilates, and on the publication of the hiftory, the author was cited to appear before the lords of the privy-council, to be refponiible for fome bold political truths, faid to be of a dangerous ten- dency ; but he died before the day appointed for his appearance. The king was likewite highly in- eenfed at fome paifages which were unfavourable to the royal prerogative : and this being told to Buchanan during his illnefs, he faid, witii the cool indifference of a ftoic philofopher, '' that his ma- *' jelly's anger gave him little or no concern, as *' he w^as fliortly going to a place where there were *' fev; kings."
We are told likewife, that a fhort time before he expired, he called for his fervant, enquired how much money he had belonging to him ; and iind- ing it infufficient for his burial, he ordered him to diflribute it among the poor. Upon which the fervant defired to know, who, in that cafe, would defray the expence of his funeral. To this Bu* chanan replied, '* That he was very indifferent " about that; for if he were once dead, if they '' w^ould not bury him, they might let him lie *' Vvhere he was, or throw his corpfe where they *' pleafed.'* And periiiling in his refolution, the magiftracy of Edinburgh were obliged to bury him at the public expence.
His death happened on the 5th of September,^ 1582, when he was in the 76th, year of his age.
Bifliop
256 T H E L I F E O F
Bifhop Burnet fays of the writings of Buchanan, that there appears in them, ** not only all the beauty ** and graces of the Latin tongue, but a vigour of *' mind and quicknefs of thought, far beyond *' Benibo, or the other Italians, who at that time *' affected to revive the purity of the Roman ftyle. *' It was but a feeble imitation of Tully in them ; ** but his flyle is fo natural and nervous, and his *' iciioxions on things fo folrd (befides his immor- *' tal poems, in which he fl^ews hoW: well h2 *' could imitate all the Roman poets, in their *' icvcral ways of writing, that he who com- *' pares them will be often tempted to compare ** the copy with the ori^jinal), thit he is juftiy *' reck.^ned the ^rcateft and befl of our modern *' authors.
Tlximus fays, that " Buchanan, being old, be- •' gan I write die hiflory of his o^^n country ; ** and a.rnough, accordi p.g to the genius oi his *• nation, he fometim.es inveighs agamft crowned ** beads witli fcverity, yet tiiat work is writteji *' with fo vj uch purity, \\ it, and judgment, t'Vat **• it does fic I appear to be tb^e prjdu<^ion of a man ** who palTed aii his days m the dull of a fchool, ** but of one who has been all his life time con- ** vcrfant in the moft imvportar.t affairs of flate. *' Such was the greatnefs of his mind, and the fe- ** licity of his grnius, that the meannefs of his " condition and frrvune lias not hindered Bucha- *' nan fmm jud^mg rightly of things of the ** greateft moment, or from writing concerning '* ihcm with a great deal of judgment."
Dr. Robcrtfon remarks, that **the happy genius ** of l^uchanan, equallv formed to excel inprofe ** and in verfe, more v .nous, more original, and •* more elegant, than that of almofl any other mo- •' dcrn, wiio has v;ritten in Latin, reflcfts, with
7
*' regard
GEORGE BUCHANAN. 257
** regard to this particular, the greateft luflre on *' his country." With refpefl to his hiftory, the doctor obferves, *' if his accuracy and impartiahty ** had been, in any degree, equal to the elegance of ** his tafte, and to the purity and vigour of his " ftyle, his hiftory might be placed on a level with *' the moft admired compofitions of the ancients. ** But, inftead of reje^ling the improbable tales *' of chronicle writers, he V'ja.s at the utmoft *' pains to adorn them, and hath cloathed with *' all the beauties and graces of fiftion thofe le- ** gends which formerly had only its wildnefs and •' extravagance."
Moft of Buchanan's pieces have palTed through many editions feparately : but a compleat edition of his works was publifhed at Edinburgh, in two- volumes, folio, in 1704, and which was reprinted in 1 7 15.
*'^* Author I ties, Georgii Buchanan! Vita, ab ipfo fcripta biennio ante mortem, et Poematibus praifixa. Sir fames Meivil's iMemoirs, Lond. edit. 1 752. Mackenzie's Lives and Charafters of Scotch Writers. Dr. Robertfon's Hillory of Scotland.
The
( *58 )
The life of
EDMUND SPENSER,
E
[A. D. 1572, to 1598.]
■^DMUND SPENSER was born in London,
and educated at Pembroke-hall in Cambridge, V-'hcre- be took the degree of batcheior of arts ifi 1572^ andof mafler of arts in 1576. The accounts of the birth and family of this great man are but obfcure and imperfect, and at his firft fetting out into life, his fortune and intereft feem to have been very inconiidcrable. After he had continued fomc time at college, and had laid that foundation of learniiig, which, joined to his natural genius^ (Qualified him to rife to fo great reputation as a poet, he ftood for a fellowfhip, in competition with a gentleman in holy orders, in which he vas unluccefsful. This difappointment, joined with the narrownefs of his circumflances, forced him to quit the univerfity ; and we find him next rcliding at the houfe of a friend in the norths where he fell in Jove with his Rofalind, whom he finely celebrates in his paftoral poems, and of whofe cruelty he hath written fuch pathetic com- plaints. It is probable, that about this time, Bpenfer's genius began firll to diflinguiih itfclf ;
for
EDMUND SPENSER. 2^9
for The Shepherd's Calendar, which is fo full of his unprofperous paffioii for Rofalind, wasamongft the firll: of his works of note ; and the fuppofition is ilrengthened by the ' confideration of poetry being frequently the ofF-fpring of love and retire- ment. This work he addrelTed, by a (hort dedl- •cation, to the Mecaenas of his age, the immortal Sir Philip Sidney, a gentleman then in the higheft re- .putation, who for wit and gallantry was the moil popular of aU the courtiers of his age ; and, as he vyas himfelf a writer, excelling in the fabulous or in- ventive part of poetry, it is no wonder that h» was ftruck with our author's genius, and became fenfible of his merit. A ftory is told of him by Mr. Hughes, which does great honour to the hu- manity and penetration of Sidney, and to the ex^ cellent genius of Spenfer. It is faid that our poet -was a llranger to this gentleman, when he began to write his Fairy Queen, and that he took occa- .iion to go to Leicefler-houfe, and introduce him- felf, by fending in to him a copy of the ninth .canto of the iirfh book of that poem. Sidney was much furprifed with the defcription of defpair in .that canto, and is faid to have (hewn an unufual kind of tranfport on the difcovery of fo new and uncommon a genius. After he had read fome Hanzas, he turned to his lieward, and bid him give the perfon who brought thofe verfes fifty pounds ; but, upon reading the next ftanza, he- ordered the fum to be doubled. The fie ward was no lefs furprized than his mailer, and thought it his duty to make fome delay in executing fo fadden . and lavifli a bounty ; but upon reading one ftanza more, Sidney railed the gratuity to two hundred pounds, and commanded the Reward to give it immediately, left as he read farther he might be tempted to give away his whole eflate. From this time he admitted the author to his acq^uaintance and
conver*
28o THELTFEOF
converfation, and prepared the way for his being; known and received at court. Though this feemed a promiling omen, to be thus introduced to courf,> vet h-e did not inlUntIv reap any advantage from it. He was indeed created oet laureat to queen Ehza- bcth, but he for fome time wore a barren lauret, and polTelTedthe place v.". hoot the penfion. Lord- treafurer Burleigh, v^iic onfidered the mechanic and ufeful arts a*^ more ^ortant in a rifing com- mercial ftate^ than the s, is accufed of inter- cepting the queen's favo to this unhappy, great genius. As misfortune rive the flrongefl in- fluence on elegant and pc i v:d minds, fo it was no wonder that Spenfer wa ; ; luch deprefled by the coid reception he met wit i from the great.
Thefe dilcouragements .eatly funk our author's- fpirits ; and accordingly ■ s find him pouring out his heart in complaints Oi fo injurious and unde- ferved a treatment, whicii probably, would have been lefs unfortunate to him, if his noble patron, Sir Philip Sidney, bv his employments abroad^ and the fhare he had in the Low- Country wars^ liad not been obliged to be frequently, and for a loFig time together, abfent from court. In a poenr, called, The Ruins of Time, which was written fome time after Sidney's death, the author feems to allude to the difcouragenaents jufl mentioned, inthe- loUowing ftanza;
*' O grief of griefs. O gall of a^l good hearts ! *'■ To fee that virtue Ihould defpifed be,
** Of fuch as firft were raifed for virtue's parts, ** And now broad-fpreading, irke an aged tree, ** Let none fhoot up that nigl\ them planted be ;
** O let not thofe, of whom the mufe is fcorned,
*' AJivc, or d^ad, be by the mufe adorned."
Thefe
EDMUND SPENSER. a^4
Thefe lines are certainly meant to refie£l on Bur» ojeigh for negle£ling him ; and the lord-treafurer afterwards conceived an hatred againft him, for the fatire which he apprehended was levelled at him, in Mother Hubbard's Ta!e. In this poem, the author has, in the mofl iivel) manner, 'pointed out the misfortune of depending on court-favouTS, in the following beautiful lines :
«* Full little knowefl thou, that hail not try'd, ** What he]] it is in fuing long to bide, ** To lofe good days, that might be better fpent, •*' To wafre long nights in penfive difcontent ; ** To fpeed to-day, to be put back, to-morrow, *' To feed in ho;pe, to pine with fear and forrow ; " To have thy prince's grace, yet want her peers, ** To have thy afking, yet wait many yerrs, *' To fret thy foul with croiles, and with care, ** To eat thy heart, through comfortlefs defpair; *' To fawn, to crouch, to wait, to ride, to run, ** To fpend, to give, to want, to be undone.'*
As this was very much the author's cafe, it pre bably was this particular palTage in that poem which gave offence ; for, as Hughes very elegantly ob- ferves, even the fighs of a miferable man are fome- times refented as an affront-, by him who is the occasion of them. There is a ftory, relate<i by fome as a matter of fa£l commonly reported at that time, which reflects upon the character of Bur- leigh ; but it is difcredited by Dr. Birch, and other judi.cious liiftorians and critics, becaufe the fame circumflances are recorded to have happened to a poet of inferior merit, and the poetical petition here given as Spenfer's compolition is alcribed to the inferior bard.
It is laid, that upon his prefenting fome poems to tlie queen, llie ordered him a gratuity of one
hundred
^62 T H E L I F E O P
hundred pounds ; but the lord-treafurer Burlcigli objeding to it, faid, with fome fcorn of the poet, of whofe merit he was totally ignorant, '' What, all this for along ?■' The queen rephed, *' Then give him what is reafon." Spenfer for fome time waited, but had the mortification to find himfelf difappointed of her majefty's bounty. Upon this he took an opportunity to prefenta paper to queea Elizabeth, in the manner of a petition, in which he reminded her of the order flie had given, in the following lines :
*' I was promis'd on a time ** To have reafon for my rhyme, *' From that time, unto this feafon, ** I received nor rhyme, nor reafon."
This paper, we are told, produced the intended cfFe£t, and the queen, after fharply reproving the treafurer, immediately direfled^the payment of the hundred pounds fhe had lirft ordered. In the year 1579, he was fent abroad by the earl of Leiceller, as appears by a copy of Latin verles, dated from Leicefler-houfe, and addrelTed to his friend Mr. Hervey ; but Mr. Hughes has not been able to de- termine in what fcrvice he was employed.
When the lord Grey of Wilton was chofen de- puty of Ireland, Spenfer was recommended to be his fecretary. This drew him over to another king- dom, and fettled him in afcene of life very difF6rent from what he had formerly known, but, that he underftood and difcharged his employment with fkill and capacity, appears fufficiently by his dif- courfe on the ftate of Ireland, in which there are many folid and judicious remarks, that fhew him no lefs qualified for the bufincfs of the ftate, than for the entertainment of the mufes. His life was now freed from the diflicukies under which it had -
hitherto
EDMUND SPENSER. 263
hitherto ftrnggled ; but the lord Grey being re- called in 1582, Spenfer returned with him to Eng- land, where he feems to have continued till the untimely death of his galbnt patron Sir Philip Sidney, in 1586; with which cataflrophe he was deeply affeded. His fervices to the crown, in hi^ flation of fecretary to the lord-deputy, were re - compenfed by a grant from queen Elizabeth of three thoufand acres of land in the county of Cork. This induced him to refide in Ireland. His houfe Was at Kilcolman ; and the river Mulla, which he has, more than once, fo finely introduced in his poems, ran through his grounds. Much about this time he contrafted an intimate friendfhip with the great and learned Sir Walter Raleigh, who was than a captain under the lord Grey. His elegant poem, called, Colin Clout's come Home again, in, which Sir Walter Raleigh is defcribed under the name of the Shepherd of the Ocean, is a beautiful memorial of this friendfliip, which took its rife from a fimilarity of tafte in the polite arts, and v/hich he agreeably defcribes, with a foftnefs and delicacy peculiar to him. Sir Walter afterwards fixed him in the efteem of queen Elizabeth, through whofe recommendations her Majefty read his writings.
He now fell in love a fecond-time with a mer- chant's daughter, in which, fays Mrs. Cooper, au- thor of TheMufe's Library, he was more fuccefs- ful than in his firil amour. He wrote upon this occaiion a beautiful epithalamium, which he pre- fented to the lady on the bridal-day, and it has conligned that day and her to immortality. In this pleafant, eafy, fituation, our excellent poet finifhed the celebrated poem of The Fairy Queen, which w'as begun and continued at different inter- vals of tmie, and of which he at firll: publilhed only the three firft books. To thefe were added three more, in a following edition, but the fix laft books '. . (excepting
264 T H E L I F E O F
(excepting the two cantos on mutability) were m\^ fortunately loft by his fervant, whom he had in hafte lent before him to England ; for though he pafledhis life for fome time very ferenely here, yet a train of misfortunes ftill pu-rfued him, and in the rebellion of the earl of Deimond he was plundered and deprived of his eftate. This diftrefs forced him to return to England, where, for want of fuch a noble patron as Sir Philip Sidney, he was plunged into new calamities. It is faid by Mr. Hughes, that Spenfer furvived his patron about twelve years, and died the fame year with his powerful enemy the lord Burleigh, 1598. He was buried, fays he, in AVcftminftcr-Abbey, near the famous Geoffery Chaucer, as he had defired. His obfcquies were attended by the poets of that time, and others, who paid the laft honours to his memory. Several copies of verfes were thrown into his grave, with the pens that wrote them, and his m.onument was erected at the charge of Robert Deveieux, the unfortunate earl of Eifex.
This is the account, given by the editor of his woiks, of the death of Spenfer; and he is fup- ported by the authority of Camden. But in a work of fome reputation, we find a different rela- tion delivered upon probable grounds. 1 he inge- nious Mr. Drummond of Hawthorndcn, a noble wit of Scotland, had an intimate correi'pondence with all the literati of his time who relided at Lon- don, particularly the famous Ben Jonfon, who had fo high an opinion of Mr. Drummond's abili- ties, that he took a journey into Scotland in order to convcrfe with him, and ftayed fome time at liis houfe at Hawthornden. i\fter Ben Jonfon de- parted, Mr. Drummond, careful to retain what palTed between them, wrote down the heads of their converfation ; which he publilhed amongft his poems and Hiftory of the plve Jamefes, kings
of
EDMUND SPENSER. i^^
of Scotland. Amongft other particulars there is this : ** Ben Jonibii told me, that Spcnfer*s goods were robbed by the Irilh in Defmond's rebellion, his houfe and a little child of his burnt, and he and his wife nearly efcaped ; that he afterwards died in King-flreet, Dublin, by abfolute want of bread ; and that he refufed twenty pieces fent him by the earl of Effex, and gave this anfwer to the perfon who brought them, " That he was fure *' he had no time to fpend them."
We have very few anecdotes of the private life of this great poet, and this iliuft be a mortification to all lovers of the mufes, as he was the greatefh ornament of his profeffion, in the age in which he hved. No writer ever found a nearer way to the heart, and his verfes have a peculiar happinefs of recommending the author to our friendfliip, as well as railing our admiration. One cannot read him without fancying one's-felf tranfported into fairy-land, and there converling with the graces in that enchanted region. In elegance of thinking and fertihty of imagination, few of our Englllh authors have approached him, and no writers ever polTelTed equal power to awake the fplrit of poetry in others. Cowley owns that he derived infpiration from him: the celebrated Thomfon, the author of the Seafons, juilly efleemed one of our beil de- fcriptive poets, ufed to fay, that he formed himfelf upon Spenfer : and how^ clofely he purfucd his model, and how nobly he has imitated him, who- ever reads his Caftle of Indolence with tafle, wil^ readily confefs. Mr. Addifon, in his Chara6lcrs of the Englifii poets, addrelTed to Mr, Sachevercl, thus fpeaks of Spenfer :
'^ Old Spenfer next, warm'd with poetic rage, ** In ancient tales amus'd a barbarous age ;
Vol. 11. N *' An
266 T H E L I F E O F
** An age, 4:hat yet uncnitivate and rude, ** Where'er the poet's fajicy led, purfu'd *' Thro' pathlefs fields, and unfrequented floods j " To dens of dragons, and enchanted woods. ** But now the myftic tale, that pleas'd of yore, *' Can charm an underRanding age no more; *' The long-fpun allegories fulfome grow, *' ^Vhile the dull moral lies too plain below. *' We view well pleafed at diftanceall the fights •\ *' Of arms, and palfries, battles, fields, and fights, ? *' And damfels indiftrefs, and courteous knights. -' *' P)Ut when we look too near, the fliades decay, " And ah thepleafing landfcape fades away."
It is agreed on all hands, that the diflrefles of our author helped to fhorren his days ; and, indeed, when his extraordinary merit is confidered, he had the hardcfl mcafure of almoft any of our poets. It appears fr®m different accounts, that he w^as of an iuniable, fweet difpofition, humane and generous in his nature. Befides the Fairy Queen, and his Shepherd's Calendar, w^e find he had written many other pieces, moft of which are lofl. Amongft thefe, the moil coniiderable were nine comedies, in imitation of the comedies of his admired Ariollo, infcribed with the names of the nine mules. The reft wliich we find mentioned in his letters, and thofe of his friends, are his Dying Pelican, his Pageants, Dudleyana, The Canticles pa- raphrafed, Ecclefiailes, Seven Pfalms, Houle of our Lord, Sacrifice of a Sinner, Purgatory, A Seven Night's Slumber, the Court of Cupid and Hell of Lovers. It is likewife faid he had Written a treatife in profe, called, The Englifh Poet ; as for the Epithalamium, Thamefis, and his Dreams, both mentioned by himfelf in one of his letters, Vlr. Hughes thinks ihey are Hiilpreferved, though
under
EDMUND SPENSER, 267
under different names. It appears from what is faid of the Dreams, by his friend Mr. Hervey, that they were in imitation of Petrarch's Vifions.
The works of Spenfer will never perifh ; thougli he has introduced unnecefiarily many obfolete terms into them, there is a flow^ of poetry, an elegance of fentiment, a fund of imagination, and an en- chanting enthufiafm, \vhich will fecure liim the applaufes of pollcrity, w^hile any lovers of poetrv' remain. We find b\it httle account of the family which Spenfer left behind him, only that in a few particulars of his life, prefixed to the laft folio edition of his works, it is faid, that his great- grandfon, Hugolin Spenfer, after the relioration of king Charles 11. w-as inveiled by the court of claims with fo much of the lands as could be found to have been his anceftor's. "1 here is another re- markable palTage, of which, fays Hughes, I can give the reader much better alihrance ; that a per- fon came over from Ireland, in king William's time, to folicit the fame affair, and brought with him letters of recommendaL-ion, as a defcehJant of Spenfer. His nam.e procured him a favourable re- ception, and he applied particularly to Mr. Con- greve, by whom he was generoufiy recommended to the favour of the earl of Halifax, then at the head of the treafury ; by whofe means he obtained his fuit. This man was fomewhat advanced in years, and might be the perfon before-mentioned, who had poffibly recovered only fome part of his ellate at firft, or had been dillurbed in the poffef- fion of it. He could give noaccoup.t of the works of his anceftor, which are wanting, and which are therefore in ah probability irrecoverably loft. Tlie following ftanzas are faid to be thofe with wiiicli Sir Philip Sidney w^as firft ftruck.
N 2 From
258 T H E L I F E O F
From him returning, fad and comfortlefs.
As on the way together we did fare, We met that villain (God from him me blefs !)
Thatcurfed wight, whom 1 efcaped whylear, A man of hell, that calls himfelf Defpair ;
Who firll us greets, and after fair areeds Of tidings llrange, and of adventures rare.
So creeping clofe, as fnake in hidden weeds, Jnquireth of ourflates, and of our knightly deeds. Which when he knew, and fek our feeble hearts ■ Embos'd w^ith bole, and bitter biting grief, Which love had lanced with his deadly darts,
With wounding w^ords, and terms of foul rcprief,
He pluck'd from us all hope of due relief, Thaterft us held in love of lingVing life ;
Then hopclefs, heartlefs, 'gan the cunning thief, Perfuade us did, to flint all farther llrife, 1 o me lie lent this rope, to him a rufty knife.
The following is the Pidure of the Cave of O K s P A I R .
The darkfome cave they enter, wdiere they find,
Thatcurfed man, low^ fitting on the ground, Mufiug fuil fadly in his fullen mind ;
His grcafy locks, long growing, and unbound, Diiordcr'd hung about his fhoulders round.
And hid iiis face ; thro' which his hollow eyne Look'd deadly dull, and ftared as aflound ;
His raw-bone cheeks, thro' penury and pine, Were fhrunk into his jaws, as he did never dine.
His garments nought, but many ragged clouts. With thorns together pinn'd and patched wa§,
The which his naked lides he wrapt abouts; And him bcfide, there lay upon the grafs
A dreary corfe, whofe life away did pafs,
All
EDMUND SPENSER. 269
All wallowed in his own, vet lukewarm blood, That from his woun.»l yet welled afrefh a!as ;
In which a rufty knife fail iixed ftood. And made an open pallage for the gufliing flood.
It would be an injury to Spenfer's memory to difmifs his life without a few remarks on that mafterly performance, which has placed him among the foremoil: of our poets. The work 1 mean is his allegorical poem of the Fairy Queen. Sir Vv'illiani Temple, in his Eilay on Poetry, fays, " That the religion of the Gentiles had been yv^oven into the contexture of all the ancient poetry with an agreeable mixture, which made the moderiis aiFe£t to give that of Chrifiianity a place alio in their poems ; but tlie true religion was not found to become fidlions fo well as the faife one had done, and all their attempts of this kind fcemed rather to debafe rejisfion^ than heip-hten poetry. Soenfer endeayoured to fupply this with morality, and to make inftruflion, inflead of ftory, the fiibject of an epic poem. His execution was excellent, and his flights of fancy yery noble and high. Bat his <3e{ign was poor ; and his moral lay fo bare, that it loll the efFefft. It is true, the pill was gilded, but fo thin, that the colour and the tafre were ealily difcovered." — Mr. Thomas Rhymer alTerts, that Spenfer may be reckoned the ifirft of our heroic poets.' " He had," fays he, *' a large fpirit, a Iharp judgment, and a genius for heroic poetry, perhaps aboye. any that eyor wrote fince Virgil; but our misfortune js, he w^anted a true idea, and loft himfelf by following an unfaithful guide. Though befides Homer and Virgil he had read Tallo, yet he rather fuiFered himfelf to be milled by Arioilo, with whom blindly rambling on marvels and ad- ventures, he makes no confcience of probability ; all is fanciful and chimerical, without any unifor- N 3 . . mity,
270 T H E L I F E O F
mity, or without any foundation in truth ; in a word, his poem is perfe£t Fairy-land." Thus far ^*ir William Temple, and Mr. Rhymer ; let us now attend to the opinion of a greater name, Mr. Dryden, who in his dedication of his tranfiation of Juvenal, thus proceeds : *' The Englifli have only to boafl of Spenier and Milton in heroic poetry, who neither of them wanted either genius or learn- ing to have been peife6l poets, and yet both of them are liable to many cenfures ; for there is no unifor- mity in the defign of Spenfer ; he aims at the ac- complilhment of no one attion ; he raifes up a hero for every one of his adventures, and endows each of t!iem with fome particular moral virtue, which renders them all equal, without fubordination, or preference : every one is valiant in his own legend ; only we muft do him the juiVice to obferve, that magnanimity, which is the chara£ler of prince i^rlhur, lliines throughout the whole poem, and fuccours the reft when they are in diftrefs. The original of every knight was then living in the cov.rt of cjueen Elizabeth, and he attributed to each of them that virtue which he thought mofl confpi- cuous in them ; an ingenious piece of flattery, though it turned not much to his account. Had he lived to have finifhed his poem in the remaining Jegends, it had certainly been more of a piece ; but could not have been perfect, becaufe the model was not true. Rut prince Arthur, or his chief pa- tron. Sir Philip Sidney, dying before him, de- prived the poet both of means and fpirit to accom- pliih his defign. For the reft, his obfolete lan- guage, and ill choice of his ftanzas, are faults but of the fecond magnitude ; for notwithftanding the iirft, he is ftili nitelligible, at leaft after a little pra6lice : and. for the laft, he is more to be ad- mired ; that, labouring under fuch difad vantages, his verfes are lb numerous, fo various, and fo
har-
EDMUND SPENSER. 271
Itarmonious, that only Virgil, whom he has pro- fclfcdly imitated, hath furpalTed him among the Romans -, and only Waher among the Enghlh." _
Mr. Hughes juftiy obfeives, that the chief merit of this poem coniilb in that ftirprifing vein of fa- bulous invention which runs through it, and en- riches it every where with imaginary defcriptions, more than we meet with in any modern poem. The author feems to be poiTeHed of a kind of poe- tical magic ; and the figures hecalis up to our view, rife up fo thick upon us, that we are at once pleafed and diftrafted with the inexhauflible va- riety of them ; i'o that his faults may, in a m.anner, be imputed to his excellencies. His abundance be- trays him into excefs ; and his judgment is over- borne by the torrent of his imagination.
Upon the whole, Mr. Warton feems to have given the mod accurate, candid crlticifm on this celebrated poem., of all the writers on this delicate fubjea.
*' If the Fairy Queen be deftitute of that ar- rangement and ceconomy which epic feverity re- quires, yet we fcaicely regret the lofs of thefe, while their place is fo amply fupplied by fomething which more powerfully attrafts us ; fomething which engages the affeftions, the feehngs of the heart, rather than the cold approbation of the head. If there be any poem, whofe graces pleafe, becaufe they are (ituated beyond the reach of art, and where the force and faculties of creative imagination de- light, becaufe they are unaffifted and unreftraincd by thole of deliberate judgment, it is this : In reading Spenfer, if the critic is not latisfied, yet the reader is tranfported."
Spenfcr's works were publiihed in 6 vols. iimo.
by Mr. John Hughes, with an account of his life
and a glolfary. Reprinted in 175c. Dr. J3irch
publifhed an edition of the Fairy Queen, 3 vols.
N 4 'j--
272 T H E L I F E O F
in 4to. 1751. Tliree more editions of this poem were publilhed in 1758. In I734> Dr. Jortiii piibliriied remarks on iSpenfer's poems in 8vo. Andlallly, Mr, Warton publiilied Obfervatiqns on the Fairy Queen, which were lb well received, that a r^cond edition was pubhlhed in 1762. Thefe being the feveral authorities from which our me- moirs of this celebrated poet are taken, it is need" lefs to add any other.
The Li FE of
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.
(A. D. 1564, to 1613.)
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, the immor- tal father of the Britifh theatre, the glory of his age and of his country, was the fon of Mr. John Shakefpeare, and was born at Stratford upon Avon in Warwickfhire, in April,, 1564. In the public records of that town, the family from which he vva^ defcended, are mentioned as perfons of good figure and fafhion in that place, and of the rank of gentry. His father, who was a conlider- able dealer in w^ool, being encumbered with a large family of ten children, could afford to give his el- deft fon but a flender education. He had bred him at a free-fchool, where he acquired what Latin he was maftcr of; but the narrownefs of his cir- cumlthnccsj and the want of his afliftance at home,
forced
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 273
forced his father to withdraw hnii from thence, and thereby prevented his receiving any farther advan- tage from fcholaflic-inft-r'aftion.
Upon his quitting. the grammar-fchool, he feem«; to have entirely devoted himfelf to that way of living which liis father purfued ; and, in order to fettle in the world in. a family manner, he thought fit to marry while' he was yet very young. His wife was the daughter of one Hatchway, fai-d to' have been a fubllantial yeoman in tiie neighbour- hood of Stratford.
In this kind of domeftic obfcurity he continued for fome time, till, by an unhappy inllance of mifcondu£l, he was obliged to quit the place of his nativity, and take fnelter in London ; which fortunately proved the occafion of ciifplayjng his fublime genius for dramatic poetry. He bad the misfortune to fall into ill company. Among thefe were fome who made a frequent practice of deer- flealing, and who engaged him more than once in rpbbing a park that belonged to Sir Thoraas Luc^^, of Charlecot, near Stratford ; for v^'hich he was profecuted by that gentlemen, as he thought, fomewhat too feverely ; and, in order to revenge himfelf for this fuppofed ill ufage, he made a ballad •upon him ; and this^ probably the iirfi: eifay of his poetry, is loft ; but it is faid to have been fo very bitter, that it redoubled the profeculion a2;ain{l him to that degree, that he was obliged to leave \iis bufmefs and family for fome time, and to feek for employment in London.
This Sir Thomas Lucy was, it is faid, after- wards-ridiculed by Siiakefpeaie, under the v/ell- known chara6ler of Juftice Shallow. It w^as at this tirhe, and upon this accident, that he is faid to have made his firfl acquaintance in the play- houfe.
N 5 Con-
274 THELIFEOF
Concerning Shakefpeare's iirft mean occupation at the playhonre, the following particulars have been ftatecl. When he came to London he was without money and friends ; and, being a Gran- ger, he knew not to whom to apply, nor by what means to fupport himfelf. At that time, coaches not being in ufe, as gentlemen were accuftoined to ride on horfeback to the playhoufe, Shake fpeare, it is faid, driven to the lall neceffity, attended at the door, and picked up a little money by taking care of the gentlemen's hoifes who came to the play. He be- came eminent, even in that humble ftation, and was taken notice of for his diligence and fkill in it. He had quickly more bufinefs than he himfelf could manage, and at lad hired boys under him, who were known by the name of Shakefpeare's boys. And though he foon found means of a£l- ing in his proper fphere, that of a dramatic writer, yet as long as the cullom of going to the theatre on horfeback continued, the waiters who held the horfes retained the appellation of Shake- fpeare's boys.
Some of the players accidentally ccnverfing with him, found him pofTeifed of an admirable fund of wit, and talents adapted to the ftage, and aflo- nilhed at this unexpe<?ied difcovery, they introduced and recommended him to the company, into v^hofe fociety he was admitted, but in a very humble walk, and upon low terms. He did not, how- ever, long remain fo, for he foon diftinguilhed himfelf, if not as an extraordinary a6tor, at leafl as a fine writer. His name is printed, as the cuf- tom was in thcfe times, amongfl thofe of the other players, before fome old plays, but without any particular account of what caft of^ characters he nfed to play ; and after the moft diligent refearches, it appears, that the moft conliderable part he ever
per^
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 275
performed, wks the Ghoft, in liis own hiflorical traj^edy of Hamlet.
It would undoubtedly afford great fatisfaclion to ■ the curious to be able to afcertain, from proper au- thorities, what was the firlT: poetical effay of the immenfe genius of Shakefpeare, that it might be^ traced through its gradual progreffions to tliat fum- mit of perfection it at length attained. But here" likewife wc are left in the dark.
The hioihell date which Rowe lias been able to- trace, is Romeo and Juliet, in 1597, when thc^ author was thirty-three years old ; and Richard II. and IIL the next year. But whatever the particular times of his writings were, the peopls of the age he lived in, who began to grow wonderfully fond of diverfions of this kind," could not but be highly plea fed to fee a genius arife amongft them, of (o pleafurable, fo rich, and fo abundant a vein, ca- pable of furnifhing variety of their favourite enter- t:iinments.~ ' Befides the advantage which Shakefpeare had over all men in the article of v/it, he was of a fweet, gentle, amiable difpofition, and was a moft-' agreeable companion ; by which he endeared him-* felf to all who knew him, both as a friend and as- a poet ; fo that he was introduced into the beft company, and conve-ried with the fineft characters of his time.
Queen Elizabeth had feveral of his plays a£lcd before her ; and fhe v/as too quick a difcerner of merit, to fuffer Shakefpeare's to efcape her notice- It is affurediy that maiden prhicefs whom he thu5- defcribes ^
A fair vellal, throned by the weft.
Midfumraer Night's Dream.
Queen Elizabeth was fo well pleafed with the jidmirabie charader of Falftaff, in the two parts- N 6 of
276 T H E L I F E O F
of Kcnry IV. that flie commanded him to con- tinue it in one play more, and to make him in Jove. This is laid to have been the occaiion of his writing the Merry Wives of Windfor.
It appears bv the epilogue to Henry IV. that the part of FalftafF was written originally under the name of Oldcafile. Some of that family being then remaining, the queen was pleafed to com- mand him to alter it ; upon which he made ufe of the name of Falflaft. The firft offence was indeed avoided ; but I am not fure whether the author' might not be fomewhat to blame in his fecond choice, iince it is certain that Sir John FalflafF, or Faftol"f, who was a knight of the garter, and a lieutenant general, w^as a perfon of diftinguifhed merit in the wars againft France, in the reigns of Henry V. and Henry VI.
Bclides the royal patronage, Sh?.kefpeare re- ceived many great and uncommon favours fronit the generous earl of Southampton, io famous in Jiiflory for his friendihip to the unfortunate earl of Effex. It was to that nobleman he dedicated his poem of Venus and Adonis ; and it is reported, that his lordihip gave our author a thoufand pounds to enable him to accomplilh a purchafe he heard he had a mind to make ; a bounty, at that time, very confiderable, as money was then valued. There are few inflances of fuch liberality in our times.
We have no clear account when Shakefpeare quitted the flage for a private life. Some have thought that Spenfer*s Thalia, in the l>ars of the Mufes, where Ihe laments the lofs of her Willy, in the comic fccne, relates to our poet's abandon- ing the flage ' but it is well known that Spenfer himfclf died in the year 1598 ; and five years after this, we find Shakefpeare's name among the adors in Ben Johnfon's Sejanus, which firft made its 4 ap-
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 277
appearance in 1603; nor could he then have any thoughts of retiring, lince, that very year, a h- cence, by king James I. was granted to hini, with Burbage, Philips, Hemmings, Condel, &:c. to ex- crcife the art of playing comedies, tragedies, &c, as well at their ufual houfe, called the Globe, on the Bank-fide^ Southwark, as in any other part of the kingdom, during his majefly's pleafure. This licence is printed in Rymer's Foedera. Befides, it is certain, that Shakefpeare did not write Macbeth till after the acceffion of king James I. wdiich he did as a compliment t© him, as he there embraces the do£lrine of witches ; of which his majefly was fo fond, that he wrote a book called Dannonalogy, in defence of their exigence ; and likewife, at that time, began to touch for the evil ; w^iich Shake- fpeare has taken notice of, and paid him a nne- turned compliment upon it. So that the pafTage in Thalia, if it relates at all to Shakefpeare, muft hint at fome occafional recefs which he made for a time.
What particular friendihips he contrafled with private men, we cannot at this time know, more than that every one w^ho had a true tafte for merit, and could diflinguifh men, had generally k juft value and efceem for him. His uncommon can- dour and good-nature muft certainly have inclined all the gentler part of the world to love him, as the power of his wit obliged the men of the mod refined knowledge and polite learning to admire him.
His acquaintance with Ben Jonfon began with a remarkable piece of humanity and good-nature. •Tvlr. Jonfon, who was, at that time, altogether unknown to the world, had offered one of his plays to the ftage, in order to have it aded ; and the perfon into whofe hands it was put, after hav- ing turned it carelellly over, w^as juft upon return-
Alio-
^7^ T H E L I F E O F
ing it to him, with an ill-natured anArer, that it would be of no fervice to their company ; when Shakefpcare luckily call his eye upon it, and found fomcthing of .^uch merit in it, as to engage him firft to read it through, and afterwards to recom- mend Jonfon, and his writingSj to the pubiick.
The latter part of our author's life was fpent iiir cafe and retirement. He had the good fortune to acquire a decent competency ; and he refided fom& years before his death at his native town, Stratford upon Avon, in a handfome houfe he had purchafed, to which he gave the name of New Plrtce. He had' Hkewife the good fortune rofa.ve it from the flames,- when a dreadful lire confumed the greateft part of the town in 1614. His pleafant wit and good- nature engaged him the acquaintance, and intitled- him to the friendfliip of the gentlemen of the neighbourhood. It is Hill remembered in that country, that he had a particular intimacy with- one Mr. Combe, an old gentleman, noted for his w^ealth, avarice, and iifury. It happened that, iiv a pleafant converfation amongfl their common friends, Mf. Combe merrily told Shaksfpeare, thaf he fancied he intended to write hh epitaph, if he happened to out-live him ; aitd fince he could not' know what might be faid of him when dead, he deiired it might be doiie immediately ; upon whicli: , i^hal^efpcare gave him thcfe lines • .
Ten in the hundred lies liere ing-raved,
'Tis an hundred to ten his foul is not f^ved i
If any man afl<, who lic^ in this tomb ?
Oh! oh ! quoth the devil, 'tisniyJohn-a-CombCr
But the (liarpncfs of the fatire is faid to hav-e ftung • the man fo feverely, that he never forgave it.
'nthe be^^inning of the year 1616, Shakefpeare made his will, in which he left 150!.^ to his eldcfl*
daughter^
_ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 27^
daughter, Judith, to be paid to her within twelve- months after his deceafe ; and 150 1. more to be paid to her three years after the date of his will. But he appointed his youngeft daughter, who" was his favourite, and her hufband Dr. John Hall, a phylician of great repute in the county, joint- executors ; baqueathing to them the befl part of his ellate. He alfo left legacies to his fifter Joan, and her three fons ; ten pounds to the poor of Stratford ; his fword to Mr. Thomas Combe, and rings to his old alTociates in the piay-houfe, Hem- mings, Burbage, and Coiidel.
He died in April of the fame year, and was in- terred on the north-fide of the chancel, in the great church of Stratford, where a handfome monument was ered\ed for him, on which the followmg diflich is infcnbed :
Judicio Pylium, genici. Socratem, arte Maronem, Terra tegit, populus mceret, Olympus habet.
And, on the grave-ilone, in the pavement, un* derncath, are thefe lines :
Good friend, for Jefus' fake forbear To dig the dull inclofed here. Bled be the man that fpares thefe flones, And curs'd be he that moves my bones.
In the year 1740, a very noble monumertt was ere£led to the memory of our immortal bard, in Weflminfter- Abbey, at the public expence. For this purpofc, his tragedy of Julius Caefar was per- formed at the Theatre-Royal in Drurv-Lane, on the 28th of April, 1738. 1 he tickets foradmifTion were fixed at an extraordinary price. The earl of Burlington, Dr. Mead, Mr. Pope, and Mr. Fleet- wood, patentee of the theatre, were appointed truftees upon this occafion, and under their direction the 3 ^'''''
ago THELIFEOF
monument was defigned by Mr. Kent, and executed by Scheemakers, an eminent flatuary.
The iigure of Shakefpeare is a whole length, in white marble, drefled in the habit of his time; reclining on the right arm, which is fupported by a pedeftal, from the top of which iffiies a fcroll, having the following lines of his Tempest in^ fcribed thereon ;
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces. The folemn temples, the great globe itfelf ^ Yea, all which it inhabit /hall dilTolve, And, like the bafelefs fabric of?, vifion, Leave not a wreck behind.
It is to be lamented, that fo few incidents of the life of Shakefpeare have been handed down to polle- rity ; but this may, in fome degree, be accounted for, from the little viciiTitude to which it was fub- jedt. A iingle accident carried him to London ; and here the conllant exertion of his great abilities condudlcd him, by an eafy regular tranlition, from indigence and obfcurity to competency and fame. His found judgment fuggefccd to him the felicity of retirement, as foon as he had accomplilhed his moderate wifhes ; and here the fcene of aftive life doling, no extraordinary occurrences happened to fwell the annals of his peaceful days.
Shakcfpeare's widow furvived him {qvqu years, and his family became extin^ in the third gene- ration after him : for his elded: daughter married Mr. Ihomas Quincey, by whom fhe had three fons, but they died without ilTue.
As for Mrs. Hall, Ihe left one child, a daughter, who was married to Thomas Nalh, Efq. and after- wards to Sir John Bernard, of Abingdon ; but Hie likewife died without iffue.
Much
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 2S1
Much difpute has arifcn upon the fubjeft of Shakefpeare's learning. Dr. Johnfon favs, ' It is
* mofl likely that he had learned Latin fufficiently
* to make him acquainted with conflruftion, but
* that he never advanced to an eafy perufal of the
* Roman authors.. Concerning his fkill in modern
* languages, I can find no fufficient ground of de-
* termination ; but as no imitations of French or
* Italian authors have been difcovered, though the
* Italian poetry was then high in efteem, I am in- ' dined to believe, that he read little more than
* Englifli, and chofe for his fables only fuch tales
* as he found tranflated. — There is, however, proof
* enough that he was a very diligent reader, nor
* was our language then fo indigent of books, but
* that he might very liberally indulge his curioiity
* without excurlion into foreign literature. Many ' of the Roman authors were tranflated, and fome
* of the Greek ; the Reformation had filled the
* kingdom whh theological learning ; mofl of the ' topics of human difquifition had found Englifli
* writers ; and poetry had been cultivated, not
* only with diligence, but fuccefs. This was a ' flock of knowledge fufiicient for a mind fo ca^
* pable of appropriating and improving it.' It has, however, been contended, by other writers, that Shakefpeare was not unfkilled in the learned lan- guages, and that he was acquainted even with the Greek, as well as with the Roman dailies : but Dr Farmer, in his *' EfTay on the Learning of *^' Shakefpeare," has accounted, in . a very fatis- fa6lory manner, for the frequent allufi<5ns to the fa6ls and fables of antiquity, which we meet with in the writings of Shakelpeare, without leaving any grounds for the fuppoiition of his having read the Greek and Roman writers in their original lan- guages. He particularly fpecifies the old Englifh tranflations of various dafTical autliorsj which
were
.8^ THE LIFE OF
%vere then extant, andvvitli which Shakefpeare wa? evidently converlant ; and, upon the whole, Dn Farmer concludes, that the ftadies of Shakefpeare were certahily confined to nature, and his own language.
On the merit and genius of Shakefpeare the foU- lowing obfervations are made by Mr. Pope. * If
* ever any author deferved the name of an original,
* it was Shakefpeare. Homer himfelf drew not his
* art fo immediately from the fountains of nature-, ' it proceeded through Egyptian ftroiners and
* channels, and came to him not without fome^
* tindure of the learning, or fome cail of the mo*
* dels, of thofe before him. The poetry of Shake*'
* fpeare was infpiration indeed : he is not fo much
* an imitator, as an inlbument, of nature ; and 'tis
* not fo juft to fay that he fpeaks from her, as that
* fhe fpeaks through him. His charadlers are fo ' much nature itfelf, that 'tis a fort of injury to
* call them by fo diftant a name aS' copies of her. ' Thofe of other poets havea con{}:ant refemblance^
* which fliews that they received them from one an-
* other, and were but muliripiiers of the fame
* image : each pi£lure, hke a mock-rainbow, is
* but the reflexion of a reflexion. But every iingle
* chara6ter in Shakefpeare is as much an individual^
* as thofe in life itfelf ; it is as impolTible to find
* any two alike ; and fuch as from their relation or
* alHiiity in. any refpeft appear mofl to be twins^.
* will upon comparilbn be found remarkably dif- ' tina.'
' Shakefpeare,' f.-ys Dr. Johnfon, * is above all 'writers, at lea{V ai:)ove all modern writers, the
* Poet of Nature ; the poet chat holds out to his
* readers a faithful mirrour of manners and of life. 'His characters are not modified by the cuftoms 'of particular places, unpra6tifed by the refc.o-f the ' world ; by the pecuUatities of iludies or profef-
* lions*.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 283
■^ lions, whicli cat! operate but upon fmall numbers ;
* or by the accidents of tranficnt fafhions, or tem-
* porary opinions. They are the genuine progeny of
* common humanity, luch as the world will al-
* ways fupply, and obrervation will always find. ' His peribns a6l and fpeak by the influence of
* thofe general pallions and principles by which all
* minds are agitated, and the whole fyftem of life
* is continued in motion. In the writings of other *• poets a character is too often an individual; in
* thofe of Shakefpeare it is commonly a fpecies. 'It is. from this wide ex-tenfion of deiign^ that fo
* much inilruftion is derived. It is this which fills
* the plays of Shakefpeare with practical axioms
* and domeflic wifdom. It was faid of Euripides,
* that every verfe was a precept ; and it may be faid ' of Shakefpeare, that from his works may be col-
* le£led a fyilem of civil and oeconomical pru- ' dence.*
The works of Shakefpeare have palled through. many editions, and been elucidated by many com- mentators. Seven years after his death, his plays were coileiEled and publiihed in 1623, in foHo, by two of his friends in the company of comedians, Heminge and Condel. They were re-printed in 1632, 1664, and 1^8-5; and in 1714, an edition was publi filed in 8vo. by Mr. Nicholas Rowe. A new edition was publifhed by Mr. Pope in 4to. in 1721 ; and another by Mr. 'I'heobald in Svo. in 1733, ^^^ which was aftervvards re-printed m ten volumes, 1 2 mo.
In 1744, Sir Thomas Hanmer publiH^ed, at Oxford, a pompous edition, in fix volumes, 4to. ; and in 1747, Air. Warburton, afterwards bilhop of Olouceller, publiihed another edition in eight volumes, 8vo. This was fucceeded by, feveral other editions, particularly that of Dr. Johnfon, ia eight volumes, Svo. in 1765 j two other editions,.
by
ft84 THELIFEOF
bv Dr. Johnfon and Mr Steevens in conjun6lion, in ten volumes, 8vo.; and another improved edi- tion, alfo in ten volumes, 8vo. by Mr. Reed of Staples Inn, in 1785. Propofals have likewife lately been publillied, by Mr, Alderman Boydell, Mr.'joliah Boydell,' and Mr. George Nicoll, for a very magnificent edition of the plays of Shake - fpeare, which is to be in nine volumes, large 4to. and adorned with prints, executed after piftures pain'ed for the purpofe by the mofl eminent EngliQi artifts. The paintings are afterwards to be pre- ferved in a gallery, which is to be denominated The Shakespeare Gallery.
We have only to add the following lift of the dramatic works publifhed under our author's name, diftinguifliing with an allerifm thofe which the critics, with great reafon, reje£t, as pieces impro- perly afcrihed to him.
1. The Tempeft, a Comedy, a£led in the Black Fryars, with applaufe.
2. The Two Crientlemen of Verona a Comedy, written at the command of queen Elizabeth.
3. The Pirfland Second Parts of King Henry IV.
4. ') he Merry Wives of Windfor, a Comedy.
5. Meafure for Meafure, a Comedy ; the plot of this play is taken from a novel of Cynthio Gizaldi.
6. The Comedy of Errors, founded upon the Ma?nechml of Plautus.
7. Much-a-do About Nothing, a Coniedy ; for the plot fee i^riollo's Valando Furiofo.
8. Love's Lavour Loll:, a Comedy.
9. Midfummer Night's Dream, a Comedy.
10. The Merchant of Venice, a Tragi-Comedy.
11. As You Like It, a Comedy.
12. 1 he Taming of a Shrew, a Comedv.
13. All's Well that Ends Well. The flory from one of the novels of Boccace.
14. The
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 2?^
14. The Twelfth-Night ; or, What you will, a Comedy.
15. The Winter's Tale, a Tragi-Comedy ; the plot of this play is borrowed from Robert Green's novel of Doraftus and Faunia.
16. The Life and Death of King Jshn, an hifto- rlcal play.
17. The Life and Death of King Richard IL an hiftovical play.
18. The Life of King Henry V. an hiflorical play.
19. The Firfl Part of King Henry VL an hiflo- rical play.
20. The Second Part of King Henry VL with the death of the good Duke Humphrey.
21. The Third Part of Henry VL with the death of the Duke of York. Thefe three plays contain the whole reign of that unhappy monarch.
22. The Life and Death of Richard liL with the Landing of the Earl of Richmond, and the Battle of Bolworth-field.
2'2^. The Hiftory of the Life of King Henry VIIL This piece clofes the hillorical drama of our author with refpeft to his native country.
24. '] roilus and Creffida, a Tragedy ; the plot from Chaucer.
25. Coriolanus, a Tragedy ; the flory from the Roman Hiilory.
26. Titus Andronicus, a Tragedy,
27. Romeo and Juliet, founded on a real Tra- gedy, that happened about the beginning of the fourteenth century. The ftory, with all its cir- cumlhnces, is related by Girolame Corte, in his Hiftory of Verona. And our author has varied very little either in his names, characters, Qr other ci:-- cumftances, from truth and matter of fa£l ; indeed this was his general rule, with refpefl to his hifto- rical plays, which makes them the more valuable.
28, Timon
3:86 T H E L I F E, &c.
c?.8. Timon of Athens, a Tragedy ; the plot from Lucian's Dialogues.
29. Julius Ciefar, a T>aged3^
30. 'llie Tiage<ly of Macbeth ; the plot from Buchanan, and other Scotch hiftorians.
31. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, a Tragedy.
32. King Lear, a Tragedy ; the plot from Geoffrey of Monmouth.
33. Othello, the Moor of Venice, a Tragedy ; the plot from Cynthio's Novels.
34. Anthony and Cleopatra ; the flory from Plutarch.
35. Cymbeline, a Tragedy ; the plot partly from the Decameron of Boccace, and partly from the ancient traditions of Britifh hiflory.
* 36. Pericles, Prince of Tyre ; an hiflorical play.
* 37. The London Prodigal, a Comedy.
* 38. The Life and Death of Thomas Lord Cromwell, tlie favourite of King Henry VIII.
^■- 39. The Hiilory of Sir John Oldcaftle, the good Lord Cobliam, a Tragedy. See Fox*s Book of Martyrs.
"■ 40. The Puritan ; or, the Widow of Wat- ling-ftreet, a Comedy.
* 41. A Yorklhire Tragedv : this is rather an Interlude, than a Tragedy, being very fliort, and not divided into afts.
* 42. The Tragedy of Locrine, the eldeft Son of King Brutus. See the flory in Milton's Hiflory of England,
The
[ aS7 1
The life of
V/ I L L 1 A M CAMDEN.
[A. D. 1551, to 1623.]
Including Memoirs of Sir Thomas B o d l e y. Founder of the Bodleian Library.
THE celebrated antiquary and hiflorian,^ Mr. William Camden, was the fon of Sampfoii Gamden o^ Litchiield, who fettled in London, where our author was born in 1551. The rudi- ments of education he received at Chrifl:*s Hofpital ; but at twelve years of age, having been greatly in- jured in his health by the plague, he was fent to Iflington for the benefit of the air, where he re- mained for fome time in fo languid a condition, that he was unabJe to purfue his fludies. But upon his recovery, he went to St. PauFs-fchool, till he w^as fifteen years of age, and was then fent to Ox- ford, and admitted a fervitor in Magdalen college : here he iinifhed his claffical learning in the fchool belonging to the college, under the care of Dr. Thomas Cooper, afterwards bilTiop of Lincoln, Being difappointed of a demy's place in this college, he removed to Broadgate-hall, now Pembroke col- lege,
288 T H E L I F E O F
]ege, and continued his academical fludles up- wards of two years, under that able preceptor Dr. Thomas Thornton, who, entertaining fentimentsT of elleem and friendfhip for young Camden, be- came his firfl patron ; and when the doftor was promoted to a canonry of Cbrift-church, he took his pupil with bim, made him his companion, and lodged him in his own apartments.
The number of Camden's friends foon in- creafed, by whofe perfuafion he Hood candidate for a fellovvfhip in All-Soul's college; but the in- fluence of the Fopilli party prevailing in that fo- ciety, tbe eleflion was carried againft him. In 1570, he met with a more fevere mortification, being refufed the degree of bachelor of arts, but no reafon is afligned for this extraordinary circum- flance.
About this time he formed a clofe friendfliip with Richard and George Carew, gentlemen of refpciSla- ble families and confiderable fortunes inDevonfliire, the latter of whom w^as created earl of Totncfs by James I. Kis new friends were antiquarians, and from convcrllng with them, Camden derived an inclination to Hudy this branch of hiftory ; with which he was at length lb charmed, that he fays^ ** he could neverhear any thing mentioned relat- ing to that fubje6t, without more than ordinary- attention." The antiquities of his own country were objecls of his laudable reiearches ; and both before and after he left the university, he made fre- quent excurfionS, fometimes in company with the Carews, and at other times alone, to the different counties in England, to procure informations and materials towards forming thole colleftions, from- which he afterwards compofed his celebrated work, intituled, Britannia.
In 157 1 he accepted a prefling invitation from two worthy divines, Dr. Gabriel Goodaian, dean
of
WILLIAM C A M D E N. 2?f
^f Weftminftcr, and Dr. Godfrey Goodman, hiJ l3rother, to fettle near them in Weflminfter ; and they undertook to fupply him with books, and every accommodation of life, at their expence, till he Ihould meet with preferment fuitable to his merit. In 1573, he went to Oxford, and ilaid there near two years : during which time he is fup- pofed to have taken his degree of bachelor of arts ; and in iSJyS? ^Y ^be interefl of his friend the dean, he was appointed fecond mafler of Weft, miniler fchool ; in which ftation he greatly diftin- guifhcd himfelf, and ftrengthened his connexions in life* He could now only devote his leifure-hours to his favourite ftudy, yet he had already made fuch a progrefs in it, that his reputation as an antiquary daily increafed, and procured him the efteem and friendfhip of men of the iirft eminence in the learned w^orld, both at home and abroad. Hotman, the celebrated French civilian and anti- quarian ; Juftus Lipfias of Bruilels, a moft learned critic; Tames Houfa, or Vander-Doos, the younger, of the Hague, eminent for his Latin poetry ; and Gruter of Antv/erp, a famous critic and antiqua- rian, w^ere all admirers of our author's talents for hiftory and antiquities, and kept up a conftant cor- refpondence with him. But the chief promoters of his Britannia were Sir Philip Sidney, who furnillied him with fome valuable materials, and made him manv conliderable prefents ; and Abra- ham Ortelius of Antwerp, the moft Celebrated geographer of the age, who viiited England, and, being introduced to Camden, was fo ft ruck with fome fpecimens of his learned criticifms on hiftori- cal fubjeds, that he imxportuned him by all means to complete and publifh an hiftory of the ancient ftate of Britain. Accordingly, in compliance with the folicitations of fuch refpeflable friends, w'itli unw^earied afliduity and clofe application he collated Vol. II. O every
2ro T H E L I P E O F
every hiftorical or curious anecdote to be found, dif- perfed in the works of the ancients, refpeding the Eritifh ifles. With the fame attention he examuied all the hJllories of Britain then extant in our lan- guage, or written in Latin by our own country- men. He likewife purchafed feveral valuable manu- fcripts, and he fearched all old records in the pub- lic offices. In fine, he vifited all the repolitojies of learning in the kingdom, for information conccru- iug the ancient hiflory of his country ; and he in- fpedted on the fpot every monument of antiquity which could ferve to illuflrate his work.
In 1581, the learned Monf. BrilTon, prciident of the parliament of Paris, who was alTaffinated by the Leaguers in 1591, came to England on public affairs, and formed an intimacy with Camden, to whom he communicated fome material informa- tions from ancient manufcripts in the French li- braries ; and this learned critic always Ipoke in terms of the higheft veneration and refpedl of the great abilities of Camden.
At length, after ten years of indefatigable induf- try, the firft edition of his Britannia, inLatin, appeared in 158&, and in one v-olume, 8vo. 'i'he title in Engliih is, " Britain, or a Chorographical Defcription ot the fiourifliing Kingdoms of Eng- land, Scotland, and Ireland, with the adjacent lilands, from the moft remote Antiquity."
This elaborate work was dedicated to lord Bur- leigh, and the author gratefully acknowledges the kind patronage of that celcbiated ftatefman. Cam- den's reputation was novy raifed fo high, that he Vv-as llyled by fome foreign writers the Varro, by others the Strabo and Paufanias of Britain ; and thtfe encomiums had a happy cfFeft on the gene- rous mind of our author, inciting him to add every improvement to his performance of which the fub-
jea
W I L L I A M C A M D E N. 291
je£l would admit, With this view, he refided, during the year 1589, in Devonfhire, and palled part of the time at IfFarcomb, which is a prebend of the cathedral of Sahfbury, and to which Cam- den had been prefented this year by his friend Dr. John Piers, bifhop of the diocefe. After having vifited every part of the weft of England, where ^ny veftiges of antiquity were to be found, he pro- ceeded to Vvales, in company with the learned Dr. Godwin, afterwards bifhop of Hereford ; by whofe affiftance he made many valuable difcoverie^ of the antiquities of this country, and inferred them in the fourth edition of his Britannia, which was publiibed in 4to, in the courfe of the ye:n
1594-
Dr. (jraunt, the head mafter ot Weftmiatier
fchool, dying ii-i 1(592,. Camden was appointed to fucceed him ; and being at this time alilided vrith an ague, he did not make any excurlions in pur^- fuit of his favourite plan till the furamer vacation in 1593. He then vifited Oxford, and carefully copied the heraldry and infcjiptions of the curious monuaients in the churches and chapels of this fa- mous city.
Our learned antiquary's next performance was a Greek grammar for the ufe of Wedminftor (chool, which was the only grammar in ufe in all the pub- lic fchoois for above a century after his death -, and fo conflant was the demand tor it both at home and abroad, that a new edition was priiited every year. His friends, however, thought the office of a fchool-mafter rather too fatiguing for his con- flitution ; and the confinement not well adapted to his a£tive genius. To relieve him, therefore, from a ftation, which prevented the exertion of his admired talents for hiftory and antiquities, they procured him a more fuitable employment, througli O 2 th©
29a T H E L I F E O F
the intered of Sir Fulke Grcvllle, wlio obtained him the honourable office of Clarencieux, the fe- cond king at arms, an appointment which excited the envy of Ralph Brooke, the York-herald.^ Mr. Brooke, determined to gratify his fpleen, pubhflied a tra6l, intituled, *^ A difcovery of certain errors pub- lifhed in print, in the much-commended Britannia.'* The errors detected were very trifling, chiefly re- fpe£ling pedigrees, in v;hich branch it might well be imagined the herald, after many years pra^lice, was more critically exa6l than our celebrated hif- torian ; and i-n the fifth edition of the Britannia proper notice is taken of Mr. Brooke's attack, which in part is refuted. At the fame time the candid author acknowledges, that it was not pof- fible to compile a work of that nature without feme errors. In the end, therefore, his reputation was not injured by thi-s piece of ill-natured criti- cifm. In 1600, our indefatigable author under- took a journey to the North of England, accom- panied by Sir Robert Cotton, the founder of the Cottonian library. They fpent fome time at Car- lifle, and having furveyed every rem.arkable curio- fity in that part of our ifland, they returned to London ; and Camden, before the year clofcd, publifhed, in fmali quarto, *' A defcription of all the monuments of the kings, queens, nobles, aiid others in Wefiminfler- Abbey, with their infcrip* tions ; together w^ith an hillorical account of the foundation of that church.^*
Mr. Camden had long formed a plan for writing a civil hiflory of England ; but it is probable, that the change of affairs, upon the death of queen Elizabeth, prevented his carrying it into execu- tion ; for foon after that event, he fent his valua- ble manufcrips and printed copies, of the ancient hiftorians of Britain, to Frankfort, where a new edition of the remains of thefe authors was printed
WILLIAM C A M D E N. 293
and publifhed under his corre£lion, with tlie fol- lowing title : *' Anglica, Normannica, Hibernica, Cambrica, a Veteiibus dcfcripta ; ex quibus Affer Menevenfis, Anonymus de vita Gulrelmi Con- quGeftoris, Thomas Walfingham, Thomas de la More, GuUelmus Genuticenfis, Giraldus Cam- brenfis. Plcrique nunc in lucem editi ex biblio- theca Gulielmi Camdeni.'^ This judicious publi- cation affuch valuable authors, he dedicated to his conilant friend Sir Fulke Greville. In 1605, he pubHfhed, " Remains of a greater work concern- ing Britain, the inhabitants thereof, their languages, names, furnanies, eraprefes, wife fpeeches, poelies, and epitaphs." This curious piece chiefly relates to the habits, manners, and cuftoms of the ancient Britons and Saxons ; and it is dedicated to Sir Ro- bert Cotton, founder of the Cottonian library, but it is fubfcribed only vvith tlie final letters of our author's name M. NT.
In 1606, we find Mr. Camden, for the firfl time, employed in the fervice of a royal patron, James 1. who being defirous to expofe to the eyes of all Europe: the machinations of his Popifh ene- mies, and at the fame time to juflify the rigorous nieafures wjiich were taken, to fecure the three kingdoms agaiftfl future attempts of the fame horrid nature as the gunpowder-plot then lately difco- vered, thought proper to caufe a kind of manifeflo to be drawn up in Latin, in order to be fent abroad, and difperfed by the Britifh miniflers at foreign courts, fo as to be circulated to all parts of Europe ; and our hiilorian having at this time the reputa- tion of being the moil elegant and corredl Latin writer in England, he was ordered to draw up this manifeilo, in wdiich likewife the foreign Protef- fant churches were alTured of his majefty's protec- tion, in cafe the defigns of the Popiih party to ex- t.rpate the reformed reh"gion ihould be manifefled O3 by
294 THELIFEGF
by any a£l of open violence. This piece was pub- liihed in 1607, and does great honour to Camden, not only with refpeft to the llyle, but to the maf- terly manner in which he has treated the fuhjedl of the memorial. The fame year he pubiifhcd the iixth edition of l^s Britannia, in folio, confidera- bly enlarged and improved, and illuilrated with maps.
From this time to the year 161 2, we have no account of this great man's literary labours, nor ^ny anecdote concerning him, except that he had a fall from his horfe, by which he hurt his \e^ fo much, that he was confined for feveral months. But at the above-mentioned period, he was obliged to vifit Oxford on a mournful occalion, to fliew the lafl folemn token of refpeft to the manes of his dcccafed friend Sir Thomas -Bcdley.
This {gentleman, who has endeared his name to lateil poikrity, by founding the noble library at Oxford, called after him, *' The Bodleian Library,'*^ was the fon of an eminent merchant at Exeter, who having early embraced the reformed religion, and being menaced with perfecution on that ac- count, fied with his fon to Geneva, and remained there during the turbulent reign of queen Mary.
Upon tlK^ acceflion of queen Elizabeth, they re- turned home> with the otlier Proteftant exiles ; and ■young Bodley, having made a confiderable progrefs at Geneva in divinity and the learned languages, was fcnt by his father to Magdalen college, Oxford. In 1563, he took his degree of mailer of arts ; in 1565, he obtained a feliowfhip in Tvderton college ; in I ^^69, he was elefted one of the proftors of the univerlity ; and, for a confiderable time, during a vacancy, he fupplied the p'ace of univeifity orator. His friends now having in view fome preferment for him about the court, in 1576, he went abroad, to make the tour of Europe, and pcrfcdl himfelf
in
W I L L I A U CAMDEN. 295;
in the modern languages. He continued about four years on tlie continent, and, upon his return, }ie. applied himfelf to the lludy of hiftory and pohtics to qualify himfelf for public employments ; and he- was very foon called upon to exert his talents in fiations of great dignity and importance. From !C:entlejiian-ufher to queen hlizabeth, he rofe to be her Majefty's ambaiTador to the courts of Denmark and F^rance ; and her leprefentative in the council of Hate of the United Provinces in 1588 ; when he. managed the queen's affair ib much to the fatis- faftion of the miniftry at home, that he was con- tinued in this liigh office till 1597, when ail the public negociations with the Hates being fuccefT- fuily terminated, he was recalled. But, infread of meeting with that reward for his eminent fervices he had a right to expe£l, he found his ov;n in- tereft declining with that of his patron the earl of ElTex, and, in a fit of difgull:, he retired from court, and all public bulinefs ; and, though after- wards Iblicited, he never would accept of any new office under the government; but king James, on his accelhon, conferred on him the honour of knighthood.
To this retirement from the buftle of public life, the univerlity of Oxford mofi: probably flands in- debted for the Bodleian library, juftly eileemed one of the nobieft in the world. The iirfl ftep Sir Thomas Bodley look in this affair, was to write a letter to Dr. Ravis, vice-chancellor of the uni- versity, offering to rebuild the decayed fabric of the public library, to improve and augment the fcanty collcv^ion of books contained in it ; and to veft an annual income in the. hands of the heads of the univeriity, for the purchafe of books, and foe the falaries of fuch officers, as they fhould think it neceffary to appoint. A fuitable anfwer beiiig re- turned, and this generous offer gratefully accepted,
Sir
296 T H E L I F E O F
Sir Thomas Bodley immediately ordered the oM building to be pulled down, and a new one ere<Sl- ed at his own expence ; which being completed in about two years, he added to the old a new col- leftion of the moft valuable books then extant,, which he hjid ordered to be purchafed in foreign countries ; and having thus fet the example, the nobility, the bilhops, and feveral private gentle- men, made fuch coniidcrable benefa£lions in books, that the room was not large enough to contain them. Upon which, Sir Thomas offered to make confiderable additions to the building ; and on the 19th of July, 1610, he laid the firft fhone of the new foundation, being accompanied by the vice- chancellor, do6lors, mafters of arts, ^c. and a fpecch was made on the occasion. Sir Thomas Bodley did not live to fee this additional build- ing completed ; but he had the fatisfaftion to know that it was intended, as foon as that was iinilbed, to enlarge the plan of the whole edifice, and in the end to form a regular quadrangle ; and as he knew his own fortune was inadequate to this great work, he made ufe of his intereft with feveral peifons of rank and fortune, and engaged them to make large prefents to the univerlity to forward this undertak- ing, to which he bequeathed his whole eftate. He likewife drevv^ up fome excellent ftatutes for the re- gulation of the library, which feems to have been the laft a£l of his life. He died on the 28th of January, 16 12, and was buried in the chapel of Mertoji college, where a handfome monument was ended to his memory ; and a flatue was likewife put in the hbrary at the expence of the earl of Dorfet, when chancellor of the univerfity.
An annual fpeech, in praife of Sir Thomas Bod- ley, is flill made atOxford, on the 8th ofNovember,. at which time the yifitation of the library is ufually made.
When
W I L L I A M CAMDEN. 297
When Camden went to Oxford, to attend the funeral of Sir Thomas Bodley, the univerfity of- fered him the degree of mafter of arts ; but this lie dcchned, as he did afterwards the title of knight.
In 1615, Camden piibliflied his '' Annals of the reign of queen ^ilizabeth to the year 1589, in La- tin." He began this work in the year 1597, by the deiire of lord Burleigh, who fiipplied him with many valuable materials. But, after the death of that minifler, being defirous to complete his Britannia, he laid it alide, till he had iinifhed his favourite work ; and then receiving frefh ma- terials from his friend Sir I homas Bodley, who was poflefTed of a great number of flate-papers, he publifhed the Annals as far as he had proceeded. In the year 16 17, he completed them by bringing the hiflory down to the death of Elizabeth ; but imagining there were fome palTages in this conti- nuation which might not be well received by king James's court, he would not fuffer it to appear while he lived. The firft edition of the continua- tion was publifhed at Leyden in 1625, inoftavo. And the firil: edition of the annals complete in folio> at London, in 1627.
Camden, being now grown old and infirm, re- folved to devote part of the fortune he had ac- quired to the encouragement of that branch of literature for which he himfelf was {o eminent. In this view, in 1622, he founded a profelTorfliip of hiilory in the univerfity of Oxford, and fettled a lalary of 140I, per annum on the profefTor, and having nominated Mr. Degory Wheare, a gentle- man who had been educated at the univerfity, and, had diftinguifi^ed himfelf by his accurate know- ledge of hiilory, to be his firfl profeiTbr, it feemed as if the bufincfs of his life had ended with this infiitution; f-or on the i8th. of Ausuft, 1623, ^^
lie
298 THELIFEOF
he was fitting in his chair in his ftudy, he fud- denly lofl tlie ufe of his hands and feet, and fell down i;pon the floor. He received no apparent hurt from this accident, and he even recovered the ufe of his hmbs ; but thediforder terminated in a fever, with which he languilhed till the 9th of Novem- ber, when he died, at his houfe at Chiflchurll ia Kent.
His remains were depofited in Weilminfler- Abbey, in the fouth-aifle, near the learned Ifaae Cafaubon, of Geneva, a mod eminent critic on the works of the ancients, who died at London in 16 14. Camden's funeral w^as conduced with great pomp ; the college of heralds attending in their proper habits ; feveral of the nobility and other perfons of diflindion walked in the proceffion ; and a funeral fermon in Latin was preached by Dr. Sutton, the fub-dean. A handfome monument was likewife ere£led to his memory, which w-as defaced ; and, it is faid, by a young gentleman, who, in refentment of fome refle6lion thrown out by Camden againfl the reputation of his mother, broke off the nofe from his effigies ; but it has beea lately repaired at the expence of the univerfity of 'Oxford.
Mr. Camden's character, as a writer and as a Ulan, acquired him the higheft degree of reputa- tion, both at home and abroad ; and every man of eminence, for any branch of learning, cultivated his correfpondence and friendlhip. To have tra- velled into England, and not to have vilited him, would have been deemed a great omiihon in any foreigners of note ; and as to his own countrymen, the greatefl ornaments of human learning, his con- tempories, mention their veneration for him, and account it an honour to rank themfelves in the number of his friends. Befides the works already Hicntioned, a large coUedion of his Latin letters, 7 with
WILLIAM C A M D E N. 296
with fome fmall trails, have been pub) i died by Hearne, from the coUeftioiis of Dr. Smith.
Of his capital performance, the Britannia, an EngUfh translation was pubhflied, in foHo, by Dr. Philemon Holland, in 161 1 ; and which was re- printed, with alterations, 1636. A much bet- ter tranflation of the Britannia, with additions and improvements, was publifhed in 1695, in folio, by Edmund Gibfon, of Queen's-coilege, in Oxford, afterwards bifhop of London. This was re-printed, with additions, in two vo- lumes, folio, 1722, and in 1773. But in 1789 a new tranilation, with additions and improvements, in three volumes, folio, printed by Mr. Nichols, was publifhed under the following title : " Bri- " tannia ; or, a Chorographical Defcription of the *' flourifliing kingdoms of England, Scotland, *' and Ireland, and the iflands adjacent, from the " earlieft antiquity. By William Camden. Tranf- ** lated from the edition pubhflied by the author *' in 1607. Enlarged- by the Jateft difcoveries, and ** illuflrated with a new fet of maps, and other *' copper-plates, by Richard Gough, F. A. and *'R.SS."
*^* Authorities. Biog. Britan. Life of Cam- pion, by Gibfon, prefixed to his Britanniat
END OF V O L. IL
ERRATA.
P, 72. 1. 2. read " for various;'
1, 8, r^^i/ * any thing he was.^^
.'^. ,'*• ,v*«t.,.
:«.tJ.lS€:t--ill"i-
.3»».,. Mi.. s||.
■ €' ii ■■«. ■
ifc* II € * * « 11 m M^^^-%*a^* *^/-«* A V.
^^^i««XC«-«>
^1 m: m'i
WWh
' *iV,?^i?iW/.»AV^d*
- ^1 V »^ IT m" ¥ w c w. r r. % j. i: i^ ¥,. i
^ 1 I I if* r 1^ !■ t- !■: if f 1^ t l-i' 1^ ^'
t.rw.>:i.K^.i^.»
fpm |
r^^T^ |
'fi^^ |
|
|| ■ ■ ■ 1 |
|
^^■^M |
|
rTT |
■ ^ t i
^ :&: ^v
\, 4, ?!V ji*
"IS « ¥ » ^'S"I'"^^^'T^¥ t # »: * 3f' -r #■:' i' I- !■ J
V/sV»V/»P»¥* r * f
*i »
W^^.*^Ae/iW&*>xw,
a^ 1 I'-m'r.t. » It 1
I l.R*:^
« f
"i!C*jiWy#.
: « * ^f f ^; « ii 1
i:ii
i;.p;'PK<#',<«S^
s^ ^
m ll..:*;i €. -1^ »■ a. m m m 'w « ■«