A catalogue of the bishops of England, since the first planting of Christian religion in this island together with a briefe history of their liues and memorable actions, so neere as can be gathered out of antiquity. By F.G. subdeane of Exceter.

52. William Wickham.

AT the Kings request, William Wickham, his Chap∣laine, principall Secretary, and kéeper of the priuy seale, soone after Edendons death was both elected by the Prior and couent of Winchester, and allowed of by the Pope who now tooke vpon him to haue an interest in the dis∣position of all our Bishoprickes, as elsewhere I haue more at large discoursed. This man was the sonne of one Iohn Perot and Sibill his wife, for whose place of buriall, he erected a Chappell afterwards at Tichfield néere the towne of Wick∣ham in Hampshire. In that towne he was borne the yéere of our Lord 1324. and (according to the manner of most clear∣gy men in those times) of that towne the place of his birth tooke his sirname. I finde also recorded, that he was woont to be called sometimes by the name of Long, and that (as it is probably supposed) for no other cause, but in regard of his stature, which they say was very tall. He was brought vp first at Winchester, and then at Oxford, at the charge of a Gentleman called Nicholas Vnedall or Woodall. In these places (hauing first passed the rudiments of Grammer) he

studied Logicke, Geometry, Arithmetique, and the French tongue, but principally the Ciuill and Canon lawes. In all which as he profited excéedingly for the time he spent in them; so there is no doubt he would haue prooued so excellent as men are woont that doo long and painefully imploy good wits to such purposes, had he not béene euen as it were violently drawne from them when his abode and continuance in the Uniuersity might séeme most requisite. His Patrone and ex∣hibitioner being appointed Constable of Winchester Castle, (an office of great importance in those daies) he would imploy this his yoong scholler as his clarke or secretary, and so tooke him from the Uniuersity when he had as yet continued there not fully sixe yéeres. How long he liued so vnder him I finde not: But certaine it is, his seruice was very well liked of him: For besides his personage (which was tall and excée∣ding comely) not to speake any thing of his learning (where∣of his Master could make no great vse) he writ very faire, penned excellently, & spake no man better. By reason where∣of, he was often imployed in writing letters, yea and some∣times in messages also to the Court, not onely by his master, but by the Bishop, that a while vsed to borrow him of his ma∣ster, and at the last drew him to his seruice. It happened then after a while, king Edward the third to come to Winchester, who taking speciall note of the behauiour & other good partes of this yoong man, would néedes haue him to serue him. He imployed him much at the first, in surueighing his buildings at Douer, Duynborough, Henly, Windsor, Yestanstead, and elsewhere. In which & all other businesses committed to him, he behaued himselfe so well, as he soone grew into great fauour and high estimation with the king, and quickly reaped those fruites that Princes fauours are woont to yéeld, many rich and honorable preferments. It shall not be amisse to re∣member, how that hauing obtained diuers goodly promoti∣ons which he acknowledged to haue receiued rather as re∣wards of seruice, then in regard of any extraordinary desert otherwise, he caused to be engrauen in Winchester Tower at Windsor these words, (This made Wickham.) Whereof when some complained to the King as a thing derogating from his honor, that another should seeme to beare the charge

of his buildings, and the king in great displeasure reprehen∣ded him for it: He answered, that his meaning was not to ascribe the honor of that building to himselfe, but his owne honor of preferments vnto that building; Not importing that Wickham made the Tower, but that the Tower was the meanes of making Wickham, and raising him from base estate, vnto those great places of honor he then enioyed. He was first Parson of Saint Martins in London, then Deane of Saint Martin le graund, Archdeacon successiuely of Lin∣colne, Northampton, and Buckingham, all of the gift of his old acquaintance Iohn Bokingham Bishop of Lincolne, with whom & Simon Burleigh (a knight afterwards of great honor) he onely in a manner conuersed during his abode in Oxford. Besides these ecclesiasticall preferments, the Pro∣uostship of Wels, a number of benefices, and twelue Pre∣bends in seuerall Churches, he held many temporall offices, as the Secretaryship, the kéeping of the priuy seale, the Ma∣stership of wardes, the treasurership of the Kings reuenues in Fraunce, and diuers other with whose stiles I am not ac∣quainted. But the yéerely reuenewes of his spirituall promo∣tions onely according as they were then rated in the Kings bookes, amounted vnto 876. l. 13. s. 4. d. He was consecrate Bishop of Winchester, the yéere 1367. and was made soone after first treasurer, then Chauncellor of England, (although whether he were treasurer or no I find some doubt made, and I dare not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it too confidently) whether he were treasu∣rer or no, certaine it is, that many yéeres after he was Bishop he was trusted with all the waighty affaires of the realme disposed of the kings treasure, and gouerned all things at his will. In this greatnesse of his authority, the king found two notable commodities, one, that without his care all thinges were ordred so well, as by a wise and trusty seruant they might; the other, that if any thing fell out amisse, wheresoe∣uer the fault were, the king had oportunity to cast all the blame vpon the Bishop of Winchester. Now whereas long and continuall warre (whereby lightly each party is a looser) had consumed, not that onely that many victories brought in, by the raunsome of two kings, and by the spoyle of diuers large countries which this noble Prince subdued; but other

huge summes of money also gathered at home by vnusuall subsidies, and taxations much grudged at by the commons; all which notwithstanding, the king was so bare, as, for the paiment of debts, he was constrained to bethinke him first of some new deuice to raise money: The Bishops enimies ta∣king the aduantage of this occasion; induced the king to be content that a solemne complaint might be framed against him, as if by his misgouernement, the kings treasure had beene either vainely wasted, or falsely imbesilled, for that otherwise for sooth it was impossible the king should so be fal∣len behind hand: They charge him therefore with the receite of 1109600. l. (which amounteth to more then a million of poundes) besides a hundred thousand frankes paied vnto him by Galeace Duke of Millaine. For all this they demaund sodainely an account, and to set a better colour vpon the mat∣ter, patch vp a number of other accusations, partly vntrue, partly friuolous, yet sufficient happily to bleare the eies of the common people, and diuerting the displeasure of this in∣conuenience from them on whom otherwise it must haue lighted, to deriue it vnto him, vpon whom if it fell neuer so heauily, it could cast him no lower then that place frō whence the king had first raised him. Amongst many enimies that go∣uernement and enuy had prouoked against him; Iohn of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster for some other cause néedlesse here to be 〈◊〉〈◊〉, bare vnto him an implacable hatred. The King was then old and very impotent, the Duke his eldest sonne 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and so gouerning all thinges vnder him. The Duke therefore found meanes that William Skipwith Lord chiefe Justice condemned him as guilty of those accusations, pro∣cured his temporalties to be taken from him, and to be be∣stowed vpon the yoong Prince of Wales, and lastly comman∣ded him in the kings name, not to come within twenty miles of the Court. The yeere 1376. happened vnto him this trou∣ble, which I may call the Prologue or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the page∣ant to be plaid the yéere following. I meane the Parliament, the chiefe end and purpose whereof was a subsidy, that this Prelates vexation must make way vnto. The Cleargy as∣sembled, gréeuing much at the vniust oppression of so woor∣thy and reuerend a man; (for his sidelity vnto his Prince,

his great care of the common good, his wisedome and in∣tegrity were well inough knowen to such as vnderstoode any thing) they vtterly refused to debate of any matter what soeuer, till the Bishop of Winchester, a principall member of that assembly might be present with them. By this meanes, licence was obtained for his repaire thi∣ther, and thither he came, glad he might be néere to the meanes of his restitution: but whether it were that he wanted money to beare the charge, or to the intent to mooue commiseration, or that he thought it safest to passe obscure∣ly; he that was woont to ride with the greatest traine of any Prelate in England, came then very slenderly attended, tra∣uelling through by-waies, as standing in doubt what snares his enimies might lay for him. After two yéeres trouble and the losse of ten thousand markes sustained by reason of the same: with much adoo he obtained restitution of his tempo∣ralties, by the mediation of Alice Piers, a gentlewoman that in the last times of king Edward altogether possessed him. Returning then vnto Winchester, he was receiued into the city with solemne procession and many signes of great ioy. Soone after his returne king Edward died, and the Duke ho∣ping by reason of the yoong kings nonage to worke some mis∣chiefe vnto this Bishop, whom of all mortall men he most hated; began to rub vp some of the old accusations with ad∣ditions of new complaints. But the Dukes malice being as well knowen as the Bishops innocency, the king thought good to be a meanes of reconciling these two personages, and then was easily intreated, vnder the broad seale of Eng∣land to pardon all those supposed offences, wherewith the Bishop had heretofore béene charged. This tempest thus ouerblowen, the rest of his daies he passed in great peace and quietnesse. Two yéeres after his restitution he began the foundation of that woorthy monument, the colledge common∣ly called the New colledge in Oxford, laying the first stone of the same himselfe March 5. 1379. and dedicating it vnto the honor of God and the blessed virgin Mary. Being finished, the first warden & fellowes all together tooke possession of it Aprill 14. 1386. at thrée of the clocke in the morning. The very next yéere he began his other colledge néere Woluesey

the Bishops pallace at Winchester, laide the first stone of it March 26. 1387. and finished it also in sixe yéeres space, so as the Warden and fellowes cntred into the same at thrée of the clocke in the morning March 28. 1393. Beside the charge of these two woorthy foundations, he build all the body of his church of Winchester from the quier westward, excepting on∣ly a little begun by Bishop Edington: he procured many pri∣uiledges and liberties vnto his Sée: he bestowed 20000. markes in reparation of his house: he paid the debts of men imprisoned for that cause to the summe of 2000. l. he mended all the high waies betwéene London and Winchester: he purchased vnto his Sée two hundred markes land: he for∣gaue his officers two thousand markes which they owed him: he bestowed two hundred pound vpon the church of Windsor: he released his tenants of 520. l. due for a reliefe at his incomme: he ordayned a Chauntry of fiue priests at Southwyke: he kept continually in his house fower & twen∣ty poore almesmen: he maintained at the Uniuersity fifty schollers for the space of seuen yéeres before the building of his colledge: he built a chappell (as before is mentioned) at Tichfield for the buriall of his parents; & lastly prouided for himselfe ten yéeres before his death a goodly monument in the body of his church. All these charges notwithstanding, he bequeathed legacies to the value of 6270. l. left ready money to pay them, left his heire 100. l. land, and all his houses fur∣nished plentifully with most rich and sumptuons houshold stuffe. After all these so memorable actions, hauing runne the course of a long, a happy and most honorable life, he ended his daies in peace the yéere 1404 being full fowerscore yéeres of age, and was laid in the toombe so long before prouided for him. Upon it I finde engrauen these verses, which rather for his honor then any great commendation they deserue, I haue thought good to set downe:

Wilhelmus dictus Wickham iacet hic nece victus, Istius ecclesiae praesul, reparauit eamque, Largus erat, dapifer, probat hoc cum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 pauper, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 pariter regni fuerat bene dexter. Hunc docet esse pium fun datio collegiorum; Oxoniae primum stat, Wintoniaeque secundum.

Iugiter oretis tumulum quicunque videtis Pro tantis meritis quod sit sibi vita perennis.