The works of Mr. Richard Hooker (that learned and judicious divine), in eight books of ecclesiastical polity compleated out of his own manuscripts, never before published : with an account of his life and death ...

AN APPENDIX To the LIFE of Mr. Richard Hooker.

ANd now having by a long and Laborious search satisfied my self, and I hope my Reader by imparting to him the true Re∣lation of Mr. Hookers Life: I am desirous also to acquaint him with some Observations that relate to it; and, which could not properly fall to be spoken till after his Death, of which my Reader may expect a brief and true account in the following Appendix.

And first it is not to be doubted but that he died in the forty-seventh, if not in the forty-sixth year of his Age; which I mention, because many have believed him to be more aged; but I have so examined it, as to be confident, I mistake not; and for the year of his death, Mr. Cambden, who in his Annals of Queen Elizabeth 1599. mentions him with a high commendation of his Life and Learning, declares him to die in the year 1599. and yet in that Inscription of his Monument set up at the charge of Sir William Cooper in Borne Church, where Mr. Hooker was buried, his Death is said to be in Anno 1603. but doubtless both mi∣staken; for I have it attested under the hand of William Somner the Archbishops Register for the Province of Canterbury, that Richard Hookers Will bears date October the 26. in Anno 1600. and that it was prov'd the third of December fol∣lowing. And this attested also that at his Death he left four Daughters, Alice, Cicily, Iane, and Margaret, that he gave to each of them a hundred pound, that he left Ione his Wife his sole Executrix, and that by his Inventory his Estate (a great part of it being in Books) came to 1092l. 91. 2d. which was much more than he thought himself worth; and, which was not got by his Care, much less by the good Hus∣wifery of his Wife, but saved by his trusty Servant Thomas Lane, that was wiser than his Master in getting Money for him, and more frugal than his Mistress in keep∣ing it; of which Will I shall say no more, but that his dear Friend Thomas, the Father of George Cranmer, of whom I have spoken, and shall have occasion to say more, was one of the Witnesses to it.

One of his elder Daughters was married to one Chalinor, sometime a Schoolmaster in Chichester, & both dead long since, Margaret his youngest Daughter was married un∣to Ezekiel Chark, Batchelor in Divinity, and Rector of S. Nicholas in Harbledown near Canterbury, who•• died about 16 years past, and had a Son Ezekiel, now living, and in Sacred Orders, being at this time Rector of Waldron in Sussex, she left also a Daughter, with both whom I have spoken not many months past, and find her to be a widow in a condition that wants not, but far from abounding; and these two attested unto me, that Richard Hooker their Grandfather had a Sister, by name Elizabeth

Harvey, that liv'd to the Age of 121, years, and died in the moneth of September, 1663.

For his other two Daughters I can learn little certainty, but have heard they both died before they were Marriageable; and for his Wife, she was so unlike Iep∣thaes Daughter, that she staid not a comely time to bewail her Widdow-hood; nor liv'd long enough to repent her second Marriage, for which doubtless she would have found cause, if there had been but four months betwixt Mr. Hookers and her death. But she is dead, and let her other infirmities be buried with her.

Thus much briefly for his Age, the year of his Death, his Estate, his Wife, and his Children. I am next to speak of his Books, concerning which I shall have a necessity of being longer, or shall neither do right to my self of my Reader, which is chiefly intended in this Appendix.

I have declared in his Life, that he proposed eight Books, and that his first four were Printed Anno 1594. and his fifth Book first printed, and alone, Anno 1597. and that he liv'd to finish the remaining three of the proposed eight; but, whether we have the last three as finisht by himself, is a just and Material Question; con∣cerning which I do declare, That I have been told almost forty years past, by one that very well knew Mr. Hooker, and the affaires of his Family, that about a moneth after the death of Mr. Hooker, Bishop Whitgist, then Archbishop of Canterbury, sent one of his Chaplains to enquire of Mrs. Hooker, for the three remaining Books of Polity, writ by her Husband; of which, she would not, or could not give any account; and I have been told that about three moneths after the Bishop procured her to be sent for to London, and then by his procurement she was to be examined, by some of her Majesties Council, concerning the disposal of those Books: but by way of preparation for the next days examination, the Bishop invited her to Lam∣beth, and, after some friendly questions, she confessed to him, that one Mr. Charke and another Minister that dwelt near Canterbury, came to her, and desired that they might go into her Husbands Study, and look upon some of his Writings; and that there they two burnt and tore many of them, assuring her that they were writings not fit to be seen, and that she knew nothing more concerning them. Her lodging was then in Kingstreet in Westminster, where she was sound next morning dead in her Bed, and her new Husband suspected and questioned for it; but was declared innocent of her Death.

And I declare also, that Doctor Iohn Spencer (mentioned in the Life of Mr. Hooker) who was of Mr. Hookers Colledge, and of his time there, and be∣twixt whom there was so friendly a friendship, that they continually advised to∣gether in all their Studies, and particularly in what concern'd these Books of Polity: this Doctor Spencer, the three perfect Books being lost, had delivered into his hands (I think by Bishop Whitgift) the imperfect Books, or first rough draughts of them, to be made as perfect as they might be, by him, who both knew Mr. Hookers hand-writing, and was best acquainted with his intentions. And a fair Testimony of this may appear by an Epistle first and usually printed before Mr. Hookers five Books (but omitted, I know not why, in the last impression of the eight Printed together in Anno 1662. in which the Publishers seem to impose the three doubtful, as the undoubted Books of Mr. Hooker) with these two Letters I.S. at the end of the said Epistle, which was meant for this Iohn Spencer; in which Epistle the Reader may find these very words, which may give some Autho∣rity to what I have here written.

And though Mr. Hooker hastened his own Death by hastening to give Life to his Books, yet he held out with his eyes to behold these Benjamins, these Sons of his right Hand, though to him they prov'd Benonics, Sons of pain and sorrow: But, some evil disposed minds, whether of Malice, or Covetousness, or wicked blind Zeal, it is uncertain, as soon as they were born and their Fathers dead, smother'd them, and, by conveying the perfect Copies, left unto us nothing but the old imperfect mangled droughts dismembred into pieces; no favour, no grace, not the shadow of themselves remaining in them; had the Father lived to behold them thus defaced, he might rightly have named them Benonies, the Sons of Sorrow; but being the learned will not suffer them to die and be buried, it is intended the world shall see them as they are: the

learned will find in them some shadows and resemblances of their Fathers face. God grant, that as they were with their Brethren dedicated to the Church for messengers of Peace; so, in the strength of the little breath of Life that remaineth in them, they may prosper in their work, and that by satisfying the Doubts of such as are willing to learn, they may help to give an end to the calamities of these our Civil Wars.

I. S.

And next the Reader may note, that this Epistle of Doctor Spencers was writ, and first Printed within four years after the death of Mr. Hooker, in which time, all diligent search had been made for the perfect Copies; and then granted not recoverable, and therefore indeavoured to be compleated out of Mr. Hookers rough draughts, as is exprest by the said Doctor Spencer, since whose death it is now fifty years.

And I do profess by the Faith of a Christian, that Doctor Spencers Wife (who was my Aunt, and Sister to George Cranmer of whom I have spoken) told me forty years since, in these, or in words to this purpose, that her Husband had made up or finisht Mr. Hookers last three Books; and that upon her Husbands Death-bed, or in his last sickness, he gave them into her hand, with a charge they should not be seen by any Man, but be by her delivered into the hands of the then Archbishop of Canter∣bury, which was Doctor Abbot, or unto Doctor King, Bishop of London, and that she did as he injoyn'd her.

I do conceive, that from Doctor Spencers and no other Copy, there have been divers Transcripts, and wereto be found in several places, as namely in Sir Thomas Bodlies Library, in that of Doctor Andrews late Bishop of Winton, in the late Lord Conwayes, in the Archbishop of Canterburies, and in the Bishop of Armaghs, and in many others, and most of these pretended to be the Authors own hand, but much disagreeing, being indeed altered and diminisht as Men have thought fittest to make Mr. Hookers Judgment suit with their Fancies; or give authority to their cor∣rupt designs; and for proof of a part of this, take these following testimonies.

Doctor Barnard, sometime Chaplain to Doctor Usher late Lord Archbishop of Armagh, hath declar'd in a late Book called Clavi Trabales, Printed by Richard Hodgkinson, Anno 1661. that in his search and examination of the said Bishops Manu∣scripts, he there found the three written Books, which were the supposed sixth, seventh, and eighth of Mr. Hookers Books of Ecclesiastical Polity; and, that in the said three Books (now printed as Mr. Hookers) there are so many Omissions that they amount to many Paragraphs; and, which cause many incoherencies; the Omissions are by him set down at large in the said Printed Book, to which I re∣fer the Reader for the whole; but think fit in this place to insert this following short part of them.

First, as there could be in Natural Bodies no Motion of any thing, unless there were some first which moved all things, and continued Unmoveable; even so in Politick Societies, there must be some unpunishable, or else no Man shall suffer punishment; for, sith punishments proceed always from Superiors to whom the administration of Iustice belongeth, which administration must have necessarily a Fountain that deriveth it to all others, and receiveth not from any, (because otherwise the course of Iustice should go infinitely in a Circle, every Superiour having his Superiour without end, which cannot be;) therefore, a well spring, it followeth, there is, a Supreme head of Iustice where∣unto all are subject, but it self in subjection to none. Which kinde of Preheminency if some ought to have in a Kingdom, who but the King shall have it? Kings therefore, or no man can have lawfull power to Iudge.

If Private men offend, there is the Magistrate over them which Iudgeth; if Magi∣strates, they have their Prince; if Princes, there is Heaven a Tribunal, before which they shall appear: on Earth they are not accomptable to any. Here says the Doctor, it breaks off abruptly.

And I have these words also attested under the hand of Mr. Fabian Phillips a man of note for his useful Books. I will make Oath if I shall be required, that Doctor Sander∣son the late Bishop of Lincoln did a little before his Death affirm to me he had seen a Ma∣nuscript,

affirmed to him to be the hand-writing of Mr. Richard Hooker, in which there was no mention made of the King or Supreme Governors being accomptable to the People; this I will make Oath that that good Man attested to me.

Fabian Phillips.

So that there appears to be both Omissions and Additions in the said last three printed Books; and this may probably be one Reason why Doctor Sanderson, the said Learned Bishop (whose writings are so highly and justly valued) gave a strict charge near the time of his Death, or in his last Will, that nothing of his that was not already Printed, should be Printed after his Death.

It is well known how high a value our Learned King Iames put upon the Books writ by Mr. Hooker, as also that our late King Charls (the Martyr for the Church) valued them the second of all Books, testified by his commending them to the read∣ing of his Son Charls that now is our Gratious King; and you may suppose that this Charls the First was not a stranger to the pretended three Books, because in a discourse with the Lord Say, when the said Lord required the King to grant the truth of his Ar∣gument, because it was the Judgement of Mr. Hooker, (quoting him in one of the three written Books,) the King replyed, they were not allowed to be Mr, Hookers Books; but, however he would allow them to be Mr. Hookers, and consent to what his Lordship proposed to prove out of those doubtful Books if he would but consent to the Iudgment of Mr. Hooker in the other five that were the undoubted Books of Mr. Hooker.

In this Relation concerning these three doubtful Books of Mr. Hookers, my pur∣pose was to enquire, then set down what I observ'd and know, which I have done, not as an engaged Person, but indifferently, and now leave my Reader to give Sen∣tence, for their Legitimation, as to himself, but so, as to leave others the same Liberty of believing, or disbelieving them to be Mr. Hookers; and 'tis observable, that as Mr. Hooker advis'd with Doctor Spencer, in the design and manage of these Books, so also, and chiefly with this dear Pupil George Cranmer (whose Sister was the Wife of Doctor Spencer) of which this following Letter may be a Testimony; and doth also give authority to some things mentioned both in this Appendix, and in the Life of Mr. Hooker; and, is therefore added.