A briefe view of the state of the Church of England as it stood in Q. Elizabeths and King James his reigne, to the yeere 1608 being a character and history of the bishops of those times ... / written ... by Sir John Harington ..., Knight.

Doctor Martin Heaton.

OF Eely I have not much to say, yet in a little I may be thought by some to say too much; which I will adventure, rather then your Highnesse shall blame me for saying nothing. I was among o∣thers at Bishop Cox his funerall, being then either Batcheler, or a very young Master of Arts; but some yeeres after we thought it would have proved the Fune∣rall of the Bishoprick, as well as of the Bishop. Something there was that had distasted the Queen concerning Bishop Cox, in his life time; either his much reti∣rednesse,

or small hospitality, or the spoyl he was said to make of woods and Parks, feeding his family with powdred veni∣son; all which, I know not how truly, was suggested to her against him, in his life time, and remembred after his death. For our opinion of him in Cambridge, we held him a good scholler, and a better Poet then Doctor Haddon, who call'd him Master; whether as having been his scholler or servan't I know not; but a∣mong his Poems, is extant a Distick written to B. Cox.

Vix Caput attollens e lecto scribere carmen. Qui velit is voluit, scribere plura, vale.

which Verse being but even a sick Verse, he answered ex tempore, as they tell, with this,

Te mag is optarem salvum sine carmine fili, Quam sine te salvo carmina multa. Vale.

As for his Church of Eely, it seemed he had no great love there, to have his mo∣nument defaced within twenty yeeres (as this Authour writes) so as remembring his good beginning, one may say of him, coepisti melius quam desinis.

But to let him rest, I must confesse that

it was held for one of the blemishes of Queen Elizabeths Virgin raigne. First, to keep this Sea of Eely vacant so long after Bishop Coxes death, and after to take a∣way so large a portion from it, as is ge∣nerally spoken; yet that I may both speak my conscience, and shew my charity as well to my deceased Soveraigne, as to the reverend Bishop yet living, I will say this: First, I could wish it had not been so, and that the occasion of such a scandall between the Crown and Miter had been taken away. Secondly, I doe say for the Queen, she did no new thing; and it is held a principle of State, that whatsoever there is a president for, is law∣full for a Prince. I consider further, that Eely was a Bishoprick of none of the first erections, but many yeeres after the con∣quest; so as England stood christned without a Bishoprick of Eely srom Augu∣stine the Monk above five hundred yeeres. It was a place also that the Crown had been jealous of for the strength of it, ha∣ving sometime held out the Conquerour, as our writers affirm; and King Henry the third, a wise and fortunate Prince, said, it was not fit for a Cloyster man, and of late yeeres Mooreton undertook to hold

it against Richard the third, for Henry the second. Adde hereunto, that though it was vacant in name, yet the profits there∣of may seem to have been perhaps more charitably and honourably imployed then before, to relieve the poore distres∣sed King of Portugall, who was call'd by some Schollers Bishop of Eely, which is lesse scandalous then for Jeffrey Plant a∣genet to hold the Bishoprick of Lincoln for seven yeeres, without consecration, the Sea being kept voyd seventeen yeeres; and for Ethelmare to hold Winchester in like manner nine yeeres in Henry the thirds time; to omit how Stygand in the Conquerours time, and Woolsey in Henry the eighth his time, both held Winchester in commendam. As for changing or aba∣ting the possessions of it, the laws then in force allowed it (though a most godly law since restrained the like) and I would all the Bishopricks in England were but so well left. Now to come to Doctor Heaton, he was compelled in a sort so to take it (for potentes cum rogant jubent) and as long as there was not quid dabis, but haec auferam, the more publique it was, and by authority then lawfull he may be thought the more free from

blame. But were Eely as good as ever it was, that could not finde the mouth••s bread that finde fault with his taking it in that order.

Before his Majesties comming to Ox∣ford, I was in Oxford Library, and some of good quality of both the Universities; and one of their chiefe Doctors said mer∣rily to a Cambridge man, that Oxford had formerly had a good Library, till such time (said he) as a Cambridge man be∣came our Chancellour, and so can∣cell'd or catalog'd and scattered our Books (he meant Bishop Cox in King Ed∣wards time) as from that time to this we could never recover them. The other straight replied, then are you even with us, for one of your Oxford men hath seal'd so many good deeds of our good Bishop∣rick in Cambridgeshire, that till they be canecl'd, it will never be so good as it should be. By his christen name also many take occasion to allude to this matter, which whether for brevity sake he writ Mar or Mart, or at full length Martin, alwaies by adding Eely unto it, it sounds to the like sence, that either he did Marr it, or Mart it, or Martin it. But he is too wise to be troubled with these.

Sapientis est nil praestare praeter culpam. If any fare the worse for this now, it is him∣self. And as for his learning, nd other good parts belonging to a Bishop, he is inferr∣our to few of his ranke, as your High∣nesse can tell, that have heard him preach before the Kings Majesty, who said of him, that fat men were wont to make lean Sermons; but his were not leane, but larded with much good learning.

And so much of the Bishoprick and Bishop of Eely.