The English historical library, or, A short view and character of most of the writers now extant, either in print or manuscript which may be serviceable to the undertakers of a general history of this kingdom / by William Nicholson ...

CHAP. VI. (Book 6)

Writers of the Lives of some par∣ticular Bishops, and other emi∣nent Church-men. (Book 6)

THere's no part of History more Instructive than that which falls under the care of Biographers; if the Subject be rightly chosen, and the Author a skilful Artist. The great Concerns of both Church and State pass through the Hands of a Few; who only are acquainted with the true Spring and Cause of all those Changes that inferiour People admire and feel, but cannot comprehend. The secret Memoirs of these Men of Business give a quite different prospect of Things, than what we see in Mercu∣ries and Gazettes; and they that have the perusal of them (if otherwise qua∣lify'd for the Undertaking) must also afford an Account widely different from that of a Monkish Chronicle, where nothing of moment (more than

a great Frost or Pestilence, occurs for some Years together. They that sit at the Helm, and are entrusted with the Mysteries of Government, have all their private Affairs so interwoven with the Publick, that they are not to be consider'd asunder: So that he that can justly give the Features of one of these, must be likewise able to present us with the exact Lineaments of that whole Community whereof he was a Member.

Whoever attempts a Work of this high Nature, must come prepar'd with suitable Parts and Judgment; such as will enable him to discover many considerable and grand Truths from (sometimes) very poor and slen∣der Hints. To this purpose, it will be necessary that he have a good gene∣ral Notion of the several Matters, Men and Times, that will come under his Consideration; as well as that he be perfectly acquainted with the Abilities, Inclination and Interests, of that par∣ticular Person whose Picture he chiefly intends to draw. His Affections must also be as clear and spotless as his Reason. No Byass of Love or Duty, of Malice or Revenge, must govern or

direct his Thoughts or Pen; nor must he be a Zealot (or so much as a Party) in any of the Modish Factions of the Age he treats on. He must have no∣thing in Common with the Man he describes; so as neither to reap any Advantage by his Fame, nor to suffer any Damage by his Disrepute. 'Tis true, the Remains of deceas'd Heroes (Ecclesiastical and Civil, as well as Military) fall usually into the Hands of their dearest Friends and Kindred; who are too often so unhappily tender of their Reputation, that they will not entrust them with Strangers of the best Experience and Integrity. What we have of such a Man's Story must come from These; who most com∣monly send it abroad so tinctur'd with Prejudice (the Glories of their Friend or Patron being so fulsomely daub'd, and his Frailties so slovenly dash'd and blotted) that it makes only a very awkard Piece, how Good-like and Per∣sonable soever this Gentleman him∣self may have been. Whereas, the best Service and the fairest Respect that we can pay to the Memories of those that have been publick Blessings to the Religion or Government of their Na∣tive

Country, is the taking Care to have their Actions recorded by just and dis-interested Writers; who have Sagacity enough to discern what is fit for Posterity to know, and Honesty enough to transmit and represent it duly.

These are the proper Qualifications of those that take upon them the wri∣ting the Lives of other People: And the Reader will be easily directed by them, how to judge of such Perfor∣mances. Thus, when he has learn'd the Relation there is betwixt the Hi∣storian, and the Patriot or Confessor, he will be able to make Abatements proportionably: He will see how to distinguish Truth from the additional (garnishing) Devoirs of a Subaltern, a Nephew or a Cousin: He will readily discover the Allowances that are to be given to Flesh and Blood, and in what Particulars they have the upper Hand of Honour and Justice. In like man∣ner, where he finds a great Man's Life undertaken by his profess'd Ene∣my, he will be sure to read it with a Curb upon his Faith: He will criti∣cally weigh and examine his Author's Conclusions and Inferences; And, if

he finds those good and logical, he will yet suspend his Belief till Matters of Fact are attested by some other (indif∣ferent) Authority. And lastly, where Miracles and Revelations are in Vogue and carry a Price, he will attentively consider whether the Penman will not be a Gainer by having his Story credi∣ted: And whether he's not in hazard of wanting some part of his daily Bread if it miscarries. In such a Case, a complaisant Respect to the Fashions of a Country, may prevail upon a Man to be silent and say nothing; but Reason will direct him what to think.

By these Rules we are to judge of the Lives of those Saints which have been taken notice of in some of the foregoing Chapters, as well as of those Religious Persons that are here to fol∣low; I mean, those good Bishops and other pious Ecclesiasticks (of a lower Form of Sanctity, and second-rate Me∣rit) who, though they have not the Honour to come in the Kalendar, are acknowledg'd to have done the Church very eminent Services in their several Generations. The Lives of these are not very numerous: At least, they are

but a few that have come to my Knowledge. In the ancient British and Saxon Churches all that were worth the having their Names re∣gister'd by an Ecclesiastical Historian, are Saints (of some degree or other) and are all to be had in the Catholick Almanack: where Joseph of Arimathea, Venerablea 1.1 Bede, Bishopb 1.2 Erken∣wald, &c. (who are sometimes Saints, and sometimes only Confessors or Re∣verend old Church-men) have the Days of their several Obits assign'd them. Having therefore nothing more to write of the Lives of the Holy Men of these Ages, I shall take my leave of them; with the Observation of a witty c 1.3 Author on some following Times, which I think may be as applicable to these: One may wonder, says he, that the World should see most Visions, when it was most blind; and that that Age, most barren in Learning, should be most fruit∣ful in Revelations. After the Conquest we have several Ecclesiastical Cham∣pions, that have had a very profound Respect paid them by their Cotempo∣rary

Writers; and yet could never ar∣rive at a legal Canonization. These (as many of 'em, that is, as have had their Lives penn'd by such particular Historiographers as I have heard of) were mostly either Archbishops or Bi∣shops: To which a third Class of in∣feriour Clergy-men shall be added; to be inlarg'd by those that have better opportunities (than I have had) of making just and full Enquiries.

The Archbishops of Canterbury have always presided in the British Church tanquam Papae alterius Orbis;* 1.4 and there∣fore in their Lives, well written, we may justly expect the most considerable part of our Ecclesiastical History. Du∣ring the Contests betwixt the Crown of England and the Court of Rome, it was commonly the mishap of these Primates to side with the latter; which brought them sometimes into disgrace∣ful Circumstances with their Sove∣reigns; but made their Memories pre∣cious in the esteem of those bigotted Monks, to whose Lot it fell to write their Elogies. Hence we have already met with Anselm, Edmund and Thomas, among the Saints; and must here men∣nion

such of their Successors as have had particular Pens engag'd in their Service, tho' never so much as ho∣nour'd with (even the diminutive Saint∣ship) a Beatification. Simon Sudbury, who was beheaded by the Rebels in Wat. Tyler's Insurrection, is the first that I can meet with of this kind: And we have only a Fragment of his Life, written by onea 1.5 William Chartham. It tells us, that 'twas prophesy'd such an untimely Death should befal him, because (when Bishop of London) he met some Pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, designing to pay their De∣votion to St. Thomas's Shrine, and ad∣vised them to let the Journey alone; assuring them Quod illa Indulgentia ple∣naria quae apud Cantuarios fore speraba∣tur, nullius commodi fuerat vel valoris. Such Doctrin as this in his Life-time, and the sealing his Loyalty to his Prince with his Blood at his Death, ought indeed to be remember'd with Honour. That of Henry Chicheley (the pious Founder of All-Soul's College in Ox∣ford) is written by Arth. Duck; and was lately publish'd, with some others

of the like kind, bya 1.6 Dr. Bates. John Morton's was written and pub∣lish'd byb 1.7 Dr. Budden, Principal of New-Inn-Hall; who had, in this Primate, as noble a Subject as any Hi∣storian could well treat on. He had approv'd himself a most faithful Ser∣vant to Henry the Sixth, a true Subject to Edward the Fourth, and an admi∣rable Counsellor to Henry the Seventh; who gain'd the English Sceptre (chiefly) by his Management, and had there∣fore good Reason to bestow a Cro∣sier upon him. Since the Reforma∣tion, so much of Archbishop Parker's Life as related to his Consecration has been enquir'd into by several worthy Patriots of our Church; provok'd to it by the impudent and senseless Fable of the Nags-Head Tavern. The first that engag'd in this Controversy, was c 1.8 Fran. Wilson; who, from the Re∣gister-books of the Diocess of Canter∣bury, discover'd the Villanies (and stop'd the Mouths) of those Romanists that had first started this Slander.

The Dispute was again renew'd a little before the Restoration of King Charles the Second; and then our Church's Cause was as happily asserted by Bi∣shop a 1.9 Bramhal, afterwards Primate of Ireland. In the late Reign, the University of Cambridge thought it a proper Season to publish an Account of that whole Procedure, from the Original Record in the Library of Ben∣net College; which they order'd to be printed with two excellentb 1.10 Ser∣mons upon the same Subject, preach'd by Mr. Edwards, a Member of that University. Archbishop Whitgift's many sharp Conflicts with the Non∣conformists, together with the other Occurrences of his Life, are recorded by Sir George Paul; a Writer much commended by Bishopc 1.11 Godwine.

The Metropolitical Church of York,* 1.12 has had several Prelates whose high Birth and Extraction (besides their other personal Endowments) has ad∣vanc'd them to considerable Posts of Honour and Trust in the State; and

these will alwayes invite the best Hi∣storians of the Age to attempt their Characters. Geoffry Plantagenet, Na∣tural Son to Henry the Second, had great variety of Fortune; being pro∣moted by his Brother King Richard the First, and driven out of the King∣dom by (another of his brethren) King John. His Story is given us at large bya 1.13 Gyraldus Cambrensis; who says he did not think fit to put its Au∣thor's Name to it, there being (belike) some of his warm Truths in it, which the Times would not bear. In the b 1.14 Catalogue of his own Labours he tells us that 'twas a Book quod nec in cunabulis aut celsitudine generis, nec in Divitiis aut Fortunae blanditiis spes ponenda, exemplum praebens. Rich. Scroop, Brother to the Earl of Wiltshire, was put to death (for his Gratitude and Loyalty to his lawful Sovereign and kind Ma∣ster, Richard the Second) by Henry the Fourth; against whom he conspir'd with the Earl of Northumberland and others. His Declaration against the said Henry, giving his Reasons why he cannot submit to his Government,

has been latelya 1.15 Publish'd; as is likewise Clement Maydestone's History of his Martyrdom. Cardinal Wolsey's purple will give him a rank with the greatest of our Prelates, how mean soever the Circumstances of his Birth and Parentage may have been; and the Figure that he made in the State, as well as the Church, during his Rule and Government (rather than Ministry) in the Reign of King Hen∣ry the Eighth, very justly challeng'd the pains of a special Historian: Such was Cavendish, his menial Ser∣vant, who was also in good esteem with that King. He has left us an impartial Account of his Master's Life; which has had severalb 1.16 Editions. Dr. Burnetc 1.17 quotes a MS. Copy, different from what we have in Print: And so does the Lordd 1.18 Herbert; but whether this be not the same with the former I know not. We have another History of his Life and Death, in elegant Verse, by Tho. Storer; who was a Student of Christ-Church, and

dy'd (a famous Poet) in the Year, 1604.

They that know how many of our Bishops* 1.19 before the Reformation (not to mention other inferiour Dignita∣ries of the Church) bore the grand a 1.20 Offices of Chancellours, Treasu∣rers, Judges, &c. will readily believe that most of those left such Memoirs as might easily have been fram'd into very exquisite Histories of their Lives. And yet our Monks, to whom the Trust of writing all our Historis was usually committed, were so much Strangers to Affairs of this Nature, that we rarely find any thing among them that looks this way. Their Bu∣siness was to pick up, or invent, as many amazing Stories as they could of the Exemplary Courage of some choice Prelates in asserting the Papal Usurpations; of their extraordinary Sanctity; of their Benefactons to some Church or Monastery; of their Mi∣racles, &c. And with such Narra∣tives as these we shall find the Lives

of most of the following Prelates are Stuff'd and Glutted. That of Gun∣dulf Bishop of Rochester by aa 1.21 Monk of that Church (his intimate Acquain∣tance) is the earliest of these; and the rebuilding of the Cathedral, the Enlargement of the Monastery and the Foundation of the Hospital at Chatham, were Acts of Piety that ve∣ry well deserv'd such a Respect. The like was done for Robert de Betun, Bishop of Hereford, by his Chaplain (and Successor in the Priory of Lan∣thony) William de Wycumb; who had a very noble Subject for the two b 1.22 Books he has left us, if we may believe William of Malmesbury. He pretends to have known this Robert very well; and assures us that he was the most familiarly entertain'd at the Court of Rome, of any of our Bishops of that Age. We have only a Frag∣ment of Gyraldus Cambrensis'sc 1.23 Life of Hugh Nonant of Norwich; and such as is hardly worth the mention∣ing. He is somewhat more copious in his History of thed 1.24 Six chief Bi∣shops

of his own Age; to which we may add the Three Books he wrote a 1.25 De rebus a se gestis••, since he was (at least) Bishop Elect of St. David's. Robert Grostest of Lincoln was a Prelate of great Worth, a mighty Stickler against the prevailing Crime of Symo∣ny and the modish Appeals to Rome; and we have a full History of his Life byb 1.26 Richard a Monk of Barden (or Burton in Hartfordshire) and another Anonymous Writer. We have also a Letter from the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's for his Canonization: But it appears, from many of his own Writings, that his Request was not like to be granted; notwithstanding the fair Caresses that he had from the Pope (who fear'd him more than he lov'd him) in his Life-time. Wil∣liam of Wickham, the great Founder of two famous Colleges in Oxford and Winchester, could not avoid the having his Benefits carefully Register'd by some of those that daily tasted of the Sweets of them: And indeed there have been several of those who have

thus paid their grateful Acknowledg∣ments to his Memory. The first of 'em (I think) was Tho. Chaundler, sometime Warden of New-College; who wrote thea 1.27 Founder's Life, by way of Dialogue, in a florid and good Stile. This is contracted (by the Author himself, as is suppos'd) into ab 1.28 Couple of Pages; together with which is publish'd a piece of his larger Colloquy, wherein he touches upon the Life of (his Patron) Tho. Bekinton, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He commends this latter Prelate's Skill in the Civil Law; but says no∣thing of (what won the Heart of King Henry the Sixth) his writing against the Salic Law of France. The next Writer of Wickham's Life was c 1.29 Dr. Martyn, Chancellour of Win∣chester under Bishop Gardiner; who had the greatest part of his Materials out of Chaundler's Book. After him, Dr. Johnson (sometime Fellow of New-College, as well as the two former, and afterwards Master of Winchester-School) gave a short view of their

Founder in Latin Verse; which, being a small thing of it self has been seve∣ral timesa 1.30 Printed with other Tracts. Bishop Godwine isb 1.31 censur'd for hav∣ing a little unfairly borrow'd the Ac∣count he gives us of this Prelate's Life (one of the best in his Book) from Mr. Josseline; without taking any notice of his Benefactor. Henry Spencer Bishop of Norwich (a more pro∣per Officer for a Camp than a Cathe∣dral) had his active Life written by c 1.32 John Capgrave; who takes occa∣sion to state the Case, how far a Pre∣late may engage in Military Affairs. There's no doubt but there may be some Junctures wherein 'tis not only allowable (but a Duty) in every Man, that is able, to bear Arms; and this Bishop's Suppressing the Rebellious Insurrection in his own Diocess was so far from being a Crime, that 'twas highly commendable and becomingly Brave. But his Atchievements in Flanders and other Foreign Parts (against the express Command of his Sovereign) were such extraordinary

Efforts of Lay-Gallantry, as are not easily to be defended: Nor do I see that honest John ever thought of Apo∣logizing for them. William of Wain∣fleet (Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellour of England) was bred in Wickham's Colleges; and did his Foun∣der the Honour to Write very fairly after his Copy. His Magdalene may vye with the other's two St. Maries, being (Modestly) one of the richest Seminaries of Learning in the whole World: And his magnificent Charity has been celebrated by the eloquent Pen of Dr. Budden (the Writer of Arch-bishop Morton's Life) who was a while Reader of Philosophy in that College. His Book bears the Title ofa 1.33 Guilielmi Pateni, cui Waynfleti Agnomen fuit, Wintoniensis Ecclesiae Prae∣sulis, & Coll. Beatae Mariae Magd. apud Oxon. Fundatoris, Vita Obitus{que} A Treatise much applauded by Godwine, who (nevertheless) seems not to have perus'd it: For he calls the Author William Budden, tho' his Name was certainly John. Richard Hall Doctor

in Divinity (who dy'd ata 1.34 St. Omers, in the Year 1604.) wrote the Life of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester; who could hardly be call'd a Cardinal, since his Head was off before the Red Hat pass'd through Calais. This Trea∣tise was gravely quoted and referr'd to by Tho. Fuller, before (as I suppose) he had seen it: Since he seems to Apologize for his oversight by telling us, that 'twas ab 1.35 Book which, when in Manuscript, he priz'd more for its Rarity, than (since 'tis Printed) he trusts for its Verity. A more modernc 1.36 Author mentions the Life of the same Bishop written by George Lily; which, I guess, is no more than one of the short Characters in his Elogia virorum Illustrium. John Jewel's (of Salisbury) was compos'd by one that was a great Admirer of his Performances against Harding and other Papists, Lawrence Humphrey; out of whosed 1.37 copious Tract in Latin another small English Account of his Life was afterwards drawn by ae 1.38 Person of Quality, as the Author was pleas'd to Style him∣self.

These are all the Writers, that I know of, which have attempted the History of any of our particular Prelates, before the end of Queen Elizabeth's Reign; which is as low as my Enquiries are to come. I do not question but that, upon a dili∣gent Search into our English Libra∣ries, a good Number may be added to them; tho' I cannot hope they will ever prove either so many, or so exact, as those that have been written of the Bishops since the uniting of the Kingdoms.

There are few inferiour Clergymen that have had the Honour done them to be remember'd in any special Dis∣courses on their several Lives;* 1.39 tho' many of 'em had the chief Places of Trust and Honour in the State con∣ferr'd upon them. Within the com∣pass of six or seven Reigns, after the Restitution of the Saxon Line, we have one Abbot, two Deans, six Arch-deacons and a Dignitary of St. Paul's, Chancellours and Keepers of the great Seal; not to mention others in some∣what lower Stations. I know not whether that these Men, having en∣gaged

themselves in the Management of secular Affairs, were thought to desert their Clerical Functions, or for what other Reason, they seem to have been out of the Road of the Monkish Historians: Or, at least, they never look'd upon them as Persons that equal∣ly deserv'd their Respect, with such as had entirely devoted themselves to the Churche's Service. Not one of them, as far as I have hitherto learn'd, have had their particular Histories; nor should we have known that some of 'em had ever liv'd, but from the public Records of the state. In short, I have only a couple of Lives to be∣gin the Account with in this Class (for that of Henry Arch-deacon of Huntingdon, bya 1.40 Capgrave, is not worth the Readers notice or Mine;) and they both fall within the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the single Dio∣cess of Durham. The former of these is that of Dean Whittyngham, one of the sorry Translators of David's Psalms; whose Life the Oxfordb 1.41 An∣tiquary tells us he had in Manuscript.

The other is that of (our Northern Apostle) Bernard Gilpin, Rector of Houghton; who had hisa 1.42 Life writ∣ten, in elegant Latin, by his grate∣ful Scholar, Dr. George Carlton, Bi∣shop of Chichester. There's one pas∣sage in this History which has been ill apply'd by some of its Readers. The Refusal of the Bishoprick of Car∣lile has been interpreted as an Instance and Argument of the good Man's mean opinion of the Order of Epis∣copacy: Whereas (not to mention the extraordinary Humility wherewith he is noted to have been endow'd) they that know the values of that Bishoprick, and the Rectory of Hough∣ton, will easily apprehend there might be other Motives to incline one to Modesty upon such an Offer.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Vid. I. Pits, p. 142. & H. Spelm. Gloss. p. 245. voce Fossa, &c.
• b 1.2

  Monast. Angl. Tom. 3.
• c 1.3

  Th. Fuller's Holy War, ch. 8. pag. 11.
• * 1.4

  Archbi∣shops of Canter∣bury.
• a 1.5

  Angl. Sacr. vol. 1. p. 49.
• a 1.6

  4 to. Lond. 1681.
• b 1.7

  8 vo. Lond. 1607.
• c 1.8

  Of the Consecration of Bishops in the Church of England, Fol. Lond. 1613. & Latine, Fol. Ibid. 1625, 1646.
• a 1.9

  Consecration and Succession of Protestant Bishops, 8vo. Lond. 1664.
• b 1.10

  4to. Cantabr. 1688.
• c 1.11

  De Praesul. p. 223.
• * 1.12

  Archbi∣shops of York.
• a 1.13

  MS. in Bibl. Cott. Ben.
• b 1.14

  Angl. Sacr. vol. ••. p. 445.
• a 1.15

  Ibid. p. 362, 369.
• b 1.16

  4to. Lond. 1590, &c.
• c 1.17

  Hist. of Reform. par. 1. p. 8.
• d 1.18

  Hist. of Hen. 8. p. 78.
• * 1.19

  Bishops.
• a 1.20

  Vid. Chronic. Seriem Cancellar. &c. E••it. a D. Guil. Dugdale.
• a 1.21

  Angl. Sacr. vol. 2. p. 273.
• b 1.22

  Ibid. p. 299, &c.
• c 1.23

  Ibid. p. 351.
• d 1.24

  Ibid. p. 420, &c.
• a 1.25

  Ibid. p. 457. & Praefat. p. 22.
• b 1.26

  Ibid. p. 325.
• a 1.27

  MS. in Coll Novo, Oxon.
• b 1.28

  Angl. Sac. vol. 2. p. 355.
• c 1.29

  4to. Lond. 1597. & Oxon. 1690.
• a 1.30

  Vid. Ath. Oxon. vol. 1. p. 251.
• b 1.31

  Praef. ad Angl. Sac. vol. 1. p. 19.
• c 1.32

  Angl. Sacr. vol. 2. p. 359.
• a 1.33

  4to. Oxon. 1602. & Lond. 1681. inter Col∣lect. D. Bates.
• a 1.34

  Joh. Pits, p. 803.
• b 1.35

  Hist. of Cambr. p. 94. 99.
• c 1.36

  H. Wharton, Angl. Sacr. vol. 1. p. 382.
• d 1.37

  4to. Lond. 1573.
• e 1.38

  8vo. Lond. 1685.
• * 1.39

  Inferiour Clergy.
• a 1.40

  Bibl. Cott. Tiberius, A. 8.
• b 1.41

  Hist. & Antiq. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 34.
• a 1.42

  4to. Lond. 1628. & inter Collect. Dr. Bates,