Anglorum speculum, or, The worthies of England in church and state alphabetically digested into the several shires and counties therein contained : wherein are illustrated the lives and characters of the most eminent persons since the conquest to this present age : also an account of the commodities and trade of each respective county and the most flourishing cities and towns therein.

Chester.

CHester is a fair City on the North-side of the River Dee, so Ancient, that the first Founder thereof is forgotten, much beholden to the Earls of Chester for Encrease and Ornaments. The Walls thereof were lately in good repair, especially be∣twixt the New-Tower and the Water-gate. For An. 1569. a Personal Fight hap'ning betwixt the two Sheriffs thereof, Rich. Massey, and Pet. Lycherband, they were fined to mend that part of the Wall. The East-gate was committed formerly to the Custody of the Earl of Oxford; Bride-gate to the Earl of Shrews∣bury; Water-gate to the Earl of Darby; and North∣gate to the Mayor of the City; which is built in form of a Quadrant, having four Streets that meet in the middle thereof, affording a Pleasant Prospect. Here, under the Rows (or Galleries, a kind of Build∣ing peculiar to this City) the Passengers may walk dry, in wet Weather, without coming into the Streets. As for Buildings, St. Werburges Church is a fair Structure, (whereof the Tower begun 1508. is un∣finished) built long before the Conquest, and being ruined was repaired by Hugh Lupus first Earl. It was afterwards made by King Hen. 8. one of his five Royal Bishopricks, Oxf. Glouc. Brist, and Peter∣bur.

being the other 4. whose Ecclesiastical Juris∣diction were not confirmed by the Pope, nor Baro∣nies by the Parliament. These owed their being solely to the Kings Prerogative. And therefore when some Anti-Prelatists, in the late long Parl. 1641. endeavoured to overthrow their Baronies for want of Confirmation in Parl. upon better Considera∣tion they desisted from that design as unfesible.

Proverbs.

I. When the Daughter is stoln, shut Pepper-gate. The Mayor of Chester had his Daughter stoln through that Gate, whereupon he caused that shut, with all other Gates in the City.

Martyrs.

Geo. Marsh, condemned by Bishop Coats, burnt without this City, near to Spittle Boughton. See his Charact. in Lanc.

Prelates.

Geo. Dounham, D. D. Son to Jo. Dounham, Bishop of Chester, was born in this City, and bred in Christs-Coll. in Camb. made Fellow thereof 1585. and chosen Logick Professor of the University. Was as well skilled in Rhetorick as Logick, tho 'tis seldom seen that the Clunch-fist of this Art (good to knock a Man down at a blow) can so open it self as to Smooth and Stroak one with the Palm thereof. That the Doctor could do both, his Oration prefixed to his Treatise of Logick, does sufficiently Witness. He Preached the Sermon Apr. 17. 1608. at the Conse∣cration of Ja. Montague Bishop of Bath and Wells,

irrefragably proving therein Episcopacy jure divino. After which he was made Bishop of Derry of Ire∣land, to which London-Derry had been added a little before. He endeavoured by his Gentleness to Ci∣vilize the Wild Irish, and proved very successful therein.

Sea-men.

Dav. Middleton one of those who effectually con∣tributed his Assistance to the making of Through-lights in the World, I mean New-discoveries in the East and West Indies, v. his Printed Relation. His dan∣gers were great and many among Canibals and Por∣tugals, Crocodiles and Hollanders, yet at last he did settle the English Trade at Bantam, about 1610.

Sir Hen. Middleton, Knight, younger brother (as I take it) to the former under-went great Pains and Perils, in advancing the English Trade. Remarkable his Voyage into the Red-Sea, which had like to have proved the Dead-Sea unto him. Here he was tolled to Land at Moha, by the Treacherous Aga, and had eight of his Men Barbarously Slain, himself and se∣ven more Chained up by the Necks. The pretence was, because that Port was the Door of the Holy-City, and it is Capital for any Christian to come so near thereunto. Then was he sent above 160 Miles to the Basha, at Zenan in Arab. Jan. 1611. in which City, tho but 15 deg. N. Lat. from the Equator, there was Ice, at that time, of a Fingers thickness, in one Night, as the said Sir Hen. did relate. At last the Basha giving him leave, he sailed East-ward and repaired himself by a gainful Composition with the Indians, for the losses he had sustained by the Turks. His Ship called the Trades encrease, well answered the Name thereof until it pleased God to visit his

Men with a strange disease, whereof 100 English deceased, the grief whereat was conceived the cause of this Worthy Knights Death, May 24. 1613. whose Name will ever survive, whilst Middletons-Bay (from him so called) appeareth in the Dutch Cards.

Writers.

Roger of Chester, a Benedictine Monk in St. Wer∣burges, wrote a British Chron. from the beginning of the World, which (after an addition of 25 years) he Entitled Polycratica Temporum; the Stile pure Latine. He dyed about 1339. and was buried in Chester.

Randal (or Ranulph) Higden (commonly called Ran. of Chester) bred a Benedictine in St. Werb, not only vamp'd the History of Rog. aforesaid, but com∣posed One of his own, Commendable for his Method and Modesty therein. He continued 46 years a Monk and dyed 1363 and was buried in Chester.

Hen. Bradshaw, a Benedictine in this City, and dili∣gent Historian, wrote a Chronicle, and the Life of St. Werburge in Verse. A pious Man for the Age he lived in. He slourished about 1513.

Since the Reformation.

Edward Brierwood, bred in Brason-nose-Coll. in Oxf. Being Candidate of a Fellowship and loosing it, he af∣terwards applyed himself so seriously, to his Studies, that he became a most accomplished Scholar in Logick (Witness his Treatise thereof) Mathematicks, be∣ing afterwards Lecturer thereof in Gresham-Coll. and Languages of which he wrote his Enquiries. He maintained against Mr. Byfield, That we are not bound to a Jewish exactness, in the observati∣on

of the Sabbath. He dyed about 1633.

Jo. Downham, younger Son of Will. Bishop of Che∣ster, bred in Camb. B. D. became a profitable Preach∣er in London, and was the first who commendably discharged the Eminent Lecture behind the Exchange, plentifully endowed by Mr. Jones of Monmouth. He is Memorable to Posterity for his worthy work of the Christian Warfare. He dyed about 1644.

Benefactors.

Will. Aldersea, a Pious Man, was Mayor of the City, 1560. and compleated the Lame List of Mayors out of the Records. He dyed Oct. 12. An. 1577. and lies buried in the Chancel of St. Oswals.

Sir Th. Offley, bred a Merch. Taylor in London whereof he became Lord Mayor An. 1556. in his Mayoralty began the Custom of the Night-Bell-man. He was the Zaccheus of London for his high Charity, bequeathing the half of his Estate (being 5000 pound) to the Poor, tho he had Children of his own; yea he appointed that 200 pound (left to his Son Hen.) should be taken out of the other half, and employed to Charitable uses. He dyed 1560 and was buried in the Church of St. Andr. Undershaft. Mr. Hugh Offley Leather-Seller, Sheriff of London An. 1588. (buried in the same Church) gave 600 pound to the City to put forth young Men. Mr. Rob. brother to Hugh, gave 600 pound for 24 young Men in Che∣ster, whereof 12 were Apprentices. On the first of these I suppose these Rhythms were made.

Offley three Dishes had of daily Roast, An Egg, an Apple, and the third a Toast.

Feasting himself moderately, that he might seed others by his Bounty.

Jo. Terer, Gent. Erected a seemly Water-work, built Steple-wise at the Bridge-gate, which serves to convey the River-water through Pipes, to the Citi∣zens Houses in Chester. His Son endeavoured, and I believe effected the like, for the Conveniency of the middle part of that City.