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thefe four books, there is printed this advertisement to the reader :-" I "have for fome caufes thought it at this time more fit to let go thefe firft "four books by themfelves, than to ftay both them and the reft, till the "whole might together be published. Such generalities of the cause in "queftion as are here handled, it will be perhaps not amifs to confider apart, by way of introduction unto the books that are to follow concern"ing particulars; in the mean time the reader is requested to mend the printer's errors, as noted underneath."

And I am next to declare, that his fifth book (which is larger than his first four) was first alfo printed by itfelf, anno 1597, and dedicated to his patron (for till then he chofe none) the archbishop. These books were read with an admiration of their excellency in this, and their just fame fpread itself into foreign nations. And I have been told, more than forty years paft, that Cardinal Allen', or learned Dr. Stapleton" (both Englishmen, and in Italy when Mr. Hooker's four books were first printed), meeting with this general fame of them, were defirous to read an author

that

Sec "Collier's Ecclef. Hift." Vol. II. p. 643. "Wood's Ath. Ox." Vol. I. p. 268. and the infcription on Cardinal Allen's monument in the chapel of the English College at Rome. Biograph. Brit." Vol. I. p. 80. [H.]

He was for fome time fellow of Oriel College in Oxford, and Principal of St. Mary Hall. He difplayed the most ardent zeal in defending the religion of his ancestors, left his country in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and fled to France. Here he diftinguished himself by taking under his protection the English refugees, many of whom he placed in two feminaries at Douay and Rheims. He was rewarded by Pope Sixtus V. with a cardinal's hat in 1587, with the title of Cardinal of St. Martin's in the Mount. In 1589, he was appointed Archbishop of Mechlin in Brabant, and died about 1594. Pope Gregory XIII. entertained fo high an opinion of him, that he introduced him to his cardinals with these words, "Venite, fratres mei, oftendam vobis Alanum."

u We learn from the letter of King, Bishop of Chichester, to Mr. Haac Walton, that Dr. Stapleton was the perfon who named "Hooker's Ecclefiaftical Polity" to Pope Clement VIII. Thomas Stapleton, D. D. defcended from a noble and ancient family in the county of Suffex, left England on account of his religion, and retired into Flanders. He read lectures in divinity at Douay and afterward, at the exprefs invitation of the King of Spain, filled the profeffer's chair at Louvain. He was much efteemed for his virtues and his learning, being clafed fecond to Bellarmine in controverfial fkill. He was born in 1535, and died at Louvain in 1598. His works were printed at Paris in 1620, in four volumes folio. (Wood's Ath. Ox. Vol. I. p. 292.)

that both the reformed and the learned of their own church did fo much magnify; and therefore caused them to be fent for; and after reading of them boasted to the Pope (which was then Clement the Eighth), "That "though he had lately faid, he never met with an English book whofe "writer deserved the name of an author; yet there now appeared a won"der to them, and it would be fo to his Holinefs, if it were in Latin; for a poor obfcure English prieft had wrote four fuch books of laws and "church-polity, and in a ftyle that expreffed fo grave and fuch humble "majefty, with clear demonstration of reason, that in all their readings they "had not met with any that exceeded him :" and this begot in the pope an carneft defire that Dr. Stapleton fhould bring the faid four books, and, looking on the English, read a part of them to him in Latin, which Dr. Stapleton did, to the end of the first book; at the conclufion of which, the pope spake to this purpose: "There is no learning that this man hath not "fearched into; nothing too hard for his understanding: This man indeed "deferves the name of an author; his books will get reverence by age, for "there is in them fuch feeds of eternity, that if the rest be like this, they "fhall laft till the laft fire fhall confume all learning."

Nor was this high, the only teftimony and commendations given to his books; for at the firft coming of King James into this kingdom, he inquired of the Archbishop Whitgift for his friend Mr. Hooker, that writ the books of Church-polity; to which the answer was, that he died a year before Queen Elizabeth, who received the fad news of his death with very much forrow; to which the King replied, "And I receive it with no less, that I "fhall want the defired happiness of feeing and difcourfing with that man, "from whose books I have received fuch fatisfaction: Indeed, my Lord, I "have received more fatisfaction in reading a leaf, or paragraph, in Mr. Hooker, though it were but about the fashion of churches, or church"mufic', or the like, but efpecially of the facraments", than I have had in "the reading particular large treatises written but of one of thofe fubjects Qq 2. by.

"Ecclef. Polit." B. v. Sect. 14.

This fubject is most excellently difcuffed in "Ecclef. Polit." B. v. Sect. 38.

"Ecclef. Polit." B. v. Sect. 50.

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"others, though very learned men: and, I obferve, there is in Mr. "Hooker no affected language; but a grave, comprehenfive, clear mani"festation of reafon; and that backed with the authority of the Scripture, "the fathers, and schoolmen, and with all law both facred and civil. And though many others write well, yet in the next age they will be forgotten; but doubtless there is in every page of Mr. Hooker's book the picture of a divine foul, fuch pictures of truth and reason, and drawn in so "facred colours, that they fhall never fade, but give an immortal memory "to the author." And it is fo truly true, that the King thought what he fpake; that, as the moft learned of the nation have and ftill do mention Mr. Hooker with reverence; fo he alfo did never mention him but with the epithet of learned, or judicious, or reverend, or venerable Mr. Hooker.

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Nor did his fon, our late King Charles I. ever mention him but with the fame reverence, enjoining his fon, our now gracious King, to be ftudious in Mr. Hooker's books. And our learned antiquary Mr. Camden, in his "Annals of Eliz." mentioning the death, the modefty, and other virtues of Mr. Hooker, and magnifying his books, wifhed," that, for the honour of "this and benefit of other nations, they were turned into the universal language." Which work, though undertaken by many, yet they have been weary, and forfaken it; but the reader may now expect it, having been long fince begun, and lately finished, by the happy pen of Dr. Earle, now Lord Bishop of Salisbury, of whom I may justly say (and let it

not

a Charles I. a few days before his death, recommended to his dearest children the diligent reading of the first five books of "The Laws of Ecclefiaftical Polity," even next the Bible, as an excellent means to fatisfy private fcruples, and fettle the public peace of this church and kingdom. And in his will he bequeathed to the Princess Elizabeth, his daughter, the Sermons of Bishop Andrews; Archbishop Laud's book against Fisher, which, he said, would ground her against Popery; and Mr. Hooker's "Ecclefiaftical Polity."

"Richardi Hooker fcripta ante annos multos vidi, et quanquam in fermone mihi non percognito facile cognovi exactiffimi operis utilitatem : quæ tanta eft, ut hunc quoque librum verti, fed in Latinum fermonem, pervelim. (Grotius in Epiftolâ ad Mer. Cafaubonum.)See alfo" Kennet's complete Hiftory of England," Vol. II. p. 619.

* Dr. John Earle, author of "The World displayed; or, feveral Effays, confifting of the va"rious Characters and Paffions of its principal Inhabitants," was firft of Chrift Church, and

then

not offend him, because it is fuch a truth as ought not to be concealed from pofterity, or those that now live and yet know him not), that fince Mr. Hooker died none have lived whom God hath bleffed with more innocent wisdom, more fanctified learning, or a more pious, peaceable, primitive, temper; fo that this excellent perfon feems to be only like himself, and our venerable Richard Hooker; and only fit to make the learned of all nations happy

then of Merton College in Oxford, tutor to Prince Charles, afterward Charles I. In 1643, he was elected one of the Affembly of Divines; but he refused to act, and loft all he had for his loyalty. After the Reftoration, he was Dean of Westminster, and fucceffively Bishop of Worcefter and Salisbury. He was one of the coadjutors in the revifal of our prefent Liturgy. He is described as a very genteel man, yet religious and a contemner of the world: In his youth an excellent orator and poet; in his advanced years an admirable preacher and difputant. By the teftimony of an enemy, he was a perfon of the sweetest and most obliging good-nature that lived in his age; and none fince has lived whom God hath bleffed with more innocent wifdom, more fanctified learning, or a more pious, primitive, peaceable temper. He attended the Court when they retired to Oxford from the plague, and died Nov. 17, 1665, and was buried on the 25th of that month, near the high altar in Merton College church. His body was attended to the grave from the public fchools by a herald of arms, and the principal. perfons of the Court and Univerfity. (See the Preface to "The World Difplayed.")

His "Tranflation of the Ecclefiaftical Polity" was never printed. That of the Ex Baoshien was published under the title of "Imago Regis Caroli Primi, in Arumnis et Solitudine. . Hag. Com. 1649." 12mo.

"Ille qui Hookeri ingentis Politiam Ecclefiafticam,'

«Ille qui Caroli Martyris Εικονα βασιλικήν

"(Volumen quo poft Apocalypfin divinius nullum)
Legavit orbi fic Latinè redditas,

"Ut uterque unius fidei defenfor

"Patriam adhuc retineat majeftatem.

"Si nomen ejus necdum tibi fuboleat, lector,

"Nomen ejus, ut unguenta pretiofa,

"JOHANNES EARLE, EBORACENSIS," &c.

(Infcription on Dr. Earle's monument in the choir and chancel of Merton College.) ›

In "The Mufe Anglicanæ," Vol. I. p. 286, is a copy of elegant Latin verfes written by: him, on the return of the Prince from Spain; and we are informed by Lord Clarendon, that he was an excellent poet, both in Latin, Greek, and English.

happy in knowing what hath been too long confined to the language of our little ifland.

There might be many more and juft occafions taken to speak of his books, which none ever did or can commend too much; but I decline them, and haften to an account of his Chriftian behaviour and death at Borne; in which place he continued his customary rules of mortification and felf-denial; was much in fafting, frequent in meditation and prayers; enjoying those bleffed returns, which only men of strict lives feel and know; and of which men of loofe and godlefs lives cannot be made sensible; for spiritual things are fpiritually difcerned.

At his entrance into this place, his friendship was much fought for by Dr. Hadrian Saravia', then one of the prebendaries of Canterbury, a German by birth, and fometimes a paftor both in Flanders and Holland, where he had

d This character of Mr. Hooker's Works is confirmed by the approbation of our best writers. Is it not then painful to read in a modern author, whose learning and critical knowledge deferve every encomium, of A malicious obfervation of Hooker, and as remote from truth as it is from charity? (See "Memoirs of the Life of Gilbert Wakefield,” p. 132.)

Dr. Hadrian Saravia, the bofom friend of Whitgift, as well as of Mr. Hooker, was of Spanish extraction, and born at Hedin in Artois. He was a minifter of the reformed church in Holland. Having taken the degree of Doctor in Divinity at Leyden, he was afterward incorporated in the fame faculty at Oxford. He came into England in 1587 or 1588. He had first removed himself to Jersey, where he taught a school, and preached to his countrymen, who were exiles there. He was appointed mafter of the free-grammar fchool at Southampton, where Mr. Nicholas Fuller, the most renowned critic of his age, received his education principally under him. By him alfo was educated Sir Thomas Lake, Secretary of State to King James I. who faid of him, " that he was a minifter of ftate fit to serve the greatest prince "in Europe." He was fucceffively promoted to a prebend in the churches of Gloucester, Canterbury, and Westminster. He difplayed great learning in defence of Epifcopacy against Beza, when that divine, interfering with the ecclefiaftical affairs of Scotland, advised the chancellor of that kingdom to abrogate Epifcopacy. He lived to the age of eighty-two years, and died in 1612. In the infcription on his monument, in the Cathedral Church of Canterbury, he is styled, "Vir in omni literarum genere eximius, pietate, probitate, gravitate, et suavitate "morum infignis, fcriptis clarus, fide plenus, et bonis operibus dives valde." All his works were published in one volume, in 1611. He must have acquired a very confiderable knowledge of the English language, as we find his name in the first clafs of those whom King James I. employed to make a new and more correct verfion of the Bible. (See "Strype's Life of Whitgift," p. 422.)

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