and but a part, of that juft commendation which might be from thence enlarged, and fhall then leave the indifferent reader to judge whether my error be an excess or defect of commenda tions. Sir Robert Wotton of Bocton Malherbe, Knight, was born about the year of Chrift 1460: He, living in the reign of King Edward IV. was by him trusted to be Lieutenant of Guifnes, to be Knight Porter, and Comptroller of Calais, where he died, and lies honourably buried. Sir Edward Wotton of Bocton Malherbe, Knight (fon and heir of the faid Sir Robert) was born in the year of Chrift, 1489, in the reign of King Henry VII.; he was made Treasurer of Calais, and of the Privy Council to King Henry VIII. who offered him to be Lord Chancellor of England; "But," faith Hollinfhed, in his Chronicle," out of a virtuous modesty he "refufed it." Thomas Wotton of Bocton Malherbe, Efquire, fon and heir of the faid Sir Edward, and the father of our Sir Henry that occafions this relation, was born in the year of Chrift, 1521: He was a gentleman excellently educated, and ftudious in all the liberal arts; in the knowledge whereof he attained unto a great perfection; who, though he had (befides those abilities, a very noble and plentiful estate and the ancient intereft of his predecefsors) many invitations from Queen Elizabeth to change his country recreations and retirement for a court, offering him a knighthood (fhe was then with him at Bocton-hall), and that to be but as an earneft of fome more honourable and more profitable employment under her; yet he humbly refufed both, being a man of great modefty, of a most plain and single heart, of an ancient freedom and integrity of mind. A commendation which Sir Henry Wotton took occasion often to remember with great gladnefs, and thankfully to boast himself the fon of fuch a father; from whom indeed he derived that noble ingenuity that was always practifed by himself, and which he ever both commended and cherished in others. This Thomas was alfo remarkable for hospitality, a great lover and much beloved of his country; to which may juftly be added, that he was a cherisher of learning, as appears by that excellent antiquary, Mr. William Lambert, in his Perambulation of Kent. Hollingfhed informs us that the family of the Wottons was very ancient, and that "Some perfons of that furname for their fingularities "of wit and learning, for their honour and government in and of the "realm, about the prince and elfewhere, at home and abroad, deferve "fuch commendations, that they merit niveo signari lapillo." (Chron. Vol. I. p. 1402.) d WILLIAM LAMBARD of Lincoln's Inn, gent. a pupil of Lawrence Nowell the learned Antiquary, and known to the country magistrate as the author of " Eirenarcha, or of the Office of the Juftices of Peace, 1599," and of the "Duties of Conflables, Borfholders, Tithing-Men, "and fuch other Lowe and Lay Minifters of the Peace, 1601.' His "Perambulation This Thomas had four fons, Sir Edward, Sir James, Sir John, and Sir Henry. Sir Edward was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, and made Comptroller of her Majefty's Household. "He was," faith Camden, "a man remarkable for many and great employ"ments in the ftate during her reign, and feveral times Ambaf"fador into foreign nations. After her death, he was by King James made Comptroller of his Household, and called to be "of his Privy Council, and by him advanced to be Lord Wot"ton, Baron of Merley in Kent, and made Lord Lieutenant of "that county." Sir James, the fecond fon, may be numbered among the martial men of his age, who was in the thirty-eight of Queen Elizabeth's reign (with Robert Earl of Sufsex, Count Lodowick of Nafsau, Don Chriftophoro, fon of Antonio King of Portugal, and divers other gentlemen of noblenefs and valour) knighted in the field near Cadiz in Spain, after they had gotten great honour and riches, befides a notable retaliation of injuries by taking that towns. "Perambulation of Kent," much applauded by Camden, encouraged many more men of learning to endeavour the like fervices for their country. His chief work is "The Archaionomia five de prifcis Anglorum Legibus, 1568," being a tranflation of the Anglo-Saxon Laws. SIR HENRY WOTTON, in a letter to Lord Zouch, dated Florence, Aug. 14, 1592, mentions his brother Edward, as having loft his wife, a gentlewoman, in his opinion, of moft rare virtue; his brother James as gone to ferve in the Low Countries; and his brother John as retired to a folitary life, and at some difference with his lady. "My brother Edward hath, either against his will, as fome fay, or "with it, as I fay, been knighted." Letter to Lord Zouch, dated Sienna, Dec. 13, 1592.)-Sir Edward Wotton was, in 1585, fent Ambafsador into Scotland, for the purpose of contracting a league offensive and defenfive with the King, to counteract the holy league, which the Pope, the Spanish King, the Guifes, and others had made to extirpate the reformed religion. (Spotswood's Hist. p. 339.)- -His character, while he was engaged in that embassy, is thus drawn by Dr. Robertfon. "This man was gay, well-bred, and entertaining; he excelled in all the "exercises for which James had a passion, aud amufed the young King "by relating the adventures which he had met with, and the obferva"tions he had made during a long refidence in foreign countries; but "under the veil of thefe fuperficial qualities, he concealed a dangerous "and intriguing fpirit. He foon grew into high favour with James, and "while he was feemingly attentive only to pleasure and diverfions, he "acquired influence over the public councils, to a degree which was "indecent for a firanger to poisefs." (History of Scotland, B. VII.) The Earl of Essex made knights to the number of fixty. Some of them were perfons of little fortunes, nor was Queen Elizabeth pleafed with him for making knighthood so common. A knight of Cales, a gentleman of Wales, and a laird of the north countrie, A yeoman of Kent with his yearly rent will buy them out all three. Sir John being a gentleman excellently accomplished, both by learning and travel, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, and by her looked upon with more than ordinary favour, and with intentions of preferment; but death in his younger years put a period to his growing hopes. Of Sir Henry, my following difcourfe fhall give an account. The defcent of these fore-named Wottons were all in a direct line, and most of them in their actions in the memory of those with whom we have converfed: But if I had looked fo far back as to Sir Nicholas Wotton (who lived in the reign of King Richard II.) or before him, upon divers others of great note in their feveral ages, I might by some be thought tedious; and yet others may more juftly think me negligent, if I omit to mention Nicholas Wotton, the fourth fon of Sir Robert, whom I first named. k This Nicholas Wotton was Doctor of Law, and sometime Dean both of York and Canterbury; a man whom God did not only blefs with a long life, but with great abilities of mind, and an inclination to employ them in the fervice of his country, as is teftified by his feveral employments, having been fent nine times Ambafsador unto foreign princes; and by his being a Privy Councellor to King Henry VIII. to Edward VI. to Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth; who alfo, after he had been, during the wars between England, and Scotland and France, three feveral times (and not unfuccefsfully) employed in committees for fettling of peace betwixt this and thofe kingdoms, " died," faith learned Camden, "full of commendations for wifdom and piety." He was alfo by the will of King Henry h He was inftalled Dean of York, Dec. 4, 1544, as in 1542 he was confiituted the firft Dean of Canterbury by the Charter of Incorporation. He held both thefe preferments to the time of his death, Jan, 26, 1566-7. What Sir Henry Wotton faid of Sir Philip Sidney, has been applied to Nicholas Wotton. " That he was the very meafure of congruity." Henry VIII. thus addrefsed him on his appointment to a foreign embassy; “I "have fent a head by Cromwell, a purfe by Wolfey, a fword by Bran“don, and must now fend the law by you." (Lloyd's State Worthies, p. 107.)-He was confidered as pofsefsing the qualifications of a filatesiman in a very eminent degree. "Every younker fpeaks as politic as Bishop Gardner or Dr. Wotton." (Spenser's Letters to his friend Immerito.) i Camden, in his Britannica. * It appears, from the infcription on his monument, that he was sent Ambassador twice to the Emperor Charles V. once to Philip King of Spain, once to Francis I. the French King, thrice to Henry II. his fon, once to Mary Queen of Hungary, governor of the Low Countries, and twice to William Duke of Cleves: That he was alfo a Commifsioner at the renewal of peace between the English, and French and Scots, at a place between Guifnes and Ardes, in 1546, and alfo at the cafije of Cambray, in 1559, and laftly at Edinburgh, in 1560-See his life in a very valuable work lately published, entitled, "Some account of the "Deans of Canterbury, from the new Foundation of that Church by "Henry VIII. to the present Time. By Henry John Todd, M. A.” VIII. made one of his executors, and chief Secretary of State to his fon, that pious Prince Edward VI.-Concerning which Nicholas Wotton, I fhall fay but this little more; that he refufed (being offered it by Queen Elizabeth) to be Archbishop of Canterbury-and that he died not rich, though he lived in that time of the difsolution of abbeys. More might be added; but by this it may appear, that Sir Henry Wotton was a branch of fuch a kindred, as left a stock of reputation to their pofterity; fuch reputation as might kindle a generous emulation in ftrangers, and preferve a noble ambition in thofe of his name and family, to perform actions worthy of their ancestors. And that Sir Henry Wotton did fo, might appear more perfectly than my pen can express it, if of his many furviving friends, fome one of higher parts and employments had been pleafed to have commended his to pofterity; but fince fome years are now pafsed, and they have all (I know not why) forborn to do it, my gratitude to my dead friend, and the renewed requeft of fome that ftill live folicitous to fee this duty performed, thefe have had a power to perfuade me to undertake it; which truly, I have not done, but with fome diftruft of mine own abilities; yet fo far from despair, that I am modeftly confident my humble language fhall be accepted, because I fhall prefent all readers with a commixture of truth, and Sir Henry Wotton's merits. This being premifed, I proceed to tell the reader, that the father of Sir Henry Wotton was twice married; first to Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir John Rudstone, Knight; after whose death, though his inclination was averfe to all contentions, yet necefsitated he was to feveral fuits in law; in the profecution whereof (which took up much of his time, and were the occaɓon of many difcontents) he was by divers of his friends earnestly perfuaded to a remarriage; to whom he has often answered, "That if ever he did put on a refolution to marry, he was feri"ously refolved to avoid three forts of perfons, namely, "Thofe that had children; "And thofe that were of his kindred." And yet, following his own law-fuits, he met in Weftminsterhall with Mrs. Elionora Morton, widow to Robert Morton of Kent, Efquire, who was alfa engaged in feveral fuits in law; and he, obferving her comportment at the time of hearing one of her caufes before the Judges, could not but at the fame time both compafsionate her condition, and affect her perfon (for m Sir Edward Bifh Clarentieux, King of Arms, Mr. Charles Cotton, and Mr. Nick Qudert, fometime Sir Henry Wotton's fervant, and one of the witnesses to his laft will. the tears of lovers, or beauty drest in sadness, are obferved to have in them a charming eloquence, and to become very often too strong to be refifted), which I mention, because it proved fo with this Thomas Wotton; for although there were in her a concurrence of all thofe accidents, against which he had fo feriously refolved, yet his affection to her grew then fo ftrong, that he refolved to folicit her for a wife; and did, and obtained her. By her (who was the daughter of Sir William Finch of Eastwell in Kent) he had only Henry his youngest fon. His mother undertook to be tutorefs unto him during much of his childhood; for whofe care and pains he paid her each day with fuch visible signs of future perfection in learning, as turned her employment into a pleafing trouble; which she was content to con tinue, till his father took him into his own particular care, and difpofed of him to a tutor in his own house at Bocton. And when time and diligent inftruction had made him fit for a removal to a higher form (which was very early), he was fent to Winchester-school, a place of ftrict difcipline and order; that fo he might in his youth be moulded into a method of living by rule, which his wife father knew to be the most neceffary way, to make the future part of his life both happy to himfelf, and useful for the discharge of all bufinefs, whether public or private. And that he might be confirmed in this regularity, he was at a fit age removed from that school to be a Commoner of NewCollege in Oxford; both being founded by William Wickham Bishop of Winchefter. There he continued, till about the eighteenth year of his age; and was then tranfplanted into Queen's-College, where within that year he was by the chief of that college persuasively enjoined to write a play for their private ufe (it was the tragedy of Tancredo), which was fo interwoven with fentences, and for the method and exact perfonating thofe humours, pafsions, and difpofitions, which he propofed to reprefent, fo performed, that the graveft of that fociety declared he had in a fleight employment given an early and a folid teftimony of his future abilities. And though there may be fome four difpofitions, which may think this not worth a memorial, yet that wife Knight, Baptift Guarini (whom learned Italy accounts one of her ornaments), thought it neither an uncomely, nor an unprofitable employment for his age. But I pafs to what will be thought more ferious. About the twentieth year of his age he proceeded Master of Arts, and at that time read in Latin three Lectures de Oculo; " He was admitted of New College in 1584. • The famous author of the " Ill Paftor Fido." P According to Anthony Wood, Mr. Henry Wotton fupplicated in June 1588 for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts. But it did not appear from 4 |