much in their eftates, and feen the ruin of that excellent ftructure, where their ancestors have long lived, and been memorable for their hofpitality. This mother of George Herbert (of whose perfon, wisdom, and virtue, I intend to give a true account in a seasonable place) was the happy mother of feven fons, and three daughters, which The would often fay, was Job's number, and Job's distribution; and, as often blefs God, that they were neither defective in their fhapes or in their reason; and very often reprove them that did not praife God for fo great a blefsing. I fhall give the reader a fhort account of their names, and not fay much of their fortunes. Edwards, the eldest, was first made Knight of the Bath, at that glorious time of our late Prince Henry's being inftalled Knight of the Garter; and after many years' useful travel, and the attainment of many languages, he was by King James fent Ambassador refident to the then French King, Lewis XIII. There he continued about two years; but he could not subject himself to a compliance with the humours of the Duke de No character is more heterogeneous than that of this nobleman, not lefs renowned for his prowefs and martial gallantry, than for his literary acquirements. Ben Jonfon ftyles him "All-virtuous Herbert, in whofe every part "Truth might spend all her voice, Fame all her art." He is classed among the moft eminent of the Deiffical writers, having attempted to reduce Deifm into a regular fyftem; and, by afserting the fufficiency, univerfality, and abfolute perfection of natural religion, to difcard all revealed religion as ufelefs. It is unnecefsary to add that his opinions have been difcufsed with great ability, moderation, and candour, by Dr. Leland, in his " Review of the Deiftical Writers." He has given the following account of himself in the earlier period of his life: "It was fo long before I began to fpeak, that many thought I "fhould be ever dumb: The very fartheft thing I remember is, that "when I understood what was faid by others, I did yet forbear to speak, "left I fhould utter fomething that was imperfect or impertinent. When "I came to talk, one of the fartheft inquiries was, how I came into this " world " (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 16.)" At twelve years old, my parents thought fit to fend me to Oxford, to University College, "where I remember to have difputed, at my first coming, in logick." (ib. p. 25.)- His father died; he left Oxford, married, and afterward returned to the University." Not long after my marriage, I went again to Oxford, together with my wife and mother, who took a "houfe, and lived for fome certain time there." (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 26.) And now he followed his book more clofe than ever ; in which course he continued till he had attained about the age of eighteen, when his mother took a houfe in London, between which place and Montgomery Cafile he passed his time till he came to the age of one and twenty. At the request of his mother, he undertook the burden of providing for his brothers and fifters, giving to his brothers thirty pounds a piece yearly, and to his three lifters 10001. a piece; which portions married them. Luines, who was then the great and powerful favourite at court: fo that, upon a complaint to our King, he was called back into England in fome difpleafure; but at his return he gave fuch an honourable account of his employment, and fo juftified his comportment to the Duke, and all the Court, that he was fuddenly fent back upon the fame embassy, from which he returned in the beginning of the reign of our good King Charles I. who made him firft Baron of Caftle-Ifland; and not long after of Cherbury, in the county of Salop: He was a man of great learning and reafon, as appears by his printed book "De Veritate;" and by his "Hiftory of the Reign of King Henry VIII." and by feveral other tracts. h The fecond and third brothers were Richard and Williami, who ventured their lives to purchase honour in the wars of the Low Countries, and died officers in that employment. Charles* was the fourth, and died Fellow of New College in Oxford. Henry' was the fixth, who became a menial fervant to the "My brother RICHARD, after he had been brought up in learning, "went to the Low Countries, where he continued many years with "much reputation both in the wars, and for fighting fingle duels, which were many, in fo much that between both he carried, as I have been *told, the fears of four and twenty wounds upon him to his "Jieth buried in Bergenopzoom." grave, and (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 12.) i co My brother WILLIAM, being likewife brought up in learning, went afterward to the wars in Denmark, where fighting a fingle combat, "and having his fword broken, he not only defended himfelf with that piece which remained, but closing with his adversary threw him down, "and fo held him until company came in; and then went to the wars "in the Low Countries, but lived not long after." 86 Life of Lord Herbert, p. 12.) "My brother CHARLES was Fellow of New College in Oxford, where "he died young, after he had given great hopes of himself every way." (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 12.)--Mr. Charles Herbert was the fellow Collegian and friend of Dr. Richard Zouch, to whofe poem entitled "The Dove," he has prefixed Latin verfes. We also obferve his name fubfcribed to fome lines addrefsed to his virtuous kinfman, Thomas Herbert, Efq. on the publication of that gentleman's "Travels into divers Parts of Afia and Afrique." 1" HENRY, after he had been brought up in learning, as the other "brothers were, was fent by his friends into France, where he attained "the language of that country in much perfection, after which time he "came to Court, and was made Gentleman of the King's Privy Cham"ber, and Mafier of the Revels; by which means, as alfo by a good "marriage, he attained to great fortunes for himlelf and pofterity to enjoy: He alfo hath given feveral proofs of his courage in duels and "otherwise, being no less dextrous in the ways of the Court, as having " got much by it." (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 15.) 66 Mr. Richard Baxter, who was educated at High Ercall, was in his early youth recommended to the care of Sir Henry Herbert, and by him kindly received. But that celebrated Nonconformift did not relish a Court life, and very foon returned to his privacy and ftudies. "I went " up," Crown, in the days of King James, and hath continued to be fo for fifty years; during all which time he hath been Master of the Revels; a place that requires a diligent wisdom, with which God hath blefsed him. The feventh fon was Thomas m, who being made captain of a fhip in that fleet with which Sir Robert Manfell was fent against Algiers, did there fhew a fortunate and true English valour. Of the three fifters I need not "up," fays he, "flayed at Whitehall with Sir H. H. about a month, "but I had quickly enough of the Court, when I faw a ftage-play, in"stead of a fermon, on the Lord's days in the afternoon, and faw what "courfe was there in fashion, and heard little preaching but what was "as to one part against the Puritans: I was glad to be gone." (Reliq. Baxter. p. 11.) It was within the department of the Mafter of the Revels to licenfe the prefs, and accordingly we find many books printed at this time, with an imprimatur "granted by Henry Herbert." The following flory is related of him: "A few days before the mur"der of the King, meeting in Hyde Park with Thomas Herbert, Efq. "his kinfman, who then waited on his Majefty as one of the grooms of "his bed-chamber, and inquiring how his Majefty did, he defired he "would let him know, that if he pleased to read the fecond chapter of "Ecclefiafticus, he would there find comfort. Accordingly Mr. Her"bert acquainted the King, who thanked Sir Henry, and commended "his excellent parts; being a good fcholar, foldier, and an accomplished "courtier, and for his many years' faithful service much valued by the King, who prefently turned to the chapter, and read it with much "fatisfaction." (Collins's Peerage, Vol. V. p. 198.) Lord Herbert of Cherbury, having related many glorious and gallant exploits of his brother Thomas, thus concludes his account of him: "After all these proofs given of himself, he expected fome great "command, but finding himfeif, as he thought, undervalued, he re"tired to a private and melancholy life, being much difcontented to "find others preferred to him, in which fullen humour having lived many years he died, and was buried in London, in St. Martin's, near "Charing Crofs." (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 15.) n At the inftance of Count Gondomar, the Spanish Ambassador, Sir Robert Manfell, Vice-Admiral of England, was fent in 1620, with a fleet for the Mediterranean, with a view to humble the Algerine pirates, who infefted the Spanish coafts. Captain Thomas Herbert had then the command of the Marmaduke, a merchant ship, of fifty men and twelve guns. (Lediart's Naval History, Vol. II. p. 45.)- -Sir Robert in a letter to the Duke of Buckingham, dated from aboard the Lyon, in Alegant road, informs his Grace of the event of this expedition against the Algerines, and names Captain Giles and Captain Herbert as veryactive in afsisting him. See Cabala, p. 323. • "ELIZABETH, my eldest fifter, was married to Sir Henry Jones, "who by her had one fon and two daughters: The latter end of her "time was the moft fickly and miferable that hath been known in our "times, while for the space of about fourteen years the languifhed and pined away to fkin and bones, and at laft died in London" (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 15.) "MARGARET fay more, than that they were all married to perfons of worth, and plentiful fortunes; and lived to be examples of virtue, and to do good in their generations. I now come to give my intended account of George P, who was the fifth of thofe feven brothers. George Herbert spent much of his childhood in a sweet content under the eye and care of his prudent mother, and the tuition of a chaplain or tutor to him, and two of his brothers, in her own family (for fhe was then a widow), where he continued till about the age of twelve years; and being at that time well inftructed in the rules of grammar, he was not long after commended to the care of Dr. Neale, who was then "MARGARET was married to John Vaughan, fon and heir to Owen "Vaughan, of Lluydart, by which match fome former differences be"twixt our house and that were appeafed and reconciled." (Ib. p. 15.) "FRANCES, my youngest fifter, was married to Sir John Brown, "Knight, in Lincolnthire, who had by her divers children, the eldest of "whom, though young, fought divers duels; in one of which it was "bis fortune to kill one Lee, of a great family in Lancashire." (Ib. p. 16.) To Elizabeth his eldeft fifter, was written the following affectionate letter by Mr. George Herbert: "FOR MY DEAR SICK SISTER. "" MOST DEAR SISTER, "Think no my filence forgetfulness, or that my love is as dumb as "my papers; though bufinefs may flop my hand, yet my heart, a much "better member, is always with you: and, which is more, with our good and gracious God, incefsantly begging fome ease of your pains, "with that earneftnels that becomes your griefs and my love. God, "who knows and fees this writing, knows alfo that my foliciting him "has been much, and my tears many for you; judge me then by those waters, and not by my ink, and then you fhall justly value Your most truly, "Decem. 6, 1620, Trin. Col. "Affectionate brother and fervant, "My brother GEORGE was fo excellent a fcholar, that he was made "the public orator of the Univerfity of Cambridge, fome of whose English works are extant; which, though they be rare in their kind, yet are far fhort of exprefsing thofe perfections he had in the Greek "and Latin Tongue, and all divine and human literature: His life was "moft holy and exemplary, infomuch that about Salisbury where he lived beneficed for many many years, he was little lefs than fainted. "He was not exempt from pafsion and choler, being infirmities to "which all our race is fubject, but, that excepted, without reproach in "his actions." (Life of Lord Herbert, p. 12, 13.) g It has been faid of Dr. RICHARD NEALE, that no one was more thoroughly acquainted with the diftrefses as well as the conveniences of the clergy, having ferved the Church as Schoolmafier, Curate, Vicar, Rector, Mafter of the Savoy, Dean of Weftminster, Clerk of the Clofet to James I. and Charles I. Bishop of Rochester, Litchfield, Durham, Winchefter, Dean of Westminster, and by him to the care of Mr. Ireland"; who was then chief master of that school; where the beauties of his pretty behaviour and wit fhined and became fo eminent and lovely in this his innocent age, that he feemed to be marked out for piety, and to become the care of Heaven, and of a particular good angel to guard and guide him. And thus he continued in that school, till he came to be perfect in the learned languages, and efpecially in the Greek tongue, in which he after proved an excellent critic. About the age of fifteen (he being then a King's Scholar) he was elected out of that school for Trinity College in Cambridge, to which place he was tranfplanted about the year 1608; and his prudent mother, well knowing that he might easily lose or lefsen that virtue and innocence, which her advice and example had planted in his mind, did therefore procure the generous and liberal Dr. Nevils, who was then Dean of Canter Winchefter, and Archbishop of York. To the Church and churchmen he was very ferviceable by oppofing the fectaries in their purfuits for ecclefiaftical preferment, which they indefatigably hunted after, and thereby he drew on himself their general hatred. Prynne and Burton honoured him with the appellation of "a Popish Arminian Prelate,' and omitted no opportunity of thowing their inveteracy againfi him. "He died," fays Echard, "full of years as he was full of honours; a faithful fubject to his prince, an indulgent father to his clergy, a "bountiful patron to his chaplains, and a true friend to all that relied " upon him." " f He was made Mafter of Weftminster School in 1599, and continued fo to 1610. Hacket, afterward Bishop of Lichfield, was elected from Weftminfter School at the fame time with Mr. George Herbert into Trinity College. When they left fchool, Mr. Ireland told them, "That "he expected to have credit by them two at the University, or would never hope for it afterwards while he lived." (Dr. Plume's Account of the Life and Death of Bishop Hacket.) S THOMAS NEVIL, D. D. eminent for the splendour of his birth, his extraordinary piety and learning, was educated at Pembroke Hall in the University of Cambridge. In 1582 he was admitted Matter of Magdalen College in the fame Univerfity, and in 1593 he fucceeded Dr. John Still in the Maftership of Trinity College, being then Dean of the Cathedral Church of Peterborough, over which he prefided commendably eight years. "Of the College of the Holy and undivided Trinity, now not only famous in that University, but in all Europe, "which was decayed and near falling, and through age incoherent and 'irregular, he was the moderator, the enlarger, and moft happy reforer; by his advice, favour, and liberal gift of money, the illdifpofed buildings were taken down and rebuilt in a more elegant "form, the ways and ancient areas made regular and enlarged by new "and excellent embellishments and ornaments, and brought to the re"markable beauty it now bears." (From a MS. extant in Trinity College, and called NEVIL.)Upon the demife of Queen Elizabeth, Dr. Nevil, who had been promoted to the Deanery of Canterbury in 1597, was fent by Archbishop Whitgift to King James in Scotland, in the names of the Bishops and Clergy of England, to tender their T bounden |