witness this proteftation; that, in that'difquifition and search, he proceeded with humility and diffidence in himself; and, by that which he took to be the fafeft way; namely, frequent prayers, and an indifferent affection to both parties: and indeed, truth had too much light about her to be hid from fo harp an inquirer; and he had too much ingenuity not to acknowledge he had found her. Being to undertake this fearch, he believed the Cardinal Bellarmine to be the best defender of the Roman cause, and therefore betook himself to the examination of his reasons. The caufe was weighty: and wilful delays had been inexcufable both towards God and his own confcience; he therefore próceeded in this fearch with all moderate hafte, and about the twentieth year of his age, did fhow the then Dean of Gloucefter (whose name my memory hath now loft) all the Cardinal's works marked with many weighty obfervations under his own hand; which works were bequeathed by him at his death as a legacy to a most dear friend. About a year following he refolved to travel; and the Earl of Efsex going firft the Cales, and after the Island voyages, the first anno 1596, the fecond 1597, he took the advantage of those opportunities, waited upon his Lordship, and was an eye witnefs of those happy and unhappy employments. But he returned not back into England, till he had staid some years first in Italy, and then in Spain, where he made many ROBERT BELLARMINE, raised to the purple in 1599 by Pope Clement VIII. was born in 1542, and died at Rome in 1621. He was esteemed by the Jefuits as the brighteft ornament of their order, and the Proteftant writers have always confidered him as the most learned advocate of the church of Rome. His great work has been called “ Opus absolutifsimum, quod controverfiarum ferme omnium corpus dici queat." The following eulogium is prefixed to a print of him by Bolfwert. "Robertus Bellarminus Politianus Societatis Jesu animi fubmifsione "quàm purpurâ major: nec pio minùs quàm docto in hærefes contro"verfiarum calamo orbi notifsimus: virtutum ut amator ita cultor om"nium. Quam a Matre Virgine carnem acceperat, quam a facro "lavacro innocentiam Deo reddidit: nullius fibi vitâ omni mendacii "confcius: cujus etiam medicam manum in vario morborum genere experti non pauci. Vivere hîc defiit, cælo incepit anno MDCXXI. "ætatis fuæ LXXIX," • Dr. ANTHONY RUDD, born in Yorkshire, and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He died Bishop of St. David's in 1614. Of his fermon preached in 1596 before Queen Elizabeth, from Pf. xc. 12, in which by perfonally alluding to her advanced years, and plainly telling her Majefty, that" age had furrowed her face, and befprinkled her "hair with its meal," he incurred her heavy displeasure."-See Fuller's Ch. History, B. X. Cent. xv11. p. 69. P Of this expedition in 1596, in which Cadiz was taken from the Spaniards, a narrative written by the Earl of Essex is inserted in Cambden's Annals of England, &c. ufeful obfervations of thofe countries, their laws and manner of government, and returned perfect in their languages. The time that he spent in Spain was, at his firft going into. Italy, defigned for travelling to the holy land, and for viewing Jerufalem and the Sepulchre of our Saviour. But at his being in the furthest parts of Italy, the disappointment of company, or of a fafe convoy, or the uncertainty of returns of money into those remote parts, denied him that happiness; which he did often occafionally mention with a deploration. Not long after his return into England, that exemplary pattern of gravity and wifdom, the Lord Ellefmere, then keeper of the great feal, the Lord Chancellor of England, taking notice of his learning, languages, and other abilities, and much affecting his perfon and behaviour, took him to be his chief 9 Sir THOMAS EGERTON, Knight, a native of Cheshire, the founder of his branch of the house of Egerton. In confideration of his fingular merits, he had the care of the Great Seal committed to him, May 6, 1596, under the title of Lord Keeper, and by King James I. he was created Baron of Ellefmere, and conftituted Lord Chancellor of England. His literary character is pourtrayed in the following letter written by Sir Francis Bacon, when he prefented him with a copy of "The Advancement of Learning." May it please your good Lordship, "I humbly present your Lordship with a work, wherein as you have "much commandment over the author, fo your Lordship hath great "intereft in the argument: for, to speak without flattery, few have like "ufe of learning or like judgment in learning, as I have obferved in your Lordship. And again, your Lordship hath been a great planter "of learning, not only in thofe places in the church, which have been "in your own gift, but also in your commendatory vote no man hath "more conftantly held "detur digniori ;" and therefore both your Lordfhip is beholden to learning, and learning bebolden to you; which "maketh me prefume, with good afsurance, that your Lordship will ec accept well of thefe my labours, the rather because your Lordship in private speech hath often begun to me in expressing your admiration "of his Majefty's learning, to whom I have dedicated this work; and "whofe virtue and perfection in that kind did chiefly move me to a "work of this nature. And fo with fignification of my moft humble duty and affection to your Lordship, I remain, &c." 1605. (Bacon's Works, vol III. p. 229. Cabala, p. 64.) This excellent perfon died at the age of feventy years, March 15, 1616-17, having on the third of that month refigned the Great Seal, which on the seventh was given to Sir Francis Bacon. "It was faid of "Bankes the Attorney (General) that he exceeded Bacon in eloquence, "Chancellor Ellesmere in judgment, and William Noy in law." (Lord Strafforde's Letters, vol. I. p. 427.) "TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR. "Whilft thy weigh'd judgment, Egerton, I hear, "That Secretary; fuppofing and intending it to be an introduction to fome more weighty employment in the State; for which, his Lordship did often proteft, he thought him very fit. Nor did his Lordship in this time of Mafter Donne's attendance upon him, account him to be fo much his servant, as to forget he was his friend; and to testify it, did always use him with much courtesy, appointing him a place at his own table, to which he esteemed his company and difcourfe to be a great ornament. He continued that employment for the fpace of five years, being daily useful, and not mercenary to his friends. During which time he (I dare not fay unhappily) fell into such a liking, as (with her approbation) increased into a love with a young gentlewoman that lived in that family, who was niece to the Lady Ellefmere', and daughter to Sir George Moors, then Chancellor of the Garter and Lieutenant of the Tower. Sir George had fome intimation of it, and knowing prevention to be a great part of wisdom, did therefore remove her with much hafte from that to his own houfe at Lothefley, in the county of Surry; but too late, by reafon of fome faithful promifes which were fo interchangeably passed, as never to be violated by either party. Thefe promifes were only known to themfelves; and the friends of both parties used much diligence, and many arguments to kill or cool their affections to each other: but in vain; for love is a flattering mischief, that hath denied aged and wife "That ftill thou'rt prefent to the better caufe, "The virgin long fince fled from earth I fee "T' our times return'd hath made her heaven in thee. (Ben Jonson, Epigram 74th.) Fuller in his Worthies of England, obferves, that" Chriftendom "afforded not a perfon which carried more gravity in his countenance "and behaviour, than Sir Thomas Egerton, infomuch that many have gone to the Chancery on purpofe only to fee his venerable garb (happy they who had no other bufinefs), and were highly pleafed at fo acceptable a fpectacle." 66 66 Or rather, Lady EGERTON, fifter to Sir George Moor of Loxly-Farm, in the county of Surry, Knight, and widow of Sir John Wooley, of Pirford in Surry, Knight, and mother of that Sir Francis Wooley, who kindly took Dr. Donne and his wife under his protection. She died in January 1599. In 1600, Sir Thomas Egerton married the Countess Dowager of Derby, who continued to be called Lady Derby. In 1603 he was made Baron Eilefmere. This gentleman was Treafurer or Receiver General of the revenues of Henry Prince of Wales in 1604. In 1610, he was made Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, and in 1615, Lieutenant of the Tower. (See Wood's A. O, vol. I. p. 492.) men a forefight of those evils that too often prove to be the children of that blind father; a paffion that carries us to commit errors with as much ease as whirlwinds remove feathers, and begets in us an unwearied induftry to the attainment of what we defire. And fuch an induftry did, notwithstanding much watchfulnefs against it, bring them fecretly together (I forbear to tell the manner how), and at laft to a marriage too, without the allowance of thofe friends, whofe approbation always was, and ever will be neceffary, to make even a virtuous love become lawful. And that the knowledge of their marriage might not fall, like an unexpected tempeft, on those that were unwilling to have it fo; and that pre-apprehenfions might make it the lefs enormous, when it was known, it was purposely whifpered into the ears of many that it was fo, yet by none that could affirm it. But to put a period to the jealoufies of Sir George (doubt often begetting more reftlefs thoughts than the certain knowledge of what we fear) the news was, in favour to Mr. Donne, and with his allowance, made known to Sir George, by his honourable friend and neighbour, Henry Earl of Northumberland: But it was to Sir George fo immeasurably unwelcome, and fo tranfported him, that as though his paffion of anger and inconfideration might exceed theirs of love and error, he presently engaged his fifter the Lady Ellesmere, to join with him to procure her Lord to difcharge Mr. Donne of the place he held under his Lordfhip. This requeft was followed with violence; and though Sir George were remembered, that errors might be overpunished, and defired therefore to forbear till fecond confiderations might clear fome fcruples, yet he became restless until his fuit was granted, and the punishment executed. And though the Lord Chancellor did not at Mr. Donne's dismisfon give him fuch a commendation, as the great Emperor HENRY PERCY, the ninth Earl of Northumberland of that name; "a learned man himself, and the generous favourer of all good learning," as he is called by Anthony Wood. This nobleman, upon the marriage of his youngest daughter Lady Lucy Percy, a lady of the moft diftinguifhed wit and beauty, with the Lord Haye, afterwards created Vifcount Doncaster and Earl of Carlisle, discovered the fame harshness of difpofition, which he probably cenfured in the father-in-law of Dr. Donne. The treatment which he received from James I. to whom he always fhowed the most faithful attachment, affords one, among many inftances, of the injuftice of that monarch, who fined this nobleman 30,0001. and "imprisoned him in the Tower from 1605 to 1619, upon "a mere fufpicion, without the leaft proof of his having had knowledge "of the powder-plot, as Cecyll himself confeffed in a letter to Sir Thomas Edmunds, dated Dec. 2, 1605." (Birch's View of the Negociations, &c. p. 245.) Charles the Fifth did of his Secretary Erafo", when he prefented him to his fon and fucceffor Philip the Second, faying, "That in his Erafo, he gave to him a greater gift than all his "eftate, and all the kingdoms which he then refigned to him;" yet the Lord Chancellor faid, "He parted with a friend and "fuch a fecretary as was fitter to ferve a king than a fubject." Immediately after his difmiffion from his fervice, he fent a a fad letter to his wife, to acquaint her with it; and after the fubfcription of his name, writ, JOHN DONNE, ANNE DONNE, UN-BONE; and God knows it proved too true: For this bitter phyfic of Mr. Donne's difmiffion was not strong enough to purge out all Sir George's choler; for he was not fatisfied till Mr. Donne and his fometime compupil in Cambridge that married him, namely, Samuel Brook (who was after Doctor in Divinity, and Master of Trinity College), and his brother On the 16th of January, 1556, his Majefty paffed the act" of the "Renunciation of the Crown of Spain and all its dominions to his fon "Philip, in the prefence of Francis de Erafso his Secretary, and all the Spaniards then at Bruffels." (Steven's Translation of the History of Charles V. written in Spanish by D. F. Prudencio de Sanduval Bishop of Pamplona, &c. p. 453.) It was probably at this very time that the Enperor recommended this faithful fecretary to his fon. X SAMUEL BROOK, defcended from a refpectable family at York, was the fon of Robert Brook, an eminent merchant, and Lord Mayor of that city in 1582 and in 1595. He was admitted of Trinity College, in Cambridge, in 1596; and on September 26, 1612, being then Chaplain to Prince Henry, he was chofen Divinity Profeffor in Gresham College, on the recommendation of that Prince, whofe unhappy death followed, Nov. 6th enfoing. In 1613 he was elected one of the twelve preachers of the Univerfity, and the year following he wrote a Latin patioral, which was acted with applaufe before King James in Trinity College Hall, on Friday, March 10. Copies of this performance are yet extant, with this title, Melanthe, Fabula paftoralis, acta cùm Jacobus, Magne Brit, "Franc. et Hiberniæ Rex, Cantabrigiam fuam nuper inviferat, ibidemque mufarum atque animi gratiâ dies quinque commoraretur. Egerunt "Alumni Coll. Sau, et individuæ Trinitatis Cantabrigiæ. Excudebat "Cantrellus Legge, Mart 27, 1615.” In 1630 he is said to have compofed an Arminian Treatife of Predeftination, with which he acquainted Bishop Laud, who encouraged him in the work, recommending it to the revifal of Dr. Lindsey and Dr. Beale, two great Arminians, and promifing to peruse it himself, as appears by fundry letters. (Pryne's Canterbury's Doom. p. 167.) Of this tract Mr. Horfey, in the funeral oration delivered in Trinity College Chapel, thus fpeaks: Nec illum 66 prætereo foetum nuperrimè formatum " de magno et secreto Præ-. "destinationis Mysterio Disputationes." Quanti nobis efset a tineis et "latebris redimere has pretiofas chartas, ut typis fideliter excufæ in manus omnium pervenirent!" In 1615 he was created D. D. and in 1618 was promoted to the Rectory of St. Margaret's Lothbury, in London, |