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And, in order to my third and last observation of his great abilities, it will be needful to declare, that about this time King James came very often to hunt at Newmarket and Royston, and was almost as often invited to Cambridge, where his entertainment was comedies fuited to his pleasant humouri; and where Mr. George Herbert was to welcome him with gratulations and the applauses of an orator, which he always performed fo well, that he still grew more into the King's favour, infomuch that he had a particular appointment to attend his Majefty at Royfton; where, after a difcourfe with him, his Majefty declared to his kinfman, the Earl of Pembroke, "That he found "the Orator's learning and wisdom much above his age or wit." The year following, the King appointed to end his progrefs at Cambridge, and to ftay there certain days; at which time he was attended by the great Secretary of nature and all learning, Sir Francis Bacon (Lord Verulam), and by the ever memorable and learned Doctor Andrews, Bishop of Winchester, both which did at that time begin a defired friendship with our Orator. Upon whom, the first pur fuch a value on his judgment, that he ufually defired his approbation before he would expofe any of his books to be printed, and thought him fo worthy of his friendship, that having tranflated many of the prophet David's Pfalms into English verfe, he made George Herbert his patron, by a public dedication' of them to him, as the best judge of di

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Gu. Dillingham, S. T. D. Coll. Eman. Præf. Epigrammata quædam pro difciplinâ ecclefiæ noftræ apologetica, aliquot abhinc annis cop"Icripta à Geo. Herbert, at quali et quanto viro, et poetâ quàm pio, "quam ingeniofo! De quo preftat omnino tacere quàm pauca dicere; præfertim cùm eximiam ejus pietatem admirabilis ingenii fale conditam loquetur Templum, loquetur tempus, loquetur æternitas. Hæc "igitur carmina polita admodum et elegantia re Hatfos ymoia Texvα, * et autoris genium planè redolentia quafi aureæ coronidis loco priori"bus attexere vifum eft,"

66

i Ignoramus," a Latin Comedy, and "Albumazar," an English Comedy, from which Ben Jonfon is accufed by Mr. Dryden of having taken his “Alchymifi," were often acted at Cambridge before King James.

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k Such is the celebrity of the name of Pacon, that to mention it is to fuggeft an idea of every thing great and fuper-eminent in knowledge. He is july flyled by Sir Henry Wotton "Scientiarum lumen, facundiæ lex," i "in the infcription on his monument, in the Church of St. Alban's. This wonderful man, ignorant of geometry, would have been excluded from the school of Plato. But he gained admittance into another school, that of Nature, "who never before had to noble nor fo true an interpreter, or never fo inward a fecretary of her cabinet."

'

"TO HIS VERY GOOD FRIEND, MR. GEORGE HERBERT.

"The pains that it pleafed you to take about fome of my writings I 'cannot forget, which did put me in mind to dedicate to you this poor exercife of my fickness. Befides, it being my manner for dedications *to choose thofe that I hold mofi fit for the argument, I thought that

in

viné poetry. And for the learned Bishop, it is obfervable, tha at that time there fell to be a modeft debate betwixt them two about predeftination and fanctity of life; of both which the Orator did, not long after, fend the Bishop fome safe and useful aphorifms, in a long letter, written in Greek; which letter was fo remarkable for the language and reafon of it, that after the reading it, the Bishop put it into his bofom, and did often show it to many scholars, both of this and foreign nations; but did always return it back to the place where he first lodged it, and continued it so near his heart till the laft day of his life.

To thefe, I might add the long and entire friendship betwixt him and Sir Henry Wotton, and Dr. Donne, but I have promised to contract myself, and shall therefore only add one te timony to what is also mentioned in the Life of Dr. Donne namely, that a little before his death, he caused many feals to be made, and in them to be engraven the figure of Chrift crucified on an anchor (the emblem of hope), and of which Dr. Donne would often say, "Crux mihi anchora" These feals he gave or sent to most of those friends on which he put a value; and, at Mr. Herbert's death, these verses were found wrapt up with that feal which was by the Doctor given to him:

"When my dear friend could write no more,

"He gave this feal and fo gave o'er.

"When winds and waves rife higheft, I am fure,
"This anchor keeps my faith, that me secure."

At this time of being Orator, he had learnt to understand the Italian, Spanish, and French tongues very perfectly; hoping, that as his predecessors, fo he might in time attain the place of a Secretary of State, he being at that time very high in the King's favour; and not meanly valued and loved by the most eminent and most powerful of the Court nobility: This, andthe love of a Court-converfation, mixed with a laudable ambition to be fomething more than he then was, drew him often from Cambridge to attend the King, wherefoever the Court was, who then gave him a finecure, which fell into his Majefty's difpofal, I think, by the death of the Bishop of St. Afaph ". It was the fame, that Queen Elizabeth had formerly given to

"in refpect of divinity and poefy met, whereof the one is the matter, "the other the ftyle of this little writing, I could not make better "choice: fo with fignification of my love and acknowledgment, I ever reft,

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“Your affectionate friend,

"FR. ST. ALBANS.”

Mr. Herbert tranflated into Latin part of "The Advancement of Learning."

See "Walton's Life of Dr. Donne," p. 71.

Dr. RICHARD PARRY, who died Sept. 26, 15230.

her favourite Sir Philip Sidney; and valued to be worth a hundred and twenty pounds per annum. With this, and his annuity, and the advantage of his College, and of his Oratorfhip, he enjoyed his genteel humour for clothes, and court-like company, and feldom looked towards Cambridge, unless the King were there, but then he never failed; and, at other times, left the manage of his Orator's place to his learned friend Mr. Herbert Thorndike, who is now Prebendary of Westminster.

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I may not omit to tell, that he had often defigned to leave the University, and decline all ftudy, which, he thought, did impair his health; for he had a body apt to a confumption, and to fevers, and other infirmities, which he judged were increased by his ftudies; for he would often fay, "He had too thought"ful a wit: a wit, like a penknife in too narrow a fheath, too fharp for his body." But his mother would by no means allow him to leave the Univerfity, or to travel; and though he inclined very much to both, yet he would by no means fatisfy his own defires at fo dear a rate, as to prove an undutiful fon to fo affectionate a mother; but did always fubmit to her wifdom. And what I have now faid may partly appear in a copy of verfes in his printed poems; it is one of thofe that bear the title of "Affliction ;" and it appears to be a pious reflection on God's providence, and fome pafsages of his life, in which he fays:

"Whereas my birth and spirit rather took
"The way that takes the town:

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Thou didft betray me to a ling'ring book,
"And wrap me in a gown:

"I was entangled in a world of ftrife,

"Before I had the power to change my life.

• Mr. HERBERT THORNDIKE was then Fellow of Trinity College. lle was ejected from his Fellowship by the ufurped powers, and admitted to the Rectory of Barley in Hertfordfhire, July 2, 1642.

On the death

of Dr. Samuel Ward, he was elected to the Matierfhip of Sidney College, but was kept out of it by the oppression of the times. For his fufferings and great learning he was inftalled Prebendary of Weltminfier, Sept. 5, 1660. In the year following he refigned his living of Barley, and died in 1672. He afsified Dr. Walton in the edition of the Polyglot Bible. Befides his celebrated work of "Juft Weights and Meatures; that is, the prefent State of Religion weighed in the Balance, and measured by the Standard of the Sanctuary." 4to. 1662-He compofed other tracts relative to the differences which at that time difturbed the peace of the Church. Some of his works, particularly thofe which were published in the latter part of his life, gave great offence. lle is accused of leaning to the Church of Rome, declaring that Church to be a true Church, the Pope not Antichrifl, the Papists not idolaters, · whilfi his averfion to the Prefbyterians and other feciaries exceeded all bounds. Mr. Baxter has defcribed him as fpeaking once at the Savoy Conference" a few impertinent passionate words, confuting the opinion that had been received of him from his firfi writings, and confirming that which his fecond and lati writings had given of him."-See" Ke et's Regifier," p. 508, 618.

"Yet, for 1 threatened oft the fiege to raise,
"Not fimp'ring all mine age;

"Thou often didft with academic praife
"Melt and dissolve my rage:

"I took the fweeten'd pill, till I came where
"I could not go away, nor perfevere.

"Yet left perchance I should too happy be
"In my unhappiness,

"Turning my purge to food, thou throweft me

"Into more ficknesses.

"Thus doth thy power cross-bias me, not making

"Thine own gifts good, yet me from my ways taking.'

"Now I am here, what thou wilt do with me
"None of my books will fhow:

"I read, and figh, and wish I were a tree,
"For then fure I should grow

"To fruit or shade, at leaf, fome bird would trust
"Her household with me, and I would be just.

"Yet though thou troubleft me, I must be meek,
"In weaknefs must be ftout:

"Well, I will change my service and
"Some other inafter out:

go

feek

"Ah! my dear God, though I am clean forgot,
"Let me not love thee, if I love thee not.

3

"G. H."

In this time of Mr. Herbert's attendance and expectation of fome good occafion to remove from Cambridge to Court, God, in whom there is an unfeen chain of caufes, did, in a fhort time, put an end to the lives of two of his moft obliging and moft powerful friends, Lodowick Duke of Richmond P, and James Marquis of Hamilton; and not long after him, King James died alfo, and with them, all Mr. Herbert's Court hopes: fo that he prefently betook himself to a retreat from London, to a friend in Kent, where he lived very privately, and was fuch a lover of falitarinefs, as was judged to impair his health more than his ftudy had done. In this time of retirement, he

P This nobleman, who was alfo Duke of Lenox in Scotland, and Lord Steward of his Majefty's Houfehold, died Feb. 25, 1625, the day on which a new Parliament was to meet. The King, who was his relation, was fo much affected at the news of his fudden death, that "he "would not adorn himself that day to ride in his glories to the Parlia"ment, but put it off to the nineteenth of February following, dedicating fome part of that time to the memory of his dead fervant.”

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(Wilson's Life and Reign of King James I.)

A diftinguished favourite of James I. The death of these two noblemen affected the King exceedingly; and when it was told him the Marquis was dead, he faid, "If the branches be thus cut down, the stock "cannot continue long;" which faying proved too true, for fhortly after he fell into a fever, of which he died at Theobald's, March 27, 1625.

had many conflicts with himself, whether he should return to the painted pleasures of a Court-life, or betake himself to a ftudy of Divinity, and enter into Sacred Orders"? (to which his dear mother had often perfuaded him)-Thefe were fuch conflicts, as they only can know, that have endured them; for ambitious defires, and the outward glory of this world, are not eafily laid afide; but, at laft, God inclined him to put on a refolution to ferve at his altar.

He did at his return to London, acquaint a Court-friend with his refolution to enter into Sacred Orders, who perfuaded him to alter it, as too mean an employment, and too much below his birth, and the excellent abilities and endowments of his mind. To whom he replied, "It hath been formerly ad"judged that the domeftic fervants of the King of heaven, "fhould be of the nobleft families on earth: and though the "iniquity of the late times have made Clergymen meanly va"lued, and the facred name of Prieft contemptible; yet I will "labour to make it honourable, by confecrating all my learn "ing, and all my poor abilities, to advance the glory of that "God that gave them; knowing that I can never do too much for him that hath done fo much for me, as to make me a "Chriftian. And I will labour to be like my Saviour, by mak "ing humility lovely in the eyes of all men, and by following "the merciful and meek example of my dear Jefus."

This was then his refolution, and the God of conftancy, who intended him for a great example of virtue, continued him in it; for within that year he was made Deacon, but the day when, or by whom, I cannot learn: but that he was about that time made Deacon is moft certain; for I find by the records of Lincoln, that he was made Prebendary of Layton Ecclefias, in the diocefe of Lincoln, July 15, 1626; and that this Prebend was given him by John, then Lord Bishop of that See. And

It appears from a letter written by Mr. George Herbert to one of his friends, and dated March 18, 1617, Trin. Coll. that he had devoted himfelf to the fludy of divinity. "I want books extremely: you know, Sir, "how I am now fetting foot into divinity, to lay the platform of my "future lite."

. In " Ecton's Lift of the prebendal Dignities belonging to the Church of Lincoln," it is called " Leighton Bromefwold, Ecclefia P. in Co. Huntingd." In "Bacon's Liber Regis," it is termed " Leighton "Bofard, alias Leighton Beaudefert, P. Ecclefiæ Lincoln.”

t Dr. JOHN WILLIAMS, afterward Archbishop of York, was then Bishop of Lincoln, the laft ecclefiaftic who was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. Of him it was faid, that "He never faw the book of worth he read not; he never forgot what he read; he never loft the "ufe of what he remembered; every thing he heard or faw was his own, and what was his own he knew how to ufe to the utmoft." Whatever difcrepancy of opinion there may be, in juftly appreciating the character of this Prelate, it must be owned that he was a munificent

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