VII. willing, to vouchsafe his letters unto the fellows in favour CHAP. "of Mr. Whitaker, upon his relinquishing the place, he did "not doubt to draw them, if not to a general consent, yet Anno 1586. "not to repugn the same at the least: that so it will appear "what course was to be taken; whereupon he would not 66 only give over the place, but do what further his lordship "will him herein. "For that besides his honourable care for the man and "college, he found it chargeable unto him to keep two "places; either place besides requiring a whole man. Nor "that was it his mind ever to keep it any longer than to "make things fit for his lordship's determination, and to "leave the same with credit. Humbly praying, that God "would still bless them, that it might continue in as good peace and quiet as, by God's great mercies, he should 66 66 now leave it, the state of Cambridge and studies this time 437 "considered." bishop. But to understand this matter better, we must go a year St. John's or two back. The seniors and other fellows of that college, the lord college to uponthe advancement of Dr. Howland unto the aforesaid Burghley, upon their bishopric, in a letter to the lord Burghley, earnestly ex- master's bepressed their desire for Whitaker to be their master in his ing made room, upon account of his great merit. They thanked him for honouring their master, Dr. Howland, in raising him by his interest to so high a degree in the church as that of a bishop. They expressed a great sorrow to be deprived of him: Quocum annis multis jam tum magna collegii dignitate tranquille pieque viximus. And that now the queen Whitaker being of course to send them a master, having taken the mended by other from them, they were very solicitous whom she would them. send them, since many were now candidates. But that they, the fellows of the house, that wrote this letter to his lordship, judged, that Whitaker was beyond them all. Unus Whitakerus, qui vir, Deus bone! quanta virtute, quam excellenti doctrina præditus! They acknowledged that they did sometimes in discourse among themselves look on it as a neglect in him, [the lord Burghley,] and other great men recom BOOK of the court, that they thought no more of preferring this Anno 1586. They went on in these words: Si non esset Whitakerus, aut si noster non esset, aliumne athletam habemus illi parem, quem Rhemensibus præclarisque Jesuitis, et omnibus papistarum emissariis objiceremus? So that he was now esteemed the great champion of the protestant cause. And that whereas about that time, (viz. an. 1584,) the popish scholars did fly up and down the kingdom, and make great boasts, and seemed to carry all before them, that they doubted not but by his [this learned man's] pains and assistance they should be beaten, and forced to give place. They added, that he had by his book, most accurately written, and published, overthrown that whole stock, and all our fugitives and followers of the pope. Whitaker lived at this time in a little house near the college which gave these fellows occasion to add, Tantum tali ingenio præditum, tam bene de ecclesia et evangelio meritum, inter oppidanos, &c. i. e. Should we suffer such a great man, furnished with such parts, that hath so well deserved of the church and the gospel, to live in a poor, strait, hired house of his own, among the townsmen? Shall there be no place among all these large colleges to receive him according to his worth? And so they ended, earnestly begging that Whitaker might be their master. There was but eleven subscribed this letter: but they seemed to be the seniors, whereof Andrew Downes was the first, who was Greek professor. But notwithstanding this earnest letter, there was great opposition by others in the college against him. And he was chosen with much ado, the lord Burghley resolving to put him in. But it seems upon second thoughts, and to avoid contention, it was resolved that bishop Howland should continue their master. And so he was till February 1586, when Whitaker, not without difficulty, was elected master. But the election being dubious, the matter was determined by the bishop of Ely and the other visitors of the college. VII. 438 takes some But bishop Howland was this summer retiring from the CHAP. college to Peterburgh, soon after the commencement; and minded to take along with him some young gentlemen of Anno 1586. that college, (to whom the lord Burghley had a more parti- Bishop cular regard and oversight,) it being now a time of leisure Howland to the students, and to prevent the danger of sickness in re- gentlemen gard of the multitude and the heat of summer, and withal of the college with for their recreation. But the bishop thought it advisable him to Pefirst to obtain that lord's leave for them. For thus his for-terburgh. mer letter concludes: "I am most humbly to request your "lordship's favour, (for without it we dare not,) that the "earl of Southampton, Mr. Cecill, [lord Burghley's grand"son,] and Mr. Denny, [grandson, as it seems, to sir An"thony Denny, an eminent statesman in king Henry and "king Edward's reigns,] might come over unto Peterburgh "for two or three weeks, now after the commencement, to "the avoiding of our pestered house in this heat of sumand for their recreation: which I trust shall be for "their good. Dated from St. John's college the 27th of "June, 1586." 66 mer, Christ's cross. rev. T. Puritanism prevailed now in Christ's college; Gold and Gold, of Usher being proceeded with for that cause: Gold for a ser- college, mon preached at St. Mary's; who was thought and also preaches reported to have spoken against the cross, and the use of against the the same, now received in the church of England: for which he was cited before the vice-chancellor and heads, June the 10th. Where before Dr. Tyndal, vice-chancellor, MSS. acad. and Fulk, Goad, Norgate, and Lorkin, he openly protested Bak. that he had no such intendment; and that he did not disallow or condemn the cross, or the sign of the same, but thinketh it to be tolerable. Et sic absolutus est ab ulte-Regist. riori, &c. The trouble brought upon Christopher Usher, A. B. of Usher of the same college, was occasioned from some table-talk be-lege, his tween him and Thomas Bowes, A. M. who had taken some offence at certain words which passed, as he thought, from the said Christopher, as derogating from the queen's majesty's authority, preeminence, and title. And thereupon acad. that col trouble. II. BOOK humbly requested Dr. Tyndal, vice-chancellor, that he would cause the said Christopher to set down, and plainly Anno 1586. to express his meaning in the former talk. The said Chris topher for this appeared before the said vice-chancellor and Mr. Dr. Still, justices of the peace, and of the quorum. He protested that he spake no such words as were laid to his charge. : Whereupon one William Prat, A. M. and two more scholars of the house, then present at such talk, were examined by the justices who denied any such words, as the said Christopher was burdened withal, to have been spoken or uttered in their hearing. And further, the said Tho. Bowes, being demanded of Mr. Vice-chancellor, answered and said, that he did believe, that the said Christopher did speak these words, which he did lay to his charge, not of any cankered or malicious stomach, but only in way of talk, and rash contradicendi studio, rather than for any thing else. Whereupon the said justices, after a godly exhortation given unto the said Christopher, to be circum439 spect and wise in talking of princes' matters, and to either of them to live in unity and peace, dismissed the said Christopher. Christ's college vi sited, upon of the statutes. I have some further remark to make of this college. This house was this year found guilty of divers faults, and matthe breach ters that required inspection and redress: insomuch, that in the month of December Dr. Copcotts, being now vicechancellor, an honest, stirring man, and perceiving the affairs of that college complained of, as mightily out of order, (almost every statute of the foundress transgressed,) proceeded to visit the college: for the chancellor of that university, or his vice-chancellor, was yearly visitor of it. Information of At Dr. Hawford's death, which was in the year 1579, abuses prac- (who was the former master,) there was in their college tised there. treasury 7007. of which they laid out 4007. for a purchase: whereof they raised the fellows' commons to three shillings a week, which by statute was but twelve pence. They took no care to restore in time the common treasury, or to increase what was left; but took all commodities of fines for VII. leases, and of wood-sales to themselves. They had a divi- CHAP. dend at the baker's hands, who allowed 15 to the dozen. The commodity whereof went to the fellows. The scholars' Anno 1586 size in that respect was the less, &c. Dr. Copcots thought therefore to give injunctions to the college, and had drawn them up, to the number of 21: which he sent to the chancellor, entreating him to peruse, and to amend and ratify them: asserting that there was not one clause in the whole, but met with some disorder or abuse, or some breach of statute. No. XVI. in the col lege. What injunctions the visitor gave to the college, the master was bound within a month to see them executed; else to be admonished the second time. If still neglected, it was loss of his place. This is the sum of a letter to the chancellor by the vice-chancellor, acquainting him with this college affair; expecting his order, and confirmation of what he had done: which letter I have transcribed from the original, and reserved in the Appendix. The injunctions are too long to be here set down: but Ill practices by them it appears, that nonconformity was gotten in greatly into the college: that the fellows neglected public prayers as to the time and habit appointed by the statutes of the university and college: and so was the partaking of the holy communion neglected too: that in their common places their practice was, to reflect upon particular persons, [whose doctrines or persons they liked not.] And their common places were so tedious and long in the chapel, that the lectures in the hall were omitted. They neglected to speak Latin in the court and in the hall. Those that were to perform divine offices, or scholastic exercises, did neglect their duties. They ordinarily dined and supped out of the college. They wore not caps. They would go into the town, not in their academical habits: which it seems the master himself, Dr. Barwel, neglected, with other charges laid against him. When they disputed publicly, or did their exercise ad clerum, the members of the college did not accompany them either to the schools or St. Mary's. But see these injunctions at length in the Appendix. No. XVII. |