A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Time of the Roman Government, Regnal history 16 · Part 8
MEN of NOTE in her time.
THe Ocean is not more boundlesse, then the number of men of note in her time; but though all of them cannot be reckoned, yet some of them must not be omitted. And to begin with Sates-men: An exquisite States-man for his own ends, was Robert Earl of Lèicester; and for his Countries good, Sir William Cecill, Lord B…rleigh; as also Sir Francis Walsingham, that great underminer of Conspirators. Famous Sea-men, were the Earl of Cumberland, the Lord Thomas Howard, afterward Earl of Suffolk: and of meaner Rank, Sir Iohn Hawkins, Sir Martin Forbys…er, Sir Walter Raleigh, Cavendish, Preston, Ryman; and, to name the worthiest last, Sir Francis Drake, who though he were but a short square bodied man, yet his great Acts have made the Spaniards believe that he was some goodly Personage. Great Commanders by Land, were Robert Earl of Essex, the Lord Willoughby, the Lord Grey of Wilton, Sir Francis Vere, Sir Roger Williams, Baskervile, Savage; and the Honour of his Family, and our English Nation, Sir Iohn Norris. Learned Gentlemen and Writers, were Sir Thomas Chaloner, employed by Queen Elizabeth as her Ligier in Spain, who wrote five books of the restoring of the English Common-wealth, in elegant Verses, while (as he said) he lived in a Stove in Winter, and in a Barn in Summer: Roger Askam, born in York-shire, notably skilfull in the Greek and Latin Tongues, who had sometime been School-master to Queen Elizabeth, and her Secretary for the Latin Tongue; but taking too great delight in Gaming and Cock-fighting, he both lived and died in mean estate, yet left behinde him sundry Monuments of Wit and Industry. Sir Thomas Smith, born at Saffron Walden in Essex, sometime Secretary to K. Edward the 6, who wrote an imperfect Work of the English Common-wealth, a singular Book of the Orthography of the English Tongue, and another of the Pronunciation of the Greek; the first man that set on foot the Law for serving the Colledges with Provision. Sir Henry Savill, Provost of Eaton, and Reader to Queen Elizabeth, who set forth all S. Chrysostomes works in Greek, and by translating of Cornelius Tacitus,, deserved as much of the English Tongue, as he of the Latin: But above all, the admirable sir Philip Sidney, who by writing in a light Argument, shewed how excellently, and beyond all comparison he could have done in a grave. Learned Divines were Iohn Iewell, born in Devon-shire, a Student in Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford, in Queen Maries time an Exile, by Queen Elizabeth made Bishop of Salisbury, who wrote an Apologie for the Protestant Doctrine, and died at scarce fifty yeers of age, in the fourteenth yeer of Queen Elizabeth. Iohn Whitaker, Master of S. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge, who learnedly answered all the books of Bellarmine. Bilson, Bishop of Winchester, sometimes Fellow of New Colledge in Oxford, who, amongst his other learned Works, hath written notably of Christs descent into hell. Richard Hooker, Preacher at the Temple, who with too much meeknesse smoothered his great Learning, yet hath something discovered it in his five Books of Ecclesiasticall Discipline, and died in the yeer 1599. Alexander Nowel, Dean of Pauls, who forbearing deeper Works, set forth a Catechism, according to the Doctrine of the English Church, and died in the yeer 1602. After such men, it might be thought ridiculous to speak so Stage Players; but seeing excellency in the meanest things deserves remembring, and Boscius the Comedian is recorded in History with such commendation, it may be allowed us to do the like with some of our Nation. Richard Bourbidge, and Edward Allen, two such Actors, as no age must ever look to see the like: and, to make their Comedies compleat, Richard Tarleton, who for the Part called the Clowns Part, never had his match, never will have. For Writers of Playes, and such as had been Players themselves, William Shakespeare, and Benjamin Iohnson, have specially left their Names recommended to posterity.