The Dead Yet Speaking, Biography 97 – Biography 98
MATHEW PARKER.
The Life and Death of Mathew Parker.
IN the year of grace 1504. the nineteenth year of the raign of King Henry the seventh was this worthy Pralate Mathew Parker borne at Norwich, on the sixt day of August. His Father William Parker a Citizen of that City, though of no great eminent note, yet of honest repute and of a competent estate, and discended from an ancient Family of that name; the dignity whereof in the person of this Mathew was not revived on…ly, but much advanced. His Father being taken from him in the time of his minority, he was by the carefull provision of Alic… Parker his mother now a widow trained up in good literature, untill he attained to the age of eigh…een yeares: who then as a discreet woman and regard…ull of her childs good, that those rudiments of learning which he had already received, might not be lost, but improved and further addition made thereunto, procured his entrance into Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge about the fourteenth year of King Henry the eighth, where she was resolved to make what shift she could to maintaine him, untill he had attained that for which she desired to place him there, to wit, ability for employment in some learned function.
There being entered he so carried himselfe, and gave so good proofes of his parts and pregnancy, that within a few months he was chosen Scholler of the house, having a Bible-Clearkes place conferred upon him, and so his Mother eased of her charge. Having after that taken his first degrees, and being made Fellow of the house, he began to addict himselfe mainely unto the study of Divinity, and therein made good progresse. Nor was he either of the number of those that will be flying out of the nest before they be well fledged, and teaching of others ere they have learned ought themselves, or yet of those that are wont to wrap up their talent in a towell, and whelm their light under a bushell, regarding more their own ease then the bene…it of others, & the end wherunto their studies should tend; but after some four or five years spent in furnishing himself with … th… …ulpit, he began now to looke abroad into the neighbou…ing place…, and considering wha… great need the people had of instruc…ion in thos… blind an… darke times, wherein the lights were grown dim… and vision was ge…son, and because so rare, the more pr…ious; he employ…d himself… dilig…ntly, as occasion and opportunity was offr…d in dilivering out the Word of God unto them, and that in an other manner of way, then was usuall in tho…e dayes.
By meanes hereof notice taken of his diligence and dexterity therein, that he might the more freely make use of of his talent without opposition or disturbance, he had Authority granted him by the Kings letters patent and the Archbishops generall licence, to preach where he would without controle: with this power backed, he lanched further out; and being not as yet tyed to any speciall charge he bestowed his labors sometime in one place, sometime in another; & that in the most eminent Cities & other parts of the realm, where he deemed most good might be don & was not long after called to be Chaplaine in ordinery to Queen Anne, th… pious Mother of that heroicall princesse o… blessed memory Q…eene Elizabeth; by whose favor al…o he was made Deane of Stoke in Suffolke, where he caused a school… to be erect…d for the education and training up of youth in good literature.
Aft…r the unfortunate dea…h of Queen Anne, he was by the King taken into his …ervice. And having now taken the degree of Doctor in Divinity, he was by his Majesties speciall letters of recommendation, chosen Master of the Colledge, wherein he had been both Scholler and Fellow b…fore: the Colledg… not long after by unanimous consent …e…ling also upon him the benefice of Landbeach in the Ile of Ely, not far from Cambridge.
The for… mentioned preferments he retained during the whol… re…idue of King Henries lif… and raigne; continuing still constant in the exercise of his m…ni…tery; unto the happy entrance of that relious Prince, and of wisedome and und…r…t…nding above his years, King Edward. At which time albeit the Deanry of Stoke were dissolved, Doctor …arker much grieving for it… and withstanding it wha… he could the rather in regard of the School annexed to it and depending upon it; yet had he in lieu of it a yearely pension assigned unto him out of the Kings exquecher: and being by him also entertained, as by his Father before him, he was further advanced by him (so well he esteemed of him) to the Deanry of Lincolne and the prebendary of Coldingham in the same Church.
Thus continued he in a plentifull and worshipfull estate, untill the un…imely death of that mirrour of Princes, and the disastrons succ…ssion of his Sister Queen Mary; when true religion was suppressed, superstition re…established, and those godly Teachers that continued constant in the profession of Christs truth were deposed, jected, stript of their meanes and maintenance, and constrained either to fly the land or lye hid, unlesse they would expose themseleves to fire and fagot; the best and …east they could look for, if they came into the hands of those, who had never learned what mercy ment. But these violent courses now taking place, this reverend man among others, who stuck still to the better, though now weaker side, was constrained to leave all and to shift for himselfe: and the rather for that he had married a wife, a woman of good note (by whom in processe of time he had three Sons, whereof two survived him) as a thing though allowable, not by Gods Word alone, but by the Lawes of the Land also then in full force… yet by their Popish Canons inhibited and condemned as a foule and hainous crime: with his wife therefore (whom he would not dismisse yet all that time) and such issue as he had then by her, he kept close in a friends house; though leading a poor and obscure life in very meane estate, without any aide or succour from abroad, yet in regard of his rest and freedome …or study, with such contentment, as that diverse times he professed he should not have desired any other condition, save for the fear of danger both to himselfe and his friend; which could not but much di…tract.
But the fury and rage of those times being over (as nothing violent we say lasteth long; it was but a storme, though a fierce and a fiery one; but a shoure, though a shoure wherein it rained bloud in abundance) a great calme ensued by the laying of her, who had raised it, to rest; and the raising up of her Sister, one of a far other spirit in her roome, upon whose happy entrance among others that had lien hid, wanting meanes and opportunity to escape otherwise; this our Mathew came abroad againe, and was by that blessed servant of God Q…een Elizabeth, whose mother he had formely attended on unto her d…ath, advanced to the Archbishoprick of Canterbury, lately become vac…nt by the decease of the Cardinall Reginald Poole departing not many hours after his Mistres and kinswoman Queen Mary; and was thereunto consecrated in the Chappell of the Palace at Lambeth, on the seventeenth of December, in the year of grace 1559. by William Barl…e Bishop of Bath and Wells, Miles Coverdale Bishop of Excester, Iohn Scory Bishop of Chichester, and Iohn Hodgekin Suffragane of Bedford, being the seventieth from Augustine the first of that See, and the first that without power or pall from the Pope, and such frivolous r…tes of the Romanists use, was enthronised in that seat.
Being thus sodainely now, as Ioseph sometime in Aegipt, not freed onelyonly from his feares and confinement, but advanced to the highest pitch of Ecclesiasticall preferment that our Church and State affoard, and others by degrees are wont to climb up to, he was nothing thereby altred (as in such ca…e too oft it falleth out) but demeaned himselfe still like himselfe. Nor did his true worth ever more then now manifest it selfe, when by his wise, discreet and temperate carriage in so sodame a passage from so low a downfall to so high an ascent, he shewed himselfe a man able to manage either condition, and (that which is the gift of a very few) to walke steadily and eavenly in either. For neither was he hereupon, either puft up with pride, though honours sodainely atcheived are over pron… to swell up; or over-wrought to a neglect of his Ministeriall emploiments, which such places oft much impeach; or surprised with a tenatious and avaritious disposition, as is wont to befall those that come hungry to such preferments, and have had former experience of the ficklenesse of them. For he carried himselfe in a meeke and mild manner toward all sorts, even the meanest; with much discretion in regard of the diversities of judgements, which could not but be great and not easie to accord in …hose times, when such extremity of heat had so lately been exercised by some of the one side against the other: with great gentlenesse and patience toward men of hot and high stomack…, though without any base and servile either condescending to them or complying with them; with much lenity and forbearance towards persons faulty and delinquent, thereby to win them to better courses, untill they seemed to be incorrigible; and with no lesse kind encouragements in every kind to those, of his Clergy espcially, whom he perceived to be well affected, of honest carriage, and diligent and industrious in their places. To which purpose also he visited his whole Province, not by deputies or substitutes, but in per…on himselfe. And, albeit his meanes at present could be no other then very short and meane, having been wholly stript some years past of all his yearly revenewes, and constrained to live with his charge on such small stock as he had lying by him all the time of his concealement; and the place he was preferred to as yet rather enforced him to further and far greater expence then affording means to discharge the same; yet such was his free, liberall, ingenuous and generous disposition, that (the like whereof I suppose hath been seldom or never don by any other, either before him or since him) he freely an frankly remitted unto his whole Clergy those fees that dunder the title of Procurations are generally and justly at such times demanded. And for the better encouragement of those of the Ministery to the constant and diligent execution of their duty in enstruct…ng the people comitted unto their charge (because examples much move, and great mens actions are more exemplary) notwith…tanding his manifold distractions & various employments by occasion of his place, he forbeare not frequently to preach (as his other important and more publick affaires permitted) sometime in his owne Cathedrall Church, and at other times in the Townes and Villages abroad… continuing constant in that his painfull practise amids… much weakenesse and crasinesse, the attendants of old age.
In that seate he sat fifteen yeares and five month…. During which time (that which is not found to have befaln any of his either predecessours or successors) he either consecrated or confirmed the Bishops of all the seates throughout the whole land; yea all of them, one alone excepted, within his first three years; and that one to wit of L…ndaffe … in his seventh.
He deceased May the seventeenth 1575. having passed over, without any grievous disaster, to speake of (his party share in that generall calamity of the godly in Queen Maries time only excepted) the tearm of seventy and one years. His common Motto which he had oft in his mouth, and caused to be painted on the wals of his house and the glass of his windowes (as one in the greatest height of worldly honour, minding and meditating on the vanity of this world and the things of it) was that of S…. Iohn, The World passeth away, and the Concupiscence of it, 1. Iohn 2.17.
Before his decease some space of time, the better to mind him of his mortality, he caused his monument or tombe to b… made of plaine black marble, and to be placed in the Chappell of Lambeth house, where he received his Archepiscopall consecration: in which also according to his Will so disposing it, his corps lyeth inclosed (no other having place of sepulture besides himselfe in that Chappell) with this Epitaph, (composed by Docton Haddon sometime one of his officers, and afterward one of the Masters of Request to Queen Elizabeth) engraven thereupon.
Mathew Parker lived sober and wise;
Learned by study and continuall pactise;
Loving, true, of life uncontrold:
The Court did foster him both young and old.
Ordeely he dealt, the right he did defend:
He lived unto God; to God he made his end.
The reason why he desired to have his remaines these reposed, in a vault for the receipt thereof purposely framed, was (a… by some is reported) for that a great Noble man in hig…st favour in those times, having laboured earnestly to get that hous… from the Sea, this our Archbishop therein stiffely and stoutly withstood him, and by earnest solicit…tion obtained from the Q…eens Majesty this promise, that he should never have it so long as the Archbishop aboad there: which he therefore (to adde the stronger obligation to that promise) took order it should be as well after his decease as before.
He was a man of a grave aspect, and of a staid and setled carryage, of a mild dispo…ition, and courteous demeanure, a favoure… of learned men, and a lover and promoter a… well of learning as of Religon: and as in other thin…, so …p…ially in his disposition concerning these outw…d thing… of a marv…ilous wise and discreet temper, as provident and frugall (without any taint of base courses, wherewith many, use to to suppl… and support their prodigality, making in that …e hook and crook with the one hand, that wickedly and wastfully they fling as fast away with the other) otherwise the revenewes of his Se…, being by some sinister courses formerly much impaired, could never have enabled him to doe as he did: so yet withall very bountifull, yea magnificent… much addicted to hospi…ality, and very re…ardfull both of his owne credit, and of the honour and dignity of his place. For first he was carefull …o repaire the Palace at Canterbury, being almost wholly ruined and ready to fall to the ground: the restavration whereof performed, not in necessary onelyonly, but in beavtifull and stately manner stood him in 1400 •. The like care & charge he was at with the Palace of Lambeth b…ing much out of repaire (which he also much enlarged) and with the Quires of the Churches, annexed to his See, being many, and the most of them much decayed. And wh…reas for the repaire and furniture of those and other his houses, he was faine to take many materials and commodities on trust, very carefull was he to see in due time all such debts discharged, that no danger or damage might accrew unto those; who perceiving his disposition this way and how much he abhorred to run long behind hand with any, were right willing and ready upon all occasions to supply him with whatsoever he required.
Besides that, in his entertainments he was very free, yea magnificent upon speciall occasions: as in that sumptuous and well ordered Feast made by him at the time of the A… sizes, upon the finishing of that stately Hall reedified at Canterbury; and the like at some other solemn times; to say nothing of a liberall table constantly maintained with him for the ordinary entertainment of his owne Retinue and such company as commonly repaired to him, and the reliefe of the poorer sort.
Nor did his liberality and bounty dye with him, but survived him in many monuments and fruits of it remarkable: For he founded a free School at Rochdale in Lancashire. In the diocesse of Norwich he took order for six Sermons to be Preached yearly at certaine times in five severall parishes with consideration for the same. To the City of Norwich where he was born, he gave a Bason & Ewer of silver & gelt of 173. ounces, and fifty shillings by the year, to be constantly distributed among the poor there. To Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge, where he had been trained up, he gave lands for the maintainance of two Fellowes and thirteen Schollers; three hundred and ten ounces of plate; the perpetuall Advowson of Saint Mary Ab-Church in London; a lease for seventeen years of fourteen pounds eight shillings by the year, and an hundred pounds to purchase lands for the mainetainance of a …ire in the Common hall there from the first of November to the last of Fabruary: besides all this he built for them their inner Library, with two Chambers adjoyning to it; and furnished it with no small number of Bookes, some printed ones, some Manuscripts of no small valew. To G…nwell and Cajus Colledge he g…ve likewise a silver and gelt cup of fifty and six ounces, besides three other of lesser size, and diverse books. To Trinity Hall a Schollership, and the like quantity of Plate and bookes. And lastly (over and besides many other sums and gifts for other the like pious uses) to the University Library, an hundred choyce books, fifty printed, fifty written, very precious and rare ones.
His care and study indeed was (spa…ing therein no expence) to gather together and preserve such monuments of antiquity as might give light to the stories of former times, or be usefull otherwise. And here, because the booke of God justly claimeth the chiefe respect, as for antiquity and authority, so for use and necessity, as containing in it that one necessary thing, on which mans eternall welfare dependeth; considering the great want of Bibles in many places; and through negl…ct the decay of them in others, he took much paines, with the assistance of other godly learned, in mending the English Translation; and caused the same so amended to be in a large paper and faire Character imprinted, and dispersed abroad through the whole Realme.
And for the Works of other writers, those of our owne Nation especially, such as were hard to be gotten, & likely to perish, as remaining only in a few old Manuscripts, unlesse some course were taken for the preservation of them; he gathered together so many of them as he could light on; and disposed them in such places, where they might both be in safe keeping, & lye ready at hand for the learned upon all occasions to make use of, withall culling out som of them to be made more publick; which, with much travell & paines therein taken, having by collation of sundry Copies together corrected and much amended, he caused to be imprinted, as well for the benefit of strangers abroad, as for the use of our owne at home. Of this sort were.
1 Matthew of Paris his History. 2 Matthew of Westminster hi… Historicall Flowers. 3 After Bishop of Shireborn his Story of King Alfred, printed in a Saxon letter, with the Archbishops Preface before it.
He caused also to be compiled and published, a learned and large volumne, concerning.
4 The Antiquities of the Brittish Church: together with a Story of the Priviledges of the Church of Canterbury, and seventy Archbishops of that See.
At the Funerall of that famous Divine Mar…ine Bucer, he Preached.
5 A Sermon out of the Booke of Wisedome Chap. 4. vers. 6.9. Which was afterward also published in print.
Love, learning, wisedome and true zeale,
Patience in want, and bounty in weale
Were the chiefe flowers in that Crown
Which gave this Man of men Renowne:
The Crosiar did not supersede
His Cure of souls, nor did he pleade
Affaires at Court: His past'rall heate
Grew nere the lesse as he grew great:
Five Kings and Queenes, his dayes did see
Enthron'd and septer'd: The first three
Did view his merit, and enhaunc'd him,
The fourth destroy'd, the fift advanc'd him
To Lambeth Chayre, where he the Church did guide
In Peace; and full of age and honor dyed.
The Life and Death of John Drusius. who dyed Anno Christi 1616.
IOhn Drusious was born at Aldenard A…nn Christi 1550. was first brought up at School in the City of Gaunt, and from thence went to the University of Lovain: but whilst he was following his study hard there, his father was pr…scribed for Religion, and thereby deprived of all his estate, which caused him to flye into England, taking this his son along with him: when he came to London he met with C…valerius, lately come thither, that was exceeding skilfull in the Hebrew; his Lectures he attended upon both in publick and private, and when Cevalerius was sent to Cambr…ge to be the Professor there, Drusius went along with him, applying himselfe espcially to the study of Greek: Afterwards when Cevalerius was called back into France, Drusius still accompanied him, & fell hard to the study of the Hebrew: he also privately read the same to two young English Gentlem…n: After while he returned to London againe, and when he was purposed to goe back into France, he heard of that bloody Massacre at Paris, which made him alter his mind…, and having preferment pr…f…ed to him, …ither in O…ford or Cambridge, he chose Oxford, where, for the space of four years, he read Hebrew, Chalde, and Syriack with great commendation: After which time he went back to L…vain; but not long enjoying peace there, he returned to London againe: where he continued till the peace was concluded at Gaunt, and then went over into Flanders, and from thence into Zealand, where the States of Holland chose him to …e the Professor in Hebrew, Chalde, and Syriack in the University of Leiden, Anno Christi 1577. there he married a wife, and the Stat…s of Fris…and having newly erected a University at Franequer, they called him thither: In which place he continued taking great paines for the space of thirty one years; and at length resiged up his spirit unto God: Anno Christi 1616. and of his age 66.
John Drusius was a great Ebrician sound,
Most meritoriou…ly must here by Crown'd
With Bayes, to's praise: whom for's ability
In Hebrew, Syriack Chalde, worthily,
The States of Holland, had Professour made
Of him in Leiden, where not long he stay'd,
Being call'd to Franquer Univer…ty
By th'Fri…and States, where with great industry,
For thirty years he govern'd it with fame,
And then deceased with an honored Name.