Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	king_n	read_v	write_v	2,895	5	5.5794	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09898	The life of Alfred, or, Alvred: the first institutor of subordinate government in this kingdome, and refounder of the Vniversity of Oxford Together with a parallell of our soveraigne lord, K. Charles untill this yeare, 1634. By Robert Povvell of Wels, one of the Society of New-Inne.	Powell, Robert, fl. 1636-1652.; Alfred, King of England, 849-899.	1634 (1634)	STC 20161; ESTC S115025	29,645	188

incense of his prayers to the Throne of Heaven which course he constantly observed in the silent houres of night and at all seasons aswell in the times of prosperity and victorious successe as also in all adverse and doubtfull variations of war or State or afflictions of sicknesse and infirmity of body in all which he had his vicissitude of participation He was the first lettered Prince in this Kingdome since it had its nomination of England and had the happinesse to be disciplined under the care of Plegmundus a man of excellent learning and eminent parts who was borne in Mercia and from the solitary life of an Eremite in the Island of Chester called to be a Tutor to this noble Prince who at that time found the number of Learned men to bee so scarce and few by reason of the continuall devastations of warres which are alwayes incompatible with lawes and literature as that with incessant sighs and groanes he would not daily cease to bemone the want of such men and with assiduity of earnest prayers to implore a supply from that Omnipotent w th soone gave a gratious issue to his desires for not many moneths after his inauguration to the Kingdome he obtained the comfortable service and attendance of Withfrithus called by some Werefridus who was consecrated Bishop of Worcester on Whitsunday 872. And for his singular learning was had in high estimation by King Alfred and by his command translated the dialogues of S. Gregorie out of the Latine into the Saxon or English dialect he wanted not all the helpes advise and instructions of Plegmundus his Tutor who was afterwards Anno 889. consecrated Archbishop of Canterburie Those he consulted with night and day taking sweet comfort aswell in their discourses as in their lectures and rehearsals of many learned books and workes and never thought himselfe happy longer than he had the fruition of their or such like pleasing companies by meanes whereof he attained the knowledge of most bookes and ability to understand them by himselfe without any of their interpretacions his regall desire of Arts and learning rested not at home but extended it selfe by messages and Embassages beyond the Seas for men of the most exquisit learning that could be heard of out of France he obtained Grimbald and Scotus men famous in their times for their great singular learning out of the remotest parts of Wales he sent for Asser who wrote his life and divers others of like parts he drew from other places Asser as himselfe affirmeth abode with the King in his Court by the space of eight moneths before his returne to Wales in which time he constantly read divers bookes unto him for saith he it was his custome both night and day amidst all other impediments both of mind and bodie to be ever versed in reading books himselfe or hearing them read by others and tooke a great felicity to translate bookes especially meetre into the vulgar then Saxon tongue and commanded others to do the like wherby he acquired such perfection therein as that the Art of Poësie was much honoured by ascribing to him the title of Poet. This religious Monarch out of his immoderate thirst of the Artes and liberall Sciences modestly conceiving the want thereof in himselfe to be more than it was did apply the greater care for the education of his children In which charge Asser being recalled from Wales had the principal imployment and was vouchsafed the name of Schoolemaster to his children being two sonnes and three daughters by his one and only Queene No lesse tender was he in the trayning up and tutoring of the children of his Nobility under the same masters and in the same method of discipline For the perpetuall propagation of learning he revived and repaired the old and erected and endowed new Schooles and Colledges as so many seed plots and nurseries of Religion and vertue Some write that he did first institute the Vniversity of Oxford the institution of that famous Achademie was doubtlesse long before but if vivification and redemption from oblivion and ruine be proportionable to a worke of creation it is not a graine in the ballance who should deserve the greatest honour of that renowned Seminary either the first founder or Alfred the refounder For amidst the many mournefull demolitions of stately monuments by the Danish and Saxon warres Oxford had her deplorable part and sufferance in the exile of her Muses in her houses and structures All by warres laid wast and even with the dust little or nothing left to demonstrate what her former beauty had beene save onely the Monasterie of S. Frideswide For repairing the wasts and spoiles of that sacred place Alfred bestirres himselfe and there for the studies of Divinity Philosophy and other Artes did raise up the fabrick of three magnificent Colledges then called by the name of his schooles one for divinity another for Philosophy and a third for Grammer one of which three is now knowne by the name of Vniversity Colledge In this revived Seminary he designed and appointed severall Readers and Professors to whom hee allotted large and liberall stipends The first divinity reader was Neote the second sonne of his father by his Queene Iudith daughter of Charles the bald Emperour and King of France whom he married upon his second returne from Rome a man of admired learning to whose forwardnes and direction in the reëdification of this ancient Nursery that place did owe a special part of her being Asser as propense and zealous to his power in advising and furthering the perfection of that worke was the Grammar and Rhetoricke reader hither hee sent Aethelward his second son and first and last child who was borne about An. 880. And thereby gave example to al the greatest Nobles of his Kingdome to send their sons thither and to honour their education with the company of the young Prince This worke of restitution was begun saith one An. Dom. 874. And doubtlesse it could not be presently finished and furnished the government thereof began to flourish betweene the yeares 882. 883 about which time Grimbald was made in the presence of that victorious Prince the first Chancellor of that Vniversity to make this worke more absolute he obtained the grant of many priviledges unto the schollers of this place from Martin the second Pope of Rome which he confirmed with his own grant of many honourable infranchisements and immunities From the same Pope he obtained a relaxation of all tribute to the Saxon schoole at Rome As hee was every way royall and magnificent in this ever blessed act of restauration so he was studious in the preservation therof in peace and concord a great dissension and perillous about the yeare 886 arose amongst the schollers the parties in this faction were Grimbald and such learned men as he brought thither with him and the old schollers who had their abode there at the time of Grimbalds

yeares after his raigne consumed with fire with no small part of the Citie could speake for it selfe it would not be silent of his magnificent bounty The revenewes of his Kingdome he was as studious to husband as his time which that he might the better ascertaine and know his own which is the best part of thrift confine his expences unto the provent of his estate he enjoyned a generall survey of the kingdome to bee made and certified unto him and that with the particulars of his whole estate to be deduced into a booke which he committed to safe custodie within his treasury at Winchester The one halfe of his wealth he faithfully devoutly resolved to bestow in the service of him whom he ever served but to avoid the guilt of violating that caution of sacred Scripture Si recte offeras recte autem non dividas peccas He studied discreely to divide what he did religiously devote Therefore by a holy and divine direction of all the income of his annuall revenew he caused a twofold division to be made wherof one part for divine the other part for secular affaires 1 That part for Gods service he commands a quadruple subdivision to bee exactly and carefully made The first part whereof was to bee distributed to the poore of each nation wherin his hand was ever open to cast his bread upon the waters his bounty and almes-deeds were not circumscribed at home but liberally dispersed abroad and not onely to those of his owne and neighbouring nations but to others of forreigne and remote parts as if hee should have therein said Tros Tiriusque mihi nullo discrimine habetur In the yeare 888 hee sent by Athelmus Bishop of Winton much treasure of his owne together with a large collection of his well disposed subjects unto Marianus then Pope of Rome consigning a portion thereof to be conveyed to Hierusalem Another time by Sigelmus Bishop of Sherborne a large Almes or offering of his owne into India there was scarce any Countrey where the poore had not a portion of his bounty 2 The second part was allotted to his Monasteries for the support and maintenance of them 3 The third part was sequestred and appropriated for the benefit and indowment of his great Schoole or Academie at Oxford which hee had stored with many Students 4 The fourth he laid aside as a portion for all the bordering Monasteries in Saxonie and Mercia and in some yeares to releeve and repaire severall Churches by turnes in Brittaine Fraunce Ireland and other places The other moytie of his estate he did wholly addict to the service of the secular affaires which he carefully commanded to bee tripartited 1 Whereof the first part was yearely conferred on those of his military imployment whom he highly esteemed as also upon his meniall officers and Ministers who garded his person and guided his Court and being lifted into a trinall Company each of them wayted a moneth by turnes and then had two moneths recession for their ease and dis●●●ch of their owne affair●● 2 T●● second part on the Masters and Workemen of his Fabrickes whom he had in great numbers procured selected and sent for out of many nations The third portion he reserved for reliefe of strangers whom the deserved fame of his vertue goodnesse and bountie drew out of all parts to admire him and whether they sought and asked it or not to bee partakers of his liberall largesse which to every one according to their dignitie and desert hee did aboundantly dispose In all this if vertue and piety were hereditary hee might justly challenge a descent therof from Aethelwolphe his father a Prince more affected to devotion than Action who being a Subdeacon was by the dispensation of Pope Leo afterwards made King and gave the tenth of his kingdomes tribute with exemption of regall service to maintaine the ministery of God and his Church And in his last journey to Rome did confirme the pay of peeterpence to Leo IIIIth then Pope of Rome and his successours to the end that no Englishman should do pennance in bonds Adde unto Alfreds then unmatchable pietie his royall gratitude which ingratitude being the worst of vices is the best of vertues Asser makes ample relation of his munificence to him after his eight moneths abode in his Court yet with his excuse Non ideo se dedisse parva illa quòd sequenti tempore nollet dare majora which promise hee made good shortly after in bestowing the Bishopricke of Sherborne upon him in the yeare 873. His old Host of Athelnry hee afterwards well requited by advancing him to the Bishoprick of Winchester Anno Christi 879. He was not so carefull in apportioning his estate and time as he was in disposing the local government of his now setled Monarchie the league betweene him and Guthrun being so firmely established and before he could not doe it he did all things stato statuto tempore a president for all Princes yea and for all persons in imitation of Iethro his councell to Moses He was the first that reduced this confused Kingdome into an orderly rule of subordinate government And observing the old rule of Divide impera did divide this land into Shires hundreds and tythings respectively appointing the prepositure of them to severall Officers and Ministers now called Sherifs Constables and Tythingmen But no government could bee without Lawes and herein Moses is still his ensample who having first selected his wisemen and placed such to be rulers over thousands hundreds fifties and tens then and not before Iura dabat populo hee gave laws to the people frō the mouth of eternity it self Alfred with a religious majesty begins his Lawes Loquutus est Dominus ad Mosem hos sermones cites all the decalogue and then proceeds with the Lawes comprised in the 21 22 and part of the 23 Chapters of Exodus all which and the confirmation of these with the Lawes of King Inus and other his Ancestors I have elsewhere at large expressed He caused a booke containing Decreta judiciorum collected by King Ethelbert to bee written in the Saxon characters which the injury of times hath utterly suppressed Lawes without execution are but Vmbratiles cloudes without raigne shadowes without substance hee was therefore prepared jus sacere as well as jus dicere He was not sparing to administer justice and to dispose of affaires of most weight in his owne person Taediosus or districtus examinandae in judiciis veritatis arbiter existebat hoc maximè propter pauperum curam qui in toto regno praeter illum solum nullos aut paucissimos habebant jutores he was a most solicitous umpire in examining the equity and verity of judicatory proceedings and that principally for the cause of the poore who besides him alone had none or very few advocates or assistants he was the Patron and protector of Widdowes and Orphanes As