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book_n	treatise_n	work_n	work_v	1,793	5	9.8964	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61094	Reliquiæ Spelmannianæ the posthumous works of Sir Henry Spelman, Kt., relating to the laws and antiquities of England : publish'd from the original manuscripts : with the life of the author.	Spelman, Henry, Sir, 1564?-1641.; Gibson, Edmund, 1669-1748.	1698 (1698)	Wing S4930; ESTC R22617	259,395	258

son Clement Spelman containing many things relating to Impropriations and several instances of the judgements of God upon Sacriledge The greatest part of these instances seems to be taken from his History and Fate of Sacriledge a book still in Manuscript The Gentleman for whose sake it was written dy'd immediately upon the publication of this book but however it did very good service to the Church This Mr. Stephens has made appear in a Preface to some of his Posthumous Works wherein he instances in several Gentlemen who were induc'd by the reading of this book to restore their Impropriations to the Church That part of the Preface is since reprinted before an Edition of this book which came out in the Year 1668. and therefore I shall not repeat the Catalogue of them in this place I will only beg leave to mention a more modern benefaction of this kind as it is set down in the late Edition of Camden's Britannia Scarce two miles from Arksey in the West-riding of York-shire lies Adwick in the street memorable on this account that Mrs. Ann Savill a Virgin benefactor yet living daughter of John Savill of Medly Esq purchased the Rectory thereof for which she gave about 900l. and has settl'd it in the hands of Trustees for the use of the Church for ever and this from a generous and pious principle upon the reading of Sir Henry Spelman's noted Treatise De non temerandis Ecclesiis Some reflections were made upon this Discourse by an unknown Author who could not forgive Sir Henry for paying so much respect to Churches and particularly for applying the word Ecclesia to a material Church urging that this term belongs only to the Assembly or Congregation This Sir Henry takes notice of in his Glossary under the title Ecclesia producing some instances of the use of that word in ancient Authors and afterwards honoured it with a fuller Apology It is publisht by Mr. Stephens at the end of his Larger work of Tithes so call'd with respect to the Smaller Treatise De non temerandis Ecclesiis together with a pious Epistle to Mr. Richard Carew who in a Letter to the Author had express'd his dissatisfaction in some particulars of this Work His next book upon this subject is that which he calls the Larger work of Tithes publisht by Mr. Jerem. Stephens in the Year 1646. with an excellent Preface by the same hand In this Discourse he asserts Tithes to the Clergy from the Laws of Nature and of Nations from the Commands of God in the Old and New Testament and from the particular Constitution of our own Kingdom Another work in vindication of the Rights of the Church is still in Manuscript with this title The History and Fate of Sacriledge discover'd by examples of Scripture of Heathens and of Christians from the beginning of the world continually to this day by Sir Henry Spelman Kt. Anno Domini 1632. The account which the Oxford Antiquary gives us of it is this In the Year 1663. Mr. Stephens began to print the History of Sacriledge design'd and began by Sir Henry Spelman and left to Mr. Stephens to perfect and publish But that work sticking long in the Press both the Copy and sheets printed off perisht in the grand Conflagration of London 1666. I have been told by a Learned Divine since a Prelate of our Church that Mr. Stephens was forbidden to proceed in an Edition of that Work lest the publication of it should give offence to the Nobility and Gentry But whatever was the occasion of its continuing in the Press till the Fire of London it has been taken for granted that the whole book was irrecoverably lost and I was satisfied of the same upon Mr. Wood's relation of the matter till examining some Manuscripts which were given to the Bodleian Library by the late Bishop of Lincoln I met with a transcript of some part of it Upon further enquiry I found other parts in other places so that now the Work seems to be pretty entire He begins with a general definition of Sacriledge then reckons up various kinds of it as to Places Persons and Things after which he enumerates at large the many signal punishments of it among Heathens Jews and Christians describing more particularly the instances of that kind which have formerly happen'd in our Nation Then he proceeds to give an account of the attempt upon the lands of the Clergy in Henry the IV's time and how it was disappointed afterwards he descends to the suppression of Priories-Alien in the Reign of Henry V. and so on to the general Dissolution under Henry VIII Here he shows us the several steps of the Dissolution the King 's express promise to employ the Lands to the advancement of Learning Religion and Relief of the Poor with the remarkable Calamities that ensu'd upon the King his Posterity his principal Agents in that affair the new Owners of the Lands and the Lords who promoted and passed the Dissolution Act Concluding with a Chapter which contains The particulars of divers Monasteries in Norfolk whereof the late Owners since the Dissolution are extinct or decay'd or overthrown by Misfortunes and grievous Accidents This is a short account of a large Work wherein the judicious Author is far from affirming that their being concern'd in this Affair either as promoters of the Alienation or Possessors of the Lands was directly the occasion of the Calamities that ensu'd On the contrary he declares more than once that he will not presume to judge of the secret methods of God's Providence but only relates plain matters of fact and leaves every man to make his own application Tho' it must be granted that many of the instances and those well asserted are so terrible in the Event and in the Circumstances so surprising that no considering Man can well pass them over without a serious reflection This Discourse might have appear'd among his other Posthumous Works but that some persons in the present Age would be apt to interpret the mention of their Predecessors in such a manner and on such an occasion as an unpardonable reflection upon their Families These I think are all the Treatises that he either wrote or publisht about the Rights of the Church The next Work that I shall mention is a History of the Civil affairs of the Kingdom from the Conquest to Magna Charta taken from our best Historians and generally set down in their own words It is a Manuscript in the Bodleian Library and the title which Sir Henry has given it is this Codex Legum Veterum Statutorum regni Angliae quae ab ingressu Gulielmi usque ad annum nonum Henrici tertii edita sunt Hoc est ante primum Statutum omnium Impressorum in libris juridicis quod Magna Charta appellatur ab Edwardo I. confirmata E variis monimentis Authoribus Manuscriptis antiquis paginis concinnatum Opere Studio Henrici Spelman collecta Anno

Dom. 1627. With the Imprimatur of Sir John Bramston July 6. 1640. Many Instruments in this Collection are printed in the Second Volume of his Councils and it might be much improv'd from some Historians that have been publisht since his time In the Year 1641. there came out a Discourse de Sepultura by Sir Henry Spelman concerning the Fees for Burials 'T is likely that it was compos'd on occasion of his being one of the Commissioners for regulating the Fees in our Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts The Treatise consists of five sheets in 4 to so that I wonder why J. A. in his Preface to the Glossary should tell us that is was no more than two leaves His Latin Treatise entitled Aspilogia was next publish'd with Notes by Sir Edw. Bish Anno 1654. in Folio In this tho' it was one of his first Pieces he discourses with great variety of Learning concerning the Original and different kinds of those Marks of Honour since call'd Arms. He also drew up a scheme of the Abbreviations and such other obsolete forms of writing as occur in our old Manuscripts to facilitate the reading of ancient Books and Records There are several Copies of it in Manuscript as one in the Bodleian Library another in the Library of the late Dr. Plot a third in the possession of Mr. Worsley of Lincolns-Inn and 't is probable there may be more of em abroad in other hands Two other things he was concern'd in which I shall but just mention The Villare Anglicum or a view of the Towns in England publisht in the Year 1656. was collected By the appointment at the charge and for the use of that worthy Antiquary Sir Henry Spelman And Mr. Speed in his Description of Great Britain acknowledges that he receiv'd the account of Norfolk from the same Learned Knight As for his Posthumous Works which are publisht together on this occasion I shall give a more particular account of 'em in the Preface and in this place shall only add an instance or two of his Encouragement to Learning and Learned Men. It was he who first advis'd Dr. Wats to the study of Antiquities and when he had arriv'd to a good skill in those matters put him upon a new Edition of Matthew Paris The Doctor in the Preface to that excellent Work makes this grateful mention of his Friend and Patron Tertium Manuscriptum accommodavit Nobilis ille Doctissimusque Dominus Henricus Spelmannus Eques Auratus Eruditionis reconditioris Judicii acerrimi Vir nostrae Britanniae Lumen Gloriaque Amicus insupermeus singularis in studiis adjutor praecipuus qui me primus ad Antiquitates eruendas tam verbo quam exemplo aliquoties stimulavit erudivitque He was likewise a great Favourer of Sir William Dugdale who had been recommended to him by Sir Simon Archer a Gentleman of Warwickshire very well versed in Heraldry and the affairs of our own Nation At that time Mr. Dodsworth who was much assisted and encouraged by Sir Henry Spelman had got together a vast collection of Records relating to the Foundation of Monasteries in the Northern parts of England Sir Henry thought that these might be very well improv'd into a Monasticon Anglicanum and lest the design should miscarry by Mr. Dodsworth's death he prevail'd upon Mr. Dugdale to join him in so commendable a Work promising to communicate all his Transcripts of Foundation Charters belonging to several Monasteries in Norfolk and Suffolk For his further encouragement he recommended him to Thomas Earl of Arundel then Earl Marshal of England as a person very well qualify'd to serve the King in the Office of Arms. Accordingly upon his character of him seconded by the importunity of Sir Christopher Hatton he was settl'd in the Heralds-office which gave him an opportunity to fix in London and from the many assistances there to compile the laborious Volumes which he afterwards publisht His revival of the old Saxon Tongue ought to be reckon'd a good piece of service to the study of Antiquities He had found the excellent use of that Language in the whole course of his Studies and very much lamented the neglect of it both at home and abroad which was so general that he did not then know one Man in the world who perfectly knew it Paulatim says he ita exhalavit animam nobile illud Majorum nostrorum pervetustum idioma ut in universo quod sciam orbe ne unus hodie reperiatur qui hoc scite perfecteve calleat pauci quidem qui vel exoletas literas usquequaque noverint Hereupon he settl'd a Saxon Lecture in the University of Cambridge allowing 20l. per An. to Mr. Abraham Wheelock who tells us that upon his advice and encouragement he spent the best part of seven years in the study of that Language Magnam septennii quod effluxit partem consumpsi Saxonum nostrorum inquirendo Monumenta eorumque vetus idioma Veritatis pacis Catholicae magistram perquirendo ne nobilissimi Viri in his studiis monitoris mei honoratissimi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. Henrici Spelmanni Antiquitatum nostrae gentis instauratoris eximii consilio defuissem This stipend was intended to be made perpetual but both He and his eldest Son dying in the compass of two years the Civil Wars breaking forth and the Estate being sequester'd the Family became uncapable of accomplishing that Design Nor indeed was that a Time for settlements of this kind when such a terrible storm threatn'd the Universities and the Revenues that belong'd to ' em After he came into business he was intimately acquainted with the most considerable Persons of that Age. He calls Mr. Camden his ancient Friend and how entire a Familiarity there was between him and Arch-bishop Usher we are inform'd from the Life and Letters of that Learned Primate To these I might add Sir Rob. Cotton Mr. Selden Olaus Wormius with Peireschius Meursius Beignonius and others of great note both at home and abroad whom he himself occasionally mentions as the chief Encouragers of his Glossary Upon the whole matter as his Loyalty Wisdom and Experience in publick Affairs would sufficiently recommend him to the great States-men of his time so his eminent Piety and Learning must needs make him highly esteem'd among Divines and Scholars He had eight Children four Sons and four Daughters His eldest Son the heir of his Studies as he calls him was John Spelman Esq a Scholar and a Gentleman who had great assurances of favour and encouragement from King Charles I. This good Prince sent for Sir Henry Spelman and offer'd him the Mastership of Suttons Hospital with some other things in consideration of his good services both to Church and State But after his humble thanks to his Majesty he told him that he was very old and had one foot in the grave and that it would be a much greater obligation upon him if his