Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A30949
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Memorials of worthy persons two decads / by Cl. Barksdale.; Memorials of worthy persons. Decades 1-2
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Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing B800; ESTC R8737
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46,851
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216
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affability so prompt so ready to receive all conditions of men that I conceive it were as easie a task for any one to become so knowing as so obliging 5. As a Christian none more ever acquainted with the nature of the Gospel because none more studious of the knowledge of it or more curious in the search which being strengthned by those great advantages before mentioned could not prove other then highly effectual 6. He took indeed to himself a liberty of judging not of others but for himself and if ever any man might be allowed in these matters to judge it was he who had so long so much so advantageously consider'd which is more never had the least worldly design in his determinations 7. He was not only most truly and strictly just in his seâ—cular transactions most exâ—emplarily meek and humble notwithstanding his perfections but beyond all example charitable giving unto all preserving nothing but his Books to continue his learning and himself which when he had before digested he was forced at last to feed upon at the same time the happiest and most unfortunate helluo of Books the grand example of Learning and of the Envy and contempt which followeth it 8. While he lived none was ever more sollicited and urged to write and thereby truly to teach the world then he none ever so resolved pardon the expression so obstinate against it His facile and courteous nature learnt only not to yield to that sollicitation And yet he cannot be accused for hiding of his Talent being so communicative that his Chamber was a Church and his Chair a Pulpit 9. Onely that there mighâ— some Taste continue of him some of his Remains were collected such as he could not but write and such as when written were out of his power to destroy These consist of two parts of Sermons and of Letters and each of them proceeded from him upon respective obligations The Letters though written by himself yet were wholly in the power of that Honourable person to whom they were sent and by that means they were preserv'd The Sermons preached on several occasions were snatcht from him by his friends and in their hands the Copies were continued or by transcription disperst 10. As to those Cut of Mr. Faringtons Letter Letters written from the Synod of Dort take notice that in his younger days he was a Calvinist and even then when he was employed at that Synod and at the well pressing Io 3. 16. by Episcopus There I bid Iohn Calvin Good Night as he has after told me I have drawn in my mind the model of his Life but I am like Mr. Hales in this which was one of his defects not to pen any thing till I needs must Out of Dr. Pearsons Preface to his Golden Remains IX R. EVELYN 1. HE was taught to pray as soon as he could speak and he was taught to read as soon as he could pray At three years old he read any character or letter whatsoever used in out printed books and within a little time after any tolerable writing hand and had gotten by heart before he was five years of age seven or eight hundred Latine and Greek words together with their Genders and Declensions 2. His Promptitude in this nature was prodigious so that I have been ready to cry out Horrori mihi est hoc ingenium So infatiable were his desires of knowledge that upon a time hearing one discourse of Terence and Plautus and being told upon his enquiry concerning those Authours that the books were too difficult for him he wept for very grief and would hardly be pacified 3. To tell you how exactly he read French how much of it he spake and understood were to let you only know that his Mother did instruct him without any confusion to the â—est Thus he learned a Gatechisme many prayers read divers things in that Laâ—guage 4. His usual Recreations were especially the Apologuâ—s of Aesop most of which he could so readily recount with divers other stories as you would admire from whence he produc'd them But he was never without some book or other in his hand He often delighted himself in reciting of Poems and Sentences some whereof he had in Greek fragments of Comedies divers verses out of Herbert and amongst the Psalmes his beloved and often repeated Ecce quam bonum 5. I might adde the incomparable sweetnesse of his countenance and eyes the clean fabrick of his body and prettâ— addresses how easily he forgot injuries when at any time I would break and cross his passions by sometimes interrupting his enjoyments in the midst of some delicious things which allured him But above all extreamly conspicuous was his affection to his younger brother with whose impertinencies he would continually bear saying he was but a child and understood no better 6. There are better things behind and those are his early Piety and how ripe he was for God Never did this child lye in bed by his good will longer then six or seaven Winter or Summer and the first thing he did being up was to say his French prayers our Church-Catechisme after breakfast that short Latine prayer which having encountred at the beginning of our Lilies Grammar he had learned by heart without any knowledge or injunction of mine 7. Wonderfull was it to observe the Chapters which himself would choose and the Psalms and Verses that he would apply upon occasions and as in particular he did to some that were sick in my family a little before him bidding them to consider the sufferings of Christ how bitter they were and how willingly he endured them 8. The last time he was at Church which was as I remember at Greenwich at his return I asked him what he brought away from the Sermon He replyed that he had remembred two good things Bonum gratiae and Bonum gloriae which expressions were indeed used though I did not believe he had minded them 9. When about Christmas a kinsman of his related to us by the fire side some passages of the presumptuous fasting of certain Enthusiasts about Colchester whilst we were expressing some admiration at the passage That sayes the Child is no such wonder for it is written Man shall not live by bread alone c. 10 When the Lords day fortnight before he dyed he repeated to me our Church-Catechisme he told me That he now perceived that his Godfathers were disengaged for that since he himself did now understand what his Duty was it would be required of him and not of them for the future 11. How divinely did this pious Infant speak of his being weary of this troublesome world into which he was scarcely entred and whilst he lay sick of his desires to go to heaven that the Angels might conveigh him into Abrahams bosome passionately perswading those that tended him to die with him 12. The day before he took his leave of us he call'd to me and pronounced it very soberly
Father sayes he You have often told me that you would give me your house and your land your books and all your fine things but I tell you I shall have none of them you will leave them all to my brother 13. That very morning not many hours before he fell into that sleep which was his â—last being in the midst of his Paroxysm he called to me and asked me whether he should not offend if in the extremity of his pain he mentioned so often the name of God calling for ease And whether God would accept his prayers if he did not hold his hands out of bed in the posture of praying Which when I had pacified him about he prayed till his prayers were turned into eternal praises Out of his Fathers Epistle before Chrysostome of Education Grot. ad Patrem Carere liberis durum non est nisi his qui habuerunt I shall onely adde the Epitaph written upon this admirable Child by that excellent Scholar and his kinsman Mr. Christopher Wase EPITAPHIUM R. EVELYN I. F. Quieseit hoe sub maâ—more Unà quieseit quicquid est amabile Patres quod optent aut quod orbi lugeant Genas insontes non ut ante risus Lepore condit ampl us Morum venustus quanta paucis contigit Desidetatur omnibus Linguae Latina Gâ—llica Quas imbibit â—um lacte materno taâ—ent Tentarat Aâ—tes Aâ—tiumque principis Piâ—tatis elementa hauseâ—at Libâ—is inhaesit improbo labore Ut sola moâ—s divelleret Quid indoles quid disâ—iplina quid labor Possint ab uno disceres Puer stupendus qualis lie esset senex Si fata vitae subministrassent iter Sed aliter est visum Deo Correptus ille febricula levi jacet â—acent tot unà spes parentum Vixit An. V. M. V. III. super D. Eheu Delicias breves Quicquid placet mortale non placet diu Quicquid placet mortale ne placeat nimis D. ARTHUR LAKE Bishop of Bath and Wells 1. THis Holy man was noursed up from his tender age in the exercises of true piety and in the studies of various and exquisite learning and in his riper years advanced to divers eminent places of dignity in the Church not by any ambitious suit or seeking of his own but by the special providence of God beyond his expectation or desire raised to the height of Episcopal Dignity 2. He was first placed a Child in the famous School of Winchester thence elected Fellow in New Colledge in Oxford and after Fellow in the Colledge neer Winchester thence again recalled by the conspiring Votes of that numerous Society to the Warden-ship of New Colledge Afterward preferred first to the prefecture of the Hospital of S. Crosses neer Winchester then to the Deanry of the Cathredral Church of Worcester And lastly to the Bishoprick of Bath and Wells where he dyed 3. He continued the same in his Rocket which he had been in his Scholars Gown having so well studied Humility the basis of all vertue in his younger years that in the whole course of his life there was no tumour of pride appeared but as well in his actions as in his speeches equalling himself with the lowest not withstanding the many temptations he had both from the eminency of his place excellency of his parts to do speak otherwise From this did proceed that singular Affability and easinesse of accesse which he ever retained to all sorts of men to those of his own Coat especially so that no man can say he was ever sleighted or superciliously used by him 4. Adde hereunto his rare Tranquillity and Contentednesse of minde He retained the same temper in all the alterations of his estate So that whatsoever outwardly befell him either to the better or the worser part he seemed very little to be affected surely nothing disquieted there withall A strange serenity of mind in him whereof I take it also to have been a good argument that as I have often heard him say so long as he was in perfect health of his body he did never dream 5. His Temperance was such that at the greatest and best furnished tables whereat the condition of his place required his presence his feeding was commonly upon one dish and that none of the daintiest And when he was not hindred by resort of strangers unto him he fasted usually four times in the week from his supper and spent that time in framing some Meditation or other upon a piece of Holy Scripture 6. Unlesse it were in the company of Scholars and in such ingenious pleasant Discourses as are incident thereto wherein he would sometimes expresse much freedome of innocent mirth a man could not observe that he took much delight in any worldly thing whatsoever an evident argument that his intellectual part had the predominancy over his sensual or rather indeed that Grace ruled them both and that the Man in him was subordinate to the Christian. 7. As he had been alwayes liberal from the time he had any thing to give so upon the increase of his fortunes he improved that virtue even to a kind of Magnificence And though his forwardnesse in giving never let him stay till his purse was full so that he attained not to the doing of any pompous work yet his ordinary largesse to the poor at his Gaâ—e and in the streets his Contributions to pious works of all sorts his Exhibitions to poor Scholars both abroad and in the University his encreasing the allowance of the poor Brethren of S. Cross his maintaning of two Lectures in New Colledge in Oxford one for the Hebrew Tongue another for the Mathematicks A great part of his books he disposed to the Library of New Colledge by a deed of gift divers years before his death reserving the use of them onely for his life time his leading the way to the founding of a Library at Worcester and another at Wells are sufficient instances of his exceeding Bounty 8. His Contempt of VVealth I may reckon as a part of his Magnanimity I dare say that in all Elections of Scholars Collation of Orders and Benefices Dispositions of Offices and Grants of Colledge and Church-Leases that passed through his hands as there passed in his time very many he never fouled them with the least touch of a Gehazâ—'s reward which integrity of his together with his open hand dednesse and House-keeping were the onely Causes that he left no greater Estate behind him 9. His Ability to teach as it was very great so did it never appear more then after he was a Bishop For though the acts of government alone may seem sufficient to take up a man in that place yet he never ceas'd to adorn the Pulpit with his no less frequent and assiduous then learned and pious labours Witnesse his ordinary preaching in the Cathedral Church of VVells his frequent excursions into the Parishes adjoyning and indeed his leaving of no place where he came if it were a fit time of