Roman Coins The Physicians tamper with him They leave him to Kitchin Physick Goes into the Country Dies Persons attending his Funerals Buried His Monument His Lady dies His Person described CHAP. XVI His last Will. Makes his Will For the finishing his House and Monument To his Lady For preserving good Housekeeping To his Brother His Library to Queen's College or Peter-House Books to his Friends A Cup to the Queen In case of Doubt arising in the Will His Executors The Date of his Will CHAP. XVII Observations upon Sir Thomas Smith His Learning A Platonick A Physician His Recipe for the Plague His Chymical Water sent to the Countess of Oxford His Matthiolus A Chymist A Mathematician An Arithmetician An Astronomer His Iudgment of the Star in Cassiopaeia A Politician A Linguist An Historian An Orator An Architect His Library Books by him written A great Iudge in Learning His Acquaintance The Vogue of his Learning Beneficial to Learning His Places His houses in Chanon-Row In London At Ankerwick Mounthaut His heir Sir William Smith CHAP. XVIII Sir Thomas Smith 's Vertuous Accomplishments His Religion His Principles by which he governed himself His Vertues Vices falsely charged on him His Spirit His Apparel Not oppressive Of an universal Charity His Apophthegms Leland's Copy of Verses to Smith Dr. Byng's Epitaph on him THE LIFE Of the Learned Sir THOMAS SMITH Kt. CHAP. I. Sir THOMAS SMITH's Birth Parentage and Education THE Learned Sir THOMAS SMITH sometimes Secretary of State to K. Edward VI. and afterward to Q. Elizabeth was born at Walden in the County of Essex distinguish'd by the Name of SAFFRON Walden the Lands of that Parish and the Parts adjacent being famous for the Growth of the useful Medicinal Plant whether first brought thither by this Knight's Industry being a great Planter I know not for it was first brought into England as we are told in the Reign of K. Edward III. According to Cambden who writes that Sir Thomas Smith died Anno 1577. in his Climacteric he must have been born in the Year 1514. According to Fox who in his Relation of an Evidence given by the said Knight in February Anno 1551 against Bishop Gardiner assigned his Age then to be Three and Thirty he must have been born in the Year 1518. But himself putteth his Age out of doubt in his Book of the English Commonwealth where he saith that March the 28th 1565 he was in the One and Fiftieth Year of his Age. By which Computation he must have come into the World in the Year 1512. a Year famous to England for building of a Ship the biggest that ever the Sea bore And by the Inscription on his Monument it appears he departed this Life in the 65th Year of his Age. So that Cambden made him Two Years younger than he was and Fox Five unless we should say the Figure 33 is mis-printed for 39 a Fault too common in his Books Our Knight's Father was Iohn Smith of Walden Gentleman a Person of good Rank Quality and Wealth Of which we may take some Measure from two Purchases he made of K. Edward in one Year viz. the Third of his Reign that is to say a Chauntry in the Church of Long Ashton in Somersetshire with other Lands Tenements and Hereditaments in the Counties of Somerset and Glocester which cost him 293 l. 16. s. 8 d. His other Purchase was all the Guild or Fraternity in Great Walden lately dissolved with divers other Lands and Tenements in Essex and London For which he with another Joint-Purchaser paid 531 l. 14 s. 11 d. Of which Fraternity of Walden this by the way must be remembered for the Honour of it that in a Grant made to it by K. Henry VIII as he willed there That he might evermore be remembred in their perpetual Prayers so he charitably desired that he might be admitted a Brother thereof and his dear Wife Q. Katherine to be a Sister And divers others are expressed there to be desirous to be admitted to the same as the Right Worshipful Dr. Wolsey Almoner to the King Richard Nix Bishop of Norwich Henry Earl of Essex and his Lady Lord Brook Chief Justice of England Sir Iohn Cutts Sir Tho. Semer and divers other Gentlemen and Ladies This Iohn Smith if we look further back was in the 30th of King Henry VIII High Sheriff of the Counties of Essex and Hertford For in those Times one Sheriff served both Counties In the year 1545. and the 35th of K. Henry aforesaid his Coat of Arms was granted him by the principal King of Arms or rather confirmed For the said King's Parent specifies That he was descended of honest Lineage and his Ancestors had long continued in Nobility and bearing of Arms and that it was Mr. Smith's Desire that the King of Arms would ratifie unto him his former Coat and Register it in the Records of his Office The Coat therefore granted annexed and attributed unto him was Sables a Fesse Dauncy between three Lionceux regardant Argent Languid Gules pawing with their Left Paws upon as many Altars flaming and burning thereon for that these were Anvils as some have thought alluding to the Name of Smith is a Fancy Upon the Fesse Nine Billets of his Field The Crest an Eagle rising Sable holding in his Right Claw a Pen Argent Flames of Fire issuing thereout This Crest Sir Thomas changed upon a notable Reason as we shall relate in due place Of this Coat of Arms I have laid a Copy of the Original Patent in the Appendix which is in Parchment very well adorned round about with Pictures of Rosâ—â— and Flowers de Lys and the Lively Efsigies of Garter arrayed in his rich Coat standing with a white Wand in his Hand and a Crown on his Head and the Coat of Smith blazonâ—d on the right side of him and pointâ—d to by the said white Wand I have but one thing more to say of this Gentleman and that is That he was an old Favourer of the Religion Reformed in which he brought up his Son Thomas from his Youth He lies buried in the Church of Walden where his Monument is yet remaining that is so much of it as contains his Coat of Arms but the Brass that bore the inscription torn off This for Sir Thomas's Father His Parentagâ— on his Mother's side was also Genule being derived from the ancient Name of the Châ—â—â—ecks of Lancashire his Mother Agnes being a Daughter and Co-heir of that Family By this Gentlewoman Iohn Smith had Issue divers Children of both Sexes viz. Four Daughters Agnes and Margery Alice and Iane which two last were married and three Sons Thomas Iohn and George The Posterity of which last flourish to this Day in Wealth and Honour and possess the Seat and Inheritance of Thomas the Subject of our ensuing History with great Improvements of the Estate Tho' no more Sons are express'd in the Roll
This Seat now flourisheth in Plenty Reputation and Honour possessed by the Line of his Younger Brother Whereby Sir Thomas Smith's Name and Memory still Lives according to his Design and Intent in that Structure And tho' it wants nothing in the Inside as well as the Out to adorn and beautifie it yet the choicest Furniture is an excellent Original of the Builder hanging up in the Parlour with these two Verses written round the frame of the Picture Cernitur Essigies factis vera at Penicillus Corporis atque umbrae tâ—ntum simulacra râ—poâ— And underneath LOVE AND FEAR Aetat 〈◊〉 xxxiii Having no Child his Lady enjoyed this Manor of Mounthaut or Mounthal for her Life and then it descended to his Brothers Son Sir William Smith Son of George a brave Gentleman and Soldier in Ireland being a Colonel there Till having attained to Thirty Years of Age he returned into England and possest his Deceased Uncles Estate He married into the Family of Fleetwood of the Vache in Backs and had divers Issue And was of great Figure and Service in the County of Essex All which may be better known by the Inscription upon a Noble Monument for himself and his Lady set up on the Southside of the Chancel opposite to that of Sir Tho. Smith his Uncle Which was as follows To theâ—pious Memory of her Loved and Loving Husband Sir William Smith of Hilhal in the County of Essex Knight Who till he was Thirty Years old followed the Wars in Ireland with such Approbation that he was â—â—osen one of the Colonels of the Army But his Uncle Sir Thomas Chancellor of the Garter and Principal Secretary of State 〈◊〉 two Princes King Edward VI. and the late Queen Elizabeth of famous Memory dying he returned to a full and fair Inheritance And so bent himself to the Affairs of the Country that he grew alike famous in the Arts of Peace as War All Offices there sorted with a man of his Quality he right worshipfully performed and dyed one of the Deputy Lieutenants of the 〈◊〉 A Place of no small Trust and Credit Bridget his unfortunate Widow who during the time of Thirty Seven Years bare 〈◊〉 three Sons and four Daughters Daughter of Thomas Fleetwood of the Vache 〈◊〉 the County of Bucks Esquire and sometime time Master of the Mint to allay her Languer and Longing after so dear a Companion of her Life rather to express her Affection than his Office this Monument erected Destinating it to her self their Children and Posterity He lived Years Seventy Six Died the 12. of Decemb. 1626. CHAP. XVIII Sir Thomas Smith's Vertuous Accomplishments WE have seen Sir Thomas in his Secular Circumstances as his Learning Wealth and Honour made him lookt upon and admired in the Eye of the World But what doth all this Confer to the true Reputation of a man without inward vertuous Qualifications These were other and better things that added a Lustre and Glory to our Knight For his Learning was accompanied with Religion and his Honour became more illustrious by the excellent Accomplishments of his Mind He was brought up in the Profession of the Gospel from his tender years and ever after stuck to it and professed it and that openly and as he had Occasion delivered and rescued good men from the Persecutions and Dangers that Religion exposed them to tho' he thereby sometimes ran himself into no small hazzard He lost his Preferments upon the Change of Religion under Queen Mary when if he had been minded to have complyed he might have had what he pleased But he was of a stout and constant Mind When he was in Place and Office abroad or in the Court the Principles he governed himself by were Truth and Integrity an inviolable Love to Justice and righteous Dealing a most unchangeable Faithfulness and Zeal to the Concerns of his Queen and Country His Life and Manners were unreproveable of a grave and yet obliging Behaviour And sometimes he would take the Liberty to be ingeniously merry and cheerful among his Friends A perfect stranger he was to the Practices of some Courtiers namely to those of Fraud and Falsehood Flattery and Treachery Vice and Corrupt Manners Such a Description do the Muses in their ears give him Non Fraude Dâ—love Non ullo vicius Fuco Patriaeque suisque Regâ—nâ—quâ— suae fidus nâ—n perfidus ulli At fidus cunclis Cato viâ—â— mâ—ribus ore Sincerus sine Fraude bonus â—â—ne suspicione Neâ— lâ—vitate vacans sic gravitate severus Ut tamâ—n atque jocos admitteret atque lepores Innocuos nihilumque prius sibi duceret Aequo Atque Bono cui se suaque omnia vota sacravit And again the same Muses shewing the Reasons of his safety under the rigorous Times of Queen Mary notwithstanding he would not change nor dissemble his Faith nor comply with the Religion that was uppermost give us a Relation of his Vertues which shone so bright that with them he did as it were charm the Government to spare him Nec tamen interea parti assentarier ulli Nec simulare Fidem nec dissimulare solebat Mirifica Virtute omnes Gravitate colenda Moribus antiquis Charitum Aonidumque Favore Numine coelesti non Impietate nec Arte Illicita nec Perfidia neque Fraudibus ullis Vir bonus sapiens qualem vix repperit altrum Phaebus Apollo unquam sibi conciliabat amicos But as there is nothing so good but will find Accusers and Slanderers so it happened to him For his Excellences created him Envy and Enviers And some there were in King Edward's time that laid several gross Vices to his charge but most unjustly As tho' he were proud a Lover of Money and that for the sake of it he extorted and opprest that he was a Buyer and Seller of Spiritual Preferments and chopt and changed Lands Finally that in the Changes of Religion he was a Complier But these were all most false Calumniations but such as he was fain to write some Sheets of Paper to vindicate himself of whereby he was forced to set forth his own Vertues unwillingly His Spirit was brave and great being a Man of a resolute and Active Mind Faithful and Diligent when Ambassador and Secretary Somewhat hasty and impatient when public Matters went not as they ought being hindred by designing men for private Profit or secret Grudge And so I find him somewhere describing himself when Haughtiness was once laid to his Charge I cannot deny but I am of Nature hault of Courage and stomach to contemn all Perils and worldly things or Dangers to do my Master Service and likely more would be but that I am by such things he means Accusations and Slanders sometime plucked back and so again contented to rule my self being able I thank God to serve in the Body and Thilles as Carters call it as well as in the Room of a Forehorse His Apparel was usually good and like a Courtier For
Quis primus Rhetor Smithus Quis maximus Hermes Linguarum Smithus Geometres Smithus idem Summus Arithmeticus Smithus Legumque peritus Ante alios Smithus Physicus celeberrimus Ohe Smithus multiscius Morumque Vitaeque Magister Optimus Et Smithus Remaining in the University he became Chancellor to Goodric Bishop of Ely Who being himself a Learned Man and a favourer of the Gospel chose such Officers about him Such another was Dr. Cox who was his Chaplain the same that was the first Instructor to Prince Edward and after Dean of Christ's Church in Oxford and Chancellor of that University and at last Bishop of Ely under Queen Elizabeth Whilst Smith lived in the College he spent not his Time in Sloth and Ease nor indulged himself to a lazy unprofitable Life but made himself useful and serviceable to the University in many respects One was in breeding up Young Men in Literature and â—â—od Manners being his Pupils Many of whom were of the best Rank and Quality He was Tutor to Edward Earl of Oxford a Nobleman who afterwards proved of excellent Abilities and Learning but too much addicted to Prodigality Sir William Cecil Master of the Wards and liveries took this Young Nobleman being a Ward under his peculiar Care And in the Family with him was also another Earl namely of Rutland being also a Ward And when in the Year 1563. Dr. Smith then a Knight was the Queen's Ambassador in France the said Cecil wrote him how the former Earl whom he stiled His Scholar had learned to understand French very well and that he was desirous to have an honest Qualified French-man to attend upon him and the other Earl for the Exercise and Speech of the Tongue He directed Smith that he should be one honest in Religion civil in Manners learned in some Science and not unpersonable And if he were worthy L. or LX. Crowns by Year he would be ruled by him the said Smith And withal he prayed him to provide some good Rider for these Noble Wards which Riders in those days commonly were Italians and he would give him xx l. by Year if Smith should so judge him worthy And Sir Thomas was glad to be thus employed to contribute to the generous Education of all Noble Youth for the good of the Common-wealth as well as of the Earl that once had been his Pupil Under him also was bred Iohn Ponet that Learned Man who wrote many excellent Books Mathematical and other became Chaplain to Archbishop Cranmer and was preferred by King Edward VI. to be Bishop of Rochester and after of Winchester Smith was also during his Residence in Cambridge a great Refiner of the English Writing Which to these times was too rough and unpolished and little care taken thereof as may be seen by such as converse in the Writings of Men even of Learning in those Days He was noted to be one of the Three there that were the great Masters of the English Tongue And so one of the floridest Members of that University wrote to his Correspondent Iohn Sturmius at Strasburgh upon occasion of a Book he had wrote in English of the Education of Children called Praeceptor i. e. The Schoolmaster Which Argument he said was not so dry and barren Quin Anglic è etiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 possit si in artificem aliquem qualis fuit Checus noster sunt adhuc apud nos Smithus Haddonus incidisset But it might have been written floridly in English had it happened upon some Artist such as Cheke was who now was gone or Smith or Haddon that still were with them at Cambridge Being a Language very capable of all the Ornaments both of Words and Sentences About or near this Time it was That Smith wrote a Tract concerning correct Writing of English and the true sounding of the Letters and Words That which he found fault with in our Language was that ill and improper writing of it As for instance in these Words Please Sonne Moone Hemme Cleane To Toe Meane In which Words he said those Sounds are not comprehended which we express And in some of them the Syllables are stuffed with needless Letters Which Letters by themselves have their certain Natures as he observed and that being joyned after that manner have not that Force which they ought to have And again in other Words he took notice we had no Letter which express that which we spake and therefore he thought it necessary to have more Letters So he framed Twenty nine Letters Whereof Nineteen were Roman Four Greek and Six English or Saxon. The Five Vowels he augmented into Ten distinguishing them into Long and Short making certain Accents over or on the side of them that were to be pronounced Long. It is worth seeing Smith's new Alphabet wherein might be observed that he allowed no Diphthongs nor double Consonants nor any E's at the end of Words being not sounded He had a good mind to throw out utterly and banish from the Alphabeth the Letter Q. as useless Ku expressing the full power of Qu for without the Vowel U the Letter Q is never written And the same uselesness he found to be in the Letter C. for it is ever expressed either by K or by S. But he retained it in his Alphabeth to serve instead of Ch. This Alphabeth may be found in the Appendix And as he promoted the refining of the use of the English Tongue so also of the Greek together with Cheke Professor also of that Language after him Who laboured to amend and rectifie the evil and false way of pronouncing divers Consonants Vowels and Diphthongs What this untoward way of reading Greek was we may in part guess at by one Word viz. Ku 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was commonly sounded Chiverno Wherein as Ascham shewed to Hubert a Learned Foreigner in a Dissertation with him upon this Argument there were no less than three erroneous Soundings in three Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In short 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were not distinguished from the sound of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But all has one and same sound of I as was shewn before This proved a great Academic Controversy For tho' for four Years Smith's new way of reading Greek was quietly and gladly received yet afterwards by the means of some turbulent Men it received great Opposition And certain there were that began to make a great Hubbuh against it and against Cheke who was now by the King his Master appointed his Reader of Greek For to fetch the Matter a little backward about the Year 1539. near the Time of Smith's departure to travel the King's Greek Lecture was committed to Cheke He in the beginning of his Lecture the better to prepare the Minds of his Auditors to re-receive true benefit by his Readings declaimed for six Days