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B08425
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Memorials of worthy persons (lights and ornaments of the Church of England.), the fourth decad. / by Cl. Barksdale.; Memorials of worthy persons. Decade 4
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Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing B802; ESTC R9168
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59,853
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156
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forein Kingdoms Churches and Universities His stay in those parts was the shorter because the Embassadors Commission determined at the death of the Queen But however he improved his time so well partly in furnishing his own Librarie with books at Frankfurt and elsewhere but chiefly in his conversation with learned men and in his forein Observations that he alwaies very highly valued that opportunity 11. At his return he was sollicited â—y Roger Earl of Rutland to be his domestical Chaplain Which proffer he was the more willing to accept for the privacy he hoped to enjoy in a place where he was not know for making use of that Treasure of Books he had got in his travels And the rather because thereby he was brought so much nearer London than before whither he must have many occasions to go for the putting forth of such Books as he had in design to write For it was not long after that he printed his first part of his Apologia Catholica About which time the Archbishop of York Toby Matthews that most exquisite preacher conferred upon him a Prebend in that Metropolitical Church 12. An. 1606. He took the Degree of Doctor in Divinitie with the great Approbation of both the professors in Divinity Dr John Overal that profound Scholar and Dr Tho Playfer that acute Disputant and accurate Preacher who were both of them very competent Judges of mens abilities And there began that intimate acquaintance he had with the said Dr Overal afterwards Dean of S. Paul's Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry and lastly of Norwich which continued between them till it was dissolved by death And about the same time he was sworn Chaplain in Ordinary to K. James and by him made Dean of Gloucester and assumed by the Lord President of Wales for one of his Majesties Council for the Marches In his first journy to Gloucester he went by Oxford at the Act time where he was incorporated and admitted to the same Degree he had in Cambridg where also he was much taken with the exercises of Mr Dan. Featly then a proceeder and carried great friendship to him ever after At which time among other eminent Persons he fell into acquaintance with that famous Dr John King then Dean of Ch. Ch. afterwards Bishop of London which afterwards grew so intimate that the Bishop made choice of him to perform the last offices to him both at his death and burial 13. An. 1609. he succeeded Dr George Abbot in the Deanry of Winchester There Bishop Bilson conferred on him the Rectorie of Alesford and there among other learned men whose friendship he much valued he had intimate acquaintance with Dr Arthur Lake then Master of St Cross In the next year a Parliament being held he preached the Sermon to the Convocation upon Matth 5. 13. Vos estis sal terrae with general applause and should have been Prolocutor but in modesty declined it and preferred a friend of his In his abode at London he took his lodging at Dean Overal's who gave him the opportunity of a very early acquaintance with the learned Isaac Casaubon then newly come out of France andentertained by the Dean The love thus begun was never intermitted in their lives nor obliterated by death as appears by Casaubon's Monument at Westminster Abby set up at the charge of Morton About the same time he had the opportunity of entring into a very good acquaintance with several other eminent forein Scholars and Divines as namely Scultetus Diodati Du Moulin whose worth is very well known by their learned works in print 14. While he continued in Winchester a certain great person passionately told the â—ing That Dr Morton had spoiled one of the best Deanries in England It concerned the Dean to vindicate his good name from that foul and unjust aspersion And therefore acquainting his Brethren of the Chapter with it they were very forward to give and he not backward to receive a Testimonia from them under their hands and seals That hâ— had been one of the best Deans that ever had been aâ— Winchester in their times and some of them were very antient 15. An. 1616. July 7. he was consecrated Bishop of Chaester While necessaries were preparing for his journy thither and for the accommodation of his Palace there he retired himself to Clay-Hall in Essex upon the earnest invitatior of his Noble friend Sr Christopher Hatton anâ— there fell sick of a dangerous Fever but being happily recovered presently put himself upoâ— his journy towards his great work and was meâ— on the borders of his Diocess and brought into the City of Chester by such a great number of Knights and other the best Gent of the Country beside the Clergy as may give a lasting testimony to their honour as well as his in shewing such a religious respect to their Bishop 16. When he was setled there he found all the inconveniences which he fore saw and which made him at first loth to undertake that weighty Office and some also which he could not foresee at so great a distance For beside the great number of Romish Recusants which hath alwaies been observed in this Diocess he found another sort of Recusants better known by the name of Nonconformists who though they were not so many in number as the other yet had they so much perversenesse and obstinacy in them as made them equal or rather superiour in relation to the trouble he had with them For the reducing of them to their obedience to the Church he used no lesse fatherly mildnesse then strength of Argument and after he had endeavoured their satisfaction in a publick Conference with them about the use of the Surplice c. he printed a Relation thereof with some enlargements intituled The defence of the three innocent Ceremonies But in reducing the other party the Popish Recusants God blessed him with far better successe to the great content of his Majestie 17. An. 1617. at the Kings return out of Scotland through Lancashire his Majestie was petitioned about some innocent Recreation for servants and other inferiour persons on the Lords day and Holy daies whose laborious Callings deprived them of it all other times The King consulted with the Bishop how he might satisfie their desires without endangering this libertie to be turned into lasciviousnesse Whereupon the Bishop presented to the King in writing the next day Bishop Andrewes attended the King the same time several limitations or restrictions which the King so well approved that he said He would only alter them from ohe words of a Bishop to the words of a King viz. That all known Recusants and all that are not present at Church at the Service of God shall be barred from the benefit of this liberty That these Recreations shall not be used before the end of all divine services for that day That every person should resort to his own parish Church c. The Declaration was published May 24. in the 16. of his Raign
the chargeablenesse of that course were the hinderance he did there humbly beseech him rather to sell some part of that land which himself should in course of nature inherit then to abridge me of that happy means to perfect my Education 3. And now I lived in the exspectation of â—â—â—bridge whither ere long I happily came under Mr Gilbies tuition together with my worthy frind Mr Hugh Cholmly who as we had been partners of one Lesson from our cradles so so were we now for many years partners of one bed My two first years were necessarily chargeable above the proportion of my Fathers power whose not very large Cistern was to feed many pipes besides mine His wearinesse of expence was wrought upon by the counsel of so me unwise friends who perswaded him to fasten me upon that School as Master whereof I was lately a Scholar Now was I fetchâ— home with an heavy heart and noâ— the second time had mine hopes been nipt in the blossom had not God raised me up an unhoped Benefactor Mr Edmund Sleigh of Darby whose pious memorie I have cause ever to love and reverence out of no other relation to me save that he married my Aunt pitying my too apparent dejectednesse He voluntarily urged and solicited my Father for my return to the University and offered freely to contribute the one half of my maintenance there till I should attain to the degree of Master of Arts which he no lesse lovingly perform'd The Condition was gladly accepted thither was I sent back with joy enough and ere long chosen Scholar of that strict and well ordered Colledge 4. By that time I had spent six years there now the third year of my Batcherlorship should at once make an end of my maintenance and in respect of standing give me a capacity of farther preferment in that house were it not that my Country excluded me for our Statute allowed but one of a shire to be Fellow there and my Tutor being of the same Town with me must therefore necessarily hold me out But the Earl of Huntingdon calling off my Tutor from his Fellowship then was I with a cheerful unanimity chosen into that Societie which if it had any equals I dare say had none beyond it for good order studious carriage strict government austere piety in which I spent six or seven years more with such contentment as the rest of my life hath in vain striven to yeild Now was I called to publick Disputations often with no ill successe for neither durst I appear in any of these exercises of Scholarship till I had from my knees lookt up to Heaven for a blessing and renewed my actual dependance upon that Divine hand In this while two years together was I chosen to the Rhetorick Lecture in the publick School where I was encouraged with a sufficient frequence of auditors but finding that well applauded work somewhat out of my way not without a secret blame of my self for so much excursion I fairly gave up that task in the midst of those poor acclamations to a worthy successor and betook my self to those serious studies which might fit me for that High Calling whereunto I was destined Wherein after I had bestowed my self for a time I took the boldnesse to enter into Sacred Orders the honour whereof having once attained I was no niggard of that Talent which my God had entrusted to me preaching often as occasion was offered both in Country villages abroad and at home in the most awful auditory of the Universitie 5. And now I did but wait where and how it would please my God to imploy me There was at that time a most famous School erected at Tiverton in Devon and endowed with a very large pension whose goodly fabrick was answerable to the reported maintenance To the government of this School was I commended by the Master of our House Dr Chaderton when being in London I received a Letter from the Lady Drury of Suffolk tendring the Rectory of her Halsted then newly void and very earnestly desiring me to accept of it Sir quoth to the Doctor methinks God pulls me by the sleeve and tells me it is his will I should rather go to the East than to the West Nay answered he I should rather think that God would have you go Westward for that he hath contrived your engagement before the tender of this Letter which therefore coming too late may receive a fair and easie answer To this I besought him to pardon my dissent adding That I well knew that Divinitie was the end whereto I was destin'd by my Parents which I had so constantly proposed to my self that I never meant other but to passe through this Western School to it but I saw that God who found me ready to go the farther way about now called me the nearest and directest way to that sacred end The good man could no further oppose but only pleaded the distaâ—t which would hereupon be justly taken by the Lord Chief Justice Popham upon whom the care of the School was principally cast by the Founder Mr Blundel whom I undertook fully to satisfie which I did with no great difficulty commending to his Lordship in my room my old friend and Chamber-fellow Mr Cholmly who finding an answerable acceptance disposed himself to the place So as we two who came to the University must now leave it at once 6. Having then fixed my foot in Halsted I found there a dangerous opposite to the successe of my Ministerie a witty and bold Atheist one Mr Lilly who by reason of his travels and abilities of discourse and behaviour had so deeply insinuated himself into my Patron Sr Robert Drury that there was small hopes during his entirenesse for me to work any good upon that Noble Patron of mine who by the suggestion of this wicked detractor was set off from me before he knew me Hereupon I confesse finding the obduratenesse and hopelesse condition of that man I bent my prayers against him beseeching God dayly that he would be pleased to remove by some means oâ— othet that apparent hindrance of my faithful labours who gave me an answer accordingly For this malicious man going hastily to London to exasperate my Patron against me was then and there swept away by the Pestilence and never returned to do any further mischief Now the coast was clear before me and I gained every day of the good opinion and favourable respects of that Honourable Gentleman and my worthy neighbours 7. Being now therefore setled in that sweet and civil Country of Suffolk near St Edmunds-Bury my first work was to build up my house which was extremely ruinous which done the uncouth solitarinesse of my life and the extreme incommodity of that single house-keeping drew my thoughts after two years to condiscend to the necessity of a married estate which God no lesse strangely provided for me For walking from the Church on Monday in the Whitson week with a grave and