Volume 2

Athenæ Oxonienses. : An exact history of all the writers and bishops who have had their education in the most antient and famous University of Oxford, from the fifteenth year of King Henry the Seventh, A.D. 1500, to the author's death in November 1695. Representing the birth, fortune, preferment, and death of all those authors and prelates, the great accidents of their lives, and the fate and character of their writings. To which are added, the fasti, or annals, of the said University / By Anthony Wood.

  • Wood, Anthony à, 1632-1695.
Date:
1721
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Athenæ Oxonienses. : An exact history of all the writers and bishops who have had their education in the most antient and famous University of Oxford, from the fifteenth year of King Henry the Seventh, A.D. 1500, to the author's death in November 1695. Representing the birth, fortune, preferment, and death of all those authors and prelates, the great accidents of their lives, and the fate and character of their writings. To which are added, the fasti, or annals, of the said University / By Anthony Wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    3 u his only fecret whereupon he left him, for that he <c knew that he had neither before him the proper mat¬ te ter, nor the manner of working, according to'the do&rine of Philofophers5 &c. But who this Bifhop was, unlefs our Author Thornborough, or a Bifhop in Germany, whom he met in his Travels, I know not, nor doth ft. fignific much. This Bifhop Thornborough was certainly a Lover of Natural and Expeiirnental Philofophy, a great encourager of Tho. Bujhell in his fearches after Mines and Minerals. See in the faid Bu- fhel's Remonftrance of his Majefties Mines Royal in Wales. His writings are thefe j The joyful and blefled reuniting the two mighty and famous Kingdoms of England and Scotland into their ancient name of Great Britain. Oxon. i6oy. qu. pub- lifhed under the name of John Brifiol. But feveral things therein being conceived to be derogatory to the honour of both Houfes of Parliament,the Author was complained of only in the upper Houfe, which was foon after paffed over. In 1604 was printed at Lon¬ don ^ A Treatife of Union of the two Realms of England and Scotland : Said in the title page to be written by 7 H. A&cSrwgfxoc: five Nihil, Aliquid, Omnia, ingratiam eorum, qui artem auriferam phyfico-chymice (7 pic profi- tentur. Oxon. 162.1. qu. The laft Will and Teftament of Jefus Chrift touch¬ ing the blefled Sacrament of the body and blood, (7c. Oxon. 1630. qu. A difeourfe lhewing the great happinefs that hath, and may ftill accrue to his Maj. Kingdoms of Engl. and Scotland by reuniting them into one Great Britain, in two parts. Lond. itfqi. in tw. publifhed under the name of Job. Brifiol, but ’tis not the fame with the for- ( mer. ’Twas afterwards printed at Edenburgh in the Latin Tongue. Pax vobis, concerning the Unity and Peace of the Church-This I think is not printed, nor other things that he had lying by him at the time of his Death. He departed this mortal life in the Caftle cal¬ led Hartlebury in Worcefierfhire (after he had been i<54T- twice married) on the ninth day of July, in fixteen hundred forty and one, aged 94 Years, and was buried on the north fide of the Chappel behind the eaft end of the Choir belonging to the Cath. Ch. of Wor- cejler, near to a fair Alabaftcr Monument which he had fourteen Years before eredted for himfelf, with his Statua in his Epifcopal Robes curioufly carved in ftone, lying thereon. On the Canopy over his head, I find this written on the fide of it, Denarius Philofophorum, dum fpirofpero. And on the North fide is this. In uno, 20, 3, 4, 10. non fpirans fpero. Over his Head is this, Oui dormis attolle caput, quia in infirmitate ’vir¬ tue, in morte vita, in tenebris lux. And over his Feet, mors nubecula tranjiens laborum finis, vita janua, feala cceli, mihi lucrum. Befides thefe Sentences, is a large Infcription painted on a Table hanging above his Feet, which for brevity’s fake I now omit. See more in Hifi. (7 Antiq. Univ. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 200 b. He had iflue by his firft Wife, Sir Benj. Thornborough Kt. and Edw. Thornborough Archdeacon of Worcefier, who died in 1647* and by his fecond named Elizab. Bayles of Suf¬ folk, Sir Tho. Thornborough of Elmeley Lovet in Wor- cefierjhire Kt. 8cc. He had alfo a Brother named Giles, who was Subdean and one of the Canons of Sarum in the latter end of Qu. Elizabeth, as alfo Rector of Or- chcfion S. George in Wilts, who died in 1637, leaving a Rclidt behind him named Jane. He had alfo a Ne¬ phew of the fame Name, Preb. of Worcefier in 1629, who dying in 1663, one Will. Owen M. A. was inftal- led in his place 13 Feb. the fame Year. A little before this Bifhop’s Death, he told his Majefty K. Ch. I. that he had outlived feveral that had expelled to fucceed him in the See of Worcefier, and now, faid he, I am afraid I fijalloutlive my Bifijoprick, which almoft had come to pafs. There was one Mr. Giles Thornboroug, who wasRedtor of St. Nichoas and of the Holy Trinity in Guildford and Chaplain to the King, A. D. 1673. D \ V 1D B AKER Son of Will. Baker Gent, by His Wife the Sifter of Dr. David Lewes, Judge of the Admiralty (from whom he took his Chriftian Name) was born at Abergavenny in Monmouthfhire on the ninth day of Decemb. iyyy, bred in School learning in Ch. Ch. Hofpital in London, became a Commoner of Broad- gate's Hall in the beginning of the Year 1 j-90, at which time he was obferved to be naturally of a good difpo- fition, much inclined to virtue and piety, being both of a good judgment and modefi, tho’ not altogether of an unpaflionate Nature. But falling into ill Com¬ pany, while he was in Oxon, he got many vicious ha¬ bits, and committed many youthful diforders,and with¬ al fell to an utter negledl of all duties ofPiety and Re¬ ligion, yet there remained in him a natural Modefty, whereby he was reftrain’d from fcandalous impudence in Sin. His Father, who was Steward to the Lord Abergavenny,had a plentiful Fortune, and his eldefi Son Rich. Baker was a Counfellor at Law but for this Son David, (whom we are firther to mention) he intended at firft to procure a Parfonage for him, which was the reafon why he fent him to Oxon, but after, there oc¬ curring difficulties at the time that he fhould have en- tred upon it, his Father altered his refolutio'n, and therefore fent for him home, where a while he ftudied the Law, being affifted therein by his elder Brother Richard. Afterwards he was fent to the Middle Tem¬ ple, without a degree conferr’d on him in Oxon, where he applied himlelf with fo great attention and dili¬ gence to that ftudy, that feveral Perfons, and thofe mod eminent, not only in that Profeffion, but in the State alfo, judged him in a probable way, by his more than ordinary capacity and skill, to come to thehighefi: Preferments that fuch a profeffion could promife. At this time entred into him firft a Doubt of the Being of God and of his Providence > which afterwards thro’ wordly occafions and bad Converfation, grew to be fuch a Perfuafion in him, as unhappy Souls can have, or frame to themfelves, of there being no God or Pro¬ vidence. In this way he run on,feeming to have lived foasif God had forgot him,or not thought him worth his care. And being brought to fo great a precipice, the Divine Hand appeared from Heaven, to refeue him both from the danger, in which his Soul was engaged, and the caufe thereof, which was Sin, and vicious ha¬ bits contradlcd. The which deliverance was indeed very wonderful, deferving to be particularly declared, for the Glory of the Divine Grace and Mercy to a Soul, that thought not on God. Thus it was: After the Death of his Brother Richard, his Father began to take delight in his Company 5 for the enjoying whereof he took him from the Temple into the Coun¬ try to himfelf 3 where for his employment he made him Recorder of Abergavenny, and fent him often abroad to keep Courts for him, determine Suits, (7c. in feve¬ ral places. Now it hapned that in his return from fuch a journey homeward, his Servant that attended him, not having much regard to his Mafter,fo far outwent him that he left him out of fight 3 fo that our Author Baker, that had his Head full of Bufinefs or other thoughts, and not marking the way, inftcad of going forward, to a Ford, by which he might pafs the River, he fuf- fer’d his Horfe to condudt him by a narrow beaten Path, which at laft brought him to the middle of a Wooden Foot-bridge, large enough at firft entrance, but growing ftill more and more narrow, and o fan ex¬ traordinary height above the Water, he perceiv’d not his danger,till the Horfe by flopping fuddenly and trem¬ bling, with neighing and loud fnorting, gave his Ri¬ der notice of the danger, which he foon perceiv’d to be no lefs than prefent Death. To go forward or backward was impoffible, and to ldap into the River, which being narrow there, was extream deep and vio¬ lent, (befides the greatnefs of the Precipice) feemed to him, who could not fwim, all one as to leap into his Grave. In this extream danger, out of which nei¬ ther humane prudence, nor indeed any natural caufes could refeue him, ncceffity forced him to raife his thoughts to fome Power and Help above Nature: Whereupon he framed in his mind fuch an internal re- folution as this, If ever I efcape this danger I will be¬ lieve there is a God-, who hath more care of my Life and Safety, than I have heed of his Love and Worfhip. Thus he thought, and immediately thereupon he found that his Horfe’s Head was turn’d, and both Horfe and