by somebody that did not understand it: he has likewise published The Right Way from danger of Sin and Vengeance unto godly Wealth, and Mr Strype' has published for him a letter of his to Mr Fox, shewing his style in Latin not to have been bad. Amongst his works a com- 5 ment on the Lord's Prayer is mentioned by Bale2 with a fair character of the author, as he well deserves, having been one of the best masters as well as one of the best men the college ever bred. 1 Memor. [Cranm. Bk. 3. c. 15.] p. 360. 2 Cent. 9. num. 86. THOMAS WATSON EIGHTH MASTER, ADMITTED SEPTEMBER 28, 1553. UPON king Edward's death and queen Mary's accession to the throne, the nation having been too warm for a man of Mr Leaver's zeal, who quitted the college in September 1553, Thomas Watson B.D. (though absent) was elected 5 master, and admitted (in the person of Christopher Brown his proxy) by John Young vice-chancellor, then fellow of Trinity college, at his chamber there, Roger Ascham M.A. being present as president of St John's, with several other fellows of that society. The instrument1 of his 10 admission is dated September 28, 1553, wherein he is said to be of the diocese of Durham, which cannot be meant of his being dean there, for he was not dean of Durham till November 18 the same year. His diocese is likewise fixed by his admission as fellow, 15 for he was capellanus for Mr Ashton at the same time with Christopherson, Leaver and Langdail; the two former of these were of Lancashire, as Mr Langdale was of York, so that Mr Watson by his propriety, which was then nicely observed, must have been of Durham. 20 I have often enquired after him, there is a very old man of the name and family of Watson yet living in that county; of Watson bishop of Chichester (his near kinsman) he gives a good account, that he was born at Nun Stainton in that county with other particulars; of our 25 Thomas Watson he knows little more, than that he supposes him to have brought the bishop's father thither, 1 Inter archiva. 2 Regr. Tunstal. fol. 45. when he was dean of Durham, and that both he and the bishop were related to the Rockingham family, which is confirmed by the arms they bore. He was elected fellow in 1533, having commenced A.B. the same year' with two other persons of equal 5 note, John Ponett and John Kees (for so he is wrote upon the register), the worthy founder of Caius college. He continued in the house most part of Henry the Eighth's reign, held such offices as were then most valued, was dean and college preacher several years, and commenced 10 B.D. an. 1543, Where he lived or how in king Edward's time is not so very certain. He left his fellowship about the second year of that reign, and though he is said to have subscribed, yet he always kept up an interest with bishop 15 Gardiner, that afterwards turned to good account. It is plain from another instance that he was much in the confidence of that party, which was likewise of some use to him; for an original of bishop Fisher's statutes being left with him in trust, as he brought them along with him, so 20 it is probable they helped to bring him to the college. Under him these statutes revived, fellows were chose and bonds were given in the usual manner to him as master in pursuance of these statutes. There were likewise fellows for bishop Fisher, though it must be con- 25 fessed they were never more than three in this reign', probably because the college had received no compensation for the loss of his furniture seized by the crown and never made good by the queen, though she had been applied to and addressed to that purpose; wherein she was wanting 30 to the memory of a faithful servant, who in some sense died her martyr. His lectures etc. were likewise placed to his account, and three fellows the first year were allowed for trentals, 1 Regr. acad. 2 Bucer, Scripta Angl. p.933. Fox, Vol. III. p. 772. [ed. 1631]. An. 1551 he was in the family and chaplain to Gardiner bishop of Winchester. V. Fox, Mart. Edit. 1. p. 809. Ibid. p. 837, Watson had then been chaplain to the bishop five years, 4 Regr. coll. Liber thesaur. 5 though after the cardinal's visitation they were advanced to four', and probably his fellowships would have been completed, had things continued longer in that state, which for greater reasons we cannot wish. Dr Watson's prefecture here was very short, for he went off within the year, having been promoted to the deanery of Durham, a very good preferment, had it not been his misfortune to succeed upon a bad title to Mr Horn at Durham, as he did Mr Leaver here, both of them his Io old friends and both of them fellows of the same house. He was a man of polite learning, well skilled in poetry and oratory and so nice in his compositions, that having composed a tragedy entitled Absalom approved by the severest critics in the university, yet he would never suffer 15 it to be published, only because in locis paribus an anapæstus was twice or thrice used instead of an iambus. He was not only learned himself, but an encourager of that sort of learning: Mr Ascham, who was about the same standing in the college, usually ranks him with Cheek, 20 Smith and Redmain, the three great restorers of that sort of learning in the university, and styles him one of the best scholars that college ever bred. 3 How he happens to be noted for his skill in school divinity by bishop Burnet and others, I do not know; he 25 did not learn it in the college, nor was it very agreeable with his other studies either of poetry or eloquence, and it appears as little from what he has published, being only sermons. It is true, he was employed in some conferences and disputations, but so others were that were not much 30 read in school divinity. He commenced D.D. in 15545, being then likewise absent, was consecrated bishop of Lincoln 1557, the same 1 Liber thesaur. 2 Ascham's Schoolmaster passim. 3 He seems to be mistaken for Dr John Watson, who was a noted school divine and is styled Scotist by Erasmus, Epist. pp. 161, 166, 1882, Edit. Lugd. [1703.] 4 Two of his sermons were answered by Robert Crowley, who says of him that the estimation he had in the pope's church was such, that whatever was known to be of his doing, was of that sort thought to be so learnedly done, that none could be found amongst us able to answer. V. Crowley's letter to Thomas Watson, D.D. [fol. A. 3.] 5 Regr. acad. year that he was employed with others in visiting the university by cardinal Pole, and was deprived an. 1559 for refusing the oath of supremacy, a thing the more strange, because in several instruments that passed the seals whilst he was master of the college the queen is 5 styled supreme head. He is said to have threatened queen Elizabeth with an excommunication; if he did, he altered his temper or opinion, for in 1570 being interrogated with Fecknam, Cole and Harpsfield, concerning the pope's bull of excom- 10 munication then sent over against the queen', his answers (given under his hand) were very temperate and with due regard to his allegiance to the queen. However it were, he was usually under confinement in the Fleet or Marshalsea, and at last prisoner at Wisbech castle, where he 15 died and was buried in Wisbech church an. 1584, aged sixty-six or sixty-seven, for at bishop Gardiner his patron's trial he was 33 or 34. 2 The same year that he was confined at Wisbech, Dr Fulke was deputed by the bishop of Ely by order from 20 court to confer with him and Fecknam and the rest of the prisoners, but either out of distrust of themselves or of their cause, or out of some disdain of his youth, as Dr Fulk says (though he were then above 42 years of age), or from the little fruit they had seen of conferences in the begin- 25 ning of the queen's reign, they refused disputation, though it was then offered. However the conference was printed the next year in a stolen edition, for which the Dr was obliged to make some apology. 1 Goldast. Monarch. Tom. III. p. 66. See Important Considerations printed by the secular priests, p. 14, where Watson is said greatly to dislike the violent proceedings of the Jesuits. 2 An. 1580. 3 He with Dr Fecknam, Dr Young, etc.upon the alarm given by the coming over of Parsons and Campion Jesuits, were committed to Wisbech, where they lived in a collegiate and friendly manner, no one assuming authority over the rest, till after the Jesuits came among them. See a true relation of the faction began at Wisbech, pr. an. 1601. |