Whoever was chose1, it was certainly a rash thing in the college and the falsest step they ever made, since the provocation given the king in the opposition made to Dr Day, to reject such a man as Dr Whitaker; especially when he 5 came armed with the queen's authority, then more unquestionable, she having promoted the last master to the see of Peterborough.

It must be confessed he had somewhat of the old leaven. His marriage into the families of the Culvervells 10 and Fenners, his acquaintance with Mr Cartwright, Fulk, Chaderton and Dod, might give him an insensible bias that way. And yet the meetings he held with Fulk, Chaderton and Dod were not to introduce a new discipline, but to expound the scripture: and his letter2 (in concert 15 with others) to Mr Cartwright, persuading him to undertake an answer to the Rhemish testament, might admit of a fair answer, had it been done in better company; allowing it to have been wrote with design to turn the edge of that fierce and angry spirit against our adversaries of the 20 church of Rome, which had been exercised too keenly against Dr Whitgift: though it be very true that bishop Whitgift afterwards forbid Cartwright to meddle in that

matter.

If some expressions of his in his controversies with 25 Rome have been made use of in favour of another sort of men, it is no more than has happened to some of the fathers of the church, who in the heat of argument have dropt expressions that have been turned upon them by their adversaries of another kind. It is certain Dr Whitaker 30 altered his opinion of Mr Cartwright, where he gives this character of his second reply, being his most perfect work3: Ne vivam, si quid unquam viderim dissolutius ac pene puerilius.

But it is harder to cover him from connivance than 35 from countenance given to these men; for that a new race should grow up in his time, whereof Mr Henry Alvey

1 Of Whitaker's election to be master, see Strype's Annals, Vol. III. 1. 2, cap. 7 [p. 266], where Watson and Stanton are said to have been his competitors.

2

Cartwright's answer to the Rhem. Test. pref.

3 Bancroft's Survay, p. 379. [ed. 1593].

(afterwards master of Trinity college in Dublin) was the head, though it might not altogether be prevented, yet that a general meeting or synod of the brethren should be held in St John's college an. 1589, Cartwright and others present, wherein' the book of discipline was cor- 5 rected and perfected, and wherein it was agreed, that so many as would, should subscribe the said book, could hardly have happened without the master's knowledge. And though information or complaint being made hereof at that time, it was denied in a letter subscribed by the major 10 part of the fellows that any presbytery was erected in the college, yet such an assembly might, and I suppose was, held at that time, nor is it disowned in that letter.

....

About the same time it was that bishop Bancroft describes a college in Cambridge, where (as credibly reported) 15 when it happened that in their disputations the authority either of Saint Augustine, or of Saint Ambrose, or of Saint Ierome, or of any other of the antient Fathers: nay the whole consent of them alltogether was alledged, it was reiected with very great disdaine.... Whereas at other 20 time, when... a man of an other humor doth aunswere. beinge pressed with the authority either of Caluin or Beza, shall chance to deny it: you shall see some beginne to smile, in commiseration of such the poor man's simplicity: some grow to be angry in regard of such presumption: and some 25 will depart away, accounting such a kinde of fellowe not worthy the hearing. I am far from thinking the master could be guilty of such indiscretions, his works answer such objections, but I am afraid it will be thought that nothing of this kind could happen in a society where he 30 did preside without some blot upon his conduct*.

This, were it no otherwise to be excused, might be forgiven to the lenity of his temper, and he might be more

1 Survay, cap. 4, p. 67. Davngerovs Positions, 1. 3, c. 7 [ed. 1593, p. 92.]

2 Dat. 20 Oct. 1590.

3 Bancroft, ibid. [Survay, c. 4,

p. 64.]

Bishop Neile, in a letter to the

society dated Ma. 6, 1612, styles it Alvey's government in Dr Whitaker's time, and says the college had not then recovered of that prejudice that Alvey's government had brought upon it. Ex archivis.

willing to be easy with these men whilst his hands were full with his other adversaries of the church of Rome, who were so impetuous against him as not to treat him. with common decency or tolerable humanity, especially 5 Stapleton, who was more outrageous than the rest.

was by this lenity that he won upon a divided society, the majority whereof had been against his coming in, who were not otherwise to be gained but by temper and forbearance. By this way they were so effectually gained, 10 that notwithstanding the opposition that had been made by the same men that would have given him the exclusion, they were all at last united in their affection to their master, and he had no enemies to overcome.

Among these was Mr Bois, who received particular 15 marks of his condescension, when notwithstanding the greater affairs of the house and his unintermitted studies in writing books and preparing himself for the business. of the chair, he found time to be at his lectures in his chamber on Friday nights to hear his pupils declaim: 20 and others, no doubt, met with the like encouragement, where they were equally deserving. The rewards of learning were impartially distributed under him', all indirect courses, especially of bribery (it seems it had been formerly practised), were utterly discouraged, there was only one 25 way of coming at preferment, and that the true one, which was open to all and every one might pursue. This made the college flourish in learning and swarm in numbers. The author of Mr Bois' Life says there were thirty-eight fellow-commoners here at the same time, if not of the same 30 year, which, to take it at the more moderate computation, is more than had ever been since the foundation, or have ever been since, and I think I may say, more than probably can ever be again.

One would wonder how room could be found for so 35 many with other scholars proportionably numerous. But besides pretty large buildings behind the kitchen, the work and gift of Dr Metcalf when the college was then crowded, which with the master's gallery on the north side did

1 Vit. Whitaker. inter Opera, Genevæ. [i. 701.]

then go by the name of the other court, the buildings of the old house formerly made use of for a stable and other offices were now fitted up and rented out in tenements. This is evident from the old books', where amongst the other tenements in the town of Cambridge 5 the rents of the new tenement or hospitium novum intra præcinctum collegii, ubi olim erat hospitale D. Johannis, etc. are placed to account, as likewise the other tenement or hospitium novum prope collegium ex adverso collegii, where the pensionary and college stables now stand.

ΙΟ

This may be said further for Dr Whitaker, that in his time the books were more regularly digested and brought into better method than they were before; which though it might be the business of a bursar, yet the alteration having happened in his first year, may reasonably be 15 thought to have been done by his direction.

These were things of business; of his learning I need say nothing, whereof he has left so many specimens to the world, nor is his principal commendation to be sought from thence; I should hardly praise him for his learning, 20 had it been confined to his own person; it was diffusive and spread itself over the whole society, where by his example, instruction and encouragement he raised such an emulation amongst his fellows as to make others learned. as well as himself; to that degree, that the society in 25 his time was looked upon as somewhat more than a private college. He himself, who was no boaster, used to style it an university, for which expression he is quoted by bishop Morton', who was chose fellow under him purely for his learning and worth against eight competi- 30 tors most of them well recommended and better befriended than he was.

Dr Fuller has picked up a pretty story (as he has done many) concerning this master's preferring men of reputed religion, though otherwise dunces, to men of learn- 35 ing in the elections he made; but this story has been told of so many masters, that I much doubt whether it be true of any of them. The doctor was certainly un

1 Liber thesaurar. an. 1587, 1588.

2 Bp. Morton's Life, p. 64.

happy in his choice, for he could hardly have thought of a master, had he sought for him, with whom his story would have agreed and suited less. But stories are such pretty things and such embellishments of the doctor's 5 history, that it is hard for him to pass them by, and the doctor has always faith enough to believe the strangest stories, which are the best till they are contradicted. The author of Dr Whitaker's Life gives a very different account of his conduct in elections and more agreeable to 10 his usual prudence, for he was no easy man nor to be imposed upon by sanctimonious dunces.

To that author' I shall refer for his general character, as well as for other particulars of his life. But because that author, who has done right to Dr Whitaker, has 15 said nothing of himself, and by suppressing his own name deserves so much better to be remembered, I shall just reflect so much light upon him as to say it was Mr John Allenson, a Durham man of a good family in that county and fellow of the same college3, the same man that pub20 lished some of Dr Whitaker's posthumous works from his lectures taken in short hand as they were read in the schools, and shews the usage of those times, when these lectures, now so much neglected, were not only constantly read, but diligently heard by most, and copied out 25 by some.

I have heard Mr A. Ashton the doctor's countryman named for the author of this Life, but I suppose he wrote no more than some verses upon the occasion of Dr Whitaker's decease, printed with the rest by way of appendix 30 to the Life of that learned man.

He died December 4th 1595 of a fever contracted by his journey to London upon occasion of the Lambeth Articles, and is buried in the chapel under no very costly monument of white marble with his epitaph at large. 35 The college gave him a public funeral the manner of

1 Vit. Whitaker. inter Opera, Genevæ. [i. 701.]

2 MS. Tenison. But in the first edition of this Life printed at Cambridge, it is said to be wrote by Ab.

Ashton, so there must be a mistake in the MS.

3 Jo. Allenson Dunelm. admissus socius 1583. Regr. coll. Jo.

The college hall, the lower part