which is described in his Life, as the expense of it, to the honour of the society, does yet stand upon their books', where so much is put down for Dr Whitaker's funeral feast according to the mode of these times, so much for his tomb and so much for other charges. Mr Bois2 made 5 the funeral oration in the name of the college, as the vice-chancellor and public orator or his deputy did at St Mary's. It seems his library was very choice and valuable, for by a letter from archbishop Whitgift it appears the queen had a design upon it for herself, as the ro archbishop had upon his written books and papers, and the rather, I suppose, because the Lambeth Articles were among them, that for good reasons were not then thought fit to be divulged. He died young, aged 47 years, was chosen regius pro- 15 fessor when he was about one and thirty, and master of St John's before he was forty. He left a wife and eight children, so that he must have married pretty early, for he was twice married, and two years intervened betwixt his marriages. He and Dr Chaderton master of Emmanuel 20 married two sisters. He was reproached with his marriage by Stapleton; whatever such men thought of it, I am sure it could be no objection to the society, for he kept his wife in town, according to a laudable injunction of queen Elizabeth generally observed till towards the times of usurpation, 25 when all things run into confusion and wives with their dependances were brought in to the disturbance of scholars. It has generally been thought that the controversy with Dr Baro occasioned the Lambeth Articles, and consequently his death which ensued upon that journey. That is a mis- 30 take; it was Barrett's case that occasioned these articles", and Dr Baro's controversy came not on till after these articles were sent down, occasioned by his opposing them of the chapel where he was buried, 1 Liber thesaur. an. 1595. 2 MS. Life of Mr Jo. Bois. 4 Hare, Collect. ad an. 3 Eliz. printed in Weaver. [ed. 1631. p. 184.] 5 MS. Whitgift, coll. Trin. Cant. and preaching against them in his sermon' ad clerum. For though he had been a secret abettor of Mr Barrett, yet it was that sermon (preached after Dr Whitaker's death) that cost him so much trouble and at last obliged him to 5 quit his post in the university. I shall only take notice of one other thing under this master, because it is of use towards explaining the constitution of the college in a case that seldom happens. Though there was no visitation under this master, for which there 10 could be no occasion, yet there was an instance wherein the visitor was to be consulted, and the see of Ely being then vacant, recourse was had to the archbishop of Canterbury (then bishop Whitgift), who is there said to be visitor sede vacante. But a fellowship being void about 15 the same time in the nomination of the bishop of Ely, the archbishop did not interpose, but the queen presented to it one Mr William Crashaw, a Yorkshire man and as such not eligible upon the foundation, who was admitted fellow Jan. 19, 1593, and lived to do honour to the society by his 20 name and writings; not by leaving them books as has been imagined. One Richard Cox of the county of Cambridge, nearly related to the bishop of Ely of that name, had been presented upon the same right and title an. 1585. So it seems the right of visiting sede vacante is in the archbishop, 25 but the right of nominating fellows is in the crown, which I rather mention, because it is otherwise at Peterhouse (as likewise at Jesus), where the archbishop during the vacancy of the see of Ely admits the master as well as the fellows, and (as my author has it, which I will not answer 30 for) disposes of a vacant fellowship to whom he pleases. This master was only B.D. when he came to St John's; he commenced D.D. an. 1587, when one of his questions1 was, Papa est insignis ille antichristus. And to do him some right against the disciplinarians, one of his questions when he commenced B.D. was, Disciplina ecclesiastica non 5 est e sacris fontibus eruenda. There is a treatise without a title amongst our MSS. upon this subject; whether it might not be composed by him I leave to others to inquire, but it has been wrote about this time and by no common pen. If it leans towards Erastianism, that to me is no ob- 10 jection, for so did several of the heads (and other divines) at that time. He has been said to commence D.D. an. 1582; that mistake might proceed from a letter sent by the senate to the lord Burghley chancellor, for a dispensation for 15 Mr Whitaker's degree of doctor, which never took effect. It is certain he was only B.D. when he came to St John's. 3 The same year he died he was admitted to a prebend of Canterbury, where he subscribes Maii 6 an. 1595, and 20 was succeeded therein by Adrian de Saravia in December the same year: one of his names was fellow of Eton. I meet with him sometimes at Blunsham, whether he were rector there I cannot say; this I can say, that he deserved that and greater preferments, and indeed wanted them*, 25 for he died poor considering the charge and family he left behind him. It was some reproach to the nation that the two greatest professors that ever filled the chair should have been no better provided for, I mean this professor and Martin Bucer, who was forced to borrow moneys with his 30 last breath. One Dr Whitthaker an Englishman and then a warm 1 MS. Tenison. 2 Upon the public orator's book, dat. 3° non. Febr.; the year is wanting; but by the series and order it stands in it should be 1580, for the two letters preceding and following are dated that year, 1580. He was then B.D. and regius professor. 3 MS. Tenison. I find by Dr Ward's papers the provostship of Eton was intended for him, but that fell too late. 4 He was prebendary of Norwich, and resigned a prebend of Paul's upon taking other preferments. 5 MS. coll. Corp. Chr. maintainer of the discipline took that degree with Zanchy1 at Heidelbergh an. 1568, and for aught I know may have been sometimes confounded with our doctor, and may have occasioned some mistakes amongst such as did not make 5 or know this distinction. 1 V. Zanchii Epist. lib. 1. p. 400, etc.; lib. 2, pp. 338, 339, 553, 554, etc. [ed. Hanov. 1609. p. 539 is not to the point, but rather 556.] RICHARD CLAYTON SEVENTEENTH MASTER, ADMITTED DECEMBER 22 AN. 1595; ADMITTED PENSIONER IN THIS COLLEGE AN. 1572, SCHOLAR OF THE HOUSE AN. 1574, AND FELLOW 1577; SON OF JOHN CLAYTON OF CROOK COM. LANC. GENT. DR WHITAKER being dead and his exequies performed with all due solemnity, the next thing the college was to think of was a new master. They had then several learned men1 among them, amongst the rest Dr Playfere, who though he were of greatest fame for learning, as appeared 5 by the choice of him next year to be Margaret professor, yet Dr Clayton having been fellow of the college and very acceptable to the society, being a man of business and very sociable, and he' with Mr Stanton being recommended by the chancellor to their choice with the queen's mandate to 10 choose one of the two, though he were then master of Magdalene, he was brought hither from that college, elected and admitted master Decem. 22, 1595; whereby as the business of the college might be advanced, so it was no advancement of learning. 3 15 It was Mr Bois' observation that about this time, as the college begun to rise in buildings, so it declined in learning; which was certainly very true, for the master not long after his coming hither having brought them the agreeable news of a new court, they were so overjoyed or 20 1 Mr Alvey had a majority of the fellows, but being disaffected to the discipline of the church, was not approved at court. 2 MS. Whitgift. Laur. Stanton, afterwards dean of Lincoln, ab an. 1601 ad an. 1613. 3 MS. Life. Novimus collegium illud crevisse in ædificiis et decrevisse in literis. |