"This Cranmer, whose Christian name was George, was a gentleman of singular hope, the eldest son, of Thomas Cranmer, son of Edmund Cranmer, the Archbishop's brother: he spent much of his youth in Corpus Christi-college in Oxford, where he continued master of arts for many years before he removed, and then betook himself to travel accompanying that worthy gentleman Sir Edwin Sandys into France, Germany and Italy, for the space of three years; and after their happy return, he betook himself to an employment under Secretary Davison: after whose fall, he went in place of secretary with Sir Henry Killegrew in his embassage into France; and after his death he was sought after by the most noble Lord Mountjoy, with whom he went into Ireland, where he remained, until, in a battle against the rebels near Charlinford, an unfortunate wound put an end both to his life, and the great hopes that were conceived of him."

Betwixt Mr. Hooker and these his two pupils, there was a sacred friendship; a friendship made up of religious principles, which increased daily by a similitude of inclinations to the same recreations and studies; a friendship elemented in youth, and in a university, free from self-ends, which the friendships of age usually are not. In this sweet, this blessed, this spiritual amity, they went on for many years: and, as the holy prophet saith, "so they took sweet counsel together, and walked in the house of God as friends." By which means they improved it to such a degree of amity, as bordered upon heaven; a friendship so sacred, that when it ended in this world, it began in the next, where it shall have no end.

And, though this world cannot give any degree of pleasure equal to such a friendship; yet obedience to parents, and a desire to know the affairs, and manners, and laws, and learning of other nations, that they might thereby become the more serviceable unto their own, made them put off their gowns, and leave Mr. Hooker to his college were he was daily more assiduous in his studies, still enriching his quiet and capacious soul with the precious learning of the philosophers, casuists, and schoolmen; and with them the foundation and reason of all laws, both sacred and civil; and with such other learning as lay most remote from the track of common studies. And as he was diligent in these; so he seemed restless in searching the scope and intention of God's Spirit revealed to mankind in the sacred Scripture: for the understanding of which he seemed to be assisted by the same Spirit with which they were written; he that regardeth truth in the inward parts, maketh him to understand wisdom secretly. And the good man would often say, "The Scripture was not writ to beget pride and disputations, and opposition to government; but moderation, and cha

rity, and humility, and obedience, and peace, and piety in mankind; of which no good man did ever repent himself upon his deathbed." And that this was really his judgment, did appear in his future writings, and in all the actions of his life. Nor was this excellent man a stranger to the more light and airy parts of learning, as music and poetry; all which he had digested, and made useful; and of all which the reader will have a fair testimony in what follows.

Thus he continued his studies in all quietness for the space of three or more years; about which time he entered into sacred orders, and was made both deacon and priest; and not long after, in obedience to the college statutes, he was to preach either at St. Peter's, Oxford, or at St. Paul's Cross, London, and the last fell to his allotment.

In order to which sermon, to London he came, and immediately to the Shunammite's house; which is a house so called, for that besides the stipend paid the preacher, there is provision made also for his lodging and diet two days before, and one day after his sermon. This house was then kept by John Churchman, sometime a draper of good note in Watling-street, upon whom, after many years of plenty, poverty had at last come like an armed man, and brought him into a necessitous condition: which, though it be a punishment, is not always an argument of God's disfavour, for he was a virtuous man: I shall not yet give the like testimony of his wife, but leave the reader to judge by what follows. But to this house Mr. Hooker came so wet, so weary, and wheather-beaten, that he was never known to express more passion, than against a friend that dissuaded him from footing it to London, and for hiring him no easier a horse (supposing the horse trotted when he did not); and at this time also, such a faintness and fear possessed him, that he would not be persuaded two days' quietness, or any other means could be used to make him able to preach his Sunday's sermon; but a warm bed, and rest, and drink proper for a cold, given to him by Mrs, Churchman, and her diligent attendance added unto it, enabled him to perform the office of the day which was in or about the year 1581.

And in this first public appearance to the world, he was not so happy as to be free from exceptions against a point of doctrine delivered in his sermon, which was, "that in God there were two wills; an antecedent and a consequent will: his first will, that all mankind should be saved; but his second will was, that those only should be saved, that did live answerable to that degree of grace which he had offered or afforded them." This seemed to cross a late opinion of Mr. Calvin's, and then taken for granted by many that had not a capacity to examine it, as it had been by him, and had been since by Dr. Jackson, Dr. Hammond, and others of great learning, who

believe that a contrary opinion trenches upon the honour and justice of our merciful God. How he justified this, I will not undertake to declare: but it was not excepted against (as Mr. Hooker declares in an occasional answer to Mr. Travers) by John Elmer, then bishop of London, at this time one of his auditors, and at last one of his advocates too, when Mr. Hooker was accused for it.

But the justifying of this doctrine did not prove of so bad consequence, as the kindness of Mrs. Churchman's curing him of his late distemper and cold; for that was so gratefully apprehended by Mr. Hooker, that he thought himself bound in conscience to believe all that she said: so that the good man came to be persuaded by her, "that he was a man of a tender constitution; and, that it was best for him to have a wife, that might prove a nurse to him; such a one as might both prolong his life, and make it more comfortable; and such a one she could and would provide for him, if he thought fit to marry." And he not considering, that "the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light;" but, like a true Nathaniel, who feared no guile, because he meant none; did give her such power as Eleazar was trusted with, when he was sent to choose a wife for Isaac; for even so he trusted her to choose for him, promising upon a fair summons to return to London, and accept of her choice; and he did so in that or the year following. Now the wife provided for him was her daughter Joan, who brought him neither beauty nor portion: and for her conditions, they were too like that wife's, which is by Soloman compared to a dripping-house; so that he had no reason to rejoice in the wife of his youth but rather to say with the holy prophet, "Woe is me, that I am constrained to have my habitation in the tents of Kedar!"

This choice of Mr. Hooker's (if it were his choice) may be won dered at; but let us consider that the prophet Ezekiel says, "There is a wheel within a wheel;" a secret sacred wheel of Providence, (especially in marriages), guided by his hand, that allows not the race to the swift, nor bread to the wise, nor good wives to good men and he that can bring good out of evil (for mortals are blind to such reasons) only knows why this blessing was denied to patient Job, and (as some think) to meek Moses, and to our as meek and patient Mr. Hooker. But so it was; and let the reader cease to wonder, for affliction is a Divine diet; which though it be unpleasing to mankind, yet Almighty God hath often, very often imposed it as good, though bitter physic to those children whose souls are dearest to him.

And by this means the good man was drawn from the tranquillity of his college; from that garden of piety, of pleasure, of peace, and a sweet conversation, into the thorny wilderness of a busy world; into those corroding cares that attend a married priest, and a coun

Made mas

ter of the Temple.

try parsonage; which was Drayton-Beauchamp in Buckinghamshire (not far from Aylesbury, and in the diocess of Lincoln); to which he was presented by John Cheney, Esq. (then patron of it), the 9th of December 1584, where he behaved himself so, as to give no occasion of evil, but (as St. Paul adviseth a minister of God) in much patience, in afflictions, in anguishes, in necessities, in poverty, and no doubt in long-suffering; yet troubling no man with his discontents and wants.

And in this mean condition he continued about a year; in which time his two pupils, Edwin Sandys and George Cranmer, were returned from travel, and took a journey to Drayton to see their tutor; where they found him with a book in his hand (it was the Odes of Horace), he being then tending his small allotment of sheep in a common field; which he told his pupils he was forced to do, for that his servant was then gone home to dine, and assist his wife to do some necessary household business. When his servant returned and released him, his two pupils attended him unto his house, where their best entertainment was quiet company, which was presently denied them; for Richard was called to rock the cradle; and their welcome was so like this, that they stayed but next morning, which was time enough to discover and pity their tutor's condition and having in that time remembered and paraphrased on many of the innocent recreations of their younger days, and, by other such-like diversions, given him as much present pleasure as their acceptable company and discourse could afford him, they were forced to leave him to the company of his wife, and seek themselves a quieter lodging. But at their parting from him, Mr. Cranmer said "Good tutor, I am sorry your lot is fallen in no better ground, as to your parsonage: and more sorry your wife proves not a more comfortable companion after you have wearied your thoughts in your restless studies." To whom the good man replied, “ My dear George, if saints have usually a double share in the miseries of this life, I that am none, ought not to repine at what my wise Creator hath appointed for me; but labour, as indeed I do daily, to submit to his will, and possess my soul in patience and peace."

At their return to London, Edwin Sandys acquaints his father (then bishop of London, and after archbishop of York), with his tu tor's sad condition, and solicits for his removal to some benefice that might give him a more comfortable subsistence; which his father did most willingly grant him, when it should next fall into his power. And not long after this time, which was in the year 1585,2 Mr. Alvey (master of the Temple) died, who was a man of a strict life, of great learning, and of so venerable behaviour, as to gain such a degree of love and reverence from all men that knew him, a He was dead, and the place void in the month of August, anno 1584. J. S.

that he was generally known by the name of Father Alvey. At the Temple reading, next after the death of this Father Alvey, the Archbishop of York being then at dinner with the judges, the reader and benchers of that society, he met there with a condolement for the death of Father Alvey, a high commendation of his saint-like life, and of his great merit both to God and man; and as they bewailed his death, so they wished for a like pattern of virtue and learning to succeed him. And here came in a fair occasion for the Archbishop to commend Mr. Hooker to Father Alvey's place, which he did with so effectual an earnestness, and that seconded with so many other testimonies of his worth, that Mr. Hooker was sent for from Drayton-Beauchamp to London, and there the mastership of the Temple proposed unto him by the Bishop, as a greater freedom from his country cares, the advantage of a better society, and a more liberal pension than his parsonage did afford him. But these reasons were not powerful enough to incline him to a willing acceptance of it: his wish was rather to gain a better country living, where he might be free from noise (so he expressed the desire of his heart), and eat that bread which he might more properly call his own, in privacy and quietness. But notwithstanding this averseness, he was at last persuaded to accept of the Bishop's proposal; and was by patent for life made master of the Temple the 17th of March, 1585, he being then in the thirty-fourth year of his age.

a

to be master

J.S.

[But before any mention was made of Mr. Hooker for this place Endeavours two other divines were nominated to succeed Alvey; whereof Mr. for Travers Walter Travers, a disciplinarian in his judgment and practice, and of the Tempreacher here in the afternoons, was chief, and recommended by ple. Alvey himself on his death-bed, to be master after him: and no marvel, for Alvey's and Travers's principles did somewhat correspond. And many gentlemen of the house desired him; which desire the Lord Treasurer Burghley was privy to, and by their request, and his own inclination towards him, being a good preacher, he moved the Queen to allow of him; for the disposal of the place was in her. But Archbishop Whitgift knew the man and his hot temper and principles, from the time he was fellow of Trinity college, and had observed his steps ever after: he knew how turbulently he had carried himself at the college, how he had disowned the English established church and episcopacy, and went to Geneva, and afterwards to Antwerp to be ordained minister, as he was by Villers and Cartwright, and others the heads of a congregation there and so came back again more confirmed for the discipline.

a This you may find in the Temple records. Will. Ermstead was master of the Temple at the dissolution of the priory, and died 2 Eliz. Richard Alvey, bat. divinity, pat. 13 Feb. 2 Eliz. Magister sive custos domûs et ecclesiæ novi Templi; died 27 Eliz.-Richard Hooker succeeded that year by patent, in terminis, as Alvey had it, and he left it at 33 Eliz.-That year Dr. Belgey succeeded Rich. Hooker.