by John Aubrey
He left a Legacy of four hundred pounds to the Royall Society, and had he been able would have given more. He was no great read man; but one of much and deepe thinking, and of a working head; and a prudent man as well as ingeniose. He was one of Seth, Lord Bishop of Sarum’s most intimate Friends. He was a lustie, strong growne, well sett, broad shoulderd person, cheerfull, and hospitable.
He was the principall Reviver of Experimentall Philosophy at Oxford, where he had weekely an experimentall philosophicall Clubbe, which began 1649, and was the Incunabula of the Royall Society. When he came to London, they mett at the Bullhead taverne in Cheapside (e.g. 1658, 1659, and after) till it grew to big for a Clubb. The first beginning of the Royal Society (where they putt discourse in paper and brought it to use) was in the Chamber of William Ball, Esqr., eldest son of Sir Peter Ball of Devon, in the Middle Temple. They had meetings at Taverns before, but ’twas here where it formally and in good earnest sett up: and so they came to Gresham Colledge parlour.
Scripsit:—The Discovery of a World in the Moone (long since); A Discourse tending to prove that ’tis probable our Earth is one of the Planets; Art of Praying and Preaching; Mathematicall Magique, dedicated to the Prince Elector; Reall Character—This last was his Darling, and nothing troubled him so much when he dyed, as that he had not compleated it; which will now in a yeare more be donne by the care and studies of Mr. Robert Hooke, of Gresham College; Mr. Andrew Paschall, B.D. of Chedzoy, in com. Somerset; Mr. Francis Lodwyck, of London, merchant; Mr. John Ray, R.S.S., of Essex; and Mr. Thomas Pigott, M.A. (Wadham College).
JOHN WILMOT: EARL OF ROCHESTER
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[Born 1647. Poet and libertine. Master of Arts at Oxford when little more than fourteen. He travelled abroad and, on his return, he identified himself with the most dissolute set of Charles II’s Courtiers, soon excelling them all in profligacy. In 1666 he was made a Gentleman of the King’s Bedchamber and, in 1674, he received a special mark of the royal favour by being appointed Keeper of Wood-stock Park. Towards the end of his life he declared that he was under the influence of drink for five consecutive years. At the same time he cultivated a brilliant faculty for amorous lyrics, obscene rhymes and mordant satires in verse, which more than once caused his dismissal from Court. However he was always taken back into favour and although he quickly ruined his physical health by his excesses, his intellect retained all its vivacity until his death in 1680.]
ABOUT 18, HE stole his Lady, Elizabeth Malet, a daughter and heir, a great fortune; for which I remember I sawe him a Prisoner in the Tower about 1662.
His youthly spirit and oppulent fortune did sometimes make him doe extravagant actions, but in the country he was generally civill enough. He was wont to say that when he came to Brentford the Devill entred into him and never left him till he came into the Country again.
He was Raunger of Woodstock-parke and lived often at the Lodge at the west end, a very delightfull place and noble prospect westwards. Here his Lordship had severall lascivious Pictures drawen.
His Lordship read all manner of bookes. Mr. Andrew Marvell (who was a good Judge of Witt) was wont to say that he was the best English Satyrist and had the right veine. ’Twas pitty Death tooke him off so soon.
In his last sicknesse he was exceedingly paenitent and wrote a letter of his repentance to Dr. Burnet, which is printed.
He sent for all his servants, even the piggard-boy, to come and hear his Palinode.
THOMAS WOLSEY
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[Born 1475. Cardinal and statesman. Rector of Lymington: Prebendary of Lincoln and Hereford: Canon of Windsor: Dean of Lincoln, Hereford, York and St. Stephen’s, Westminster: Precentor of London: Bishop of Tournay, Lincoln, Bath and Wells, Durham and Winchester: Archbishop of York: Cardinal. Chaplain to Henry VII 1507. Almoner to Henry VIII 1509. Lord Chancellor 1515. He accompanied Henry VIII to the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. Wolsey displayed on a colossal scale the pride and power of the mediæval Church and was almost as rich a man as the King himself. For his natural son he obtained four arch-deaconries, a deanery, five prebends and two rectories. Wolsey supported Henry in his divorce from Catherine of Aragon 1527. Owing to the delay in the divorce proceedings, he incurred the dislike of Anne Boleyn, who influenced the King against him, with the result that a Bill of Indictment was preferred against him in 1530. After receiving a General Pardon, he retired to Cawood, but he was again arrested for High Treason on information given by his physician Dr. Agostini, who accused the Cardinal of bringing the King’s Majesty into marvellous danger, for knowing himself to have the foul and contagious disease of the great pox, broken out upon him in divers parts of his body, he had come daily to His Grace, blowing upon him with his perilous and infective breath. He died at Leicester on his way to London to answer these charges in 1530.]
THOMAS WOLSEY, CARDINAL, was a Butcher’s son, of Ipswych, in Suffolke. He was Baccalaur of Arts so young, that he was called the Boy-Bacchalaur.
He was a Fellowe of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford, where he was Tutor to a young Gentleman of Limmington, near Ilchester, in whose guift the presentation of that church is, worth the better part of 200 pounds per annum, which he gave to his Tutor Wolsey. He had committed hereabout some debauchery (I thinke, drunke: no doubt he was of a high rough spirit) and spake derogatorily of Sir Amias Paulet (a Justice of Peace in the neighbourhood) who putt him into the Stockes, which, when he came to be Cardinall, he did not forget; he layed a Fine upon Sir Amias to build the Gate of the Middle Temple.
His Rise was his quick and prudent dispatch of a message to Paris for Henry 8.
He had a most magnificent spirit.
He was a great Builder, as appeares by White-hall, Hampton-Court. Eshur, in Surrey, a noble house, built of the best burn’t brick (perhaps) that ever I sawe; stately gate-house and hall. This stately house (a fitt Pallace for a Prince) was bought about 1666 by a Vintner of London, who is since broke, and the house is sold, and pulled downe to the ground, about 1678. He built the stately tower at Magdalen Colledge in Oxford, and that stately Palace at Winchester (where he was Bishop) called Wolsey-house; I remember it pretty well, standing 1647. Now, I thinke, it is most pulled downe.
His noble foundation of his Colledge of Christ-church in Oxford, where the stately hall was only perfected by him. There were designed (as yet may appeare by the building) most magnificent Cloysters (the brave designe wherof Dr. John Fell hath deteriorated with his new device) to an extraordinary spacious Quadrangle, to the entrance whereof was carrying up a Tower (a Gate-house) of extraordinary rich and noble Gothique building. When the present Great-Duke of Tuscany was at Oxford, he was more taken with that, then all the rest of the Buildings he sawe there, and tooke a second viewe of it.
It should not be forgotten what a noble foundation there was for the Chapell, which did runne from the Colledge, along the street as far as the Blew-boare Inne; which was about 7 foot or more high, and adorned with a very rich Gothique Water-table. It was pulled downe by Dr. John Fell (the Deane) about 1670, to use the stones about the Colledge.
William Fenshaw Esq. told me, that he had seen a letter writt by Cardinal Wolsey to this purpose viz:—My Lord, I understand that there is a Reformation in Religion intended by the Parliament; and I wish that severall things were reformed; but let me tell you that when you have reformed, that others will come, and refine upon you, and others again upon them; et sic deinceps, that at last there will be no Religion left, but Atheisme will spring up. The Mysteries of Religion are to be let alone; they will not beare an examination.
The Silver Cross that was wont to be carried before Cardinal Wolsey, fell out of its Socket, and was like to have knock’d one of the Bishops’ Servants’ Brains out. A very little while after, came in a Messenger, and arrested the Cardinal, before he could get out of the House.
Returning to London from Yorke, he died at Leicester, where he lies buried (to the shame of Christ-church men) yet without any monument.
And though,
from his owne store, Wolsey might have
A Palace or a Colledge for his Grave,
Yet here he lies interr’d, as if that all
Of him to be rememhred were his Fall.
If thou art thus neglected, what shall wee
Hope after Death that are but Shreds of thee?
FINIS
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
From the portrait by Jacob Huysmans in the National Portrait Gallery
GLOSSARY OF PERSONS
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NOT ALL THE names listed in the Index are to be found in this Glossary, for those persons who are sufficiently identified in the text have been omitted here; and other names have completely resisted research.
The spelling of the names in this Glossary is not always the same as in Aubrey’s text. By reference to the Index, however, each person can be readily identified.
No one born after 1700 has been included in this Glossary, and for the sake of convenience Peers are to be found under their titles and Queens under their Christian names. Reference to the Index will provide the reader with the cross reference to their family names.
ABBOT, ROBERT (1560–1617), elder brother of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, was successively Master of Balliol College, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, and Bishop of Salisbury.
ABINGDON, JAMES BERTIE, 1ST EARL OF (1653–99), kinsman and patron of John Aubrey, was Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire from 1674 to 1697. In 1682 he was created Earl of Abingdon, a title held by his grandfather who had died without male issue. He joined William III at the Revolution.
AESOP, the traditional composer of Greek fables about animals, is said by Herodotus to have lived in the sixth century B.C., and to have been a slave.
ALLEYNE, EDWARD (1566–1626), the chief actor of the Lord Admiral’s Company, played the hero in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, The Jew of Malta and Dr. Faustus, and founded Dulwich College.
ANJOU, FRANÇOIS DE FRANCE, DUC D’ (15 54–84), the son of Henri II and Catherine de Medicis and brother of Kings François II, Charles IX and Henri III, came to England in 1581 to conclude his marriage with Queen Elizabeth, which had been arranged at the French Court.
ANNE BOLEYN (1507–36), second Queen of Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth, became the King’s mistress in 1527, after he had instituted divorce proceedings against Catherine of Aragon, and was secretly married to him in 1533. Three years later she was charged with criminal intercourse with several persons, including her own brother, and was beheaded, her marriage being declared invalid and her daughter illegitimate.
ANNE OF DENMARK (1574–1619), the daughter of Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway, was Queen to James I and mother of Charles I.
APOLLONIUS RHODIUS (fl. 222–181 B.C.), Greek poet and grammarian, was author of the Argonautica—a close imitation of the Homeric poems—and later chief librarian at Alexandria.
ARATUS (fl. 270 B.C.), a Greek poet of Soli in Cilicia, was author of an astronomical work, which Cicero translated into Latin.
ARCHIMEDES (287–212 B.C.), the most celebrated mathematician of antiquity, was killed at the taking of Syracuse by Marcellus.
ARISTOPHANES (c. 444–380 B.C.), the great comic poet of Athens, wrote The Birds, Lysistrata, etc.
ARISTOTLE (384–322 B.C.), the great Greek philosopher, studied under Plato at Athens. His influence was enormous, particularly in the Middle Ages, and all science was based on his philosophy until Bacon laid the base for modern experimental investigation.
ARUNDEL, THOMAS HOWARD, 2ND EARL OF (1586–1646), Earl Marshall and Constable of England, formed at Arundel House the first considerable art collection in this country and was responsible for the new use of brick in English building. He escorted Queen Henrietta Maria to France at the beginning of the Civil War and thenceforward lived at Padua, contributing large sums to the Royal cause.
ARUNDELL OF WARDOUR, HENRY ARUNDELL, 3RD BARON (1606–94), fought for Charles I in the Civil War and became Master of the Horse to Henrietta Maria in 1663. Accused by Titus Oates of complicity in the Popish Plot, he was imprisoned in the Tower for six years, but became Keeper of the Privy Seal under James II. He published religious and courtly poems.
ASCHAM, ANTONY (d. 1650), tutor to James II when Duke of York, became Parliamentarian Ambassador to Madrid, where he was murdered on his arrival.
ASCHAM, ROGER (1515–68), a great classicist, was private tutor to Queen Elizabeth both before and after her accession. He was also Latin Secretary to Mary Tudor, who granted him special permission to continue in his profession of Protestantism.
ASHMOLE, ELIAS (1617–92), antiquary and astrologer, was a close friend of Aubrey. A Royalist during the Civil War, he became Windsor Herald at the Restoration. In 1677 he presented his collection of curiosities to Oxford University, to which he subsequently bequeathed his library.
ATTICUS (109–32 B.C.), holding himself aloof from political affairs, was equally the friend of Caesar and Pompey, of Brutus and Cassius, of Antony and Augustus: but his closest friend was Cicero, whose letters to him still survive.
AUBREY, DEBORAH (1610–86), daughter and heir of Isaac Lyte of Easton Pierse, married Richard Aubrey in 1625 and was the mother of John.
AUBREY, SIR JOHN (c. 1606–79) of Llantrythid, had a Warrant of Baronetcy, dated 1644, from Charles I, which was confirmed on the Restoration. A cousin and patron of John Aubrey, he married a sister of Judge Jenkins and was probably the source of Aubrey’s fateful story. His estates were confiscated during the interregnum.
AUBREY, SIR JOHN (c. 1650–1700), 2nd Bart., was a cousin and patron of John Aubrey, who wrote to Llwyd in 1695: I am extremely caressed here by my Noble Chief Sir J. A. where I am treated with all the varieties that Sea and hand affords. In the afternoon we shove the Tankard and the Bottle one to another in the bond of Peace and frequently drinke your good health.
AUBREY, RICHARD (1603–52) of Burleton, Hereford, and Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, the father of John Aubrey.
AUBREY, THOMAS (1645–81), brother of John Aubrey, who enlisted his aid in various antiquarian researches. He died unmarried.
AUBREY, WILLIAM (1529–95), Fellow of All Souls, Principal of New Inn Hall and Professor of Civil Law at Oxford, later became Advocate in the Court of Arches, Chancellor to Archbishop Whitgift and Master in Chancery. A favourite of Queen Elizabeth, he founded the fortunes of his family and was great-grandfather of John Aubrey.
AUBREY, WILLIAM (1643–1707), brother of John Aubrey, who enlisted his aid in various antiquarian researches and acknowledged him an excellent Herald. Relations between the two deteriorated later, and in 1682 John Aubrey wrote to Wood My Tygre brother and I are at so great a difference (too long here to relate) that I beleeve we shall never close again, and after this there are constant references to trouble. Upon a threatning of my brother to throw me into Gaole, reads one letter: Some where I must retire for fear of my Brother and other Creditors, runs another. In the end, however, John Aubrey took the blame on himself: My brother has been unkind to me (and God forgive me) I have undonne him and my selfe. The trueth is, I was never made to manage an estate, and was predestinated to be cosened and cheated. William Aubrey died unmarried.
AUGUSTUS, OCTAVIUS CAESAR (63 B.C.–A.D. 14), the first Roman emperor.
AVICENNA (980–1037), Arabian physician, mathematician and philosopher.
AYLESBURY, SIR THOMAS (1576–1657), Master of the Mint and a great patron of mathematical learning, was cashiered as a Royalist in 1642 and retired to the Continent ten years later.
AYTON, Sir ROBERT (1570–1638), poet and courtier, competed for the Provostship of Eton, when it fell to Sir Henry Wotton.
BACON, ANTHONY (1558–1601), elder brother of Francis Bacon, toured the Continent in search of political intelligence from 1579 to 1592, at Burghley’s suggestion. He then became private “under-secretary of state” for foreign affairs to the Earl of Essex.
BACON, SIR NICHOLAS (1509–79), Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Privy
Councillor and Knight, was the father of Anthony and Francis.
BACON, ROGER (c. 1214–94), a friar of the Franciscan Order, was an eminent philosopher and one of the pioneers of modern science. At the request of Pope Clement IV, he produced treatises on the sciences of grammar, logic, mathematics, physics and modern philosophy. He also wrote on chemistry and alchemy, and twice suffered imprisonment for his heretical views. He died at Oxford.
BAGSHAWE, EDWARD (1629–71), a friend of John Aubrey, was second master at Westminster School. Ordained in 1659, he was ejected for non-conformity three years later. He was twice imprisoned for sedition and published various controversial religious works.
BALL, SIR PETER (fl. 1620–60), was Recorder of Exeter and Attorney-General to the Queens in the reigns of Charles I and II.
BALL, WILLIAM (C. 1627–90), an original Fellow of the Royal Society, was an astronomer and made some incorrect observations on the planet Saturn.
BALTIMORE, CECIL CALVERT, 1ST BARON (1580–1632), Secretary of State from 1619 to 1625, when he was created baron. In 1632, he obtained a grant of land for a colony (Maryland) north of the Potomac.
BALTIMORE, CECIL CALVERT, 2ND BARON (1606–75), friend and patron of John Aubrey, to whom he granted an estate in Maryland.
BANCROFT, RICHARD (1544–1610), Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University of Oxford, supported the scheme for a new translation of the Bible—the Authorised Version—which appeared the year after his death.
BARCLAY, JOHN (1582–1621), author of Satyricon and Argenis, a Latin satire on political faction and conspiracy. He died in Rome.
BARONIUS, CESAR (1538–1607), Italian Cardinal, was an historian and Librarian at the Vatican.