John Aubrey

“ When learned foreigners came and sawe how privately he lived, they did admire and blesse themselves, that a person [Pg 108] of so much worth and learning should not be better provided for.
Seth Ward, M.A., a fellow of Sydney Colledge in Cambridge (now bishop of Sarum) , came to him, and lived with him halfe a yeare (and he would not take a farthing for his diet) , and learned all his mathematiques of him. Sir Jonas More was with him a good while, and learn't; he was but an ordinary logist before. Sir Charles Scarborough was his scholar; so Dr. John Wallis was his scholar ”

“ Sir Charles Scarborough, M.D. (then an ingeniose young student, and fellowe—quaere—of Caius Colledge in Cambridge) , was his great acquaintance; both students in mathematiques; which the better to perfect, they went to Mr. Willam Oughtred, at Albury in Surrey, to be enformed by him in his Clavis Mathematica, which was then a booke of aenigmata. Mr. Oughtred treated them with exceeding humanity, being pleased at his heart when an ingeniose young man came to him that would ply his Algebra hard. ”

“ As he is the pattern of humility and courtesie, so he knowes when to be severe and austere; and he is not one to be trampled or worked upon. He is a batchelour, and of a most magnificent and munificent mind. ”

“ He was a very handsome gentleman, and had an excellent witt, and his father gave him the best education, both at home and beyond the seas, that that age would afford, and loved him so dearly that he fleeced the church of Hereford to leave him a good estate, and he did let such long, and so many, leases, that, as Mris Masters (daughter of Herbert Westphaling, esq., eldest son and heir to bishop Westphaling, of Hereford) told me, they were not out [Pg 217] till about these 60 yeares. ”

“ Another time the councell at Dublin were all in a great racket for the prohibition of coale from England and Wales, considering that all about Dublin is such a vast quantity of turfe; so they would improve their rents, sett poor men on worke, and the city should be served with fuell cheaper. Sir William prima facie knew that this project could not succeed. ”

“ When we have wandered all our wayes,
Shutts up the story of our dayes.
But from which grave and earth and dust
The Lord will rayse me up I trust.
These lines Sir Walter Ralegh wrote in his Bible, the night before he was beheaded, and desir'd his relations with these words, viz. 'Beg my dead body, which living is denyed you; and bury it either in Sherburne or Exeter church.'

[848] The bishop of Sarum saieth that Sir Walter Raleigh lyes interred in St. Marie's church at Exon, not the cathedral: but knowes not if any inscription or monument be for him. ”

“ It doth also teach the reader to build for the preservation of health, to make a tunnell of a chimney so as no smoak shall annoy him in his house, to fell timber and make sound boords for buildings, to sink a well in due time and in a place where water may be found, and to know whether a new found spring of water will drie up in a hot and dry summer ”

“ We beseech you that you make fast his dores, and gett somebody to watch and looke to him, for about midnight he will fall to be most outragious: gett the hostler, or some strong fellow, to stay-up, and we will well content him, for he is our worthy friend, and a very honest gentleman, only, perhaps, twice in a yeare he falls into these fitts.' Jack Young slept not, but was ready to goe out as the clock struck to the houre of appointment, and then goeing to open the dore he was disappointed, knocks, bounces, stampes, calls, 'Tapster! ”

“ His only sonne, Jonas, had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him, August 9, 1680, at Windsor; 'his majestie being pleased to give him this marke of his favour as well in consideration of his owne abilities, as of the faithfull service of his father deceased' (London Gazette, no. 1537) —but young Sir Jonas, when he is old, will never be old Sir Jonas, for all the Gazette's elogie.
Memorandum:—speake to Sir Christopher Wren to gett the wooden sphaere that was made for Prince Henry by Mr. Wright, out of young Sir Jonas Moore's handes, into the king's again. ”

“ His native towne of Hull loved him so well that they elected him for their representative in Parliament, and gave him an honourable pension to maintaine him.
He was of a middling stature, pretty strong sett, roundish faced, cherry cheek't, hazell eie, browne haire. He was in his conversation very modest, and of very few words [202] : and though he loved wine he would never drinke hard in company, and was [XIV.] wont to say that, he would not play the [Pg 54] good-fellow in any man's company in whose hands he would not trust his life. ”

“ Oxon was a gentleman of a good estate, and a strong and valiant person.
He was raunger of Woodstocke parke, and (I have heard my old cosen Whitney say) would many times in his younger yeares walke at nights in the parke with his keepers.
Sir Gerard Fleetwood succeeded him in this place [X.] ; as his nephew Sir William Fleetwood did him, and him the earl of Rochester.
[X.] J. S. on the heroicall epistles of Michael Drayton—'In Rosamund's time, one Vaughan.'
This Sir Henry Lee's nephew and heire (whom I remember very well; he often came to Sir John Danvers') was called Whip-and-away. ”

“ At 13 yeares and a quarter old he went as good a scholar to Cambridge, to Trinity Colledge, as most Masters of Arts in the University (he understood Latin, Greek, and Hebrew) , so that he played not much (one [519] must imagine) with his schoolfellowes, for, when they had play-dayes, or after schoole-time, he spent his time in the library aforesaid.
He [never [520] stood at any election of] fellow [s] or scholar [s of the House at] Trinity College. ”

“ He was buried very honourably [1238] ; besides all his relations in mourning, he had as many poor old men (or men and woemen) as he was yeares old in mourning gownes and hoodes, the mayor and aldermen in mourning; all the trained band (he was their colonel) attended the funerall and their pikes had black ribons and drummes were covered with black cloath.
He lies interred in the west end of the 'Crowd' (the name of the vault under all St. Nicholas Church, as St. Faith's was under St. Paule's) , where he lies in effigie on an altar-monument of alabaster and marble. ☞ See his inscription. ”

“ This earle of Oxford, making of his low obeisance to queen Elizabeth, happened to ..., at which he was so abashed [1130] that he went to travell 7 yeares. On his returne the queen welcomed him home and sayd, 'My lord, I had forgot the ...'
A poor man [1131] askt of Mr. ”

“ A Bristow-man living in Castile in Spaine learnt their art of makeing soape, which he first sett-up in Bristow, now (1681) 80 + yeares since.—MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 28v.
Fishmongers' Company, London.> To discover [1355] and find out the lands concealed and embezilled by the Fishmongers' company, which was to maintain so many scholars in Oxford and for the ease of poor Catholiques in Lent. Mr. Fabian Philips tells me I may find out the donation in Stow's Survey of London: he can put me in a way to help me to a third or fourth part for the discoverie. ”

“ The parsonage of Garsington (which belongs to the college) is worth ... per annum, and this good old Doctor, when one of his parish [80] , that was an honest industrious man, happened by any accident to be in decay and lowe in the world, would let his parsonage to him for a yeare, two, or three, fourty pounds a yeare under value.
In his younger yeares he had been chaplain to Bilson, bishop of Winton.
In August, 1642, the lord viscount Say and Seale came (by order of the Parliament) to visit the colleges, to see what of new Popery they could discover in the chapells. ”

“ In those dayes gentlemen kept horses for a man-at-armes, besides their hackney and hunting horses. This made the gentry robust and hardy and fitt for service; were able to be their owne guides in case of a rout or so, when occasion should so require [1114] . Our gentry forsooth in these dayes are so effeminated that they know not how to ride on horseback.—Tho when the gentry mett, it was not at a poor blind sordid alehouse, to drinke up a barrell of drinke and lie drunke there two or three dayes together; fall together by the eares. ”

“ He understood only common Arithmetique, and never went farther in Geometrie then the first six bookes of Euclid; but he had such an inventive head, that with this foundation he was able to doe great matters in the mechaniques, and to solve phaenomena in naturall philosophy. He had but few bookes, which when he dyed were sold for fifty-six shillings, and surely no great bargaine. He published [722] nothing but his Interpretation of the number 666, in 4to, printed at Oxford, 1642, which haz been twice translated into Latin, into French, and other languages [AX] . ”

“ But as for mathematiques, I have heard Dr. Wallis say that he look't on him to be as able a mathematician as any of his time. He was an extraordinary handsome and beautifull man; no lady had a finer complexion.
Queen Elizabeth favoured him much; he read (I think) Greeke and Politiques to her. He was also preferred to be Provost of Eaton colledge <1596>.
He was a very severe governour, the scholars hated him for his austerity. He could not abide witts: when a young scholar was recommended to him for a good witt, 'Out upon him, I'le have nothing to doe with him ”

“ The generall and dreadfull conflagration burn't all that he had, that he was faine to begin the world again, being then at best worth 5 li.
He had such an excellent inventive and prudentiall witt, and master of so good addresse, that when he was undon he could not only shift handsomely (which is a great mastery [448] ) , but he would make such rationall proposalls that would be embraced by rich and great men, that in a short time he could gaine a good estate again, and never failed in any thing he ever undertooke but allwayes went through with profits and honour [449] . ”

“ Pell thankd his lordship, saying he was not capacitate for that, as being no divine and having made the mathematics his main studie, for the great publick need and usefullnesse therof, which he had in a manner devoted himself to improve and advance to the uttmost of his reach and abilities. Which answer pleased my lord so well that he replyed, 'Alasse! what a sad case it is that in this great and opulent kingdome there is no publick encouragement for the excelling in any profession but that of the law and divinity. ”

“ His friend, Seth Ward, D.D., being made bishop of Excester, he was made there deane, and anno 166<8> by the favour of George, duke of Buckingham, was made bishop [1246] of Chester; and was extremely well beloved in his diocese. Anno Domini <1672> he dyed of . He left a legacy of four hundred pounds (quaere) 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. ”

“ The old Dr. quickly perceived that they came to abuse him; he addresses his discourse to Mris. Fenshawe, saying, 'Madam, your husband [M] and father I bred up here, and I knew your grandfather; I know you to be a gentlewoman, I will not say you are a whore; but gett you gonne for a very woman.' The dissolutenesse of the times, as I have sayd, grieving the good old Doctor, his dayes were shortned, and dyed anno Domini 1643, and was buried at Garsington: quaere his epitaph. ”

“ His comoedies will remaine witt as long as the English tongue is understood, for that he handles mores hominum. Now our present writers reflect so much upon particular persons and coxcombeities, that twenty yeares hence they will not be understood. ”

“ He made the fine diall with its furniture, on the north wall of the quadrangle at Trinity Colledge, which he did by Samminitiatus's booke of Dialling (it haz been gonne about 1670, and another is there putt) . He lived and dyed [723] a batchelour. He was hospitable, vertuous, and temperate; and, as I sayd before, very contemplative. He lookt the most like a monk, or one of the pastours of the old time, that I ever sawe one. He was pretty long visagd and pale cleare skin, gray eie. His discourse was admirable, and all new and unvulgar. His house was as undeckt [724] as a monke's cell ”

“ I calculate from the tyme of his birth to my grandfather's death to bee 39 yeares: ad [10] the 34 yeares after my grandfather's death to the 39 before: 39 + 34 makes 73 yeares his age—which all the familie agree that hee was seaventy three yeares of age when hee died, soe that hee was borne in anno 1581. Borne in anno 1581, dyed aged 73, makes 1654 the yeare when he dyed. And in all probabillity hee was borne in St. Kathrin Coleman's parrish, my grandfather having lived soe long tyme there: the church booke, if extant, will soone resolve yow—I never heard any thing to the contrary. ”

“ Sir John Popham [AV] , Lord Chiefe Justice of the King's Bench, was the ... son of ... Popham, of ... in the countie of Somerset.
He was of the Societie of ... and for severall addicted himselfe but little to the studie of the lawes, but profligate company, and was wont to tak a purse with them. His wife considered her and his condition, and at last prevailed with him to lead another life, and to stick to the studie of the lawe: which, upon her importunity, he did, being then about thirtie yeares old. ”