Volume 1

Athenae Oxonienses : An exact history of all the writers and bishops who have had their education in the University of Oxford. To which are added the fasti, or annals of the said University / By Anthony A. Wood.

  • Anthony Wood
Date:
1813-20
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Athenae Oxonienses : An exact history of all the writers and bishops who have had their education in the University of Oxford. To which are added the fasti, or annals of the said University / By Anthony A. Wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    The former wisedoin taught from priuate Puhhke thinges to deme, And how we shoulde before prophane The sacred thinges esteme. From wanderyng hist eke to abstaine, And bride bed lawes to haue ; To build up townes for our defence, And lawes in wood to graue. Thus sprong vp honour first to men. And high renowmed name, Thus first encreast the prophetes praise, And eke the poetes fame. Folio 59, b.] JOHN WHYTE brother to sir John Wliyte L. mayor of London an. 1563, son of Rob.Whyte of Farnliam in Surrey, son of Joh. Whyte of the same place, son of Thorn. Whyte of Purvyle in Hampshire, was born at Farnham beforc-men- {131] tioned, educated in grammar learning in Wyke- ham's school near Winchester, admitted true and perpetual fellow of New coll. in 1527, took the degrees in arts, that of master being compleated in an act celebrated 23 March 1533-4, left his fellowship in 1534, being about that tiine master of the said school, in the place of Rich. Tuchiner. Afterwards* he was made warden of the college'^ near to Winchester. Concerning him, while in that post, Mr. Strype (in his Memorials of Jrchbis/iop Craiimer, lib. 2, cap. 21, page 233) has these remarkable passages, * 25 March 1550, Mr. White warden of Winchester appeared ** before the king's council, and confessed that he f had divers books and letters from beyond sea, and namely from one Martin a scholar there, who opposed the king's majesty's proceeding utterly. And it being manifested that he had consented to things of that sort in such wise, that greater practices were thought to be in him that ways, he was committed to the Tower; where lying for some months, he shewed better conformity in matters of religion. So on June 14, 1551, the council wrote a letter to the archbishop, that he should send a letter to the Tower for Mr. White to be brought to him, and with him to remain till such a time as he should reclaim him ; which being done, he was sent back again to the Tower, until the king's majesty's further pleasure upon his lordship's certificate of his proceedings with him. This White, however he complied now, was in queen Mary's reign made bishop successively of Lin- coin and Winton. He was elected bishop of Lincoln upon the deprivation of Dr. Joh. Tayler, was consecrated in St. Saviour's church South- wark by Stephen bishop of Winchester and his assistants, the temporalities of which see were' restored to him 2 May 1554, he being then bach. * [lie was also rector of Cheyton near Winchester.] f [In the year 1511, Willis, Mit. Abbies, i, 333,] ' Pat. 1. H. Mar. p. 1. of divinity. In the beginning of Octob. 1555, he was incorporated doctor of his faculty, and soon after, upon the death of Dr. St. Gardiner he was translated to Winchester, the temporalities- of which were also restored^ to him, 30 May 1557. Of some of which gradual rises Dr. Christoph. Johnson, one of his successors in the mastership of Winchester school, made this distich. Me puero custos, ludi paulo ante magister Vitus, 8c hac demum prsesul in urbe fuit. He was a man of an austere life, and much more mortified to the world than Steph. Gardiner his predecessor. He was eminent also for piety and learning, was an eloquent orator, a solid divine, a nervous preacher, & poetica facultate, ut tempora ferebant, tolerabilis, as Camden' tells us. His fame and actions did well answer his name, and so did all men say, how contrary soever to him in religion, only for one black sermon that he made, he gave offence, yet for the colour, it may be said he kept decorum, because it was a funeral sermon of a great queen by birth and marriage, I mean qu. Mary. The offence taken against him was this. His* text was out of Eccles. 4. 2. Laudavi mortuos magis quam viventes, & faeliciorem utro- que judicavi qui nec dum damnatus est. And speaking of qu. Mary her high parentage, her bountiful disposition, her great gravity, her rare devotion, (praj^ing so much, as he affirmed, that her knees were hard with kneeling) her justice and clemency in restoring noble houses, to her own private loss and hindrance, and lastly her grievous and patient death, he fell into such an unfeigned weeping, that for along space he could not speak. Then recovering himself, he said she had left a sister to succeed her, a lady of great worth also, whom they were now bound to obey ; for saith he, melior est canis vivus leone mortuo, and I hope so shall reign well and prosperously over us, but I must say still with my text laudavi mortuos mtigis quam viventes, for certain it is Maria optimam partem elegit. Afterwards qu. Elizabeth taking just indignation, did, partly for his sermon, and partly for that he was a zealous [1323 man for the R. catholic cause, and an enemy to the reformers of religion, commit him to custody ; and for threatning (as 'tis said) to excommunicate her, (as Watson bishop of Lincoln did) was de- prived of his bishoprick, for which he paid yearly 1000/. to cardinal Pole to keep up his state and dignity. Dr. Heylin in his IListory of Refor- motion, an. 1559, saith, ' White bishop of ' Winchester, and Watson bishop of Lincoln, of ' the number of the Catholic party that were to ' dispute with the reform'd party about settling * Pat. 3 & 4 li. Phil. & Mar. p. 6. ^ Camden ill Annul. Elizab. sub an. 1559. * See in the Brief view of the state of the Church of Eng- land, &c.by Jo. Harrington knight, Lond. 1653, p. 59,60.