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
Catalogue details

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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    An account of the Disputations in IVisbich Castle between M ill. Fulke of Cambridge and certain R. Priests who were Prisoners there. These two are not printed, but kept in MS. as choice rehcs among R. Cath. beyond the sea. Where, or else in the Tower, Rich. Stanyhurst saw them. Epistles and Letters to divers Persons. Tv/o of which are in a book entit. Concertatio Ecclesia CatholiccB. Aug. Trev. 1594, fol. 71, 72, &c. See more of him in the latter end of Pet. White, un- der the year 1590. At length being found guilty of high treason, was hang'd, drawn, and quartered 1581. at Tyburn 1 Decemb. in fifteen hundred eighty and one. At the same time suffered Ediii. Cam- pian before-mentioned, who was much pitied by all learned men, especially by his contemporaries in Oxon, as Sherwyn was, who had been very often a companion with Campian in his travels. Alex. Briant also (whom I am now about to men- tion) did suffer at the same time, and tho' not so much commiserated by scliolars, yet by many others, because he was, as the character went on toth sides, ' juvenis pulcherrimus, vultu innoccns 8c prope angelico,' &c. Contemporary with Ralph Sherwyn was one Martyn Ayray, who, after he had left this university, was one of the first that was brought up in the English coll. at Rome, and was companion there with the said Sherwyn. Afterwards he became a good workman in Eng- land, and of great edification for divers years (as those of his opinion say) both before he was taken, and afterwards in prison. He was living in lG02, whicli was the last year of qu. Elizab. at [210] which time he was provost of the English church and residence of St. George in St. Lucar of Spain. ALEXANDER BRIANT received his first breath in Somersetsliire, was admitted a student of Hart-hail about Lent-term in 1573-4, aged 17 or more, where being trained up under a t-utor sufficiently addi<;ted to Popery, left the university and went to Rheimes, and afterwards to Doway : At the last of which places taking the priesthood on him, he returned into his own countr}', an. 1579, antl settling for a time in Somersetshire, converted the father of Rob. Persons the Jesuit to the K. Cath. religion. On the 28 Apr. 1581, he was taken in the night time in his lodging hy one IMorton, who took away Si. in money from him, besides cloaths, and conducting him to a magis- strate, was, after examination, committed close prisoner to the Compter in London, where endu- ring great misery till the morrow after the Ascen- sion, was removed to the Tower of London, and there (as ^ 'tis reported) he was tormented with needles thrust under his nails, racked also other- wise in cruel sort, and specially punished by two whole days and nights with famine, which they did ^ Card, v'v ill. Allen in his Modest Defence of Engl. Cath. that suffer for theii- fait/t, &c. written against TIte C'lecution of'Justice, p. 11. attribute to obstinacy, but indeed (sustained in Christ's quarrel) it was most honourable constancy. While he was in prison he wrote^, LitercK ad reverendos patres societatis Jesu in Anglia degentes. The beginning of which is, ' Quoties mecum <;ogito, reverendi patres,'&c. * They were written purposely that they would be pleased to receive him into the order of Jesus be- fore he died, which accordingly they did, to his great comfort. Several Letters to his Friends, and afflicted Ca- tholics. Whether extant T know not. At length being found guilty of high-treason at a sessions in London, he was hang'd, drawn, and quatered at Tybm-n, on the first day of Dec in fifteen hun- 1581. dred eighty and one; whereupon his quarters were hanged up for a time in public places. He had for his tutor in Hart-hall (after he had continued there for some time) one Rich. Holtbie born at Fraiton in Yorkshire, educated for a time in Cam- bridge, and afterwards going to Oxon, settled in the said hall, an. 1574, aged 21 and more; but departing without any degree in this university, he went beyond the seas to Doway, then to Rheimes and other places, became a noted Jesuit, and spun out his time to a fair age. The reader is now to know, that during the principality of Philip Rondell of Hait-halJ, who had weathered out several changes of religion (tho' in his heart he was a Papist, but durst not shew it) many per- sons who were afterwards noted in the Rom. church, were educated under him,but they having not exercised their pens upon any subject that I can yet find, I can claim no pretence to set them down among such writers that that ancient house of leai-ning hath sent into the learned world. JAMES DYER secoml son of Rich. Dyer of Wymaulton in Somersetshire, esq; by his wife the dau. of one Waiton of the said county, was born, as I conceive, at Wymaulton', but in what house he was educated in Oxon (for he was a commoner for some time there) it appears not, notwithstanding tradition tells us in Broadgate's hall. From thence, without the honour of a degree, he went to the Middle Temple, where making great proficiency in the municipal laws, was, after he had continued for some time in the degree of barrester, elected Autumn or Summer reader of that house 6 Ed. 6, about the same time he was by writ called to the degree of ser- ^ Concertatio Eccles. Catholicts in Anglia adversus Cat- vino-papistus, &c. Aug. Trev. 1583, p. 229. Ibid, iterum 1594, lol. 74, 75. ■f- [ this is also printed in English with another long letter to Mr. Gerarde, toucliing the persecution of Catholics in England, hy another hand, or rather by the same hand. Pr. at Doway in Artois, penes me. It coiitains much his- tory, if true. Baker.] 5 [He was burn at Roimd-liill in Somersetshire, as may appear to any by the herald's visitation thereof. Lloyd, Statesmen and Favorites, edit. i065, p. 404.]