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

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.

553/600

$chosen prob. fellow of Merton coll. (having a little before been forced to resign his fellowship of Trin. coll. for speaking certain matters (tho' true) that redoimded to the great discredit of the founder sir Tho. Pope,) and two years after, was not only made master-fellow, but also M. of A. In which time he occasionally shewed himself a rare Grecian, philosopher, and disputant. After- wards he was Greek professor, and proctor of the university, and at length secretary to that unfor- tunate count, Robert earl of Essex. As he was a person of good parts, so was he ambitious with- al, and pretended to be well seen in the rules of polity, believed by many that he was so, (because smothered under the habit of a scholar,) especially [308] by his great patron, which brought him the sooner to the block. He wrote, in the vear Kj'OO, The (lijferences of the ages of Man's life. Lond. 1607, and 1633, in oct. '[Bodl. 8vo. C. 82. Art.] The original, causes, progress, and end of Mans life. Printed with the former book, and other things which he left fit for the press, but never published. Afterwards he being found guilty of treason for conspiring with the said Rob. E. of Essex, to seize on the queen and change the government, he was hang'd at Tyburn near Lon- 1601. don, 30 March in sixteen hundred and one: so that his body being afterwards buried obscurely without a memorial or epitaph, be pleased to take this for him, made by ' @ne that knew him well, Doctus eras Graice felixquetibi fuit Alpha, Atfuit infelix Omega, Cuffe, tuum. The execution of which person, and his unhappy end, is brought in by a certain author'* as a very proper and suitable instance to verify the great reasonableness of one of his advices to his son, thus,—' Mingle not your interest with a great man's, made desperate by debt, or court-injuries, whose breaking out prove fatal to their wisest followers and friends; averred in the last earl of Essex but one, where' Merick his steward, and Cuff his secretary, tho' of excellent parts, were both hanged. For such unconcocted rebellions turn seldom to the hurt of any, but the parties that promote them ; being commonly guided by tlie directions of their enemies, as this was hy'^ Cecil, whose creatures persuaded Essex to this inconsiderate attempt, &c. that is, to seize the queen and change the government.' Thus far Francis Osborn here quoted, of whom and his works the reader may please by the way (if not too tedious) to know these things, That he was younger brother to sir Pet. Osborn, and both the ^ Jo. Owen, in lib. 5. Epi^r. ad Hen. Principem Camhr. nu. lor. * Fr. Osborn in his first part of Advice to a Son, chap. 4. ^ Gelly Merick, son of Dr. Rowl. Merick sometimes bish. of Bangor, wliich Gelly was knighted by the said E, of Essex at the sacking of Cadii, an. 1,596. <■ Sir Rob. Cecil, afterwards earl of Salisbury. Vol. L sons of sir John Osborn of Chicksand near Shef- fbrd in Bedfordshire ; which sir John and his father did both enjoy a quiet, happy, and plentiful for- tune under Q. Elizabeth: that he was bred mostly at home, not so much as in a free-school or uni- versity, being altogether void of such kind of faculties that universities afford. At ripe years he frequented the court, became a servant in the Pembrochian family, and at length master of the horse to that most noble count William earl of Pembroke. In 1641, he ran with the times, having been puritannipally educated, had public employments then, and under Oliver, conferr'd upon him : and in his last days lived in Oxon purposely to print certain books of his compo- sition that then lay by him, and to have an eye on his son John, whom he got by the favour of the parliamentarian visitors to be fellow of All-Souls coll. 1648. Those things of his, which I have seen extant, are these, {\) A seasonable expostula- tion with the Netherlands, declariiig their ingrati- tude to, and the necessity of their agreement with, the Commonwealth of England. Ox. 1652, qu. ia two sh. and a half. (2) Persuasive to mutual com- pliance under the present Government. Ox. 1652, qu. in two sh. (3) Plea for a Free Slate compared with Monarch}/. Printed with the former, in 4 sh. qu. (4) The private Cht istian's non ultra; or, a plea for the L,ay-man''s interpreting the Scrip- tures. Ox. 1656, in 3 sh. and half, in qu. There is no name to it, only strongly reported to be Fr. Osborn's. (5) Advice to a Son, in two parts. The first was printed at Ox. in oct. an. 1656, and within 2 years after were five more im- pressions of it. The second part was printed at Ox. 1658, oct. but being not so well liked as the first, I cannot justly say whether it had a second impression. Both, especially the first, being greedily bought up, and adii ired in Oxon, espe- cially by young scholars, it was then noted among the godly ministers, that they did instill prin- ciples of atheism into them. Whereupon a public complaint being put up against the said books to the then vice-chanc. Dr. Jo. Conant, there was a proposal made to have them publicly burnt. But [309] it taking no effect, it was ordered 27 July 1658, that no booksellers, or any other persons should sell the books ; which afterwards made them sell the better. (6) Political reflections upon the Go- vernment of the Turks; to which are added in the same book or vol. A discourse upon Nich. Mach- iavell. — Observations upon the K. of Sweden's descent into Germany.—Discourse upon Piso and index, who both conspired the Death of Nero.— The greatness and corruption of the Court of Rome. —Discourse upon the election of P. Leo XI.— Political occasions of the defection from the Church of Rome.—Discourse in vindication of Mart. Lu- ther. All these were printed at Ox. in oct. at least 3 times. [Edit. 1656, Bodl. 8vo. C. 313, Line] (7) Traditional Memoirs on the Reign of$