I.

BOOK barous the place of his birth was, yet it obtained a great share in his tender affection and love towards it. It had laAnno 1519. boured not only under great ignorance, but under great op2 pression of covetous landlords, most of any one part of the

The gentry

there.

His family

and relations.

realm. For the redressing of which, in the month of May, anno 1563, when he was Bishop of London, he betook himself to Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State, his cordial and constant friend; discovering at large to him the state of the place, and discoursing and consulting with him about a remedy of the evils it suffered under: having often thought, as he said, to make a general suit to him for a regard to it. Which, no question, had a good effect.

The like concern this reverend and pious Bishop had for the good education of the gentry there; whose influence he knew would be so considerable upon the whole country. And hearing of the decease of one Mr. Skelton, a gentleman that had lived very near his own native town, leaving a young son and heir behind him, he speedily informed the said Cecil, master of the wards, of it; adding, that he knew his countrymen would make good speed for the wardship. And therefore he earnestly desired the said master, "that "he would take order for the good education of the ward; " and not leave the poor tenants subject to the expilations of "those country gentlemen, without some choice." Wherein he offered, if it pleased him to understand his opinion, to utter it simply according to his understanding.

As for the Bishop's own family and relations, to them he bore an hearty affection, as well as to his country. He was born in the parish of St. Begh's, (so called from a certain Irish virgin saint, named St. Bega, who retired here, and had a cell afterwards founded here to her memory.) Yet a Ralph Tho- very inquisitive learned gentleman in the north hath informed me, that this Bishop was not born at St. Begh's, but at Hensingham, a mile south of Whitehaven, three miles distant from St. Begh's, but in the said parish.

resby, of

Leeds, Esq.

Edwin

There was an intimate friendship and familiarity from their youths continued between him and Edwin Sandys, Sandys of who succeeded him also in London and York, which sprang, St. Begh's.

1.

as it seems, from their acquaintance in this town of St. CHAP. Begh's; Sandys being from the said place, and his father a justice of peace there. For from twelve years old (except Anno 1519. from Sandys's thirteenth to his eighteenth, when perhaps their parting was occasioned by one of them going to the University before the other; Sandys being three or four years elder than Grindal) they had lived in the University, and out of it, through all fortunes, (both in adversity, for the sake of the Gospel, and in prosperity,) as brothers together. And therefore, in the year 1563, when Sandys's former Vid. Annal. life and innocency had been unhandsomely traduced by Sir of the Reform, chap. John Bourn, of Worcester, knight, in an apology of his to 35. the Privy Council, he earnestly prayed them, that Bishop Grindal, who had known him so well from his young years, might be called to give his testimony of his behaviour.

leases for

In an house here, in St. Begh's parish, held by his fa- Procures ther, he fetched his first breath. The lease of this house, his family. with the land pertaining thereto, being under twenty shillings rent, but well built at the charges of his father and brother, he obtained of Sir Thomas Chaloner; together with another lease of certain tithes of the parsonage of St. Begh's, 3 himself paying the fines, and conferring it upon his brother and his children; intending thereby to advance his family. But God disappointed him; the males of the family dying soon after; and, by some unlooked-for misfortune, the leases being in danger of a forfeiture. For his brother, whose name was Robert, and his wife Elizabeth, and Edmund his only son, all three died anno 1567, in the space of three weeks, to the good Bishop's no small grief: his said brother leaving four daughters orphans; and by his testament he made his second daughter Anne sole executrix: whereby she had the possession of those two leases. She had been willed in her father's last testament to be directed in all things by her uncle the Bishop. But, clean contrary to his mind, and utterly against his will, she bestowed herself in marriage with one William Dacres, son of Richard Dacres, His niece gent. who dwelt beside Carlisle: which William had combined himself with Leonard Dacres and others in that traitorous

marries to

Dacres.

BOOK rebellion, moved in the year 1569, in Cumberland. Now the I. Bishop's fear was, that if William Dacres, who married his Anno 1519. niece, should forfeit his goods and chattels by reason of his being in rebellion, he having the two leases in his hand, they might all be swallowed up in the forfeiture; and so his other three nieces be utterly deprived of their portions therein.

His leases

forfeited.

This put the Bishop upon suing to the Secretary his like to be friend, in the month of February the said year, that he would be a means to the Queen aforehand, (for avoiding the being prevented,) that she would grant, that the portion and interest which the other three sisters orphans had, or ought to have had, in the said two leases, might be reserved unto them and also, that whatsoever might accrue to her Majesty by forfeiture or attainder of the said William Dacres, concerning those leases of the house and tithes aforesaid, he (the Bishop) might have the preference before another for the purchasing thereof; being willing to pay as much as the thing was worth, or more: leaving the Secretary, as he said, to consider how much he was bound in nature and charity to make this request. Or in case the forfeiture fell not to the Queen, but to Sir Thomas Chaloner's executors, (which was the common opinion at St. Begh's, by reason of the charter of liberties which the abbey there had, and Sir Thomas purchased,) then he prayed the said Secretary, who was one of the said Chaloner's executors, that he would permit him to compound with him: though his judgment, as he added, was, that no such liberty could pretend to a title in the goods of traitors.

Will. Grindal, Lady Elizabeth's

tutor.

I cannot trace his family any farther; only, that I find one William Grindal, a dear and intimate friend, colleague, and pupil of Roger Ascham, Fellow of St. John's college in Cambridge: who was removed from the college to the court by Cheke, King Edward's tutor, and dwelt with him, and assisted him, probably for a time, in the instructing of that prince. He was chiefly employed as a tutor to the Lady Elizabeth in her studies. Ascham, in a letter to the said lady, commending her proficiency in learning, and rendering her fortunes and high birth thereby more noble, by joining good literature

a

I.

natissime

quantam

Græcæve

poterit, si

thereunto, assigned several things to be the causes thereof; CHAP. as her reading of Plato, her own excellent judgment, the counsel of an accomplished lady, the Lady Champernoun, Anno 1519. who it seems had some charge over her; and among the 4 rest, the precepts of his dear friend Grindal. And she made very notable progress in Greek and Latin, by the cares and method that this Grindal took in her instruction. And what further advances she was likely to make in those languages, in case she proceeded in the same course that the said Grindal took with her, Ascham signified in one of his letters to Chekea. "It can scarce be credited, to what degree of⚫ Vix credi “skill in the Latin and Greek she might arrive, if she shall potest, or"proceed in that course of study wherein she hath begun Chece, ad "by the guidance of Grindal." But she had a great loss in peritiam losing soon this her ingenious and learned instructor: for Latina he died young, in the year 1548, of the plague, and made a linguæ illa pervenire very pious end; and left this character: mores, ingenium, memoriam, judicium tale habuit, quale vix cuiquam in eo quo, Anglia contingit. The Lady Elizabeth, to recruit herself duee, cepewith another instructor, sent for the afore-mentioned Asrit cursu, cham from Cambridge, to supply his place; and he accord-est. Asingly came up, and was with her at Cheshunt. But what cham. Ep. relation the said Grindal was to our Prelate, besides that of his ingenuity, piety, and learning, I know not. also one James Grindal, a clergyman, on whom the Bishop James Grinbestowed a prebend in Paul's; and another of his name, whom he retained in his family, when Archbishop of Canterbury. I meet also with one of this name, or very like it, in the reign of King Richard II. I dare not say the Bishop was of his family; but yet I will mention him here: viz. Thomas Grendal, of Fenton in the county of Hunting- Camden's don; who, being cousin and heir to John Beaumeys, of Tho. GrinSautre, of the same county, granted his coat (that is, of dal, Beaumeys) to Will. Moigne, knt. which was argent, upon a cross azure, five garbs, or.

There was

Grindallo

progressura

P. 97.

dal.

Armories.

Our Edmund Grindal, in his tender years, addicted him- He escapes self to his studies. And even while he was a child books a great danger when a were his delight and recreation, carrying them about with boy.

BOOK him: which, as it shewed the pleasure he took in learning, I. so it fell out once very fortunately to him. For when he Anno 1519. was a boy, walking somewhere in the fields, and having his

Sent to
Cambridge.

book in his bosom, an arrow accidentally came, that light with its point just in the place where the book was; which, if the book had not been there, must have certainly slain him. Which passage Conrad Hubert, the publisher of Bucer's Scripta Anglicana, (which he dedicated to him when he was Archbishop,) would make to be a special piece of God's providence; by saving his life in such a remarkable manner, who was afterwards to do him such great service in his Church.

He was sent up to the University of Cambridge; where three colleges may boast of him. Magdalen college first entertained him, and gave him his earliest seasoning, Thence he became a member of Christ's college; drawn thither, I suppose, upon the account of some encouragement and exhibition. His third remove was to Pembroke hall, where he was first Fellow, and President in King Edward's time, while Bishop Ridley was Master: afterwards, in the begin5 ning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, he became Master of the Anno 1549. college. And to all these colleges he shewed his gratitude: to each assigning certain liberal benefactions by his last will, as shall be told hereafter.

Disputes before the King's visitors.

Hist. of
Brit.

Church.

Before he came to be taken notice of in the Church, he made a figure in the University, as one of the ripest wits and learnedest men in Cambridge. And when an extraordinary act was commenced, anno 1549, for the entertainment of King Edward's visitors there, viz. Goodrich Bishop of Ely, Ridley Bishop of Rochester, Sir William Paget, Sir Thomas Smith, Sir John Cheke, Dr. Mey, and Dr. Wendy, 'all very learned men; and the questions to be disputed

were,

Whether transubstantiation could be proved by plain and manifest words of Scripture: and,

Whether it might be collected and confirmed by the consent of Fathers for these thousand years past. [So Fuller; but it should rather be, for a thousand years after Christ.]