that his dear friend and companion in his studies, Dr. Spencer, might, after his death, justly say, "What admirable height "of learning, and depth of judgment, "dwelt in the lowly mind of this truly “humble man; great in all wife men's

66

eyes, except his own; with what gra"vity and majesty of speech his tongue "and pen uttered heavenly mysteries; "whofe eyes, in the humility of his "heart, were always caft down to the 66 ground; how all things that proceeded "from him were breathed as from the "fpirit of love; as if he, like the bird of "the Holy Ghoft, the dove, had wanted "gall; let those that knew him not in "his perfon, judge by these living images "of his foul, his writings."

The foundation of these books was laid in the Temple; but he found it no fit place to finish what he had there defigned; and he therefore earnestly folicited the Archbishop for a remove from that place; to whom he spake to this purpose: "My "Lord, when I loft the freedom of my "cell, which was my college, yet I

"found

"found fome degree of it in my quiét "country parfonage: but I am weary of "the noife and oppofitions of this place; " and indeed God and nature did not in"tend me for contentions, but for study "and quietnefs. My Lord, my particular "contefts with Mr. Travers here have "proved the more unpleasant to me, be"cause I believe him to be a good man; " and that belief hath occafioned me to ❝ examine mine own confcience concern

ing his opinions; and, to fatisfy that, "I have confulted the Scripture, and

other laws, both human and divine, "whether the confcience of him, and "others of his judgment, ought to be "fo far complied with, as to alter our "frame of Church-government, our man"ner of God's worship, our praifing and "praying to him, and our established cere"monies, as often as his and others ten"der confciences fhall require us. And, "in this examination, I have not only "fatisfied myself, but have begun a trea"tife, in which I intend a juftification "of the laws of our ecclefiaftical polity;

in which defign God and his holy angels fhall at the last great day bear me "that witnefs which my confcience now "does; that my meaning is not to pro"voke any, but rather to fatisfy all ten"der confciences: and I fhall never be "able to do this, but where I may study, "and pray for God's bleffing upon my "endeavours, and keep myself in peace "and privacy, and behold God's bleffing spring out of my mother earth, and eat "my own bread without oppofitions; and "therefore, if your Grace can judge me "worthy of such a favour, let me beg it, "that I may perfect what I have be66 gun."

66

About this time the parfonage or rectory of Bofcum, in the diocefe of Sarum, and fix miles from that city, became void. The Bishop of Sarum is patron of it; but in the vacancy of that fee, (which was three years betwixt the translation of Bishop Pierce to the fee of York, and Bishop Caldwell's admiffion into it,) the disposal of that, and all benefices belonging to that fee, during this faid vacancy, came

to

And

to be difpofed of by the Archbishop of Canterbury; and he prefented Richard Hooker to it in the year 1591. Richard Hooker was alfo in the said year inftituted, (July 17.) to be a Minor Prebend of Salisbury, the corps to it being Nether-Havin, about ten miles from that city; which prebend was of no great value, but intended chiefly to make him capable of a better preferment in that church. In this Bofcum he continued till he had finished four of his eight proposed books of the Laws of Ecclefiaftical Polity, and these were entered into the register-book in Stationers Hall, the 9th of March 1592, but not published till the year 1594, and then were with the before mentioned large and affectionate preface, which he directs to them that feek (as they term it) the reformation of the laws and orders ecclefiaftical in the Church of England; of which books I shall yet say nothing more, but that he continued his laborious diligence to finish the remaining four during his life; (of all which more properly hereafter;) but at Bofcum he finished

nifhed and published but only the first four, being then in the 39th year of his

age.

He left Bofcum in the year 1595, by a furrender of it into the hands of Bishop Caldwell; and he prefented Benjamin Ruffel, who was inftituted into it the 23d of June in the same year.

The parfonage of Bishop's Borne in Kent, three miles from Canterbury, is in that Archbishop's gift: but, in the latter end of the year 1594, Dr. William Redman, the rector of it, was made Bishop of Norwich; by which means the power of presenting to it was pro ea vice in the Queen; and fhe prefented Richard Hooker, whom she loved well, to this good living of Borne, the seventh of July 1595; in which living he continued till his death, without any addition of dignity or profit.

And now having brought our Richard Hooker from his birth-place, to this where he found a grave, I shall only give fome account of his books, and of his behaviour in this parfonage of Borne, and then

VOL. I.

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