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away; for furely there is great Murmuring of it throughout the whole Realm. Both Good and Bad fay, that all that is gotten is bestowed on the College, and that the College is the Cloak for covering all Mischiefs; this grieveth me to hear it spoken "of him whom I do entirely love : Wherefore I thought I could do no lefs than thus friendly to "admonish you.

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"One thing more I perceive by your Letter, which 66 a little, methinks, touches Conscience, and that is, you have received Money from the Exempts, for having of their old Vifitors. Surely this can hardly "be with Confcience: For, were they good, why "fhould you take Money? and if they were ill, it

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were a finful Act. Howbeit your Legacy. herein "might peradventure apud Homines be a Cloak, but "not apud Deum. Wherefore you are thus monished by him who entirely loveth you, and I doubt not you will defift not only from this, if Confcience will "not bear it, but from all other Things which fhculd "entangle the fame; and in fo doing you will fing, "Te laudant Angeli atq; Archangeli, Te laudat omnis Spiritus: And thus an End I make of this tho' "rude yet loving Letter, defiring you as benevolently "to take it as I mean it; for I enfure you, and I "pray you think it fo, that there remaineth at this "Hour no fpark of Difpleafure towards you in my "Heart. And thus fare you well, and be you no "more perplexed. Written with the Hand of your loving Sovereign and Friend,

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" HENRY R.

The Affair of Willon was faid to be this: The Cardinal had caufed to be elected a Perfon to be Priorefs of the Nunnery * there, with whom the King was not pleased.

*The Priorefs of the Nunnery of Wilton was a Baronefs by her Title, as were alfo those

From

of Shaftsbury, Barking, and St. Mary's in Winchester, all very famous in their Time.

By what the Cardinal met with from the King it is not to be doubted, but he was fully convinced of his Master's Difpofition, and faw what he might in Time expect, fhould any Affairs arife, in which he would not go the utmoft Length to ferve him.

And publih Libels againft

him.

After his Majefty had thus opened the Scene, by fhewing fome Diflike to Part of his Conduct, his Enemies began to publifh Libels against him; and Skelton, the Poet Laureat, called the Conceited Poet, was one of the first who discovered his Spleen, by falling on Wolfey's Defign of founding his College; fome Part of which, for the Singularity of the Verfe, we here present the Reader with.

The Goods that he bath thus gaddered,
Wretchedly be bath fcattered,

In Caufes nothinge expedient;

To make Windowes, Walles, and Dores,
And to maintain Bauds and Whores,

A grett Part thereof is spent.

In thefe Parties it is veryfied,
That he hath a College edified,
Of Marvellous Foundation;
Of prevy Houfes of Baudry,
He hath made a Stues openly,
Endued with large Exhibition.

Again,

With Worldly Pompe again incredible,
Before him rydeth two Preftes ftronge;
And they bear two Croffes right longe,
Gapying in every Man's Face.

After them follow two Laye Men fecular,
And each of them holding a Pillar

In their Honds, fteade of a Mace.
VOL. IV.

P

Then

Then followeth My Lorde on his Mule,
Trapped with Gold under her Cule,
In everey Poynts most curiously;
On each Syde a Poll-Axe is borne,
Which in none wothers Ufe are Worne,
Poretendynge fome byď Mystery.

Then bath he Servants five or fix Score,
Some bebind and fome before.*

Notwithstanding this quaint Poet's forced Wit, all that he mentions was no more than common in those Days,. and were, according to the Custom of Rome, allowed to every Legate a Latere, as to the Pope himself.

The Pillars here mentioned were, according to the learned Mr. Anftis's Opinion, not unusual Ensigns in thofe Days. And we find our celebrated Chaucer, in the Plowman's Tale, where he fets forth the Duty of a Clergyman, ufes the Word, Ver. 2044.

And Ufin none Yerthly Honours, Ne Croune, ne curious Covertours; Ne Pillar, ne other proud Pall, &c.

No one fure will charge the Cardinal's riding on a Mule as a Mark of his Haughtinefs; nor was

This extraordinary Poet's Christian Name was John, born, as we imagine, in Norfolk, and what makes it more probable is, that there was not only an antient Family of this Name in that County, but he had a Benefice at Dis, fituate therein.

Erafmus, in his Letter to King Henry, ftileth Skelton, Britannicarum Literarum lumen & decus.

It is faid by another, That he

J. SKELTONUS, VATES

it

Du

had Scholarship enough, and Wit too much: Ejus Sermo (faith Pitz) Salfus in Mordacem, Rifus in Oprobrium, Focus in Amaritudinem; But by others he was accounted a meer Rimer. ring his Reftraint in the Sanduary he met with much Refpect from Abbot lip, where he died on the 21st of June, 1529, and was buried in St. Margaret's Chapel with this Epitaph:

PIERIUS, HIC SITUS EST.

it any Testimony of his Humility, but agreeable to the Ufage of his Time, and in Correfpondence with the antient Practice of Clergymen, who then esteemed it unbecoming them to ride upon a Horfe, forafmuch as our Saviour rode on the Fole of an Afs.

*

But as to Skelton, he had no fooner publifhed his odd Invective, than he fled to the Sanctuary at Westminfter for Refuge; and there fhut himself up, in order to fecure himself from the Cardinal's Refentment, though it does not appear he ever thought it worth his while to enquire after him.

But, before he attacked the Cardinal, he must needs be fhewing fome of his ill-natured Wit in finding Fault with fome Verfes wrote by the famous William Lilly, † to which he returned Skelton this Answer.

P 2

*Now known by the Name of the Ambury.

+ William Lilly was born at Odiham in Hampshire, and in his Youth travelled to the City of Jerufalem, where he fatisfied his Curiofity in beholding thofe facred Places, which our Saviour had vifited when on Earth. In his Return home he made fome Stay at Rhodes, in order to ftudy the Greek; from whence he came to Rome, where he heard John Sulpitius and Pomponius Sabinus, great Matters of the Latin Tongue. Upon his Arrival in England, Dr. John Colet made him firft Mafter of St. Paul's School, which Truft he commendably discharged for feveral Years, during which Time he wrote his Grammar and other Latin Works, which have been, almost ever fince, the Oracles of the Grammar Schools in England.

With

Cardinal Wolfey, in particular, was highly pleafed with his Grammar; and there is now in Being a Latin Preface to it, which his Eminence had wrote, directing it to be used in his School at Ipfwich, a Tranflation of which, when we speak of that Foundation, we fhall introduce.

Lilly upon his Death, which happened about the Year 1522, was buried in the fame Grave with his Wife, in the Churchyard of St. Paul's Cathedral, to whofe Memory, after the Fire of London, a Brafs Plate was fixed with the following lafcription.

GULIELMUS LILIO, PAULIE SCHOLE OLIM PRÆCEPTORI PRIMARIO, ET AGNETE CONJUGI, IN SACRATISSIMO HUJUS TEMPLI COEMITERIO HINC A TERcO NUNC DESTRUCTO, CONSE

PUL

With Face fo bold, and Teeth fo sharp,s
With Viper's Venom, why doft carp?
Why are my Verfes by thee weigh'd
In a falfe Scale? May truth be faid;
Whilft then, to get thee more Esteem,
A learned Poet thou fain would'ft feem,"
Thou'rt, O SKELTON! all Men know it,
Neither learned, nor a Poet.

i

William Lilly alfo compiled the following Epitaph, on the famous Dr. Colet's Monument; a little Account of whom fee in Vol. II p.: 305. at Inclyta JOANNES, LONDINI. Gloria Gentis, Is tibi qui quondam, PAULE, Decanus erat; Qui toties magno refonabat Pectore Chriftum; Doctor & Interpres fidus Evangelii :

Qui Mores Hominum multum Sermones difertæ Formarat, Vitæ fed Probitate magis

Quique Scholam ftruxit celebrem Cognomine JESU; Hac dormit tectus, Membra COLETUS Humo. Floruit fub HENRICO VII. & HENRICO VIII. Reg. Obiit Ann. Dom. M.D.XIX.

Difce mori Mundo, vivere difce Deo."

In English thus:

John, the renowned Glory of the Londoners,
And formerly, O Paul! thy Dean,
Who fo frequently preached Chrift;

A Doctor and faithful Interpreter of the Gofpel;
Who, by his Difcourfes, greatly checqued

PULTIS, GEORGIUS LILIUS
HUJUS ECCLESIE CANONI-
CUS, PARENTUM MEMORIE
PIE CONSULENS, TABELLAM
HANC, AB AMICES CONSER-
VATAM, HIC REPONENDAM
CURAVIT.

In English..

To WILLIAM LILLY, here

The

tofore first Master of Paul's School, and AGNES his Wife, buried together in the back Part of the Holy Church-yard of this Cathedral, now ruined; GEORGE LILY, Canon of the Church, out of a pious Regard for the Memory of Parents, had this Plate refixed, which was faved by the Care of Friends.

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