II. college themselves desired a visitation for the redress thereof. CHAP. But the bishop found he could not visit at that time, whatever need there were of it, unless he had some extraordinary Anno 1576. authority committed to him for that purpose. And so first, the bishop, by his letters, acquainted the said chancellor, that divers of the house had made complaint of sundry great and enormous disorders, as well touching the state of the house, as of certain particular persons in the same: exhibiting unto him many articles drawn and set down to that effect; the bishop of Lincoln for the time being, being their visitor. The bishop found the articles were such as touched the state of the house very near; and therefore required speedy amendment. But he answered them, that though he were their visitor by statute, yet he had no authority extraordinary to visit; his visitation being but a triennio in triennium; and the time since his last visitation there not yet elapsed. Nor would he take upon him, he said, to visit them extraordinary without authority; lest his proceedings might be frustrate, and to none effect. And though they urged him, yet he would by no means visit; however they urged, that the stay of the visitation would be a great impediment to the state of their college. Then they requested his leave, with great importunity, according to the appointment of their statutes, to seek redress of the higher authority. Whereunto, in the end, the bishop condescended. to the lord He wrote this to the lord Burghley, adding, "That he His letter was sorry to see so great tumult in a house of study; Burghley. "especially there, where he had beforetime in some part 420 "laboured to join them together in unity and concord. 66 Though he knew not in whether party the cause of trouble was. But that in his opinion it were not ill, if by some "lawful and ordinary means the matters might be heard, "and some good order set between them. And that if "both parties would join together to desire him to visit, he 66 might, by order of statute, deal in it. But because that "had not been done, neither could he orderly, nor was "he willing to meddle in it. But that indeed, for example 66 sake, he could wish they were visited rather by such or II. BOOK "der as statute admitted, than otherwise, if they would on "both parts condescend thereunto. But, he added, he was Anno 1576." loath to move them unto it, lest he should seem, to some "jealous mind, to be desirous more to meddle in their mat"ters than need was. This, as he said, he thought fit to "signify to his honour, leaving the rest to his wisdom to "consider of: meaning, as it seems, that he should pro"pound it himself to them, being their chancellor." Complaints of the fel The reason of these disturbances was a malice conceived lows against against Dr. Goad, the provost of the college, in several of the provost. the fellows, and especially Fletcher, Lakes, Johnson, and The provost's answer; and good de serts to wards the college. Dunning, appearing most in it. The accusations they drew up against him were of two sorts, viz. hinderance of learning in the college, and hinderance of the college revenues: as, granting prejudicial leases; making an ill bargain of grain, to the damage of the college; taking his friends and strangers with him when he went his progress to view the college's estate; sending some about the college affairs without the college's consent. Further, they complained of his wife; that she came within the quadrant of the college; (though she came never twice within the quadrant, but kept within the lodgings.) That their statutes did forbid the provost to marry; though the statutes, as the provost in his answer shewed, did not forbid the provost's marriage: and that the visitor's statutes in the beginning of the queen's reign, and the university statutes lately made, allowed heads of colleges to marry. And many more articles they said they had against him, to the number of forty though they could produce but five and twenty. To all which the provost gave in his answers. For the matter was now come before the lord Burghley, the university chancellor, and others, the bishop of Lincoln, it is like, being one. Who received their book of articles, and likewise his answers to each. And as to the articles of his being a hinderance to good learning in the college, he gave in a paper, wherein he shewed particularly what he had done for the furtherance of learning since his coming. As, that he had erected a new library, furnished with II. books, especially of divinity, of old and new writers; whereas CHAP. the library before his time was utterly spoiled. For the furtherance of tongues, he had caused an ordinary Greek Anno 1576. lecture to be read; and a Hebrew lecture, for students in divinity, to be read in the chapel; and lately in his own lodging, privately, by one Baro, a Frenchman. For the furtherance of the study of divinity, he had procured a divinity lecture to be read publicly in the common hall by the 421 said Mr. Baro: who had a stipend of twenty marks yearly gathered, without any charge to the college, being supplied by contribution from him and the company. That he himself ordinarily read a divinity lecture twice in the week at morning prayer in the chapel. Besides, he had catechised unto the whole house in the chapel, exhorted the whole company to the reading of the scripture, &c. And whereas at his first coming to be provost, there were but four ministers in the house, and but one preacher, now there were half a score ministers, and half a dozen of them preachers. Besides, that he had all ordinary exercises of learning duly observed, as well for lectures as disputations. He answered also as well the other branch of complaints Founds a Jibrary from made against him, namely, about injuries done to the good copes sold. estate of the college. As for selling the copes that were found in the house, (which was one article ;) he answered, that he turned them into money, and bestowed that money upon the new library, and books for the furnishing it. That he made away with the organs, (which was another;) he answered, he had done it by express command of the bishop of Ely, Dr. Whitgift, Dr. May, and Dr. Ithel, the queen's commissaries to visit that college some years before, when they came into the chapel to prorogue that visitation. And the money for the organ was converted to the college use. Another article against him was, that he dined not in the hall on Easter-day. The reason whereof was, as he answered, that he was to preach that afternoon at St. Mary's, by desire of the vice-chancellor; and so omitted being at dinner that day. One of these fellows was Lakes, of a haughty disposition, Lakes. Ꭰ Ꮞ BOOK who had been provoked by the provost, having reproved II. him for his habit, unbecoming a scholar. For he wore unAnno 1576. der his gown, a cut taffeta doublet of the fashion, with his sleeves out, and a great pair of galligastion hose. For this disguised apparel, so unmeet for a scholar, the provost punished him a week's commons. This had ever after stuck in his stomach, and he had sundry expostulations afterwards with the provost about it: such was his stout nature and impenitency to be reproved. After this business had had a full hearing before their high chancellor, the provost was cleared, and the main instruments in this disturbance were censured: some of them were put into the gatehouse at Westminster, for falsely accusing of their provost, and all made their recantations and submissions to the provost. Rob. Johnson, a drawer up of the articles, made his submission to the provost for writing those articles of accusation against him, for carrying them up, and endeavouring to make proof of them: Dunning and Lakes were committed to the prison of the gatehouse, the lord Burghley finding them the malicious inventors of many lies against the provost. From thence the former writes letters, dated in May, to that lord, wherein he wondered at the blindness of his own mind, and so great a privation of his wit and reason; and calls this his doing, facinus hoc sceleratum. He confessed, how he [the lord Burghley] had warned him not to proceed in this wicked 422 enterprise, or to persist in it: foretelling him, that if he did, it would have a bad issue, till it had reduced him in the end to the utter loss of his fortune, liberty, and good The occasion of that lord's giving him that advice was, that Dunning had refused at first to stand to his arbitration, and refused his grave counsel. But now he found all true; and did confess, that he hated the provost, and for that reason had raised most false accusations against him, and that he had employed himself, conscindere maledictis, in reproaching and reviling a man worthy to be seen and heard by princes: meaning, I suppose, for the excellent eloquence of his sermons at court. name. II. provost. Stephen Lakes, who was also committed to the gate- CHAP. house, thence wrote letters also to the lord Burghley of Peccavi: confessing, that he was one of them that accused Anno 1576, their provost gravissimorum criminum gravioribus verbis, The occa as of most grievous crimes, so with more grievous words, ferment Then he unrips the whole matter, namely, that enduring against the great while many grievances, (and what they were appeared by what Fletcher, another of these accusers, wrote to that lord, viz. that preferments went only by favour, without merit, and according as they stood affected to a party; and no regard had to industry and learning in their college,) and no redress, they agreed to make a complaint; and Lakes, though he pretended very unwillingly, was the man appointed to frame the articles against the provost; others were to supply him with materials for those articles; and then the rest were to peruse what he had drawn up, and to correct, amend, and add what they thought good. For this he was now ashamed, being severely by the lord Burleigh chidden. In short, the provost and some of the fellows (and they perhaps such as stood not so well affected to religion) had most grievously fallen out and broken to pieces. And the matter being thus opened before their judge, he punished the ringleaders, some by short imprisonment, others by reprimands, all by recantations and submissions: and so reconciled them again; and withal took order for the redress of such things as were grievances indeed. the provost, This provost, Dr. Roger Goad, preached at court about Dr. Goad, four years before, in the year 1572, in Lent, sir Tho. Smith, preacheth secretary of state, present, who gave the lord Burghley this at court. character of him and his sermon, that he preached well, and to him seemed to be a very grave and considerate man. This year, 1576, he obtained the chancellorship of Wells, upon the death of the former chancellor, named Hawthorn; MSS. Matt. Hutton, presented by Field, citizen and mercer of London, for this D.D. turn, by reason of the grant of the bishop of the diocese. Edwin Sandes, or Sandys, a man of great note for his Bishop San des' farewell |