Magnus, at the Bridge-foot. But he being old and poor, petitioned Secretary Cecil and others, to be released from paying the first fruits, amounting to upwards of sixty pounds, adding, "If poor old Miles might be thus provided for, he should think this enough and as good as a feast." This favour was granted.* Coverdale continued in the undisturbed exercise of his ministry a little more than two years;+ but not coming up. to the terms of conformity, he was driven from his flock, and obliged to relinquish his benefice. Though he was laden with old age and infirmities, he did not relinquish his beloved work. He still continued preaching as he found an opportunity, without the habits; and multitudes flocked to hear him. They used to send to his house on a Saturday, inquiring where he was to preach on the following sabbath, and were sure to follow him. This, however, giving offence to the ruling prelates, the good old man was, at length, obliged to tell his friends, that he durst not any more inform them of his preaching, through fear of offending his superiors. He, nevertheless, continued preaching as long as he was able; and died a most comfortable and happy death, January 20, 1568, aged eighty-one years. He was a man of most exemplary piety, an indefatigable student, a great scholar, a celebrated preacher, a peaceable nonconformist, and much admired and followed by the puritans; but the Act of Uniformity brought down his grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. His remains were honourably interred in the chancel of St. Bartholomew's church, behind the Exchange, London; when vast crowds of people attended the funeral procession. A monumental inscription was afterwards erected to his memory, of which the following is a translation :[] IN MEMORY of the most reverend Father, MILES COVERDALE, contains the mortal Remains of Coverdale, He was once the most faithful and worthy Bishop of EXETER, a man remarkable for the uprightness of his life. * Strype's Grindal, p. 91.-Parker, p. 148, 149.-Annals, vol. i. p. 367. + Newcourt's Repert. Eccl. vol. i. p. 398. Strype's Parker, p. 149. Stow's Survey of London, b. ii. p. 122. Parte of a Register, p. 25. He lived to exceed the age of eighty years, been unjustly sent into banishment; the Earth kindly received him into His WORKS.-1. The Christen Rule or State of all the Worlde from the highest to the lowest: and how every Man shulde lyve to please God in his Callynge, 1547.-2. The Christen State of Matrimonye, wherein Husbands and Wyfes maye lerne to keepe House together with Love, 1547.-3. A Christen Exhortation to customable Swearers. What a ryght and lawfull Othe is: when, and before whom it oughte to be, 1547.-4. The Maner of sayenge Grace, or gyvyng Thankes to God, after the Doctrine of Holy Scrypture, 1547-5. The old Fayth: an evident Probacion out of the Holy Scrypture, that Christen Fayth (which is the ryghte, true, olde, and undoubted Fayth) hath endured sins the beginyng of the Worlde, 1547.-6. A faythful and true Prognostication upon the year M.CCCC.XLIX. and perpetualy after to the Worlde's Ende, gathered out of the Prophecies and Scryptures of God, by the Experience and Practice of hys Workes, very comfortable for all Christen Hertes.-7. A Spiritual Almanacke, wherein every Christen Man and Woman may see what they oughte daylye to do, or leave undone.—8. A Confutation of John Standish. -9. A Discourse on the Holy Sacraments.-10. A Concordance to the New Testament.-11. A Christian Catechism.-12. Several Translations from Bullinger, Luther, and others.-The version of the Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer, is taken from Coverdale's Bible.* WILLIAM TURNER, M. D.-This distinguished person was born at Morpeth in Northumberland, and educated in the university of Cambridge, where he became famous for his knowledge in philosophy, physic, and divinity. He was a most learned and pious nonconformist, an avowed enemy to all the abominations of popery, and a most zealous promoter of the reformation. Beholding the deplorable ignorance of the people, and the great scarcity of useful preachers in every part of the kingdom, he renounced all thoughts of preferment, though he had the most flattering prospects, and became a zealous and constant preacher, in cities, towns, and villages, through most parts of the country. As he could not with a good conscience, submit to the ceremonies required in the ordination of ministers, he generously employed his talents in preaching the gospel without ordination. Having continued in these ministerial * Churton's Life of Nowell, p. 394. note. labours for some time, he at length settled at Oxford, where he enjoyed the advantage of learned men and books. There he continued preaching, not without hopes of gaining learned men to espouse the reformation, till he was cast into prison; and after close confinement for a considerable time, he was banished from the country. Such was the effect of bigotry and popish cruelty! During his banishment, he travelled into Italy; and at Ferrara, being much admired for his great learning, he was created doctor of physic. Towards the close of the reign of Henry VIII. he lived at Cologne and other places in Germany. In the reign of Edward VI. he returned home, when he was greatly esteemed among our pious and learned reformers. Upon his return he was made prebendary of York, canon of Windsor, and dean of Wells, and incorporated doctor of physic at Oxford. Having obtained a license to preach, he renewed his former ministerial exercises; and, at the same time, practised physic among the nobility and gentry, and was chosen both chaplain* and physician to the Duke of Somerset, lord protector. Upon the accession of Queen Mary, and the commencement of her bloody persecution, he fled from the storm, and retired first into Germany, then to Rome, and afterwards settled, with others of his fellow exiles, at Basil in Switzerland.+ Upon the accession of Queen Elizabeth, he returned a second time to his native country, when he was restored to his deanery, being highly esteemed both as a physician and divine, but especially on account of his numerous learned writings.+ He was author of a work, entitled "A New Herbal," the first original work on the subject in the English language, and afterwards the foundation of Gerard's celebrated work on the same subject. It is said, the first publisher of an original Herbal in our tongue, Dr. William Turner, informs us, that botany, or the knowledge of simpling, was fallen into such neglect, that in King Henry's reign, he found not a physician in the university of Cambridge, who could inform him of the Greek, Latin, or English names of any plants he produced, as he gathered them to compile * Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 136. + Bishop Ridley, during his imprisonment, writing to Grindal, then an exile at Frankfort, made the most affectionate and honourable mention of Turner, Lever, Sampson, and other worthy exiles.-Fox's Martyrs, vol. iii. p. 374. Wood's Athenæ Oxon, vol. i. p. 120, 121. his first Latin skeleton of his Herbal. The learned Dr. John Kaius, enumerating the celebrated men who have written on this subject, asks, " And who shall forget the most worthy Dr. William Turner? whose learned acts I leave to the witty commendations, and immortal praise, of Conradus Gesnerus. Yet his book of herbs will always grow green, and never wither, as long as Dioscorides is had in mind among us mortal wits." He wrote with great zeal and strength of argument against the superstitions and errors of popery. It is observed, that in his book entitled "The Hunting of the Romish Fox," he has "unanswerably proved, that those who labour to advance and bring in the canon law, labour to advance and usher in the pope."+ September 10, 1559, Dr. Turner preached the sermon at Paul's cross; and, as he was a person universally beloved, and a most popular preacher, his audience, consisting of courtiers, citizens, and people from the country, was uncommonly large. He was a decided nonconformist, and refused subscription and the habits. Mr. Strype observes, that in the year 1565, he enjoined a common adulterer to do open penance in the priest's square cap, and thus discovered his contempt of the clerical garments. For this flagrant crime, Archbishop Parker complained of him to Secretary Cecil. And, as our historian adds, he used to call the bishops, white coates and tippet gentlemen. He also contemned their office, by asking, "Who gave them more authority over me, than I over them, either to forbid me preaching, or to deprive me, unless they have received it from their holy father the pope?" This was certainly bold language for those times of severity. But without attempting to vindicate the claim here expressed, or inquiring from whom their authority was derived, their lordships ventured to exercise this authority upon Dr. Turner, and caused him, with many of his brethren, to feel the weight of their outstretched arms. For upon his refusal to wear the surplice, and use the Book of Common Prayer, he was sequestered and deprived, with nearly forty other London ministers.§ It has been generally, but improperly supposed, says Mr. Middleton, that Mr. Cartwright was the first noted dissenter from the etsablished church. Dr. Turner, dean of Wells, Biog. Britan. vol. iii. p. 2, 6. Edit. 1778. + Huntley's Prelates, p. 39. Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 136. Strype's Parker, p. 151.-Neal's Hist. of New Eng, vol. i. p. 50. says he, about the year 1563, seems to have been the first, or one of the first, after the church of England was settled, who opposed both its episcopacy and ceremonies, and made some disturbance about them. This Turner, adds the pious but mistaken author, was a very intemperate and indiscreet man, as appears from an anecdote recorded of him, wherein he manifested his rude treatment of a bishop, whom he had invited to dine with him.* That Dr. Turner was opposed to the episcopacy and ceremonies of the church, was never doubted; but that he was a disturber of the peace, was never proved. And whether he was a very intemperate and indiscreet man, will best appear from the anecdote itself, which was the following: the doctor having invited a bishop to dine with him, and having a very sagacious dog, was desirous to put a joke upon his lordship. Therefore, while they were at dinner, he called his dog, and told him that the bishop perspired very much. The dog then immediately flew upon his lordship, snatched off his cornered cap, and ran with it to his master.+ This celebrated divine having spent his life in active and vigorous endeavours to promote the reformation of the church, and the welfare of the state; and having suffered imprisonment and banishment from the hands of the papists, and deprivation from his fellow protestants, he died full of years, July 7, 1568. His remains were interred in the chancel of St. Olave's church, Hart-street, London, where a monumental inscription was erected to his memory, of which the following is a translation :‡ IN MEMORY of that famous, learned and holy man, he served the Church and the Commonwealth, as a good Soldier of Jesus Christ. in hope of a blessed resurrection. * Middleton's Biographia Evangelica, vol. ii. p. 326. Edit. 1780. Strype's Parker, p. 152. Ward's Gresham Professors, p. 130.-An imperfect account of this inscription is given in Stow's" Survey of London," b. ii. p. 38. |