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Greek lecture abovementioned, that he might not appear to countenance a dangerous novelty, was obliged to cover his excellent inftitution under the venerable mantle of the authority of the church. For as a feeming apology for what he had done, he refers to a canonical decree of pope Clement the fifth, promulged in the year 1311, at Vienne in Dauphine, which enjoined, that profeffors of Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, fhould be instituted in the universities of Oxford, Paris, Bononia, Salamanca, and in the cout of Rome'. It was under the force of this ecclefiaftical constitution, that Gregory Typhernas, one of the learned Greek exiles, had the address to claim a stipend for teaching Greek in the university of Paris". We cannot but wonder at the strange disagreement in human affairs between cause and effect, when we confider, that this edict of pope Clement, which originated from a fuperftitious reverence annexed to two of these languages, because they compofed part of the superscription on the cross of Christ, should have so strongly counteracted its own principles, and proved an instrument in the reformation of religion.

The university of Oxford was rent into factions on account of these bold attempts; and the advocates of the recent improvements, when the gentler weapons of persuasion could not prevail, often proceeded to blows with the rigid. champions of the fchools. But the facetious, difpofition of

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and abbots of England, who are the perfons particularly ordered in pope Clement's injunction to fuftain thefe lectures in the university of Oxford. Bifhop Fox, therefore, in founding a Greek lecture, would be understood, that he does not mean to abfolve or excufe the other prelates of England from doing their proper duty in this neceffary bufinefs. At the fame time a charge. on their negligence feems to be implied.

Quem præterea in noftro Alveario." debent." By Eos, he means the bishops "collocavimus, quod SACROSANCTI CA66 NONES Commodiffime pro bonis literis, "et imprimis chriftianis, inftituerunt ac jufferunt, eum in hac univerfitate Ox"onienfi, perinde ac paucis aliis celeber"rimis gymnafiis, nunquam defiderari." STATUT. C. C. C. Oxon. ut fupr. The words of this ftatute which immediately follow, deserve notice here, and require explanation. "Nec tamen Eos hac ratione "excufatos volumus, qui Græcam lectio"nem in co SUIS IMPENSIS fuftentare

Naud. i. 3. p. 234. This was in 1472.

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fir Thomas More had no small share in deciding this fingular controversy, which he treated with much ingenious ridicule. Erafmus, about the fame time, was engaged in attempting these reformations at Cambridge: in which, notwithstanding the mildness of his temper and conduct, and the general luftre of his literary character, he met with the moft obftinate oppofition. He expounded the Greek grammar of Chryfoloras in the public schools without an audience and having, with a view to prefent the Grecian literature in the most fpecious and agreeable form by a piece of pleasantry, tranflated Lucian's lively dialogue called ICAROMENIPPUS, he could find no ftudent in the university capable of transcribing the Greek with the Latin'. His edition of the Greek teftament, the most commodious that had yet appeared, was abfolutely profcribed at Cambridge: and a programma was iffued in one of the most ample colleges, threatening a fevere fine to any member of the fociety, who should be detected in having so fantastic and impious a book in his poffeffion. One Henry Standish, a doctor in divinity and a mendicant frier, afterwards bishop of faint Asaph, was a vehement adversary of Erafmus in the promotion of this heretical literature; whom he called in a declamation, by way of reproach, Graculus ifte, which foon became a fynonymous appellation for an heretic'. Yet it fhould be remembered, that many English prelates patronised Erasmus; and that one of our archbishops was at this time ambitious of learning Greek".

"See, among other proofs, his EPISTOLA Scholafticis quibufdam Trojanos fe appellantibus, published by Hearne, 1716, 8vo.

* Erafmi EPIST. Ammonio, dat. 1512. Ep. 123. Op. tom. iii. p. 110.

y Ibid. EPIST. 139. dat. 1512. p. 120. Henry Bullock, called Bovillus, one of Erafmus's friends, and much patronifed by Wolfey, printed a Latin tranflation of Lu

cian, weg Afadwr, at Cambridge, 1521, quarto.

z Ibid. EPIST. 148. dat. 1513. p. 126. a See Erafmi OPERA. tom. ix. p. 1440. Even the priests, in their confeffions of young scholars, cautioned against this growing evil. "Cave a Græcis ne fias hæreticus." Erafm. ADAG. Op. ii. 993. Erafm. EPIST. 301.

Even the public diverfions of the court took a tincture from this growing attention to the languages, and assumed a claffical air. We have before seen, that a comedy of Plautus was acted at the royal palace of Greenwich in the year 1520. And when the French ambaffadors with a moft splendid suite of the French nobility were in England for the ratification of peace in the year 1514, amid the most magnificent banquets, tournaments, and mafques, exhibited at the fame palace, they were entertained with a Latin interlude; or, to use the words of a cotemporary writer, with fuch an "excellent Interlude made in Latin, that I never "heard the like; the actors apparel being fo gorgious, and "of such strange devices, that it paffes my capacitie to relate "them "."

Nor was the protection of king Henry the eighth, who notwithstanding he had attacked the opinions of Luther, yet, from his natural liveliness of temper and a love of novelty, thought favourably of the new improvements, of inconfider able influence in fupporting the restoration of the Greek language. In 1519, a preacher at the public church of the university of Oxford, harangued with much violence, and in the true spirit of the antient orthodoxy, against the doctrines inculcated by the new profeffors: and his arguments were canvaffed among the ftudents with the greatest animofity. But Henry, being refident at the neighbouring royal manor of Woodstock, and having received a juft detail of the merits of this dispute from Pace and More, interpofed his uncontrovertible authority; and tranfmitting a royal mandate to the univerfity, commanded that the study of the fcriptures in their original languages fhould not only be permitted for the future, but received as a branch of the academical institution. Soon afterwards, one of the king's

• Cavendish, MEM. Card. Wolfey, p. d Erafm. EPIST. 380. tom. iii. 94 edit. 1708. 8vo.

chaplains

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chaplains preaching at court, took an opportunity to cenfure the genuine interpretations of the fcriptures, which the Grecian learning had introduced. The king, when the fermon was ended, to which he had liftened with a smile of contempt, ordered a folemn difputation to be held, in his own prefence: at which the unfortunate preacher opposed, and fir Thomas More, with his ufual dexterity, defended, the utility and excellence of the Greek language. The divine, who at least was a good courtier, instead of vindicating his opinion, inftantly fell on his knees, and begged pardon for having given any offence in the pulpit before his majesty. However, after fome flight altercation, the preacher, by way of making fome fort of conceffion in form, ingenuoufly declared, that he was now better reconciled to the Greek tongue, because it was derived from the Hebrew. The king, astonished at his ridiculous ignorance, difmiffed the chaplain, with a charge, that he should never again prefume to preach at court. In the grammatical schools established in all the new cathedral foundations of this king, a master is appointed, with the uncommon qualification of a competent skill in both the learned languages'. In the year 1523, Ludovicus Vives, having dedicated his commentary` on Auftin's DE CIVITATE DEI to Henry the eighth, was invited into England, and read lectures at Oxford in jurisprudence and humanity; which were countenanced by the presence, not only of Henry, but of queen Catharine and fome of the principal nobility. At length antient absurdities universally gave way to these encouragements. Even the vernacular lan

etc.

• Ibid. p. 408.

Statuimus præterea, ut per Decanum,

unus [Archididafcalus] eligatur, Latine et Grace doctus, bonæ famæ, &c." STATUT. Ecclef. Roffenf. cap. xxv. They were given Jun. 30, 1545. In the fame ftatute the fecond master is required to be only Latine ductus. All the ftatutes of the

new cathedrals are alike. It is remarkable, that Wolfey does not order Greek to be taught in his fchool at Ipfwich, founded. 1528. See Strype, ECCL. MEM. i. Append. xxxv. p. 94. feq.

8 Twyne, APOL. lib. ii. §. 210. feq. Probaby he was patronifed by Catharine as a Spaniard.

guage

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guage began to be cultivated by the more ingenious clergy. Colet, dean of faint Paul's, a divine of profound learning, with a view to adorn and improve the style of his difcourfes, and to acquire the graces of an elegant preacher, employed much time in reading Gower, Chaucer, and Lydgate, and other English poets, whofe compofitions had embellished the popular diction. The practice of frequenting Italy, for the purpose of acquiring the last polish to a Latin style both in eloquence and poetry, ftill continued in vogue; and was greatly promoted by the connections, authority, and good taste, of cardinal Pole, who conftantly refided at the court of Rome in a high character. At Oxford, in particular, these united endeavours for establishing a new course of liberal and manly fcience, were finally confummated in the magnificent foundation of Wolfey's college, to which all the accomplished scholars of every country in Europe were invited; and for whofe library, tranfcripts of all the valuable manuscripts which now fill the Vatican, were defigned'.

But the progress of these profperous beginnings was foon obftructed. The firft obftacle I fhall mention, was, indeed, but of short duration. It was however, an unfavourable circumftance, that in the midft of this career of fcience, Henry, who had ever been accustomed to gratify his paffions at any rate, fued for a divorce against his queen Catharine. The legality of this violent measure being agitated with much deliberation and folemnity, wholly engroffed the attention of many able philologists, whofe genius and acquifitions were deftined to a much nobler employment; and tended to revive for a time the frivolous fubtleties of cafuiftry and theology..

But another cause which fufpended the progreffion of these letters, of much more importance and extent, ultimately most

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