He died at Mechlin, in the year 1565, and was buried there, leaving behind him feveral children, to whom he had given liberal education, one of whom is Jasper, who afterwards made a confiderable figure, and became à noted Jefuit. 00000000: 000 GEORGE FERrars, Efcended of an ancient family feated in Hert Defordshire, was born there in a village not far From St. Alban's about the year 1510 +. He was a lawyer, a historian, and a poet; he received his education at the univerfity of Oxford, but of what college he was Wood himfelf has not been able to discover; he removed from thence to Lincolns'-Inn, where, by a diligent application to the law, he made confiderable progrefs in his profeffion, and by the patronage of that great minifter Cromwell Earl of Effex, who was himself a man of astonishing abilities, he foon made a figure at the bar. He was the menial fervant of King Henry VIII. ‡ and difcharged his truft both in time of war and peace with great honour and gallantry, and fhared that monarch's favour in a very confiderable degree, who made him a grant in his own country, as an evidence of his affection for him. This grant of the King's happened in the year 1535; and yet in feven years afterwards, either thro' want of ceconomy, or by a boundless confidence in his friends, he reduced his affairs to a very indifferent fituation, + From manufcript note on the art of poetry. Biog. Brit. F. 1922. which, perhaps, might be the reason, why he procured himself to be chofen Member for the Borough of Plymouth in the county of Devon, ‡ in the Parliament fummoned the thirty-third year of that King's reign. During the Seffions he had the misfortune to be arrested by an officer belonging to the Sheriffs of London, and carried to the counter, then in Bread-ftreet. No fooner had the House of Commons. got notice of this infult offered to one of their Members, than they immediately enacted a fettled rule, which from that accident took place, with refpect to privilege, and ever fince that time the Members of the Houfe have been exempt from arrefts for debt. His Majefty likewife refented the affront offered to his fervant, and with the concurrence of the Parliament proceeded very feverely against the Sheriffs. Hollinfhed in his chronicle, vol 2. p. 955, gives a very full account of it. Sir Thomas Moils, knight, then Speaker of the Houfe, gave a special order to the Serjeant of the Parliament to repair to the Compter, and there demand the delivery of the prisoner. But notwithstanding this high authority, the officers' in the city refused to obey the command, and after many altercations, they abfolutely refifted the Serjeant, upon which a fray enfued within the Compter-gates, between Ferrars and the officers, not without mutual hurt, fo that the Serjeant was driven to defend himself with his mace of arms, and had the crown of it broken with warding off a stroke; the Sheriffs of London fo far from appealing, fomented the quarrel, and with infolent language refufed to deliver their prifoner: Upon which the Serjeant, thus abused, returned to the House and related what had happened. This circumftance so exasperated the Burgeffes, that they all rofe and went into the Upper House, and declared they would tranfact no Willis notitia Parliam. vol 2. p. 295. more more business till their Member was restored to them. They then commanded their Serjeant again to go to the Compter with his mace, and make a fecond demand by their authority.The Sheriffs hearing that the Upper House had concerned themselves in it, and being afraid of their refentment, restored the prisoner before the Serjeant had time to return to the Compter; but this did not fatisfy the Burgeffes, they fummoned the Sheriffs before them, together with one White, who in contempt of their dignity had taken out a writ against Ferrars, and as a punishment for their infolence, they were fent to the Tower; and ever fince that period, the power and privilege of the Commons have been on the increase. * Ferrars continued in high favour with Henry during the remainder of his reign, and feems to have ftood upon good terms with Somerset Lord Protector in the beginning of Edward VI. fince it appears that he attended the Protector in quality of one of the Commiffioners of the Army, in his expedition into Scotland in 1548, which, perhaps, might be owing to his being about the perfon of Prince Edward in his father's life-time. Another instance of this happened about four years afterwards, at a very critical juncture, for when the unfortunate Duke of Somerset lay under sentence of death, and it was observed that the people murmured and often gave teftimonies of difcontent, and that the King himself was very uneafy, thofe about him ftudied every method to quiet and amufe the one, to entertain and divert the other . In order to this, at the entrance of Christmas holidays, Mr. Ferrars was proclaimed Lord, Mifrule, that is a kind of Prince of fports and paftimes, which office he difcharged *Patten's Journal of the Scotch expedition, p. 13. Stow's Annal. p. 608, for for twelve days together at Greenwich with great magnificence and address, and entirely to the King's fatisfaction. In this character, attended by the politeft part of the Court, he made an excursion to London, where he was fplendidly entertained by the Lord Mayor, and when he took his leave he had prefents given him him in token of refpect. But notwithstanding he made fo great figure in the diverfions at court, yet he was no idle fpectator of political affairs, and maintained his reputation with the learned world. He wrote the reign of Queen Mary, which tho' published in the name of Richard Grafton, in his chronicles; yet was certainly the performance of Ferrars, according to the annals of Stow, p. 632, whofe authority in this cafe is very high. Our author was an hiftorian, a lawyer, and a politician even in his poetry, as appears from thefe pieces of his which are inferted in the Mirror of Magiftrates, and which are not inferior to any others that have found a place there †. In the early part of his life he wrote fome tracts on his own profeffion, which gained him great reputation, and which difcover that he was a lover of liberty, and not difpofed to facrifice to the crown the rights and properties of the fubject. It feldom happens that when a man often changes his fituation, or is forced to do so, that he continues to preferve the good opinion of different parties, but this was a happiness which Ferrars enjoyed. He was confulted by the learned as a candid critic, admired and loved by all who converfed with him. With refpect to the time of our author's death, we cannot be abfolutely certain; all we know is, that he died in the year 1579, at his house in Flamstead in Hertfordshire, and was buried in the parish church; for as Wood informs + Lond. 40. us, on the eighteenth of May the fame year a commillion was granted from the prerogative, to administer the goods, debts, chattles, &c. of George Ferrars lately deceased *. None of our authors deliver any thing as to Mr. Ferrars's religion, but it is highly probable that he was a zealous Proteftant: not from his accepting grants of Abbey-lands, for that is but a precarious proof, but from his coming into the world under the protection of Thomas Lord Cromwell, who was certainly perfuaded of the truth of the proteftant religion. Having this occafion to mention Thomas Lord Cromwell, the famous Earl of Effex, who was our author's warmest patron, I am perfuaded my readers will forgive me a digreffion which will open to them the noblest instance of gratitude and honour in that worthy nobleman, that ever adorned the page of an hiftorian, and which has been told with rapture by all who have writ of the times, particularly by Dr. Burnet in his history of the Reformation, and Fox in his Martyrology. Thomas Lord Cromwell was the fon of a Blacksmith at Putney, and was a foldier under the duke of Bourbon at the facking of Rome in the year 1527. While he was abroad in a military character, in a very low station, he fell fick, and was unable to follow the army; he was observed one day by an Italian merchant to walk very penfive, and had all the appearance of penury and wretchedness: The merchant enquired of him the place of his birth, and fortune, and upon converfing with Cromwell, was fo well pleased with the ac count he gave of himself, that he supplied him with money and credit to carry him to England. Cromwell afterwards made the most rapid progress in state-preferments ever known. Honours were multiplied thick upon him, and he came to have the difpenfing of his fovereign's bounty. It hap | Athen. Oxon. vol. 1. col. 146. VOL. I. No 2. pened |