tiques, wherein he has written (in a hand as legible as print) MSS. in 4: a foot high at least. I have often heard him say (jestingly) that he would have a man knockt in the head that should write any thing in mathematiques that had been written of before. I have heard S: Christopher Wren say, that he does beleeve he was the best mathematician in the world about 30 or 35 yeares agoe. But being a divine he was unwilling to print, because the world should not know how he had spent the greatest part of his time. He very rarely went any farther then the church, which is hard by his house. His wife was a very discreet and excellent huswife, that he troubled himselfe about no mundane affaires, and 'tis a private place, that he was but little diverted with visitts. I have writt to his executor, that we may have the honour and favour to conserve his MSS. in the Library of the R. Societie, and to print what is fitt. I hope I shall obtaine my desire. He had a noble library, which was the aggregate of his father's, the bishop's, and his owne. He was of middling stature, something spare and weake, feeble leggs, he had sometimes the goute, was of great temperance; he alwayes dranke his beer at meales with a toast, winter and summer, and sayd it made the beer the better. He was not only a man of vast learning, but of great goodness and charity; the parish and all his friends will

have a great losse in him. He tooke no use for money upon bond. He was my singular good friend, and to whom I have been more beholding then to any one beside; for I borrowed five hundred pounds of him for a yeare and a halfe, and I could not fasten any interest on him. He was very ready to teach and instruct. He did me the favour to informe me first in Algebra. His daughters were Algebrists. His most familiar learned acquaintance was Lancelot Morehouse, parson of Pertwood. I remember when I was a young Oxford scholar, that he could not endure to heare of the new (Cartesian, &c.) Philosophy; For, sayd he, if a new Philosophy is brought in, a new Divinity will shortly follow; and he was right. He dyed at his house at Gillingham aforesayd, where he and his predecessor, Dr. . . . . Jessop had been vicars one hundred and . . . yeares, and lyes buryed in the chancell there.

He was heire to his uncle, J. Davenant, Bp. of Sarum.

Memorandum. When Bp. Coldwell came to this bishoprick, he did lett long leases, which were but newly expired when Bp. Davenant came to this see; so that there tumbled into his coffers vast summes. His predecessor, Dr. Tounson, maried his sister, continued in the see but a little while, and left severall children unprovided for, so the K. or rather D. of Bucks gave Bp. Dave、

nant the bishoprick out of pure charity. S Anth. Weldon sayes* 'twas the only bishoprick y' he disposed of without symony, all others being made merchandise of for the advancement of his kindred. Bp. Davenant being invested, maried all his nieces to clergie-men, so he was at no expence for their preferment. He granted to his nephew (this Dr.) the lease of the great mannour of Poterne, worth about 1000lib. per annum, made him treasurer of the church of Sarum, of which the corps is the parsonage of Calne, wh was esteemed to be of the like value. He made severall purchases, all wch he left him; insomuch as the churchmen of Sarum say, that he gained more by this church then ever any man did by the church since the Reformation, and take it very unkindly that, at his death, he left nothing (or about 50lib.) to that church which was the source of his estate. How it happened I know not, or how he might be workt on in his old age, but I have heard severall yeares since, he had sett downe 500lib. in will for the Cath. Ch. of Sarum. He had 6 sonnes and 4 daughters. There was a good schoole at Gillingham: at winter-nights he taught his sonnes Arith. and Geometrie; his 2 eldest daughters, especially Mrs Ettrick was a notable Algebrist. He had an excellent way of

* In his Court of King James.

improving his children's memories, wth was thus: he would make one of them read a chapter or, &c. and then they were (sur le champ) to repeate what they remembered, which did exceedingly profitt them; and so for sermons, he did not let them write notes (which jaded their memorie), but give an account viva voce. When his eldest son, John, came to Winton-schoole (where the boyes were enjoyned to write sermon notes) he had not wrote; the master askt him for his notes-he had none, but sayd, "If I doe not give you as good an account of it, as they that doe, I am much mistaken."

SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT, KNIGHT,

(Poet Laureat,)

Was borne about the end of February, baptized 3 of March, A. D. 1605-6, in . . . . . street, in the city of Oxford, at the Crowne Taverne. His father, John Davenant, was a vintner there, a very grave and discreet citizen: his mother was a very beautifull woman, and of a very good witt, and of conversation extremely agreeable. They had three sons, viz. 1. Robert, 2. William, 3. Nicholas, (an attorney). Robert was a fellow

of St. John's coll. in Oxon. then preferred to the parsonage of West Kington by Bishop Davenant, whose chaplaine he was: and two handsome daughters, one maried to Gabriel Bridges, B.D. of C. C. Coll. beneficed in the Vale of White Horse; another to Dr. Sherburne, minister of Pembridge, in Hereford, and a canon of that church, Mr. William Shakespeare was wont to goe into Warwickshire once a yeare, and did comonly in his journey lye at this house in Oxon, where he was exceedingly respected. * * * *

*

Now S Wm would sometimes, when he was pleasant over a glasse of wine with his most intimate friends,-e, g. Sam. Butler, (author of Hudibras) &c.—say, that it seemed to him that he writt with the very spirit that Shakespeare,* and seemed contented enough to be thought his son

He went to schoole at Oxon to Mr. Sylvester (Charles), where F. Degorij W. was his schoolefellowe, but I feare he was drawne from schoole before he was ripe enough. He was preferred to the first Dutchess of Richmond to wayte on her as a page. I remember he told me, she sent him to a famous apothecary for some Unicornes-horne, wch he was resolved to try with a spider, wch he empaled in

* [Sic. EDIT]