life, but with great abilities of mind, and an inclination to employ them in the fervice of his country, as is teftified by his several employments (vide Camden's Britannia), having been fent nine times Ambaffador" unto foreign princes; and by his being a Privy Councellor to King Henry VIII. to Edward VI. to Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth; who also, after he had been, during the wars between England, and Scotland and France, three feveral times (and not unfuccessfully) employed in committees for fettling of peace betwixt this and those kingdoms, "died," faith learned Camden, "Full of commendations for wisdom and piety." He was alfo by the will. of King Henry VIII. made one of his executors, and chief Secretary of State to his fon, that pious Prince Edward VI.-Concerning which Nicholas Wotton, I fhall fay but this little more; that he refufed (being offered it by Queen Elizabeth) to be Archbishop of Canterbury-(vide Hollingfhead); and that he died not rich, though he lived in that time of the diffolution of abbeys.

More might be added; but by this it may appear, that Sir Henry Wotton was a branch of fuch a kindred, as left a stock of reputation to their pofterity; fuch reputation as might kindle a generous emulation in strangers, and preferve a noble ambition in those of his name and family, to perform actions worthy of their ancestors.

And that Sir Henry Wotton did fo, might appear more perfectly than my pen can exprefs it, if of his many furviving friends, fome one of X 2

higher

"Cromwell, a purfe by Wolfey, a fword by Brandon, and muft now fend the law by "you." (Lloyd's State Worthies, p. 107.)—He was confidered as poffeffing the qualifications of a statesman in a very eminent degree. "Every younker speaks as politic as Bishop "Gardner or Dr. Wotton." (Spenfer's Letters to his friend Immerito.)

It appears from the infcription on his monument that he was fent Ambassador twice to the Emperor Charles V. once to Philip King of Spain, once to Francis I. the French King, thrice to Henry II. his fon, once to Mary Queen of Hungary, governor of the Low Countries, and twice to William Duke of Cleves: That he was alfo a Commissioner at the renewal of peace between the English, and French and Scots, at a place between Guifnes and Ardes, in 1546, and alfo at the caftle of Cambray, in 1559, and lastly at Edinburgh, in 1560.-See his life in a very valuable work lately published, entitled, "Some account of the Deans of "Canterbury, from the new Foundation of that Church by Henry VIII. to the prefent Time. "By Henry John Todd, M. A."

higher parts and employments had been pleased to have commended his to pofterity; but since fome years are now paffed, and they have all (I know not why) forborn to do it, my gratitude to my dead friend, and the renewed request of fome that ftill live folicitous to fee this duty performed, these have had a power to perfuade me to undertake it; which, truly, I have not done, but with fome diftruft of mine own abilities; and yet fo far from defpair, that I am modeftly confident my humble language shall be accepted, because I fhall prefent all readers with a commixture of truth, and Sir Henry Wotton's merits.

This being premifed, I proceed to tell the reader, that the father of Sir Henry Wotton was twice married; firft to Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir John Rudstone, knight; after whose death, though his inclination was averse to all contentions, yet neceffitated he was to feveral fuits in law; in the prosecution whereof (which took up much of his time, and were the occafion of many difcontents) he was by divers of his friends earnestly perfuaded to a remarriage; to whom he has often answered, "That if ever he did put on a refolution to marry, he was seriously refolved to " avoid three forts of perfons, namely,

66

"Thofe that had children;

"Thofe that had law-fuits;

"And thofe that were of his kindred."

And yet, following his own law-fuits, he met in Westminster-hall with Mrs. Elionora Morton, widow to Robert Morton of Kent, Efquire, who was also engaged in feveral fuits in law; and he, obferving her comportment at the time of hearing one of her causes before the judges, could not but at the fame time both compaffionate her condition, and affect her perfon (for the tears of lovers, or beauty dreft in sadness, are observed to have in them a charming eloquence, and to become very often too ftrong to be refifted), which I mention, because it proved fo with this Thomas Wotton; for although there were in her a concurrence of all thofe accidents, against which he had so seriously refolved, yet his affection to her

grew * Sir Edward Bish Clarentieux, King of Arms, Mr. Charles Cotton, and Mr. Nick Oudert, fometime Sir Henry Wotton's fervant, and one of the witneffes to his last will.

grew then fo ftrong, that he refolved to folicit her for a wife; and did, and obtained her.

By her (who was the daughter of Sir William Finch of Eaftwell in Kent) he had only Henry his youngest fon. His mother undertook to be tutorefs unto him during much of his childhood; for whofe care and pains he paid her each day with such vifible figns of future perfection in learning, as turned her employment into a pleafing trouble; which he was content to continue, till his father took him into his own particular care, and difpofed of him to a tutor in his own house at Bocton.

And when time and diligent inftruction had made him fit for a removal to a higher form (which was very early), he was fent to Winchester-school, a place of strict difcipline and order; that fo he might in his youth be moulded into a method of living by rule, which his wife father knew to be the most neceffary way, to make the future part of his life both happy to himself, and useful for the discharge of all bufinefs, whether public or private.

And that he might be confirmed in this regularity, he was at a fit age removed from that school to be a Commoner of New-College in Oxford; both being founded by William Wickham Bishop of Winchester..

There he continued, till about the eighteenth year of his age; and was then transplanted into Queen's-College, where within that year he was by the chief of that college perfuafively enjoined to write a play for their private use (it was the tragedy of Tancredo), which was fo interwoven with fentences, and for the method and exact perfonating those humours, paffions, and dispositions, which he proposed to reprefent, so performed, that the graveft of that fociety declared he had in a fleight employment given an early and a solid testimony of his future abilities. And though there may be fome four difpofitions, which may think this not worth a memorial, yet that wife knight, Baptift Guarini (whom learned Italy

accounts

He was admitted of New College in 1584.

The famous author of the "Il Paftor Fido."

accounts one of her ornaments), thought it neither an uncomely, nor an unprofitable employment for his age.

But I pass to what will be thought more ferious.

About the twentieth year of his age he proceeded Master of Arts', and at that time read in Latin three lectures de Oculo; wherein he having defcribed the form, the motion, the curious compofure of the eye, and demonftrated how of thofe very many every humour and nerve performs its diftinct office, fo as the God of Order hath appointed, without mixture or confufion; and all this to the advantage of man, to whom the eye is given, not only as the body's guide, but whereas all other of his fenfes require time to inform the foul, this, in an inftant, apprehends and warns him of danger; teaching him in the very eyes of others, to discover wit, folly, love, and hatred.

After he had made thefe obfervations, he fell to difpute this optique queftion:

"Whether we fee by the emiffion of the beams from within, or recep"tion of the fpecies from withoutTM?"

And after that, and many other like learned difquifitions, he, in the conclufion of his lectures, took a fair occafion to beautify his difcourfe with a commendation of the bleffing and benefit of "Seeing:-By which, we do not only difcover Nature's fecrets, but with a continued content "(for the eye is never weary of feeing) behold the great light of the "world, and by it discover the fabric of the heavens, and both the order "and motion of the cœleftial orbs; nay, that if the eye look but down"ward, it may rejoice to behold the bofom of the earth, our common mother, embroidered and adorned with numberless and various flowers, "which man fees daily grow up to perfection, and then filently moralize ❝his own condition, who in a fhort time (like thofe very flowers) decays, "withers,

1 According to Anthony Wood, Mr. Henry Wotton fupplicated in June 1588 for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. But it did not appear from the records of the Univerfity that he was ever admitted to this degree, or to that of Mafter of Arts.

See an accurate Hiftory of the Causes of Vision in Dr. Smith's Optics, volume II. P. 23.

"withers, and quickly returns again to that earth from which both had "their first being"."

These were fo exactly debated, and fo rhetorically heightened, as, among other admirers, caufed that learned Italian, Albericus Gentilis, then Profeffor of the Civil Law in Oxford, to call him "Henrice mi Ocelle";" which dear expreffion of his was alfo ufed by divers of Sir Henry's dearest friends, and by many other perfons of note during his ftay in the university.

But his stay there was not long, at least not fo long as his friends once intended; for the year after Sir Henry proceeded Mafter of Arts, his father-(whom Sir Henry did never mention without this or fome fuch like reverential expreffion; as, "That good man my father," or "My father the best of men.")-About that time, this good man changed this for a better life, leaving to Sir Henry, as to his other younger fons, a rent-charge of an hundred marks a-year, to be paid for ever out of some one of his manors of a much greater value.

And here, though this good man. be dead, yet I wish a circumstance or two that concern him may not be buried without a relation, which I shall undertake

The claffic reader, and indeed every reader, will be highly gratified with this beautiful. paffage from Mr. Wotton's Lecture.

In all languages the life of man has been compared to the flower that is foon withered, and paffeth away.

• "Volo placere Philolachi, meo ocello, meo patrono." (Plaut. Moft. A. I. Sc. 3,—11.