Part 13

To conclude, he had asmuch in him of gifts both of bodie, mind and fortune, as was possible for anie potentate or king to haue. His politike wisedome in gouernance was singular, his wit alwaie quicke and readie, his reason pithie and substantiall, his memorie fresh and holding, his experience notable, his counsels fortunate and taken by wise deliberation, his spéech gratious in diuerse languages, his person (as before ye haue heard) right comelie, his naturall complexion of the purest mixture, leagues and confederations he had with all christian princes. His mightie power was dread euerie where, not onelie within his realme but without. Also his people were to him in as humble subjection as euer they were to king; his land manie a daie in peace and tranquillitie, his prosperitie in battell against his enimies was maruellous, his dealing in time of perils and dangers was cold and sober, with great hardinesse. If anie treason were conspired against him, it came out wonderfullie. His buildings most goodlie, and after the newest cast, all of pleasure.

And so this king liuing all his time in fortunes fauour, in high honour, wealth and glorie, for his noble acts and prudent policies is woorthie to be registred in the booke of fame, least time (the consumer of all worthie things) should blot out the memorie of his name here in earth, whose soule we trust liueth in heauen, enioieng the fruition of the godhead, & those pleasures prepared for the faithfull. [In memorie of whome, his manifold vertues, with the fortunate successe of his affaires, and the gratious descent of his loines, as they procured a famous report in nations farre and néere; so haue some at the contemplation of his princelinesse, and euerie waie crowned with felicitie, made memorials of his magnificence; to the immortalitie of his high praise and vnblemishable renowme: among whome (for the truth of the report iustifiable by the contents of this historie) one commeth to mind, which may well serue for an epitaph:

Septimus Henricus factis est nomen adeptus Præclarum claris ventura in secula famæ: Ciuibus ille suis fuerat charissimus, hostes Omnes iure ipsum metuebant: numinis almi Relligiosus erat cultor, pietatis & æqui, Versutos hominésque malos vehementiùs odit. Viginti totos charus trésque ampliùs annos Regibus externis in summo vixit honore: Magnanimus, iustus rex, prudens atque modestus, Henrico hæredi moriens sua regna reliquit, Diuitiásque, immensum argenti pondus & auri.

[Sidenote: _Abr. Fl. ex I. S. pag. 892._]

[Sidenote: Sepulture of Henrie the seuenth.]

[Sidenote: Executors to Henrie the suenth.]

¶The altar and sepulture of the same king Henrie the seuenth, wherein he now resteth, in his new chappell at Westminster, was made and finished in the yeare of our Lord 1519, by one Peter T. a painter of the citie of Florence, for the which he receiued one thousand pounds sterling for the whole stuffe and workemanship, at the hands of the king executors, Richard bishop of Winchester, Richard Fitz Iames bishop of London, Thomas bishop of Duresme, Iohn bishop of Rochester, Thomas duke of Norffolke treasuror of England, Edward earle of Worcester the kings Chamberleine, Iohn F. knight, chiefe iustice of the kings Bench, Robert R. knight chiefe justice of the common plées, &c.]

Of learned men that liued in this kings daies (as maister Bale noteth them) these are recorded. First George Rppeleie a Carmelite frier at Boston, séene in the mathematikes, he wrote diuerse treatises, and after his decease was accounted a nekromancer; Iohn Erghom borne in Yorke, a blacke frier, a doctor of diuinitie professed in Oxford, studious of prophesies, as by the title of the works which he wrote it may appeare; Iohn Persiuall a Chartreux monke; Thomas Maillorie a Welshman borne, he wrote (I wote not what) of king Arthur, and of the round table; Iohn Rousse borne in Warwikeshire, a diligent searcher of antiquities, whervpon few libraries were any where to be séene in England and Wales, where he made not search for the same, and wrote sundrie treatises of historicall arguments. He deceassed at Warwike the fourtéenth of Ianuarie in the yeare 1491, and was buried in our ladie church there.

[Sidenote: _Dromorensis episcopus._]

Thomas Scroope, otherwise surnamed Bradleie, descended of the noble familie of the Scroops, professed sundrie kinds of religions, as that of the order of saint Benet, and saint Dominike, and likewise he became a Carmelite, and last of all he fell to and preached the gospell in haire and sackecloth, till he vnderstood himselfe to be in the displeasure of Walden and other, that could not awaie with such singularitie in him or other, sounding (as they tooke it) to the danger of bringing the doctrine of the Romish church in misliking with the people; for then he withdrew himselfe to his house againe, and there remained twentie yeares, leading an anchors life, but yet after that time he came abroad, and was aduanced to be a bishop in Ireland, and went to the Roades in ambassage, from whence, being returned, he went barefooted vp and downe in Norffolke, teaching in townes and in the countrie abroad the ten commandements, he liued till he came to be at the point of an hundred yeares old, & departed this life the fiftéenth day of Ianuarie in the yeare of our Lord 1491, and was buried at Lestolfe, in Suffolke.

Iohn Tonneis, a diuine and an Augustine frier in Norwich, wrote certeine rules of grammar, and other things printed by Richard Pinson; Gefferie surnamed the Grammarian; Iohn Alcocke bishop of Elie, changed a nunrie at Cambridge into a college named Iesus college, about the yéere of Christ 1496. The chiefe cause of suppressing the nunrie is noted to be, for that the abbesse and other of the conuent liued dissolute liues; Stephan Hawes a learned gentleman, and of such reputation, as he was admitted to be one of the priuie chamber to king Henrie the seuenth; William Bintrée, so called of a towne in Norffolke where he was borne, by profession a Carmelite frier in Burnham, a great diuine; William Gallion an Augustine frier in Lin, and at length became prouinciall of his order.

Robert Fabian a citizen and merchant of London, an historiographer, he was in his time in good estimation for his wisedome and wealth in the citie, so that he bare office and was shiriffe in the yeare 1493; William Celling, borne beside Feuersham in Kent, a monke of Canturburie; Thomas Bourchier descended of the noble linage of the earles of Essex, was first bishop of Elie, and after remooued from thense to Canturburie, succéeding Iohn Kemp in that archbishops sée, at length created by pope Paule the second a cardinall; Philip Bromierd a Dominicke frier a diuine; Iohn Miles a doctor of both the lawes, ciuill and canon, he studied in Oxenford in the college of Brasen nose, newlie founded in the daies of this king Henrie the seuenth by William Smith bishop of Lincolne; Richard Shirborne bishop of Chichester, and imploied in ambassage to diuerse princes, as a man most méet thereto for his singular knowledge in learning and eloquence.

Robert Viduus vicar of Thakestéed in Essex, and a prebendarie canon of Welles, an excellent poet; Peter Kenighall a Carmelit frier, but borne of worshipfull linage in France, hauing an Englishman to his father, was student in Oxenford, and became a notable preacher; Iohn Morton first bishop of Elie, and after archbishop of Canturburie the sixtie and fourth in number that ruled that sée, he was aduanced to the dignitie of a cardinall, and by king Henrie the seuenth made lord chancellor, a worthie councellor and a modest, he was borne of worshipfull parents in Cheshire, & departed this life in the yeare of our Lord 1500; Henrie Medwall chapleine to the said Morton; Edmund Dudleie borne of noble parentage, studied the lawes of this land, and profited highlie in knowledge of the same, he wrote a booke intituled Arbor rei publicæ, the trée of the common wealth: of this man ye haue heard before in the life of this king, and more (God willing) shall be said in the beginning of the next king, as the occasion of the historie leadeth; Iohn Bokingham an excellent schooleman; William Blackeneie a Carmelit frier, a doctor of diuinitie, and a nekromancer.

Thus farre Henrie the seuenth, sonne to Edmund earle of Richmond.

Transcriber's Notes:

Simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors in the prose were corrected.

Punctuation normalized.

Archaic, colloquial, and non-standard spellings retained as printed.

Italics markup is enclosed in _underscores_.

Characters with a macron are indicated as [=x] where "x" is the character with a macron.

P. 528 changed 1468 to 1498.