Diary of John Manningham Part 19

"those _atomi_ ridiculous Whereof old Democrite and Hill Nicholas, One said, the other swore, the world consists;"

and the world at large seems to have entertained a very mean opinion of the modern upholder of those doctrines. His end, according to a hearsay commemorated by Wood, was very unhappy, and was connected with the other person mentioned in our text. It is said that he fell into a conspiracy with "one Hill of Umberley in Devonshire, descended from Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle, a natural son of King Edward IV., who pretended some right to the crown." Being forced to fly into Holland, Hill practised physic at Rotterdam, in conjunction with his son Laurence, on whose death he went into an apothecary's shop, swallowed poison, and died on the spot. (Ath.

Oxon. ii. 86.)]

[Sidenote: fo. 44^b.

12 October, 1602.]

The Earle of Suss.e.x keepes Mrs. Syluester Morgan (sometyme his ladies gentlewoman) at Dr. Daylies house as his mistress, calls hir his Countesse, hyres Captain Whitlocke,[102] with monie and cast suites, to braue his Countes, with telling of hir howe he buyes his wench a wascote of 10_l._, and puts hir in hir veluet gowne, &c.: thus, not content to abuse hir by keeping a common wench, he striues to invent meanes of more greife to his lady, whoe is of a verry goodly and comely personage, of an excellent presence, and a rare witt. Shee hath brought the Earle to allowe hir 1700_l._ a yeare for the maintenaunce of hir selfe and hir children while she lives apart. It is coniectured that Captain Whitlocke, like a base pander, hath incited the Earl to followe this sensuall humour, * * * as he did the Earl of Rutland. (_J.

Bramstone nar._) The Countesse is daughter to the Lady Morrison in Hartfordshire,[103] with whom it is like she purposeth to liue. * *

* A practise to bring the n.o.bilitie into contempt and beggery, by nourishing such as may prouoke them to spend all vpon lechery and such base pleasures.

[Footnote 102: Capt. Edmund Whitelocke, a brother of Sir James Whitelocke, father of Bulstrode Whitelocke. The Captain was one of the gayest and wildest of men, a great traveller, "well seen in the tongues," "extreme prodigal," a fellow of infinite merriment, and suspected of being concerned in half the plots and duels of his day.

He was in trouble with the Earl of Ess.e.x, and again about the Powder Plot, and probably knew familiarly all the prisons in the metropolis. He died about six years after the time with which our Diarist is dealing, at Newhall, in Ess.e.x, the seat of his friend the Earl of Suss.e.x. The Earl attended his funeral, and laid him honourably in the chapel of the Ratcliffes. See _Liber Famelicus of Sir James Whitelocke, (Camden Society,)_ pp. iv. 10. The Earl of Suss.e.x hero alluded to was Robert the fifth Earl of the family of the Radcliffes, 1593-1629.]

[Footnote 103: Bridget, daughter of Sir Charles Morison of Cashiobury, Herts. She was aunt to the wife of the celebrated Lord Falkland.]

When there came one which presented a supplicacion for his master to the Counsell, that vpon sufficient bond he might be released out of Wisbishe Castle, where he lay for recusancy, that he might looke to his busines in haruest, the Lord Admirall[104] thought the pet.i.tion reasonable, but the old Lord Treasurour, Sir W. Cecil, said he would not a.s.sent, "for,"

said he, "I knowe howe such men would vse vs yf they had vs at the like aduantage, and therefore while we haue the staffe in our handes lett us hold it, and when they gett it lett them vse it." (_Mr. Hadsor nar._)

[Footnote 104: Lord Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham.]

[Sidenote: fo. 45.

October, 1602.]

_Out of a Poeme called "It is merry when Gossips meete"_ S. R.[105]

[Footnote 105: These initials, inserted by a later hand, indicate "Samuel Rowlands," the author of this very popular little volume.

The first edition bears a date in 1602, and had probably just been published when it attracted the attention of our diarist.]

Such a one is clarret proofe, _i. e._ a good wine-bibber.

There's many deale vpon the score for wyne, When they should pay forgett the Vintner's syne.

A man whose beard seemes scard with sprites to have bin, And hath noe difference twixt his nose and chin, But all his hayres have got the falling sicknes, Whose forefront lookes like jack an apes behind.

A gossips round, thats every on a cup.

[Sidenote: fo. 45^b.

October 12, 1602.]

Mr. Steuen Beckingham of Hartfordshire was brought into the Kings benche at the suit of two poore ioyners whom he hath undone; they seeled his house, which came to a matter of some 80_l._ and they could hardly obtain anie thing by suit. A man of a hott collerick disposicion, a creaking loud voyce, a greasy whitish head, a reddish beard, of long staring _mouchetons_; wore an outworne m.u.f.f with two old gold laces, a playne falling band, his cuffs wrought with coloured silk and gold, a sattin doublet, a wrought wastcote, &c. _vt facile quis cognoscat haud facile si c.u.m alijs convenire posset, qui voce, facie, vest.i.tu ita sec.u.m dissidet_. One of his witnesses would not aunswere any thing for him vntill he were payd his charges in the face of the court. Soe little confidence had he in his credit, whoe had dealt soe hardly with his ioyners.

On Fossar, an old ioyner dwelling [in] Paules Churchyard, a common and a good measurer of ioyners work.

Mr. Prideaux, a great practiser in the Eschequer, and one that usurpes vpon a place certaine at the barr, left his man one day to keepe his place for him, but Lancaster of Grayes In comming in the meane tyme, would needes haue the place, though the man would haue kept it. "For,"

said L. "knowes thou not that I beeleue nothing but the reall presence?"

meaning that he was a Papist; and besydes, "could not thinke it to be _corpus meum_ except Mr. Prideux himselfe were there." (_Mr. Hackwell nar._)

[Sidenote: fo. 46.

16 October, 1602.]

When Mr. Dodridge,[106] in his argument of Mr.

Darsies patentes, and soe of the prerogatiue in generall, he began his speache from G.o.ds gouernment. "It is done like a good archer," quoth Fr.

Bacon, "he shootes a fayre compa.s.se."

[Footnote 106: This anecdote derives some little _vraisemblance_ from the circ.u.mstance that Sir John Doderidge, who was a justice of the King's Bench from 1612 to 1628, was looked upon as a man of a philosophical character of mind, and of very large acquirements.

Fuller remarks that it was hard to say whether "he was better artist, divine, civil or common lawyer" (Worthies, i. 282), and Croke, that he was "a man of great knowledge as well in common law as in other human sciences and divinity." (Reports, Car. 127, cited in Foss's Judges, vi. 309.)]

There was an action brought to trie the t.i.tle of one Rooke an infant for a house and certaine land. "All this controversye," said the attorny, "is but for a little rookes nest."

_An Epitaphe upon a bellowes maker._

Here lyes Jo. Potterell, a maker of bellowes, Maister of his trade, and king of good fellowes; Yet for all this, att the houre of his death, He that made bellowes could not make breath. (_B. J._)[107]

[Footnote 107: These initials are by a more recent hand. The lines do not appear in the published works of Ben Jonson.]

[Sidenote: 24.]

Mr. Bodly, the author, promoter, [and] the perfecter, of a goodly library in Oxford, wan a riche widdowe by this meanes. Comming to the place where the widdowe was with one whoe is reported to haue bin sure of hir, as occasion happened the widdowe was absent; while he was in game, he, finding this opportunity, entreated the surmised a.s.sured gent.

to hold his cardes till he returned. In which tyme he found the widdowe in a garden, courted, and obteined his desyre; soe he played his game, while an other held his cardes.[108] He was at first but the sonne of a merchant, vntill he gave some intelligence of moment to the counsell, whereupon he was thought worthie employment, whereby he rose. (_Mr.

Curle._)

[Footnote 108: The lady alluded to was Anne Carew, daughter of a merchant of Bristol and widow of a person named Ball. She had a considerable fortune.]

[Sidenote: fo. 46^b.

24 October.]

_Mr. Dr. King,[109] preacher at St. Andrews in Holborn, at Paules Crosse, this daye._

[Footnote 109: Dr. John King, styled by King James the King of Preachers. Queen Elizabeth presented him in 1597 to the rectory of St. Andrew's in Holborn, and to a prebend in St. Paul's in 1599. He was Bishop of London from 1611 to 1621. (Newcourt's Repert, i. 211, 275; Hardy's Le Neve, ii. 303.)]