Sidebilder
PDF
ePub

afterward sent to the Hague to manage the Queen's affairs in the United Provinces; and was admitted into their council of state, where he sat next to Count Maurice. See Class IX.

GUALTERUS MILDMAY, Eques Auratus, Coll. Emmanuelis Fund". An. 1584. J. Faber f. large 4to. SIR WALTER MILDMAY, with a View of the College. E. Harding sc. Wilson's" Cambridge.”

The Rev. Mr. Henry Jerom de Salis gave an original picture of Sir Walter Mildmay to the Earl of Sandwich, who presented it to Dr. Richardson, master of Emmanuel College, in Cambridge.

Sir Walter Mildmay was surveyor of the court of augmentations in the reign of Henry VIII. and privy-counsellor, chancellor, and under-treasurer of the Exchequer, to Elizabeth; and is celebrated by Camden, and other historians, for his uncommon merit in his private and public character. Ob. 31 May, 1589. He was buried in the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, in West-Smithfield, where is a monument to his memory, which has been ornamented at the expense of the society at Cambridge of his foundation.

SIR HENRY LEE, knt. with his trusty Dog. Basire sc. In Pennant's "London."

Sir Henry Lee, knight of the Garter, the faithful and devoted servant and knight of Queen Elizabeth, made a vow to present himself on the 17th day of every November as her champion. This gave rise to the annual exercise of arms on that day; but in the thirtythird year of her majesty's reign, being very much disabled by age, he resigned his office, and recommended as his successor the Right Noble George Clifford, earl of Cumberland, on the 17th of November, 1590. Having first performed their exercise in armour, they presented themselves unto her highness, at the foot of the stairs under her gallery-window in the Tilt-yard at Westminster. The present, and prayer, being with great reverence delivered into her majesty's own hands, he himself disarmed, offered up his armour at the foot of her majesty's crowned pillar; and, kneeling to the queen, presented the Earl of Cumberland armed, and mounted him upon his horse. This being done, he put upon his own person a coat of black velvet, pointed under the arm, and covered his head (in lieu of a

helmet) with a buttoned cap of the country-fashion.* Sir Henry died in 1611, aged 80. See his monumental inscription at full length in Collin's "Peerage;" article Earl Litchfield.

CLASS VI.

MEN OF THE ROBE.

SIR NICHOLAS BACON, lord-keeper. Fred. Zucchero p. J. Houbraken sc. In the collection of the Duke of Bedford. Illust. Head.

At Gorhambury, his seat near St. Alban's, now in the possession of Lord Grimston, are his portrait and his bust. There are also busts of his second lady, and Lord Bacon, their son, when a little boy. A great part of the furniture which belonged to the lordkeeper is still carefully preserved. Besides the portraits of the Bacon family, there are a great many others, well worth the notice of the curious. The greater part of them are copies, but they were done in the time of the persons represented.

NICOLAUS BACONUS; in the "Heroologia;" 8vo. NICOLAS BACON. A. Vander Werff p. P. a Gunst sc. h. sh.

NICOLAUS BACONUS, custos magni sigilli, 1559. Vertue sc. h. sh.

N. BACON, lord-keeper. Vertue sc. large 4to.

N. BACON, &c. Vertue sc. a small oval; engraved with other heads. In the frontispiece to Burnet's Abridgement of his Hist. of the Reformation;" 12mo.

66

See Walpole's Miscellaneous Antiquities, No. 1. p. 41, and Pennant's London. In Pennant's Journey from Chester to London, p. 224, is a catalogue of the most remarkable of them, and a view of the old house, which was taken down 178-, and an elegant modern mansion erected a small distance from the old spot. Lord Grimston, the present owner of this estate of the Bacons, is a successor in part to their titles; having been created baron of Verulam in June 1790.

[blocks in formation]

Promoted 1558-9.

Sir Nicholas Bacon had much of that penetrating genius, solidity of judgment, persuasive eloquence, and comprehensive knowledge of law and equity, which afterward shone forth with so great a lustre in his son, who was as much inferior to his father in point of prudence and integrity, as his father was to him in literary accomplishments. He was the first lord-keeper that ranked as lord-chancellor. Ob. 20 Feb. 1578-9.*

LORD CHANCELLOR HATTON. Bocquet sc. In " Noble Authors," by Park, 1806.

LORD CHANCELLOR; small whole length. W. Hollar. SIR CHRISTOPHER HATTON, with autograph. J. Thane exc. From the original at Sir Thomas Hatton's.

Sir Christopher Hatton was born at Holdenby, in Northamptonshire, and bred to the law. He came to the court at a masque; when Queen Elizabeth first took notice of him for his graceful dancing+ and elegant person. For his great abilities he was chosen lord high-chancellor of England. His sentence was a law to the subject; and so wise, that his opinion was an oracle to the queen. Sir John Harrington describes him as a "man taught vyrtue, framed to wisdom," &c. The queen rigorously demanding payment of some arrears, and he failing in his request for longer time, it went to his heart, and he fell into a mortal disease. The queen, sorry for what she had done, brought him cordials with her own hand; but in vain. He died 1591, aged 51, and was buried in St. Paul's cathedral.

[ocr errors]

Vera Effigies JACOBI DYER, Equitis aurati, qui primo regina Elizabethæ Capitalis Justiciarius de Banco constitutus ; elapsis tandem viginti et quatuor Annis, a Morte exauctoratus est." J. Drapentier sc. ab originali; h. sh.

*He caught his death by sleeping in his chair, with a window open.
† Alluded to by Mr. Gray, in his poem of the Long Story:

"Full oft within these spacious walls,

When he had fifty winters o'er him,
My grave Lord-Keeper led the brawls ;‡
Tho' Seal and Maces danc'd before him."

A sort of figure dance then in vogue.

Sir James Dyer was author of a book of reports in French, of which several editions have been published. His head is prefixed to his book. Ob. 24 Mar. 1581-2.

SIR CHRISTOPHER WRAY, knt., lord chiefjustice of England, 1582, aged 59; 4to.; from an original portrait in the possession of Sir Cecil Wray, bart. S. Harding sc. In Harding's " Biographical Mirrour," 1790.

Sir Christopher Wray was born at Bedole, in Yorkshire, in 1523. He received his academical education at Magdalen College, in Cambridge, and was from thence removed to Lincoln's Inn. He served for Boroughbridge, in Yorkshire, in all the parliaments of Queen Mary; and being an eminent lawyer, and well versed in parliamentary proceedings, was chosen speaker of the House of Commons in the parliament called in 1571. He was soon after advanced to be a justice of the Common Pleas, and was, in 1574, constituted lord chiefjustice of England. Sir Christopher Wray, with his contemporary judges, settled the form of the commission of the peace, as it continues, with very little alteration, to this day. He was an upright judge, and possessed a clear discerning judgment, with a free and graceful elocution: though he respected every man in his proper station when he was off the bench, yet when he was upon it, he had no such regard for the greatest of men, as to bias his judgment. He was mindful of what is past, observant of things present, and provident for things to come, indulgent to his servants, and charitable to the poor. In Lincolnshire he acquired a very considerable landed property, as appears by the inquisition taken at his death. For the preservation of an estate, he used to say four things were necessary to understand it—not to spend till it comes-to keep old servants-to have a quarterly audit.-He was a munificent benefactor to Magdalen College, Cambridge, where, as we have seen, he received his education: to which college also both his widow, and his daughter Frances, countess of Warwick, were considerable benefactresses. He died 1591, aged 68, and was buried in the church of Glentworth, where is a monument to his memory.

EDMOND ANDERSON, knt., lord chief-justice

* Lloyd's "Worthics."

Promoted

2 May, 1582.

of the Common Pleas, Et. 76. W. Faithorne sc. Fron

tispiece to his " Reports," in French, 1664, 1665; fol.

Sir Edmund Anderson sat in judgment upon Mary Queen of Scots, in October, 1586; and the next year presided at the trial of Secretary Davison, in the Star-chamber, for signing the warrant for the execution of that princess. His decision in that nice point was, "That he had done justum, non juste; he had done what was right in an unlawful manner; otherwise he thought him no bad man."* Ob. 1605.

Vera Effigies JOHANNIS CLENCH, Equitis Aurati, unus Justiciariorum serenissimæ Dominæ, nuper Reginæ Elizabethæ, ad Placita coram ipsa Regina tenenda assignati. Hollar f. 1664.

This judge was very eminent in his profession, but none of his writings were ever printed. His head is in Dugdale's "Origines Juridiciales," 1666, and 1671; fol.

There is a monument of Judge Clench, and also the bust of his wife, with four sons in small underneath, in high and perfect preservation, in the parish church of Bealing's Magna, near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

WILLIAM AUBREY, LL. D. from an original picture, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. J. Caulfield, exc. 4to.

William Aubrey, a civilian, was born in Brecknockshire, and educated at Oxford, where he became fellow of All-Soul's College, professor of civil law, and principal of New-Inn Hall. He also held some considerable employments under Queen Elizabeth, and died at the age of 66, in the year 1595. None of his works are in print, except some of his letters, which are in Strype's Life of Grindal. Dr. Aubrey was grandfather of the celebrated antiquary, John Aubrey, and lies buried in St. Paul's church, London.

EDMUND PLOWDEN, serj. at law; fol. T. Stagner, before his " Reports.”

• This was excellent logic for finding an innocent man guilty. It was drawn from the same mood and figure with the queen's order, and no-order, for Davison's signing the warrant. The lord chief-justice, who was otherwise no bad man himself, was obliged to find him guilty, upon pain of being deprived of his office. See the particulars of the case in Robertson's "Hist. of Scotland."

« ForrigeFortsett »