Diary of John Manningham Part 29

I was with Stowe the antiquary. He told me that a modell of his picture was found in the Recorder Fleetewoods study, with this inscription or circ.u.mscription, JOHANNES STOWE, ANTIQUARIUS ANGLIae, which nowe is cutt in bra.s.se and prefixed in print to his Survey of London.[133] He sayth of it, as Pilat sayd, "What I have written, I have written," and thinkes himselfe worthie of that t.i.tle for his paynes, for he hath noe gaines by his trauaile. He gaue me this good reason why in his Survey he omittes manie newe monuments: because those men have bin the defacers of the monuments of others, and soe thinks them worthy to be depriued of that memory whereof they have injuriously robbed others. He told me that the Cheife Citizens of London in auncient tymes were called Barons, and soe divers kinges wrote unto them "_Portegrevio et Baronibus suis London._,"

and the auncient seale had this circ.u.mscription, "SIGILLUM BARONUM LONDONIARUM."

[Footnote 133: "_aetatis suae 77_, 1603." This now rare engraving was carefully copied by John Swaine, and republished in the Gentleman's Magazine for Jan. 1837.]

[Sidenote: fo. 78^b.

18 Dec. 1602.]

I heard that Dr. Smith, Master of Clare Hall,[134] is Vice Chauncellor of Cambridge this yeare. It was told me by one of St. Johns Colledge that Dr. Playfare[135] hath bin halfe frantike againe, and strangely doted for one Mrs. Hammond, a gentlewoman in Kent, is nowe well reclaimed, and hath reade some lectures since. A mad reader for divinity! _proh pudor, et dolor!_

[Footnote 134: Dr. William Smith, master of Clare Hall from 1598 to 1612, when he became Provost of King's College. (Hardy's Le Neve, iii. 671, 683.)]

[Footnote 135: Dr. Thomas Playfere of St. John's College was Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity from 1596 to 1609. (Hardy's Le Neve, iii. 654.)]

Mr. Perkins was buried verry neere with as great sollemnity as Dr.

Whitaker.[136]

[Footnote 136: "His funeral was solemnly and sumptuously performed at the sole charges of Christe College, which challenged, as she gave him his breeding, to pay for his burial; the Vniversity and Town lovingly contending which should express more sorrow thereat.

Dr. Montague, afterwards Bishop of Winchester, preached his funeral sermon, and excellently discharged the place, taking for his text, _Moses my servant is dead_." This is Fuller's description of the honourable way in which Perkins was brought to his grave. (Holy State, ed. 1840, p. 71.) Whitaker died in 1595, and was buried in St. John's College, whereof he was master. (Ibid. p. 53.)]

The Lord Mountjoy in Ireland will never discourse at table; eates in silence. Sir Robert Gardner mislikes him for it, as an unsosiable quality (_Hadsor_); but great wisdome in soe captious a presence, especially being such a man as desyres to speake wisely.

Mr. Bramstone told howe he sold his bed in Cambridge. Mr. Pym[137] sayd he did wisely, for he knewe those that kept their beds longe seldome prove riche.

[Footnote 137: Doubt has existed whether Pym the statesman was a member of one of the Inns of Court. The allusion to him in our text has led to inquiries which have enabled us to place this point beyond a question. J. E. Martin, Esq. Librarian of the Inner Temple, has sent us an extract from the books of the Middle Temple, which proves that "Mr. Johannes Pym, filius et heres Alexandri Pym nuper de Brymour in comitatu Somerset, ar. defuncti," was admitted "generaliter" into the Society of the Middle Temple on the 23rd of April 1602. His relation Mr. Francis Rowse and Mr. William Whitaker were his sureties, "et dat pro fine ad requisicionem M^{ri} Gybbes, unius Magistrorum de Banco hujus hospicii, nisi, xx^s."]

[Sidenote: 21.]

One Merredeth, a notable coward, when he was in field, and demaunded why he did not fight and strive to kill his enemies? He, good man, told them, he could not finde in his heart to kill them whom he never sawe before, nor had ever any quarrell with them.

[Sidenote: fo. 79.

19 Dec. 1602.]

AT PAULES.

One with a long browne beard, a hanging looke, a gloting eye, and a tossing learing jeasture; his text "Take heede of false prophets which come to you in sheepes clothinge, but within are rauening wolves; you shall know them by their fruits."

False prophets _qui veritatem laudant sed amant mendacia_ preache truely but liue wickedly. He ran over manie heresies, and concluded still to take heede of them; false prophets which soothe up in synn by pardons for past, and dispensacions for synn to come.

The sheepes clothing, pretended innocency, simplicity, and profitt; they come onely to teache us the auncient universall, and that relligion which our fathers lived and dyed in; that ours is sca.r.s.e an hundred yeares old, received but in a corner or twoe as it were of the world.

But ours is auncient, theirs newe, all since 600 yeares after Christ, as their universall vicarage. 2. Their singing by note in the churche. 3.

Their lifting up of the breade. 4. Auricular confession and universall pardon, &c.

[Sidenote: fo. 79^b.

19.]

The mult.i.tude noe signe of the churche, for Noah and his family in the old world, Lott in Sodome, &c.

And a true note of the true church, that it hath bin allways persecuted, and the false the persecutor. Abel slayne, &c. This cruelty the property of wolves.

His whole sermon was a stronge continued invectiue against the papists and jesuites. Not a notable villanous practise committed but a pope, a cardinall, a bishop, or a priest had a hand in it; they were still at the worst ende.

They come, they are neuer sent, they come without sending for.

[Sidenote: fo. 80.

19 Dec. 1602.]

[Sidenote: fo. 80^b.

19 Dec. 1602.]

In the afternoone, at a church in Foster Lane end, one Clappam, a blacke fellowe, with a sower looke, but a good spirit, bold, and sometymes bluntly witty; his text Salomon's Song, iv. ca. 3 v.: "Thy lips are like a thred of skarlett." For the exposicion of this text he said he would not doe as many would after the fancy of their owne braine, but according to the Scripture, expound it by some other place, and that was ii. of Josua, where he findeth the same words, a skarlet thred, v. 21, "Shee bound the skarlet threed in the windowe." He told a long story of Rahab before he came to the threed; and after almost all his sermon was some allusion to that story. Rabby Shulamo makes this comparison, that the lips are said to be like a threed of skarlett, to signifie such person in the churche whose promises are performaunces, whose wordes are workes, as the red threed was a simbole and a signe unto Rahab. Rahab was a tauernes, and it signifies alsoe an harlot, because such kinde of people in that country used to sell their honesty with their meate. Like scarlett; the colour sheweth life within, as palenes death.

Joshua a type of Jesus, and the wordes the same in seuerall languages.

Moses could not bring the children of Israel into the land of promise, but that was the office of Joshua; the lawe could not be our saviour, but Christ is he that must bring us to heaven. Joshua sent two spies; Christ obserued the same number, and alwayes sent two disciples togither. 3. What the spies undertooke and promised according to their commission was firme and ratified by Joshua; whose synnes the disciples, and nowe the ministers, according to their power, remitt or binde on earth, shalbe remitted or bound in heaven.

There are enough of Rahab's profession in euery place; a man may finde a greate many more then a good sorte. "I would not give a penny for an 100 of them," said he.

Rahab beleeved and shewed it by hir workes. Every one will say he beleeues, but except he can showe it to me by his workes, I will not give two strawes for it; lett him carry it to the exchange and see what he can gett for it.

[Sidenote: fo. 81.

19 Dec. 1602.]

An harlot is like a pantofle or slipper at an inne, which is ready to serve for every foote that comes.

Paule, like the spies, was lett downe out at a windowe, and ouer a city wall too. Wee promise in babtisme to fight against Sathan; but, alas, will some say, I finde that I haue often stroue with him, and still I finde I goe away with some wound or other. "Be therefore comforted" sayd he, "for these woundes are signes of your fighting."

When G.o.d deliuered his people from the Aegiptians he led them with a pillar of light, but caste a darke cloud betwixt, "and soe the blinde buzards," said he, "ran up and downe, they knewe not about what."

When he shewed that Salmon was the husband of Rahab, he said "Yf anie nowe, after 44 yeares preaching, and the bible being in English were ignorant of that, it were a horrible shame." And here he sett downe a posicion that none could soundly interpret or vnderstand the Scripture without genealogy, which he commended verry highly.

Of love; they wilbe at your commaundement. But you may doe it yourselfe.

You shall commaund and goe without.

[Sidenote: fo. 81^b.