Life of Matthew Parker (Strype, 1821)/Book III/Chapter VII
This is the enhanced reading edition of Book III, Chapter VII of John Strype's The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1821), Vol. I. It has been proofread against the original printed pages, and is presented with descriptive section headings, Strype's Latin passages translated, editorial notes, and Strype's footnotes preserved as references. Strype's own words, chronology, claims, and spelling are retained; editorial additions are clearly distinguished.
The Archbishop conversant about ancient books. Corresponds with Bishop Davies, Mr. Salisbury, and Bishop Scory, about British antiquities. A MS. in strange and unknown characts.
The Archbishop Inquires for Welsh Antiquities
OUR Archbishop, notwithstanding his great public labours in the Church, could not but shew his propension to antiquity, especially that part of it relating to this nation: and was desirous to inquire every where for Saxon and British antiquities, for the better knowledge of the history of the ancient state of this Church and nation. And to further these his commendable inquiries, he sent to the Welsh Bishops especially, to gather up what ancient writings they could possibly retrieve. When he wrote to Davies, Bishop of St. David's,[ed 1] calling upon him to despatch his lot in the Bible, he also then sent to him a MS. of very great antiquity, which seemed to have been in the old British language; but the letters were not known; praying him to try to read it, and to shew it to Mr. Salisbury,[ed 2] who sojourned then with the Bishop of St. David's, and to confer with him about it, because he had heard he was a searcher for antiquities.
Salisbury's Account of the Strange Quire
Salisbury wrote to the Archbishop, that as for that quire of antiquity, it was charected with so strange letters, that he might swear he knew not one. At last he selected about four and twenty sundry characters, both of the capital and small letters: and so met with the words Sion, Melchizedeck, Israel, &c. And he found it was to be read from the left to the right hand.
He acknowledged of himself, that he was, as the Archbishop had heard, a searcher after antiquities; but he told his Grace, that he could find rather obscure than any clear monuments, and so unworthy of his Grace's sight. He told him withal of one H. Lloyd of Denbigh,[ed 3] a retainer to the Earl of Arundel;[ed 4] that he, John Leland[ed 5] and John Bale, of any in those parts, were the most universally seen in history, and most singularly skilled in rare subtilties. He told the Archbishop moreover, that in an old pamphlet at St. Asaph, being a register or record, he found somewhat for the marriage of Priests, meeting there with the word Clerico uxorato.[ed 6] But a Canonist told him, that there were some named Clerici,[ed 7] that were no Priests. In fine, he said, that as to that book first mentioned, the Bishop of St. David's, to whom the Archbishop sent it, could find neither Welsh, English, Dutch, Hebrew, nor Greek nor Latin in it.[ed 8]
Bishop Davies Writes to the Archbishop
The Bishop of St. David's also wrote to the Archbishop, that as to that book of strange characters, both he and Salisbury despaired to do any thing therein. That for all such old monuments as they had in their cathedral or library, which it seems had a fame for such things, he told the Archbishop, who had sent for them, that Mr. Secretary[ed 9] had them two years ago. Some the said Secretary had of Mr. Chanter,[ed 10] and some of him the Bishop. But yet he sent the Archbishop a Gyraldus Cambrensis,[ed 11] a chronicle of England, the author unknown, and Galfridus Monumetensis.[ed 12] Out of which chronicle he related to the Archbishop one notable story, which was this:
"That after the Saxons conquered the land, continual wars remained between the Britains, then inhabitants of the realm, and the Saxons, the Britains being Christians, and the Saxons Pagans. As occasion served they sometime treated of peace: and then met together, communed together, and eat and drank together. But after that, by the means of Austin, the Saxons became Christians, in such sort as Austin had taught them, the Britains would after that neither eat nor drink with them, nor yet salute them, because they corrupted, with superstition and idolatry, the true religion of Christ, which the Britains had reserved pure among them from the time of King Lucius."
The Archbishop's Answer
This being writ in the latter end of 1565, the Archbishop made this answer thereunto in the beginning of 1566. "I pray you thank Mr. Salisbury, whose full writing his conjectures I like well. And as for deciphering my quayr in such a strange charact, it shall be reserved to some other opportunity to be considered. As for these characts wherein some of your records of donation be written, whereof I send a whole line written, it was the speech of the old Saxons; whereof I have divers books and works; and have in my house those that do well understand them."
Three Saxon Books from Hereford
The Archbishop had sent also to Scory, Bishop of Hereford,[ed 14] in the borders of Wales, for antique British MSS. or others, if any were in his church. Which Bishop sent him three Saxon books from the Dean there: but what they were, doth not appear.
Notes
Editorial Notes
- ↑ Richard Davies (d. 1581), Bishop of St David's from 1561; one of the scholars employed in the translation of the Bishops' Bible (1568) — hence Parker's charge to "despatch his lot in the Bible."
- ↑ William Salesbury (c. 1520–1584), the Welsh scholar who published the Welsh New Testament in 1567; then living with Bishop Davies.
- ↑ Humphrey Llwyd (1527–1568), the Welsh antiquary and cartographer.
- ↑ Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel (1512–1580).
- ↑ John Leland (c. 1503–1552), the King's antiquary; and John Bale (1495–1563), Bishop of Ossory and antiquary.
- ↑ "To the married clerk" — i.e. a married clergyman. Strype cites the phrase as documentary evidence for the marriage of priests.
- ↑ "Clerks"; Strype's point is that not all who bore the name were priests in holy orders.
- ↑ The manuscript remained undeciphered; all that Salisbury could make out were the scriptural names Sion, Melchizedeck and Israel.
- ↑ William Cecil, Secretary of State.
- ↑ The precentor (chantor) of St David's cathedral.
- ↑ So printed; Giraldus Cambrensis, Gerald of Wales (c. 1146–1223), author of the Itinerarium Cambriae and Descriptio Cambriae.
- ↑ Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), author of the Historia Regum Britanniae.
- ↑ Austin = Augustine of Canterbury; King Lucius = the legendary king of Britain said to have embraced the Christian faith in the second century.
- ↑ John Scory (d. 1585), Bishop of Hereford from 1559; his diocese bordered Wales.
Source: John Strype, The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker, the First Archbishop of Canterbury in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1821), Vol. I, Book III. Enhanced reading edition: section headings, Latin translations, verified internal links, and editorial notes added per the AnglicanWiki Editorial Guidelines for Historical Texts. Strype's text faithfully transcribed from the Google Books scan; spelling and substance as in the original.