Prynne, William
, an English lawyer, who was much distinguished by the number rather than excellence of his publications, during the reign of Charles I. was born in 1600, at Swanswick in Somersetshire, and educated at a grammar-school in the city of Bath. He became a commoner of Oriel college, Oxford, in 1616; and, after taking a bachelor of arts’ degree, in 1620, removed to | Lincoln’s-inn, where he studied the law, and was made successively barrister, bencher, and reader. At his first coming to that inn, he was a great admirer and follower of Dr. Preston, preacher to the inn (see Preston), and published several books against what he thought the enormities of the age, and the doctrine and discipline of the church. His “Histriornastix,” which came out in 1632, giving great offence to the court, he was committed prisoner to the Tower of London and, in 1633, sentenced by the Starchamber, to be fined 5000l. to the king, expelled the university of Oxford and Lincoln’s-inn, degraded and disenabled from his profession of the law, to stand in the pillory and lose his ears, to have his book publicly burnt before his face, and to remain prisoner during lite. Prynne was certainly here treated with very unjust severity; for Whitelocke observes, that the book was licensed by archbishop Abbot’s chaplain, and was merely an invective against plays and players; but there being “a reference in the table of this book to this effect, women-actors notorious whores, relating to some women-actors mentioned in his book, as he affirmeth, it happened, that about six weeks after this the queen acted a part in a pastoral at Somerset-house; and then archbishop Laud and other prelates, whom Prynne had angered by some books of his against Arminianism, and against the jurisdiction of bishops, and by some prohibitions which he had moved, and got to the high commission-court these prelates, and their instruments, the next day after the queen had acted her pastoral, shewed Prynne’s book against plays to the king, and that place in it, women-actors notorious whores; and they informed the king and queen, that Prynne had purposely written this book against the queen and her pastoral whereas it was published six weeks before that pastoral was acted.”
After the sentence upon Prynne was executed, as it was rigorously enough in May 1634, he was remitted to prison.*
The following particulars are extracted from the Journal of Sir Simonds D’Ewes. "May 8, 1634, I departed from Stowhall towards London and the next day in the afternoon came safe thither. As soon as I lighted I heard a particular newes, which much ensadded my heart, touching William Prinne, esquire, that had been an utter barrister of Lincolnes Inne, and a graduate in the universitie of Oxforde, who had lost one eare alreadie in the piltorie, or a parte of it, and was to lose a parte of the other tomorrow. He was a most learned, religious gentleman, had written manie acute, solid, and elaborate treatises, not only against the blasphemous Ana-
|baptists, in the defence of God’s grace and providence, but against the vices of the clergie and the abuses of the times. He had been censured in the Starre-Chamber a few months before, for some passages in a booke hee wrote against stages plaies, called ‘ Histriomastix,’ as if he had in them let slippe some wordes tending to the queene’s dishonour, because he spoke against the unlawfulness of men wearing women’s apparel, and women men’s, Nothwithstanding this censure, which most men were affrighted at, to see that neither his academical nor barrister’s gowne could free him from the infamous losse of his eares, yet all good men generallie conceived it would have been remitted; and manie reported it was, till the sadd and fatail execution of it this Midsummer terme. I went to visit him a while after in the Fleet, and to comforte him; and found in him the rare effects of an upright heart and a good conscience, by his serenitie of spirit and chearefutl patience." Bibliotit Topog. Brit. No. XV, p, 55.
From this time he became a bitter enemy to the army and their leader Cromwell, and attacked them with as much severity as he had used towards the royal party, and the church. Thus defying Cromwell in an open manner, he was, July 1, 1650, committed close prisoner to Dunster castle in Somersetshire. He then insisted strongly upon Magna Charta, and the liberty of the subject; which, though of little weight with Cromwell, seems at last to have released him, and taking again to his favourite employment, he wrote abundance of books upon religious controversies and other points.
In 1659, being considered as one of the secluded members of the House of Commons, he was restored to sit again, and became instrumental in recalling Charles II. in which he shewed such zeal, that general Monk was obliged to check his intemperate and irritating language, as being then unseasonable. In 1660 he was chosen for Bath, to sit in the healing parliament; and, after the restoration, expected to have been made one of the barons of the Exchequer, but this was not thought proper. When the king was asked what should be done with Prynne to keep him quiet, “Why,” said he, “let him amuse himself with writing against the Catholics, and in poring over the records in the | Tower.” Accordingly he was made chief keeper of his majesty’s records in the Tower, with a salary of 500l. per annum. He was again elected for Bath in 1661; and, July that year, being discontented at some proceeding in the House, he published a paper, entitled “Sundry Reasons tendered to the most honourable House, of Peers by some citizens and members of London, and other cities, boroughs, corporations, and ports, against the new-intended Bill for governing and reforming Corporations:” of which being discovered to be the author, he was obliged to beg pardon of the House, in order to escape punishment. After the restoration, he published several books, altogether, with what he had already published, amounting to forty volumes, folio and quarto, a copy of all which, bound together, he presented to the library of Lincoln’sInn: so that March mont Needham was not far from the mark, when he called him “one of the greatest paperworms, that ever crept into a closet or library.” He died at his chambers in Lincoln’s-Iun, Oct. 24, 1669, and was interred under the chapel there.
Prynne has been thought an honest man, for opposing equally Charles, the army, and Cromwell, when he thought they were betrayers of the country; and after having accurately observed, and sensibly felt, in his own person, the violation of law occasioned by each of them, he gave his most strenuous support to the legal and established government of his country, effected by the restoration of Charles II. The earl of Clarendon calls him learned in the law, as far as mere reading of books could make him learned. His works are all in English; and, “by the generality of scholars,” says Wood, “are looked upon to be rather rhapsodical and confused, than any way polite or concise: yet for antiquaries, critics, and sometimes for divines, they are useful. In most of them he shews greatindustry, but little judgment, especially in his large folios against the pope’s usurpations. He may be well entitled ‘voluminous Prynne,’ as Tostatus Abulensis was, two hundred years before his time, called ‘ voluminous Tostatus;’ for I verily believe, that, if rightly computed, he wrote a sheet for every day of his life, reckoning from the time when he came to the use of reason and the state of man.” Many of his works have lately been in request, and have been purchased at high prices. Whether they are more read than before, is not so certain; but much curious | matter might be extracted by a patient and laborious reader, which would throw light on the controversies and characters of the times. He was himself perhaps one of the most indefatigable students. He read or wrote during the whole clay, and that he might not be interrupted, had no regular meals, but took, as he wanted it, the humble refreshment of bread, cheese, and ale, which were at his elbow.
His greatest work goes under the title of “Records,” in 3 vols. folio; another is called “Parliamentary Writs,” in four parts, 4to. He likewise published “Sir Robert Cotton’s Abridgment of the Tower Records, with amendments and additions,” folio; and, “Observations on the fourth part of Coke’s Institutes,” folio. 1
Biog. Brit. Supplement. Gen. Dict. where is a fuller account of his Works. —Ath. Ox. vol. II. Mr. D’Israeli, in his “Calamities,” has a curious chapter on Prynne’s character, sufferings, and oddities. Stward’s Anecdotes. Letters by eminent Persons, 1813, 3 vols. 8vo.