Thomas, Wilmam

, a learned writer of the sixteenth century, was born in Wales, and was at least of Welsh extraction, and educated at Oxford. Wood says that one of both his names was, in 1529, admitted bachelor of canon law, but does not say that it was this person. In 1544,

| being obliged to quit the kingdom on account of some misfortune, he went to Italy, and in 1546 was at Bologne, and afterwards ai Padua. In 151-9, he was again in London, and on account of his knowledge of modern languages, was made clerk of the council to king Edward VI. who soon after gave him a prebend of St. Paul’s, and the living of Presthend in South Wales. According to Strype, he acted very unfairly in procuring the prebend, not being a spiritual person; and the same objection undoubtedly rests against his other promotion. On the accession of queen Mary, he was deprived of his employment at court, and is said to have meditated the death of the queen; but Bale says it was Gardiner whom he formed a design of murderiug. Others think that he was concerned in Wyat’s rebellion. It is certain that for some of these charges, he was committed to the Tower in 1553, together with William Winter and sir Nicholas Throgmorton. Wood says, “He was a man of a hot fiery spirit, had sucked in damnable principles by his frequent conversations with Christopher Goodman, that violent enemy to the rule of women.” It appears that he had no rule over himself, for about a week after his commitment, he attempted suicide, but the wound not proving mortal, he was arraigned at Guildhall, May 9, 1553, and hanged at Tyburn, on the 18th.

His works are, 1. “The History of Italy,” Lond. 1549, 1561, 4to. 2. “The principal rules of the Italian Grammar, with a dictionary for the better understanding of Boccacce, Petrarch, and Dante,” ibid, 1550, 1561, 1567, 4to. 3. “Le Peregrynne, or a defence of king Henry VIII. to Aretine the Italian poet,” ms. Cott. Vesp. D. 18, and in Bodl. Library. This, Wood says, was about to be published in the third volume of Brown’s “Fasciculus.” 4. “Common Places of State,” written for the use of Edward VI. ms. Cott. 5. “Of the vanity of the World,” Lond. 1549, 8vo. 5. “Translation of Cato’s speech, and Valerius’s answer, from the 4th decade of Li vy,” ibid, 1551, 12mo. He also made some translations from the Italian, which are still in manuscript. ¹