so published a "Saxon homily on the Sacrament,“translated out of Latin into that language, by Ælfric a learned abbot of St. Alban’s, about 900 years before; with two
Concerning his learning and zeal for the promotion of
learning, there is no difference of opinion. His skill in
ancient liturgies was such, that he was one of the first selected to draw up the Book of Common Prayer; and when
he came to be placed at the head of the church, he laboured much to engage the bishops, and other learned
men, in the revisal and correction of the former translations of the Bible. This was at length undertaken and
carried on under his direction and inspection, who assigned
particular portions to each of his assistants, which he afterwards perused and corrected, and spared no pains in getting it completed. It was first published in 1568, and has
usually been called the “Bishop’s Bible,
” and ran its
course with the Geneva translation, until the present version was executed, in the reign of king James. He also
published a "translated out of Latin into that language, by Ælfric a learned
abbot of St. Alban’s, about 900 years before; with two
epistles of the same, in which is not the least mention of
the doctrine of transubstantiation. He was the editor also
of editions of the histories of Matthew of Westminster and
Matthew of Paris, and of various other works, enumerated
by Tanner; some of which were either composed by him,
or printed at his expence. The work on which he is
thought to have spent most time was that
” but his share in this is a disputed
point among antiquaries. In his letter to the lord treasurer, to whom he presented a copy, he speaks of it as his
own collection, which had been the employment of his
leisure hours. Dr. Drake likewise, in the preface to his
edition of it, quotes a letter of the archbishop’s in the
college-library, in which he expressly styles it,
” My book
of Canterbury Predecessors;“and archbishop Bramhall
was of opinion, that the conclusion of the preface proved
Parker himself to have been the author. But notwithstanding these testimonies, the matter is doubtful. Selden was the first who called it in question, although without giving his reasons; and sir Henry Spelman considered
Dr. Ackworth to have been either the author or collector
of the work. Archbishop Usher thinks that Ackworth wrote
only the first part, concerning the British antiquities; and
he, Selden, and Wharton, ascribe the lives of the archbishops to Josselyn, and make Parker little more than the
director or encourager of the whole. And this certainly
seems to be confirmed by the copy now in the Lambethlibrary. This copy, which originally belonged to that library, but was missing from the year 1720, was replaced
in 1757 by Dr. Trevor, bishop of Durham, who found
it in the Sunderland-library. This, which Dr. Ducarel
thought the only perfect one existing, contains many
manuscript papers, letters, and notes, respecting archbishop Parker and the see of Canterbury; and, among
these, some proofs that Ackworth and Josselyn had a
considerable share in the composition of the work. At the
beginning of St. Augustine’s life we find this note:
” These
24 pages of St. Augustine’s life were thus begun by George
Acworth Dr. of laws, at the appointment of Matthew
Parker Abp.of Cant, and the lives of all the archbishops should have in this course been perfected—(some words not intelligible)—but deth prevented it.“This Dr.
Ackworth, as we have mentioned in our account of him
(vol. I.) was alive in 1576, but how long after is not known,
but as this is a year after our prelate’s death, there seems
some difficulty in understanding the latter part of this
note, without adopting archbishop Usher’s opinion above
mentioned. We also find in the Lambeth copy, on the
title-page of the history, the following note:
” This Historie was collected and penned by John Josselyn, one of
the sons of sir Thomas Josselyn, knight, by the appointment and oversight of Matthew Parker archbishop of Cant.
the said John being entertained in the said archb. house,
as one of his antiquaries, to whom, besides the allowance
afforded to him in his howse, he gave to hym the parsonage
of Hollinborn in Kent," &c.
, a learned abbot of St. Albans, was ordained a priest in 1382,
, a learned abbot of St. Albans, was ordained a priest in 1382, and died in 1464, when he had been eighty-two years in priest’s orders, and above an hundred years old. He wrote a chronicle of twenty years of this period, beginning in 1441 and ending in 1461. It contains many original papers, and gives a very full account of some events, particularly of the two battles of St. Alban’s. More than one half of his chronicle is filled with the affairs of his own abbey, to which he was a great benefactor, particularly to the altar of the patron saint, which he adorned with much magnificence. About 1430 he employed Lydgate to translate the Latin legend of St. Alban’s life into English rhymes, for the purpose of familiarising the history of that saint to the monks of his convent. He enriched the library by procuring transcripts of useful books, and was on account of such pursuits in high favour with duke Humphrey, who, when about to found his library at Oxford, often visited St. Alban’s, and employed Whethamstede to collect valuable books for him.