Richard Bardney

was born at, or near to, Bardney in Lincolnshire; became when Young, a Monk of the Order of St. Benedict in his own Country, received his Learning in the supreme faculty among those of his Society in Oxon, and afterwards retiring to his Monastery, wrot in Verse,

Vita Roberti Grostest quondam Episcopi Lincolniensis. ’Tis as yet in Manuscript, and was finished by the Author in 1503. he being then Bachelaur of Divinity, and by him dedicated to Will. Smythe Bishop of Lincoln. The beginning of this Book is Lincolniensis apex presul sacrate Wilelme, &c. Many fabulous things are inserted therein, not at all agreeable to so profound and subtile a Philosopher as Grostest was; who in his Life and Actions did very humbly (l)(l) Tho. Bradwardin in lib. 3. De libero arbitrio contra Pelapium. imitate, or at least endeavoured so to do, St. Austin Archbishop of Canterbury. The said Author Bardney tells us, that Grestest was Born at Stow in Lincolnshire, which no Author besides himself, hath in the least mentioned, and other matters of him which are false, tho some are true,Claruit 1504. and fit to be mention’d in History. What else our Author Bardney hath written, I know not as yet, nor any thing else of him; only, that he was in good esteem for some parts of Learning, especially by those of his Society, during the time that King Henry 7. lived; but when he died it appears not.