John Brownswerd

or Brunswerdus as he writes himself, a most noted Master of the Latin Tongue, was born, as I conceive, in Cheshire, and had a considerable part of his education in this University, but mostly, as ’tis thought, in Cambridge, where, I presume, he took one, or more Degrees. After his retreat thence, he setled at Macclesfield in Cheshire, where he taught the Free-school with very good success, and having obtained a good report, and honourable advancement in the Latin Empire, was deservedly numbred amongst the best Latin Poets that lived in the Reign of Qu. Elizab. His works are,

Progymnasmata aliquot poemata. Lond. 1590. qu. with other things which I have not yet seen. He took his last farewel of this world on the 15. Apr. 1589 in Fifteen hundred eighty and nine, and was buried in the Chancel of the Church of Macclesfield before-mentioned. In which year Tho. Newton his sometimes Scholar did publish a book of Encomia’s of certain illustrious Men of England, in which he hath this Distick of Brownswerd.

Rhetora, Grammaticum, Polyhistora teque poetam

Quis negat: is lippus, luscus, obesus, iners.

And soon after, the said Newton, whose respect to his memory was great, set up a Monument on the South wall of the said Chancel, with an inscription thereon, stiling Brownswerd, Vir pius & doctus, and concluding with these two verses.

Alpha poetarum, Coryphaeus Grammaticorum,

Flos Paedagogor [•] a hac sepelitur humo.