John Earle

received his first being in this vain and transitory world within the City of York, was admitted Probationer fellow of Merton Coll. in 1620 aged 19 years or thereabouts, and proceeded in Arts four years after. His younger years were adorned with Oratory, Poetry, and witty fancies; and his elder with quaint preaching and subtile disputes. In 1631 he was one of the Proctors of the University and about that time Chaplain to Philip Earl of Pembroke, who, for his service and merits, bestowed upon him the Rectory of Byshopston in Wilts. Afterwards he was constituted Chaplain and Tutor to Charles Prince of Wales, after Dr. Duppa was made Bishop of Salisbury, was actually created Doct. of Div. in 1642, elected one of the Ass. of Divines in the year following, but refused to sit among them, and Chancellour of the Cath. Ch. at Salisbury in the place of Will. Chillingworth deceased, in the latter end of the same year 1643. Afterwards he suffered, and was deprived of all he had, for adhering to his Majesty K. Ch. 1, suffered in exile with his Son K. Ch. 2, whom, after his defeat at Worcester, he saluted at Roan upon his arrival in Normandy, and thereupon was made his Chaplain and Clerk of the Closet. After the Kings return he was made Dean of Westminster, keeping his Clerkship still, was consecrated Bishop of Worcester, after the death of Dr. Gauden, on the last of Novemb. (S. Andrews day) 1662, and at length was translated to the See of Salisbury 28. Sept. 1663, void by the translation thence to London of Dr. Humph. Henchman. This Dr. Earl was a very gentile Man, a contemner of the world, religious, and most worthy of the office of a Bishop. He was a Person also of the sweetest and most obliging nature (as one ((a))((a)) Ser. Cressy in his Epist. Apologetical, p. 46.47. that knew him well, tho of another perswasion, saith) that lived in our age, and since Mr. Rich. Hooker died, none have lived, whom ((b))((b)) See in The life of Mr. Rich. Hooker—Lond. 1670. p. 95. written by Is. Walton. God had blest with more innocent wisdom, more sanctified learning, or a more pious, peaceable, primitive temper, than he; so that this excellent Person seem’d to be only like himself, and venerable Mr. Hooker, and only the fit man to make the learned of all nations happy, in knowing what hath been too long confin’d to the language of our little Island, I mean by his translation of the said Mr. Hooker’s book called Eccles. Politie, as I shall tell you anon. He hath written,

An Elegy upon Mr. Franc. Beaumont the Poet.—Afterwards printed at the end of Beaumonts Poems. Lond. 1640. qu. Put out with a poetical Epistle before them, subscribed by Laur. Blaik [•] lock a Bookseller near Templebar, afterwards an informer to the Committees of sequestration at Haberdashers and Goldsmiths-hall, and a beggar defunct in Prison.

Micro-cosmography: or, a piece of the world characteriz’d in essays and characters. Lond. 1628. &c. in tw. Published under the name of Edw. Blount. He also translated from English into Lat. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which he entituled Imago Regis Caroli primi in aer [••] mnis & solitudine. Hag. com. 1649 in tw. and also The Laws of Eccles. Polity, in 8. books, written by Rich. Hooker of C. C. Coll. This is in Ms. and not yet printed. Dr. Earl being esteemed a witty man, while he continued in the University, several copies of his ingenuity and poetry were greedily gathered up, some of which I have seen, particularly that Lat. Poem entit. Hortus Mertonensis. The beginning of which is Hortus delitiae domus politae, &c. He had also a hand in some of the Figures, of which about 10 were published, but which Figure or Figures claim him as Author, I know not. The Figure of six I have bearing this title, The figure of six, containing these six things, wit, mirth, pleasure, pretty observations, new conceits, and merry jests. These Figures were not published all at once, but at several times. At length this worthy Bishop retiring to Oxon when the King, Queen and their respective Courts setled there for a time, to avoid the plague then raging in London and Westminster, took up his quarters in University Coll. where dying on the 17. of Novemb. in sixteen hundred sixty and five,1665. was buried near the high altar in Mert. Coll. Church, on the 25 day of the said month, being then accompanied to his grave from the publick Schools by an Herald at Arms and the principal persons of the Court and University. In the See of Salisbury succeeded Dr. Alexander Hyde sometimes Fellow of New Coll. of whom will be large mention made in his proper place.