John Elmer

or Aylmer was born of, and descended from, an antient and gentile family of his name living in Norfolke, spent some time in this University while young, but more in Cambridge, where, if I mistake not, he took the degrees in Arts. Afterwards he became chaplain to Henry Grey Duke of Suffolk and Tutor to his daughter the Lady Jane Grey, while she lived at Bradgate in Leycestershire, who taught her so (c)(c) See in the book entit. The School master, or plain and pleasant way of teaching children, &c. written by Rog. Ascham—Lond. 1589. qu. p. 11. gently, so pleasantly, and with such fair allurements to learning, that she thought all the time nothing, whilst she was with him. And when she was called from him, she would fall a weeping, because that whatsoever she did else, but learning, was to her full of grief, trouble, fear, and altogether misliking to her. And thus her book was so much her pleasure, and brought daily to her more pleasure and more, that in respect of it, or other pleasures, were in truth but trifles and troubles to her. In 1553. he, by the name of Joh. Aylmer, was made Archdeacon of Stow in the place of Christop. Massingberd, who died 8. March in that year; and soon after we find him one of the Protestant Disputants in the Convocation house at S. Pauls, when certain Theologists of each party met to solve such scruples and doubts, as any of them might pretend to have. He spake but little on the first day, but the next day he read certain authorities out of a note-book, which he had gathered against the real presence. Afterwards shewing himself nonconformable, he was deprived of his Archdeaconry; whereupon Joh. Harryson being put into his place, an. 1554. he the said Elmer went as a voluntary Exile into Germany, where he was miraculously preserved from several dangers. After Q. Elizabeth came to the Crown, he was appointed one of the Protestant Disputers against the seven R. Cath. Bishops concerning matters of religion, when that Q. was about to make a reformation, and in 1562. he by the name of Joh. Aylmer M. of A. was made Archdeacon of Lincoln in the place of one Tho. Marshall, who had succeeded Nich. Bullyngham in 1554. In the year 1573. he retired to this University again, and there as a member of it, took the degrees in divinity, that of Doctor being compleated in an Act celebrated on the 12. of Octob. the same year. On the 24. of March 1576. he was (d)(d) Fr. Godwin ut sup. int. Episc. London, p: 252. consecrated Bishop of London, being then accounted a learned and an honest man, and about 1588. he was made the Queens Almoner, at which time he was a great enemy to the Puritanical party, then numerous in the nation. He died at Fulham in Middlesex on the third of June in fifteen hundred ninety and four, and was buried in S. Pauls Cathedral before the chappel of S. George. By his last Will 1594 (e)(e) In Offic. Praerog. Cant. in reg. Dixy part 2. Qu. 81. and Test. which I have seen, he desires to be buried in the Cath. Ch. of S. Paul on the north side, in some convenient place within the wall, with a Tomb of his Picture after the manner of Dean Collet; which, as he saith, is on the south side of the Choire. He then left behind him several Sons, the second of which named Theophilus, succeeded Jo. Molyns in the Archdeaconry of London 1591. being about that time well beneficed in Hertfordshire, and esteemed a learned and reverend divine. His father also, the Bishop, was well learned in the Languages, was a ready Disputant and a deep Divine, and wrote, as ’tis said, a book called (f)(f) Tbom. Fuller in his Church History, &c. lib. 9. sect. 10. The Harborough of Princes, which I have not yet seen, and therefore cannot tell you where, or in what Vol. ’twas printed. He was a man but of mean stature, yet in his youth very valiant, which he forgot not in his age. When he first became a Preacher, he followed the popular phrase, and fashion of the younger Divines of those times, which was to inveigh against the superfluities of the Church men, and thereupon he is (a)(a) Brief view, &c. as before, p. 17, 18. remembred to have used these words in a Sermon before a great auditory.—Wherefore away with your thousands you Bishops, and come down to your hundreds, &c. But this was but a heat of his spirit, of which, not long after, by reading and conference, he was throughly cured; insomuch as being asked by one of his own rank, after he was Bishop of London, what he meant, to preach of the brainsick fashion, he answer’d with the words of S. Paul, Cum essem parvulus, loquebar ut parvulus, sapiebam ut parvulus. But certain it is, no Bishop was more persecuted and taunted by the Puritans of all sorts, than he was by libels, by scoffs, by open railing and privy backbiting. He used for recreation to bowl in a Garden, and Martin Marprelate thence took this taunting scoff, that the Bishop would cry Rub, rub, rub, to his bowl, and when ’twas gone too far, say, the Devil go with it, and then quoth he the Bishop would follow. Thus he was rub’d, as he rub’d others, till they were all gall’d sometimes, and the B. was so weary of the place, that he would gladly have removed to Ely, and made great suit, and was put in some hope, for it. He was diligent in Preaching at his cure where he was first beneficed, and when his auditory grew dull and unattentive, he would with some pretty and unexpected conceit, move them to attention. Among the rest was this: He read a long text in Hebrew, whereupon all seemed to listen what would come after such strange words, as if they had taken it for some conjuration: then he shewed their folly, that when he spake English, whereby they might be instructed and edified, they neglected and hearkned not to it; and now to read Hebrew, which they understood no word of, they seem’d careful and attentive. When there was talk of dangers, rumours of wars and invasions, then he was commonly chosen to Preach in the Court, and he would do it in so cheerful a fashion, as not only shewed he had courage, but would put courage into others. Here is much talk saith he of Malum ab aquilone, and our Cole-prophets have prophesied that in exaltatione lunae leo jungetur leaenae, and the Astronomer tells us of a watry Trigon. But as long as Virgo is in that ascendent with us, we need not fear of any thing: Deus nobiscum, quis contra nos: and for this the Queen would much commend him, yet she would not remove him. In the See of London succeeded Dr. Rich. Fletcher sometimes of C. C. coll. in Cambridge, and him Rich. Bancroft an. 1597. who being remov’d to Canterbury 10. Decemb. 1604. Rich. Vaughan Bish. of Chester, was translated (b)(b) Camden in Annal [•] . Jac. 1. MS. sub. an. 1604. to London 24. of the same month.