Thomas Farnabie

the most noted Schoolmaster of his time, Son of Tho. Farn. of London Carpenter, Son of ... Farnabie sometimes Mayor of Truro in Cornwall, was born in London about 1575, became a Student in Mert. Coll. in the beginning of 1590; at which time, being a youth of great hope, he was entertained by Mr. Tho. French a learned Fellow of that House, who made him his Postmaster, and so consequently his Servitour, being the fashion then for Postmasters to serve those Fellows from whom they received their places. But this youth being very wild, tho of pregnant parts, made no long stay there, for being enticed to forsake his Religion and Country, he left the Coll. very abruptly, went into Spain, and was for some time educated there, in a certain Coll. belonging to the Jesuits. At length being weary of their severe discipline, he found a way to leave them, and then, being minded to take a ramble, went with Sir Fr. Drake and Sir Joh. Hawkyns in their last voyage 1595, being in some esteem with the former. Afterwards, as ’tis said, he was a Soldier in the Low Countries, being more addicted to that employment than to be a Scholar, and that being reduced to poverty, he made shift to be set on shoare in the Western part of England; where, after some wandring to an fro under the name of Tho. Bainrafe (the anagram of his sirname) he setled at Martock in Sommersetshire, and taught the Grammar School there for some time with good success. For in the year 1646, when Mr. Charles Darby was called to teach that School, he found in that Town, and in the neighbourhood, many that had been his Scholars, ingenious Men and good Grammarians, even in their grey hairs. Among whom it was then reported, that when he landed in Cornwall, his distresses made him stoop so low, as to be an Abcdarian, and several were taught their hornbooks by him. After he had gotten some feathers at Martock, he took his flight to London, and taught a long time in Goldsmiths-rents in Cripplegate Parish behind Redcross-street, where were large gardens and handsome houses, and great accommodations for the young Noblemen and other generous Youths, who at one time made up the number of 300 or more. The School-house was a large brick building, divided into several partitions or apartments, according to the distinctions of the Forms and Classes, under the care and circumspection of the respective Ushers allotted to attend them. In which time, while he taught there, he was made M. of A. of Cambridge, and soon after incorporated at Oxon. At length, upon occasion of some underhand dealing of his Landlords and frequent sicknesses in the City, he removed about 1636 to Sevenock in Kent, (in the neighbourhood of which place, (at Otford) he had purchased an estate) taught there the Sons of several Noblemen and Gentlemen (who boarded with him) with great esteem, grew rich, purchased an estate there also and near Horsham in Sussex. Upon a foresight of the Civil War, he was esteemed ill affected to the cause, for that when the protestation was urged in 1641, he then said it was better to have one King than five hundred. Afterwards, being suspected to have favoured the rising of the Country for the King about Tunbridge, in 1643, he was thereupon imprisoned first in Newgate, and thence removed on Shipboard, it being then urged in the House of Commons, whether he should be sent to America, (further’d by some of his good neighbours in Kent, nay and by some that had been his Scholars, as I have heard, who sate in the two Houses) but at length it being rejected, he was removed to Ely-house in Holbourn, where he remained for about an year before his death. He was the chief Grammarian, Rhetorician, Poet, Latinist and Grecian of his time, and his School was so much frequented, that more Churchmen and Statesmen issued thence, than from any School taught by one Man in England. The things that he hath written and published are these.

Notae ad Juvenalis & Persii Satyras. Lond. 1612. oct. &c.

Notae ad Senecae tragoedias. Lond. 1613. oct. &c. For which work he is commended by a certain ((c))((c)) Joh. Owen in append. epigram. nu. 10. Poet who was his friendly acquaintance.

Notae ad Martialis Epigrammata. Lond. 1615. oct. Genev. 1623. 33. &c. in tw.

Notae ad Lucani Pharsal. Lond. 1618. oct.

Index Rhetoricus Scholis & institutioni tenerioris aetatis ac commodatus. Lond. 1625. oct.

Phrases Oratoriae elegantiores & poeticae. Lond. 1628. oct 5th. edit.

Florilegium Epigrammatum Graecorum, eorumque latina versu à variis redditorum. Lond. 1629. in oct. &c.

Notae ad Virgilium. Lond. 1634. in oct.

Notae in Terentium. Lond. in tw.

Notae in Ovidii Metamorph. libros 12. Lond. in tw. &c. Ib. 1677. &c.

Systema Grammaticum. Lond. 1641. in oct.

Index Rhetoricus & Oratorius, cum formulis Oratoriis & indice poetico. Lond. 1646. oct.

Phrasiologia Anglo-Lat. Lond. in oct.

Tabulae Grecae Linguae. Lond. in qu.

Syntaxis. Ib. in oct.—

Epistolae Variae ad doctiss. viros. Other things he hath written, as I conceive, but such I have not yet seen. He concluded his last day in sixteen hundred forty and seven,1647. and was buried in the Chancel of the Church at Sevenock commonly called Sennock be forementioned; over whose grave was this Epitaph put. P. M. viri ornatissimi Thomae Farnabii Armigeri, causae olim Regiae reique publicae sed literariae vindicis acerrimi. Obiit 12 Junii 1647.

Vatibus hic sacris qui lux Farnabius olim,

Vate carens saxo nunc sine luce jacet.

By his first Wife named Susan, Dau. of Joh. Pierce of Launcells in Cornwall, he had a Son named John, who followed his Fathers martial humour, being a Captain in the Kings Army; to whom he left his estate in Sussex, where he lived in good esteem, and died about the beginning of 1673. By his second Wife Anne, Daugh. of Dr. John Howson Bishop of Durham, he had several children, one of which was named Francis, to whom he left his estate at Kippington in the Parish of Sennock, where he was lately living a Justice of Peace in good esteem, from whose mouth I formerly received several passages of his Fathers life, which are remitted into the former discourse: At which time he aver’d to me, that the great Grandfather of his Father, viz. the Father of him who was Mayor of Truro, was an Italian Musician. The memory of this eminent Schoolmaster is celebrated by several Authors, among whom is John Dunbar ((d))((d)) In Epigram. cent. b. edit. Lond. 1616. in cent. sext. nu. 74. a Scot who stiles himself Megalo-Britannus, Rich. ((e))((e)) In lib. suo cui tit. est Epigrammatum Hecatontades duae. Lond. 1627. in Hec. altera, nu. 17. Bruch and others.