John Hoskyns

Senior, elder Brother to Joh. Hoskyns, whom I have mentioned under the year 1631. both the Sons of Joh. Hoskyns, by Margery his Wife, Daughter of Tho. Jones of Lanwarne) was born at Mownton in the Parish of Lanwarne in Herefordshire, formerly belonging to the Priory of Lantony near Gloucester, to the Prior of which place, his Ancestor bore the office of Pocillator. While this Jo. Hoskyns was a Child, and intended by his Father for a Trade, he was very importunate with him to make him a Scholar, wherefore at 10 years of age he began his A, B, C, and in an years time he was got into his Greek Grammar, for he was one of a prodigious memory, and of wonderful strength of body. After he had spent one year at Westminster School, he was sped a Child in Wykehams coll. near Winchester, where making very great proficiency in the School there, he was elected Prob. Fellow of New coll. an. 1584. and two years after was admitted Verus Socius. In Feb. 1591. he had the degree of M. of A. confer’d upon him, and being Terrae filius in the Act following, he was so bitterly satyrical, that he was not only denied the completion of that degree by being admitted ad regendum, but was expel’d the University. Afterwards being put to his shifts, he went into Somersetshire, where he taught a School for about an year or more at Ilchester, and compiled a Greek Lexicon as far as the Letter M. About that time having married a rich Fortune in those parts, named Benedicta, the Widdow of one Bourne, but Daughter of Rob. Moyle of Buckwell in Kent, he entred himself a Student in the Middle Temple, where, after he had spent some years, and performed certain exercise, he was called to the Bar. In 1614. he sate as a Burgess in Parliament then in being, wherein, in speaking his mind, he made a desperate allusion to the Scicilian Vesper, for which being committed Prisoner to the Tower of London 7. June, was examined whether he well understood the consequence of that Vesper to which he alluded. Whereupon making answer that he had a hint thereof, and afterwards a general information, from Dr. Lionel Sharp of Cambridge, that Doctor therefore, with Sir Charles Cornwallis, (Son of Sir Tho. Cornwallis of Brome in Suffolk,) were imprison’d (a)(a) Camden in Annal. R. Jac. 1. sub an. 1614. MS. in the Tower, on the 13. of the same month. At the same time that our author Hoskyns was committed to custody, were others also imprison’d with him for behaving themselves turbulent in the H. of Commons, as Walt. Chute a Kentish man who had lately been put out of his place of Carver to the King, one Wentworth (Tho. Wentworth mentioned under the year 1627.) esteemed (b)(b) See in Sir Hen. Wottons Letters in Reliq. Wottonianae, printed 1672. p. 432. &c. by some then living, a silly and simple creature, and a third named Christopher Nevil, second Son to the Lord Abergavenny, who was newly come from School and made the House sport with his boyish speeches, wherein were these words reiterated O tempora! O mores! After our author Hoskyns had continued a Prisoner for a full year, he, with Sharp and Cornwallis were (c)(c) Ib. in Annal. Camd. sub. an. 1615. released, and ever after were held in great value by the Commons. In the 17. of Jac. 1. he was elected Lent-Reader of the Middle-Temple, and in the 21. of the said King, made a Serjeant at Law, and soon after a Judge or Justice itinerant for Wales, and one of the Council of the Marches thereof. He was the most ingenious and admired Poet of his time, and therefore much courted by the ingenious men then living. There were few, or none, that published books of Poetry, but did celebrate his memory in them, especially his contemporary in New coll. named Joh. Owen the Epigrammatist, and fewer but did lay them at his feet for approbation before they went to the Press. ’Twas he that polish’d Ben. Johnson the Poet and made him speak clean, whereupon he ever after called our author Father Hoskyns, and ’twas he that view’d and review’d the History of the World, written by Sir W. Raleigh, before it went to the Press; with which person he had several years before (especially during their time of imprisonment in the Tower) been intimate. He was also much respected and beloved by Camden, Selden, Sam. Daniel, Dr. Joh. Donne Dean of Pauls, Rich. Martin Recorder of London, Sir H. Wotton, and Sir Benj. Rudyerd: with the last of whom it was once his fortune, upon a quarrel that fell out, to fight a duel, and to hurt him in the knee, but were afterwards soon reconcil’d. He was a person always pleasant and facete in company, which made him much desired by ingenious men. He was an excellent Master of the Latin and Greek tongue, well read in Divinity, but in the Common Law, which was his profession, not so well. He hath written.

Lexicon Graecum. MS. imperfect.

Epigrams in Engl. and Lat.—Some of which are printed in several books, and among them I suppose are his verses on a F—t let in the Parliament house, which are printed in some of the books of Drollery. He had a book of Poems neatly written, bigger than those of Dr. Donne, which were lent by his Son Benedict to a certain person in 1653. but could never retrieve it.

Epitaphs in Lat. and English.

The Art of Memory.—He was so excellent in it, whether artificial or natural, that no man ever went beyond him in his time. When he was a School-boy at Winchester, and had an exercise of verses to make, he neglected, through idleness, the making of them. So that fearing a whipping, he read the exercise of one of his School-fellows over his shoulder, just as he had finish’d it. Whereupon the Master entring, and the exercise called upon him first, he drew up to, and told, him he had lost it, yet nevertheless he would repeat it without book if that would serve his turn; so that the Master being contented, he repeated 16 or 20 verses that he had before read of the other boys making, and so was excused. At length the other boy being called, and he shewing the verses that Hoskyns had repeated, he was esteemed the thief that had stole them away from Hoskyns, and thereupon was sorely whip’d for so doing.

Method of the Law reduced under the heads of Rights, Wrongs, Remedies. All which books, with others of various subjects, are in MS. and for the most part kept in the hands of his Grandson Sir Joh. Hoskyns Knight and Baronet. He departed this life in his house at Morehampton in Herefordshire, 27. Aug. in sixteen hundred thirty and eight, 1638 aged 72. and was buried on the south side of the Choire of Dowr Abbey in the said County. Over his grave was erected soon after an Altar-monument with 24 verses ingraven thereon, made by Thomas Bonham of Essex Esq The four first run thus.

Hoc tegitur tumulo totus quem non tegit orbis,

Hoskinus humani prodigium ingenii.

Vsque adeo excoluit duo pugnacissima rerum

Et qua non subeant nomina pectus idem.

Pieridumque legumque potens, &c.