William Laud

Son of Will. Laud by Lucia his Wife, widdow of Joh. Robinson of Reading in Berks, and daugh. of Joh. Webbe of the same place, was born in S. Laurence Parish in the said borough of Reading, on the 7. of Octob. 1573, educated in the Free-School there, elected Scholar of S. Johns Coll. in 1590, where going thro with great diligence the usual forms of Logic and Philosophy under the tuition of Dr. John Buckeridge, was made Fellow in 1594, and four years after Mast. of Arts, at which time he was esteemed by all those that knew him a very forward and zealous person. About that time entring into the Sacred Function, he read the Divinity Lecture newly set up in the Coll, and maintained by one Mrs. ... May. In 1 [•] 03 he was elected one of the Proctors of the University, and became Chaplain to the Earl of Devonshire, which proved his happiness, and gave him hopes of greater preferment. In 1604 he was admitted to the reading of the Sentences, and in 1607 he became Vicar of Stanford in Northamptonshire. In the year following he proceeded D. of Div. and was made Chaplain to Dr. Neile Bishop of Rochester. In 1609 he became Rector of West-Tilbury in Essex, for which he exchanged his Advowson of North-Kilworth in Leicestershire. The next year his Patron the Bishop of Rochester gave him the Rectory of Kuckstone in Kent, but that place proving unhealthful to him, he left it, and was inducted into Norton by proxy. The same year viz. 1610 he resign’d his Fellowship, and the year following he was elected President of his College. In 1614 his Patron, then Bishop of Lincoln, gave him a Prebendship in that Church, and after that the Archdeaconry of Huntingdon, an. 1615, on the death of Matthew Gifford Master of Arts. In the year 1616 the King gave him the Deanery of Glocester after the death of Dr. Rich. Field, and in the year following he became Rector of Ibstock in Leicestershire. In 1620 Jan. 22. he was installed Canon or Prebendary of the eighth stall in the Church of Westminster, (in the place of Edw. Buckley D. D. who had succeeded Will. Latymer in that dignity 1582.) and the next year after, his Majesty (who upon his own confession had given to him nothing but the Deanery of Glocester, which he well knew was a shell without a kernel) gave him the grant of the Bishoprick of S. David, and withal, leave to hold his Presidentship of S. Jo. Coll. in commendam with it, as also the Rectory of Ibstock before mention [•] d, and Creek in Northamptonshire. In Sept. 1626 he was translated to B. and Wells, and about that time made Dean of the Royal Chappel. In 1627 Apr. 29. he was sworn privy Counsellor with Dr. Neile then B. of Durham, and on the 15 of Jul. 1628, he was translated to London. Much about which time, his antient acquaintance Sir Jam. Whitlock a Judge used to say of our Author Dr. Laud that ((*))((*)) Bulstr. Whitlock in his Memorials of the English Affairs, &c. p. 32 he was too full of fire, though a just and a good man, and that his want of experience in state matters, and his too much zeal for the Church, and heat, if he proceeded in the way he was then in, would set this Nation on fire. In 1630 he was elected Chancellour of the Univ. of Oxon, and in 1633 Sept. 19. he was translated to Canterbury, which high preferment drew upon him such envy, that by the puritan party, he was afterwards in the beginning of the Long Parliament, impeached of high Treason. He was a person of an heroick spirit, pious life, and exemplary conversation. He was an encourager of Learning, a stiff maintainer of the rights of the Church and Clergy, and one that lived to do honour to his Mother the University and his Country. Such a liberal benefactor also he was towards the advancement of learning, that he left himself little or nothing for his own use; and by what his intentions were, we may guess that if the severe stroke of Rebels had not untimely sequestred, and cut him off, S. Pauls Cathedral had silenced the fame of antient wonders, our English Clergy had been the glory of the world, the Bodleian libr. in Oxon. had daily outstript the Vatican, and his publick structures had o’ertopt the Escurial. Whosoever also will read over the Breviat of his life and actions, pen’d by himself for private use, but purposely publish’d by his inveterate enemy W. Prynne with his rascally Notes and diabolical Reflections thereon, purposely to render him more odious to the common people (followed therein by another ((a))((a)) Lewis du Moulin in his Patron. bonae fidei, &c. Lond. 1672. in cap. vel lib. de specim contra Durellum, p. 62, 63, &c. Villain) will find that he was a man of such eminent vertues, such an exemplary piety towards God, such an unwearied fidelity to his gracious Sovereign, of such a publick soul towards the Church and State, of so fix’d a constancy in what he undertook, and one so little biassed in his private Interests, that ((b))((b)) Relation of the death and sufferings of the Archb. of Canterb. Oxon. 1644. p. 2. Plutarch, if he were alive, would be much troubled to find a sufficient parallel wherewith to match him in all the lineaments of perfect vertue. Next as for his great reading and learning, may be, by curious persons, seen in his works, (and thereby easily perceive that he was versed in books as well as in business) the titles of which follow.

Several sermons, as (1) Sermon preached before his Maj. at Wansted, 19 June 1621, on Psal. 122.6, 7. Lond. 1621. qu. (2) Serm. at Whitehall 24 Mar. 1621, being the day of the beginning of his Maj. most gracious raigne, on Psal. 21.6, 7. Lond. 1622. qu. (3) Serm. before his Maj. at Whitehall, on Psal. 75.2, 3. Lond. 1625. qu. (4) Serm. at Westm. 6 Feb. at the opening of the Parl. on Psal. 122.3.4.5. Lond. 1625. qu. (5) Serm. at Westm. 17 Mar. (1627) at the opening of the Parl. on Ephes. 4.3. Lond. 1628. qu. (6) Serm. at Whitehall at a solemn Fast before the K. 5 Jul. 1626. on Psal. 74.22. Lond. 1626. (7) Serm. at Paules Cross on the Kings inauguration, on Psal. 22.1.—printed at Lond. Which seven Sermons were reprinted at the same place in oct. an. 1651.

Speech delivered in the Star-chamber, 14 June 1637, at the censure of Joh. Bastwick, Hen. Burton and Will. Prynne. Lond. 1637. qu. &c.

Conference between him and Jo. Fisher. Lond. 1623. fol. published under his Chaplains name R. B. i. e. Rich. Baylie of S. Johns Coll. Reprinted 1639 and 1673. fol.

Answer to the Exceptions of A. C.—printed with the former.

Which Conference was look’d upon as a piece so solidly compacted, that one of our ((c))((c)) Ham. L’Estrange in his Reign of K. Charles. printed 1656. p. 187. an. 1639. Historians (who shews himself to be none of Lauds greatest friends) gives it the commendation of being the exactest Master-piece of polemique Divinity of any extant at that time, and farther affirms. that he declared himself therein, so little theirs (meaning the Papists) as he had for ever disabled them from being so much their own, as before they were. Sir Edw. Deering also his profess’d adversary, in the Preface to the book ((d))((d)) Collection of Parliam, Speeches, p. 5. of speeches, could not but confess, that in the said book of Laud, especially in the last half of it, he had muzled the Jesuit, and should strike the Papists under the fifth ribb, when he was dead and gone. and being dead, that wheresoever his grave should be, Pauls should be his perpetual monument, and his own book his Epitaph. It was answered by a Jesuit named Tho. Carwell alias Thorold a Lincolnshire man born, in a book intit. Labirinthus Cantuariensis. Par. 1658. fol. Replied upon by Dr. Meric Casaubon (as I shall tell you elsewhere) and by Mr. Edw. Stillingfleet.

Various Letters, as (1) Letters of state, dispersed in the Cabala’s and divers books. (2) Letter with divers Mss. to the University of Oxon. Lond. 1640, with the answer of the University in one sh. in qu. which I have mention’d elsewhere. They were both written in Lat. but foolishly translated into Engl. by a precise person, purposely to bring an Odium on Dr. Laud. See Hist. & Antiq. Univ. Oxon. lib. 1. p. 348. b. (3) Letter to the Univ. of Oxon. when he resigned his office of Chancellour. Oxon. 1641. in one sh. published by occasion of a base libel or forgery that ran under the said title. The University’s Answer in Lat. is joyned to it, &c.

Notes in Ms. on a book entit. Romes Master-piece, &c. Lond. 1643. qu. Which book was published by Will. Prynne, and by his endeavours was conveyed to him when he was Prisoner in the Tower of London, where he wrot the said notes. This book, with notes, coming after his death into the hands of Dr. Rich. Baylie, who married Dr. Laud’s neice, came after his, into mine.

Breviate or Diary of his life. Lond. 1644. in 10 sh. in fol. This was a pocket book, which he had wrot in the Lat. tongue for his own private use; but restless Prynne having had a hint of such a thing, obtain’d an Order from the Committee of Lords and Commons appointed for the safety of the Kingdom, dat. 30 May 1643, to seize upon his papers, letters, &c. By vertue of which order, he, with others, repaired to the Tower of London the next day early in the morning, and rushing suddenly into his Chamber before he was stirring from his bed, went directly to his breeches lying by the bed-side, and thrusting his hand into his pockets with very great impudence, took the said Breviate thence. Whereupon, thinking to plague the Archbishop as much as he could in his life time, and make him more odious to the Mobile, published it to the World, and caused, under hand, that a printed copy might be sent to him. But so it fell out, that the Publisher Prynne was extreamly mistaken; for all judicious and impartial men did take it for the greatest piece of Justice from Prynns hands, that ever he before had done. For what the generality could not think before of the Archbishop, were then confirm’d of his character, which I have before told you, that he was a man of eminent vertues, exemplary piety, &c.

Speech and Prayer spoken at his death on the Scaffold on Towerhill, 10 Jan. 1644. Lond. 1644—45. qu. This is call’d his Funeral Sermon, preached on Heb. 12.1, 2. and is kept in Ms. under his own hand in S. Johns Coll. Library. It was answer’d by his implacable enemy Hen. Burton Minister of S. Mathews Ch. in Fridaystreet, Lond. in a Pamphlet bearing this title, The grand imposture unmasked: or, a detection of the notorious hypocrisie, and desperate impiety of the late Archb. (so stiled) of Canterbury, which he read on the scaffold at his Execution, 10 Jan. 1645. printed in two sh. and half in qu. Other Answers were published by Anonymi, which for brevity I shall now omit.

Officium quotidianum: or, a manual of private Devotions. Lond. 1650 and 63. in oct.

A summary of Devotions. Lond. 1667. in tw. published according to the copy written with his own hand in the archives of S. Johns Coll. Library.

Variae epistolae ad clariss. Ger. Jo. Vossium. The number of them is 18, and are printed in a book intit. Gerard. Jo. Vossii & clarorum virorum ad eum epistolae. Lond. 1690. fol. published by Paul. Colomesius. I have seen and perused a Ms. transcrib’d under the hand of Joh. Birkenhead, containing all the passages which concern the University of Oxon. since Dr. Laud’s first nomination and election to the Chancellourship of the said University. It commences 12 Apr. 1630, and ends 14 Dec. 1640, bound up in a vellam cover in fol. and endorsed thus,

Gesta sub Cancellariatu meo Oxon. This Ms. was communicated to me, when I was composing the Hist. and Antiq. of the Univ. of Oxon. by Dr. Peter Mews President of S. Johns Coll. wherein finding many useful things for my purpose (which another may do for his, and therefore it escap’d Prynn’s hands) I thought it therefore not unworthy of a place here, as I could do of many other things under his hand, which I have seen reserved in private custody as choice monuments: but time calls me away, and I must hasten. Yet I cannot but let the Reader know, that there is a fol. Ms. going from hand to hand, entit. Wholsome Queries resolved by Dr. Laud, manifesting that Monarchy is no safe Principle for Protestants, &c.—sed caveat lector. At length in the beginning of the civil Distempers, this worthy Archbishop was upon suspicion of introducing Popery into the Nation, arbitrary Government, and I know not what (aggravated in an high degree) committed Prisoner first to the Black-rod, and afterwards to the Tower, where remaining about four years, was at length by the Votes of a slender house, beheaded on Tower-hill on the tenth day of January in sixteen hundred forty and [•] our.1644/5. Whereupon his body being buried in the chancel of the Church of Allhallowes Barkin which he before had consecrated, remained there entire till July 1663, at which time being removed to Oxon, was on the 24 day of the same month, deposited with ceremony in a little Vault built of brick, near to the high Altar of S. Johns Coll. Chappel. Thus died and buried was this most reverend, renowned, and religious Archprelate, when he had lived 71 years, 13 weeks and four days; if at least he may be properly said to dye; the great example of whose vertue shall continue always, not only in the minds of men, but in the Annals of succeeding ages, with renown and fame.