Cromwell Lea

a younger Son of Sir Anth. Lea or Lee of Burston in Bucks. Knight, (by his Wife the Daughter of Sir Thomas Wyat Knight,) descended from the Lees of Quarendon in the said County, was educated in all inferiour Arts in this University, and afterwards travelling and spending several years in Italy, he attained to so great knowledge in the common Language of that Country, that at his return he wrote,

A Dictionary in Italian and English.—Which tho it reaches but to the Word Tralingnato, and so consequently wanteth the following Letters to the end of the Alphabet, yet it is as big as a Church-Bible. This book the author giving in MS. to the Library of St. Johns coll. in this University, (of which coll. he had been sometimes a Commoner, about its first foundation,) the Society did so highly value it, that one of them named Tho. Poticarie, M. of A. and Bach. of the Civil Law, did transcribe it in a very fair character. Which being so done, it was reposed in their Library as a choice thing, and is at this day among the printed books, B. 31. This Crom. Lea, who had married Mary, the Relict of Rich. Taverner, mentioned under the year 1575. died at his house in Halywell, in the North Suburb of Oxon, about the beginning of Winter in sixteen hundred and one, 1601 but where buried I know not. Whereupon this Epitaph was made on him by an Oxford Scholar,

Here lyeth old Cromwell,

Who, living, lov’d the Bum well.

When he dy’d he gave nothing to the poor,

But half to his Bastards, and half to his Whore.