John Leland

or Leyland, that singular light and ornament of Great Britain, was born in London, but in what Parish, or Year, it appears not, howbeit the day of his Birth, he himself is pleased to tell (s)(s) In Encomiis, trophaeis, &c. edit. 1589. p. 31. us. In his younger Years being depriv’d of his relations, he was taken into the protection of one Tho. Myles a great favourer of learning, who not only exhibited to his wants, but also took care to have him instructed in Grammar, and other juvenile learning, under the famous Will. Lilye. From his School he was sent to Cambridge, where, as he himself saith, he received the first seeds of Academical Learning in Christ’s College, and from thence, as in another place he tells us, he went to Oxon, but to what College or Hall therein, he adds not. Howbeit by sure tradition from Thom. Key of Allsouls College to Thom. Allen of Glocest. Hall, it appears that he spent several Years in study in the said Coll. of Allsouls, which is also noted by Will. Burton the Antiquary of Leicestershire in the Collorary of some part of Leland’s Life before the first tome of his Collections. After he had spent some time there, he journied to Paris, where he profited himself much by the reading and learning of Budaeus, Faber, Paulus Aemilius, and Ruellus. Returning thence he entred into Holy Orders, became Chaplain to K. Hen. 8. and Rector of Poppeling (sometimes written Popering and Pepling) in the Marches of Calais. Afterwards he became Library-keeper to that King, and had a Commission from him under the broad Seal, an. reg. 25. Dom. 1533. whereby he was impowered to make a search after England’s Antiquities, and peruse the Libraries of all Cathedrals, Abbies, Priories, Colleges, &c. as also all places wherein Records, Writings, and secrets of Antiquity were reposed. Whereupon, in few Years after, obtaining a special (t)(t) Pat. 28. Hen. 8. part. 1. dispensation 12. Jul. 28. Hen. 8. to keep a Curate at Poppeling, and make his residence in England, or elsewhere at his own liberty, he spent more than six Years in rambling to and fro in this Nation, and in making researches into the bowels of antiquity, undertaking so immense a task, that the very thoughts of compleating it, did, as ’tis said, distract him. At the time of the dissolution of Monasteries, he saw with very great pity what havock was made of ancient Monuments of learning, and if no remedy should be taken, they would all perish. Whereupon, for prevention sake, he wrot a Letter (u)(u) Among the Papers of state. to Cromwell the prime Secretary, dat. 16. July, wherein he intreats him to give him aid and assistance in bringing to light many ancient Authors, and in sending them to the King’s Library; who, he knew well, had no little esteem for them, and adds that—it would be a great profit to Students, and honour to this Realm; whereas now the Germanes perceiving our deridiousness and negligence, do senddayly young Scholars hither, that spoileth them, and cutteth them out of Libraries, returning home and putting them abroad as Monuments of their own Country, &c. On the 3. of Apr. 33. Hen. 8. Dom. 1542. he was (w)(w) Pat. 33. Hen. 8. p. 6. presented to the Rectory of Hasely near to, and in the County of, Oxon; and in the beginning of the said Month 1543, the King (x)(x) Pat. 34. Hen. 8. part. 8. gave to him by the name of Job. Leland Scholar, and the King’s Chaplain a Canonry or Prebendship of Kings College (now Ch. Ch.) in Oxon; and about that time the Prebendship of East-Knoll and W. Knoll near to Salisbury in Wiltshire; but the Canonry of Ch. Ch. he lost in 1545, upon the surrender of that College to the King, and in lieu thereof had no pension allow’d him as other Canons had, but preferment elsewhere. At length having made a grand collection of antiquities, he retired to his habitation in the Parish of St. Michael in le Querne in London, where spending about six Years more in composing such Books that he had promised to the King, did at length (upon a foresight that he was not able to perform his promise, or as the Roman Catholicks say, that he had degenerated from the ancient Religion) fall distracted and lost his sense, being but a little before esteemed a Person of a clear judgment and of great insight to discern between substantial and superficial learning. This his distemper being made known to the King and his Council, His Majesty by Letters Pattent (y)(y) Pat. 5. Ed. 6. part. 6. dat. 21. March 5. Ed. 6. Dom. 1550. did grant the custody of him by the name of John Laylond Junior, of St. Michaels Parish in le Querne, London, Clerk, to his Brother John Laylond senior, and for his maintenance to receive the profits of Hasely, Popplyng, E. Knoll, and W. Knoll before-mentioned. He was esteemed by the generality of Scholars of his time an excellent Orator and Poet, learned in the Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, British, Saxon, Welsh, and Scotish Tongues, a most diligent searcher into antiquity, and a favourer and lover of all those that bent their minds that way. His enemies, or such that cared not for him, as Pol. Virgil, Dr. Jo. Cay, &c. did use to say that he was a vain glorious Person, and that he promised more than ever he was able to perform, and others, that his Poetical wit made him so conceited, that it was the chief reason of his frensie. He hath written,

Naenia in mortem Thomae Viati equitis incomparabilis. Lond. 1542. ’Tis a Lat. Poem in one sheet and an half in qu.

Genethliacom illustriss. Eadverdi principis Cambriae, Ducis Coriniae & Comitis Palatini, &c. Printed 1543. A Lat. Poem in 4. sheets in qu.

Syllabus & interpretatio antiquarum dictionum, quae passim per libellum (praedictum) lectore occurrunt. Printed with the former, an. 1543.

Assertio inclytiss. Arturii regis Britanniae. Lond. 1544. qu.

Elenchus antiquarum nominum. Printed with the Assertio inc.

Cygnea Cantio. Lond. 1545. ’Tis a Lat. Poem in about 5 sheet in qu. There again 1658. in oct.

Commentarii in Cyg. cantionem indices Britannicae antiquitatis locupletissimi. Printed with the two said Editions of Cyg. Cant.

Laudatio pacis. Lond. 1546. A Lat Poem in 2 sh. in qu.

A New-years-gift to K. Hen. 8. (37 Year of his Reign) concerning his laborious journey and search for Englands antiquities. Lond. 1549. Oct. Published with annotations thereon by Joh. Bale, who hath added thereunto of his own. A register of the names of English Writers, whom the second part of his work, De Scriptorib. Britanniae, shall comprehend.

Principum ac illustrium aliquot & eruditorum in Angliâ virorum, Encomia, Trophaea, Genethliaca, & Epithalamia, &c. Lond. 1589. qu. Published by Tho. Newton of Cheshire.

These are all the Books composed by him, that are published. Those that he left behind him in MS. are these following.

Collectaneorum volumen primum. Collections from various Authors, viz. from Chronologies, ancient Charters, Leiger-Books, Histories, Annals, publick and private Writings, &c.—Written with Lelands own hand (mostly in Latin) in folio, containing 913 pages, and all collected from MSS. and nothing from Authors that were then Printed. There are in this Book many needless additions and illustrations put in by Will. Burton of Lindley, whom I shall anon mention, who hath written some part of the life of Leland before, and has made a useful index to, it.

Collect. vol. 2. Collections from various Authors in MS. viz. Chronologies, Annals, &c. in fol. containing 382. pages.

Collect. vol. 3. Containing the Catalogues of MSS. in the Libraries of several religious Houses, Cathedrals, Colleges, &c. Collections also from Monkish Authors concerning the foundations, restaurations, &c. of religious places, and other matters of considerable moment. In p. 117, is part of an Itinerary through Devonshire, and p. 127, &c. is something of Kent. In p. 149, &c. is something of Herefordshire, and p. 204, of Lincolnshire. Afterwards follow the meaning and original of words from several old Dictionaries. This vol. contains in writing under Lelands hand 287 pages in fol. and hath at the end his New-years-gift to K. Hen. 8.

Collect. vol. 4. Containing the lives and characters of most of the eminent Writers of England; written in Latin with Leland’s own hand, an. 1546. and containeth 354 pages in fol. One or more Copies of this Book, are in private hands.

An Itinerary throughout most parts of England.—In five volumes in qu. This Iter was began about 38. H. 8. Dom. 1538, and the volumes were written with his own hand; but by the negligence of those, who have had the custody of them, after the Authors death, most of them have taken wet and are not legible. About the Year 1631. Will. Burton before-mentioned caused all the said five volumes to be transcribed into one folio; which, with the originals, were, by him soon after, given to the publick Library of Oxon.

Collections concerning English Families and their originals, of relations of matters of antiquity from divers Persons, of Towns and religious Houses, (which he accidentally found in record, or by tradition) of Rivers in several Counties, and also collections from various MSS. &c.—All which, are contained in two quartoes under Leland’s hand writing, and go under the names of the sixth and seventh volumes of his Itineraries, and stand and are mix’d with the other five, in the Archives of the publick Library.

Collectiones ex antiquissimis authoribus desumptae, quae ad Britanniam spectant. MS. in Cotton’s Library under Julius C. 6.

Codrus sive liber contra Polydorum Virgilium de erroribus in scriptis suis. MS. An exemplar of which I have seen.

Naenia in mort. Hen. Duddelegi (Dudley) Equitis. MS. in qu.

Bononia Gallo-Mastix, in laudem victoris feliciss. Hen. 8. Anglici, Francici, Scottici, &c. MS. in qu. With other things, which you may see in Balcus and Pitseus. All which MSS. and collections, with many other matters of moment, were, after Leland’s death, taken (by command from Ed. 6) into the custody of Sir John Cheek Tutor to the said King; who not long after gave the four tomes or vol. of his collections before-mention’d to Humph. Purefoy Esq; (afterwards of the Privy Council to Queen Elizabeth in the North parts of England) whose Son Tho. Purefoy of Barwell in Leicestershire, giving them to Will. Burt [•] n of Lyndley in the same County, in the Year 1612, came many Years after by his gift (when he had made use of them in compiling his Description of Leicestershire) to the Bodlcian or pub. Library at Oxon, together with the Itinerary in five (with the other two) quartoes, where they yet (in the Archives of that Library) remain. As for some other of his Collections, they came after the death of Sir John Cheek into the hands of Will. Lord Pagit, and Sir Will. Cecyll, but to whom, from them, I find not. Perhaps among the said Collect. were those that came afterwards into Sir Rob. Cotton’s hands, and the Itinerary into those of Will. Burton before-mention’d. Howsoever it is, sure I am, that several eminent Antiquaries have made use of them, especially Joh. Bale in his second edition of British Writer, but not in the same words that Leland wrot. For as he delivered things impartially and in smooth language, so Bale quite contrary, and full (*)(*) Vide Jo. Pits De illustr. Angl. script. p. 53. of scurrilities. Camden also, though now and then he doth mention his Author Leland, yet he made (†)(†) See in Ralph Brooks Discovery of errors in Camden’s Britannia. considerable use of his Collections in the composing of his Britannia. Sir Will. Dugdale hath perused them several times, and made great use of them in his Antiquities of Warwickshire, and in his volumes called, The Baronage of England, but withal quotes him honestly for every thing that he hath taken from them. To conclude, this great Antiquary J. Leland dying on the 18 day of April in Fifteen hundred fifty and two, 1552 was buried in the Church of St. Michaels in le Querne, in London. Which Church having been situated near to the old cross in West-cheap, and not far from the East part of St. Paul’s Cathedral, was totally burnt down in the grand conflagration, an. 1666. So that soon after its Parish being united to another, the foundation of the said Church was level’d, and pitched with Stones, as the rest of the street adjoining was; and at the East-end where stood the Altar, or thereabouts, was erected a Conduit of stone to serve the inhabitants of the neighbourhood with water.