Thomas Neale

was born at Yeate in Glocestershire, sped a Child into the College near Winchester, by the endeavours of his Mother’s Brother Alex. Belsire Fellow of New College, where profiting exceedingly in Grammer Learning in the School there, was chosen Probationer of New College in 1538. and two years after was admitted true and perpetual Fellow of the said House. Afterwards prosecuting his Studies with great industry, took the degree of Master of Arts, in 1546, Holy Orders, and soon after became an able Theologist, and admirably well skill’d in the Greek and Hebrew Languages; the last of which he read to several young Scholars in the University, particularly to Bern. Gilpin of Queen’s College. About that time Sir Tho. Whyte (who was afterwards Founder of S. John’s College) having had notice of his pregnant Parts and Vertues, did for an encouragement allow unto him an yearly Pension of 10. l. In the beginning of Q. Mary he became Chaplain to Dr. Bonner Bishop of London, and in 1556. being newly returned from Paris, and other places in France, he was admitted to the reading of the Sentences, being then Rector of Thenforth in Northamptonshire. But when Q. Elizabeth came to the Crown, and he thereupon bereft of his Lord and Patron Bonner, he betook himself to Oxon; and in 1559. he was made the Queen’s Professor of the Hebrew Lecture, entred himself a Commoner of Hart Hall, and built little Lodgings opposite thereunto, joyning to the West end of New Col. Cloister, wherein he lived several years; but his Religion being more Catholick than Protestant, he left Oxon, as he had done his Lecture before; and being of a timerous Nature, and always dreading of being called into Question for his seldom frequenting the Church, and receiving the Sacrament, he retired to an obscure Village, called Cassington, distant from Oxon, North-West, about 4 miles, where purchasing an House, at the end thereof next to Einsham, spent the remainder of his Days in Study and Devotion. As he was accounted by many an eminent Theologist and Linguist, so by some a tolerable Philosopher, Poet, and Geographer. He hath written,

Dialogus in adventum sereniss. Reginae Elizabethae gratulatorius, inter eandem Reginam & D. Rob. Dudleium comitem Leicestriae, & Acad. Oxon. Cancellarium. ’Tis a 4to. MS. (h)(h) In Archivis bib. Bod. written in 1566. in long and short Verses, and hath this beginning, Siccine chara tuis, &c. In this Book are contained, besides the said Dialogues, the Pictures, or Effigies of all the Colleges and Schools then in being, with long and short Verses under them, shewing by whom they were founded, and when.

A Table, or Map, describing the Colleges and Halls in Oxon, with Verses underneath each.—This Map was hung up for two or three days on St. Mary’s Church door, when Q. Elizabeth was entertained at Oxon, in Sept. 1566. which she several times viewed. I take it to be the same, containing the pictures of the Colleges and Halls, which one Mr. Will Nutburne, sometimes Commoner of St. John’s Col. gave thereunto, and the same which usually hung in the President’s Lodgings; but by a decree (i)(i) Reg. Secund. col. S. Jo [•] . p. 60 [•] made by that Society, 28 Aug. 1616. it was given to Sir Tho. Lake Secretary to his Majesty King James I. and one of the Privy Council; whereupon Sir Thomas gave to that College 20 l. towards the reparation of their Buildings, situated between their Common Hall, and their Publick Gate. Our Author Th. Neale made a translation also of al the Prophets out of the Hebrew, which he presented to Q. Elizabeth, when she was entertained at Oxon, in 1566, and translated from that Tongue several of the Rabbins into Latin, which he dedicated to the great Cardinal Pole: What else he hath performed, either in writing or translating, I cannot tell, neither any thing material of him besides; only, (1) That he is noted by some Writers, to be the Original Reporter of the Consecration of Matthew Parker to the See of Canterbury, at the Nags-Head-Tavern in Cheapside, which since is manifestly made a meer Forgery,Clar. 1590. and (2) That in the year fifteen hundred and ninety, he being then seventy one years of age, and did put up a Monument for himself, with an inscription on a Brass plate fastned thereunto, at the upper end of the Body of Cassington Church, over the Seat which belonged to the House where he lived, (for he sometimes went to Church,) with intentions to be buried under the said Seat; but when he died, or was buried, the Register of that place, which is very imperfect, tells us not. The Copy of the inscription is printed in Hist. & Antiq. Vniv. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 139. a. One Tho. Neale of Yeate in Glocestershire (where our Author was born) dying in 1590. his Window named Christiana had a Commission granted (k)(k) Book of Administrations in the Will-Office before quoted, beginning in Jan. 1586. to her to administer the Goods, Debts, and Chattels of him the said Thomas lately deceased, dated 23 Sept. the same year. Whether it be meant of our Author, I cannot justly say, because I could never learn that he was ever married.