Edwin Sandys

, Second Son of Edwin sometimes Archbishop of York, was born in Worcestershire, particularly, as I suppose, within the City of Worcester, when his father was Bishop of that Diocess, before his translation to York, admitted Scholar of C. C. coll. in Sept. 1577. and in the year of his age 16 or thereabouts, being then Pupil to the famous Mr. Rich. Hooker, who made use of his, and the judgment of George Cranmer when he compiled his books of Ecclesiastical Policy. In 1579. Jan. 23. he was admitted Probationer-Fellow of that House, being then Bach. of Arts, and on the 17. March 1581. he was collated to the Prebendship of Wetwang in the Church of York. Afterwards proceeding in his faculty, he left his Fellowship, travelled into several Countries, and at his return grew famous for his learning, prudence, and vertue. In the month of May 1602. he resign’d his Prebendship, on the 11. of May 1603. he had the honour of Knighthood confer’d upon him by K. Jam. 1. and was afterward by him imployed in several affairs of great trust and moment. He was very dexterous in any great employment, kept as constant time in all Parliaments, as he that held the Chair did, and was esteemed an excellent Patriot in all transactions, faithful to his Country, without any falseness to his Prince. But this I must say, that being found factious, and too daring in the Parliament held 1621. he was with Selden (a)(a) Camden in Annal. [〈◊〉] Jacobi 1. MS. sub. an. 1621. committed to custody to the Sheriff of London, 16. June in that year, and not delivered thence till the 18. July following. Which matter being ill resented by the House of Commons, they on the eighth of Nov. following did dispute the matter tumultuously, taking it for a great breach of their Privileges, that any one of them should be imprison’d. At length Secretary G. Calvert, protesting before them, that neither he or Selden were imprisoned for any Parliamentary matter, a stop was thereupon put to the dispute. What I find farther of Sir Edwin, is that he was Treasurer to the undertakers for the Western Plantations, which he effectually advanced, that he was a person of great judgment and of a commanding Pen, a solid Statesman, and as my author saith ingenio & gravitate morum insignis. Farther also, that he was as famous for those matters he published, as his Brother George was for his Travels and Poems. This worthy Knight Sir Edwin hath written,

Europae Speculum. Or, a view or survey of the state of Religion, in the Western part of the World. Wherein the Roman Religion, and the pregnant policies of the Church of Rome to support the same, are notably displayed, &c.—Written by the author at Paris, and by him finished 9. Apr. 1599. A copy of which coming into the hands of an unknown person in England, an impression of it full of errours stole into the world without the authors name or consent, an. 1605. besides another the same year, or soon after. Notwithstanding which, the book was esteemed so much by Scholars, and thereupon cried up at home for a brave piece of ingenuity, that it was forthwith translated into French; and printed, I think, at Paris. But as soon as ’twas finish’d, the printer to his great sorrow received information that it would be called in and suppress’d (as it was shortly after) whereupon he dispersed most of the copies into remote parts, before he did disperse any at home, and so was a gainer by his Politicks. At length after the author had taken great care that the English impressions should be called in, and the Printers punished, he caused a true copy thereof to be printed, a little before his death, anno 1629. From which were printed the impressions of 1632. and 37. at London in quarto, and another there in 1673. in oct. One copy under the authors hand, (as ’tis said) I have seen in Bodlics Library, and another in that of Dr. Barlow; which, I suppose, were dispersed to vindicate the author from spurious printed copies that flew abroad. I find one Sir Edwin Sandys, who paraphrastically turned in English verse Sacred Hymnes consisting of 50 select Psalms of David, &c. set to be sung in 5 parts by Rob. Taylor: Printed at Lond. 1615. in qu. Whether this version was performed by Sir Edwin Sandys before-mentioned, or by another of both his names of Latimers in Bucks, I know not. Our Sir Edwin Sandys, author of Europae Speculum, died about the beginning of Octob. 1629 in sixteen hundred twenty and nine, (leaving then 1500 l. to the Univ. of Oxon for the endowment of a Metaphysick Lecture) and was buried in the Ch. of Nortbourn in Kent, where he had a Seat and a fair Estate joyning to it. Over his grave is a handsome monument erected, but, as I have been informed, there is no inscription upon it. He left behind him at the time of his death at least 5 Sons, namely, Henry, Edwin, Richard, Robert, and Thomas. Who all (one excepted) proved zealous Parliamenteers in the beginning of the Rebellion, 1642. The outrages of the Second, then called Colonel Edwin Sandys, which he made against the Church, and the vengeance that followed him for so doing, the common (b)(b) [〈…〉] prints that in those times f [•] ew abroad do sufficiently testifie. He published (or rather one for him) a Pamphlet intit. Col. Sandy’s travailes [〈◊〉] Kent, which gives an account of the Sacrileges and outtages he had committed for the sake of the Blessed Parliament then sitting; and another called, His Declaration in v [•] n [•] icati [•] n of himself from those calumnious aspersions cast upon him by Lucius L. Fal [•] land, and Secretary Nicholas, 11. Oct. 1642. printed at Lond. 17. of the same month: Which was followed with another Pamphlet intit. A vindication of C [•] l. Sandys’s Honour and Loyalty, from a Declaration pretended to be set forth by him at Worcester, 11. Oct. 1642. But whether the said Colonel was educated in Oxon, ’tis not worth the enquiry, nor any thing else of him. And therefore I shall only let the Reader know, that he died of his wounds which he had received in the Parliaments Cause near to Worcrster, from the hands of a French-man called Arnold de L’isle a Captain of a Troop of Horse in Sir Joh. Byron’s Regiment, (for which service he was soon after Knighted.) whereupon his body was buried in the Cath. Ch. at Worcester, in the month of Oct. 1642. I find one Edwyn Sandys, an Essex man born, and a Knights Son, to be entred a Gent. Com. of C. C. coll. in 1608. aged 17. But this person must not be taken to be the same with the Colonel, who was then but one or two years of age.