Robert Waring

son of Edm. War. of Lea in Staffordshire, and of Owlbury in Shropshire, was born ((*))((*)) Reg. Matric. P. P. fol. 24. b. in Staffordsh. elected from Westm. school a Student of Ch. Ch. in the year 1630, and that of his age 17, took the degrees in Arts, and afterwards bore arms for his Maj. Ch. 1. with in the Garison of Oxon, was elected Proctor of the University in 1647, and the same year History Professor, but deprived of it, and his Students place by the impetuous Visitors, authorized by Parliament, when they came to the University under pretence of reforming it. Afterwards he retired to Apley in Shropshire upon the invitation of Sir Will. Whitmore a great Patron of distressed Cavaliers, lived there obscurely for a time and buried his excellent parts in the solitudes of a Country life. Afterwards he travelled with the said person into France, where he continuing about an year, returned into England, sickned soon after, and died in Lincolns Inn Fields near London. He was a most excellent Lat. and Engl. Poet, but a better Orator, and was reckon’d among the great Wits of his time in the University. He hath transmitted to Posterity these things following.

A publick conference betwixt the six Presbyterian Ministers and some Independent Commanders held at Oxford on the 12 of Nov. 1646.—Printed 1646. in two sh. in qu.

An account of Mr. Prynns refutation of the University of Oxfords Plea, sent to a friend in a second Letter from Oxon—printed 1648. in 2 sh. in qu. The first Letter was written by Rich. Allestrie, as I shall tell you elsewhere.

Effigies Amoris: sive quid sit amor efflagitanti responsum. Printed at Lond. about 1649, in tw. published from the original copy by Mr. John Birkenhead on the desire of the Author, who would have his name conceal’d because of his Loyalty. The third Edit. came out, after the Restauration of his Maj. by Will. Griffith of Oxon, with an Epistle befo [•] e it written by him to the said Joh. Birkenhead then a Knight, wherein he gives not only a just character of our Author, but also of Sir John. To the said Edition is joyned our Authors Carmen Lapidorium, written to the memory of Ben. Johnson, which Griffith finding miserably mangled in Jonsonus virbius, or Verses on the death of Ben. Johnson, he, with his own hand, restored it to its former perfection and lustre, by freeing it from the errors of the Press. Mr. Griffith in his Praeloquium concerning our Author Waryng, saith that Cartwright, Gregory, Digges, &c. together with Jo. Birkenhead, were numina Oxonii tutelaria, every one of them had ingenium caelitus delapsum. quae quasi numina dum intra maenia retinuit sua, perstitet Oxonium, nec hostili cedens fraudi, nec infest is inimicorum succumbens armis, &c. The fourth Edition of it was printed at Lond. 1668, and an English Edition of it came out in 1682 under the title of The picture of Love unveil’d, done by John Norris of Alls. Coll. who in his Preface to it, saith, that the Author of it is admired by him for sweetness of fancy, neatness of stile, and lusciousness of hidden sense, and that in these respects he may compare with any other extant, &c. At length our Author Waryng contracting a malignant disease, too prevalent for nature, he gave way to fate to the great reluctancy of all those who knew the admirable Vertues and Learning of the person. The next day, being the tenth of May in sixteen hundred fifty and eight,1658. his body was conveyed to the Church of S. Michaels Royal, commonly called College hill, (because Whittingdon Coll. stood there) where, after his sorrowful friend and acquaintance Dr. Bruno Ryves (afterwards Dean of Windsore) had delivered an excellent Sermon to the numerous Auditory of Royalists, his body was deposited close under the south wall, at the upper end of the Isle on the south side of the Chancel. Ten days before, was buried in the said Church the most noted Poet of his time Jo. Cleaveland, and within few days after was buried in Waryngs grave the body of his eldest brother called Walt. Waryng, esteemed by some an ingenious man. Fourteen years after the death of Rob. Waryng was published A sermon preached at S. Margarets Westminster, at the funeral of Mrs. Susanna Gray, dau. of Hen. Gray Esq. of Enfield in Staffordshire, on 2 Sam. 12.15 to 24. Lond. 1672. qu. This sermon (which I have not yet seen) hath the name of Rob. Waring M. A. set in the title, as Author, which I take to be the same with our Author before mention’d.