REMARKABLE LETTERS OF SIR JOHN CHEKE AND OTHERS, COLLECTED IN THIS HISTORY. CHEKE to Dr. Matthew Parker, Queen Anne's Chaplain, in behalf of Bill, a Scholar of St. John's college, p. 9. To Stephen, Bishop of Winton, Chancellor of Cambridge, concerning his new way of pronouncing the Greek, p. 15. To Dr. Butts, the King's Physician, being sick, consolatory, p. 26. To Peter Osborn, from Cambridge, where he was retired from Court, p. 39. To the Duchess of Somerset, excusing his wife, under her Grace's displeasure, p. 45. To Martin Bucer, upon his recovery from sickness, p. 54. To the same, concerning John Sleidan's pension, p. 55. To Peter Martyr, consolatory upon the death of Dr. Bucer, p. 58. To Dr. Parker and the University, on the same occasion, p. 61. To Walter Haddon, upon his sickness, p. 63. To Sir William Cecil, from Strasburg, giving him warning against compliance with the Popish religion, p. 99. To Queen Mary, declaring his submission, p. 112. To Cecil, in Greek, in behalf of a poor foreign Bishop come into England, p. 176. The University of Cambridge to Cheke, congratulatory, upon the access of King Edward to the throne, p. 33. Stephen, Bishop of Winton, and Chancellor of Cambridge, to Cheke, prohibitory of his new way brought in of sounding the Greek letters, p. 15. Walter Haddon, LL. D. to Cheke, upon his leaving the* University, p. 23. To the same, upon his translation and edition of certain Orations of Chrysostom de Fato, p. 31. Nicolas Car to Cheke, consolatory, concerning the death of Dr. Martin Bucer, p. 58. Roger Ascham to Cecil, upon the hope of Cheke's preferment to the provostship of King's college, p. 35. To Cheke, from Germany, shewing the state of religion and REMARKABLE LETTERS, &c. xiii learning abroad, p. 49. To the same, congratulatory of his high advancement at Court, p. 92. Yong to Cheke, concerning the declarations of Dr. Redman on his death-bed, concerning certain points of religion, p. 67. Thomas Lever to Ascham, concerning Cheke's recovery, p. 89. Archbishop Cranmer to Cecil, signifying his concern for Cheke's troubles upon Queen Mary's coming to the Crown, p. 94. Lady Frances Cooke to the Lord Burghley, about precedency to the Lady Cheke, p. 135. John Cheke, son of Sir John Cheke, to the Lord Burghley, upon his going to the war, p. 139. Bartholomew Clark, LL. D. to Cecil, concerning the proficiency of Henry Cheke at Cambridge, p. 140. BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS MADE USE OF OR MENTIONED IN THIS WORK. VARIA penes me MSSta. Visitation Books in the Office of Arms. Weever's Funeral Monuments. Bishop of London's Register. Fox's Acts and Monuments. His Martyrology, the first edition. A MS. of Dr. Sloan's. Checi de Recta Græcæ Linguæ Pronuntiatione. Epistola D. Winton Checo in libro præfat. Cælii Secundi Curionis Epist. Dedicatoria eidem Libro. Aschami Epistolæ. Lelandi Epigrammata. Dixoni Poemata, MSS. Volumen Epistolarum in Biblioth. C. C. C. C. Dr. Langbain's Life of Cheke. xiv BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS. Haddoni Epistolæ. Register of the University of Oxon. Johan. Foxii MSS. Sir John Hayward's Life of King Edward VI. The Hurt of Sedition, written by Cheke. Holinshed's Chronicle. Warrant Book of King Edward VI. Of his Gifts, Grants, Sales, &c. Council Book of King Edward VI. Athenæ Oxonienses. Order of the Policy and Offices of the Realm. Bale's Centuries, first edition, in quarto. Dr. Laurence Humphry de Nobilitate. MSS. of William Petyt, Esq. Keeper of the Tower Records. The Decretals. Petri Martyris Epistolæ. Edit. Genev. MSS. of Sir Henry St. George, Knight, Garter King at Arms. H. Holland's Heroologia. Sir Thomas Chaloner's Miscellanea. Dugdale's Baronage. Dr. Thomas Wylson's English Translation of Demosthenes' Orations. Epistola Nic. Carri de Morte Buceri. Life of Sir Thomas Smith, Knight. Miscellanea D. in Biblioth. C. C. C. C. State Worthies, by Lloyd. Grotii Annotationes in Novum Testamentum. Monasticon Anglicanum. THE LIFE OF THE LEARNED SIR JOHN CHEKE. CHAP. I. A view of Sir John Cheke, from his birth to his leaving the University, and advancement at Court. SIR JOHN CHEKE was raised purely by his learned Anno 1514. abilities, and his name requires a place among the most memorable men of those times, being one of the completest scholars for Latin and Greek learning in that age; and having the happiness to be the chief instructor of the blessed King Edward's youth, a Prince so singular for learning, knowledge, and religion, that he wanted nothing but a longer life to render him one of the most illustrious monarchs in the world: in the praise whereof, Cheke, his guide and teacher, must have a share. Being minded to revive the memory of this gentleman, I shall endeavour to give a view of him; first, from his birth to his leaving of the University, and coming to Court; next, from his coming to Court, to his travels abroad and exile; and lastly, from his exile to his return and death. SECT. I. Cheke's birth and family; vindicated. His nativity. Parents. IT is one of the chief honours of the town of Cambridge, Cambridge, that Cheke was born there; at which place his father set B Cheke's birth-place. I. The family of the Chekes. 66 CHAP. tled, upon occasion of his matching with a gentlewoman of that county. For the family was anciently of the Isle Anno 1514. of Wight, where it long flourished in wealth and reputation, and received accessions of honour by divers intermarriages. For Hayward, who wrote the life of King Edward VI. must be corrected, who, in that book, hath done this gentleman wrong, in disparaging his pedigree, as though it were obscure; where, speaking of the Prince's tutors, Dr. Cox and Sir John Cheke, he describes them to have been "of mean birth; and that they might be said to be "born of themselves, for the esteem of their virtue and learning, by reason of the place of their employment." He was the son and heir of Peter Cheke, a younger brother of the ancient house of the Chekes of Motston in the Isle of Wight. For to fetch his genealogy for some generations backward, as it lies in the visitation-books of the heralds; Richard Cheke of Motston, in the time of Richard II. married one of the daughters of Montacute, or Montague. His son was called Edward, who married a daughter of Trenenian. By whom he had John Cheke of Motstone, that matched with a daughter of Tremain. By whom he had issue John, whose wife was a daughter of Glamorgan, of the county of Southampton. His son was Robert, who married the daughter of Bremshot of Bremshot. Whose sons were David and Peter, the father of John Cheke, the subject of our story. David's line for divers generations after him enjoyed Motstone. Peter Cheke's stock. Peter, the second son, married Agnes, daughter of Dufford [i. e. De Ufford, a great name once] of the county of Cambridge, a grave, wise, and good woman. Ascham, in one of his epistles, styles her venerandam illam fœminam, i. e. that venerable woman. By whom Peter had Anne, married to George Allington; Alice, to Dr. Blithe, the first public King's Reader of the Physic Lecture in the University of Cambridge. He was of King's college, and sometime Proctor there; and a traveller beyond sea: Elizabeth, to Spering; Mary, matched with Sir William Cecil, afterwards Secretary of State to King Edward and Queen |