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HERE Sir Thomas Wyat re

Feb.

ments, and with a fhrewdness of wit,

education which adorned his retired and illuftrated his political life, we are not told. From Bale we know that he was of St. John's college at Cambridge; and Anthony à Wood, ambitious that Oxford hould have pretenfions to him too, has enrolled him of that univerfity, on the flight ground of Wyat's going thither to hear the new lectures which Cardin Wolfey had just founded. He then travelled, and probably to Italy, being one of the first, it not the firft, who introduced the numbers ufed by the poets of that country into his own. That he had drank deeply at the claffic founts of ancient poefy, appeared in his Latin translations: the fofter elegance of the Italian affifted him in refining our tongue and he polished the language of the court, inftead of imbibing politenefs from it. Camden fays he was fplendidè doctus; Afcham, that he was one of the best tranflators of the Latin poets of the age he lived in; and Wood calls him the delight of the Mufes and of mankind. Leland publifhed a book of elegies on his death. His brave and accomplished friend Lord Surrey compofed an epitaph for him, and Sir Thomas Chaloner, one of the luminaries of that half favage, half Auguftan age, another : both in verfe. Sir John Mafon, chancellor of Oxford, wrote one in profe.

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Yet did not thefe engaging purfuits, nor even his fuccefs in them, abforb his mind in indolent delights. His foul was vigorous, his genius manly; and while his purpose was to polish his country, he meant to be fit to ferve it with his ford or his councils. We are affured he was killed in the military arts of that age; his employ ments, his letters, his orations, fpeak how able a statefman he was, how acute an orator. Wood records his valour and the manly beauty of his person.

With fuch parts, with fuch imprové

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no wonder he ingratiated himself with his mafter, who was perfonally brave, had fome tafte for letters, and who, with all his faults, was certainly not apt to have a fool for his favourite. Wyat had fo much intereft with Henry VIII. and fo ready was that king to recive his recommendations, that when a man was newly preferred, it was ufual to fay, that he had been in Sir Thomas Wyat's clofet A phrafe, that without much refinement we may conclude implies how liberally and zealously he made ufe of his credit to ferve his friends. Nor was his favour marked only by his patronage of others. Henry, after knighting, fhowered down graces on him Lands, which his majefty dealt profufely to his courtiers, after having ravished them from the holy locufts that had engroffed them, were beftowed on Wyat amongst others and embaffies were heaped on embaffies, even beyond his with, as he owns in his defence. Let the few of his difpatches that remain fpeak how judicioufly they were conferred.

Young, favoured, trufted, a charm. ing poet, an admired wit, an accomplithed fcholar, the ornament of his native court, and figuring in those of the gallant Francis the firft, and the fagacious Charles V. could ambition, felf-love or vanity afpire to a higher pofition? But tempefts ever growled round Henry's palace; and weatherwife and crouching indeed were fuch of his minifters or fuch of his favourites as rode out the frequent forms. A man accustomed to. hear his bons mots applauded, was not the most likely to ufe his difcretion with artful ingenuity Sir Thomas owns in his defence that his fayings, though perverted to a worfe fenfe, were turned against him. From that oration it appears clearly that he was twice in difgrace.

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Wyat, however, recovered the king's favour. Weaver fays he was going

to

1773.

to Spain; others, that he was only ordered to receive the Emperor's Embassador at Falmouth. Whatever the commission was, it proved fatal. Riding poft in the heat of fummer, he was attacked with a malignant fever, which carried him off at + Shireburne in Dorsetshire in the year 1541, when he had not compleated the 38th year of his age. He married Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Brook Lord Cobham, by whom he was father of the unfortunate Sir Thomas Wyat, executed in the reign of Queen Mary.

His works that remain, which, in a life no longer and fo bufily employed, could not well be many, are a few fongs and poems, printed with thofe of his entire friend the Earl of Surrey; the penitential pfalms in English metre, and the whole pfalter of David; his defence on his trial, and tome of his dispatches during his embaffy in France.

But as his celebrity arose not solely from his poetry or political talents, but from the acuteness of his wit, I will mention one or two inftances preferved by Loyd, who compliments him with more caution in his jefts than he feems to have deferved, and who imputes more important confequences to his repartees than have often fallen to the lot of wits. According to Loyd, Sir

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Thomas Wyat commenced the Reformation by a bon mot, and planned the fall of Wokey by an appofite ftory. It was an apologue of curs baiting the butcher's dog, but the particulars are not told us. The other was a fhort reflection well expreffed. Henry was lamenting the Pope's dilatorinefs in the affair of the divorce-"Lord! faid Wyat, that a man cannot repent him of his fin, but by the Pope's leave!" He expreffed as concifely very found advice on church-lands; and if the policy of difperfing thofe lands among the nobility and gentry was embraced from that apophthegm, Sir Thomas Wyat may justly be faid to have placed the key-ftone of the Reformation, which holds the whole fabric together. Henry was afraid of feizing the estates of the popith clergy: Butter the rooks nefts, faid Sir Thomas, and they will never trouble you." This, we are informed, meant, "fell and give their lands to confiderable families, whofe intereft it will become to prevent the re-establishment of the Roman religion." I am glad we are told the meaning, for in truth I fhould not have understood the phrasewith its comment, it deferves remembrance.

He was buried there.

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pend on being early fupplied. And whereas the cathedral church of the city of London bears the name of, and is dedicated to, St. Paul, I fhall therefore begin with giving firft a fhort account of that famous apoftle, to whofe commemoration this cathedral is dedicated.

St. Paul was defcended of the tribe of Benjamin, born in the city of Tarfus, the metropolis of Cilicia, a city rich and populous, an academy, and Roman municipium. He came up to Jerufalem, and there became a dif ciple of Gamaliel, a famous Pharifee.

He

1773. Correct Lift of the shop of Canterbury, anno 732, and died about 745, to whom fucceeded, in less than two years,

747. Egulf, or Engulfe. He was prefent at the council of Clevelho, (which a late author, not without great probability, fuppofes to be) that which is now called Abingdon in Berks. He was fucceeded by,

754. Wighed, of whom nothing is tranfmitted to pofterity but his name. 761. Eadbright: nothing more of him.

768. Edgar.

773. Kenelwaletus, or Kenwald. 784. Eadbald.

795. Heathobright: he died 802. 802. Olmond; died before 816. 816. Æthelhoth; he was prefent at the fynod of Celcuth, 816.

817. Ceolbryght was confecrated before the year 830 by Wilfred, archbishop of Canterbury, and fat bishop 838.

841. Deorlf was bishop ten years. 851. Swithulf fucceeded, and fubfcribed the charters of Howland that year.

8—. Healhstanus; time of his election uncertain, but his death 900.

900. Wulffius; he fubfcribed the royal charters to the monaftery of Hide at Winchester, anno 900, and again 904.

Ethelwardus; time of his election uncertain.

93. Healhftanus II. was bishop after 926.

938. Theodore the Good; the time of his death uncertain. He is faid to be buried in the church of St. Paul, in a high tomb by the window of the vault; lately called St. Faith's church. —. Wulfftanus I. time of his election uncertain, as alfo his death.

- Brithelmus; time of election uncertain; however, he died 958. 958. Dunstan, born 919, in the weitern parts of England; his father's name was Herftan, his mother's Kinceid; educated at Glaftonbury, made abbot of that monaftery 944, expelled thence by King Edwyn, recalled by King Edgar, and promoted by him to the fee of Worcester anno 957, to

Feb. 1773.

959. Healhftanus III. He fubfcribed the charter of Worcester anno 964, of Malmbury 974, of Rochester 995, laftly, he fubfcribed the charter of Wolverhampton 996, in which year he died.

996. Wulfftanus II. was confecrated 996: he subscribed the charter of Rochefter 998, of Shaftsbury 1001, and of Canterbury 1002.

1012. Elfhumus. This prelate buried the body of St. Alphage, archbishop and martyr, in the church of St. Paul 1012; and the next year carried Edward and Alfred, the fons of King Ethelred, to whom he was tutor, into Normandy. Died before 1016.

1016. Elfwius. He fubferibed the charter of King Canute to the monks of Ely 1022, and to another of the fame king to thofe of Canterbury 1023. He died before 1035.

103-. Elfwordus, abbot of Stow, was made bishop of London by the favour of King Canute, his kinsman, before the year 1035, and held them both. Finding himself infirm, and incapable of managing his bishoprick, he betook himself to the abbey of Ramsey, and dying there July 25, 1044, gave all his books to that abbey.

1044. Robertus, a Norman, was by the gift of King Edward, who favoured the Norman more than was fit, made bishop of London, and tranf lated to Canterbury in 1050. This prelate was forced out of England, for fetting King Edward against his mother Emma, with other bishops of the Norman nation, anno 1052, and died at the abby of Gemetica in Normandy, (of which he had been abbot)