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learned books: but shall firft here take a fair occafion to tell you, that you have been happy in choofing to write the Lives of three such persons, as posterity hath just cause to honour; which they will do the more for the true relation of them by your happy pen: of all which I fhall give you my unfeigned cenfure.

I fhall begin with my moft dear and incomparable friend Dr. Donne, late Dean of St. Paul's church, who not only trusted me as his executor, but three days before his death delivered into my hands thofe excellent Sermons of his, now made public; profeffing before Dr. Winniff, Dr. Monford, and, I think, yourself then present at his bed-fide, that it was by my restless importunity, that he had prepared them for the prefs: together with which (as his beft legacy) he gave me all his fermonnotes, and his other papers, containing an extract of near fifteen hundred authors. How these were got out of my hands, you, who were the meffenger for them, and how loft both to me and yourself, is not now seasonable to complain. But fince

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they did miscarry, I am glad that the general demonftration of his worth was fo fairly preferved, and reprefented to the world by your pen in the hiftory of his life; indeed fo well, that, befide others, the best critic of our later time (Mr. John Hales, of Eaton College) affirmed to me, "he had not feen a life written with more "advantage to the fubject, or more repu"tation to the writer, than that of Dr. "Donne's."

After the performance of this task for Dr. Donne, you undertook the like office for our friend Sir Henry Wotton : betwixt which two there was a friendship begun in Oxford, continued in their various travels, and more confirmed in the religious friendship of age; and doubtlefs this excellent perfon had writ the Life of Dr. Donne, if death had not prevented him : by which means, his and your pre-collections for that work fell to the happy manage of your pen: a work which you would have declined, if imperious perfuafions had not been ftronger than your modeft refolutions against it. And I am b

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thus far glad, that the firft Life was fo imposed upon you, because it gave an unavoidable caufe of writing the fecond: if not, it is too probable we had wanted both; which had been a prejudice to all · lovers of honour and ingenious learning. And let me not leave my friend Sir Hen ry without this testimony added to yours; that he was a man of as florid a wit, and as elegant a pen, as any former (or ours, which in that kind is a moft excellent) age hath ever produced. tot; nob And now, having made this voluntary obfervation of our two deceafed friends, I proceed to fatisfy your defire concerning what I know and believe of the evermemorable Mr. Hooker, who was Schif maticorum malleus, fo great a champion, for the Church of England's rights, against the factious torrent of Separatifts that then ran high against church-discipline; and in his unanswerable Books continues to be fo against the unquiet difciples of their fchifm, which now, under other names, ftill carry on their defign; and who (as the proper heirs of their irrational zeal) would

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would again rake into the fcarce closed wounds of a newly bleeding State and Church.

And first, though I dare not say that I knew Mr. Hopker; yet as our ecclefiaftical history reports to the honour of St. Ignatius," that he lived in the time of St. "John, and had feen him in his child

hood;" for alfo joy that in my minority I have often feen Mr. Hooker with my father, who was after Bishop of London; from whom, and others, at that time, I have heard moft of the material paffages which you relate in the history of his life; and from my father received fuch a character of his learning, humility, and other virtues, that, like jewels of unvaluable price, they fill caft such a luftre, as envy or the ruft of time fhall never darken.

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From my father I have alfo heard all the circumstances of the plot to defame him and how Sir Edwin Sandys outwitted his accusers, and gained their confeffrom and I could give an account of each particular of that plot, but that I judge it

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fitter to be forgotten, and rot in the fame grave with the malicious authors.

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I may not omit to declare, that my fa ther's knowledge of Mr. Hooker was occafioned by the learned Dr. John Spencer, who, after the death of Mr. Hooker, was fo careful to preserve his unvaluable fixth, feventh, and eighth books of Ecclefiaftical Polity, and his other writings, that he prov cured Henry Jackson, then of Corpus Chrifti College, to transcribe for him all Mr. Hooker's remaining written papers; many of which were imperfect; for his study had been rifled, or worse used, by Mr. Chark, and another, of principles tod like his. But these papers were endea voured to be completed by his dear friend Dr, Spencer, who bequeathed them assa precious legacy to my father; after whose death they rested in my hand, till Dr. Abbot, then Archbishop of Canterburyy commanded them out of my custody, by authorizing Dr. John Barkeham to require, and bring them to him to his palacenin Lambeth at which time, I have heard, nem jasnime 197to bas did

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