SOME ACCOUNT

OF THE

LIFE AND WRITINGS

OF

THOMAS FULLER.*

THOMAS FULLER, the author of the following work, was an eminent historian and divine of the Church of England, in the stormy times of Charles I. and the Commonwealth. He was born in 1608, at Aldwinkle, in Northamptonshire, a town which a few years later acquired the additional celebrity of being the birthplace of Dryden. After being initiated in the rudiments of learning by his father, who was the minister of the parish, he was sent at the early age of twelve years, to Queen's College, Cambridge, where he applied himself to his academic exercises with extraordinary diligence and success. Soon after he had ta

* The following memoir is chiefly compiled from the Biographia Britannica and Aikin's General Biography.

ken the degree of Master of Arts, in 1628, he was chosen minister of St. Bennet's parish, in the town of Cambridge; "and here," says the author of his Life published in 1661, "by the most sublime divinity, in the most ravishing elegancies, he attracted the audience of the University, and became a very popular preacher, at those years when others are scarce publicly known." In 1631, he made his first appearance as an author, in a poem entitled "David's hainous Sin, heartie Repentance, and heavie Punishment." (thin 8vo.) Soon afterwards he left Cambridge, on being presented to the rectory of Broad-Windsor, in Dorsetshire, where he discharged his ministerial duties for several years with great fidelity and acceptance. In 1640, appeared his "Historie of the Holy Warre," (folio) which met with a favorable reception, and passed through three editions in a few years.

He was now induced, by the ferment in the nation, which indicated an approaching civil war, to remove to London, where he expected to enjoy greater security than in his country residence, and at the same time might have more ready access to the works and conversation of the learned; those "standing and walking libraries," as he quaintly calls them. In the metropolis he soon acquired great reputation as a preacher, and was chosen lecturer of the Savoy, in the Strand. "Here," says the author of his Life, "he gave such general satisfaction, became so famous, and was thronged with such distant congregations, that those of his own cure were in a manner excommunicated from their own church, unless their timeous diligence kept pace with their devotions; the

Doctor affording them no more time for their extraordinaries on the Lord's day than what he allowed his habitual abstinence on all the rest. He had in his narrow chapel two audiences, one without the pale, and another within; the windows of that little church and the sextonry so crowded, as if bees had swarmed to his mellifluous discourse."

Fuller was a member of the Convocation that assembled in 1640, to make new canons for the better government of the church, and was one of the select committee; but disapproved of some of the steps taken by the Convocation. This however did not arise from a want of zeal in his attachment to the King's cause. Of this he gave abundant evidence by his exertions, in public as well as in private, to serve the royal interests. With this view, after the King had left London with a determination to commence hostilities against the Parliament, Fuller, on the anniversary of his majesty's inauguration, preached a sermon at Westminster Abbey from 2 Sam. xix. 30: "Yea, let them take all, so that my Lord the King return in peace." This sermon, which was printed, gave great offence to the Parliament party, and brought the preacher into some danger. About this time, 1642, he published his "Holy State," (folio) which passed rapidly through four editions. In the year 1643, after finding that to prevent being silenced and ejected, as other royalists had been, he must take an oath against which his conscience protested, he withdrew to the King at Oxford, by whom he was well received. His majesty having been apprised of his abilities as a preacher, expressed a desire to hear him, and Fuller

accordingly preached before him at St. Mary's church. On this occasion he incurred the censure of the royalists, for being, as they conceived, too lukewarm in their cause; whilst in London, as we have seen, he exposed himself to the resentment of the opposite party by his zeal for the King's service. It has hence been fairly concluded that he was an advocate for measures of conciliation, which did not accord with the views of either party. His own remark on another occasion, may be applicable to this; "He is generally accounted an impartial arbitrator, who displeases both sides." But when he found that there were no hopes remaining of any accommodation, he resolved to recover the opinion of his steady attachment to the royal cause by following the fortunes of the King's army. He accordingly obtained a letter of recommendation to Sir Ralph Hopton, who appointed him his chaplain.

Whilst discharging the duties of this office, he omitted no opportunity that offered of pursuing his studies and gathering materials for his historical works. "Whilst he was in progress with the King's army," says his biographer, "his business and study there was a kind of errantry; having proposed to himself a more exact collection of the Worthies of England, in which others had waded before, but he resolved to go through. In what place soever therefore he came, of remark especially, he spent most of his time in views and researches of their antiquities and church monuments; insinuating himself into the acquaintance, which frequently ended in a lasting friendship, of the learnedest and gravest persons residing within the place, thereby to inform himself fully

of those things he thought worthy the commendation of his labors. It is an incredible thing to think what a numerous correspondence the Doctor maintained and enjoyed by this means. Nor did the good Doctor ever refuse to light his candle, in investigating truth, from the meanest person's discovery. He would endure contentedly an hour's or more impertinence from any aged church-officer, or other superannuated people, for the gleaning of two lines to his purpose. And though his spirit was quick and nimble, and all the faculties of his mind ready and answerable to that activity of dispatch, yet in these inquests, he would stay and attend those circular rambles, till they came to a point; so resolute was he bent to the sifting out of abstruse antiquity. Nor did he ever dismiss such adjutators or helpers, as he pleased to style them, without giving them money and cheerful thanks besides."

After the loss of the battle on Cheriton-down, in 1644, his general, now Lord Hopton, drew the remains of his army to Basing-house, the seat of the Marquis of Worcester, where he left his chaplain; who animated the garrison to so vigorous a defence of that place when it was soon afterwards besieged by Sir William Waller, that the latter was obliged to abandon his enterprise, with the loss of more than a thousand men. When afterwards the King's army was driven into Cornwall, Fuller had leave to retire to Exeter, where he resumed his studies, and preached constantly with great satisfaction to the citizens. Whilst he resided at Exeter, his company and conversation were much courted by persons of all ranks, and indeed, wherever he was, the cheerfulness and facetiousness