left; and therefore, I pray you, accept in good part my hearty thanks." While he remained in the Tower, after his condemnation, he applied himself very fervently to his devotions. Bnt though he was in daily expectation of death, he difcovered no unealy apprehenfions on that account, but behaved with great chearfulness and fortitude. On the 22d of June, he was acquainted by the Lieutenant of the Tower, at five o'clock in the morning, that it was the King's pleasure that he fhould be executed that day. He received the news with great chearfulness, thanked the Lieutenant for his information, and flept foundly two hours after it. And when he got up, he dreffed himself in a much finer and neater manner than ufual; at which his man expressed much wonder, seeing his Lordship knew well enough that he must put all off again within two hours, and lose it. "What of that?" faid the Bishop," doft thou not mark, that this is our marriageday, and that it behoves us therefore to use more cleanliness for folemnity of the marriage fake?" About nine o'clock the Lieutenant came to him again, and finding him almost ready, told him that he was now come for him. "I will wait upon you straight, (faid he), as fast as this "thin body of mine will give me leave." He then defired his man to reach him his furred tippet to put about his neck; and taking a New Teftament in his hand, went along with the Lieutenant. But he was fo extremely weak, that he was scarcely able to go down ftairs; and therefore, at the bottom of them, he was taken up in a chair by two of the Lieutenant's men, and carried to the Tower-gate. And while they were waiting to know whether the Sheriffs were in readiness to receive him, he rofe out of his chair, and leaning himself against the wall, he opened his New Teftament, and prayed (we are told) to this purpofe That as that book had been his companion and chief comfort in his imprisonment, fo then fome place might turn up to him that might comfort him in his paffage. Having faid this, he opened the book, and read these words in St. John's Gospel, THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL, TO KNOW THEE THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND JESUS CHRIST WHOM THOU HAST SENT. Upon which he shut the book with much fatisfaction; and all the way, it is faid, was employed in repeating and meditating on these words. When he came to the fcaffold, he pronounced the Tz DEUM; and after fome other devotions, the executioner at one blow fevered his head from his body.- -Such was the tragical end (n) of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who, at the 2 Y 2 time : (n) We are told in the life of Fisher published by Bailey, (P. 237, Edit. 1739.) that divers of his chaplains and houshold fervants have reported, that, long before his death, they have heard him fay, that he should not die in his bed. This, from the character of the writer, as well as the nature of the ftory, deferves little attention; but We time of his death, was aged feventy-fix years, nine months, and fome days over. His body was buried in the church-yard of Alhallows Barking, and his head set up the next day on London-bridge. Bishop Fisher was, as to his perfon, a very tall man, being fix feet in height; and he was alfo comely, upright, well formed, ftrong and robuft; but, in the decline of life, he grew extremely emaciated. His complexion was dark, his forehead broad, and his features regular; and his countenance grave and venerable. Erafmus reprefents him as a man of the greatcft integrity and learning, of incredible fweetness of temper, and greatnefs of foul. He had a great zeal to promote literature in others, and to excel in it himself. He applied himfelf to the ftudy of the Greek language when he was of a very advanced age; and greatly admired and encouraged, and was a generous friend to Erafmus. When he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and head of Queen's College, he firft invited Erafmus down thither, and accommodated him in his own lodgings at his College; and Erafmus was promoted by his means to the Lady Margaret's Profefforship in divinity, and afterwards to the Greek Profeffor's chair (). Bishop Burnet we have taken notice of it, becaufe we have met with a story to the fame purpote in Mr. Baker's manufcript collections in the British Museum, which fome of our readers may perhaps not be difpleafed to fee, what ever degree of credit they may think it entitled to. It is to the following purport. Bishop Fisher, three or four years before his death, at the time of Chriftmas, having caufed fuch preparations to be made of feafting and other entertainments, (worshipful fare and honeft paftimes, fays our author), as were cuftomary at that feafon, for his relations and friends who came then to visit him, he commanded his officers and fervants to entertain them in a liberal and plentiful manner. And he came himfelf alfo among his vifitants, and gave them a very hearty welcome. After which, leaving his guests to their entertainment, he went himself away into his study, to his prayers and meditations; which one of his chief officers and trufty fervants obferving, came to him, and faid, "My Lord, I pray you leave your ftudy for the merry time of Christmas, while your friends be here, and come and keep them company; fays otherwife they will think themselves (o)" Dr. John Fisher, reputed Court fays of Fisher, that he was a learned and devout man, but much addicted to the fuperftitions in which he had been bred up." His bigotted attachment to the Church of Rome was, indeed, fufficiently apparent; and he was a rigorous obferver of the aufterities of Monkifh discipline (p). Bifhop Fisher was exceedingly liberal to the poor. He would often vifit his poor neighbours when they were fick, and furnish them with meat drink, and money. He was affable and courteous to all who came near him, and very compaffionate to those who were in any calamity or diftrefs. He would always tell his brother, Robert Fisher, who being unmarried, lived with him, and was fteward of his houfe, that he would have his revenues fully spent every year, fo that he were not brought in debt. And accordingly the whole revenues of his Bishopric, which amounted annually to about five hundred marks, were employed in acts of charity and benevolence, excepting fo much as went to the neceffary provifion of his houfe, which was exceedingly frugal. It was his conftant custom to ftand at a window, from which he could fee the poor people ferved at his gate, after he had himself dined. He was very temperate and regular in his diet, and never fat a full hour at dinner. He determined the quantity of what he either eat or drank by weight; and kept a precife hour Court, and Bishop of Rochester, was very fenfible of this imperfection [THE WANT OF GREEK ]; which made him defirous to learn Greek in his declining years; and for that purpose he wrote to Erafmus, to perfuade William Latimer, an Englishman, (who from his travels had brought home that language in perfection), to be his inftructor in it. Erafmus accordingly wrote to Latimer, and importuned him to it. But he declined undertaking to teach the Bishop at thofe years; alledging the long time it would take to make any proficiency in that tongue, from the examples of the greatest mafters of it then in England, Grocyn, Linacre, Tontail, Pace, and More; and to excufe himself, advised that the Bishop fhould fend for a master out of Italy.- -Bishop Fisher's want of Greek made him the greater patron and promoter of it in Cambridge; and his being Chancellor of that Univerfity, made it more eminent than Oxford in this respect. Knowing, therefore, the abilities of Erafmus this way, he invited him thither, and fupported him in profeffing that language, which he himself (at laft) had of made himself master of."---Knight's Life of Dean Colet, P. 15, 16. (p) We are told, that when perfons were fent down to Rochester, by order of the Court, to feize the Bishop's effects, among other things they found, in a private place in his oratory, a wooden cheft, ftrongly bound about with hoops of iron, and double locked. The privacy of the place, and the very careful and fecure manner in which the cheft was faftened, made them immediately conclude that it must contain fome confiderable treasure. In order, therefore, that there might be no indirect dealing in the affair, and that no part of the fuppofed treasure might be embezzled, but that the whole contents of the cheft might be faithfully referved for the King's use, witneffes were formally called to be prefent at the opening of it. But they were exceedingly disappointed, when upon lifting up the lid of this valuable cheft, they found the whole contents of it to be a hair fhirt, and two or three whips, with which the Bishop used to difcipline himself.--Vid. Bailey's Life of Fisher, P. 203. of eating, it being faid that he was inclined to be confumptive. And, therefore, when he was upon his journey from Rochester to London, in pursuance of a citation from the Court, before his commitment to the Tower, his ufual time of dining being come, he eat his dinner upon the top of Shooter's-hill, his fervants standing round about him. Bishop Fisher was a very diligent, able, and eloquent preacher. He daily ftudied for a long time, and fome part of the night. He very much practifed fafting; and paffed feveral hours of the day, and part of the night, in meditation. And many years before his death he lay not on a feather-bed, but on a hard mattrafs; and not in any linen fheets, but only in woollen blankets. He had, it is faid, the best library in England; two long galleries full of books, which were forted in ftalls, and a register of the names of every book at the end of every stall (q). Bishop Fisher published the following pieces: I. A Sermon on Pfalm 116. at the funeral of King Henry the VIIth. II. His opinion of King Henry the VIIIth's marriage, in a letter to T. Wolfey. Printed in the collection of records, at the end of Collier's ecclefiaftical history. III. A funeral fermon at the moneth minde of Margaret, Countess of Richmond (r). Printed by Wynkin de Worde and re-published in 1708, by Thomas Baker, B, D, with a learned preface, (9) Moft of the above particulars are collected from "Certain brief notes appertaining to Bishop Father;" taken out of Sir Thomas More's Life, written by Mr. Juftice Raftall, in the xxth Volume of Mr. Baker's Collections, as quoted before.-Vid. Harleian MSS. No. 7047, in the Brit. Museum. (r) Vid. a copy of this in Mr. Baker's Collections, Vol. xix. in the Brit. Museum, (Harl. MSS. No. 7046), under the following title, "A mornynge Remembrance had at the moneth minde of the noble Prynces Margarete, Counteffe of Rychmonde and Darbye, moder unto Kynge Henry the VII, and Grandame to our Soverayne Lorde that nowe is, upon whofe foule Almighty GOD have mercy, &c.”—From what Bishop Fisher here fays of this pious Lady, (whofe life we have already given), we have, with some alteration of the IV. A language, felected a few more particulars concerning her. She was bounteous and liberal to every person of her knowledge or acquaintance. Covetousness was particularly her averfion; and the was much grieved with any appearances of avarice in any perfons, but especially in thofe with whom the was any way connected. She was very eafy of accefs, and remarkably courteous and gentle to all who came near her; but particularly kind and affectionate to thofe of her own houfhold. She was utterly incapable of being unkind to any one; nor was the ever forgetful of any fervices which were rendered to her. She was far from being inclined to revenge any injuries which she might receive; but was, on the contrary, very ready to forget and forgive them, on the least defire or motion of the offending party. She was very compaffionate - IV. A Commentary on the feven penitential Palms. Written at the defire of the Countefs of Richmond. Printed at London in 1509, in 4to; and in 1555, in 8vo. V. Á Sermon on the paffion of our Saviour. VI. A Sermon concerning the Righteoufnefs of the Pharifees and Christians. VII. The method of arriving to the highest perfection in religion. These four laft were translated into Latin by John Fenne. VIII. A Sermon preached at London, on the day in which the writings of M. Luther were publicly burnt; on John xv. 26. Cambridge, 1521, tranflated into Latin by R. Pace. IX. ASSERTIONUM MARTINI LUTHERI CONFUTATIO. That is, A confutation of Martin Luther's Afsertions, in 41 articles. MENTIS X. DEFENSIO ASSERTIONIS HENR. VIII. DE 7 SACRACONTRA LUTHERI CAPTIVATEM BABYLONICAM. That is, A defence of King Henry the Eighth's book against Luther's, intitled, The Captivity of Babylon. XI. EPISTOLA RESPONSORIA, EPISTOLÆ LUTHERI. That is, A letter in anfwer to Luther's. XII. SACERDOTII DEFENSIO CONTRA LUTHERUM. A Defence of the Priesthood against Luther. XIII. PRO DAMNATIONE LUTHERI. That is, For the condemnation of Luther. XIV. DE VERITATE CORPORIS ET SANGUINIS CHRISTI IN EUCHARISTIA, ADVERSUS JOHANNEM OECOLAMPADIUM. Colon. 1527. 4to. That is, Of the reality of the body and blood of CHRIST in the Eucharift, against Oecolampadius. In this book he answers Oecolampadius, paragraph by paragraph, and gives him many hard names. It is, however, efteemed but a very indifferent performance. XV. DE UNICA MAGDALENA CONTRA CLICHTOVEUM ET JAC. FABRUM STAPULENSEM. That is, That there was only one Magdalen, against Clichtoveus, &c. paffionate to those who were in any kind of diftrefs; and very defirous of promoting the glory of her Creator, and extremely folicitous to avoid every thing of an evil or vicious tendency. She poffeffed a degree of underftanding greatly superior to the geneIrality of her fex. She had a quick apprehenfion, a ready wit, and a very retentive memory; and was very ftudious. She was extremely temperate in her diet, and frequently practifed fafting, and other aufteri. XVI. S. PETRUM ties. Whenever any of the twelve poor perfons whom the always kept in her house, and furnished with all kind of neceffaries, were fick, she conftantly visited them, comforted them, and ministered unto them with her own hands. And when any of them were near death, she would attend, and be prefent to see them depart, and to learn to die; and when they were dead, fhe would attend them to the grave,- -See as above, P. 194, 196. |