'_The Ever Memorable Mr. John Hales, of Eaton-Colledge._'
_Born 1584. Died 1656._
By CLARENDON.
M'r John Hales, had bene Greeke Professor in the University of
Oxforde, and had borne all[1] the labour of that excellent edition and
impressyon of S't Chrisostomes workes, sett out by S'r Harry Savill,
who was then Warden of Merton Colledge, when the other was fellow
of that house. He was Chaplyne in the house with S'r Dudly Carleton
Ambassador at the Hague in Hollande, at the tyme when the Synod of
Dorte was held, and so had liberty to be present at the consultations
in that assembly, and hath left the best memoriall behinde him, of the
ignorance and passyon and animosity and injustice of that Convention,
of which he often made very pleasant relations, though at that tyme
it receaved to much countenance from Englande. Beinge a person of the
greatest eminency for learninge and other abilityes, from which he
might have promised himselfe any preferment in the Church, he withdrew
himselfe from all pursuites of that kinde into a private fellowshipp
in the Colledge of Eton, wher his frende S'r Harry Savill was Provost,
wher he lyved amongst his bookes, and the most separated from the
worlde of any man then livinge, though he was not in the least degree
inclined to melancholique, but on the contrary of a very open and
pleasant conversation, and therfore was very well pleased with the
resorte of his frends to him, who were such as he had chosen, and in
whose company he delighted, and for whose sake he would sometymes,
once in a yeere, resorte to London, only to injoy ther cheerefull
conversation.
He would never take any cure of soules, and was so great a contemner
of mony, that he was wonte to say that his fellowshipp, and the
Bursers place (which for the good of the Colledge he held many yeeres)
was worth him fifty poundes a yeere more then he could spende, and
yett besydes his beinge very charitable to all poore people, even to
liberality, he had made a greater and better collection of bookes,
then were to be founde in any other private library, that I have
seene, as he had sure reade more, and carryed more about him, in his
excellent memory, then any man I ever knew, my L'd Falkelande only
excepted, who I thinke syded him. He had, whether from his naturall
temper and constitution, or from his longe retyrement from all
Crowdes, or from his profounde judgement and decerninge spiritt,
contracted some opinions, which were not receaved, nor by him
published, except in private discources, and then rather upon occasion
of dispute, than of positive opinion; and he would often say, his
opinions he was sure did him no harme, but he was farr from beinge
confident, that they might not do others harme, who entertained
them, and might entertayne other resultes from them then he did,
and therfore he was very reserved in communicatinge what he thought
himselfe in those points, in which he differed from what was receaved.
Nothinge troubled him more, then the brawles which were growne from
religion, and he therfore exceedingly detested the tyranny of
the church of Rome, more for ther imposinge uncharitably upon the
consciences of other men, then for ther errors in ther owne opinions,
and would often say, that he would renounce the religion of the church
of Englande tomorrow if it oblieged him to believe that any other
Christians should be damned: and that no body would conclude another
man to be damned, who did not wish him so: No man more stricte and
seveare to himselfe, to other men so charitable as to ther opinions,
that he thought that other men were more in faulte, for ther carriage
towards them, then the men themselves were who erred: and he thought
that pryde and passyon more then conscience were the cause of all
separation from each others communion, and he frequently sayd, that
that only kept the world from agreeinge upon such a Lyturgy, as might
bringe them into one communion, all doctrinall points upon which men
differed in ther opinions, beinge to have no place in any Liturgye.
Upon an occasionall discource with a frende of the frequent and
uncharitable reproches of Heretique and Schismatique to lightly
throwne at each other amongst men who differr in ther judgement,
he writt a little discource of Schisme, contayned in lesse then two
sheetes of paper, which beinge transmitted from frende to frende in
writing, was at last without any malice brought to the view of the
Arch-Bishopp of Canterbury Dr. Lawde, who was a very rigid survayour
of all thinges which never so little bordred upon Schisme, and thought
the Church could not be to vigilant against, and jealous of such
incursyons. He sent for M'r Hales, whome when they had both lived in
the University of Oxforde he had knowne well, and told him that he
had in truth believed him to be longe since dead, and chidd him
very kindly, for havinge never come to him, havinge bene of his old
acquaintance, then asked him whether he had lately writt a shorte
discource of Schisme, and whether he was of that opinion which that
discource implyed; he told him, that he had for the satisfaction of a
private frende (who was not of his minde) a yeere or two before,
writt such a small tracte, without any imagination that it would be
communicated, and that he believed it did not contayne any thinge that
was not agreable to the judgement of the primitive fathers; upon which
the Arch-Bishopp debated with him upon some exspressions of Irenæus,
and the most auntient fathers, and concluded with sayinge that the
tyme was very apt to sett new doctrynes on foote, of which the witts
of the Age were to susceptable, and that ther could not be to much
care taken to præserve the peace and unity of the Church, and from
thence asked him of his condition, and whether he wanted any thinge,
and the other answeringe that he had enough, and wanted nor desyred no
addition: and so dismissed him with greate courtesy, and shortly after
sent for him agayne, when ther was a Præbendary of Windsor fallen,
and told him the Kinge had given him that præferment because it lay so
convenient to his fellowshipp of Eton, which (though indeede the
most convenient præferment that could be thought of for him) the
Arch-Bishopp could not without greate difficulty perswade him to
accept, and he did accepte it rather to please him, then himselfe,
because he really believed he had enough before. He was one of the
least men in the kingdome, and one of the greatest schollers in
Europe.
[Footnote 1: 'the greatest part of' in place of 'all' in another hand
in MS.]
52.