This note is referred to by Anthony Wood in Clark's Wood's _Life and
Times_, iii. 91. Wood gave Aubrey several commissions to make inquiries
about non-conformists, as is seen in the following notes:--MS. Aubr.
8, fol. 6--'Nonconformists: vide Mr. Collins neer Grub Street and
<Francis> Smyth the bookeseller.' MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 7--'Vide Mr.
Collins a nonconformist in an alley by Grub Street towards Finsbery
at a sadler's; quaere de Anthony Wood's note of nonconformists which
was sent[863] to Thankfull Owen': here Wood adds 'I desire without any
delay to get this paper.'
=Thomas Randolph= (1605-1634/5).
[864]Thomas Randolph, the poet, Cambr.[865]:--I have sent to A. à Wood
his nativity[866] etc., which I had from his brother John, an attorney
(who lives at ...), viz. Thomas Randolph was the eldest son of William
Randolph by his wife Elizabeth Smyth; he was borne at Newnham neer
Daintre in Northamptonshire, June the fifteenth, 1605.
At the age of nine yeares, he wrot the history of our Saviour's
incarnation in English verse, which his brother John haz to shew under
his owne handwriting--never printed, kept as a rarity.
From Mr. Needler:--his haire was of a very light flaxen, almost white
(like J. Scroope's). It was flaggy, as by his picture before his booke
appeares. He was of a pale ill complexion and pock-pitten--from Mr.
Thomas Fludd, his scholefellow at Westminster, who sayes he was of
about my stature or scarce so tall[867].
His father was steward to Sir George Goring in Sussex. He had been very
wild in his youth; and his father (i.e. grandfather to Thomas Randolph)
left him but a groat or 3_d._ in his will, which when he recieved he
nailed to the post of the dore--vide + A. W. lres[868]. His father was
a surveyor of land, i.e. a land measurer.
Anno Domini <1623> he was elected to Trinity College in Cambridge.
Anno ... he rencountred captain Stafford[869] (an ingeniose gent. and
the chiefe of his family, and out of which the great duke of Bucks
brancht) on the roade.... He gave him a pension of I thinke C_ˡⁱ_. per
annum, and he was tutor to his son and heir.
He was very _praecocis ingenii_, and had he lived but a little longer
had been _famae suae superstes_.
He writt (as before mentioned) the history of our Saviour's incarnation
(at 9 yeers old).
Aristippus, and the Joviall Pedler, 2 shewes, quarto, printed at
London by....
Cornelianum dolium, a comoedie in Latin, 8vo, ἀνονυμῶς[870].
The Jealous Lovers, a comedie: printed.
His Poems, with The Muses Looking-glas, and Amyntas, printed at Oxon by
Francis Bowman, 16--, in 4to; after, 16--, by him again in 8vo.