accordance with this view of the importance of Saxon learning, Archbishop Parker acted: under his superintendence Foxe the Martyrologist published the Saxon Gospels A. D. 1571, with a dedication to Queen Elizabeth. This historian of the sufferings of the reformed church introduced also, into his Acts and Monuments, a portion of Archbishop Elfric's Paschal sermon, already quoted. In 1574, the preface to King Ælfred's translation of Gregory's Cura Pastoralis, was printed by Dr. Parker himself. In the year 1623, W. L'Isle, Esq. of Wilburgham, edited an excellent text, accompanied by a translation, of some important homilies; and the fidelity of these, and their accordance word for word with the originals, is attested by the signatures of the two Archbishops and thirteen English Bishops. In Wanley's Catalogue (which forms the third volume of Hickes's Thesaurus,) p. 100, it is also mentioned that W. L'Isle printed a Saxon Psalter; but this I have never seen. It can hardly however be said that the study had at this time taken any very firm hold upon men: the re

eleventh century, and is found in nearly every collection of Saxon homilies. There are two excellent copies of it in the library of the university of Cambridge, MSS. I i. 4. 6. fol. 297; and G g. 3. 28. fol. 354. It was printed from first to last by L'Isle.

ligious controversy was set at rest by the strong hand of power, by the ascendency and complete triumph of Protestantism, and no further use could be made of the old religious records. The Anglo-Saxon poems could influence the argument in no wise; and in all probability even those who were scholars enough to read the Gospels and homilies, could not have construed five lines of Beowulf, Coedmon or Judith: at all events we have no evidence whatever to show that the poems ever occupied any one's attention for a moment.

Yet, in spite of the troublous days upon which England soon fell, and the claims set up by the classical languages to almost exclusive attention, there were students still found to devote themselves to the investigation of our ancient tongue. Sir Henry Spelman, whose antiquarian zeal shrank from no labour, learnt Saxon at a late period in life. Bishop Gibson, himself a competent juge of such matters, speaks thus in his Life of sir Henry : « This language, at that time, was not to be learnt without great difficulty; little assistance was to be expected from conversation in a study, which few people in that age regarded. Nor had he the directions either of Grammar or Dictionary; as we at this day are accommodated with both,

very accurate in their kinds'. However he set about it in earnest, and though I think he never perfectly conquered it, yet (under so many inconveniences) it is a greater wonder that he attained so good a knowledge, than that he did not make himself absolute master of it. »> Again : « His revival of the old Saxon tongue ought to be reckon'd a good piece of service to the study of antiquities. He had found the excellent use of that language in the whole course of his studies; and much lamented the neglect of it both at home and abroad: which was so general that he did not then know one man in the world, who perfectly understood it. Paulatim (says he) ita exhalavit animam nobile illud majorum nostrorum et pervetustum idioma; ut in universo (quod sciam) orbe, ne unus hodie

1 Meaning, I presume, Hickes's grammar and Somner's dictionary, which however accurate they may have been in 1727, are very inaccurate now. Accommodated! Shall. It is well said, in faith, Sir; and it is well said indeed too. Better accommodated! It is good: yea indeed it is: good phrases are surely and ever were very commendable. Accommodated! It comes from accommodo, very good, a good phrase. Bard. Pardon me, Sir: I have heard the word. Phrase call you it? By this good day I know not the phrase; but I will maintain the word with my sword, to be a soldierlike word, and a word of good command. Accommodated: that is, when a man is, as they say, accommodated; or when 'a man is — being — whereby he may be thought to be accommodated; which is an excellent thing...Shall. It is very just. (Hen. IV, part. 11, act 3, s. 2.)

reperiatur, qui hoc scite perfecteve calleat; pauci quidem qui vel exoletas literas usquequaque noverint. Hereupon he settled a Saxon Lecture in the university of Cambridge, allowing 201. per annum to Mr. Abraham Whelock, who tells us that upon his advice and encouragement, he spent the best part of seven years in the study of that language.... This stipend was intended to be made perpetual; but both he and his eldest son dying in the compass of two years, and the civil wars breaking forth, and their estate being also sequestered, the family became incapable of accomplishing that design. Nor indeed was that a time for settlements of this kind, when such a storm threatened the universities, and the revenues which belonged to them 1. » This lectureship was held by Whe

1 Through the kindness of our registrary, the Rev. Jos. Romilly, I am enabled to give the following account of the manner in which this lecture was meant to be established. The Vice-Chancellor and the Master of Trinity were to have presented Mr. A. Whelock to the vicarage, etc. of Middleton, which was to be conveyed to them by Sir H. Spelman in trust for that purpose. This vicarage was always to be in the gift of the two trustees, who upon a vacancy were to present their vicar to sir Henry's descendant, and if he neglected to admit the presentee, within four months, the Bishop was to do it for him. The vicar was to deliver annually two lectures; one on Saxon learning, the other on the old church history and creed of England. Sir H. Spelman's letter to Whelock, dated 1640, states that the Bishop of Ely and the Archbishop of Armagh had warmly espoused the scheme. Together with this letter is a draught

:

lock in 1644, when he published his edition of Elfred's Beda, with fragments of the Chronicle and the Laws afterwards by Somner, whose dictionary, and text of Elfric's grammar were nevertheless published at Oxford in 1659; probably from there not being found at Cambridge type small enough for such a work. Between Foxe and Whelock, I know of no publications, save W. L'Isle's, connected with this subject, except a very imperfect transcript of the voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan from Elfred's Orosius, which appeared in Hackluyt, A. D. 1599, and was supposed to be from the pen of Dr. Caius; Sir H. Spelman's Concilia containing most of the English Ecclesiastical Laws, A. D. 1639; and the interlinear Saxon and Latin psalter, by his son Sir John Spelman, A. D. 1940. In 1644, Lambard printed his Archaionomia, or Collection of Laws, etc., of the Anglo-Saxons. Junius had in the mean time been at work, carefully transcribing both at home and abroad whatever seemed to him to give interesting means of carrying on the enquiry

of the conveyance intended. But the whole matter seems to have had no result, for our records say nothing of any grace on the subject and probably the allowance mentioned above by Bishop Gibson, was afterwards made by sir Henry on failure of his original plan. Gibson is likely to have had Spelman's private papers in his hands, when he wrote the account quoted above.