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JAMES I.

Provincial
Kings.
Clarenceux.

The conduct of Camden in the whole of this business, does him great honor the letter he had previously written to Garter and Norroy ought to have satisfied. To shew his temper after such an attempt to injure him, I subjoin his letter to them :

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"G. Camdenus, D. D., G. Segaro & R. San-Georgio. Right Worshipful SS.

"You are misinformed, that I have granted a commission to Mr. Vincent, for "the visitation of Lincolnshire: it was never mentioned to me but once, and that incidentally. I neither know, neither have heard, that his proceedings have distasted "the Lords, or grieved the gentry of those parts: but I have heard him commended by divers, for his good carriage and skill. Verily, to Mr. Philipot I have granted "a commission for Kent, induced thereunto by the desire and commendation of many knights, yea deputy-lieutenants, and gentlemen of especial note in that "county, under their hands, which shall be produced. I remaining in this county

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this vacation, will be a supervisor of his visitation, which he hath already began. "I hope you think it not befitting, that I should offer deputations to any, not de"siring the same. I never denied any of their superiors that desired me: yea my "offers to some of them for Gloucestershire, Surrey, and Cambridgeshire, without "capitulation of profit, have been refused. So God love my soul, as I have ten"dered the general good of the office, which they that drew the letter, if they will "inwardly enter into themselves, I trust you will acknowledge, and in that reso"lution I will continue, desiring you not to impeach me in the execution of my "place, who never intermeddled with yours, beseeching the Almighty to bless us all "with the spirit of virtue and Christian charity,"

«June 3, 1619."

The whole complaint appears to have been, because Clarenceux employed as his deputies two inferior officers at arms; but it is acknowledged, that they were men of great ability, and who rose to become valuable members of the College. Perhaps a certain jealousy and disgust had pervaded the heralds, as Camden had not regularly served amongst them, and who had, as they supposed, been partially placed over their heads. This led him to take the services of two skilful pursuivants, which was not cognizable to Garter or Norroy.

Camden's quarrel with Brooke, York, was of a literary nature. The fourth edition of the Britannia was enriched with many genealogies: this Brooke meanly thought was injurious to the emoluments of the office of arms; besides, he looked upon Camden, though a learned schoolmaster, yet

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as an ignorant herald, and as having superseded his long services. To punish all these supposed faults, he published his "Discoverie of Clarenceux's Errors" in the pedigrees. Vincent defended the author of the Britannia, who as wisely as silently, in his future edition corrected the real errors, leaving York to contempt. At length the whole College saw how much he reflected honor upon them; the heralds became willing deputies to him; and he died respected by the whole body, the wicked Brooke excepted. Though he had been subject to many dreadful disorders, yet his temperance preserved him until he became an old man. He died unmarried, at Chiselhurst, in Kent, November 19, 1623, in the seventy-third year of his age. His body was removed to town on the nineteenth, and buried, with vast pomp, in Westminster Abbey, attended by all the officers at arms, but York. Many of the nobility and gentry assisted at it; the pre-bends met the corpse in their vestments; Dr. Sutton preached the funeral. sermon. Some of the fanatics, when they injured the hearse of the Earl of Essex, the Parliament general, defaced his monument. There are many engraved portraits of this truly great, good, and amiable man. In Painters'hall is an original of him. Mr. Milles, in his preface to Glover's " Titles of Honor," after expressing his obligations to him, elegantly says, "Vertue her"selfe, for piety and probity, and honouring Great Brittaine, hath crowned "the learned William Camden a king of armes." The indefatigable, faithful Stow, in his Chronicle, thanks "Master Camden, Clarenceux king at arms, surnamed the learned." His fame is still as great as ever: his name will only be forgotten with that of Britain. His modesty was equal to his acquirements. He declined knighthood; on which account he received the following letter from his friend Bolton:.

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"Right Worthy Sir,

"E. Boltonus, G. Camdeno.

"Though your brother kings have outgone you in the honor of knighthood,. "they shall ever come behind you, very far, in the greatest honor of immortal "fame. Some ascribe it to ambition in you, that you are not a knight (for you. "know how preposterously witty the wits of our time are in other men's actions and "abstinences); others, to pusillanimity; and we, your friends, to your modesty; "which I am angry with, notwithstanding because it hath deprived us of some 66 splendor. and comfort in our friend's advancement. But the wearing of spurs and "a sword are insolent to you; and no dignity can make you wiser, or better,.or "healthier than you are: other it might make you, which I would not see.

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JAMES I. Provincial Kings. Clarenceux.

JAMES I.

Provincial
Kings.

Clarenceux.

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dubbing increase heroic resolution and virtue, it were the rather worth the money many give to have it. That you may receive my gratulations to you, for that you have pleased yourself, by missing and forbearing, with the more assurance "and worthiest circumstances, I have entreated my wife, coming into those parts, "to be the bearer of my letter so far. Thus, with many thanks for your noble "courtesies toward me, and my friends for my sake, I immortally rest,

"June, 1617."

"Yours,

"E. BOLT."

Camden published the Britannia, which has gone through so many editions; Annals of Elizabeth, a valuable account of the reign of our greatest Sovereign; his Remains, a collection of learned small treaties; a Greek Grammar, for the Use of Schools, which had a vast sale; and 1691 was published his Life, his Epistolary correspondence, and his Annals, with the Dignity, Antiquity, and Office of Earl Marshal, in small quarto, by Thomas Smith, S. T. D.: this was a most valuable present to the world. It is singularly honorable to him and to the government, that he received all his preferments, even that of a king at arms, without any application from himself, as he wrote to Archbishop Usher, on whom it may justly be said he threw the cloke of learning. The Roman catholics were ever his avowed enemies, because one of their ablest opponents; but of them, and the Index Expurgatorius of Spain, he wittily writes: "This kind of devil " is not cast out, but with contempt; my life and my writings shall apologize for me." The number of great names we see living in amity and friendship with him, to not a few of whom he was preceptor, speaks both his private worth, and his well-earned fame for learning. Judicial astrology, which in the middle of the last century was so universally followed, was thought favourably of by Camden: he seems to have thought himself capable of casting a nativity. Clarenceux visited as many as twenty counties, but all by deputies; so that if he did not personally go, no king at arms was more useful in his province than him. He left his heraldic collections to his successors in the College, under certain restrictions. In Dr. Waterhouse's work, called "Sylvanus Morgan's Sphere of Gentry," are "Camden's Gifts:" the arms given or confirmed by him, whilst ClarenHis arms were Or, a Fesse, between six Crosslets, Sable.

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ceux.

Sir RICHARD ST. GEORGE, Knight.-See next reign. Patent, dated September 17, 1623.-Created at Arundel-House on Tuesday Dec. 23, following.

NORRO Y.

1593. WILLIAM SEGAR.-See Garter.

1603.-Sir RICHARD ST. GEORGE, Knight.-See Clarenceux.

JOHN BURROUGH, Esq.-See next reign.

Patent, December 18, 1623.-Created at Arundel-House on Tuesday, December 23,

following.

HERALD S.

WINDSOR.

Eliz.-RICHARD ST. GEORGE, Esq.-See Norroy.

April 5, 1617.-SAMUEL THOMPSON, Esq.

Originally a servant to Segar, Somerset, afterwards Garter, recommended by Dethick, Garter, to Lord Burleigh, to be a pursuivant; his qualification was, a competent knowledge of the Latin language. Camden, Clarenceux, employed him as one of his deputies in his visitations. He died May 15, 1624. His arms were Sable, a Lion passant guardant, Or, between three Crosses of St. Andrew, Argent.

AUGUSTINE VINCENT, Esq.-See next reign.

Patent, June 1, 1624.-Created at Arundel-House on Tuesday, June 29, following.

JAMES I.

Provincial
Kings.

Norroy.

Heralds.

Windsor.

CHESTER.

Eliz.-JAMES THOMAS, Esq.

Of this herald, Dethick, Garter, in 1597, wrote, that he had a knowledge of some languages, but of small experience. He had then been in the College, he said, nine years. He bore, Party per Pale, Azure and Gules, three Lions rampant, Argent.

WILLIAM PENSON, Esq.

Patent, from the King.

He was superseded at Chester.-See Lancaster:

Chester.

Ee

JAMES I.

Heralds.
Chester

THOMAS KNIGHT, Esq.

Patent, April 5, 1617.-Renewed February 18, 1618-9.

Probably a son of Knight, Norroy, as he bore the same arms, a Crescent for a difference. Dethick, Garter, in 1597, speaks of him, then being Rouge-croix, as having been in the service of the Queen's Majesty six years, and as well skilled in arms and pedigrees. Having disposed of his place to his successor, he died soon after, in October 1618.

HENRY CHITTING, Esq.-See next reign.

Patent, July 18, 1618.

York.

YORK.

Eliz.-RALPH BROOKE, Esq.-See next reign.

Somerset.

SOMERSET.

Eliz.-ROBERT CRESWELL, Esq.

This herald is called by his contemporaries Treswell, as he is also by Anstis, Garter; yet it is evident, that after he had been in the College, he changed the initial of his surname from T. to C. It is difficult to say why he called himself Creswell, if the name was Treswell. I have not seen any account of his ancestry. There was an ancient family of the Creswells. seated at Creswell in Staffordshire: in the church of Tettenhall, in that county, is this inscription, upon an alabaster painted monument, representing a woman kneeling before a desk, with her hands closed.

"Here under lieth the bodi of that virtuous and godli womā, Jone Creswell, "late wife of Richard Creswell, of Barnhurst in this parish and county, merchant "of the staple, and some time daughter of John Diot, of the city of Lichfild, "gentleman, wch Jone lefte this mortal liffe the xix daye of October, 1590, having "had betwixt them ten children, fyve sonnes and fyve daughters; three sonnes went before her, too rest wth her husband remaiyne here yet. God sent them "well too doo. "Vivit post funera virtus.”

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He was called by Camden, Clarenceux, his servant, even when he had. become an herald: perhaps he meant his deputy; for he visited Salop for him, in company with Vincent, Rouge-rose. That king at arms certainly patronised him for some time, but whether because both were of Stafford

shire

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