the mind, amid this universal wafte, is the fent to Oxford to pursue his ftudies: thence appearance of one whofe actions evince a he was removed to be appointed tutor to ftrict adherence to the principles of honor Prince Edward of Windfor, afterward Edand rectitude! Such was RICHARD DE ward III., and made receiver of the Prince's BURY, in the fierce and turbulent reign revenues in Wales. This fituation enabled of feudal defpotifm. This virtuous and him to afford affistance to his royal pupil in learned man followed the fortunes of his the hour of adverfity; for when Edward sovereign with a zeal and fincerity rarely fled with his mother to Paris, and they were manifested, and lived to enjoy the reward diftreffed for money, De Bury fecretly haftof his faithful fervices by fucceffively occu- ened to their fuccor, with a large fum in pying the higheft offices, both civil and ec- gold, which he had collected in the aforeclefiaftical. His paternal name was Angra- faid office. His flight, however, was difville, the fon of Sir Richard Angraville, covered, and he narrowly efcaped, for the Knight; and the appellation of De Bury, lieutenant of the king followed him with a by which he is usually defignated, was con- cortege of twenty-four lances even to Paris, ferred, according to a prevalent cuftom, where he was concealed during seven days, from the place of his birth, St. Edmund in the belfry of the convent of Brothers Bury, in the county of Suffolk; for we Minor. are informed, by Chambre, that he was When the clouds difappeared from the born Anno. 1287, in quadam villula-political horizon of his fovereign and proprobably a manor-house-near this town. tector, rapid advancement to dignities, both Of his youth and education we have but in church and state, awaited his fidelity; little to communicate, as all our authorities being firft appointed cofferer to the king, are especially barren on this fubject. We then treasurer of the wardrobe,* fubfeare told that he received the first rudiments of fcholaftic learning from his uncle, John de Willoughby, clerk;|| and was afterward

* Leland, Comment. de Script. Britann., PP. 373 -4, states ANGRAVILLA to have been his paternal name, and afferts that, truncato vocabulo, he has been styled by Trithemius and other writers, Richardus de Bury. Tanner, Bibl. Brit. Hib., pp. 57-'8, adopts this opinion; and Godwin, De Prafulibus Anglia, ed. 1743, gives ANGERVILL, or AWNGEVILL; and Dibdin, ANGARUILL, vide Bibliomania, ed. fec. p. 249.

queatly clerk of the privy feal for five years, during which time he twice vifited the fupreme Pontiff Johnf as legate; and on both occafions was treated with honor and diftinction: he was nominated by him chaplain to his principal chapel, and presented with a bull, nominating him to the first see

avunculo fuo, nomine Willowbeio, magna cum follicitudine educatus."

* Much curious information on this fubject may be gathered from the learned and Hon. Daines He was eques auratus, but vide Tanner, p. 57, Barrington's Obfervations on the Ancient Statutes. Vide p. 228, note.

note a.

"Bederici natus fuit, quæ civitas totius Sudovolgia prima eft: fed a recentioribus, propter fanum magnificentiffimum ibidem D. Edmundo, Oftro Anglorum regi, a Danis Aquiloduni impie trucidato, confecratum Edmundi Curia Dicta."Leland, p. 373; Tanner, p. 57.

Ap. Wharton, Anglia Sacra, vol. ii. p. 765, whofe account we have adopted throughout as the ground-work of this biography.

Tanner ufes Clericus; Wharton, Rector; and Godwin, ut antea, writes. "a farcedote quodam

† John xxii. vol. xx. His name was John Deufa, or Offa, the one hundred and ninety-fifth Pope, created Auguft 7th, A. D. 1316, in the church of the Dominicans, at Lyons, and crowned September 5th of the same year. He died at Avignon, December, 4th, A. D. 1334, and was buried in the cathedral church of St. Mary de Donis in that city. He was the author of many works, but vide Bibliotheca Pontifica, p. 139, et feq.

Chambre, ut fupra, p. 765, fays rochetam in loco Bullae; but at p. 763, fimply Bulla.

that should become vacant in England. In of Durham, in whom the right of election fact, he was already fo enriched by ecclefi- was vefted, on behalf of Richard de Bury; aftical preferment,* that he was enabled to and from these identical letters-the best expend five thousand marks on this journey, teftimonial a monarch could give of the by no means an extraordinary fum, when estimation in which he held a subject-oriwe confider the magnificence and fplendor ginated that anxiety to the unfophifticated of his establishment and retinue, being uni- fcholar which we have already noticed. formly attended, when he went into the The Prior and Chapter proceeded to elect prefence of the Pope or Cardinals, by twen- Robert de Graystanes, Monk and Sub-Prior ty of his clerks, and thirty-fix efquires, at- of Durham, who, with their concurrence, tired in the most expensive and sumptuous was confirmed in the church of St. Mary, garments. While at Paris, on his return at York, on the 10th of November, 1333, to England, he was informed of the death and confecrated by the Archbishop of that of Beaumont, Bishop of Durham, and that diocese on the 14th of the fame month, in the king had written to the Pope, requiring the private chapel of his palace; but, in the presentation to that fee. This news, order to complete the legal formalities, the we are told, excited feelings of grievous dif- confent of the king was requifite, from appointment, because he confidered him- whom all bifhops receive their temporalifelf entitled to the preference: yet he with- ties: these were demanded, and refused by ftood the folicitations of his friends, and Edward in gentle terms, through his treafrefused to urge his claim at the Vatican, urer. In the mean time, the Pope, at his although repeatedly inftigated to that meaf- requeft, had conferred the bishopric on ure by William de Tykall, one of his chap- Richard de Bury, and the latter granted lains, obferving that he would not apply to him the temporalities. The papal docfor that or any other benefice. ument is dated only one day prior to the election of Grayftanes.

De Bury was confecrated Bishop of Durham under circumftances without a parallel in ecclefiaftical hiftory. The tranfaction is fully recorded in Wharton, to whom we muft refer our readers for more minute details, fince this narrative embraces only the more prominent facts. When the fee became vacant by the death of Beaumont, Edward III. immediately addreffed letters to the Pope and to the Prior and Chapter

* An account of these is preferved in Tanner, by which it appears that, in the first fix years of his reign, Edward prefented him to two rectories, fix prebendal stalls, the Archdeaconaries of Salifbury and Northampton, the Canonry of Wefton, and the Deanery of Wells.

† Anglia Sacra, vol. i. pp. 762-'4.

That Edward exerted all his influence to promote the advancement of his tutor, is proved by

an interesting document recorded in Rymer, Fadera, t. iv. p. 467; it is a letter to the Pope, propria Regis manu fcripta foliciting for him, feveral years

With that fervile compliance which unfortunately characterized nearly every tranfaction of feudal government, the archbishop and clergy who had affifted in the fhort elevation of the depofed prelate, with equal alacrity, and the most disgusting fubmiffion, unhesitatingly acknowledged the paramount authority of the Pope, and yielded to the regal privileges. The favored candidate was confecrated on the 19th of December, 1333, the ceremony being performed by John Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the abbey of Black Monks at Chertsey; the expenfes of which were defrayed by Henry Burwesh, Bishop of Lincoln, at the command of the king; inftalled by proxy on the 10th of January, 1334; enthroned on the 5th of June in the fame year; and

previously to his elevation, the prebendal stalls vacant by the death of Gilbert de Middleton.

did homage to the Archbishop of York on the 12th of February, 1337.

years in various places on the aforesaid miffion; yet he did not neglect the interest and liberties of his diocefe, which he protected with fcrupulous care and tenacity.

To offer any apology for fo unjust and tyrannical a proceeding would be an unequivocal admiffion of a prerogative calcu- The literary attainments of this great lated to destroy the vital principle of lib- man, and his enthusiastic ardor in the proerty, and productive of the most ruinous mulgation of learning, recommend him confequences. That the precedent thus more ftrongly to our notice than his politiestablished was as dangerous as the refult cal talents. "What can be more delightwas advantageous, is undeniable; yet the ful to a lover of his country's intellectual agency by which it was effected, is most reputation," obferves Dr. Dibdin, "than intolerant and repugnant. to find fuch a character as De Bury, in fuch The career of Richard de Bury exhibits an age of war and bloodshed, uniting the a ftriking illustration to the adage, that calm and mild conduct of a legislator, with "good or bad fortune does not come unat- the fagacity of a philofopher, and the eletended," and feldom has the advancement gant mind of a scholar !"* His private life of any individual been more rapid or more exhibits a pleasing picture of dignified virdecided. In 1334, he was appointed High tue and inobtrusive contentment. That unTreasurer of England, and in the fame year pretending generofity which is derived from perfonally inftalled at Durham, which had the pure precepts of Chriftianity, feems to been previously performed by proxy. On have influenced all his actions-whofe fole this occafion he gave a magnificent enter- ambition was to alleviate the forrows and tainment to the King and Queen, her ameliorate the mental as well as the corpomother, and the King of Scotland, at which real condition of mankind. Thus did. he were present two archbishops, five bishops, labor unremittingly to acquire the choicest seven earls with their conforts, and all the MSS. of ancient learning, with the noblest nobility on this fide Trent, befides a great number of knights and efquires, alfo many abbots, priors, and other ecclefiaftics, and a vaft number (cum innumerá multitudine) of the gentry.

and best intention—that of founding a Library at Oxford-which was carried into effect by the princely bequeft of his valuable collection to Durham (now Trinity) College, in the before-mentioned University.t In the fame year he was declared Chan- Some idea may be formed of his perfecellor of England, and within the three verance and liberality, in the pursuit of this following years went thrice to Paris as favorite object, when we are informed that ambaffador from Edward to the King of he alone poffeffed more books‡ than all the France, refpecting his claim to the crown of France. Afterward he vifited Antwerp and Brabant in the fame refponfible char

*Bibliomania, ed. 2d, p. 247.

Gutch's edition of Wood's History of the Ini

acter, and was thus engaged during nine verity of Oxford, vol. ii. p. 911.

* Vide Notes on the Statuta de Cibariis utendis, 10 Ed. iii. in Obs. on Anc. Stat., p. 214.

Warton, Hiftory of English Poetry, vol. i. pp. 147, 148, 8vo edition, has fupplied this, arnong many delightful anecdotes and pleafing traits of "Rex Edwardus III. erat verus haeres Fran- De Bury, clothed in language fo fafcinating, and ciae, jure matris Ifabellae reginae, filia e regis Fran- withal fo agreeably contrafted with the grave charciae et fororis tunc regis."-J. Roffi, Warwicenfis, acter of his admirable work, that, although de rived Hift. Reg. Angliae, ed. Hearne, p. 155; but vide from well-known fources, it would be a fpecies of R. de Avebury, Hift. Edv. III. ej. ed., pp. 27, literary ingratitude not to acknowledge our obli

28.

gations to his writings.

bishops of England together; and befides rios] vllatenvs impedivit diftantia, neqve the fixed libraries which he had formed in fvror maris abfterrvit, nec eis aes pro exhis feveral palaces, the floor of his common penfa deficit, qvin ad nos optatos libros apartment* was fo covered with books, that tranfmitterent vel afferent.* Sciebant enim those who entered could not with due rev- pro certo, qvod fpes eorvm in finv nostro erence approach his prefence. He kept repofita defravdari non poterat, sed restabat binders, illuminators, and writers, in his apvd nos copiofa redemptio cvm vfvris." palaces; and while Chancellor and Treafurer of England, instead of the ufual prefents and New-Year's gifts appertaining to thefe offices, he chose to receive the perquifites in books.

Bishop Godwint has preferved an interefting memorial of his habitual fondness for learning and scholars. The bishop himself avows, "exftatico qvodam librorvm amore potenter fe abreptvm;" and in his PhiloBy the favor of Edward he gained accefs biblion we find fimilar expreffions: "Quamto the libraries of the most capital monafte- vis enim ab adolefcentia nostra semper fociries, where he fhook off the dust from vol- alem commvnionem cvm viris literatis et u mmes preferved in chefts and presses, which librorvm dilectoribvs delectaremvr habere." had not been opened for many ages. Not "Amoris qvippe noftri fama volatilis jam fa misfred with this privilege, he extended vbiqve percrebvit, tantvmq; librorvm et his researches, by employing stationers and maxime vetervm ferebamvr cvpidate lanbookfellers, not only in England, but also gvefcere."—pp. 30, 31. in France, Germany, and Italy, regardless be th of labor and expenfe; or, to ufe his ov on words,§ "pecvniam laeto corde dif pe nifmvs nec eos [fc. Librarios et Stationa

De Bury delighted in the fociety of his chaplains, whom he selected on account of their piety and erudition, and many of them afterward rose to the episcopal bench.‡ (To be continued.)

multiplici opportunitate autoris in colligendis libris circumquaque.

*James, in his edition, Oxon., 1599, reads afferent; and in this the Editio Princeps, Cologne, 1473, and that printed by John and Conrad Hift, at Spire, in 1483, agree. Goldaftus and Schmid, however, ufe offerent: we prefer the former, not on the authority of James, whofe edition is very incorrect, but because it is fanctioned by the two earliest impreffions of the Philobiblion, which are more likely to approach the genuine text of the original MS.

See his Catalogue of English Bishops, 1601, PP. 524, 525.

To this nursery, as it were, of genius and learning, we are indebted for fome of the most eminent prelates and writers which England can boaft. Among them may be mentioned, Thomas Bradwardyn, afterward Archbishop of Canterbury; Richard Fitz-Raufe, Archbishop of Armagh; Richard Benworth, Bishop of London; and Walter Segraffe, Bishop of Chester : also Walter Burley, John Maudyt, Robert Holcote, and Richard de Kilwington, all Doctors of Theology.