He continued long at school, and came1 not to the University till about the twentieth2 year of his age. He was placed at Oxford in Lincoln College under the tuition of Mr. Randall, a man of no great note then, but ⟨image 12⟩afterward became a learned Divine and godly Preacher at London. In that College he fell close to the studies of Logic and Philosophy, and by reason of that groundwork of learning he got at school, and maturity of years, he quickly got the start of those of his own time, and grew into fame in that House. In the middest of these his studies his father died, and then his means failed, for all his fathers lands fell to his elder brother now living: but this cross by GODS providence proved a great advantage to him for his growth in learning, though it put him to monstrous pains of body and mind: for now wanting means to buy him books, he borrowed of his Tutor and others the best writers on Natural and Moral Philosophy, and the Politics, and read them all over, and abridged them all in his note-books, which are now to be seen, and then returned the books to their owners. Nay such a desire he had to attain a perfection in the things he studied, that though he was very well skilled in the Greek tongue, yet that he might attain an ⟨image 12⟩exactness in it, he did with intolerable pains write out with his own hand all Homer, (or Hesiod I am sure) for I have seen it in a fair Greek character; for he wrote that language better than he did either English or Latin; and asking him the reason of his pains, he told me, it was only that he might accent perfectly. This brought him to such a readiness, that he could with as much facility course in the public Schools (for he was a famous disputant) in the Greek tongue, as in the Latin or English: and in them all he wrote and spake Stilo imperatorio, as Lipsius calls it, viz. a high and lofty stile, which was so familiar to him, as that he could not avoid it in ordinary conference.
He continued long at schoole, and came1 not to the Vniversity till about the twentieth2 yeare of his age. He was placed at Oxford in Lincolne Colledge under the tuition of Mr. Randall, a man of no great note then, but ⟨image 12⟩afterward became a learned Divine and godly Preacher at London. In that Colledge he fell close to the studies of Logick and Philosophie, and by reason of that groundworke of learning he got at schoole, and maturity of yeares, he quickly got the start of those of his owne time, and grew into fame in that House. In the middest of these his studies his father died, and then his meanes failed, for all his fathers lands fell to his elder brother now living: but this crosse by GODS providence prooved a great advantage to him for his growth in learning, though it put him to monstrous paines of body and mind: for now wanting meanes to buy him bookes, he borrowed of his Tutour and others the best writers on Naturall and Morall Philosophy, and the Politicks, and read them all over, and abridged them all in his note-bookes, which are now to be seene, and then returned the bookes to their owners. Nay such a desire he had to attaine a perfection in the things he studied, that though he was very well skilled in the Greeke tongue, yet that he might attaine an ⟨image 12⟩exactnesse in it, he did with intolerable pains write out with his owne hand all Homer, (or Hesiod I am sure) for I have seene it in a faire Greeke character; for he wrote that language better than he did either English or Latine; and asking him the reason of his paines, he told me, it was onely that he might accent perfectly. This brought him to such a readinesse, that he could with as much facility course in the publike Schooles (for he was a famous disputant) in the Greeke tongue, as in the Latine or English: and in them all he wrote and spake Stilo imperatorio, as Lipsius calls it, viz. a high and lofty stile, which was so familiar to him, as that he could not avoid it in ordinary conference.
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- 2His studies in Lincoln College.His studies in Lincolne Colledge.
