CHAP. et seq. "thence, [i. e. the college,] and I in a manner alone of "that time left a standing straggler, peradventure though Ann. 1540," my fruit be very small, yet, because the ground from "whence it springs was so good, I may yet be thought "somewhat fit for seed, when all you the rest are taken up for better store; wherewith the King and the realm is 66 now so nobly served." Religion takes place in St. John's. In short, Cheke promoted good religion as well as learning in his college by his labours, which had a very good influence upon that society long after. So that these two things he made his great aim: the one was to set on foot universal learning in the college; that it might not be without some that were well studied in each liberal science, and that each scholar, according as his genius prompted him, might make either one or other the main subject of his study and so St. John'ss become a storehouse of all good learning. The other thing he aimed at, was to bring into the college the study especially of divinity: not such a divinity as prevailed then in the world, corrupt and confounded with such principles and doctrines as were easily discovered to be brought in by designing men, on purpose to obtain secular ends, and to aggrandize the Bishop of Rome, and make all the world dependent on him: but such a divinity as was from God, stripped of all such gross frauds and abuses. And, for that purpose, he advised that a man should come to the study of divinity, without being at all prepossessed with the commonly received notions but that he should fetch the whole doctrine of Christ out of the fountains of Scripture, where the avowed principles of Christianity lie; and next unto them, from the primitive and apostolical writings, which were the nearest to those fountains. And withal he particularly recommended this rule, that the greatest care and caution should be had, that nothing be derived from the sink of Pelagianism h, to infect these divine studies. ; * Ut singuli sic in singulis, natura duce, elaborarent, ut universa illa literarum societas in hac societate nostra [S. Johannis] contineretur. Int. Ascham. Epist. iii. 35. Ascham, ii. 45. II. Ann. 1540, et seq. A disputa John's con What effect these directions of Cheke had in the col- SECT. lege, for the study of divinity, may appear from a passage. that happened there some time after he was gone, anno 1548; a disputation was held in course. The thesis was, de Missa, ipsane Coena Dominica fuerit, necne : i. e. concern- tion in St. ing the Mass, whether it were the Lord's Supper or no. cerning the It was managed very learnedly by Tho. Lever and Roger Mass. Hutchinson. Some in the University took this private disputation very ill. The matter was brought to that pass at length, that Ascham undertook, by the encouragement of many in that college, to dispute this question in the public schools, and to bring it forth out of their private college walls before the public University; and that for this end and intent, to learn freely from learned men what could be produced from the fountain of holy Scripture to defend the Mass; which had not only taken up the chief place in religion, and in the consciences of men, but had, by the common practice and custom of Christians, taken away all the faithful ministry of God's word and sacraments. And for this purpose, the men of St. John's had conference among themselves. They resolved that the canonical Scripture should be the authority that they would desire to have the whole matter decided by. They also heaped together the old canons of the primitive Church, the councils of Fathers, the decrees of Popes, the judgment of Doctors, the rout of Questionists, all later writers, both Germansi and Romanists. All these, as far as they could, they got together, for the furnishing themselves the better to state this question. But the matter got wind, and the noise of it, though they went about it with all the quietness, went abroad in the University; insomuch as some took public notice of it, and at last obtained so much of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Madew, that he, by his letters, stopped this disputation. Nay, it fled as far as to Lambeth, where their enemies, with loud outcries, made complaints to Archbishop Cranmer against them: and they called them rash and heady. But though their disputation was by this means hindered, yet their studies proceeded still upon the same subject of the i Lutherans. CHAP. Mass: and in short time they digested their arguments I. into a just book, which they intended to present to the Ann. 1540, Lord Protector, unless Cheke and Cecil (unto whom they et seq. discovered all this) thought it more convenient to forbear so to do. Thus inclined and affected stood this college to true religion a great cause whereof was Cheke's influence. In short, while Cheke was a member of the college, he influenced much, not only in a diligent promoting learning and religion, but in wisely pacifying and quieting domestic commotions. After he was gone, he was dearly missed in both respects. Of this Ascham, remaining behind there, Epist. p. 77. takes notice, and complained once to him of the ill times that followed his departure from them, for the want of his counsels. li. 15. SECT. III. A great light to the University. Made the King's Greek Professor. Reforms the pronunciation of Greek. ALL this he was to the college; but his light diffused itself over all the University, to the benefit of it, as well as for his own glory. He was of chief esteem for all human learning, and was a great judge of it. Leland, one of the floridest scholars there, teaches as much, whilst he submits his epigrams to his censure, and bids his book strive to make itself approved and acceptable to Cheke. Si vis Thespiadum choro probari, For he was a great master of language, and a happy imi- III. et seq. there, so also did true religion and the knowledge of the SECT. Gospel; Popery being sheltered with nothing so much as barbarism and ignorance. And as it was thus with the Ann. 1540, University, while Cheke was there, so when he was gone from it, learning and religion seemed with the absence of him to wither and languish. A thing which Cheke himself could not but take notice of with trouble, in a letter to a friend of his in the University, that the Cantabri- Aschami Epist. fol. gians Tà Tλλà Úσтepile, i. e. were wanting in many things, 104. ii. 45. or went much backward. Such a want had the University of the daily incitements and good example of some such an one as he. King's Greek Lec But that that gave a great stroke to Cheke's endeavours Made the for the restoration of learning here, was that the University chose him their Greek Lecturer; and this he per- turer. formed without any salary. But the King, about the year 1540, having founded a Greek lecture, with the salary of 401. a year, for the encouraging that study, (not long after he had made him his Scholar,) constituted him his first Greek Professor, being now Master of Art, and about twenty-six years of age. Together with Cheke, were now constituted other very learned Professors in the University, which made it flourish. For as Cheke was Reader of the Greek lecture, Wiggin read Divinity, Smith Civil Law, Wakefield Hebrew, and Blith (who married Cheke's sister) Physic; being all the King's Professors, with the salary of 407. a year: as Ascham acquainted a friend of his, speaking of Epist. Branthe flourishing state of the University at that time. And that which was an addition to Cheke's honour, as well as the repute he had for his excellent skill in the Greek, we have been told by one that hath given some short notes of Dr. Langhis life, that when this lecture, with the salary before of Cheke, mentioned, was to be disposed of, Cheke was absent; and before his though there were three competitors earnestly making the True their interest for it, yet Cheke's name obtained it from Subject, them. This place it seems he was so well pleased with, that he held it long after he left the University, viz. until October 1551. disbæo. bains's Life edition of &c. CHAP. et seq. Reforms the tion of Greek. Hereby Cheke, together with his learned contemporary, I. Smith, (who ever went along with him in promoting good Ann. 1542, literature,) was highly instrumental in bringing into more request the study of Greek, in which language all learning pronuncia- anciently was contained; and from Greece it flowed into Italy, and other parts of the world. This language was little known or understood hitherto in this realm. And if any saw a piece of Greek, they used to say, Græcum est; non potest legi, i. e. “It is Greek, it cannot be read." And those few that did pretend to some insight into it, read it after a strange corrupt manner, pronouncing the vowels and diphthongs, and several of the consonants, very much amiss: confounding the sound of the vowels and diphthongs so, that there was little or no difference between them. As for example, as was pronounced as ɛ, o and & as it¤; 7, 1, v, were expressed in one and the same sound; that is, as iтa. Also some of the consonants were pronounced differently, according as they were placed in the word; that is to say, when was placed after μ, it was pronounced as our d. And when was put after, then it was sounded as our b. The letter x was pronounced as we do ch, ẞ as we do the v consonant. But since different letters must make different sounds, Cheke, with his friend Smith, concluded these to be very false ways of reading Greek, and sounds utterly different from what the ancient Greeks read and spake. But what the true way was, that they both earnestly set themselves to consider and find out; which at length they did, partly by considering the power of the letters themselves, and partly by consulting with Greek authors, Aristophanes and others; in some whereof they found footsteps to direct them how the ancient Greeks pronounced. The Chan These errors then Cheke in his lectures plainly discocellor of vered, and at length exploded. And the more studious Cambridge forbids it by and ingenuous sort of scholars being convinced, most gladly a decree. forsook their old way of reading Greek, for this more right and true, though new found out, shewn them by their learned Reader. But there was a party in the |