To Anthony Rogers, Oswald Masingberd, &c. ten pounds a-piece yearly to be paid, as all the former pensions, during their natural lives. In the same statute it is provided, that John Maplesden, clerk, sub-prior of the said hospital; William Ermsteed, clerk, master of the Temple in London; Walter Limsey, and John Winter, chaplains there, should every one of them have, receive, and enjoy (the said master and two chaplains of the Temple doing their duties and services there during their lives) all such mansion-houses, stipends, wages, with all other profits of money in as large and ample manner as they were accustomed to do,

12. Stout Hearts can bear the less Grief.

No mention (as in other patents) of any gratuities in ready moneys given unto them, which probably cast into their pensions made them mount so high. As for the thousand pounds yearly allowed Sir William Weston, not one penny thereof was paid, he dying the next day, (the house of his Hospital, and of his earthly tabernacle being dissolved both together,*) soul-smitten with sorrow; gold, though a great cordial, being not able to cure a broken heart.

13. The Patent for a Pension to the Prioress of Buckland. We will here present a female-patent of the pension allowed to the abbess of Buckland, though in all essentials very like unto the former.

per

Henricus Octavus, Dei gratiâ, &c. Cum nuper monasterium de Buckland in com' nostro Som jam dissolvatur, unde quædam Katherina Bowser tempore dissolutionis illius et dicti antea priorina inde fuit: nos volentes rationabilem annualem pensionem sive promotionem condignam eidem Katherina ad victum, exhibitionem, et sustentationem suam melius sustinendum provideri: sciatis igitur quod nos in consideratione præmissorum de gratiâ nostrâ speciali ac ex certâ scientiâ et mero motu nostris advisamentum et consensum Cancellarii et Concilii Curiæ Augment' reventionum coronæ nostræ, dedimus et concessimus ac per præsentes damus et concedimus eidem Katherina quandam annuitatem sire annualem pensionem quinquaginta librarum sterlingorum, habendum, gaudendum, et annuatim percipiendum easdem quinquaginta libr' præfat Katherina et assignatis suis a festo Annuntiationis beatæ Mariæ virginis ultimo præterito, ad terminum vitæ ipsius Katherina tam per manus thesaurarii nostri reventionum augmentationum corona nostræ prædict' pro tempore existen' de thesauro nostro in manibus

* WEAVER'S "Funeral Monuments," page 460.

suis de reventionibus prædict' remanere contingen' quam per manus receptor' exituum et reventionum dict' nuper maner' pro tempore existen' de eisdem exit' et reventionibus ad Festum Sancti Michaëlis archangeli et Annuntiationis beatæ Mariæ virginis per æquales portiones solvendum. Et ulterius de uberiori gratiâ nostrâ, damus et pro consideratione prædictâ per præsentes concedimus præfatæ Katherina viginti quinque libr' sterlingor' habend' eidem Katherinæ ex dono nostro per manus dict' Thesaurarii de Thesauro prædicto, vel per manus dict' receptoris de exitibus et reventionibus maneriorum, terrarum, et tenementorum dicti nuper monasterii solvend'. Eo quod expressa mentio, &c. In cujus rei testimonium, &c. Teste Ricardo Riche milite apud Westmonasterium decimo die Maii, anno regni nostri tricesimo primo.

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Henry the Eighth, by the grace of God, &c. Whereas the late monastery of Buckland, in our county of Somerset, is now lately dissolved; whereof one Catherine Bowser was prioress at the time of the dissolution thereof, and long before; we are willing that a reasonable pension annual, or suitable promotion, should be provided for the said Catherine, the better to sustain her in diet and maintenance. Know, therefore, that we, in consideration of the premisses of our special grace and certain knowledge, and our own mere motion, by the advice and consent of the chancellor and council of the Court of Augmentations of the revenues of our crown, have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant, unto the said Catherine a certain annuity or annual pension of fifty pounds sterling; that the said Catherine, or her assigns, may have, enjoy, or yearly receive the said fifty pounds from the Feast of the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary last past for the term of the life of the said Catherine, as well by the hands of our treasurer of the Augmentation of the Revenue of our Crown for the time being out of our treasure which shall happen to remain in his hands out of the revenues aforesaid, as by the hands of the receiver of the profits and revenues of the said late monastery for the time being, out of the said profits and revenues, at the Feast of St. Michael the archangel, and the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary, to be paid by equal portions. And, furthermore, of our more plentiful grace, and for the considerations aforesaid, we give, and by these presents do grant, to the aforesaid Catherine twenty-five pounds sterling, for the said Catherine, to have, of our proper gift, by the hands of our foresaid treasurer, out of our treasury aforesaid, or by our said receiver to be paid out of the profits and revenues of the manors, lands, and tenements of the said late monastery; because that express mention, &c. In witness whereof, &c.

"Witness Richard Rich, knight, at Westminster, the tenth of May, in the thirty-first year of our reign.”

There are but two considerable differences betwixt this and the former patent: First. Whereas pensions allotted to priors and monks were conditional, as determinable upon their preferment to ecclesiastical promotion of equal value, this to the prioress (as to all nuns) was absolute for term of life; women being not capable of any church-advancement. Secondly. Whereas the gratuity allotted to monks generally amounted to a fourth part of their pension; this to the prioress was double as much as a just moiety thereof; whether this proceeded from the king's courtesy to the weaker sex, or because mundus muliebris, there was such a world of tackling required to rig and launch them forth to shift for themselves in a secular life.

14. Youth and Strength accounted a Pension to itself.

But as for ordinary nuns, we find that four pounds' pension, and forty shillings' gratuity, was generally their provision, and that only for those qualified with a diu antea, "that they had been in the convent a long time before the dissolution thereof;" otherwise, I meet with no portions to those that lately were entered into the Houses, being outed, and left at large, to practise the apostle's precept "I will that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house," &c. 1 Tim. v. 14.

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15. Methuselah Pensioners.

The vivacity of some of these pensioners is little less than a miracle, they survived so long. For though none will say, "They lived out of despite to anger the king to pay their pensions;" surely, none so highly affected him as to die in duty, to exonerate his exchequer of their annuity. Isabel Sackville, lady prioress of Clerkenwell, is an eminent instance of longevity in this kind. For, 1. In the oneand-twentieth of king Henry VII. she was a nun in Clerkenwellpriory, when a legacy was bequeathed her as niece by William Sackville, esquire, and must be then conceived fifteen years of age. 2. She was the last prioress of Clerkenwell, at the dissolution thereof. 3. She died in the twelfth of queen Elizabeth, (as appears by her epitaph in Clerkenwell church,) and by computation must be allowed eighty years of age. But far older was that monk or nun, (I am assured of the story, not the sex,)† to whom living in or

*

*To be seen in the pedigree of the earl of Dorset, WEAVER'S " Funeral Monuments," page 429. † Attested by Mr. Pymme's kinsman to Godfrey bishop of Gloucester. See his printed paper.

near Hampshire, Mr. John Pymme, then an officer in the exchequer, paid the last payment of his pension about the fifth year of king James.

SECTION V.

DOMINO THOMÆ TREVOR, JUNIORI, EQUITI AURATO.

MULTI Sunt præproperi hæredes, qui nimiâ parentum vivacitate cruciantur. Hi languidâ expectatione macrescunt, postquam rura paterna spe vanâ devorave

rant.

At tu, e contra, venerandi patris tui canitiem (si fieri posset) immortalem reddere conaris, cum eam perpetuo obsequio, humillimè colas, quo efficacius cardiacum, ad senectutem ejus elongandam, nequit confici.

Non in patris sed mundi senescentis annos inquiris, cum historiâ plurimùm delecteris, cujus ope, si præterita cum præsentibus conferantur, conjectura de futuris statui potest, quo nomine, hoc opus nostrum tibi non ingratum fore confido.

Deus te, lectissimamque conjugem, beat prole patrizante, non tam privato commodo, quàm bono publico, ne respublica tantarum virtutum hæredi destituatur.

I. OF THE ERECTION, OFFICERS, USE, CONTINUANCE, AND ABOLISHING OF THE COURT OF AUGMENTATION.

1. Augmentation-Court, when erected.

DURING the scuffling for abbey-land, in the 27th year of king Henry VIII. the Court of Augmentation was set up, by Act of Parliament, to be a Court of Record, and to have an authentic great seal beside a privy seal; and several officers appointed for management thereof, with large fees allowed unto them. I find the same exemplified in a fair vellum manuscript, which lately was archbishop Parker's; since the lord Coke's, whence I transcribed as followeth :

:

Sir Richard Sackville, chancellor, three hundred pounds' yearly fee, forty pounds' diet, and six shillings and eight-pence for every seal. Sir John Williams, treasurer, three hundred and twenty

pounds' fee. Sir William Cavendish, treasurer, of the king's chamber, one hundred pounds' fee, one hundred pounds' diet, and ten pounds' boat-hire. Sir Thomas Moyle and Sir Walter Mildmay, general receivers, to each two hundred pounds' fee, and twenty pounds' diet. Richard Goodrich, attorney, one hundred pounds' fee, and twenty marks diet; John Gosnall, solicitor, eighty pounds' fee, twenty marks' diet. Beside masters, and surveyors of the woods, clerks, keepers of records, ushers, messengers, assistants, carpenter and mason to the court, auditors, receivers, surveyors, woodwards for every county; the total sum of their fees yearly amounting unto seven thousand, two hundred, forty-nine pounds, ten shillings, and three pence. This catalogue, by the persons mentioned therein, seems taken towards the end of Edward VI. when the court began to decline.

2. The Employment of the Officers in this Court.

It belonged unto this court to order, survey, and govern, sell, let, set all manors, lands, tenements, rents, services, tithes, pensions, portions, advowsons, patronages, and all hereditaments formerly belonging to priories; and, since their Dissolution, to the Crown, as in the printed statute* more largely doth appear. All persons holding any leases, pensions, corrodies, &c. by former grants from the convents came into the court, produced their deeds, and, upon examination of the validity thereof, had the same allowed unto them. And although providence for themselves, and affection to their kindred, prompted many friars and convents, foreseeing their tottering condition, to antedate leases to their friends just at the Dissolution, yet were they so frighted with fear of discovery, that very few frauds in that kind were committed. The court was very tender in continuing any leases upon that least legal consideration. 3, 4. Motives for the Dissolution of this Court; finally, dissolved in the first Year of Queen Mary.

But, after some continuance of this court, the king's urgent occasions could not stay for the slow coming-in of money from the yearly revenues of abbey-land, insomuch that he was necessitated to sell out-right a great part of those lands for the present advance of treasure, and thereby quickly was the Court of Augmentation diminished. The king therefore took into consideration to dissolve it as superfluous; wherein the officers were many, their pensions great, crown-profits thereby small, and causes therein depending few; so that it was not worth the while to keep up a mill to grind that grist, where the toll would not quit cost. It was therefore

* Anno 27 Henrico VIII. cap. 27.