W. WHITAKER. 77 about this time, and being looked upon by his own party as an invincible champion, Dr. Whitaker undertook to defend the bulwarks of protestantism against the assaults of the popish adversary ; and it is observed, " that he cut off the head of his antagonist with his own weapons." The first part of this controversywas concerning the holy Scriptures ; then about the Church, the Councils, the Bishop of Rome, the Ministers, departed Saints, the Church Triumphant, the Sacraments, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper ; some of which he published ; but hehad not leisure to print them all. During the whole controversy, he treated his Romish opponent, not with keen reproach, or under the influence of passion, but as one who sought to promote the truth. Bellarmine being completely silenced, Thomas Stapleton, a superstitious old man, and professor at Louvain, undertook to answer Whitaker, which he performed in a volume sufficiently large, but in most abusive and scurrilous language. Therefore, lest the angry and bigotted old man should seemwise in his own eyes, Whitaker answered him according to his deserts, and in keenerlanguage than usual.. Dr. Whitaker was a man of the greatest celebrity, and was, for many years, concerned in most of the public trans- actions in the university of Cambridge. His name is often mentioned by historians, especially by an invaluable collector of scarce and curious information,+ as taking a most zealous and active part in promoting the peace and prosperity of this seat of learning. In the year 1580, he 1 was presented by the queen to the chancellorship of St. Paul's, London,which he resigned in 1587 ; but on what account we cannot learn.t In the year 1591, Dr. Goad, provost of King's college, Cambridge, presented a request to Dean Nowell, in behalf of Dr. Whitaker, that he might be preferred to some more valuable benefit. Thevenerable dean, anxious to serve his friend and kinsman, forwarded Dr. Goad's letter, the day he received it, together with one of his own, to the lord, treasurer ; reminding his lordship of Dr. Whitaker's great learning, well knownat Cambridge by the productions of his pen in Greek and Latin ; and not unknown to his lordship, to whom several of his works had been dedicated. His fitness for presiding over a learned society had partly appeared, from the quietness and good order which had been established in St. John's college since he became master ; and as to his circumstances, they Clark's Eccl. Hist. p. 818. + Baker's MS. Collection, t Granger's Biog. Hist. vol. i. p. 213.
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