THE L I · FE 0 F Mr. John Fox. JOHN FOX was borninBoflon, an ancient Town in the County of Lincoln,Anno 1517. his Father and Mother being ofthe~ommonalty of that Town, well reputed of, and of good ftate. While he Was very young, his Father dying, and his Mother being married .. again, he came into the Tutelage of his Father in law, with whom he dwelt during. his Childhood: which he had lcarce paffed over, when his Friends well approving his good .inchna.. tion and rowardnefs to Learning, fent him to O:udy at Oxford. The firfi: Nurfe of h1s more ~r~:o~~u:~~~::~ ~hiici·t~0{fi~~~;!f,e~n~~~~~~;p:u~h:~~:~~e~l~~ea~i::;a~~: ~s7e~ their mannc.rs were fo like in the courfe of their lives, whC?fc Education, and Nurture in Youth was the fame. The native excellence, and fharpnefs of his wir, were well feconded by th<:_ ~tnefs of the place; where the emulation of Equals was frequent; and where each Students Profic1en~y was .narrowly fought into: Neither was Induftry wanting, which as it fddom accompan_ieth the greateft Wits, fo \Yhere it is conjoyned is moft available. By which Vertues, when m a fhort fpace he had woo the admiration of all, and tbe love of many, in reward of his Learning, and good behavioiX he was chofen Fellow of Magd,d tn·Colledge; which being accounted a Principal Honour in the U niverfiry, and urually due to the Students of that Houfe, was foldom, and not unlefs in regard of fingular Deferrs, beftowed upoo :my mhers. It fhould feem he de6gned the 6r0: over-branch ing of any early wit, to the exercife1 of Poetry, and Wrote divers L.,tine eomedies yet to be feen, in a copious, and graceful Stile, but fomewhat loft y, which fault of writing, (in all things elfe fo grJ.ve ~nd temperate) he left not altogether in his elder yean, though age, and experience did not a lntle mitigate it. But even then he began to give carne£\:: of what he afterward proved, for that neither thofe firft Hourifhes of his Yoarh were fpent, but in holy Hiftories of the Bible: nor followed he that vein long. He betook himfelf to the A;udy of Divinity with fomcwhat more fervency, than circumfpctlion, and difccwered bimfc:lf in favour of the Reformation th en ia hand, before he was known to them that maintained the Caufe, or were of ability to protea the Maintaincrs of it : whence grew his firfi . ~~ 0a~b~~~ia~~i~v~~\t~= ~~~,":~~n ~~~:~~::&' i~ehi~fe~f,\~~~~~~~~~=h:fr~~~~~/~~;a~~u:h (then grown to an infinite height of Power and Pride) neither in all refpelb tolerable, nor that it was neceffary wholly to aher them, while he defired to !hew moderation in both, prev01iled :~ ~~~~~fi'tabr~ci~~rffer~~c~.tt, ~~~~r~~~~en~~~e~~se 0~~~~ei~~~~:~ifirat~fo~ 0~~dle~~:;~ ri~~ of theit Lives, and Eftates, there being in the Laws fuch contrarieties, as no man could tell what to take to with fafecy , or what to avoid. Foralthough thePope1 Suprenucyhad been renounced, yet was DOOrine frill retained. The firft News of the abolifhing the Popes Supremacy was as profperous as welcome to the Reformen; and diven joyned themfelves to them out ~~~~v:rt~h~h~o!:~~; :a~it~ga~d~~~~~~;e!~:n1~~eKt~~i~1~:!~"Ji{gl~~~;~~~::~~~~i~e~o~~ a little increafed, when they perceived the Noblemen more or lcfs to rife in the good Opinion and Favour of the King, as any of themmo£\:: oppofed the Popes Dominion. In the mean while the AB: of the lix Articlct was frill in forct~ and if any were found guilty of the breach thereo~ they were fure ofpunifhrnenr•• So that as longastheKing held the middle way between h15 own Genlus, and the advice of his Counfellor!, feeding them with f'avo-qn, upon which they could build no affurance, and plea ling him(elf in bis own fcverity , fear and hope, equally prevailed. But wbt:n the ProtellOrs rhr:m(dVes, and Pilbrs oft he Reformed ReTigion, were taken a_way. The Dllke of S~t.Jfolb... by uonmely death, the Lord Cromwtl -by the Sword, the_ Arcb~:>~fhop Cranmtr and his Friends born down by thofe of the contrary fide; and that neuhc:r m the L~ws, nor theProtection of the Peers, there was any, the leafi help t~maining; then began _all thmgs to haO:en back again headlong to their former abufes, and that wtth (o much t he more Violence, bccaufu the: cooquefi feemed a kind of revenge. la
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