He took both the ufual degrees; that of Batchelor in 1628, and that of Mafter in 1632; but he left the univerfity with no kindness for its inftitution, alienated either by the injudicious feverity of his governors, or his own captious perverfenefs. The caufe cannot now be known, but the effect appears in his writings. His fcheme of education, infcribed to Hartlib, fuperfedes all academical inftruction, being intended to comprise the whole time which men ufually fpend inliterature, from their entrance upon grammar, till they proceed, as it is called, maflers of arts. And in his Difcourfe on the likeliest Way to remove Hirelings out of the Church, he ingenioufly propofes, that the profits of the lands forfeited by

the

the act for fuperftitious ufes, should be applied to fuch academies all over the land,

where languages and arts may be taught together; fo that youth may be at once brought up to a competency of learning and an honeft trade, by which means fuck of them as had the gift, being enabled to fupport themfelves (without tithes) by the latter, may, by the help of the former, become worthy preachers.

One of his objections to academical education, as it was then conducted, is, that men defigned for orders in the Church were permitted to act plays, writhing and unboning their clergy limbs to all the antick and difhoneft geftures of Trincalos, buffoons and bawds, proftituting the frame of that miniftry which they had,

or were near having, to the eyes of cour

tiers and court-ladies, their grooms and mademoiselles.

This is fufficiently peevish in a man, who, when he mentions his exile from the college, relates, with great luxuriance, the compenfation which the pleafures of the theatre afford him. Plays were therefore only criminal when they were acted by academicks.

He went to the univerfity with a defign of entering into the church, but in time altered his mind; for he declared, that whoever became a clergyman must "fubfcribe flave, and take an oath 66 withal, which, unlefs he took with a "confcience that could retch, he must "ftraight perjure himself. He thought

"it better to prefer a blameless filence "before the office of fpeaking, bought "and begun with fervitude and for"fwearing."

Thefe expreffions are, I find, applied to the fubfcription of the Articles; but it feems more probable that they relate to canonical obedience. I know not any of the Articles which feem to thwart his opinions; but the thoughts of obedience, whether canonical or civil, raised his indignation.

His unwillingness to engage in the miniftry, perhaps not yet advanced to a fettled refolution of declining it, appears in a letter to one of his friends, who had reproved his fufpended and dilatory life, which he feems to have

imputed to an infatiable curiofity, and fantastick luxury of various knowledge. To this he writes a cool and plaufible answer, in which he endeavours to perfuade him that the delay proceeds not from the delights of defultory ftudy, but from the defire of obtaining more fitnefs for his tafk; and that he goes on, not taking thought of being late, fo it give advantage to be more fit.

When he left the univerfity, he returned to his father, then refiding at Horton in Buckinghamshire, with whom he lived five years; in which time he is faid to have read all the Greek and Latin writers. With what limitations this univerfality is to be understood, who hall inform us?