On The Other Hand; Which He Managed
So Faithfully As To Effect That Memorable Event, To Which England
Owes The
Felicity of all her happy days since that time; by which
faithful service Sir John Cloberry, then a private musketeer
Only,
raised himself to the honour of a knight, with the reward of a good
estate from the bounty of the king.
Everybody that goes into this church, and reads what is to be read
there, will be told that the body of the church was built by the
famous William of Wickham; whose monument, intimating his fame,
lies in the middle of that part which was built at his expense.
He was a courtier before a bishop; and, though he had no great
share of learning, he was a great promoter of it, and a lover of
learned men. His natural genius was much beyond his acquired
parts, and his skill in politics beyond his ecclesiastic knowledge.
He is said to have put his master, King Edward III., to whom he was
Secretary of State, upon the two great projects which made his
reign so glorious, viz.:- First, upon setting up his claim to the
crown of France, and pushing that claim by force of arms, which
brought on the war with France, in which that prince was three
times victorious in battle. (2) Upon setting up, or instituting
the Order of the Garter; in which he (being before that made Bishop
of Winchester) obtained the honour for the Bishops of Winchester of
being always prelates of the Order, as an appendix to the
bishopric; and he himself was the first prelate of the Order, and
the ensigns of that honour are joined with his episcopal ornaments
in the robing of his effigy on the monument above.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 20 of 126
Words from 5355 to 5652
of 35637
