ttlSTOBY OF BOTANY. 53 



should call " good circumstances," though if he could have 

 sacrificed something of his high sense of duty, his history will 

 show that his ability might have led him to high preferment. 

 He was born at Black Notley, near Braintree, in Essex, 

 1628, and was sent when young to the Grammar School at 

 Braintree, and when about sixteen to Cambridge. At 

 twenty-one he was chosen junior fellow of Trinity, after 

 acquiring the degree of B.A., and when he took the master's 

 degree he became major senior fellow; at twenty-three he 

 w^as chosen Greek lecturer of the college, at twenty-five 

 mathematical lecturer, at twenty-seven humanity reader, at 

 twenty-nine he was made prselector primarius, and at thirty 

 junior dean. In 1660 he took orders in the English church ; 

 but refusing to subscribe the Act of Uniformity,* in 1662, he 

 was deprived of his fellowship, and lost all chance of 

 preferment in the church. In 1667 he was elected a Fellow 

 of the Royal Society. 



'•- The Act of Unifonnity "provided that every minister should, 

 before the feast of St. Bartholomew (Aug. 24), pubhcly declare his 

 assent and consent to everything contained in the book of Common 

 Prayer, or lose his benefice. The appointed day came, and about two 

 thousand ministers, the far greater part of them men of extensive 

 learning, sincere piety, and nTeproachable life, laid down then- prefer- 

 ments, and, rather than do violence to thek conscience, faced poverty 

 and persecution."— Zcif/Zi^^'s History of England. 



"Among some miscellaneous observations of Mr. Eay's one is as 

 follows : — September 18th, 1662. The names of such fellows of Colleges 

 in the University of Cambridge, as were deprived for not subscribmg 

 according to the new Act for Uniformity, 1661 : St. John's College, Mr. 

 Wood and Mr. Tuckney; Trmity College, Mr. Wray; Emanuel 

 College, Mr. Illingworth, Mr. Hulse and Mr. Brmsley; Pembroke 

 Hall, Mr. Chfford and Mr. Green; Bennett College, Mr. Chapman; 

 Jesus College, Mr. Huffe ; Magdalen College, Mr. Hill and Mr. More ; 

 King's College, Mr. Duncombe ; besides these, Dr. Dillingham, 

 master of Emanuel College." — Note from the original edition of Dr. 

 Derham's life of Ptay, published by Mr. Scott. 



