AKUNDEU THOMAa 



A8CHAM, ROGER. 



371 



crimes while ha wu chancellor. nJ bound by lii* oath to support the 

 righU of the crown. Ha immediately roe in the HOUM of Lords to 

 defend himself against there charge*, but waa not suffered to proceed 

 by the king, who, fearing the eloquence and weight of Arundcl, pre- 

 Untied to desire more time to oouaiilur the matter, on account of the 

 rehbuhop's dignity. Richard next persuaded him not to appear 

 again in 1'arliament lest be should irritate hit enemies, from whose 

 resentment be promUed to protect him. Arundel, relying upon the 

 good faith of the king, did not attempt to vindicate himself in Parlia- 

 ment ; and the impeachment seemed to be at rest, until the Duke of 

 Gloucester's confession wu made known, when the Commons prayed 

 judgment against the primate. The king, so far from protecting him, 

 DOW declared that he bad already acknowledged his guilt, and bad 

 thrown himself upon the royal mercy ; upon which sentence was 

 pronounced, that he should be banished for life, that his temporalities 

 should be forfeited to the crown, and that be should leave the country 

 within forty days, on pain of death. 



After a thort retirement in France, Arundel proceeded to Rome, 

 where Pope Boniface IX. entertained him with much kindnets, aud 

 endeavoured, but in vain, to restore him to the king's favour. Arundol 

 subsequently settled at Cologne ; but soon left hit retirement to take 

 leading part in the approaching revolution in his own country. 

 Henry of Bolingbroke, duke of Lancaster, was then in banishment, 

 and the despotic conduct of King Richard led a strong party of the 

 nobility and people to look to Henry for their deliverance. The 

 leaden of this party drew up a letter to Heury, and entrusted its 

 presentation to Arundel, who secretly left his house at Cologne, and, 

 travelling to Paris in the disguise of a friar, obtained an interview 

 with Henry ; and when Henry feigned to be scrupulous as to the law- 

 fulness of the design, the learned churchman overpowered him with 

 precedent* of rebellion, in ancient and modern times. His exertions 

 were soon rewarded : Henry of Bolingbroke was seated on the throne, 

 and Arundel restored to the see of Canterbury (1399). Of the thirty- 

 three articles preferred against King Richard, two related to his 

 treatment of Arundel, in reference to the charges made against him 

 iu Parliament, and the promises by which the king had induced the 

 archbishop to abandon his defence, together with the kiug'a subsequent 

 promises, which were likewise broken. 



When Henry laid claim to the crown in the House of Peers, 

 Arundel led him to the throne, and pronounced a discourse, exalting 

 the merits of Henry, and contrasting them with the faults of Richard. 

 At the coronation of Henry IV., Arundel, as archbishop of Canter- 

 bury, placed the crown upon the head of the usurper, and sat on the 

 right hand of his throne. The munificence of the primate, and his 

 firm defence of the interests of the clergy, made him very popular 

 with the clergy ; and early in the new reign he hod two opportunities 

 of strengthening his claims to their affection. At York in 1402 by his 

 courage and resolution, he saved his brethren from being despoiled by 

 the soldiery, who had plotted together to seize upon the plate, equi- 

 pages, and money of the clergy who accompanied the king. In 1404 

 the king held a parliament at Coventry, known as the Parliaiueutiiin 

 Iniioctum, or Lack-Learning Parliament, mainly for the purpose of 

 raising money. At this parliament the Commons expressed their 

 opinion that the king should seize the revenues of the church and 

 appropriate them to the public service. The archbishop warmly 

 defended the interests of the clergy, and ultimately obtained a 

 promise from tho king that the church should not be despoiled. 

 mrtrrlrH with the royal support, he again addressed the Commons, and 

 denounced their 'execrable scheme' with such furor, that they at 

 length asked tho archbishop's pardon, and acknowledged the injustice 

 of their plan. 



Arundel now found the doctrines of the church and its very exist- 

 ence threatened from another quarter. The Lollards, or followers of 

 Wickliffe, had been increasing in numbers, influence, and daring for 

 the but twenty yean; publicly denouncing the church and the clergy, 

 and appealing to the passions and the rapacity, as well as to the 

 religious feelings, of the people. In 1382 Wickliffe had presented a 

 petition to Parliament, praying " that the wants of the nation should 

 be supplied from the income* of delinquent clergymen, and the 

 superfluous revenues of the church, which were in reality the patri- 

 mony of the poor : " and in 1393, after Wickliffe' s death, his followers 

 bad laid another petition before Parliament, urging the same principles, 

 mod full of sever* invectives against the clergy. The archbishop 

 became alarmed, and charged the bishop* and clergy at Oxford to 

 root out the heresies of toe new sect; and in 1408 resolved upon a 

 personal visitation of that University. The University of Oxford, a 

 stronghold of Wickliffe's doctrines, questioned the archbishop's right 

 of visitation ; and on approaching the city he was met by the principal 

 aasmbsrs of the University, who courteously declined to acknowledge 

 his jurisdiction. The question being referred to the king, WEI decided 

 by Henry in favour of the archbishop. This decision, and the strong 

 remonstrances of a convocation of the bishops and clergy in London, 

 against the growth of heresy at Oxford, induced the University to 

 submit : they admitted delegates from the archbishop, and asked 

 pardon for their former contumacy. A committee of twelve persons 

 was then appointed to examine the writings of Wickliffe and others ; 

 whose censures of the doctrines of the now sect were confirmed by 

 the archbishop, and eventually by the pop* Arundel next established 



an inquisition at Oxford to inquire into the opinions of (wrsons HUH- 

 >octed of heresy, aud put in force the statute De hcrrtico c >mbui 

 irhich had been passed at the beginning of the reign (2 Hen. IV. o. 

 15, Rot. Parl. iii. p. 466). 



The translation of the Bible into the vulgar tongue had been one of 

 Wickliffe's most powerful instruments of persuasion ; and Arundel 

 orbade, by synodical decree, the translation of the Scriptures into 

 English, and the reading them when translated. The insurrection of 

 the Lollards had in it some political as well as ecclesiastical elements, 

 and in 1413, disturbances occurred of which the leading promoters 

 were Lollards, headed by Sir John Oldcastle, the lord of Cobhain. 

 Oldcastle having disregarded the summons of the spiritual court to 

 answer for his opinions, was finally seized by a military force, con- 

 ducted to the Tower, and arraigned before the primuta as a heretic. 

 The conduct of the archbishop is described as being forbearing and 

 mild, and in this respect to have contrasted favourably with that of 

 the accused. Sir John persisted in his opinions, was pronounced an 

 obstinate heretic, and delivered to the civil magistrate, " to be bunit 

 on a high place before the people." After the sentence was pronounced, 

 Arundel obtained from the king a respite of fifty days. Thus respited 

 by the intercession of the primate. Sir John Oldcastle escaped from 

 the Tower, and raised the rebellion which is associated with his 

 name. Soon after the archbishop had pronounced sentence upon 

 Oldcastle, he was attacked with an inflammation of the throat, of which 

 he died on the 20th of February, 1413, o.s. He was buried in thu 

 cathedral of Canterbury under a monument erected by himself in his 

 lifetime. 



Tho character of Aruudcl was suited to tho times in which he 

 lived ; he was bold, resolute, and active ; possessed very considerable 

 talents, waa learned and virtuous enough to sustain his reputation as 

 a churchman ; and not more scrupulous or refined- than a layman, in 

 temporal affairs. He was an active politician in the midst of tho 

 intrigues and treasons of the reign of Uichard, aud foremost in thu 

 rebellion which cast that king from his throne. As a dignitary of the 

 church he was liberal and princely : each see in succession held by 

 him received ample marks of his munificence : he had scarcely rebuilt 

 the London palace of the bishops of Ely when he commenced the 

 building of a palace for the archbishops of York ; and made several 

 valuable offerings to the Minster. At Canterbury he built the Lanthoru 

 Tower and part of the nave of the cathedral, and presented it with 

 many rich gifts and endowments. 



(Abridged from the Biographical Dictionary of the Society for the 

 Difftuion of Uteful Knowledge.) 



ASA, king of Judah, the third who reigned after tho revolt of tho 

 ten tribes, and the fifth king of tho dynasty of David, was the son and 

 successor of Abijam or Abia, According to the chronology of Usher 

 and Jahn, which corresponds with that given in the margin of our 

 Bibles, Asa reigned from B.C. 955 to 914 ; but Hales dates his reign 

 from B.C. 970 to 929. In the early part of his reign Asa was under thu 

 influence of his grandmother, Maacha, who encouraged the idolatrous 

 practices which liad prevailed during the reigns of his father and 

 grandfather. But as soon as he took the government into his own 

 hands be set about rooting out idolatry throughout the kingdom. 

 After ten years of peace the hind was invaded by Terah the Cusbite, 

 at the head of a very largo army, which Asa met and utterly overthrew. 

 In consequence of this victory, at the suggestion of the prophet 

 Axariah, Asa aud the whole of his people renewed their covenant with 

 Jehovah. Asa was also for a long period engaged in hostilities with 

 Baasha, king of Israel, who at length reduced him to considerable 

 straits ; but Asa having purchased the assistance of Benhadad, king 

 of Damascus, Baasha was obliged to return to his own country, and 

 Asa destroyed his strong fortress of Ramah, and employed the mate- 

 rials in strengthening the towns of Qebn and Mizpeh. For seeking 

 assistance from Benhadad he was severely rebuked by the prophet 

 Hanani, whereupon the king seized the prophet and cast him into 

 prison. Tho later years of his reign indeed appear to have been 

 marked by many deeds of cruelty and oppression ; and during these 

 years he suffered much from disease. The history of Asa will ! 

 found in 1 Kings, xv. 0-24, and 2 Chronicle*, xiv., xv., xvi. 



ASCH AM, ROGER, was the third son of John aud Margaret Ascham, 

 and was born in tho year 1515 at Kirby Wiske, near Northallertou, in 

 Yorkshire, where his father resided as steward to the noble family of 

 Scroope. His parents, who were highly esteemed in their station, after 

 living together for forty-seven years, both died on the same day and 

 nearly at the same hour. Their sou Roger displayed from hU child- 

 hood a taste for learning, and was received into the family of Sir 

 Anthony Wingfield, who caused him to be educated with his own sons, 

 ami in the year 1630 placed him at St. John's College, Cambridge, 

 then the most flourishing in tho university. Aschain applied himself 

 particularly to the study of Greek, to which a great impulse had 

 recently been given by the dispersion of tho learned Greeks through- 

 out Europe in consequence of tho taking of Constantinople. He made 

 great proficiency in Greek as well as Latin, and he read Greek lectures 

 while yet a youth to students still younger than himself. Ho took 

 the degree of A. B. iu February 1534, and on the 23rd of the next 

 month waa elected fellow of his college. He took the degree of A.M. 

 in 1636, at the age of twenty-one ; and began to take pupils, iu whose 

 instruction he was very successful. He also read Greek publicly iu 



