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C A M D E N. 



Camden. CAMDEN, WiLLlAlVf, one of the most learned 

 men that thia country has produced, was born at 

 London in 1551, of respectable, but not opulent pa- 

 rents. He received the rudiments of his education 

 in Christ's hospital ; was afterwards sent to St Paul's 

 school ; entered, at the age of fifteen, a servitor at 

 Oxford ; and laid the foundation of his classical eru- 

 dition under Dr Thomas Cooper, who was afterwards 

 Bishop of Lincoln. By the influence of the Popish 

 party, he was disappointed of a fellowship ; and soon 

 after went to London, where he successfully prosecu- 

 ted his studies, his literary friends kindly supplying 

 him with money and books. In 1573 he returned to 

 Oxford, where he obtained the degree of Bachelor 

 of Arts ; and, two years afterwards, he was appoint- 

 ed second master of Westminster school, the duties 

 of which office he discharged with fidelity and dili- 

 gence, and rose to the rank of head-master in 1593. 

 Notwithstanding the laborious duties of his office, he 

 found time, while at Westminster, to collect and pre- 

 pare materials for his great work Britannia, a choro- 

 graphical description of the kingdoms of England, 

 Scotland, and Ireland, with the adjacent Islands, with 

 an account of the origin^ manners, and laws of the in- 

 habitants from the remotest antiquity. This learned 

 work established his reputation as a scholar all over 

 Europe. In 1593, he published a fourth edition of 

 it in folio, much enlarged and improved, and embel- 

 lished with valuable maps ; for which he had been at 

 great pains to collect new materials, and to avail him- 

 self of the information of his literary friends. It was, 

 howaver, severely criticised, and charged with many 

 errors, which obliged its author to revise it anew ; 

 but while he candidly acknowledged and corrected 

 his mistakes, he also proved, from various undoubted 

 authorities, that he had in many instances been x un- 

 jusdy attacked. The edition which received his fi- 

 nishing hand was printed in 1607- Dr Holland of 

 Coventry having published a translation of it in 161 1, 

 in which he had inserted several articles of his own, 

 Edmund Gibson of Oxford, afterwards Bishop of 

 London, gave a new translation of it in 1695, free of 

 all interpolations : but, because Holland's additions 

 were often valuable, and because it was generally be- 

 lieved that he had consulted Camden himself when 

 he met with any difficulties, Gibson preserved them, 

 and placed them at the bottom of the page. He al- 

 so added remarks of his own at the end of each coun- 

 ty, either to confirm what Camden had advanced, or 

 to supply his defects ; with a list of the persons by 

 whom he was furnished with his materials. This edi- 

 tion was published in two volumes folio in 1722, un- 

 der the bishop's own inspection : but the public has 

 been favoured with a new translation, and much im- 

 proved edition, by the learned Mr Gough, who has 

 enlarged it to nearly double the size of the preceding 

 edition. 



i In 1597, Camden published a Greek Grammar, 

 which was taught in all the public schools in the 

 kingdom, and ran through nearly a hundred editions. 

 In the subsequent year, he was taken from the office 

 of schoolmaster, and promoted to the higher one of 

 Clarenceux king at arms. In 1600, he published an 

 account of all the monuments in Westminster Abbey, 



with their inscriptions; and in 1603, a collection of CamJen. 

 the ancient historians of -Britain, was sent from the 

 press at Frankfort, under his superintendance, which 

 he had originally intended as the ground- work of a 

 civil history of England. After the discovery of the 

 gunpowder plot, King James, desirous to guard the 

 reformed churches on the continent against the ene- 

 mies of the Protestant religion, as well as to satisfy 

 foreign princes of the justice of his own proceedings 

 against the conspi?ators, made choice of Camden as 

 the fittest person to draw up in Latin a narrative of 

 that ipfamous plot. He executed this work with 

 great accuracy, spirit, and elegance ; and in testimo- 

 ny of its having received the royal sanction, it issued 

 from the press of the king's printer. In 1615, he 

 published in Latin his Annals of Queen Elizabeth, 

 also under the sanction of his sovereign, and with this 

 solemn appeal to posterity for his veracity as a histo- 

 rian, " I dedicate and consecrate it at the altar of 

 truth to God, to my country, and to posterity." 

 From the reputation of the author, this work raised 

 great expectations, which were not disappointed. It 

 is a valuable historical composition, although, in the 

 opinion of many, the reign of that illustrious princess 

 is drawn with a partial hand. The favourable re- 

 ception which the first part of that work received 

 from the public, might have determined him to pro- 

 ceed, had he not been sensible of the inconvehience 

 attending the publication of a history, while the per- 

 sons who had borne a distinguished part in it, or their 

 immediate descendants, were otili alive. This consi- 

 deration made him resolve that the second volume 

 should not be published till after his death, and left 

 him at liberty to prosecute his history with that spi- 

 rit of impartiality and freedom, with which he had so 

 solemnly professed to guide his enquiries. That it 

 might be given to the public in an entire state, he 

 caused one copy to be deposited in the Cotton libra- 

 ry, and another to be lodged with a friend for publi- 

 cation, who undertook faithfully to execute the trust 

 committed to him. 



Besides the foregoing works, he wrote many va- 

 luable essays on British antiquities, at the request, 

 and in compliance with the practice, of the learned 

 society of antiquaries, some of which have been pub- 

 lished by the laborious Hearne, in his collection of 

 discourses on English antiquities ; and these give rea- 

 son to regret that others have been lost, which would 

 have thrown light upon those subjects. This emi- 

 nent scholar concluded his services to the republic of 

 letters, by founding a professorship of history at Ox- 

 ford, for which he may be reckoned among the chief 

 benefactors to that university ; the first professor be- 

 ing nominated by himself in 1622. He died the fol- 

 lowing year at his house in Kent, in the 73d year of his 

 age ; and by his will, written by himself on the last an- 

 niversary of his birth, May 2. 1623, (an anniversary 

 .which, as appears by his diary, was always spent in 

 charitable deeds and pious meditations,) he modestly 

 directed that he should be privately buried at what- 

 ever place he should die. But his executors did not 

 obey his injunctions. They interred him with great 

 pomp, in the south aisle of Westminster Abbey, op- 

 posite to the tomb of the poet Chaucer ; and caused 



