WOOD. 



i* badly executed, and Wood, tlie original author, was 

 ddUlute of thofe qualifications that would have rendered 

 him a fit hiftorian of a learned univerfity. Another of 

 Wood's works was his " Athena: Oxonienfes; or, an 

 Account, in Englifh, of almoft all the Writers educated at 

 Oxford, and many of thofe at the Sifter Univerfity, from 

 the year 1500." It was firft publilhed in 1691, 2 vols, fol., 

 and foon after fubjcAed him to a profecution in the vice- 

 chancellor's court for his account of lord Clarendon, and 

 to various other attacks, occafioned by his partialities, and 

 more efpecially by his itrong bias in favour of popery. His 

 ftyle is vulgar, and his fentiments illiberal and unphilofo- 

 phical ; but his veracity entitles him to confidence. He 

 died in 1695, and bequeathed his books and papers to the 

 univerfity of Oxford. A fecond edition of this work, 

 corrected and enlarged from the author's MS., was pub- 

 lilhed in 1721. Biog. Brit. 



This curious and diligent antiquary, whofe whole life was 

 fpent in the fervice of the dead, and whofe labours, fincc his 

 deceafe, have fo much facilitated the inquiries, and gratified 

 the curiofity of the living, tells us, in the Memoirs of his Life, 

 written by himfelf, with monailic fimplicity, that in 1651, 

 " he began to exercife his natural and infatiable genie to 

 mufick. He exercifed his hand on the violin, and having a 

 good eare to take any tune at firft hearing, he could quickly 

 draw it out from the violin, but not with the fame tuning of 

 ftrings that others ufed. He wanted underftanding, friends, 

 and money, to pick him out a good mailer, otherwife he 

 might have equalled in that inftrument, and in finging, any 

 perfon then in the univerfity. He had fome companions 

 that were mufical, but they wanted inftrudlion as well 

 as he." 



The next year, being obliged to go into the country to 

 try to get rid of an obltinate ague, by exercife and change 

 of air, he tells, that " while he continued there he followed 

 the plow on well-dayes, andfometimes plowed. He learned 

 there to ring on the fix bells, then newly put up : and hav- 

 ing had from his moft tender yeares an extraordinary ravifti- 

 ing delight in mufick, he praftifed there, without the help 

 of an inllrudlor, to play on the violin. It was then that he 

 tuned his ftrings in 4ths, and not in jths, according to the 

 manner ; and having a good eare, and being ready to fing 

 any tune upon hearing it once or twice, he could play it alfo 

 in a fliort time with the faid way of tuning, which was 

 never knowne before." 



" After he had fpent the fummer in a lonifh and retired 

 condition, he returned to Oxon. And being advifed by 

 fome perfons, he entertained a matter of mufick to teach 

 him the ufual way of playing on the violin ; that is, by 

 having every ftring tuned five notes lower than the other 

 going before. The mafter was Charles Griffith, one of the 

 mufitians belonging to the city of Oxon., whom he then 

 thought to be a moft excellent artift. But when Anthony 

 Wood improved himfelf in that inftrument, he found he was 

 not fo. He gave him 2s. 6d. entrance, and fo quarterly. 

 This perfon, after he had extreamly wondered how he could 

 play fo many tunes as he did by 4th3, without a direftor or 

 guide, tuned his violin by ^ths, and gave him inftruftioiis 

 how to proceed, leaving then a leftbn with him to practice 

 againft his next coming." 



In 1653, he found that " heraldry, mufick, and painting, 

 did fo much crowd upon him, that he could not avoid them ; 

 and could never give a reafon why he fhould delight in thofe 

 ftudies, more than in others, fo prevalent was nature, mixed 

 with a generofity of mind, and a hatred of all that was fer- 

 vile, fneaking, or advantageous for lucre fake." 



" Having by 1654 obtained a proficiency in mufick, he 



and his companions were not without filly frolicki, not novr 

 to be maintained." — What fhould thefe frolics be, but to 

 difguife themfelves in poor habits, and like country-fiddler* 

 fcrape for their livings. After ftroUing about to Farring- 

 don fair, and other places, and gaining money, viftuals, and 

 drink for their trouble, in returning home they were over- 

 taken by certain foldiers, who forced them to play in the 

 open field, and then left them without giving them a penny. 

 " Moft of his companions would afterwards glory in this, 

 but he was afhamed, and could never endure to hear of it." 



By 1656, his record informs us, that " he had a genuine 

 /kill in mufick, and frequented the weekly meetings of mufi- 

 tians in the houfe of William Ellis, organift of St. John's 

 college, fituated on that place whereon the theatre was built." 

 Here he gives a lift of the ufual company that met and 

 performed their parts on lutes and viols ; among thefe eight 

 were gentlemen. " The mufick-mafters were, William Ellis, 

 bachelor of mufick, and owner of the houfe, who always 

 played his part either on the organ or virginal. Dr. John 

 Wilfon, the public profefTor, the beft at the lute in all 

 England : he fometimes played on the lute, but moftly pre- 



fided (direfted) the confort. Curteys, a lutenift, 



lately ejefted from fome choire or cathedral church. 

 Thomas Jackfon, a bafe-violift. Edward Low, then 

 organift of Chrift church : he played only on the organ, fo 

 when he played on that inftrument, Mr. Ellis would take 

 up the counter-tenor viol, if any perfon were wanting to 

 performe that part. Gervace Littleton alias Weftcot, or 

 Weftcot alias Littleton, a violift. He was afterwards a 

 finging-man of St. John's college. William Glexney, who 

 had belonged to a choire before the war : he played well 

 upon the bafe-viol, and fometimes fung his part. ' 



Proftor, a young man, and anew comer. John Packer, one 

 of the univerfitie mufitians ; but Mr. Low, a proud man, 

 could not endure any common mufitian to come to the 

 meeting, much Icfs to play among them. Of this kind I 

 muft rank John Hafelwood, an apothecary, a ftarched formal 

 chfterpipe, who ufually played on the bafe-viol, and fome- 

 times on the counter-tenor. He was very conceited of his 

 fkill (though he had but little of it), and therefore would be 

 ever and anon ready to take up a viol before his betters ; 

 which being obferved by all, they ufually called him Handle- 

 wood. The reft were but beginners. Proitor died foon 

 after this time. He had been bred up by Mr. John Jenkins, 

 the mirrour and wonder of his age for mufick, was excellent 

 for the lyra-viol and divifion-viol, good at the treble-viol 

 and violin, and all comprehended in a man of three or four- 

 and-twenty yeares of age. He was much admired at the 

 meetings, and exceedingly pitied by all the faculty for his 

 lofs." 



At this time Anthony Wood tells us, that " what by 

 mufick, and rare books that he found in the public library, 

 his hfe was a perfeft Elyfiim." 



" Anthony Wood was now advifed to entertain one 

 William James, a dancing-maftcr, to inflruft him on the 

 violin, who by fome was accounted excellent on that inftru- 

 ment, and the rather becaufe, it was faid, that he had ob- 

 tained his knowledge in dancing and mufick in France. He 

 fpent in all half a yeare with him, and gained fome improve- 

 ment ; yet at length he found him not a compleat mafter of 

 his facultie, as Griffith and Parker were not : and, to fay 

 the truth, there was no compleat mafter in Oxon. for that 

 inftrument, becaufe it had not been hitherto ufed in confort 

 among gentlemen, only by common mufitians, who played 

 but two parts. The gentlemen in private meetings, which 

 Anthony Wood frequented, played three, four, and five 

 parts with viols, as treble-viol, tenor, counter-tenor, and 



bafij 



