GODWIN. 
Ills fchool, turiied his attention more particularly to me¬ 
dical Ihidies. In 1555, he took his degree of bachelor 
of pliylic at Oxford, and fupported his family by prac- 
liling' that profeflion till queen Elizabeth afcended the 
throne. Upon this event he refolved to enter into the 
church, to which he was encouraged by Dr. Nicholas 
Bullingham, billiop of Lincoln, wlio admitted him into 
lioly orders, and made him his chaplain. That prelate 
alfo introduced him to public notice, by procuring him 
the honour of preaching before the queen; who was io 
well pleafed with his pathetic eloquence, that die ap- 
pomted him one of her Lent preacliers. This poll he 
tilled for eighteen years ; but he received no preferment 
in the church till 1565, when he was promoted to the 
deanery of Chriftchurch, Oxford, and had, in the fame 
year, the prebend of Milton-Ecclclia bellowed upon 
him by billiop Bullingham. In the following year he 
was promoted to the deanery of Canterbury, and at¬ 
tended queen Elizabeth in lier vilit to the univerfity of 
Oxford ; on which occafion he took his degree of doitor 
of divinity with uncommon applaufe. After he had 
remained eighteen years at Canterbury, he was nomi¬ 
nated by the queen to the vacant fee of Bath and Wells, 
in 1584. He died at Oakingham, whither he had re¬ 
moved for the benefit of his native air, in 1590, in the 
leventy-third year of his age. He is liighly fpoken of 
for his learning, piety, and moderation ; and was be¬ 
loved and revered for his cheerful hofpitality and bene¬ 
volence. 
GOD'WIN (Francis), a learned Englilli prelate and 
hifiorian, fon of the preceding, born at Havington in 
Northamptonfiiire, in 1561. He was fent to Chrill- 
cluirch college, Oxford, in thefixteenth year of his age, 
and in 1578 was elected a I'cholar of that inllitution.- 
In that leminary he took his degree of bachelor of arts 
ill 1580 ; and proceeded tO’ the degree of mailer af arts 
in 1583, when he had the charadter of being one of the 
molt alliduous lludents in the univerfity. About this 
time he wrote an entertaining philofophical fidlion, 
which was publifhed five years after his death, under 
the title ol. The Man in the Moon, or a Difeourfe of a 
VTyage thither, by Domingo Gonzales, 1638, 8vo. In 
1587 he was made a canon in the cathedral church of 
Wells, and promoted to the fubdeanery of Exeter. 
The hillory and antiquities of his country now became 
favourite fubjedts of his enquiries ; and in 1590 he ac¬ 
companied the learned Camden into Wales, in fearch of 
objects to illullrate them. For Ibme years he devoted 
his ieilure hours to enquiries of this nature ; but at 
length, leaving to Mr. Camden the more general fub- 
ledts, he confined himfelf to Inch antiquities as related 
to ecclefiallical eaufes or perfons. Finding afterwards 
that his colledlions relatingto ecclefiallical matters would 
add fcarcely any tiling to Mr. Fox’s laborious work on 
the lame fubjedt, lie ilill farther rellridled his enquiries 
to the lives and adlions of ecclefiallical perfons. In 
J1595 he took the degree of dodtor of divinity; at which 
tune, belides poli'elling the dignities already mentioned, 
lie was redlor of Samford-Orcais in Somerl'etlliire, pre¬ 
bendary of Wells, and redlor of Billiop’s Lidiard in the 
fame county. He was elleemed by the bell judges a 
very able preacher, and is commended for the freedom 
and fpirit with which lie reprehended the glaring.vices 
of the age in which he lived. Having, in confequence 
ot his rel'earches, digefled into a regular chronological 
order the iuccelllon of prelates in the refpedlive dio- 
cefes within this kingdom, he was encouraged, in iCoi, 
to commit liis labours to the prefs, and publllhed a Ca¬ 
talogue ol the Bifliops of England fince the firll plants 
ingot the Chrillian Religion in this Ifland; together 
with a brief Hillory of their Lives and memorable Ac¬ 
tions, 4to. This catalogue, which rvas a new attempt 
in Englilh ecclefiallical hillory, met with fuch general 
approbation, that, in reward of the author’s diligence 
1,1 ■-ompiling’ it, queen Llizabetli promoted him m the 
V o' L. VIJ 1 . N o. 5 3 3. 
Gj f 
fame year to the vacant fee of Llandafi'; and as this Li. 
lliopric, from the low /late of its pei fonalities, was then 
but ot Imall value, he was allowed to retain in connec. 
tlon with it the I’ubdeanery of Isxcter, and to hold in 
commcndani the rectory of Kingfion-Seymonr, in the dio- 
cele ol Bath and Weils. While billiop Godwin confi- 
nued to hold the lee ol Llandalf, he employed his lei- 
fure hours in improving his Catalogue, and in making 
colledlions relative to civil and e'ccleliafiical hillory. 
In 1615, he pubiiliied a new edition of his Catalogue, 
with confiderablc additions, and a difeourfe prefixed. 
Concerning the firll Converfion of Britain unto tlie 
Chrillian Religion. Owing, however, to the author’s 
great dillance from the jircls, this iniprcllion was fo erro- 
ncoully printed, that lie determined to republifii it, 
and, by the advice of his learnell friends, in the Latin 
language, d'liis he did in the following year, under 
tlie title of Dc Prcefulibus Anglice Commtntariu%, &c. 4to. In 
the iame year he publiflied Rerum Anglicarui^ HairicoVllL 
Edwardo VI. £? Maria, regnantibus, Annales, folio, which 
met with a very favourable reception, and were del'erv- 
edly admired, as well as the preceding work, for the 
elegance of their llyle. As a reward for thefe learned 
labours, king James tranflated him from the fee of 
Llandaff to that of Hereford, in 1617. Bifliop Godwin 
now devoted I'ucl-i time as the difcliarge of his cpifcopal 
fundlioiis and his growing infirmities would permit, 
chiefly to the improvement of liis former works. In 
lubferviency to this objedl, he publilbed, in 1621, Ap¬ 
pendix ad Comment. deprceful. Anglia;, which contviins his 
lalt correblions and additions to that performance. In 
1628, he publiflied the fecond edition of his Annales, in 
a more corretl form than the preceding ; and in the fol¬ 
lowing year his difeourfe already mentioned on the fe- 
veral metliods of conveying fecret and fpeedy intelli¬ 
gence, under the title 01 Nuncius Inanmatus, Utopia, 1629, 
IJvo. This difeourfe is written in very oblcure and 
enigmatical language,_ with the delign of concealing the 
authoi?s fecretbut from I'ome of his expreflioiis it 
lliould feem that a part of it conlills in the ufe of fig- 
nals, which, if reduced to a fyllem, might have given 
an earlier date to the ellablilhment of public telegraphs. 
In 1630, he publiflied a third edition of his Annales, 
which was immediately followed by a tranllation of 
them, under the title of Annales of England, &c. cor- 
refled, and enlarged; in folio. In the lame- year 
learned Latin dillertation by billiop Godwin, on tne va¬ 
lue of the Roman Icllerce and Attic talent, v'^as printed 
at the end of Dr. Hakewcll’s Apology for Divine Pro¬ 
vidence, in folio. This was tlie billiop’s lall literary 
exertion, wlio, in the latter part ol his life, was afleCtcd 
with a low and laiiguilhing difeafe, wliich gradually ter¬ 
minated his life in 1633, when about feventy-two years 
of age. Of his learning, diligence in enquiry, and clal- 
fical talle. Ids works bear honourable telliinony; and 
they exhibit him in the exalted light ot a zealous triend 
to that pure religious ellablilbnieut ot which he was a 
member. 
GOD'WIN (Thonns), a learned Englilli writer on 
Jewilli antiquities, born in Somerletlliire, in 1587. When 
fifteen years of age lie was lent to Alagdalen-hall, in the 
univeriity of Oxford, where he was entered a Icholar. 
In 1606, he was made a demy ot Magdalen-college, and 
took his degree of bachelor ot arts. In i6og, he pro-'- 
ceeded to tlie degree of mailer ot arts, and loon aitcr- 
wards was cholen inafter of-the rree-lciiool at Abingdon 
in Berkihire. For the benefit ot his pupils, he publiflied, 
in 1613, Romans Hijloria Anthologia : An Englilli Expo- 
lition of the Roman Antiquities, 410. which underwent 
many imprellions. Not long alter this he entered into 
orders, and was appointed chaplain to Dr. James Mon¬ 
tague, Lilhop of Bcith and Wells. In 1616, he was ad¬ 
mitted to the degree of bachelor ot divinity ; and in tlie 
fame yr ir publilhed Synopjis Antiquitatum Hebraicarum ad 
Explicationem utriufque Tcjlammti valde ncccjjana, &c. Lib. HI. 
8 E ' 4^0. 
