280 
NOWELL. 
the year 1507-8. When only thirteen years of age, he 
was entered of Brazen-nofe college, in the univeriity of 
Oxford, where he profecuted his ftudies with great fuc- 
cefs, and was admitted to the degree of B. A. in 1536, 
and to that of M. A. in 1540. Before he took his laft- 
mentioned degree, he was elffted fellow of his college. 
Having now acquired a high reputation for learning and 
piety, and diftinguilhed himfelfby his zeal for promoting 
the reformation, he opened a fchool in the city of Weft- 
minft'er, where he educated his pupils in proteftant prin¬ 
ciples. About the year 1550, king Edward VI. granted 
him a licenfe for preaching; and, in the following year, 
he was inftalled prebendary of Weftminfter, and made 
mailer of the foundation-fchool. In the firft parliament 
of queen Mary’s reign, he was returned for Well Looe in 
Cornwall; but his election was declared void, it being 
determined that, having by his prebend a voice in the 
houfe of convocation, he could not fit in the houfe of 
commons. 
. No fooner did the perfecution againft the proteftants 
commence, than he was marked out, with other eminent 
divines, fora facrifice to popifh cruelty ; but his friends 
found means to (heifer him from the dorm, and to pro¬ 
cure him a fafe conveyance to the continent. He now 
repaired to Frankfort, which many of the Englifh exiles 
chofe for their afylum. After the acceffion of queen Eli¬ 
zabeth, he was the firft of the proteftant exiles that re¬ 
turned to England, and foon obtained feveral confidera- 
ble preferments. On the firft day of the new year, 1559- 
60, he was collated to the archdeaconry of Middlefex ; 
on the 3d of February, to the reflory of Saltwood, with 
the annexed chapel of Hythe in Kent; and, on the 14th 
of the fame month, to a prebend of Canterbury; but 
he refigned Saltwood the fame year. He was then alfo 
reftored to his prebendary at Weftminfler, but refigned it 
the following year. November 27, 1560, he was elected 
dean qf St. Paul’s. Befides this dignity, he was collated to 
a prebend in the fame church ; and, two years afterwards, 
preferred to the reftory of Hadham, in Hertfordfhire. 
In the courfe of the year 156a, Nowell was frequently 
inthepulpit, on public occaiions, beforelarge auditories; 
but his labours, in one refpedl, commenced a little in- 
aufpicioufly. On new-year’s day, being the feftival of 
the Circumcifion, he preached at St. Paul’s, whither the 
queen reforted. “Here,” fays Strype, “a remarkable 
pafl’age happened, as is recorded by firH. Sydney, who 
lived in thofe times. The dean, having met with feveral 
fine engravings, reprefenting the ftories and paftions of 
the faints and martyrs, had placed them againft the Epif- 
tlts and Gofptls of their refpeflive festivals in a Common 
Prayer Book, which he had caufed to be richly bound, 
and laid on a culhion, for the queen’s ufe, in the place 
where (lie commonly fat; intending it for a new-year’s 
gift to hermajefty, and thinking to have pleafed her fancy 
therewith. But it had a quite contrary effect; for (lie con- 
fidered how this varied from her late injunftions and 
proclamations againft the fuperftitious ufe of images in 
churches, and for the taking away all fuch reliques of 
popery. When (lie came to her place, and had opened 
the book and faw the pictures, fne frowned and blufhed ; 
and then, (hutting the book, (of which feveral took no¬ 
tice,) (lie called for the verger, and bade him bring her 
the old book, wherein (lie was formerly wont to read. 
After fermon, whereas the ufed immediately to get on 
horfeback,or into her chariot, (lie went Itraight to tiievef- 
try, and, applying herds If to the dean, thus (he fpoke to 
him : “ Mr. Dean, how came it to pafs, that a new fer- 
vice-book was placed on my cuftiion ?” To which the 
dean anfwered, “ May it pleafe your majefty, I caufed it 
to be placed there.” Then faid the queen, “Wherefore 
did you l'o?” “To prefent your majefty with a new- 
year’s gift.” “You could never prefent me with a worfe.” 
“ Why fo, madam ?” “ You know I have an averfion to 
idolatry, to images and pictures of this kind.” “ Wherein 
is the idolatry, may it pleafe your majefty ?” “ In thecuts 
refembling angels and faints; nay grolTer abfurdities,. 
pi flu res refembling the bleifed Trinity.” “ I meant no 
harm, nor did I think it would offend your majefty, when 
I intended it for a new-year’s gift.” “ You mull needs 
be ignorant then : have you forgot our proclamation 
againft images, pifhires, and Romilh reliques, in the 
churches ; was it not read in your deanery ?.” “ It was 
read ; but, be your majefty allured, I meant no harm 
when I caufed the cuts to be bound with the fervice- 
book.” “You muft needs be very ignorant to do this 
after onr prohibition of them.” “It being my ignorance, 
your majefty may the better pardon-me.” “ I am forry 
for it; yet glad to hear it was your ignorance rather than 
your opinion.” “ Be your majefty allured it was my igno¬ 
rance.” “ If fo, Mr. Dean, God grant you his fpirit, and 
more wifdo.m for the future.” “Amen, I pray God.” 
“I pray, Mr. Dean, how came you by thei'e pictures; 
who engraved them ?” “ I know not who engraved them; 
I bought them.” “ From whom bought you them ?” 
“ From a German.” “ It is well it was from a ftranger; 
had it been any of our fubjefls, welhouid have queftioned 
the matter. Pray let no more of thefe mi (takes, or of this 
kind, be committed within the churches of our realm 
for the future.” “ThereAail not.” ” Strype adds, that 
this matter occaftoned all the clergy in and about London, 
and the churchwardens of each pari(h, to fearch their 
churches and chapels, and caufed them to wafh from the 
walls all paintings that feemed to be Romilh and idola¬ 
trous; in lieu whereof fuitable texts of holy Scripture 
were written. 
Nowell allb fuftained a principal part among the Lent- 
preachers at court before the queen. Thefe lermons at 
court were on afternoons, that they might not interfere 
with the fermons at St. Paul’s, which were in the forenoon. 
But upon one of thefe, (namely, on Alh-Wednefday, 
March 7, 1564-5,) he had again the misfortune to offend 
hermajefty. It happened that fome lewd, and in many 
places “ unhoneft” or immodeft, book had lately come 
out, which the writer was “ not abalhed to dedicate to 
his molt gracious fovereign, et principi et virgiui The 
dean therefore was moved by this “ unreverent impudency 
of the author,” and by his “ own due reverence to his gra¬ 
cious fovereign,” to lliow at once his “ milliking of the 
book, and of the judgment of fome, as he thought, un- 
difcreet ftibjefrs,” who were pleafed with it; the author, 
as it feems, had defended fome of the fuperftitious books 
and cuftoms of popery, which the preacher condemned ; 
but, going one Itep too far, and exprelling fome dillike of 
the fign of the crofs, the queen called aloud to him from 
her ciofet-window, commanding him to “ retire from 
that ungodly digreffion, and to return to his text.” 
In the year 1562, dean Nowell was cholen prolocutor 
of the lower houfe of convocation. In 1564, during the 
difputes between the churchmen and the puritans about 
veltments, he was much inclined to peace and moderation. 
He admitted the lawfulnefs of uling the garments en¬ 
joined by authority; but wilhed them to be taken away, 
for fear of the abufe which they might occafion; to ex- 
prefs more llrongly a deteftation of the corrupt and 1'u- 
perftitious religion of thepapifts; for a fuller profelfion 
of Chriftian liberty; and to put an end to the difputes 
between brethren. In the year 1572, he founded a free- 
fchool at Middleton, in his native country. He was one 
of the learned divines who held fome conferences in the 
Tower with Edmund Campian, which were publilhed in 
1583. In 1594, he was inftalled canon of Windfor; and 
in the following year, he was defied principal of Brazen- 
nofe college, Oxford. In the fame year, he was created 
D. D. with a right of precedence over all the doftors then 
in the univeriity, both on account of his great age, and 
his dignity in the church. He died Feb. 13, 1601-2, in 
the 95th year of his age, almoft forty years after he had 
begun to reckon himfelf an old man. But, notwith- 
ftanding his very great age and frequent licknefl'es, fuch 
was the original ftrength of his conftitution, and fuch the 
blelfing 
