REMARKABLE CHARACTERS.
I.—Erasmus.
Erasmus, while a schoolboy, composed a panegyric on king Philip, (father of Charles V.,) on his coming out of Spain into Germany. His majesty took such notice of his early wit, that he honoured him with a yearly pension during his life.
King Henry VIII. of England wrote to him with his own hand, ordered him several very valuable presents, offered him a house and land, with six hundred florins a year, if he would reside in England.
Francis I., king of France, also wrote to him, offering him a bishopric, and one thousand florins a year, if he would live in France.
The emperor Charles V. offered him a bishopric in Sicily, made him one of his privy council, allowed him a pension of four hundred florins a year, and promised to make it five hundred, if he would occasionally reside in his court.
Sigismond, king of Poland, and Ferdinand, king of Hungary, were very bountiful to him, and repeatedly invited him to dwell in their dominions.
Ann, princess of Verona, allowed him a pension of one hundred florins a year.
Frederick, duke of Saxony, and William, duke of Gulick, made him several presents.
Pope Adrian VI. wrote to him three times with his own hand; and pope Clement VII., on being raised to the purple, sent him five hundred florins, and invited him to Rome.
Pope Paul III. intended to have raised him to the rank of cardinal, if death had not prevented him.
William Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, gave him an exhibition.
Cardinal Wolsey allowed him a pension out of a prebend at York.
The bishops of Lincoln and Rochester liberally supplied him with money, &c. on all occasions.
Polidore Virgil sent him money to buy a horse, and the lord Cromwell sent him thirty angels.
Lord Mountjoy, sir Thomas More, bishop Tonstall, and dean Collet, were his constant benefactors.
Cardinal Mattheo offered him a pension of five hundred a year to live in Rome, and sent him a cup of pure gold.
Albertus, archbishop, cardinal, and elector of Mentz, sent him also a cup of gold, richly ornamented with precious stones.
Cardinal Campegius, among other presents, sent him a ring of great value.
Stanislaus Olmucensis sent him a silver bowl, double gilt, with four pieces of gold, ancient coin.
The bishop of Basil offered him half the revenue of his bishopric.
Thurxo, bishop of Uratislavo, went six days’ journey out of his way to see him.
William, earl of Eyrenberg, gave him a dagger, which by the inscription “he wished in the hearts of all his enemies.”
II.—Nicholas Wood, the Glutton.
One Nicholas Wood, of Harrison, in the county of Kent, yeoman, did eat with ease a whole sheep of sixteen shillings price, and that raw, at one meal. Another time he eat thirty dozen of pigeons. At sir William Sedley’s he eat as much as would have sufficed thirty men. At lord Wotton’s in Kent, he devoured in one meal eighty-four rabbits; another time eighteen yards of black pudding, London measure. He once eat sixty pounds of cherries, and said they were but wastemeat. He eat a whole hog, and afterwards swallowed three peck of damsons: this was after breakfast, at which he had taken a pottle of milk and pottage, with bread, butter, and cheese.
“He eat in my presence,” saith Taylor, the water-poet, “six penny wheaten loaves, three sixpenny veal-pies, one pound of fresh butter, one good dish of thornback, and a sliver of a peck household loaf, an inch thick, all within the space of an hour; the house yielding no more he retired unsatisfied.”
One John Dale, at Lenham, laid him a wager, he could fill his belly for him with good wholesome victuals for two shillings. He took this wager and said, when he had finished the two shillings worth, he would eat up a sirloin of beef. Dale, however, brought six pots of mighty ale and twelve new penny white loaves, which he sopped therein, the powerful fume whereof conquered this gluttonous conqueror, and laid him asleep before he had finished his meal, whereby the roast beef was preserved and the wager lost.
Wood spent all his estate in provender for his enormous stomach, and, although a landed man and a true labourer, he died very poor in 1630.
Sam Sam’s Son.
JUST JUDGMENT.
A good Judge, and a good Jury.
It is of most essential importance to the due administration of justice that juries should be sensible of their own dignity; and, when occasion requires, that they should not implicitly and servilely bow to the opinion of any judge, however high he may be held in estimation. An instance of the beneficial result of a jury asserting, in a respectful manner, the privilege of having an opinion of their own, occurred, not at the assizes now holding, but not very long ago. Two men were indicted for a burglary: after the counsel for the prosecution had opened, the amiable and learned judge who presided, addressing the jury, said, “Gentlemen, there does not appear to me any probability that a case of burglary can be made out against the prisoners, it is therefore needless to occupy your time any further.” The jury having, however, conferred for a short time, the foreman replied, “With perfect deference to your lordship’s opinion we should rather prefer hearing the evidence.” To this his lordship readily assented: the case went on, and the guilt of the prisoners was proved beyond the possibility of a doubt. After the verdict was returned, the learned judge said, “Well, gentlemen of the jury, I will not say that you are better lawyers than I am, but I am quite sure that in the present instance you have proved yourself to be better judges.”[354]
[354] Times, August 27, 1827.