[VI.] Kington <S. Michael, Wilts>.
He was generally acquainted, and every long vacation, he rode into the countrey to visitt his old acquaintance and patrones, to whom his great learning, mixt with much sweetnes of humour, rendred him very welcome. One time being at Hom Lacy[86] in Herefordshire, at Mr. John Scudamore's (grandfather to the lord Scudamor), he happened to leave[87] his watch in the chamber windowe—(watches were then rarities)—The maydes came in to make the bed, and hearing a thing in a case cry Tick, Tick, Tick, presently concluded that that was his Devill, and tooke it by the string with the tongues[88], and threw it out of the windowe into the mote (to[89] drowne the Devill.) It so happened that the string hung on a sprig of an elder that grew out of the mote, and this confirmed them that 'twas the Devill. So the good old gentleman gott his watch again.
Sir Kenelm Digby loved him much (vide Sir K. Digby's Life <p.> 69[90]), and bought his excellent library of him, which he gave to the University. I have a Stifelius' Arithmetique that was his, which I find he had much perused, and no doubt mastered. He was interred in Trinity College Chapell, (quaere where: as I take it, the outer Chapell.) George Bathurst[E] B.D. made his funerall oration in Latin, which was printed. 'Tis pitty there had not been his name on a[91] stone over him.
[92]Thomas Allen ... left the house[93] because he would not take orders.
Queen Elizabeth sent for him to have his advice about the new star that appeared in the Swan or Cassiopeia (but I think the Swan), to which he gave his judgment very learnedly.
He was great-uncle to Mr. <Henry> Dudley, the minister of Broadhinton in Wilts <1665>.
Notes.
[B] Thomas Allen, of Staffordshire, aged 17, was elected Scholar of Trinity, June 4, 1561, and Fellow, June 19, 1564. His retirement to Gloucester Hall was no doubt to avoid the Oath of Supremacy imposed by Elizabeth on members on the foundation of the Colleges. Edmund Reynolds, in the same way, retired to Gloucester Hall, vacating his fellowship in Corpus Christi College.
[C] Edmund Reynolds died Nov. 21, 1630; Thomas Allen died Sept. 30, 1632.
[D] This will serve to show how imperfectly the names in the Matriculation-register represent those who actually studied in Oxford. The Matric. register gives 'Zachary Power, e com. Wilts.,' as matriculating at Gloucester Hall, Nov. 3, 1609: but omits his elder brother John Power (mentioned in MS. Aubr. 3, fol. 48, as being 40 in 1624, when Zachary was 32).