[946]Mr. John Selden when young did copie[947] records for Sir Robert Cotton—from Fabian Philips.
[948]John Selden, esq., was borne (as appeares by his epitaph, which he himselfe made, as I well remember archbishop Usher, Lord Primate, who did preach his funerall sermon, did then mention scil. as to spe certae resurrectionis) at Salvinton, a hamlet belonging to West Terring, in the com. of Sussex.
His father was a yeomanly man, of about fourty pounds per annum, and played well on the violin, in which he tooke delight, and at Christmas time, to please him selfe and his neighbours, he would play to them as they danced. My old lady Cotton[LXXXII.] (wife to Sir Robert Cotton, grandmother to this Sir <John> Cotton) was one time at Sir Thomas Alford's, in Sussex, at dinner, in Christmas time, and Mr. John Selden (then a young student) sate at the lower end of the table, who was lookt upon then to be of parts extraordinary, and some body asking who he was, 'twas replyed, his son that is playing on the violin <in> the hall[LXXXIII.]. I have heard Michael Malet (judge[BJ] Malet's son) say, that he had heard that Mr. John Selden's father taught on the lute. He had a pretty good estate by his wife.
[LXXXII.] She was living in 1646, or 1647, an old woman, 80+.
[LXXXIII.] This from Sir William Dugdale, from the lady Cotton.—Mr. Fabian Philips told me that when J. Selden was young he did copie records for Sir Robert Cotton.
He (vide A. Wood's Antiq. Oxon.) was of Hart-hall in Oxon, and Sir Giles Mompesson told me that he was then of that house[BK], and that he was a long scabby-pold boy, but a good student.
Thence he came to the Inner Temple. His chamber was in the paper buildings which looke towards the garden, ... staire-case, uppermost story, where he had a little gallery to walke in.
He was quickly taken notice of for his learning, and was sollicitor and steward to the earl of Kent[BL], whose countesse (was) an ingeniose woman....[949] After the earle's death he married her. He had a daughter[950], if not two, by ...; one was maried to a tradesman in Bristowe.... Mris. Williamson, one of my lady's woemen, a lusty, bouncing woman, ... robbed him on his death-bed....
His great friend heretofore was Mr. ... Hayward, to whom he dedicates his Titles of Honour; also Ben Johnson.
His treatise that Tythes were not jure divino drew[951] a great deale of envy upon him from the clergie. W. Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, made him make his recantation before the High Commission Court, of which you may have an account in Dr. Peter Heylen's Historie. After, he would never forgive the bishops, but did still in his writings levell them with the presbyterie. He was also severe and bitter in his speeches against ship-money, which speeches see.