He was, they say, white[58] very soon; he had a very venerable presence, and was an excellent governour. One of his maximes of governing was to keepe-downe the juvenilis impetus[VI.]. He was chosen President anno Domini <1598/9> the second after the foundation of the College.
[VI.] 'Tis Seneca's expression.
He was a right Church of England man, and every Tuesday, in terme time, in the morning, the undergraduates (I have forgott if baccalaurs) were to come into the chapell and heare him expound on the 36 Articles[59] of the Church of England. I remember he was wont to talke much of the rood-loft, and of the wafers: he remembred those times. On these dayes, if any one had committed a fault, he should be sure to heare of it in the chapell before his fellow collegiates.
<On[60] these days, he would be sure to> have at him that had a white cap on; for he concluded him to have been drunke, and his head to ake. Sir[61] John Denham had borrowed money of Mr. Whistler, the recorder[62], and, after a great while, the recorder askt him for it again. Mr. Denham laught at it, and told him he never intended that. The recorder acquainted the President, who, at a lecture in the chapell, rattled him, and told him, 'Thy father,' (judge[63]) 'haz hanged many an honester man.' In my time, Mr. Anthony Ettrick and some others frighted a poor young freshman of Magd. Hall with conjuring, which when the old Dr. heard of: on the next Tuesday, sayd he, 'Mr. Ettrick'—who is a very little man—'will conjure up a jackanapes to be his great-grand-father.'
He sawe how the factious in religion in those dayes drew, and he kept himselfe unconcerned. W. Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, sent him one time a servant of his with venison, which the old Dr. with much earnestnes refused, and sayd that he was an old man, and his stomach weake, and he had not eaten of such meate in a long time, and by no meanes would accept of it; but the servant was as much pressing it on him on the other side, and told the President that he durst not carry it back[64] againe. Well, seing there was no avoyding it, the President asked the servant seriously, if the archbishop of Canterbury intended to putt in any scholars or fellowes[65] into his College?
Mr. ... ... one of the fellowes (in Mr. Francis Potter's time) was wont to say, that Dr. Kettel's braine was like a hasty-pudding, where there was memorie, judgement, and phancy all stirred together. He had all these faculties in great measure, but they were all just so jumbled together. If you had to doe with him, taking him for a foole, you would have found in him great subtilty and reach: è contra, if you treated with him as a wise man, you would have mistaken him for a foole. A neighbour of mine (Mr. La<urence> St. Low[H]) told me he heard him preach once in St. Marie's Church, at Oxon. He began thus: 'being my turne to preach in this place, I went into my study to prepare my selfe for my sermon, and I tooke downe a booke that had blew strings, and look't in it,[66]and 'twas sweet Saint Bernard. I chanced to read such a part of it, on such a subject, which haz made me to choose this text——.' I know not whether this was the only time or no that he used this following way of conclusion:—'But now I see it is time for me to shutt up my booke, for I see the doctors' men come-in wiping of their beardes from the ale-house.'—(He could from the pulpit plainly see them, and 'twas their custome in sermon to go there, and about the end of sermon to returne to wayte on their masters).
He had two wives, if not three, but no child (quaere). His second wife was a Villiers, or rather (I thinke) the widowe of ... Villers, esq., who had two beautifull daughters, co-heires. The eldest, whom severall of good estate[67] would gladly have wedded, he would needs dispose of himselfe, and he thought nobody so fitt a husband for this angelique creature as one Mr. Bathurst, of the College, a second brother, and of about 300 li. per annum, but an indifferent scholar, red fac'd, not at all handsome.
But the Doctor's fashion was to goe up and down the college, and peepe in at the key-holes to see whether the boyes did follow their books or no. He seldome found Bathurst minding of his booke, but mending of his old doublet or breeches. He was very thrifty and penurious, and upon this reason he caried away this curious creature. But she was very happy in her issue; all her children were ingeniose and prosperous[68] in the world, and most of them beautifull.