In these times flourished two excellent ornaments of the Church; Anselme in England, and Bernard in France: both of them enrolled in the list of Saints. And no lesse infamous for vice was Gerard, Archbishop of Yorke; a man of some learning; not so much in substance, as in seeming and shew; of commendable wit, which he applied chiefly, to giue a couler for euery vice of his owne, and for euery vertue of others either a slander or a ieast: Of enuious disposition; plagued lesse with his owne calamities, then with the well either doing or being of other men; in wiping money from his Subiects by dishonest meanes, subtill and shamelesse; and no lesse sordide in his expences: giuen to Magicall enchantments as many doe affirme. On a certaine day as he slept vpon a cushion after dinner, in his Garden at Southwell, and many of his Chapleines walked neere him; he was found in such a stiffe cold dead sleepe, as will require the trumpe of an Archangel to awake him. His face then looked with an ougly hell-burnt hue. His body was caried to Yorke; few vouchsafing to accompany,
none to meete it (according to the vse of Exequies) when it came to the Citie;
but the boyes in scorne throwing stones at the hearse. He was
basely buried without the Church without any
funerall solemnities, without any
signe either of honour
or of griefe.
* *
*
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Senticetum.
[2] Scriptor omnium sceleratissimus.
[3] Mendacissimus.
[4] Adulator.
[5] Lib. 3. in princ. Ingulph. lib. 6. cap. 19.
[6] πολλάκις δέ τοι νόθοι τε πολλοὶ γνησίων ἀμείνονες. Eurip. in Androm.