Of London phisicōns : from a MS 'Poetical common place book of a Cambridge student circa 1611' / [edited with notes by Alexander Smith].

Date:
[1879]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Of London phisicōns : from a MS 'Poetical common place book of a Cambridge student circa 1611' / [edited with notes by Alexander Smith]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Forman was fent to the free fchool in the Clofe of SaHfbury, with one Dr. John Boole or Bowie, who was a very furious man, and under whom he remained fome two years. On ift January, 1564, his father died, and his mother, not caring for him, he was fent to keep fheep, plough, and pick up flicks. On the 8th February, 1567, he apprenticed himfelf to a trader in Salifbury, named Mathew Comin, whofe bufmefs it was to fell groceries, wares, drugs, &c., with whom he remained five years; and here For- man's attention to his duties was fo confpicuous as to merit having the fhop placed under his entire charge. For fome years after his hiflory was a chequered one, but there can be no doubt that the bent of his mind was flrongly towards the acquifi- tion of knowledge. He had much to difcourage him, but his books appear to have been a folace to him in mod untoward circumftances. On the loth May, 1573, confederating with an old fchoolfellow, he betook himfelf to Oxford, where he became a poor fcholar in Magdalen College. While here he was indebted for his maintenance to two Bachelors of Arts, whofe chief con- cern appears to have been hunting and fport, to the entire neglect of their (ludies. The following extra(5l is given from his Auto- biography:— Nowe ther were too Bachelors of Arte that were too of his chife benefa(flors; the one of them was Sir Thombury, that after was bifhope of Limerike [he was confecrated in 1593], and he was of Magdalen College : the other was Sir Pinck- ney his cofline of St. Marye Halle. Thes too loved him nying welle, and many tymes wold make Simon to goo forth tho Loes the keper of Shottofer for his houndes to goe on huntinge from morninge to nighte, and they never fludied nor gave themfelves to their bockes, but to goe to fcolles of defence, to the daunceing fcolles, to ftealle dear and connyes, and to hunt the hare, and to woinge of wentches; to goe to Dodlor Lawrence of Cowly, for he had too fair daughters, BefTe and Martha. Sir Thombury he woed BelTe; and Sir Pinckney he woed Martha- and in the end he maried her; but Thombury he deceyved BelTe, as the mayor's daughter of Bracly, of which Euphues [John Lyly] writes, deceyved him. But ther was their ordinary haunt alwaies, and thethere mufle Symon rone with the bottell and the bage erly and late.
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