Brief Lives, Vol. 1

Edward Davenant, D.D. (16..-1679/80).

[751]Edward Davenant[DJ], S. Theol. Dr., was the eldest son of <Edward> Davenant, merchant of London, who was elder brother to the right reverend father in God, the learned John Davenant, bishop of Sarum.

I will first speake of the father, for he was a rare[752] man in his time, and deserves to be remembred. He was of a healthy complexion[753], rose at 4 or 5 in the morning, so that he followed his studies till 6 or 7, the time that other merchants goe about their businesse; so that, stealing so much and so quiet time in the morning, he studied as much as most men. He understood Greeke and Latin perfectly, and was a better Grecian then the bishop. He writt a rare Greeke character as ever I sawe. He was a great mathematician, and understood as much of it as was knowen in his time. Dr. Davenant, his son, hath excellent notes of his father's, in mathematiques, as also in Greeke, and 'twas no small advantage <to> him to have such a learned father to imbue arithmeticall knowledge into him when a boy, night times when he came from schoole (Merchant Taylors'). He understood trade very well, was a sober and good menager, but the winds and seas cross'd him. He had so great losses that he broke, but his creditors knowing it was no fault of his, and also that he was a person of great vertue and justice, used not extremity towards him; but I thinke gave him more credit, so that he went into Ireland, and did sett up a fishery for pilchards at Wythy Island, in Ireland, where in ... yeares he gott 10000 li.; satisfied and payd his creditors; and over and above left a good estate to his son. His picture bespeakes him to be a man of judgement, and parts, and gravity extraordinary. There is written Expecto. He slipt comeing downe the stone stayres at the palace at Sarum, which bruise caused his death. He lyes buried in the south aissle of the choire in Sarum Cathedral behind the bishop's stall. His son, Dr. Davenant, sett up and made this inscription for him, which I will remember as well as I can:—

[755]Dr. Edward Davenant was borne at his father's howse at Croydon in Surrey (the farthest handsome great howse on the left hand as you ride to Bansted Downes) anno Domini ... (vide register). I have heard him say, he thankt God his father did not know the houre of his birth; for that it would have tempted him to have studyed astrologie, for which he had no esteeme at all.

He went to school at Merchant Taylors' school, from thence to Queen's Colledge in Cambridge, of which house his uncle, John Davenant, (afterwards bishop of Sarum), was head, where[756] he was fellowe.

When his uncle was preferred to the church of Sarum, he made his nephew treasurer of the church, which is the best dignity, and gave him the vicaridge of Gillingham in com. Dorset, and then Paulsholt parsonage, neer the Devises, which last in the late troubles he resigned to his wive's brother <William> Grove.

He was to his dyeing day of great diligence in study, well versed in all kinds of learning, but his genius did most strongly encline him to the mathematiques, wherin he has written (in a hand as legible as print) MSS. in 4to a foot high at least. I have often heard him say (jestingly) that he would have a man knockt in the head that should write any thing in mathematiques that had been written of before. I have heard Sir Christopher Wren say that he does beleeve he was the best mathematician in the world about 30 or 35 + yeares agoe. But being a divine he was unwilling to print, because the world should not know how he had spent the greatest part of his time.

He very rarely went any farther then the church, which is hard by his house. His wife was a very discreet and excellent huswife, that he troubled himselfe about no mundane affaires, and 'tis a private place, that he was but little diverted with visitts.

I have writt to his executor, that we may have the honour and favour to conserve his MSS. in the Library of the Royal Societie, and to print what is fitt. I hope I shall obtaine my desire. And the bishop of Exon (<Thomas> Lamplugh) maried the Dr's second daughter Katherine, and he was tutor to Sir Joseph Williamson, our President. He had a noble library, which was the aggregate of his father's, the bishop's, and his owne.

He was of middling stature, something spare; and weake, feeble leggs; he had sometimes the goute; was of great temperance, he alwayes dranke his beer at meales with a toast, winter and summer, and sayd it made the beer the better.

He was not only a man of vast learning, but of great goodnes and charity; the parish and all his friends will have a great losse in him. He tooke no use for money upon bond. He was my singular good friend, and to whom I have been more beholding then to any one beside; for I borrowed five hundred pounds of him for a yeare and a halfe, and I could not fasten any interest on him.

He was very ready to teach and instruct. He did[757] me the favour to informe me first in Algebra. His daughters were Algebrists.

His most familiar learned acquaintance was Lancelot Morehouse, parson of Pertwood. I remember when I was a young Oxford scholar, that he could not endure to heare of the New (Cartesian, or &c.) Philosophy; 'for,' sayd he, 'if a new philosophy is brought-in, a new divinity will shortly follow' (or 'come next'); and he was right.

He dyed at his house at Gillingham aforesaid, where he and his predecessor, Dr. <John> Jessop, had been vicars one hundred and ... yeares, and lyes buryed in the chancell there. Obiit March 9th, 1679/80, and was buried the 31 of the same month.

He was heire to his uncle, John Davenant, bishop of Sarum. Memorandum:—when bishop Coldwell[DK] came to this bishoprick, he did lett long leases, which were but newly expired when bishop Davenant came to this sea; so that there tumbled into his coffers vast summes. His predecessor, Dr. Tounson, maried his sister, continued in the see but a little while, and left severall children unprovided for, so the king or rather duke of Bucks gave bishop Davenant the bishoprick out of pure charity[DL]. Sir Anthony Weldon sayes (in his Court of King James), 'twas the only bishoprick that he disposed of without symony, all others being made merchandise of for the advancement of his kindred. Bishop Davenant being invested, maried all his nieces to clergie-men, so he was at no expence for their preferment. He granted to his nephew (this Dr.) the lease of the great mannour of Poterne, worth about 1000 li. per annum; made him threasurer of the church of Sarum, of which the corps is the parsonage of Calne, which was esteemed to be of the like value. He made severall purchases, all which he left him; insomuch as the churchmen of Sarum say, that he gained more by this church then ever any man did by the church since the Reformation, and take it very unkindly that, at his death, he left nothing (or but 50 li.) to that church which was the source of his estate. How it happened I know not, or how he might be workt-on in his old age, but I have heard severall yeares since, he had sett downe 500 li. in will for the Cathedral Church of Sarum.

He had 6 sonnes and 4 daughters. There was a good schoole at Gillingham: at winter nights he taught his sonnes Arithmetic and Geometric; his 2 eldest daughters, especially Mris Ettrick, was a notable Algebrist.

☞ Memoria. He had an excellent way of improving his children's memories, which was thus: he would make one of them read a chapter or &c., and then they were (sur le champ) to repeate what they remembred, which did exceedingly profitt them; and so for sermons, he did not let them write notes (which jaded their memorie), but gave an account vivâ voce. When his eldest son, John, came to Winton-schoole (where the boyes were enjoyned to write sermon notes) he had not wrote; the master askt him for his notes—he had none, but sayd, 'If I doe not give you as good an account of it as they that doe, I am much mistaken.'

[758]Edward Davenant, D.D., obiit 12 of March 1679/80, and is seated in the north side of the east end of the chancell at Gillingham, Dorset.—From Anthony Ettrick, esq.

[759]By Dr. Edward Davenant, S.T.P., Versus mnemonici ad computationes cossicas. Memorandum:—Dr. Davenant hath excellent explanations of these verses, which transcribe: his son James[DM], at Oriel College Oxon, hath them.