HOOKER, RIctunan, an eminent English divine, was born at Heavitree, near Exeter, in the year 1553, or, ac cording to Wood, in 1554. His parents, who were by no means in affluent circumstances, intended to educate hint for some mechanical trade ; hut his schoolmaster at Exe ter, having discovered his natural endowments and capa city for learning, prevailed with them to allow him to con tinue at school. His uncle, John Hooker, who was then chamberlain of the town, recommended him to Jewel, bishop of Salisbury, who, after examining into his merits, took him under his protection, and got him admitted into Col pus Christi College, Oxford, of which he was chosen fellow in 1377. Before this last period, however, Hooker had the misfortune to lose his patron ; but his talents and excellent disposition soon procured him other valuable friends in Dr Cole, then president in his college, and Dr Sandy's, bishop of London. The bishop placed so much confidence in Hooker's character, that he entrusted his own son to his care.
In 1577, Mr Hooker took his degree of M. A., and in the same year he was elected fellow of his college. In 1579, he was appointed deputy-professor of the Hebrew language in the university : but for some cause, which cannot now be ascertained, he and some others were ex pelled the college by the vice-president, to which, how ever, they were again restored in the course' of two or three weeks. In 1581, lie entered into orders, and was soon after appointed to preach at St Paul's Gloss in Lon don. Through the great simplicity of his character, he was, about the same time, entrapped into a foolish and un fortunate marriage with a woman who had neither beauty nor portion to recommend her, and who has been repre sented by Wood as " a silly clownish woman, and withal a mere Xantippe." in consequence of this imprudent step, he lost his fellowship, and was obliged to quit the uni versity before he had obtained any preferment. He was there fore, obliged to support himself as well as he could, until the latter end of the year 1534 ; when he was presented by John Cheney, Esq. to the rectory of Drayton•Beauchamp, in Buckinghamshire, where he fed a most uncomfortable life with his wife Joan. Iir this situation he received a visit from his friend and pupil Sandys, in company with another pupil, Mr Cranmer, a grand•ephew of the cele brated Archbishop Crannrer. These young men found their learned and respected tutor in a common field, with a Horace in his hand, tending a small flock of sheep, in the absence of his servant, who had been called away to assist his mistress in some domestic business. When released from this duty, his friends accompanied him to his house, where they had an opportunity of witnessing the vexation and misery to which he was constantly subjected, from the churlish and capricious conduct of his wife. Upon their return to London, Air Sandys acquainted his father with Hooker's deplorable situation, who took a warm interest in his concerns, and got him appointed master of the Tem ple, in 1585. Although this was a fine piece of prefer ment, Hooker soon discovered that London was not a place that suited his temper and disposition ; and several circumstances conspired to excite in him the desire of ob taining the retirement of a country Iiting. At the time when he was chosen master of the Temple, he got involv ed in a controversy with Travers, an afternoon lecturer there,—a man, it is said, of learning and good mariners, but zealously attached to the Geneva government. This controversy led Hooker into a serious examination of the form and principles of church•government, which termi nated in his celebrated work Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, the foundation and plan of is hick were laid while he was at the Temple. But in•this residence he found him self incapable of carrying on the work to his own satisfac tion ; and he therefore entreated the archbishop, W.hitgift, to remove him into some more quiet situation, in a letter which exhibits an interesting picture of that union of piety, simplicity, the love of learning and retirement, which formed the predominant feature of his character. '' My lord," says he, '' when I lost the freedom of my cell, which was my college, yet I found some degree of it in my quiet country parsonage. But I am weary of the noise and oppositions of this place; and indeed God and nature did not intend me for cc, tendons, but for sturdy and quiet ness. And, my lord, my particular contests here with Mr
Travers have proved the more unpleasant to me, because I believe him to be a good man ; and that belief bath oc casioned me to examine mine own conscience concerning his opinions. And to satisfy that, I have consulted the Holy Scriptures, and other laws, both human and divine, whether the conscience of him, and others of his judg ment,'ought to be so far complied with by us, as to alter our frame of church-government, our manner of God's worship, our praising and praying to him, and our esta blished ceremonies, as often as their tender consciences shall require us. And in this examination I have not only satisfied myself, but have begun a treatise, in which I intend the satisfaction of others, by a demonstration of the rea sonableness of our laws of ecclesiastical polity. But, my lord, I shall never he able to finish what I have begun, unless I be removed into some quiet parsonage, where I may see Goo's blessings spring out of my mother earth, and eat my own bread in peace and privacy ; a place, Where I may without disturbance meditate my approaching mor tality, and that great account, which all flesh must give at the last day to the God of all spirits." in consequence of this application, he was presented, in 1591, to the rectory of Bascom!), in Wiltshire ; and in the same year, he obtained other valuable preferments in the cathedral of Salisbury. At Boscomb he finished four books of his Ecclesiastical Polity, which were entered at Stationer 's hall in the month of March 1592, but not printed till 1594. In the following year he quitted Boscornb, and was pre sented by Queen Elizabeth to the rectory of Bishop's Bourne, in Kent, where he resided during the remainder of his life, discharging the duties of his office in the most conscientious and exemplary manner. In this place he composed the fifth book of his great work, which was dedi cated to the archbishop, and published by itself in 1597. Ile also finished the 6th, 7th, and 8th books, but did not live to publish them ; and it has been much disputed whether we have these books genuine as he left them. In the year 1600, he caught a severe cold, in a passage be tween London and Gravesend, which produced a lingering and painful illness, that at length put a period to his life, in the 47th year of his age. Ile died on the 2c1 of November 1600. Notwithstanding the severity of his indisposition, he persevered in his studies to the last. A few clays be fore his death his house was robbed. When informed of that circumstance, he enquired whether his books and writ ten papers were safe ; and being answered that they were, " then," said he, " it matters not, for no other loss can trouble me." The personal character of Hooker may be gathered from the preceding narrative of his life. As an author, the church is indebted ro him for the most profound and inge nious defence of ecclesiastical establishments that has ever appeared. His treatise on Ecclesiastical Polity, in deed, has been admired both at home and abroad,as a work of deep and extensive research, and of acute and sound reasoning : and the author has been universally distin guished by the honourable titles of " the judicious," and " the learned." Of this valuable work, Pope Clement VIII. is reported to have said, that "there were in it such seeds of eternity as will continue till the last fire shall de vour all learning." When King James I. ascended the throne of England, he is said to have asked Archbishop Whitgift for his friend Mr Hooker ; and being answered that he had died a year before the queen, who expressed great concern when she received the news, he replied, " And I receive it with no less, as I shall want the desired happiness of seeing and discoursing with that man, from whose books of church polity I have received such satis faction." He afterwards added, " though many others write well, yet in the next age they will'be forgotten ; but doubtless, there is in every page of Mr Hooker's book the picture of a divine soul ; such pictures of truth and reason, and drawn in so sacred colours, that they shall never fade, but give an immortal memory to the author." Besides the eight books of Ecclesiastical Polity, and his answer to Travers's Supplication, Houk;,r left sonic ser mons, which were collected and published with his works in folio. An octavo edition has also been printed at Ox ford. (a)