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John Earle | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Salisbury | |
Portrait of John Earle, circa 1660 | |
| Installed | 1663 |
| Term ended | 1665 |
| Predecessor | Humphrey Henchman |
| Successor | Alexander Hyde |
| Other post | Bishop of Worcester |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 30 November 1662 by Gilbert Sheldon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1601 (1601) York, England |
| Died | 17 November 1665(1665-11-17) (aged 63–64) |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
John Earle (c. 1601 – 17 November 1665) was an English cleric, author and translator, who was chaplain toCharles II. Towards the end of his life he was Bishop of Worcester and then Salisbury.
He was born atYork, but the exact date is unknown. He matriculated atChrist Church, Oxford, but moved toMerton, where he obtained a fellowship. In 1631 he was proctor and also chaplain toPhilip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, then chancellor of the university, which led in 1639 to incumbency of the rectory ofBishopston[1] in Wiltshire.[2]
His fame spread, and in 1641 he was appointed chaplain and tutor to the futureCharles II of England. In 1643 he was elected one of theWestminster Assembly, but his sympathies withCharles I of England and with theAnglican Communion were so strong that he declined to sit. Early in 1643 he was chosen chancellor ofSalisbury Cathedral, but he was soon deprived of this position as a "malignant." After the final Royalist defeat at theBattle of Worcester, Earle went abroad, and was madeClerk of the Closet (1651–1664) and chaplain to his former studentCharles II.[2]
He spent a year at Antwerp in the house ofIzaak Walton's friend,George Morley. He then joined the Duke of York (the futureJames II) in Paris, returning to England at theRestoration. He was appointed dean ofWestminster, and in 1661 was one of the commissioners for revising the liturgy. He was on friendly terms withRichard Baxter. In November 1662 he was consecratedBishop of Worcester, and was translated, ten months later, to thesee of Salisbury, where he conciliated the nonconformists. He was strongly opposed to theConventicle Act andFive Mile Act. During theGreat Plague of London in 1665 – 1666, Earle attended to Charles II and hisQueen consortCatherine of Braganza atOxford, and there he died.[2]
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, in hisLife, wrote "Dr Earle was a man of great piety and devotion, a most eloquent and powerful preacher, and of a conversation so pleasant and delightful, so very innocent, and so very facetious, that no man’s company was more desired and loved. No man was more negligent in his dress and habit and mien, no man more wary and cultivated in his behaviour and discourse. He was very dear to the Lord Falkland, with whom he spent as much time as he could make his own."[2]
Earle's chief title to remembrance is his witty and humorous work,Microcosmographie, or aPeece of the World discovered, in Essayes and Characters, which throws light on the manners of the time. First published anonymously in 1628, it became very popular, and ran through ten editions in the lifetime of the author. The style is quaint and epigrammatic: "A university dunner is a gentlemen follower cheaply purchased, for his own money has hyr'd him." Several reprints of the book have been issued since the author's death; and in 1671 a French translation byJames Dymocke appeared with the title ofLe Vice ridicule.[2]
Earle was employed by Charles II to make the Latin translation of theEikon Basilike, published in 1649. A similar translation ofRichard Hooker'sEcclesiastical Polity was accidentally destroyed.[2]
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Dean of Westminster 1660–1662 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Worcester 1662–1663 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Salisbury 1663–1665 | Succeeded by |