Henry Billingsley(15..-1606).

[381]Sir Henry Billingsley[AQ], knight.—On the north side of the chancell of St. Katharine Coleman church London at the upper end is this inscription, viz:—

Here lieth buried the body of Elizabeth, late the wife of Henry Billingsley, one of the Queene's majestie's customers of her port of London, who dyed the 29th day of July in the yeare of our Lord God 1577.

In obitum ejus.

Stat sua cuique dies atque ultima funeris horaCum Deus hinc et mors invidiosa vocant;Nec tibi nec pietas tua vel forma, Elizabetha,Praesidium leto[382]ne trahereris erat.Occidis exactis ternis cum conjuge lustris,At septem vitae lustra fuere tuae.Fecerat et proles jam te numerosa parentem,Filiolae trinae, caetera turba mares.Undecimo partu cum mors accessit et unaMatrem te et partum sustulit undecimum—Scilicet ex mundo, terrena ex fece, malisque,Sustulit; at superis reddidit atque Deo.Est testis sincera fides, testis tua virtus,Grata viro virtus, grata fidesque Deo.* * * * * * *Quem posuit tumulum tibi conjux charus, eodemIn tumulo condi mortuus ipse petit.

the Register book .

Memorandum:—Billingsley (a village) is in the countie of Salop. 'Tis a Shropshire familie; but the village now is one Mr. Norton's.

This Sir Henry Billingsley was one of the learnedstcitizens that London has bred. This was he that putt forth all Euclid's Elements in English with learned notes and preface of Mr. John Dee, and learned men say 'tis the best Euclid. He had been sheriff and Lord Mayor of the city of London. His howse was the faire howse in Fenchurch street where now Jacob Luce lives, a merchant, of of whom quaere +. Vide in Fuller's Worthies and Stowe's Survey. His Euclid was printed at London by John Day, 1570.

'The Translator to the Reader—Wherfore considering the want and lack of such good authors hitherto in our English tongue, lamenting also the negligence and lacke of zeale to their countrey in those of our nation to whom God hath given both knowledge and also abilitie to translate into our tongue and to publish abroad such good authors and bookes: Seeing moreover that many good witts, both of gentlemen and others of all degrees, much desirous and studious of these artes,—I have for their sakes with some chardge and great travaile faithfully translated into our vulgar tounge and set abroad in print this booke of Euclid wherunto I have added plaine declarations and examples, manifold additions, scholies, annotations, and inventions which I have gathered.'—He promises (here) some more translations and sayes that in religion he hath alreadie don, quaere.

Memorandum P. Ramus in his Scholia's sayes that the reason why mathematiques did most flourish in Germanie was that the best authors were rendred into their mother tongue, and that publique lectures of it were also read in their owne tongue—quod nota bene.

Memorandum when I was a boy, one Sir ... Billingsley had a very pleasant seate with a faire[383]oake-wood adjoyning to it, about a mile ½[384]east of Bristoll—quaere if[385], etc.

Vide de Sir Thomas Billingsley, pag. <44b>[386]; who was gentleman of the horse to Richard, earl of Dorset. Hemanaged the great horse best of any man in England. He taught the Prince Elector and brothers to ride. Quaere if descended hence.

In those dayes[387]merchants travelled much abroad into Italie, Spaine, etc. Quaere Mr. Abraham Hill of what company he was. Probably good memorialls may be there found of his generous and publique spirit.Respondet:—He was of the Goldsmiths' Company, where is a good picture of him.

R. B., i.e. Robert[388]Billingsley, teaches Arithmetique and Mathematiques at ... in.... He hath printed a very pretty little booke of arithmetique and algebra, London (scilicet, Idea of Arithmetic): was Sir Henry's great grandson—from Mr. Abraham Hill, Regiae Societatis Socius.

[389]In the table of benefactors in the church of St. Catherine Colman, viz.—

'1603 {Dame Elizabeth} Billingsley did will to the poor 1s.per{Sir Henry }

weeke for ever and 200li.which their heires etc. have not payd'—

The minister here, Mr. Dodson, sayes that it was not payd because the parish did not find-out in due time land to make a purchase of.

Many yeares since Mr. Abraham Hill, Regiae Societatis Socius, citizen, told me that Sir Henry Billingsley was of the Goldsmiths' Company, and that his picture was in Goldsmiths' Hall, which I went lately to see. No picture of him, and besides the clarke of the Company told me that he is surehewas never of that Company. But Mr. Hill tells me since that in Stowe's Survey you may see of what Company all the Lord Mayers were, which see[390]and tell me.

[391]Sir H. Billingsley—Mr. Leeke, mathematician, saith that he was of the company of goldsmiths, quaere. Quaerethe clarke of the company: vide register booke. Vide Heralds' Office (Salop, and neer Bristowe). Vide Fuller's Worthyes where he mentions the Lord Mayers.

[392]Ex registro:—Sir Henry Billingsley, knight, buried in the vault under his pewe in the church of St. Catherine Coleman, London, December the 18th, 1606. I find by the register that he had two more wives besides Elizabeth mentioned in the inscription; his second was the lady Trapps; third,....

Memorandum his house (which is a very faire one), which is neer the church, is still remayning untoucht by the fire. In the parlour windowe are scutchions of his family, which gett. There now lives Mr. Lucy[393], a great merchant.

He was sheriff of the citie of London anno Domini <1584>, reginae Elizabethae 26; he was Lord Mayor of the city of London anno Domini <1596>, reginae Elizabethae 38—Sir Thomas Skinner served one part and Sir Henry Billingsley the other:—Baker's Chronicle, reigne queen Elizabeth.

[394]Out of the visitation in the great booke[395]of Wilts, Dorset, and Somerset:—

Sir Henry Billingsley,maried...Lord Mayer ||+--------------------------+----------------------------+| | |1. Sir Henry Billingsley, 2. William Billingsley,m.... 3. Thomas[396]of Sysam in |Glocestershire, |filius et haeres. +--------------+--------------+| |1. Henry Billingsley,m.... 2. Thomasof Graye's Inne ||+-------+-------+| |1. Blanch 2. Elizabeth

[397]Sir Henry Billingsley<'s life is> already donne[398]. Friar Whitehead[AR], of Austin Friars (now Wadham College), did instruct him. He kept him at his house and there I thinke he dyed.

Notes.[AQ]Aubrey gives in colour this very elaborate coat:—'quarterly in the 1 and 4, gules, a fleur-de-lys or, a canton of the second; in the 2, ..., on a cross between four lions rampant 5 mullets ...; in the 3, per saltire or and azure two birds (? martlets);impaling, quarterly, in the 1 and 4, azure 2 lions passant in pale or; in the 2, or, a fess sable, 2 mullets in chief gules; in the 3, barry of six argent and gules a bend sable and a canton gules.'[AR]See Clark's Wood'sCity of Oxford, ii. 454, 471. It is suggested that Billingsley in his Euclid published Whitehead's papers as his own.

[AQ]Aubrey gives in colour this very elaborate coat:—'quarterly in the 1 and 4, gules, a fleur-de-lys or, a canton of the second; in the 2, ..., on a cross between four lions rampant 5 mullets ...; in the 3, per saltire or and azure two birds (? martlets);impaling, quarterly, in the 1 and 4, azure 2 lions passant in pale or; in the 2, or, a fess sable, 2 mullets in chief gules; in the 3, barry of six argent and gules a bend sable and a canton gules.'

[AR]See Clark's Wood'sCity of Oxford, ii. 454, 471. It is suggested that Billingsley in his Euclid published Whitehead's papers as his own.

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