town, if by
chance at any time any troops of horse had lodged within the town,
though they came late at night to their quarters; yet would one or other
of the town presently give Sir John Gell of Derby notice, so that ere
next morning most of his Majesty's troops were seized in their lodgings,
which moved the Lord of Loughborough merrily to say, there was not a
fart let in Ashby, but it was presently carried to Derby.

The several authors I there learned were these, viz. _Sententiae
Pueriles_, _Cato_, _Corderius_, _AEsop's Fables_, _Tully's Offices_,
_Ovid de Tristibus_; lastly, _Virgil_, then _Horace_; as also _Camden's
Greek Grammar_, _Theognis_ and _Homer's Iliads_: I was only entered into
_Udall's Hebrew Grammar_; he never taught logick, but often would say it
was fit to be learned in the universities.

In the fourteenth year of my age, by a fellow scholar of swarth, black
complexion, I had like to have my right eye beaten out as we were at
play; the same year, about Michaelmas, I got a surfeit, and thereupon a
fever, by eating beech-nuts.

In the sixteenth year of my age I was exceedingly troubled in my dreams
concerning my salvation and damnation, and also concerning the safety
and destruction of the souls of my father and mother; in the nights I
frequently wept, prayed and mourned, for fear my sins might offend God.

In the seventeenth year of my age my mother died.

In the eighteenth year of my age my master Brinsley was enforced from
keeping school, being persecuted by the Bishop's officers; he came to
London, and then lectured in London, where he afterwards died. In this
year, by reason of my father's poverty, I was also enforced to leave
school, and so came to my father's house, where I lived in much penury
for one year, and taught school one quarter of a year, until God's
providence provided better for me.

For the two last years of my being at school, I was of the highest form
in the school, and chiefest of that form; I could then speak Latin as
well as English; could make extempore verses upon any theme; all kinds
of verses, hexameter, pentameter, phaleuciacks, iambicks, sapphicks, &c.
so that if any scholars from remote schools came to dispute, I was
ringleader to dispute with them; I could cap verses, &c. If any minister
came to examine us, I was brought forth against him, nor would I argue
with him unless in the Latin tongue, which I found few of them could
well speak without breaking Priscian's h