opies known, no two are found to
accord with each other. The archbishop seems to have altered
and corrected the sheets as they each came from the press.
The omission of the Archbishop's own life in this volume, as
it contained the biography of 69 archbishops, exclusively of
himself, was endeavoured to be supplied by the publication
of a sharp satirical tract, entitled, "_The life off the 70
Archbishop of Canterbury, presenttye sittinge Englished, and
to be added to the 69 lately sett forth in Latin_," &c.,
12mo., 1574. After this title page there is another.
"_Histriola, a little storye of the acts and life of Mathew,
now Archbishoppe of Canterb._" This latter comprehends 17
leaves, and was written either by the archbishop himself, or
by his Chaplain Joscelyne; but whether it be at all like a
distinct printed folio tract, of twelve leaves and a half,
which was kept carefully undispersed in the archbishop's own
possession, 'till his death--being also a biography of
Parker--I am not able to ascertain. The following extracts
from it (as it is a scarce little volume) may be acceptable,

_Archbishop Parker's early Studies and popular Preaching._

"But now, he being very well and perfectly instructed in the
liberal sciences, he applied all his mind to the study of
divinity, and to the reading of the volumes of the
ecclesiastical fathers; and that so earnestly that, in short
space of time, he bestowed his labour not unprofitably in
this behalf; for, after the space of four or five years, he,
issuing from his secret and solitary study into open
practice in the commonwealth, preached every where unto the
people with great commendation; and that in the most famous
cities and places of this realm, by the authority of King
Henry VIII., by whose letters patent this was granted unto
him, together with the license of the Archbishop of
Canterbury. In execution of this function of preaching, he
gained this commodity; that the fame of him came unto the
ears of King Henry," &c. Sign. A. iij. recto.

_His attention to Literature and Printing, &c._

"----he was very careful, and not without some charges, to
seek the monuments of former times; to know the religion of
the ancient fathers, and those especially which were of the
English church. Th