Volume II 1603-1660 - The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple

INTRODUCTION. lxxxi
office of master of the Temple for twenty-seven years, and served
under three sovereigns, Elizabeth, James, and Charles. He was
succeeded by Dr. Paul Micklethwaite, who had been appointed in
succession to Mr. Chafin, lecturer to the two societies in January,
1626-27. In this capacity he gave so much satisfaction that in June, p. 16o
1627, Mr. Attorney General Heath, on behalf of both the Temples,
was a suitor to his Majesty King Charles to prefer Dr. Masters to a
prebend at Windsor, and to confer on Dr. Micklethwaite the mastership
of the Temple.' In July, the king being then at Windsor,
the attorney general renewed his application on behalf of Dr.
Micklethwaite, declaring that " the whole body of the society are
taken with him." 2 The appointment was accordingly made on
the vacancy occurring, but it proved an unfortunate selection, for
during the whole period of this gentleman's tenure of office he was
engaged in litigation or in disputes with one or both of the two
societies. He was not a man of any distinction, so far as is known,
either literary or academic. He was originally of Caius College,
Cambridge. In 1610 he was elected to a fellowship at Sidney
Sussex College, which he held until his appointment to the Temple
church. While at Sidney Sussex he became acquainted with Sir
Symonds D'Ewes, who was a fellow commoner of S. John's in
1618-2o.3 He was of the high church party, was one of the
king's chaplains, and being in sympathy with Laud in his views
of church government, was thus in conflict with the puritanical
element of the two societies. He also formed an opinion of his
position and authority as master of the Temple inconsistent with his
appointment and contrary to precedent. His differences with the
Temple were thus of a twofold character. For those in which he
asserted the doctrines and practices of the high church party he
had the support of the king and the archbishop and, on appeal, that
of the privy council. For those which were personal to himself, .
and arose from the extravagant proportions which he assigned to his
position as master of the Temple, he failed to obtain the sympathy
1 "State Papers, Domestic, Car. I.," vol. lxviii., No. 39.
2 Ibid., vol. lxx., No. 23. The gentlemen in commons at Christmas, 1627, sent p. 166
him as a present a rabbit and a dozen of larks.
e ge Life in the Time of James the First, as illustrated by an unpublished
Diary of Sir Symonds D'Ewes, Bart., M.P." London, 1851, p. 42. See also the
records of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
II. /
3 " C o 11