HOOKER, Richard, a learned divine, was born at Heavy-tree, near Exeter, in the year 1553. Some of his ancestors were mayors of that city, and he was nephew to John HOOKER the historian. By this uncle he was first supported at the university of Oxford, with the addition of a small pension from Dr Jewel, bishop of Salisbury, who in 1561 got him admitted one of the clerks of Corpus-Christi college. In 1573 he was elected scholar. In 1577 he took the degree of master of
arts, and was admitted fellow the same year. In July 1579, he was appointed deputy professor of the Hebrew language. In October, in the same year, he was for some trivial misdemeanor expelled the college, but was immediately restored. In 1581 he took orders; and, being appointed to preach at St Paul's cross, he came to London, where he was unfortunately drawn into a marriage with Joan Churchman, the termagant daughter of his holies. Having thus lost his fellowship, he continued in the utmost distress till the year 1584, when he was presented by John Cheney, Esq. to the rectory of Drayton-Beaucham in Buckinghamshire. In this retirement he was visited by Mr Edwin Sandys, and Mr George Cranmer, his former pupils. They found him, with a Horace in his hand, tending some sheep in the common field, his servant having been ordered home by his sweet Xantippe. They attended him to his house; but were soon deprived of his company by an order, from his wife Joan, for him to come and rock the cradle. Mr Sandys's representation to his father, of his tutor's situation, procured him the mastership of the Temple. In this situation he met with considerable molestation from one Travers, lecturer of the Temple, and a bigoted Puritan, who in the afternoon endeavoured to confute the doctrine delivered in the morning. From this disagreeable situation he solicited Archbishop Whitgift to remove him to some country retirement, where he might prosecute his studies in tranquillity. Accordingly, in 1591, he obtained the rectory of Boscomb in Wiltshire, together with a prebend in the church of Salisbury, of which he was also made sub-dean. In 1594 he was presented to the rectory of Bishopbourne in Kent, where he died in the year 1600. He was buried in his own parish-church, where a monument was erected to his memory by William Cooper, Esq. He was a meek, pious, and learned divine. He wrote, 1. Ecclesiastical politie, in eight books folio. 2. A discourse of justification, &c. with two other sermons, Oxford 1612, 4to. Also several other sermons printed with the Ecclesiastical Politie.