ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

England our most gracious sovereign lady, good Queen Elizabeth, who hath since given him for recompense of his good service the mastership of St. Catherine's, and made him one of the Masters of Requests to her majesty; and truly he hath much good in him-God be thanked for him. Amen. Nostræ nunc decus familiæ."

These amusing sketches are evidently made immediately from the life. This Ralph Rokeby died a bachelor, June 14, 1596, being 70 years of age. There was an inscription to his memory in the church of St. Andrew, Holborn, preserved by Stow. It was placed there by his heirs. The lord chancellor Egerton was his executor, and is said to have received to his own share not less than 10,000/.

66

Old Thomas had also issue Thomas Rokeby, his third son, whom I mention with reverence, for that he beareth about continually with him an arre, or mark in his face, an ensign of valour and honourable service done to his country: for being at Norham, chief lieutenant to his brother Christopher Rokeby, he had a spear broken on his face. After, in the chase, he dismounted himself to mount his captain who had lost his horse slain under him, where, exposing himself to all dangers for his brother's deliverance, he was taken prisoner when others fled."

After Christopher Rokeby there were two generations of Rokebys at Mortham. The manuscript supplies us with nothing but the names and marriages: yet they were not all persons of unmarked character; for it appears by the visitation of Yorkshire, 1584, that John Rokeby of Mortham, the son and heir of Christopher, was then in prison in the Fleet, religionis causâ. He left a son and heir, who bore the favourite name of Thomas, and was knighted. He had a son named Ralph, to whom Ralph the antiquary of the house was godfather; but he seems not to have been heir to his father; for the judge in his additions states, that Sir Thomas was succeeded at Mortham by his son Francis Rokeby. This Francis married a daughter of Fawcet of London, and had two sons and three daughters.

Of these persons little more than the names have descended. After having seen what other chiefs of this ancient house were, it would have been gratifying to have known something of the personal habits and character of those in whose time it fell to decay; and especially of Sir Thomas Rokeby, whose necessities must, it may be presumed, have been great, when he disposed of the domain at Rokeby to the son of a Kendal merchant. This sale, we are told in the published accounts of the family, by whom Rokeby was purchased, was made by him in the reign of Elizabeth1. But if the judge is correct in saying that his

1 Wotton's Baronetage, v. 225.

son succeeded him at Mortham, it would seem that the possessions on the right bank of the Greta remained for some time longer in the hands of the family, and that it was left for some other member of it to close the connexion of it with these their ancient hereditary seats.

It is believed that no male descendants remained of Christopher, after the time of the civil wars, and that the representation of the family then vested in the eldest male descendant of Thomas, the brother of Christopher, him who is mentioned as carrying about with him the arre in his face, made by the spear. The eldest grandson of this Thomas inherited very considerable estates from his father and mother, and was created a baronet in 1661. His son and heir apparent was a soldier, and died before him, leaving by a daughter of Coke of Holkham an only son, Sir William Rokeby, the second baronet, who died without male issue in 1678. The title was then enjoyed by his uncle, Sir Willoughby Rokeby; but he dying without issue in the July of the same year, the male issue of Sir William, the first baronet, became exhausted, and the title extinct.

The representation of the Rokebys then passed to William Rokeby, Esq. of Ackworth-park, in the county of York, son of Thomas Rokeby, a younger brother to the first baronet, slain at the battle of Dunbar. This William and his son dissipated much of the property of the family; but still the honourable rank which belonged to the representatives of such a line of distinguished ancestors was maintained by the good conduct of the younger brothers of William, Thomas, who was a lawyer, John, Joseph, and Benjamin, who were brought up to merchandise.

The male issue of William became extinct in 1706, by the death of Thomas Rokeby his son in that year. Sir Thomas Rokeby, a fellow of Catherine-Hall, Cambridge, an outer barrister of Gray's Inn, and finally one of the justices of the court of King's Bench, had died before him, and without issue. To this Sir Thomas there is a sumptuous monument in the chapel of Archbishop Rokeby at Sandal. John, the next brother, also died without issue. But Joseph, the fourth of these brothers, left an only son, who bore his name, Joseph Rokeby, of Newbigging in Yorkshire, Esq. in whom vested the representation of the family from 1706 to 1741, in which year he died without

issue.

. Benjamin Rokeby, the youngest of the five brothers, acquired a good estate at Arthingworth in Northamptonshire, by his marriage with Rebecca, the only daughter and heir of Thomas Langham. They had issue an only son, Langham Rokeby, Esq. of Arthingworth, who, in 1741, became the elder male representative. The only male descendants from him are his greatgrandsons, Langham Rokeby, Esq. of Arthingworth, and Henry

Ralph Rokeby, Esq., a Commander in the royal navy. In these gentlemen is the representation of the old lords of Rokeby and Mortham; and numerous and prolific as the branches of this family once were, it is not even known whether there is now any other Rokeby remaining whose connexion with it is capable of proof. The political economist may show that population advances in a geometric ratio: the genealogist, however, knows that a very narrow circle will often circumscribe all the males of a family which can be traced for fifteen or twenty generations.

When the lands of Rokeby passed to the Robinsons, they were still in possession of a family distinguished by spirit, enterprise, and a love of literature. We find them connected with our literary history, our diplomacy, our colonial, and our military service. The name of Mr. Morritt, whose father purchased the domain, is connected with our literature by his own elegant contributions to one department of it, and by its perpetual union with the poem, the scene of which is laid in his beautiful demesne.

In the armorial insignia used by the Rokebys there was an allusion to the name: they bore a sable chevron between three rooks on a silver field. The motto, "IN BIVIO DEXTRA."

PUBLIC LIBRARIES, CAMBRIDGE.

IF Ir any thing had been wanting to confirm us in a conviction of the justice of our strictures on the existing state of the Public Libraries in this country, it would have been amply supplied by the general and bitter outery which has been raised by some of the persons who are interested in the continuance of the present disgraceful abuses in those establishments at the article on the subject in a former number.

Having then noticed the Oxford Libraries, we now intend, in prosecution of the design formerly announced, to enter into the consideration of those in the sister University; and hereafter we may take occasion to communicate some general information respecting the collections in the possession of various corporate bodies.

The Cambridge libraries, on the whole, give place in importance and number to those at Oxford. The public library, in particular, is much inferior to the Bodleian in the extent and value of its treasures. The income is, we are assured, very limited; consisting of some minor rents, and a trifling quarterly dole from members of the university. With this supply, however judiciously distributed, very extensive or very rapid

additions are not to be expected; and it is to be hoped that ere long means will be suggested for a more efficacious subsidy. The power of profiting by its learned stores, and even of entering its precincts, is religiously confined to masters of arts; each of whom, during residence, may have in his possession ten common volumes, or five of those contained in the "locked up classes." By this regulation, the junior students have little means of availing themselves of the books, as every individual M. A., although not devoted to any branch of literary investigation, may be conceived to have his list full; since, by way of recreation we suppose, after severer studies, the novels and romances which every season brings forth are said to constitute no small share of the reading of these reverend gentlemen. It either was or is in contemplation to submit a grace to the proper authorities to enable bachelors' of arts to consult books in the library, if not to remove them to their rooms. In deciding on the merits of such an application, it is impossible to suppose that the university will not act in entire accordance with the desire it has so frequently manifested of dismissing useless as well as mischievous enactments, and of keeping pace with the enlarged and growing feeling of the age. A more extended concession would probably lead to considerable inconvenience; but, under sufficient guarantee against maltreatment, not the most strenuous assertor that "whatever is, is right," can be so bigoted as to refuse the boon, which is about to be sought, for the extended franchise might, indeed, rather be subservient to the dignity and splendour of the institution. It could hardly be conceived unreasonable, in return, that the under-graduates, or the B. A.'s, or, still more comprehensively, all in statu pupillari, in which designation both previous ranks are embraced, should pay something beyond their miserable pittance: nor can this suggestion be objected to, as tending to aggravate the expenses of the university to those of slender means, for sizars are exempted by statute from the present quarterage. We can perceive no insuperable difficulty in establishing just securities that the books shall not be exposed to danger in consequence of the proposed regulation. Indeed, the oath taken by all other graduates to this effect might be imposed upon the bachelors without any inconvenience; for we do not agree with the writer on public libraries in the Westminster Review, that these solemn precautions are either futile or uncalled for. Let it be remembered that the library is open to every individual of a numerous class; and that a person wishing to prosecute any inquiry is not, as in the British Mu

Graduates in the faculties of law and physic, and even graduates of music, are not debarred from enjoying all advantages of the library..

seum and Bodleian library, shown into a room to wait until the volumes demanded are brought to him; but that he is allowed to range freely and unreservedly over every book and press in the collection, locked and unlocked, printed and manuscript. We are the last to encourage a multiplication of oaths on idle pretexts, but we certainly think that something more than a sense of duty is requisite to prevent wilful spoliation or accidental damage; nor are we convinced that the much ridiculed minuteness of the Bodleian statutes on this head is by any means unnecessary. All who are acquainted with the volumes belonging to any circulating library, we do not solely speak of such as are private property, but of such also as have been accumulated by public subscription, and whose use is confined to subscribers alone, will admit that very little proper feeling on this point exists. While, however, the interests of the younger members of the university have been hitherto thus neglected, it is our duty to add that strangers experience great courtesy and attention. It is with much pleasure that we are enabled to state that a new and laborious catalogue has been prepared, but we are not aware whether it is to be printed, though on the utility of doing so there cannot be two opinions.

Of the Fitzwilliam collection it is needless to say much. The presence of a M. A. is requisite to sanction the removal of a volume from the cases, and nothing can be taken out of the Museum. The latter rule is alone sufficient to prevent the contents from being of much utility; for few persons would like to impose so tiresome a task upon a gentleman as to oblige him to stand by whilst he peruses or extracts from a work. After the unrivalled chapel at King's, the attention of the stranger is most strongly riveted by the Trinity library. The building is a production of Sir Christopher Wren; but its outward attractions are far surpassed by the beauty3 of the interior, nor are the con

1 The anathemas of the ancient owners in some of Archbishop Parker's MSS. at Bennet are only second to the terrors of Ernulphus.

2 The care and anxiety shown by the very lowest grades of our continental neighbours in the preservation of works of art furnish an example to be imitated, we fear, in some cases, even by those who from birth and education might be supposed to have emerged from barbarism. Evelyn, who was mainly instrumental in procuring the donation of the Arundel Marbles to the university of Oxford, in little more than a twelvemonth had the mortification of observing "that people approaching them too neere, some idle persons began to scratch and injure them, I advis'd that an hedge of holly should be planted at ye foot of ye wall, to be kept breast-high onely, to protect them, which the ViceChancellor promis'd to do the next season." Diary, 13th July, 1669. Nor has much improvement yet taken place in the minds of the lower orders with respect to such of the public monuments as are exposed to their barbarous outrages: of this the noseless or headless statues in Westminster Abbey afford a disgraceful example.

3 It is incumbent upon us to except from panegyric a window at the south end, which cannot fail to offend the eye. It portrays Science or Britannia, we forget which, and either will do, presenting Sir ISAAC NEWTON to King GEORGE III. while Lord

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »