Brief Lives, Vol. 2 — Background and Themes
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had taken it out of ... (a foreigner), who used the other account. Poor Mr. Isaacson was so ashamed at this unlucky rencounter, that he immediately sneak't away and stayd not for prayse or reward, both which perhaps he might have had, for his majestie was well pleased with it. He wrote severall little bookes, besides his _Chronologie_: quaere of the minister's wife (his niece) their titles. He was of Pembroke-hall, in Cambridge. He was there about Master of Arts standing.
[III.] 'Twas presented in an ill hower. An astrologer would give something to know _that day and hower_. He wanted a good election.
[8]_Concerning Henry Isaacson[9]._
I find that my grandfather dyed in St. Cathrin Coleman's parish London, the 19ᵉ January, 1620, and to my best rememberance upon his gravestone in the chancell it was ingraven that hee had lived in the said parrish 58 yeares. He <was> fined for not serving the office of shereif of London, being chosen in the yeare 1618.
My father died in St. Cathrin Coleman's parrish above-said about the 7ᵉ of December, 1654, which is neare 34 years after my grandfather's death. I calculate from the tyme of his birth to my grandfather's death to bee 39 yeares: ad[10] the 34 yeares after my grandfather's death to the 39 before: 39 + 34 makes 73 yeares his age--which all the familie agree that hee was seaventy three yeares of age when hee died, soe that hee was borne in anno 1581. Borne in anno 1581, dyed aged 73, makes 1654 the yeare when he dyed. And in all probabillity hee was borne in St. Kathrin Coleman's parrish, my grandfather having lived soe long tyme there: the church booke, if extant, will soone resolve yow--I never heard any thing to the contrary.
My brother William Isaacson could more exactly give you an account of the degrees he tooke, if any, but the University was Cambriege and the College Pembrooke-Hall. I thinke I have heard hee was Mr. of Arts standing, but am somthing uncertayne of this.
Fifeild, the 21ᵉ Aprill 1681.
[11]In the table of benefactors in the Church of St. Catherine Colman, viz.--
'1620: Mr. Richard Isaacson'--the chronologer[12]--'2 _li._ 12_s._ per annum to the poor.'
=James I= (1566-1625).
<A life of 'James R.' is entered in the index to MS. Aubrey 6 (see vol. i. p. 8), as contemplated by Aubrey. If written, the life was hostile in tone, as may be seen from the following query towards it (Aubrey, in MS. Wood F. 39, fol. 347: 8 Sept. 1680):--
'Pray search that booke[13], and see if you can find the ballad, or verses, on the coronation of king James--
And at the erse of them marched the Scotish peeres With lowzie shirts, and mangie wrists, went pricking-up their eares.'>
[14]Dr. Jaquinto: physitian to pope ..., then to king James[15]. He went into the marshes of Essex, where they putt their sheep to cure them of the rott, where he lived sometime purposely to observe what plants the sheep did eat, of which herbs he made his medicine for the consumption, which Mr. E. W.[16] haz.
=David Jenkins= (1586-1663).
[17]Judge Jenkins, prisoner in the Tower of London, Windsor, etc., <eleven> yeares, for his loyalty. He would have taken it kindly to have been made one of the judges in Westminster Hall, but would give no money for it, [so[18] the Lord Chancellor Hyde never preferred him].
He was of very good courage. Rode in the lord Gerard's army in Pembrokeshire, in the forlorne-hope, with his long rapier drawne holding it on-end.
Obiit Dec. 3, anno Domini 1663; sepult. at Cowbridge church in the south aisle in Glamorganshire. No remembrance yet (1682) set up for him.
[Quaere[19] Sir Robert Thomas whereabout in the church or chancell.]
[20]David Jenkins hath writt a learned treatise of the lawe, in folio, of cases twice judged (quaere nomen); and an 'opusculum' (_Lex terrae_, etc.) in 16mo.
Borne at ... in Glamorganshire. He was of Edmund Hall. Afterwards of Graye's inne. One of the judges[21] in South Wales. Imprisoned a long time in the Tower, Newgate, and Windsore. Was the only man that never complied. Dyed about 1665, at Cowbridge in Glamorganshire.
He marryed Sir John Aubrey's sister.
[22]David Jenkins, judge, was borne at Hensol, the place where he lived, in the parish of Pendeylwyn in com. Glamorgan. He was reciting this verse out of Ausonius, not long before he dyed, to Sir Llewellin Jenkins:--
Et baculo innitens, in qua reptabat arena.
Scripsit Opuscula, contayning severall little treatises, viz. Lex terrae, etc.; Rerum judicatarum censurae octo, in folio; praeter alias ejusdem naturae ineditas.
John Aubrey's Brief Lives, as edited by Andrew Clark in this second volume, is a collection of biographical entries that move swiftly from person to person, often within a single page. The structure is not chronological but alphabetical by surname, covering figures from Ingelbert to Selden in the excerpts. Each entry typically opens with a name, dates, and a key fact—such as Ingelbert being 'the first inventer or projector of bringing the water from Ware to London'—then branches into anecdotal asides, quoted sources, and editorial notes. Clark's edition adds footnotes marked by bracketed letters and Roman numerals, which supply archival references or clarify Aubrey's shorthand. This layered format creates a reading experience that feels like sifting through a scholar's working notes.
Recurring Images of Invention and Credit
Aubrey repeatedly returns to stories of inventors who lost credit or profit to wealthier backers. The entry on Mr. Ingelbert states he was 'the first inventer or projector of bringing the water from Ware to London' but that Sir Hugh Middleton 'moneyed the businesse; undertooke it; and gott the profit and also the credit.' Aubrey adds that a statue 'ought to have been erected' for Ingelbert. This pattern—an ingenious poor man, a rich financier, and a grievance—appears elsewhere. In the Selden entry, Aubrey notes that Selden's father, a yeoman, 'played well on the violin' and that Selden himself, as a young student, was 'lookt upon then to be of parts extraordinary.' The tension between humble origins and later renown is a thread Aubrey pulls throughout.
Movement Between Scenes and Social Spaces
Aubrey's entries often shift abruptly from a public setting to a private one, creating a sense of movement. In the Selden life, the narrative moves from a Christmas dinner at Sir Thomas Alford's—where Selden 'sate at the lower end of the table'—to his chamber in the Inner Temple, 'uppermost story, where he had a little gallery to walke in.' Later, it describes his life with the Countess of Kent in White Fryers, 'a noble dwelling.' These transitions are not explained; they simply follow the biographer's associative memory. The effect is a collage of scenes: a hall, a study, a deathbed. Aubrey also includes physical details like Selden's 'false carpet' thrown over his papers when a stranger entered, which grounds the intellectual life in domestic habit.
Heraldry and Material Traces
Several entries pause to describe coats of arms or inscriptions, treating them as evidence. For John Innocent, Aubrey records a blazon: 'argent on gules a mayd stark naked with a chaplet in her hand dexter.' He notes that this coat appears at the free school Innocent built in Berkhamsted. Similarly, the Isaacson entry includes a full transcription of a marble gravestone inscription. These heraldic and epigraphic details are not decorative; they serve as documentary anchors. Aubrey often learned the meaning of a coat 'by chance' or from a courtier, as he says of Innocent's. The editor Clark reinforces this by adding marginal notes with archival sources, such as 'MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 89 v.' The reader is thus made aware of the manuscript origins of each fact.
Editorial Apparatus as a Second Voice
Andrew Clark's editing shapes the text significantly. He inserts footnotes that identify sources, correct dates, or explain allusions. For example, after Aubrey's note on Ingelbert, Clark adds a note from 'Pond's Almanack, 1647' giving a different date. In the Selden entry, Clark supplies cross-references like '[LXXXII.] She was living in 1646, or 1647, an old woman, 80+.' These interventions create a dialogue between Aubrey's 17th-century voice and Clark's 19th-century scholarship. The reader must navigate two layers: Aubrey's sometimes gossipy, first-person observations ('From my honoured and learned friend Mr. Fabian Philips') and Clark's sober citations. This dual structure invites careful reading, as the footnotes often qualify or expand the main text.
Readers approaching this volume should expect a mosaic of fragments rather than a continuous narrative. Aubrey's method is associative: a name triggers a memory, a hearsay, a scrap of heraldry. Clark's edition preserves that texture while adding scholarly scaffolding. To make the most of the work, attend to the footnotes and the bracketed annotations, which often reveal how Aubrey gathered his information. The lives are brief, but the details—a violin played at Christmas, a false carpet over papers, a coat of arms in a school—accumulate into a vivid portrait of an era.
John Aubrey’s little sketches feel like someone whispering secrets about the dead—habits, crests, small inventions. I kept thinking how Ralegh would have fascinated him, all that restless brilliance and stubborn pride. Then I found Sir Walter Ralegh: A Biography — Reading Companion, and it felt less like reading history and more like sitting beside a quiet fire, listening to a friend remember.
Carter Carter
1 month agoMatthew Jackson
3 weeks agoGrayson Smith
2 weeks ago-
Nicholas Cindy Russell - 1 month ago
While the concept of brief lives is interesting, Vol 2 often feels superficial. The entries are too short to convey much depth, and the writing can be dry. I appreciate the effort but wish for more analysis and less of a simple summary. Not as engaging as I had hoped. -
Debra Valenzuela - 1 month ago
Brief Lives Vol 2 offers a fascinating glimpse into lesser-known historical figures, making it a worthwhile read for those interested in micro-biographies. However, the brevity of each entry sometimes leaves you wanting more, and the selection feels a bit uneven, with some subjects more compelling than others. -
Lori Jacobs - 3 weeks ago
Brief Lives Vol 2 continues the captivating series with even more intimate and revealing portraits. The author's ability to distill a lifetime into a few pages is remarkable, offering both breadth and depth. A must-read for biography enthusiasts who appreciate concise yet profound storytelling.
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Sophia Jackson
1 month ago