The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Daily entries from the 17th century London diary

Thomas Fuller (b, author)

13 Annotations

language hat   Link to this

"the great Tom Fuller"
Now (according to the Companion) "best remembered for his history of English families, The history of the worthies of England (first pub. 1662)." He was a royalist and a popular preacher; Pepys "was especially fond of reading (on Sundays) his Church-history of Britain (1655)."

More (much more) can be found in the (lamentably badly scanned) 1911 Britannica entry here:
http://90.1911encyclopedia.org/F/FU/FULLER_THOM... (scroll down); fans of James Joyce will especially appreciate the mention of his A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine (1650).

Here is the entry on him from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907

vincent   Link to this

thanks to LH

http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=Dr...

Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you."
-- Dr. Thomas Fuller (1608-61), English clergyman, writer, "The Church History of Britain
source of interesting quotes
--------------------------------

Phil   Link to this

His 'Church-History of Britain': http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclopedia/1752/

vincent   Link to this

FULLER, THOMAS (1608-1661), English divine and historian, eldest son of Thomas Fuller, rector
a lenthy dissertatation:
http://www.bartleby.com/81/18088.html

Jenny Doughty   Link to this

He was born within the sound of Bow-bell.
- Gnomologia

I note this quotation from Fuller on one of the links above - does anybody know whether he was the originator of this saying, or whether he was merely repeating a maxim that was commonplace by then?

dirk   Link to this

He was born within the sound of Bow-bell.

I'm sorry, but this quote is from the hand of another Thomas Fuller: "Gnomologia, Adagies and Proverbs, Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Ancient and Modern, Foreign and British", 1732 by Dr Thomas Fuller MD(Editor) (1654-1734).

"Our" Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), clergyman, divine and historian, wrote his works somewhat earlier. His text on "The Cause and Cure of a Wounded Conscience" from 1647 can be read on:
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/pc/england...

Thomas Fuller is not an uncommon name.

The **Bow-bell** is referred to in many places, i.a.:
Sir Walter Scott's "The Fortunes Of Nigel": "It is a credit to her, that, bred and born within the sound of Bow-bell, she can blush for any thing."
http://arthurwendover.com/arthurs/scott/frtnl10...
and:
"Gratiae Ludentes; or, Jestes from the University." by H.L. Oxon, London, 1638: "A Scholler being about to describe one that spake very bigge, said he spake as if he had a Bow-bell in his mouth."
http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~wbarker/grattxt.html

There must have been many expressions with "Bow-bell" around before the 1732 Gnomologia...

Glyn   Link to this

I mistakenly thought that Bow Bells must have been in the district of Bow in east London, but in fact the church is St Mary le Bow, which is in the heart of the City.

This is the church's website:

http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/

with a fascinating historical account of Bow Bells:

http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/bells.html

The Rector of the Church is George Bush, and I can confirm that he is a very nice man having talked to him at one of the church's lunchtime concerts.

dirk   Link to this

St. Mary le Bow

A very readworthy text on St. Mary le Bow and other London churches...

"Some Lady Churches of Old London"
http://www.marysyellowstone.com/hope/some%20Lad...

dirk   Link to this

St. Mary le Bow cont'd

"Originally called St. Mary New Church (St. Mary Aldermary in Bow Lane was the 'Older' Church), by the Norman period this Church was called Sancta Maria de Arcubus. Arcubus refers to the arch or bow arches which were in the crypt, commemorated in the bows on top of the medieval tower.

When Wren rebuilt the church after the Great Fire or 1666, he alluded to these arches in the apire. When you go outside look up towards the tip and you can see them like little buttresses springing up and keeping this play on words, arches and bows alive."
From:
http://www.phespirit.info/cockney/bow_text.htm

"The Court of Arches was a court of appeal belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the judge of such court was called the Dean of the Arches because in ancient times he held court in the church of St. Mary le bow (Sancta Maria de arcubus)."
From:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09068a.htm

On "The Court of Arches", see:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01695a.htm

Emilio   Link to this

Easy-to-read Fuller

The Wikipedia has republished the 1911 encyclopedia article LH links to at the top, but in proofread and much more readable condition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fuller

Jesse   Link to this

Updated link for Fuller's quotes:

http://www.giga-usa.com/quotes/authors/thomas_f...

Michael Robinson   Link to this

NY Times "slide show" for the 400 anniversary of Fuller's birth:-

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/19/boo...

Bill   Link to this

FULLER, THOMAS An English historian and divine, was born in 1608. He was educated at Queen's College, Cambridge, where he took his degree in arts. On entering into orders, he was presented to the rectory of Broad Windsor, in Dorsetshire. He successively enjoyed several other preferments in the church, and would, probably, have been raised to a bishopric, had he not been taken off by death, in 1661. He wrote "The History of the Worthies of England," a performance of great merit, and many other valuable works. Astonishing things are reported of his memory. From once hearing a sermon, he could repeat the whole of it verbatim. He undertook, in going from Temple-bar to the farther end of Cheapside, to tell at his return every sign as it stood in order, on both sides of the way, repeating them either backwards or forwards, which he performed exactly. He was a learned, industrious, lively writer, but rather too fond of punning. He was a very corpulent man, and once as he was riding with a gentleman of the name of Sparrowhawk, he could not resist the opportunity of passing a joke upon him: "Pray, what is the difference (said he) between an owl and a sparrowhawk?" The other answered this sarcastic question as follows: "An owl is fuller in the head, fuller in the body, and fuller all over.

---Eccentric biography; or, Sketches of remarkable characters, ancient and modern. 1801.

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