CHAPTER XXVII
OF THE CITY IN QUEEN ELIZABETH'S TIME.
Queen Mary being dead, on the 17th day of November, her sister Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen of England, in the year 1558, and was crowned the 15th of January following by Dr. Oglethorp Bishop of Carlisle; and the 25th of January began a parliament at Westminster, in which the Queen was declared supreme head of the church of England. And the book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments was fully restored; and by degrees the reformed religion, as practised in the time of Edward VI. was amply confirmed and settled.
Richard Bulwer, by will dated Aug. 13, in this year, gave 15l. to the city, to remain for ever, viz. "that three smythes within the cittie shall have the use and occupation thereof, eche of them by the space of two yeares, and at the end of the said two yeares, other three smythes two yeares, laying in sufficient bond to Mr. Mayor, &c." He gave also to the common-hutch, or city chest, 20s.
Robert Rugge, one of the ten aldermen that died this year, gave 10l. to the use of the city, and
Thomas Codde, another of them, was a great benefactor.
The new aldermen, viz. Nic. Norgate, Tho. Whall; Tho. Peck Tho. Parker, John Blome, Andrew Quash, John Gibbes, Tho. Green Christopher Soome, and Rob. Suckelyng, when they were sworn, pai 40s. each, towards the reparation of the city walls, within the war where they were chosen aldermen, according to the ancient custom and order of the city. The aldermen that died were, Tho. Gray John Howes, Nic. Sywhat, Tho. Cocke, Alex. Mather, Tho. Malby, Jeffry Warde, John Atkins, Tho. Codde, and Rob. Rugge.
In 1559, Dr. William Cunningham, a physician of Norwich, published a book entitled "The Cosmographical Glass, conteyning the pleasant Principles of Cósmographie, Geographie, Hydrographie, or Navigation," which was printed at London by John Day, and contains 202 pages, besides dedication, preface, and index, with many curious wooden cuts, and particularly one of the author in his doctor's habit, and another, being "An accurate Map of the excellent City of Norwyche, as the form of it is at this present 1558," with many alphabetical references to an explanation at the bottom, of the principal places set forth in the same: which map, as well as the whole book, is looked upon as a great curiosity.
The frontispiece is a neat wooden cut, in which the sciences leading to the studies treated of, are represented, with some of the ancients, who were eminent therein; and at the bottom are these six lines:
In this Glasse if you will beholde, The Sterry Skie, and Y'earth so wide, The Seas also, with Windes so colde, Yea and thy selfe, all these to guide, What this type meane, first learne aright: So shall the gayne, thy travaill quight.
It is dedicated to Robert Dudley, Knight of the Garter, Master of the Horse to the Queen's Majesty, &c. and after the dedication are divers verses, in praise of the author, by Gilbert Barckley and Tho. Langley of Cambridge. And at the close of the preface he hath this, "If for the difficultie of the worke, any errour escape; remember I am the first that ever in our tongue have written of this argument, &c." dated at Norwich the 18th of July, 1559.
In the second book, is " a Table of the Sun's Meridian Altitude above the Horizon," calculated for every degree in the zodiac, respecting the elevation of the pole-artic at Norwich, 52 deg. 10 min. and the sun's declination 23 deg. 28 min. There is also a calculation of such eclipses of the moon as shall happen from the year 1560 till 1605; applying the time of their beginning in years, days, hours, and minutes, unto the meridian of Norwich exactly, which is 22 deg. and 30 min. from the Canary islands, with the figures of all the said eclipses: Apian's way of finding out the longitude of places by the Jacob's staff, &c. the method being taken when the moon is west or east of the star; further illustrated by an example of finding the longitude of Norwich.
The work was then in such great repute, that Day the printer obtained a royal license for him and his assigns solely to print it.