career of the two 'Commanders' named, viz., Colonel Rainsborough and Vice-admiral Goodson, with, by implication, a Captain Magger, lead me to the conclusion that he must have acted as 'chaplain/ both 'at Sea,' and 'on Land,' that is, in the Fleet and with the Army — alter- nating as the Commanders were then wont to do with the one and the other. My reasons are these, in brief : Colonel Rainsborough, with whom Brooks informs us he was 'at Sea and on Land,' is traceable on both by help of the 'State Papers.' He was the son of that William Rainsborough of the Navy, who was ' Captain ' of the ' Marhonour ' in 1635 : of the ' Triumph ' in the Fleet of the Earl of Nortumberland in 163G : 'admiral' of the Parliamentary Fleet which revolted in 1648, when the sailors seized their admiral and quietly put him ashore : and who survived the Restoration, and was imprisoned by Charles II. In all probability his son the ' Colonel' served under his father in the Navy ; and the years 1635, and 1636 on to 1639-40, thus correspond with the unaccounted for period of Brooks's life. Then with reference to Brooks having also been 'with him on the Land,' our 'Colonel' is found on shore at the siege of Bristol, the surrender of Woodstock, the capture of Berkeley Castle, and elsewhere throughout the Civil War, until his 'death,' of which below.1 Of Vice-admiral Goodson, very little remains ; but as Captain William Goodson, he was commander and vice-admiral at Jamaica from 1655 to 1657, and received on 9th January 1658 an order for <£J500 from the Council of State, as a gratuity for his extraordinary services and expenses.2 During these years, 1655- 1 658, Brooks could not be with Goodson ; but he may have been in earlier years. It is a pity we have not fuller memoirs of those gallant sailor-soldiers and soldier-sailors, who emulated the brave deeds of Blake, and whose services on Sea and Land bear equally the impress of genius and devotion. I am not without hope that in the progress of the ' Calendars ' of the Papers in our National Archives, light may yet
1 I must here acknowledge the very great trouble taken by John Bruce, Esq., of Lon- don toward aiding ray researches into this matter. It is to this not less willing than able gentleman I stand indebted for nearly all above data. Of Colonel Rainsborough's ' death ' — celebrated by Brooks — it may be said that it was one of the saddest incidents of our Civil War. It occurred on the 29th October 1648. He had been sent by Crom- well to lay siege to Poiitefract, and was lying at Doncaster on his way thither. A party of the Garrison, disguised as Parliament soldiers, entered Doncaster, deceived Rains- borough's men into the belief that they belonged to the Cromwellian army, penetrated into an inn where Rainsborough was lying, captured him in his bed, and on his making some resistance to being carried off, ran him through with their swords, and left him dead on the streets. The dastardly and bloody story is told as if it had been a gallant achievement, by Clarendon (Hist. Rebell., Book xi.), and as ' a murder or very question- able kind of homicide,' by Caflyle (Cromwell, iii. 420.) Brooks's Sermon will be given in Vol. VI. ; and there further details may be looked for, including singular inedited broadsides issued on the day of the Funeral.
2 ' Colonial Calendar,' 1 574-1 GGO, p. 462, and Mr Bruce to myself.
MEMOIR OF THOMAS BROOKS. XXxi
be shed on this altogether unrecognised portion of our Worthy's story. The dates and facts alike of the Rainsborough heroes accord with his allusions to what he had seen.
By 1 648, Brooks — as we have found — was ' Preacher of the Gospel ' at ' Thomas Apostles,' London. In the same year, ' 26th December/ and on the title-page of his second publication, viz., his first Sermon before the House of Commons, entitled, ' God's Delight in the Progress of the Upright, especially in Magistrates' Uprightness and constancy in ways of justice and righteousness in these Apostatizing Times, notwith- standing all discouragements, oppositions/ &c, he is still designated ' Preacher of the Gospel at Thomas Apostles ;' so also, but in wording that reminds us of Richard Baxter's and other old title-pages, in his second sermon, of '8th October 1650/ viz., his 'Hypocrites Discovered,' in celebration of Cromwell's ' crowning victory ' at Dunbar. He is therein described as ' Thomas Brooks, a weak and unworthy Teacher of the Gospel at Thomas Apostles, London/
Of this first known ' benefice ' or Church of Brooks, much curious antiquarian lore will be found in Newcourt's ' Repertorium Ecclesias- ticum Parochiale Londinense ' (2 vols, folio, 1708) ; and thither our readers are referred.1 But ' the Fire ' of 1666 destroyed the whole Registers, and no trace of our Puritan Rector remains, save that by the courtesy of the present Incumbent of the united Parish, within whose bounds it stood, I learn a ' Mr Brooks ' resided in one of the ' houses which belonged to the Church/2 As there was a ' parsonage-house ' before the Fire, this was probably our Brooks.3
We cannot be far amiss in concluding that it was most probably to the impression made by his sermon for Rainsborough that Brooks owed his appointment to ' preach ' before Parliament. The former ser- mon was delivered on ' November 14. 1648/ the latter in the succeed- ing month, ' December 26th.'
By 1 652-53 Brooks had been transferred from ' Thomas Apostles ' to ' Margaret's, Fish-street hill.' In his ' Precious Remedies ' and in his 'Cases Considered and Resolved,' the title-pages (of 1652-53) desig- nate him ' a willing Servant unto God, and the faith of his people, in the glorious Gospel of Christ at Margaret's, Fish-street hill,' and so through all his Writings up to 1662. It was not without opposition that our Worthy passed into this higher and wider sphere. The whole trying story is given by Brooks himself in the pamphlet already more than once quoted. It is printed in extenso in our Appendix to this our Memoir.4 To it, therefore, all are referred. It is an invaluable
1 See Vol. i. pp. 549-551. 2 Rev. L. B. White, M.A., penes me. May 27. 1861.
3 Newcourt as before, page 551.
4 See A ; this tractate is exceedingly rare, and seems to have been unknown to pre- vious writers, even to Calamy and Palmer. Hence the blunders corrected below.
XXXU MEMOIR OF THOMAS BROOKS.