Translation of the Charter of King Edward the Sixth MEMOIR OF THE Founder of Christ's Hospital. KING EDWARD THE SIXTH was the only son of Henry VIII. by Queen Jane Seymour, and was born October 12, 1537. He was a prince of a peculiarly mild and gentle disposition; and from his maternal uncle, the Duke of Somerset, imbibed a zeal for that great work, the Reformation, which, amidst all the confusions of the state, made great progress during his reign. It has been said by some of King Edward's biographers, that "he deserves notice as a young prince of great promise and high accomplishments, rather than as a sovereign, although in the latter character he afforded every presage of excellence, had his life been spared." Without disputing the truth of the remark, it may be observed, that his public acts as a sovereign will endear his memory to his country as long as the noble institutions in which he was concerned are in existence; and the B benefits of these will far outlive any private virtues, however beneficial they might have been to the age in which he lived. It is in his character as sovereign that we are to consider him as the Founder of the Institution now before us; for it cannot be imagined that even CHRIST'S HOSPITAL, matchless as it is in general utility, would have received that early patronage if founded by a private individual, which it could scarcely fail of obtaining when endowed by a king. The dissolution of the monasteries by Henry enabled him to grant divers lands to the City of London for charitable purposes; but these grants lay dormant till the benevolent disposition of his son was aroused by the persevering endeavours of the truly pious Bishop of London (Dr. Ridley), as will be seen in the sequel. In 1552, when only in his fifteenth year, the great foundations which have rendered him so celebrated in after-ages took place. By one royal charter (a copy of which will be found in the Appendix) he incorporated "The Mayor, Commonalty, and Citizens of London, Governors of the Possessions, Revenues, and Goods of the Hospitals of Edward the Sixth, King of England." These were, Christ's Hospital, St. Bartholomew's, Bridewell, and St. Thomas's Hospitals. The year following he was seized with the measles, and afterwards with the small-pox, the effects of which it was imagined he never quite reco |