Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 12.djvu/440

 Cracherode day, his purchases never ceased. An agent was buying prints when Cracherode lay on his deathbed, and on his farewell visit to Mewsgate, about four days before his death, he carried away in his ample pockets a 'Terence' and a 'Cebes.' He died 'after a severe struggle, in great pain,' at Queen Square, Westminster, on 5 April 1799, and was buried on 13 April near his mother, in the east cloister of Westminster Abbey. He had never married, and his will, which was drawn up by himself very precisely, though not couched in legal terms, was dated 9 April 1792, and proved on 17 April 1799 by his sister Anne Cracherode (who died on 17 July 1802), sole executrix and residuary legatee, to whom came the whole of his land and personalty, with the exception of 1,000l. for Christ Church, Oxford, 1,000l. for Westminster School, some charitable bequests and slight legacies to Cyril and William Jackson. In the course of his life he had amassed the choicest specimens of the earliest editions in classical and biblical literature, the rarest coins and gems, and the most exquisite prints which money could purchase. He left behind him 4,500 volumes, all of which were remarkable either for the rareness or the excellence of the impression, seven portfolios of drawings, one hundred portfolios of prints, with coins and gems, 'worthy of an imperial cabinet.' The whole of these collections were left by his will to the British Museum; two books only, the Complutensian Polyglot, and the princeps Homer which formerly belonged to De Thou, were excepted. The former he gave to Shute Barrington, bishop of Durham, and the latter to Cyril Jackson; but even these volumes ultimately came to the national collection, as Jackson would not dissever his gift from its former companions, and Barrington, on his death, left his possession to the Museum. His collection of prints comprised splendid examples of Rembrandt and Dürer, and it was the theft by Robert Dighton, a caricaturist, from these treasures which led to the dismissal of Beloe from his post at the Museum. Fortunately an appeal to the virtuosos who had purchased from the thief secured the return of most of the prints. The only likeness of Cracherode, which was taken after his health became impaired, is a drawing in blacklead made by Edridge by the order of Lady Spencer, but the subject of the sketch expressly ordered that it should not be engraved. It was reproduced in Clarke's 'Repertorium Bibliographicum,' and subsequently in Dibdin's 'Bibliographical Decameron.' Cracherode's name is introduced into the 'Pursuits of Literature' by Mathias. The poet Akenside was numbered among his friends, and there is preserved at the Bodleian a copy, formerly the property of Douce, of the following brochure: ' Fragments of a tragedy lately acted at the British Museum. Scene, the shades below, Mr. Cracherode, Mr. Townley, Mr. Steevens, and Mr. Quin. . . Roger and Thomas Payne,' 4to, pp. 3, on which Douce has written 'From the author, St. Weston, 1806, Aug.'

[Dibdin's Bibliog. Decameron, iii. 326-36; Nichols's Illustr. of Lit. v. 616, 625, vi. 773-81, viii. 195-7; Nichols's Lit. Anecd. iii. 147, viii. 150, 524, ix. 666-7; Edwards's Brit. Mus. ii. 417-22; Gent. Mag. 1799 pt. i. 354-6, 373, 395, 1813 pt. ii. 210; Wright's Essex, i. 644-5; Chester's Registers of Westminster Abbey, 439, 461, 467; Welch's Alumni Westmon. (1852), 246, 326, 337-8; Forshall's Westminster School, 235; Cumberland's Memoirs, 49; Fagan's Collectors' Marks, pp. 21-6, and plate C. No. 110.]  CRADOCK, EDWARD (fl. 1571), alchemist, a native of Staffordshire, was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. 11 Jan. 1555-6 and M.A. 10 Feb. 1558-9. He was elected Lady Margaret professor on 24 Oct. 1565, and later in the same year took both the degrees in divinity. In 1571 he published 'The Shippe of assured Safetie, wherein we may sayle without Danger towards the Land of the Living, promised to the true Israelites,' 16mo; 2nd edit. 1572, 8vo. Some Latin sapphics by Cradock are prefixed to Peterson's translation of Delia Case's 'Galateo,' 1576, 4to. He spent many years in searching for the philosopher's stone, and wrote: 1. 'A Treatise of the Philosopher's Stone,' preserved among the Ashmolean manuscripts (1445), written in English verse and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. 2. 'Tractatus de Lapide Philosophico' (Ashmolean MS. 1415), written in Latin verse and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. 3. 'Documentum et Practica' (Ashmolean MS. 1408), which also deals with the philosopher's stone. He resigned his professorship in 1594.

[Wood's Athenæ, ed. Bliss, i. 632-3; Fasti, ed. Bliss, i. 146, 154; Black's Catalogue of the Ashmolean Manuscripts.]  CRADOCK, JOHN (1708?–1778), archbishop of Dublin, born about 1708, was a native of Wolverhampton. Having received his education at St. John's, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1728, he was elected to a fellowship of his college, which he held with the rectory of Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire. Subsequently he became rector of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, London, and chaplain to John, fourth duke of Bedford. The degree 