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 to his country seat. He was an assiduous student, learned in history and theology, but during his retreat paid much attention to grafting and planting orchards, and is credited with introducing into his native county the redstreak apple— Of no regard till Scudamore's skilful hand Improv'd her, and by courtly discipline Taught her the savage nature to forget,— Hence styl'd the Scudamorean plant (, Cyder, bk. i. lines 503–6). A zealous royalist throughout his career, Scudamore was enthusiastically attached to the English church. Moved by the arguments of Sir Henry Spelman [q. v.], he repaired at great expense and endowed the dilapidated abbey church of Door (Dore), and restored the alienated tithes of several churches which his ancestor, Sir John, receiver of the court of augmentations under Henry VIII, acquired upon the suppression of the monasteries (cf., Hist. of Llanthony Abbey, pp. 22, 27). He became a devoted admirer of Laud, who often visited him in his journeys to and from St. David's when bishop of that see, kept up a correspondence with him as archbishop, and co-operated in his plans for the rebuilding of St. Paul's.

At the close of 1634 Scudamore was appointed by Charles I as his ambassador in Paris. He sailed in June 1635, and was received graciously by Louis XIII, who presented him with his portrait and that of his consort, Queen Anne of Austria. The expenses of his journey and first audience amounted to 852l. Shortly after his arrival Scudamore made a vain effort to purchase a valuable manuscript of the ‘Basilics’ (Basilica), or digest of laws commenced by the Emperor Basilius I in 867, and completed by Leo VI in 880. After the contract of sale was signed, Richelieu interposed to prevent this treasure leaving France (cf., Droit Byzantin, 1844; Foreign Quarterly Review, vii. 461), but Scudamore caused his son to translate ‘The Sixty Sixe admonitory Chapters of Basilius to his sonne Leo,’ which was printed at Paris in 1638 (the copy of this rare work in the British Museum bears the Scudamore armorial book-plate, but in the catalogue it is wrongly attributed to J. Scudamore, author of ‘Homer à la Mode’).

In February 1636 Scudamore was directed to serve a writ upon Lady Purbeck (who had escaped the clutches of the high commission and fled to Paris), commanding her to return to England. Richelieu again intervened, and sent a guard of fifty archers for the lady's protection (Scudamore to Coke, March 1636, State Papers, French, ap., Hist. viii. 145–6).

During his residence in Paris Scudamore had a private chapel fitted up in his own house, with candles and other ornaments, upon which severe strictures were passed ; he also gave some leading Huguenots to understand that the Anglican church deemed them outside its communion. It was doubtless to correct this bias that in 1636 the staunchly protestant Robert Sidney, second earl of Leicester [q. v.], was joined to Scudamore in the embassage. The ambassadors, however, managed to work harmoniously together. To Milton, Hobbes, and Sir Kenelm Digby, Scudamore showed many courtesies when they visited Paris. In May 1638 he introduced Milton to Grotius, then Swedish ambassador in Paris (, Defensio Secunda). With the latter Scudamore was on confidential terms, and he communicated to Laud Grotius's scheme for a union of the protestant churches (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and English), excluding, however, the Calvinists and Presbyterians, for whom Scudamore had a special dislike.

During the summer Scudamore announced the birth of Louis XIV, and paid elaborate compliments to the French queen, who had been childless during twenty-two years of married life. Notwithstanding these amenities, a serious slight was shortly afterwards put upon Lady Scudamore by the queen, and the difficulty was only solved by Lady Scudamore's return to England. Scudamore himself hinted that his recall would be welcome; this was granted at the close of 1638, and he crossed to England in January 1639. On his return to Holme Lacy he was met by a troop of horse from among his friends and tenants, was made high steward of Hereford city and cathedral, and kept open house at Holme Lacy with great magnificence the following Christmas. He continued his correspondence with Laud, who warned him ‘not to book it too much,’ and with Grotius, and encouraged by his patronage Thomas Farnaby [q. v.], Robert Codrington [q. v.], and John Tombes [q. v.], who dedicated to him several works. In 1641 there was some talk of Scudamore being appointed to the vacant secretaryship of state. Foreseeing the approach of the troubles, he laid in at Holme Lacy a stock of petronels, carbines, and powder. After the outbreak of the war in the west, in April 1643, he betook himself to Hereford and put himself under Sir Richard Cave's orders. When, however, a few days afterwards, Waller made a dash for the city, most of Cave's men deserted, and he had to surrender at discretion.