BRADWARDINE

bradwardine, thomas (c. 1290-1349), english archbishop, called "the profound doctor," was born either at hartfield in sussex or at chichester. he was educated at merton college, oxford, where he took the degree of doctor of divinity, and acquired the reputation of a profound scholar, a skilful mathematician and an able divine. he was afterwards raised to the high offices of chancellor of the university and professor of divinity. from being chancellor of the diocese of london, he became chaplain and confessor to edward iii., whom he attended during his wars in france. on his return to england, he was successively appointed prebendary of lincoln, archdeacon of lincoln (1347), and in 1349 archbishop of canterbury. he died of the plague at lambeth on the 26th of august 1349, forty days after his consecration. chaucer in his _nun's priest's tale_ ranks bradwardine with st augustine. his great work is a treatise against the pelagians, entitled _de causa dei contra pelagium et de virtute causarum_, edited by sir henry savile (london, 1618). he wrote also _de geometria speculativa_ (paris, 1530); _de arithmetica practica_ (paris, 1502); _de proportionibus_ (paris, 1495; venice, 1505); _de quadratura circuli_ (paris, 1495); and an _ars memorativa_, sloane mss. no. 3974 in the british museum. see quetif-echard, _script. praedic._ (1719), i. 744; w.f. hook, _lives of the archbishops of canterbury_, vol. iv.