Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Some, Robert
SOME, ROBERT (1542–1609), Master of Peterhouse, born at Lynn Regis in 1542, matriculated as a pensioner from St. John's College, Cambridge, in May 1559, became scholar on 27 July 1559, graduated B.A. in 1561-2, and proceeded M.A. in 1565. B.D.in 1572, and D.D. in 1580. He was elected fellow of Queens' in 1562, was bursar in 1567, 1568, and 1569, and vice-president in 1572. When Queen Elizabeth visited Cambridge in 1564 he was one of the two B.A.s selected to compose Latin verses in her honour; he also welcomed her with a Latin speech at Queens'. In 1570 he preached in St. Mary's Church against pluralities and non-residence, and on 18 April 1573 became rector of Girton, near Cambridge. In 1583 he describes himself as chaplain to the Earl of Leicester, On 11 May 1589 he was made master of Peterhouse on the recommendation of Whitgift. He was vice-chancellor in 1590, 1591, 1599, and 1608. He died while in office, on 14 Jan. 1608-9, and was buried at Little St. Mary's Church, with great ceremony, on 10 Feb.
Some played a prominent part in the ecclesiastical controversies of his time, taking a middle course, hostile alike to extreme puritans and Anglicans. In the early days of his mastership he joined the party opposed to Peter Baro [q. v.] and his friends, and offended Whitgift by interfering while the proceedings against William Barret (fl. 1595) [q. v.] were in progress. After Whitgift had reproved him, he preached a sermon which many thought to have been directed against Whitgift and the court of high commission. For this he was convened before the heads of colleges in July 1595, but in the end the difficulty was smoothed over. Writing on 8 Dec. 1595 to Dr. Neville, Whitgift speaks of the 'foolery' of Dr. Some. In July 1599 he look part in a disputation as to Christ's descent into hell, and opposed John Overall [q. v.], the regius professor of divinity, on this and other matters. He also interposed in the Mar-Prelate controversy with 'A Godly Treatise containing and deciding certaine questions moved of late in London and other places, touching the Ministerie, Sacraments, and Church, London, 1588, 4to (British Museum); there was a second edition the same year. It was answered by John Penry [q. v.] in 'M. Some laid open in his coulere: wherein the indifferent Reader may easily see howe wretchedly and loosely he hath handled the cause against M. Penri.' Some rejoined with ' A Defence of such Points in R. Some's last Treatise as Mr. Penry hath dealt against,' London, 1588, 4to.
Some's other works of importance were: 1. 'A Godly and Shorte Treatise of the Sacraments,' London, 1582. 8vo. 2. 'Two Treatises, one of the Church, the other against Oppression,' London, 1583, 16mo; the last was also published with Pilkington's 'Exposition on Nehemiah,' Cambridge, 1585, 4to, and was reissued in the Parker Society's edition of Pilkington’s 'Works,' 3. 'A Treatise of the Lord's Praier, Twelue Articles of Faith, and Ten Commandments,' London, 1583, 4to. 4. 'A Godly Treatise wherein are examined and confuted many exacrable fancies given out and holden partly by Henry Barrow and John Greenwood, partly by other of the Anabaptistical order,' London, 1589, 4to. 5. 'The Perpetuity of Faythe,' in Latin, of which a translation was licensed to Thomas Salisbury, 1593. 6. 'Robert Some his Three Questions . . . also a Proposition,' Cambridge, 1596, 8vo; this was translated into Latin and published under another title, Basle, 1602, 12mo; and with other justification, Harderwyk, 1613, 8vo. iii. 685).
[Cooper's Athenae Cant. i. 510; East Anglian, ii. 12; Cal. of Hatfield MSS. vi. 446; Gough's Index to Parker Soc. Publ. ; Maskell's Hist. of the Mar-Prelate Controversy, pp. 16.20; Arber's Scholar's Library, vol. i.; Nichols's Progr. of Queen Elizabeth, iii. 34, 93 ; see art. Penry, John.]