Life

Foster was the son of William Foster of London, a barber-surgeon, and was born in November 1591. He entered Merchant Taylors' School

Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood

Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....

 in July 1607, and two years later (8 December 1609) was admitted of St. John's College, Oxford, whence he graduated. Having taken holy orders he became chaplain (1628) to Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon

Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon

Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon was an English peer. He was the son of Sir William Dormer, and thus a grandson of Robert Dormer, 1st Baron Dormer. His mother was Alice Molyneux, daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Bt. and Frances Gerard...

, and soon afterwards rector of Hedgerley

Hedgerley

Hedgerley is a village and civil parish in South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. The parish is west of Gerrards Cross and south-east of Beaconsfield...

, Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

. The date of his death is unclear.

Works

He published a short treatise against the use of weapon-salve, entitled ‘Hoplo-Crisma Spongus, or a Sponge to wipe away the Weapon-Salve, wherein is proved that the Cure taken up among us by applying the Salve to the Weapon is magical and unlawful’ (1629 and 1641). It attracted attention through the answer made to it on behalf of the Rosicrucians by Dr. Robert Fludd

Robert Fludd

Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus was a prominent English Paracelsian physician, astrologer, mathematician, cosmologist, Qabalist, Rosicrucian apologist...

 in 1631. Francis Osborne

Francis Osborne

Francis Osborne was an English essayist, known for his Advice to a Son, which became a very popular book soon after the English Restoration.-Life:He was born, according to his epitaph, on 26 Sept...

 also attacked it in an essay ‘On such as condemn all they understand not a reason for’ (1659). The work acknowledges help from Johannes Roberti, a Flemish Jesuit.