Edmond Campian

another stiff defender of the R. Cath. Religion, was born in London on St. Pauls day in Jan. 1540. educated in School-learning among the blew coats in Ch. Ch. Hospital within the said City, spoke an eloquent oration before Qu. Mary there at her first coming to the Crown, an. 1553, put in Scholar of St. Johns Coll. by the worthy founder thereof at its first foundation, took the Degree of Master of Arts in 1564, and was Junior of the Act celebrated on the 19. of Feb. the same year; at which time speaking one or more most admirable orations, to the envy of his contemporaries, caused one (*)(*) Tob. Mathew in Coneione Apologet. edit. Oxon. 1638. p. 61. of them, who was afterwards an Archbishop to say, that rather than he would omit the opportunity to shew his parts and dominare in una atque altera conciuncula, did take the oath against the Popes Supremacy, and against his conscience. Soon after, if not before, he took holy orders according to the Church of England from the hands of Rich. Cheyney Bishop of Glocester, (who had encouraged him in his studies) and became a florid Preacher. In 1566 when Qu. Elizab. was entertained by the University of Oxon, he did not only make an eloquent oration before her at her first entry, but also was Respondent in the Philosophy Act in St. Maries Church, performed by him with great applause from that Queen and the learned auditory. In 1568 he was the junior Proctor of the University, being the first of his Coll. who did undergo that office, and in the Year following he took a journey into Ireland, where improving his time very industriously, did, by the help of his admirable parts, write in short time a history of that Country; but then he being discovered to have left the Church of England and to labour for Proselytes, was seized, and detained for a time; but getting loose from his keepers, did with much ado obtain footing on the British shoare, an. 1571, where making but short stay, took shipping again and went into the Low Countries, and settling for a time in the English Coll. at Doway made an open recantation of his heresie, as they there stil’d it, studied Divinity and had the Degree of Bach. of that faculty conferr’d upon him. Thence he went to Rome, where he was admitted into the Society of Jesus, in 1573, and being esteemed by the General of that order to be a Person every way compleat, was sent into Germany, where living for some time at Brune and afterwards at Vienna, compos’d a Tragedy called Nectar & Ambrosia, acted before the Emperor with great applause. Soon after setling at Pragne in Bohemia, where had been newly erected a College for Jesuits, taught there, for about 6 years time, Philosophy and Rhetorick and became amongst them a constant Preacher in the Latin tongue. At length being called thence to Rome, was, with Father Persons, sent at the command of P. Gregory 13 into England, in 1580, where arriving at Dover, on the day next following that of St. John Baptist, was the day after that received with great joy by the Catholicks in London. Afterwards he printed privately and by stealth his neat well penn’d book called Rationes decem, of which many copies were dispersed in St. Maries Church at an Act-time, an. 1581. by one who was sometimes a Member of St. Johns Coll. (in the time of Campian) named Will. Hartley a R. Priest, a native of Nottinghamshire, and a learned Man, who being taken in short time after, was imprison’d, and in Feb. 1584 being released, was (with other Priests and Jesuits) put on Ship-board at Tower-wharf, and thence at the Queens charge was wafted over the Seas to Normandy, where he and his company were left to their shifts. Afterwards it being commonly known that Campian was in England, great inquisition was made after him. At length at the desire and insinuation of Walsingham Secretary of State, one George Eliot a Priest-catcher (sometimes a zealous Catholick) undertook, for a considerable reward, to find him out. But all his searchings in London availing not, he did at length, upon some intimation received, go into Berks. where with his attendants, making great enquiries, did with much ado find him out (disguised like a Royster, as ’tis said) in the house of Edw. Yates Esq. at Lyford, a little before which time Persons the Jesuit, who had been with, and accompanied, him in his travels to and fro, had left him, and diverted his course towards Kent. So that being carried as a Prisoner with triumph through Abendon, Henly, Colebroke, and so through part of London with a paper fastned to his hat, and a writing thereon to shew to the People that he was Edm. Campian a most pernicious Jesuit, was chap’d up a close Prisoner within the Tower of London, where he did undergo many examinations from several People, abuses, wrackings, tortures and I know not what; but scarcely answered the expectation raised of, when certain Divines disputed with, him. About which time a little Pamphlet was published in oct. containing a discourse of his apprehension, which I have not yet seen. All writers, whether Protestant or Popish, say that he was a Man of most admirable parts, an elegant Orator, a subtile Philosopher and disputant, and an exact Preacher whether in English, or Lat. tongue, of a sweet disposition, and a well polished Man. A certain (f)(f) Tho. Fuller in his Ch. Hist. lib. 4. p. 114. writer saith he was of a sweet nature constantly carrying about him the charms of a plausible behaviour of a fluent tongue and good parts, and another (g)(g) Rich. Stanyhurst in Descript, Hybern. who was his most beloved friend, saith that he was upright in conscience, deep in judgment, and ripe in Eloquence. As for the works by him written, and published under his name, they are these.

Nectar & Ambrosia, Trag.—Much praised by Greg. Martin.

Rationes decem oblati certaminis in causa fidei, redditae Academicis Angliae. Printed first of all privately in the house of one Stonor a Cath. Gent. living near to Henly in Oxfordshire, an. 1581, afterwards, at least five times, publickly beyond the Seas, (of which once was at Aug. Trev. 1583 in Concertat. Eccles. Cath.) and at length were translated into English—Lond. 1687. qu. These reasons were very learnedly answered by Will. Whittaker of Cambridge, and replyed upon by John Durey a Scot; which Durey was answered by Dr. Laur. Humphrey.

Nine articles directed to the Lords of the Privy Council, an. 1581—See more in Mer. Hanmer, under the Year 1604, and in Rob. Persons, an. 1610.

Various conferences concerning Religion, had with Protestant Divines in the Tower of London, on the last of Aug. and on the 18, 23, and 27. of Septemb. 1581. Lond. 1583. qu. Among those Divines that he disputed with, were Alex. Nowell Dean of St. Pauls Cath. and Will. Day Dean of Windsore.

The History of Ireland, in two books—Written 1570. The MS. or original of which, being in the Cottonian (h)(h) Sub effig. Vitelli [•] , F. 6. Library, was afterwards published by Sir James Ware of Dublin Knight—Dubl. 1633. fol.

Chronologia Universalis. Much commended by Greg. Martin before-mention’d.

Narratio de divortio Hen. 8. Regis ab uxore Catherina. Printed at the end of Nic. Harpesfeild’s Ch. History, at Doway, by the care of Rich. Gibbon a Jesuit, who also added thereunto a Lat. translation of John Speeds Catalogue of religious Houses, Colleges, and Hospitals in England and Wales.

Among which orations, are those (as I suppose) which he made at the funeral of Sir Tho. Whyte, and of the Lady Amey Robsert the first Wife of Robert Earl of Leycester, whose body having been at first buried in Comnore Church near Abendon, (for there she died, or rather was murdered, in the mannor house there belonging to Anth. Forster Gent. 8. Sept. 1560) was taken up, and reburied in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, in Oxon.

Literae ad Rich. Chenaeum Episc. Glocestr. The beginning, of which is, Non me nunc & alium, &c.

Letters to Everard Mercurian, General of the Society of Jesus, giving an account of his proceedings in England, an. 1580.—Printed in Lat. in Concertatio Eccles. Cath. in Anglia, part 1. p. 3. and elsewhere. Besides all these, are other things of our Author Compian, which I have not yet seen, that were collected and published among some of his works by Silvester à Petra Sancta a Jesuit of Italy, printed at Antw. 1631. in tw. but those things being scarce and rare to be had, I can make no farther report of them, nor their Author, only that he, with other Rom. Priests, having been found guilty of treason according to the Act of 25. Ed. 3. and of adhering to the Bishop of Rome, the Queens Enemy, and of coming into England to disturb the peace and quiet of the Realm &c. were executed at Tybourne near London on the first of Decemb. in Fifteen hundred eighty and one, 1581 but what afterwards became of Campians carcass I know not. Paul Bombin a Jesuit hath written his Life and Martyrdom, published at Antw. 1618. in 12o. and afterwards at Mantua an. 1620. in oct. But that Pamphlet, which I have several years look’d after, but in vain, is the Report of the death and martyrdom of E. Campian, R. Sherwyn and A. Briant, printed in English, in oct. soon after their death. The two last of which I am now about to mention.