Lewis Evans

was a Monmouthshire Man born, as it seems, and mostly educated in Oxon: Afterwards being a forward and zealous Man for the R. Cath. Religion at London (where he had got some employment) was brought into trouble by Dr. Grindal Bishop of that place. So that being forced to fly, he went beyond the Sea, and settled for a time at Antwerp: where to shew his zeal for the cause, he translated a Book from Lat. into English, entit. Certaine tables set forth by Will Bishop of Rurimund in Gelderland, wherein is detected and made manifest the doting dangerous doctrine, and haynous heresies of the rash rablement of the hereticks. This book was by Lew. Evans entit.

The betraying of the beastl;iness of the Hereticks, &c. Antw. 1565 in tw. Afterwards the said Evans being reconcil’d to the Ch. of England by some of his friends; did, to shew his zeal for the love he had to it, write and publish a book as full of ill language against the Roman Catholicks, as the other was as full of good for them, entituled.

The Castle of Christianity, detecting the long erring estate, as well of the Rom. Church, as of the Bishop of Rome. Lond. 1568. oct. Which being dedicated to Queen Elizab. he saith in his Epistle to her, that he himself had once drank of the puddle of ignorance, of the mud of idolatry, of the pond of superstition, &c. whereupon great distast being taken by the R. Catholicks, the common report flew abroad by their endeavours, that he was gone over again to the Church of Rome, in which being settled, he died in great ease and content. These reports being often told to Evans while he was in Oxon, by the learnedest there, he soon after published a book entit.

The hateful hypocrisie and rebellion of Romish Prelates. Lond. 1570 in tw. to which he added these two treatises following:

A view of certaine rebellions and their ends.

Four paradoxes. First a Bishop and a Minister is all one. (2) A Bishop, &c.—Afterwards, if I mistake not, our Author Evans was a Schoolmaster, and was the same Person, I think, that revised and increased with phrases and necessary additions,Clar. 1573. A short dictionary for young beginners, compiled at first by John Withals, and by him published at Lond. 1566. in qu. but when the additions of Evans came out, I find not. Afterwards the said Dictionary was augmented with more than 600 rythmical verses (whereof many are proverbial) by Abr. Flemmyng a native of London, printed at Lond. 1594 qu. In my travels and searches I find one Lew. Evans a Flintshire Man, to be a Student of Ch. Ch. in the time of Ed. 6. and to have taken the Degrees in Arts, (that of Master being compleated 1557) but this Person, I presume, is not the Author, because the Author doth not stile himself in his Books Bach. or Master of Arts. Another Lew. Evans a Brecknockshire Man, became Fellow of Oriel C. an. 1566, Mast. of Arts 1570 and resign’d his Fellowship 1577. A third, who was a Monmouehshire Man, was matriculated as a Member of Gloc. hall, 1574, aged 28. And a fourth also I find to be a Minister of God’s word, who in the 31 year of his age, or more, was matric as a member of the same Hall, and as a Native of Monmouthshire, an. 1581. and in 1585 took the Deg. of M. of A. Whether either of these was the Author beforemention’d, is to me as yet doubtful, or whether the same with Lew. Evans, who, by the favour of Dr. Piers B. of Sarum became Prebend of Warmister, in that Church, an. 1583, (which he resigned in May 1598) I cannot tell: or whether the same with Lew. Evans Clerk, Parson of Westmeane in Hampshire, who died there, about the beginning of 1601, leaving then behind him a Wife and Children, and houses in Winchester.