Nicholas Saunders

the most noted defender of the R. Cath. cause in his time, was born at Charlewood in Surrey, educated in Grammar learning in Wykehams School near Winchester, admitted true and perpetual Fellow of New Coll. an. 1548, Bach. of the Laws 3 year after and about 1557, Shagling Lecturer, or as he himself (u)(u) In visib. Monarchia Eccles. lib. 7. num. 1833. saith tanquam regius professor juris canonici. But Religion putting on another face in the beginning of Q. Eliz. he left England about 1560, and going to Rome was made Priest and D. of D. and soon after went with Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius to the Council of Trent, where he shew’d himself to be a Man of great parts by his several disputations and arguings. Which Cardinal having an especial respect for, made him his individual comparison in his journey into Poland, Prussia and Lithuania. As for the chief actions of his life that followed, his Sisters Son John Pitseus, will tell (w)(w) In illusr. Angliae scriptorib. aet. 16. num. 1025. you. But that which I must not forget now to let you know, is, that when he was a Nuntio from P. Gregory 13 into Ireland (where he, with 3 Ships full of Spaniards landed at Smerwick in Kerrey, about the first of July 1579) to encourage the Irish there to take up arms and rebel against Qu. Elizabeth, was (after they, with the said Spaniards had been overcome by the English) forced to abscond in caves, dens, woods, &c. At length after two years time, being not able to hold out longer, did miserably perish by hunger and cold, at the same time as my Author saith (but as it seems false) that Gerald Fitz-Gerald Earl of Desmond chief captain of the rebels was taken in a poor cottage and kill’d. Of which matter hear what the learned Canmden (x)(x) In Annal. Reg. Elizab. sub an. 1583. tells us—“The principal of whom (meaning the priests that persuaded the said Earlto forfeit his allegiance to his Prince) was Nich. Saunders an English Man, who, very near at the same instant of time, was miserably famish’d to death, when, forsaken of all, and troubled in mind for the bad success of the rebellion, he wandred up and down among woods, forests and mountains, and found no comfort or relief. In his pouch were found several speeches, and letters, made and written to confirm the rebels, stuffed with large promises from the Bishop of Rome and the Spaniard. Thus the divine justice (if a Man may judge) stopped that mouth with hunger, which had been always open to encourage rebellions, and to belch forth malicious lies and slanders. For (to omit other things) he was the first Man that broached that abominable lye concerning the birth of Qu. Elizabeths Mother, which no Man in those days (though the hatred and the malice of the Papists was then fresh against her, and might remember it) ever knew, England in full forty years after never heard of, the computation of time doth egregiously convince of falshood and vanity; and he, forgetting himself, (which a lyar should not do) doth himself plainly confute, &c.” The things that he hath written are mostly these.

The supper of our Lord set forth according to the truth of the Gospel and Cath. Faith, with a confutation of such false doctrins, as the Apologie of the Church of England, Mr. Al. Nowells challenge or Mr. Jewells reply have uttered touching the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament. In seven books. Lovain. 1566 in a thick qu. Answered by Will. Fulke of Cambridge.

A Treatise of the images of Christ, and of his Saints; and that it is unlawful to break them, and lawful to honour them. With a confutation of such false doctrine as Mr. Jewell hath uttered in his reply concerning that matter. Lov. 1567. oct.

Brief declaration, which is the true Church of Christ—This is written by way of preface to the Treatise of the images, &c.

The rock of the Church, wherein the primacy of St. Peter and of his Successours the Bishops of Rome is proved our of Gods word. Lov. 1567, and St. Omer 1624. in oct. Answered by the said W. Fulke.

Brief treatise of Usurie, Lov. 1568. oct.

De typicâ & honorariâ imaginum adoratione, lib. 2. Lov. 1569. oct.

Sacrificii missae ac ejus partium explicatio. Lov. 1569. oct.

Tractatus utilis, quod Dominus in sexto capite Johannis de sacramento Eucharistiae propriè sit locutus. Antw. 1570. in tw.

De visibili Monarchiâ Ecclesiae, lib. 8. &c. Lov. 1571. ’Antw. 1581. Wiceburg 1592. fol. In which book, written before the Author went into Ireland, he doth avow the Bull of P. Pius 5. against Qu. Elizab. to have been lawful, and affirmeth that by virtue thereof, one Dr. Nich. Moreton an old English fugitive and conspirator was sent from Rome into the north parts of England to stir up the first rebellion there, whereof Charles Nevile Earl of Westmorland was a head captain. And thereby it may manifestly appear to all Men how the said Bull was the ground of the rebellions both in England and Ireland.

De clave David, seu regno Christi lib. 6. contra columnias Acleri pro visibili Ecclesiae Monarchiâ. Wiceburg. 1592. fol.

De origine ac progressu schismatis Anglicani, lib. 3. quibus historia continetur maxima ecclesiastica, annorum 60 lectu dignissima, &c. Col. Agrip. 1585. Rom. 1586. Ingolst. 1588. Col. Agrip. 1590. &c. oct. Which book being left in many places imperfect, was supplied, augmented and corrected by Edw. Rishton Afterwards the book being translated into French, and printed 1673-4, gave occasion to Gilbert Burnet D. D. to write his two volumes of The Historie of the reformation of the Church of England. In the appendix to the first of which, you may read more of Saunders and his work de Schismate, as also of Edw. Rishton and his corrections and additions of, and to, that book.

De justificatione contra colloquium Altenburgense lib. 6. in quibus, &c. Aug. Trev. 1585 in a thick oct. This sometimes goes under the title of De Lutheranorum dissidiis circa justificationem. Col. Ag. 1594. oct.

De militantis Ecclesiae Rom. potestate. Rom. 1603. qu.

De martyrio quorundam temp. Hen. 8. & Elizab. printed 1610. oct. with other things which I have not yet seen, the titles of which you may see in (a)(a) In lib. De illustr. Augl. script. aet. 16. nu. 1025. Joh. Pitseus, who tells us that he died in Ireland about 1580. yet Edw. Rishton who was his contemporary and knew him well, saith in the preface to the first edition of the book De orig. & progressu schism. printed at Col. Agrip. 1585 that he died in Ireland (in the County of Kerrey) in Fifteen hundred eighty and one. 1581 So that how it comes to pass that Camden should say (b)(b) In Annal. Reg. Elizab. sub. an. 1583. that he died in 1583, I cannot justly tell, unless his information was, that he died at that instant of [••] me (as is before said) when the E. of Desmond was killed, which was (c)(c) Ibid. & in Hibernia, in com. Kerriae. 1583 as he saith. The reader must now know, that whereas Camden (whom I follow in some things) tells us that our Author N. Saunders was miserably ramish’d to death, seems to be contrary to what a certain (d)(d) Philip Osullie [•] an B [•] arrus Hibernus, in lib. cui tit. est, Historiae [〈◊〉] Ibe [••] ae com pend [••] n. Ulyssippon, 1621. in oct. Tom. 2. lib 4. cap. 16. Author of Camdens time reports, but he being one of Saunder’s perswasion may perhaps not be believed by many. He tells us that before the end of the said war, wherein Desmond was kill’d, Saunders was overtaken with the flux, (a usual disease with strangers in Ireland) and tho he was strong, and in the judgment of all near to him, far from the approach of death, yet in the beginning of the night he desired Cornelius the Bishop (titular) of Killaloa to give him the extreme unction, for, saith he, this night I shall die, having received a call from my Creator. Whereupon Cornelius made answer that there was no need of it, seeing that his body was strong, and no sign of death near it. Notwithstanding this, his disease pressing forward, he was anointed in the middle of the night, and about the time of Cock-crowing he surrendred up his Soul to God. In the night following he was carried to his grave by 4 Irish chevaliers, whereof Dermitius Osullevan (father to the Author, whom I here quote) was one, and was buried by certain Priests according to their manner, his body having been exposed to the sight of certain Persons as well of England as of Ireland, who for privacy sake, were prohibited their presence at his funeral. Afterwards Cornelius went into Spain and died at Lisbon, an. 1617. Thus in effect the said Author, who tells us not the name of the place where he died, or was buried, neither the time when.