Skip to main content

Full text of "The life of Philip Thomas Howard, O.P., Cardinal of Norfolk, Grand Almoner to Catherine of Braganza, Queen-consort of King Charles II., and restorer of the English province of Friar-Preachers or Dominicans , compiled from original manuscripts, with a sketch of the rise, missions, and influence of the Dominican order, and of its early history in England"

See other formats 


THE  LIFE 

OF 

PHILIP  THOMAS  HOWARD,  O.P., 

CARDINAL  OF  NORFOLK. 

[The  Copyright  is  reserved.] 


ANA- 

CARDOROM.EAPT: 

CeuvUnibus-fujffii&a.  /it 
C.1RDO  runnsJTfOMASdlWUUS  AI.TA.  tenet 
Al.TA  tenet fuJ«iMi>nuniftita,ducumt}3  rv/iilgen 
JiemmatefurpureixJPT'JS  adejye  Chorij . 


4nglia  vutit 
tutorem^fidei.  num  quoqs  JWMA  Patrent . 
Urbis.etOrbif  asnvrtatem  confertvtsitlantem 
quo  tutus  maneat  Jle&ffionis  apex. 


THE  LIFE 


OP 

PHILIP  THOMAS  HOWARD,  O.P, 

CAEDINAL  OF  NOBFOLK, 

GRAND  ALMONER  TO  CATHERINE  OP  BRAGANZA 

QUEEN-CONSORT  OF  KING  CHARLES  II., 
AND 

RESTORER  OF  THE  ENGLISH  PROVINCE  OF  FRIAR-PREACHERS 
OR  DOMINICANS, 

COMPILED  FROM  ORIGINAL  MANUSCRIPTS. 

WITH  A  SKETCH  OF  THE 

EISE,  MISSIONS,  AND  INFLUENCE  OF  THE 
DOMINICAN  OEDEE, 

AND  OF  ITS  EARLY  HISTORY  IN  ENGLAND. 


BY 

FE.  C,F.  EAYMUND  PALMEE,  0,P, 


LONDON: 
THOMAS  RICHARDSON  AND  SON; 


DUBLIN;   AND  DERBY. 
MDCCCLXVII. 


1 


MORSE  STEPHEIMI 


TO 

HENRY,  DUKE  OF  NORFOLK, 

THIS  LIFE 

OF 

PHILIP  THOMAS  HOWARD,  O.R, 

CARDINAL  OF  NORFOLK, 
is 

AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 

IN  MEMOEY  OF  THE 
FAITH  AND  VIETUES  OF  HIS  FATHEB. 


Dominican  Priory, 
Woodchester,  Gloucestershire. 


10560 


PREFACE. 


The  following  Life  has  been  compiled  mainly 
from  original  records  and  documents  still 
preserved  in  the  Archives  of  the  English 
Province  of  Friar-Preachers.  The  work  has 
at  least  this  recommendation,  that  the  matter 
is  entirely  new,  as  the  MSS.  from  which  it  is 
taken  have  hitherto  lain  in  complete  obscurity, 
It  is  hoped  that  it  will  form  an  interesting 
addition  to  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Eng- 
land. In  the  acknowledging  of  great  assist- 
ance from  several  friends,  especial  thanks  are 
due  to  Philip  H.  Howard,  Esq.,  of  Corby 
Castle,  who  kindly  supplied  or  directed  atten- 
tion to  much  valuable  matter,  and  contributed 
a  short  but  graphic  sketch  of  the  Life  of  the 
Cardinal  of  Norfolk  taken  by  his  father  the 
late  Henry  Howard,  Esq.,  from  a  MS.  in  the 
Library  of  the  Minerva  at  Rome. 

C.  F.  R.  P. 


Vidimus  et  Approbavimus : 

F.  Vincentius  King,  Prior,  Sac.  Theol.  Lect. ; 
F.  V.  H.  Ferreri,  Sacrae  Theol.  Lect. 

Attenta  relatione  duorum  Revisorum  Ordinis  nostri  a 
nobis  designatorum  super  opus  R.  P.  Fr.  C.  F.  Raymundi 
Palmer,  cui  titulus:  The  Life  of  Philip  Thomas 
Howard,  dc.  illud  typis  mandari  permittimus. 

FB.  J.  D.  AYLWAED, 

S.  Theol.  Lect.,  Prsed.  Gen., 

Prior  Prov.  Ord.  Prsed.  in  Anglia. 

Die  18°  Aprilis,  1867. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

PAOB 

Prefatory  remark. — I.  LIFE  OF  ST.  DOMINIC. — Birth. — Family. 
— Legends. — Holy  youth. — Priesthood. — A  canon-regular  of 
St.  Augustine. — Embassies  to  Denmark. — Albigenses  in 
Languedoc. — His  first  visit  to  Rome. — Preaching  in  Langue- 
doc. — Success. — Nunnery  at  Prouille. — Mission  in  Langue- 
doc.— Crusade  against  the  Albigenses. — The  Most  Holy 
Eosary. — Preaching  among  the  crusaders. — English  Pilgrims. 
— Foundation  of  the  Order, — Second  visit  to  Rome. — Name 
of  the  Order. — F.  Lawrence  the  Englishman. — Choice  of 
the  Rule. — Convent  at  Toulouse. — Third  visit  to  Rome  and 
approval  of  the  Order. — Master  of  the  Sacred  Palace. — 
Dispersion  of  the  Friars — Fourth  visit  to  Rome. — Convent 
of  St.  Sextus. — Miraculous  supply  of  bread  and  wine. — 
Foundations  in  Spain  and  in  France. — F.  Lawrence. — Fifth 
visit  to  Rome. — Reform  of  the  nuns  in  Rome. — Miraculous 
restoration  of  a  young  man  to  life. — Church  of  Bamborough 
in  Northumberland. — Sister  Cicely  Cesarini.— Nunnery  of 
St.  Sextus. — Convent  of  St.  Sabina. — St.  Hyacinth  and  B. 
Ceslaus. — Spread  of  the  Order. — First  general  chapter.— 
Dominic's  preaching  in  Italy. — Militia  of  Jesus  Christ,  OP 
Third  Order  of  Penance. — Last  visit  to  Rome. — Second 
general  chapter :  England. — Illness  and  death  of  St.  Domi- 
nic.— Canonization  and  festival  1 

II.  MISSIONARI  LABOURS  OF  THE  ORDER. — Provinces  in  Europe. 
— Eastern  missions :  St.  Hyacinth  ;  Henry  of  Cologne  pro- 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

vincial  of  England :  F.  Thomas  an  Englishman  bishop  of 
Abo. — Province  of  the  Holy  Land:  F.  Ivo  an  English  Domi- 
nican: F.  Geoffrey  bishop  of  Ebron. — Dominican  missions  in 
Asia :  metropolitan  see  of  Sultania ;  bishopric  of  Maragha  ; 
"United  Brethren  of  St.  Gregory  the  Illuminator;"  F. 
John  an  English  Dominican;  archbishopric  of  Nakichevan; 
F.  William  Belets  an  Englishman  archbishop  of  Sultania; 
F.  Eichard  an  Englishman  bishop  of  Cherson;  F.  Francis 
of  Camerino  archbishop  of  Vospero ;  the  Alans  and  Zicci ; 
Andronicus  III.  and  the  Greek  schism. — Early  missions  of 
Africa :  convents ;  Abyssinia ;  Ethiopia. — East  Greenland  : 
convent. — Decline  of  the  missions  of  the  East. — Destruc- 
tion of  some  Dominican  provinces  and  rise  of  many  more. 
—Portuguese  missions  in  Africa  and  Asia :  Congregation  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  of  the  East  Indies:  the  Dutch. — Spanish 
missions  in  Asia:  province  of  our  Lady  of  the  Most  Holy 
Kosary,  of  the  Philippines ;  China ;  Japan ;  Tonquin  ;  Dis- 
covery of  America. — Missions  of  the  West  Indies:  Mexico  ; 
Florida;  Peru;  Lima,  &c. — Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy 
Name  of  Jesus,  of  the  Antillas. — St.  Lewis  Bertrand. — New 
provinces. — Present  missions  of  the  Order. — Martyrdoms  of 
the  Order  in  the  missions. — Saints  of  the  Order. — Blessed 
of  the  Order. — Influence  of  the  Order  in  the  Church,  on 
learning  and  the  arts  and  in  universities  19 

III.  THE  OBDEB  IN  ENGLAND. — Establishment:  Ireland  and 
Scotland. — Short  notices  of  the  convents  in  England  and 
"Wales. — Influence  among  the  people ;  in  the  State  ;  and  in 
the  Church. — Cardinals. — Archbishops. — Bishops. — English 
Dominican  writers. — Printed  editions  of  their  works. — The 
schism  of  Henry  VIII. — Sufferings  of  the  English  province. 
—Dissolution  of  the  convents. — Wreck  of  the  province  39 


CONTENTS.  Xi 

CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

[Restoration  of  the  Order  by  Queen  Mary.— Convent  of  Smith- 
field. — F.  William  Perin. — Nunnery  of  Dartford.— Destruc- 
tion of  the  two  communities. — Exile  and  fate  of  the  nuns. — 
Struggles  of  the  province.  —Regulations  for  its  wants. — Its 
government. — F.  Diego  de  la  Fuente. — F.  Thomas  Middle- 
ton  alias  Dade. — Noviciate  in  England. — F.  Thomas  Catch- 
may. — F.  William  Fowler. — F.  Thomas  Armstrong. — F. 
Robert  Armstrong  alias  Roberts. — F.  David  Joseph 
Kemeys. — Threatened  extinction  of  the  province,  when  its 
restorer  appears 69 

CHAPTER  II. 

Hon.  Philip  Howard. — His  family,  birth,  education  and  reli- 
gious inclinations. — Goes  with  his  family  abroad.— Attempts 
to  join  the  Carmelite  Order  at  Antwerp. — Travels  in  France 
and  Italy  with  his  grandfather  the  Earl  of  Arundel.-— 
Becomes  acquainted  with  F.  John  Baptist  Hackett  an  Irish 
Dominican  at  Milan. — Consults  him  on  his  religious  voca- 
tion.— Determines  to  enter  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic — 
Takes  the  habit  in  the  convent  of  Cremona  and  becomes 
Brother  Thomas. — Anger  of  the  Earl  of  Arundel. — The 
Earl  attempts  to  persuade  or  force  Brother  Thomas  out  of 
religious  life. — Enlists  three  cardinals  on  his  side. — The  pope 
orders  Brother  Thomas  to  be  removed  from  his  convent,  and 
Sig.  P.  Meocci  is  sent  to  carry  out  the  order — Brother 
Thomas  is  taken  to  the  palace  of  the  cardinal-archbishop  of 
Milan. —  Examinations  into  his  vocation. — His  constancy.— 
Opinions  of  the  cardinals  more  favourable. — Fruitless 
attempts  of  Henry  Howard  to  shake  his  brother's  resolu- 
tion.— Brother  Thomas  is  sent  to  the  Dominican  convent  at 
Milan. — Renewed  efforts  of  the  Howards  to  carry  their 
point. — Letter  of  the  Countess  of  Arundel. — The  matter 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

PAGH 

referred  to  the  Propaganda.— Brother  Thomas  formally  pro- 
tests against  being  taken  out  of  the  Order. — The  Earl  of 
Arundel  engages  the  aid  of  Sir  Kenelm  Digby. — Sir 
Kenelm's  letter. — Brother  Thomas  is  removed  to  the  con- 
vent of  St.  Sextus  in  Eome. — Henry  Howard  attempts  to 
get  an  order  from  the  Pope  to  shut  out  Brother  Thomas 
from  all  religious  life  :  his  reasons. — Henry  Howard's  letter 
to  the  Earl  of  Arundel. — Failure  of  the  opposition. — 
Brother  Thomas's  letter  to  the  Earl — Brother  Thomas  is 
placed  with  the  Oratorians  of  the  Chiesa  Nuova,  and  finishes 
his  noviciate  there. — He  is  examined  by  Pope  Innocent  X. 
himself,  is  allowed  to  join  the  Order,  and  makes  his  solemn 
profession  ...  .*.  ...  « 78 

CHAPTEK  III. 

Brother  Thomas  Howard  studies  at  Naples. — Makes  an  address 
at  the  general  chapter  of  1650  in  favour  of  the  Order  in 
England. — Obtains  an  order  for  the  province. — Is  sent  to 
Kennes  in  Bretagne. — Is  ordained  priest. — F.  Thomas 
Howard  goes  to  Paris  and  then  into  Belgium,  to  found  an 
English  convent. — Consults  with  F.  Ambrose  Druwe  and 
other  Belgian  Dominicans. — Three  houses  for  consideration. 
—He  comes  into  England  to  raise  means  for  his  convent.— 
F.  William  Fowler. — F.  David  Joseph  Kemeys. — Mr. 
Martin  Russel  joins  the  Order. — Castle  of  Folkingham  in 
Lincolnshire. — F.  Thomas  Howard  returns  into  Belgium.— 
Witnesses  the  solemn  profession  of  Brother  M.  Russel. — 
Chooses  the  convent  of  Bornhem  92 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Early  history  of  the  convent  of  Bornhem  in  East  Flanders. — 
Founded  for  Franciscans  :  Relic  of  the  Holy  Cross. — Ques- 
tion of  possession. — Occupied  by  soldiers. — Given  to  the 
Dominicans  of  Brussels.— They  leave  it.— Occupied  for  a 


CONTENTS.  Xiii 

PAGE 

time  by  the  Dominicans  of  Bois-le-duc. — Gulielmites  of 
Wasia  placed  there. — Negotiations  in  favour  of  the  English 
Dominicans. — Petition  to  the  government. — Mr.  Matthew 
Bedingfeld's  kindness — Ecclesiastical  leave  for  it  granted. — 
Removal  of  the  Gulielmites. — F.  Thomas  Howard  made 
first  prior. — Terms  of  the  royal  license. — Terms  of  the 
baron  of  Bornhem. — F.  William  Collins. — F.  John  Canning. 
— F.  Albert  Anderson. — Brother  George  Daggitt. — F. 
Thomas  Howard  takes  possession  of  the  convent  ...  ...  98 


CHAPTER  Y. 

State  of  the  convent.— F.  Thomas  Howard  improves  it. — Has 
leave  to  dispose  of  his  property  as  he  thinks  best. — English 
Dominicans  abroad  called  into  the  convent. — F.  Vincent 

Torre. — F.   Thomas  Molineux F.   John  Fidden. — Other 

Dominicans  abroad — F.  Gregory  Lovel. — F.  George  Gore. 
— F.  John  Quick — Noviciate  at  Bornhem.  —  F.  John 
Canning — F.  Albert  Anderson. — F.  Lawrence  Thwaits. — 
Brother  George  Daggitt. — F.  John  Jenkin. — Baron  of  Born- 
hem  declared  founder  of  the  convent. — Variance  with  the 
baroness  concerning  her  right  to  enter  the  cloister. — Un- 
reasonable demand  of  the  pastor  of  Bornhem.  —  It  is 
dropped. — F.  Thomas  Howard  often  visits  Prince  Charles 
at  Brussels. — Is  sent  into  England  on  a  secret  mission 
to  aid  the  Royalists'  rising. — Is  associated  with  F.  Richard 
Rookwood  in  the  matter.  —  Reaches  England.  —  Rook- 
wood's  treachery. — F.  Thomas  Howard  flies  in  disguise. 
^Reaches  Belgium  in  safety. — Cause  of  the  defeat  of  the 
Royalists  in  Cheshire. — Rookwood's  after-career  and  fate.— • 
A  secular  college  established  at  Bornhem ;  for  which  F. 
Thomas  Howard  tries  to  buy  a  neighbouring  house. — Francis 
Howard  his  brother  joins  the  Order:  sketch  of  his  life. — 
F.  Thomas  Howard  thinks  of  visiting  Rome,  but  sends  F. 
Martin  Russel  in  his  stead.— Calls  F.  Vincent  Torre  back 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

from  Italy,  who  is  made  novice-master,  and  with  F.  William 
Collins  opens  the  first  school  of  philosophy  for  the  novices. 
— He  is  again  in  England,  at  the  Restoration. — Forwards 
the  king's  marriage  with  a  Catholic  princess  107 

CHAPTER  VI. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  sets  about  founding  a  convent  of  Dominican 
sisters  in  Belgium. — Engages  the  services  of  the  nuns  of 
Tempsche. — Gives  the  habit  to  his  cousin  Antonia  Howard, 
who  takes  the  name  of  Sister  Catherine. — Hires  a  house  at 
Vilvorde. — Elizabeth  (Barbara)  Boyle  joins  the  community. 
—Account  of  Sister  Catherine  Howard. — Her  last  illness  and 
death. — Our  Lady  of  the  Rosary  appears  to  her. — Her  burial. 
— Elizabeth  Howard  her  sister. — Sister  Barbara  Boyle. — 
Opposition  to  the  establishment  of  the  convent  at  Vilvorde  119 

CHAPTER  VII. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  made,  a  second  time,  prior  of  Bornhem. — 
F.  William  Collins. — Brother  Sebastian  Raynaets. — F. 
Thomas  Howard  goes  to  Bornhem. — F.  Thomas  Fidden — 
F.  Thomas  Catchmay  gives  up  the  office  of  vicar-general  of 
the  English  province. — F.  Thomas  Howard  chosen  in  his 
etead. — Returns  into  England — Has  leave  to  delegate  and 
sub-delegate  his  governing  powers.  —  Death  of  Brother 
George  Daggitt — F.  Thomas  Howard  improves  the  secular 
college,  and  adds  new  buildings  to  the  convent. — F.  James 
Goodlad.  —  F.  Joseph  Vere. — F.  Thomas  Howard  again 
at  Bornhem. — Edward  Bing  joins  the  Order;  his  history. — 
Purchase  of  land  for  the  convent.— F,  George  Mildmay. — 
Wilhenson,  a  lay-brother. — F.  Thomas  Howard  aids  the 
English  Franciscan  Tertiary  nuns  to  remove  from  Nieuport 
to  Bruges — Regular  observance  in  the  convent  of  Bornhem. 
— F.  Thomas  Howard  is  created  a  master  of  theology : 


CONTENTS.  XV 

PAGE 

returns  into  England.  —  Marriage  of  Charles  II.  and 
Catherine  of  Braganza.  —  F.  Thomas  Howard  is  made 
first  chaplain  to  the  queen.  —  He  attempts  to  found  a  second 
convent  near  Dieppe;  F.  Vincent  Torre;  F.  Lawrence 
Thwaits.  —  F.  Peter  Atwood  alias  Pitts  ;  Henry  Errington. 
—  F.  Thomas  Howard  visits  his  convent.  —  Brother  Herman 
makes  good  the  cellars.  —  Defence  of  theses  bj  FF.  John 
Canning  and  Lawrence  Thwaits.  —  Profession  of  FF.  Ed- 
ward Bing  and  George  Mildmay.  —  F.  Thomas  Howard 
returns  to  England.  —  Death  of  F,  John  Jenkin.  —  Brother 
Hyacinth  Coomans  ............  123 


CHAPTER 

Zeal  of  F.  Thomas  Howard  as  the  royal  chaplain.  —  The  queen's 
and  master-general's  satisfaction.  —  He  is  continued  prior  of 
Bornhem.  —  Official  appointments  made  by  him.  —  F.  Vincenfc 
Torre,  sub-prior.  —  F.  William  Collins,  confessor  to  the  nuns 
at  Vilvorde.  —  The  sub  -prior's  injudicious  government.  —  The 
secular  college  put  down,  and  the  scholars  sent  to  Vilvorde. 
—John  and  Esme  Howard.  —  Ill-arrangement  of  the  schools. 

—  F.  Antoninus  Wichart.  —  F.  Albert  de  Groet.  —  Disquietude 
about  the  French   observance.  —  The  greater   part   of  the 
Religious  sent  away  to  various  houses.  —  Fruitless  attempt 
to  get  fresh  members.  —  Brother  Henry  Packe.  —  F.  Peter 
Atwood.  —  F.  Thomas  Howard  visits  the  convent.  —  Obtains 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  leave  to  found  the  convent  of  nuns  at 
Vilvorde.  —  Sister  Barbara  Boyle.  —  Sister  Magdalen  Sheldon. 

—  Sister  Catherine  Mildmay  __  Their  house  put  under  F.  John 
Baptist  Verjuyse   prior  of  Antwerp.  —  F.  William   Collins 
sent  to  the  English  mission.  —  F.  Joseph  Vere.  —  F.  Martin 
Russel:    convent  of  Tangier  passed   over   to   the  English 
province         .....................  130 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

PAGE 

F.  Thomas  Howard  is  made  Grand  Almoner  to  queen  Catherine 
of  Braganza. — Duties  and  salary  of  the  office. — His  care  of 
the  Dominican  province. — Endeavours  in  vain  to  obtain  the 
convent  of  St.  Clement  in  Rome  as  a  house  of  studies  and 
the  extraordinary  faculties  granted  to  the  Irish  province. — 
Leave  for  a  father  to  be  at  Paris,  and  a  student  at  the 
Minerva  in  Home. — Slow  progress  of  the  convent  at 
Bornhem. — Brother  Francis  D.  Howard ;  Brother  Hyacinth 

(  Coomans. — Brother  Antoninus  van  Antryve. — F.  Dominic 
Gwillim. — F.Vincent  Torre  ceases  to  be  sub-prior:  F.  Thomas 
Fidden  appointed. — F.  William  Collins  made  prior  of 
Louvain. — Changes  in  the  community — F.  Vincent  Hyacinth 
Cowper.  —  F.  Lewis  Thursby.  —  F.  Ambrose  Grymes  or 
Graham. — F.  "William  Michael  Bertram. — Plague  at 
Bornhem. — Devotion  to  the  Eelic  of  the  Holy  Cross. — F. 
William  Collins  resigns  his  priorship  for  the  English  mission^ 
Brother  Francis  Dominic  Howard. — Brother  Hyacinth 
Coomans.— FF.  John  Canning  and  Lawrence  Thwaits.— 
FF.  Antoninus  Wy chart  and  Albert  de  Groet. — F.  Thomas 
Howard  assists  at  the  congress  for  establishing  peace  between 
England  and  the  United  Provinces. — Visits  Bornhem  and 
Vilvorde. — Increase  of  the  community  of  nuns. — Sister  Jane 
Bergmans. — Sister  Frances  Peck. — Sister  Columba  Pound. 
— Sister  Ann  Busby. — Sister  Barbara  Boyle  made  prioress. — 
Sister  Catherine  Howard. — The  convent  of  Vilvorde  falls  into 
the  ordinary  jurisdiction  of  the  English  province. — War 
between  France  and  Belgium. — Four  soldiers  pillage  the 
convent  of  Bornhem.— -Fright  of  the  novices. — F.  Thomas 
Howard  attempts  to  found  a  city-refuge  at  Antwerp. — He 
returns  into  England.— F.  Hyacinth  Revel.— FF.  Vincent 
H.  Cowper,  Lewis  Thursby,  George  Mildmay,  Dominic 
Gwillim,  Ambrose  Tho.  Grjmes,  and  William  Mich. 


CONTENTS.  XVU 

PAGE 

Bertram. — Convent  of  Tangier  :  Dispute  between  F.  Martin 
Russel  and  the  governor  of  Tangier. — F.  Martin  Russel 
returns  to  England. — Catches  a  fever  on  his  voyage. — Made 
sub- prior  of  Bornhem. — The  convent  of  Tangier  given  to 
the  Irish  Dominicans. — F.  Thomas  Fidden  made  provincial 
procurator  and  called  back  into  England. — FF.  Ambrose  Tho. 
Grymes,  William  Mich.  Bertram,  Thomas  Molineux,  James 
Goodlad  and  Lewis  Thursby. — F.  Thomas  Catchmay  retires 
to  Bornhem  and  dies. — F.  Joseph  Vere. — F.  George  Mildmay 
dies  of  the  plague  at  Brussels. — F.  Thomas  Howard  sent 
by  Queen  Catherine  to  congratulate  the  new  governor  of  the 
Low  Countries. — He  removes  the  nuns  from  Vilvorde  to 
Brussels. — The  opposition  of  the  magistracy  over-ruled  by 
the  governor. — Amortization  of  the  new  convent. — F. 
Dominic  Thomas  Jonston. — F.  Lawrence  Th waits. — F. 
William  Collins. — FF.  Martin  Kussel  and  Edward  Bing 
sent  into  England. — F.  John  Canning  made  vicar  of  the 
convent. — F.  Antoninus  Wichart. — F.  Vincent  Torre. — F. 
Albert  de  Groet. — F.  Thomas  Howard  returns  into  England. 
Makes  F.  John  Canning  sub-prior. — F.  Peter  Atwood. — 
Brother  Francis  Dom.  Howard. — Death  of  F.  Lawrence 
Thwaits. — Improvements  of  the  convent  of  Bornhem.— 
Dispute  with  the  commissary  of  Euppelmond  concerning 
secular  imposts. — A  secular  college  again  formed  at  Bornhem, 
but  given  up. — F.  Edward  Bing. — Roger  Powell. — F. 
Dominic  Gwillim  made  sub-prior — F.  Joseph  Vere. — F. 
John  Canning:  his  death. — F.  George  Gibson. — Death  of 
Brother  Sebastian  Reynaets. — F.  William  Collins. — F. 
Vincent  Torre,  his  false  miracle:  is  sent  to  Brussels. — F. 
Antoninus  Wichart  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  .  135 


XViil  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

PAOB 

F.  Thomas  Howard  held  in  great  esteem  at  the  English  court. 
— He  is  the  guest  and  companion  of  Cosmo  de  Medici  prince 
of  Tuscany. — Marked  out  for  the  English  episcopate. — Fear- 
ful times  threatened  the  Church  in  England. — F.  Thomaa 
Howard  foresees  the  issue  of  events  against  it. — Interests 
the  French  ambassador  and  the  marshall  de  Bellefond  in 
favour  of  Bornhem  convent. — Is  disliked  by  Protestants  for 
promoting  the  Declaration  of  Toleration  in  1672. — Converts 
many  and  among  them  John  Davis  minor- canon  of  Windsor, 
and  John  Greene  a  protege  of  the  dean  and  chapter  of 
Windsor.— Is  persecuted  by  the  chapter  and  threatened 
with  impeachment  in  parliament  for  high  treason. — Is  forced 
to  quit  the  country. — Retires  into  the  convent  of  Bornhem. 
—Mr.  Davis  and  (F.  Raymund)  Greene. — F.  John  Ovington. 
— Mr.  Butler. — F.  Thomas  Howard  takes  up  his  duties  as 
prior. — Declines  the  foundation  of  a  daily  Mass  in  the 

convent  church  for  the  soul  of  Frances  Medina F.  Pius 

Westcote  alias  Lyttelton. — F.  Thomas  Howard  desires  to  go 
to  Home  for  the  jubilee  of  1675. — Meanwhile  a  messenger 
arrives  at  Bornhem,  to  declare  that  he  has  been  created  a 
cardinal. — F.  Thomas  Howard's  surprise  and  emotion. — To 
whom  he  owed  the  favour. — He  celebrates  Mass  and  exposes 
the  Kelic  of  the  Holy  Cross,  and  consults  the  bishop  of 
Antwerp,  to  know  the  Divine  Will  in  the  matter. — Excite- 
ment in  the  convent  of  Antwerp  when  the  news  reached  it: 
Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans. — The  bishop's  decision. — 
Honourable  treatment  of  cardinal  Howard  by  the  bishop 
and  by  the  prior  of  Antwerp. — His  refusal  of  all  secular 
favours.— -The  cardinal  receives  the  berretta  in  Antwerp 
Cathedral. — He  buys  two  houses  in  Antwerp  as  a  college 
for  Bornhem  convent:  the  scheme  eventually  fails. — He  peti- 


CONTENTS.  xix 

PAGE 

tions  the  government  to  have  the  endowment  of  Bornhem  and 
the  number  of  Religious  allowed  there,  increased :  an  unfavour- 
able answer  re  turned. — His  anxiety  about  the  financial  condi- 
tion of  the  convent. — The  countess  of  Bornhem  renews  her 
claim  to  enter  the  convent,  and  that  the  aspersorium  should  be 
offered  her. — The  cardinal  declines  both  concessions. — Anger 
of  the  countess — Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  and  the  count 
of  Bornhem. — The  cardinal's  parting  gifts  to  the  fathers  of 
Bornhem  and  nuns  of  Brussels — F.  Vincent  Torre;  F. 
David  Joseph  Kemeys:  the  former  is  made  vicar-general 
of  the  English  province. — The  cardinal  starts  for  Rome.— 
His  company. — His  receptions  at  the  English  colleges  at 
Douay. — He  goes  to  Paris,  and  thence  to  Rome. — Expenses 
of  his  journey. — Kind  letter  of  his  brother  Henry  earl  of 
Norwich. — Reception  of  the  new  cardinal  at  Rome. — Con- 
gratulatory verses  of  Dr.  James  Alban  Gibbes  150 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Cardinal  Howard  receives  the  hat. — His  titles. — He  is  placed 
on  several  congregations. — His  friendship  with  Sir  Henry 
Tichburne. — Extract  from  the  baronet's  Diurnal  of  Pilgrim- 
age— The  cardinal's  continue'd  care  for  the  Dominican 
province  of  England. — He  obtains  for  it  the  church  and 
convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  in  Rome. — Restores  the 
buildings. — F.  Thomas  White:  marriage  of  James  duke  of 
York  with  Maria  Beatrice  of  Modena. — F.  Jerome  White 
confessor  to  the  duchess  of  York. — F.  Dominic  Pegge. — F. 
Patrick  Ogliby. — F.  Thomas  Cottam. — F.  Joseph  Broughton. 
F.  John  Been. — F.Thomas  Dryden:  working  of  the  penal 
laws  in  England. — F.  Albert  Lovell — F.  Alan  Pennington. 
— Amortization  of  the  convent  of  Bornhem. — The  cardinal's 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  convent  at  Brussels:  three  of 
his  relatives  join  the  sisterhood. — Long  and  renewed  con- 
nection of  the  noble  house  of  Norfolk  with  the  English 
Dominican  province  ...  ...  ...  ...  •••  170 


XX  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

PAOB 

Increase  of  the  hatred  of  the  English  nation  for  the  Catholic 
faith. — Titus  Gates'  great  popish  plot. — Intense  excitement 
of  the  country. — Cardinal  Howard  and  many  English 
Dominicans  brought  into  the  plot  and  impeached  for  high 
treason. — Names  of  the  Dominican  '  conspirators.' — Five 
Dominicans  arrested:  fate  of  the  others. — F.  David  Joseph 
Kemeys  dies  in  prison. — F.  Dominic  Maguire,  afterwards 
Archbishop  of  Armagh. — F.  William  Collins. — F.  Vincent 
Torre  flies. — F.  Thomas  Fidden  dies. — F.  Albert  Anderson 
alias  Munsen  tried  and  condemned  but  reprieved. — F.  Vin- 
cent Hyacinth  Cowper. — F.  Alexander  Lumsden. — F. 
Edward  Bing. — F.  Maurice  Gifford. — F.  Thomas  Molineux. 
— F.  Martin  Russel. — F.  Peter  Atwood  condemned  but 
reprieved:  his  grief  at  losing  the  *  crown  of  martyrdom.' — 
F.  Cornelius  O'Heyn  180 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Condition  of  the  Catholics  in  England  when  James  II.  came 
to  the  throne. — James's  measures  in  favour  of  the  Church.— 
He  sends  an  ambassador  to  Rome  and  receives  a  papal 
nuncio  ;  calls  Catholics  into  the  privy  council ;  authorizes 
Catholics  to  hold  preferments  in  the  Protestant  establish- 
ment; re-establishes  the  court  of  high  commission;  forces 
Catholics  on  the  universities ;  puts  forth  the  Declaration  of 
Indulgence ;  and  re-models  the  municipal  corporate  bodies  of 
England. — The  Revolution. — Cardinal  Howard's  interest  in 
the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  England. — Feast  of  St.  Edward 
the  Confessor. — Cardinal  Howard  made  protector  of  England. 
— His  letter  to  the  English  secular  clergy. — He  recommends 
Holtzhauser's  *  Institutum  Clericorum.' — Rebuilds  the 


CONTENTS.  XXI 

PAGE 

English  college  at  Kome :  his  palace,  now  the  Collegio  Pio. 
— The  cardinal's  dismay  at  the  proceedings  of  James  II.  : 
the  Pope  shares  his  alarm. — Aim  of  the  Pope  and  cardinal. 
—Appointment  of  a  vicar-apostolic. — Dr.  John  Leyburn. — 
Adda,  papal  nuncio. — Character  of  cardinal  Howard  sketched 
by  Macaulay. — Burnet's  account  of  his  visit  to  the  cardinal 
in  Rome. — Division  of  England  into  four  districts:  vicars- 
apostolic  appointed. — Dominicans  in  England. — F.  Dominic 
Gwillim. — F.  Ambrose  Thomas  Grymes. — F,  Lewis 
Thursby. — Miraculous  cure  of  the  'Old  Pretender'  in  his 
babyhood. — Flight  of  James  II. — Fate  of  the  vicars- 

ic  .  193 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Sorrow  of  cardinal  Howard  for  the  renewed  afflictions  of  the 
.  Church  in  England. — He  sees  the  Dominican  Province  placed 
on  a  lasting  and  normal  footing. — He  assists  at  three  con- 
claves for  electing  sovereign  pontiffs.— His  character. — Hia 
illness. — Makes  his  will:  various  legacies  to  his  servants ;  to 
the  Dominican  sisters  of  Brussels,  Brother  Henry  Packe ; 
to  the  Flemish  Ursuline  nuns  in  Rome  ;  to  the  Chiesa  Nuova, 
&c. ;  his  executors  ;  leaves  the  residue  of  his  goods  to  found 
a  college  of  studies  for  tha  convent  of  Bornhem. — Codicil; 
sons  of  John  Dry  den,  poet-laureate :  F.  Thomas  White. — 
Death  of  cardinal  Howard :  his  loss  much  deplored.— 
Portraits, — Place  of  burial.— Epitaph  207 


CHAPTER  XV. 

After-history  of  the  convent  of  Bornhem. — Dedication  of  the 
church. — Observance  of  the  rule. — Pilgrimages  to  the  relics 
of  St.  Amantius. — History  of  the  relics. — The  college  of 
studies  founded  at  Louvain. — Its  history. — List  of  provincials, 
priors,  rectors,  and  prioresses. — The  English  Dominicans  lose 


XXil  CONTENTS. 

'PAGE 
the  convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  in  Rome. — They  attempt 

to  have  it  restored  or  an  equivalent. — A  secular  college 
established  at  Bornhem :  its  great  success  and  fame. — Con- 
vent at  Brussels. — The  sisters  rebuild  it — Establish,  a  school. 
— Notice  of  Sister  Christina  Touchet. — Missionary  work  of 
the  Fathers  in  England. — Chaplains  to  embassies. — F.  Patrick 
Bradley  bishop  of  Derry. — Begular  missions. — The  most 
holy  Rosary :  perpetual  Rosary. — The  French  revolution  and 
invasion  of  the  Low  Countries. — Soldiers  billeted  on  the 
nuns. — The  convent  pillaged. — Soldiers  enter  the  convent  of 
Bornhem,  and  remain  for  three  or  four  days. — Singular  letter 
of  a  French  general. — Success  of  Austria  restores  a  short 

peace Second  invasion  of  the  country. — The  nuns  fly  from 

Brussels  to  Bornhem. — The  fathers  and  nuns  fly. — Trials 
and  hardships. — They  land  in  England. — The  French  take 
Brussels  and  seize  the  convent. — Fate  of  the  house  and  the 
nuns'  property. — Louvain  taken,  and  the  fathers  fly  from  the 
college. — The  village  of  Bornhem  sacked  and  burnt. — The 
convent  set  on  fire  but  saved ;  it  is  pillaged. — Perils  of  F. 
Dominic  Fenwick. — The  three  houses  in  Belgium  declared 
national  property. — The  convent  of  Bornhem  sold  but  bought 
in  by  the  fathers. — They  open  the  secular  college  again.— 
The  constitutional  oath. — Foundation  of  the  province  of  St. 
Joseph  in  the  United  States. — Ill-success  of  the  college.— 
Convent  of  Brussels  sold. — College  of  Louvain  restored  to 
the  fathers,  and  made  into  a  private 'house. — All  the  Belgian 
property  except  Louvain  disposed  of. — The  house  at  Louvain 
again  seized  by  the  government. — Two  burses  in  the  Univer- 
sity founded  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale :  English  Domini- 
cans have  the  preference  to  them. — The  nuns  at  Hartpury, 
Atherstone,  Hurst  Green  and  in  the  Isle  of  Wight. — The 
fathers  open  a  college  and  noviciate  at  Carshalton.— Failure. 
— Threatened  destruction  of  the  province. — Another  spring  215 


THE    LIFE 

OF 

PHILIP  THOMAS  HOWARD,  O.P., 

CABDINAL  OF  NOBFOLK. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  work  which  we  have  here  taken  in  hand  is  the  simple 
narrative  of  the  Life  of  an  English  nobleman,  who  laid  his 
rank  and  riches  aside,  and  became  a  poor  Mendicant  Friar. 
To  a  Religious  who  keeps  strictly  bound  to  his  holy  duties, 
those  varied  incidents  and  changing  fortunes  can  seldom 
happen,  which  charm  the  imagination  and  teach  so  much  in 
the  biographies  of  great  men  in  the  world.  Still,  the  history 
of  Philip  Howard  of  Norfolk  is  interesting  and  useful, 
because  he  played  a  great  part  in  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
affairs  during  the  times  of  the  last  two  English  kings  of  the 
house  of  Stuart,  and  did  honour  to  his  Order  by  giving  fresh 
life  to  the  Dominican  Province  of  England* 

L 

The  Order  of  Friar-Preachers  sprang  up  early  in  the 
thirteenth  century.  The  founder  of  it,  St.  Dominic,*  was 
born  in  the  year  1170  at  Calareuga  in  the  diocese  of  Osma 
and  kingdom  of  Old  Castile.  His  father  Felix  Gusman  was 
one  of  the  grandees  of  Spain,  and  his  mother  Jane  de  Aza 
came  of  a  noble  family.  The  virtue  of  the  Gusman s  was 
greater  than  their  rank.  Dominic's  mother  is  now  among 
the  Blessed  of  the  Church,  as  well  as  his  second  brother 
Mannez  who  joined  the  Order,  whilst  his  eldest  brother 
Anthony,  a  secular  priest,  was  famed  for  his  holy  life.  The 

*  We  refer  our  readers  to  Lacordaire's  "Life  of  St.  Dominic," 
translated  by  W.  G.  Abraham,  Dublin,  1851;  and  to  "The 
Life  of  St.  Dominic,  with  a  Sketch  of  the  Dominican  Order,'' 
London,  1857. 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

legends  tell  us  that  wonders  went  with  the  birth  of  Dominic. 
Shortly  before  he  came  into  the  world,  his  mother  dreamed 
that  she  bore  a  spotted  dog  which  carried  a  lighted  torch  in 
its  mouth  and  set  the  world  on  fire  ;  and  at  his  baptism  his 
godmother  saw  a  bright  star  upon  his  brow  :  foretokens  of 
the  zeal  and  success  of  his  Order,  and  of  the  holiness  which 
lias  placed  him  on  the  Altar.  From  his  childhood  he  led  an 
austere  life,  although  he  passed  ten  years  amidst  the  allure- 
ments of  a  student's  life  in  the  university  of  Palencia. 
Even  then  in  his  great  charity  he  sold  all  the  little  he  had, 
in  order  to  help  the  needy,  and  did  not  shrink  from 
offering  himself  to  Moorish  slavery  that  he  might  ransom  a 
poor  captive. 

When  he  was  twenty-four  years  old  Dominic  became  a 
priest.  About  the  same  time  canons-regular  of  St.  Augustine 
were  placed  at  the  cathedral  of  Osma ;  Dominic  was  called 
into  their  number,  and  put  on  the  canon's  habit.  In  1203 
he  went  with  Diego  de  Azevedo,  bishop  of  Osma,  on  an 
embassy  that  took  him  twice  to  the  royal  court  of  Denmark. 
On  his  way  towards  the  north  he  passed  through  Toulouse, 
and  deeply  was  he  moved  on  seeing  how  frightfully  the 
Albigenscs  had  overrun  Languedoc  with  their  false  teaching 
and  laid  the  Church  waste  with  fire  and  sword.  He  longed 
to  rid  that  fair  province  of  its  heresies  and  bring  it  back  to 
the  Catholic  faith.  In  returning  from  Denmark  the  second 
time,  in  1205,  the  bishop  and  Dominic  made  a  pilgrimage  to 
Borne,  when  Diego  in  vain  begged  the  pope  to  let  him  lay 
aside  his  bishopric  to  go  and  preach  among  the  Cuman 
Tartars,  who  were  plundering  the  eastern  parts  of  Europe. 
They  then  turned  their  steps  towards  Spain.  In  the 
neighbourhood  of  Montpellier  they  met  with  three  papal 
legates  and  several  other  Cistercian  abbots,  whom  the  pope 
had  charged  to  put  down  the  Albigensian  heresy,  as  the 
bishops  and  pastors  neglected  to  guard  their  flocks  from  the 
wolves.  There  Diego  found  his  true  Tartar  mission,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

Dominic  full  scope  for  liis  pent-up  zeal.  The  bishop  had 
leave  from  the  pope  to  preach  for  two  years  in  Languedoc. 
The  Cistercian  legates  and  abbots  had  set  about  their  work 
in  all  the  pomp  of  their  high  estate,  and  had  failed  of  success. 
But  now  following  the  advice  and  example  of  the  bishop,  on 
whom,  says  the  historian,  the  Spirit  of  God  came,  they  sent 
away  their  followers,  horses,  and  carriages.  Then  as  purseless, 
scripless,  and  shoeless  as  the  seventy-two  disciples  of  Christ, 
they  went  forth  with  power  and  signs. 

Dominic  was  one  of  the  few  ecclesiastics  whom  the  bishop 
kept  with  him  out  of  his  retinue.  The  little  band  of 
missioners  preached  throughout  all  the  country,  to  the 
Catholics  in  churches,  and  to  the  Albigenses  in  public  places 
and  private  houses.  Such  were  the  good  effects  of  Dominic's 
toils,  that  all  the  successes  in  Languedoc  have  been  set 
down  to  him,  though  the  bishop  was  the  real  head  of  the 
mission.  Dominic,  indeed,  was  the  very  soul  of  it,  and  drew 
down  upon  himself  the  wrath  of  the  baffled  Albigenses,  so 
that  he  often  ran  the  risk  of  his  life.  But  his  dauntless 
courage  and  child-like  trust  in  Providence  carried  him 
through  every  difficulty  and  snare.  He  found  that  many 
Catholic  children,  especially  females  of  noble  but  reduced 
families,  fell  through  poverty  into  the  hands  of  the 
Albigenses,  or  being  badly  brought  up  became  an  easy  prey 
to  error.  With  the  aid  of  Fulk,  bishop  of  Toulouse,  in  1206, 
he  founded  a  convent*  adjoining  the  church  of  Notre  Dame, 
at  Prouille,  a  small  village  near  Montreal  at  the  foot  of  the 
Pyrenees.  In  this  house,  many  ladies  found  a  safe  shelter 
from  the  moral  corruption  around  them,  and  numbers  were 

*  We  have  used  the  word  convent  for  the  Religious  of  both  sexes, 
though  in  England  the  houses  of  men  are  popularly  called 
monasteries.  In  strict  language  the  Latin  conventus  is  applied  to 
men,  and  monastermm  to  women  ;  but  the  English  meaning  of  the 
words  is  now  reversed. 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

educated  in  a  Christian  manner.  Dominic  put  this  convent 
under  the  Rule  of  St.  Augustine,  and  added  certain  Constitu- 
tions :  it  was  governed  by  a  prioress,  but  he  kept  it  under 
his  own  control,  so  that  it  afterwards  became  the  mother- 
house  of  the  nuns  of  the  Order. 

When  the  bishop  went  back  to  his  diocese  in  1207  he 
gave  up  the  mission  of  Languedoc  to  Dominic,  who  soon 
found  himself  almost  alone,  for  the  Cistercians  withdrew  to 
their  monasteries  and  the  Spaniards  into  their  own  country. 
This  was  a  heavy  trial  to  Dominic,  for  almost  overwhelming 
difficulties  were  gathering  around  him.  In  1208  the  Albi- 
genses  crowned  their  crimes  with  the  open  murder  of  the 
Papal  Legate  :  all  Christendom  was  aroused,  and  a  crusade 
was  proclaimed  against  them  which  lasted  for  many  years. 
Dominic's  energies  rose  with  every  occasion.  Seven  or  eight 
French^and  Spanish  priests  soon  joined  him  and  amongst 
them  his  own  brother  Mannez  :  he  drew  up  a  rule  of  life 
for  them,  but  they  were  not  bound  to  him  by  any  other  tie 
than  their  own  choice.  Still  this  was  the  foreshadow  of  the 
coming  Order.  Dominic  dwelt  chiefly  at  Fanjeaux  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Notre  Dame  de  Prouille,  and  at  Car- 
cassonne, one  of  the  head-quarters  of  the  Albigenses.  He 
took  no  part  in  the  terrible  warfare  between  the  Catholics 
and  the  heretics.  His  great  weapon  was  the  Most  Holy 
Rosary  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  revealed  to  him  by  Mary 
herself,  it  is  said,  in  her  sanctuary  of  Drache  which  was 
one  of  his  favourite  resorts.  He  went  among  the  crusaders 
and  found  disorders,  vice,  and  ignorance  as  great  as  those  of 
the  Albigenses ;  for  most  of  the  mercenaries  joined  the 
Catholic  army  only  for  the  sake  of  bloodshed  and  plunder : 
and  them  too  he  strove  to  recall  to  morality  and  virtue. 
His  work  was  blessed  with  many  miracles.  In  1211  he 
was  praying  in  a  church  on  the  banks  of  the  Garonne  near 
Toulouse  which  the  crusaders  were  besieging,  when  he  was 
disturbed  by  the  cries  of  the  people  outside.  A  band  of 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

forty  English  pilgrims  wending  their  way  to  the  shrine  of 
St.  James  of  Ccrnpostella  had  been  upset  in  a  boat  whilst 
crossing  the  Garonne.  When  he  reached  the  river  the  pil- 
grims had  sunk  beneath  the  water,  and  not  one  was  to  be 
seen.  He  threw  himself  on  the  ground  in  silent  prayer,  and 
then  rising  cried,  "I  command  you  all  in  the  name  of 
Christ  to  come  to  the  bank."  The  pilgrims  immediately 
rose  to  the  surface,  and  all  landed  safely  with  the  help  of 
some  soldiers,  who  flung  their  shields  and  reached  their 
lances  to  them. 

Dominic  laboured  for  ten  years  in  Languedoc.  In  1213 
he  was  for  a  short  time  vicar  of  the  bishop  of  Carcassonne. 
He  had  long  dwelt  on  the  idea  of  forming  an  Order  which 
should  follow  the  highest  counsels  of  the  Gospel  and  preach 
its  morality  to  the  world.  In  1215  he  began  his  foundation 
at  Toulouse.  He  was  joined  there  by  two  wealthy  citizens, 
and  one  of  them  gave  up  his  house  to  him  for  the  use  of  his 
brethren.  There  were  only  seven  altogether  :  they  wore  the 
habit  of  canons-regular  of  St.  Augustine  which  Dominic 
had  always  kept,  and  betook  themselves  to  a  life  of  poverty 
and  praj^er  under  a  conventual  rule. 

The  new  Order  was  powerfully  aided  by  Fulk,  bishop  of 
Toulouse,  who  gave  a  sixth  part  of  the  tithes  of  his  diocese 
to  support  the  brethren.  As  it  was  necessary  for  the 
Roman  See  to  approve  the  Order,  Dominic  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  went  to  Rome  with  the  bishop,  who  had  to  attend  the 
great  Lateran  council.  Innocent  III.  confirmed  the  founda- 
tion at  Prouille  and  took  it  under  the  protection  of  the  Holy 
See,  but  he  hesitated  in  respect  to  the  Order  as  the  general 
council  had  just  forbidden  new  Orders  to  be  formed.  It  is 
said  that  a  dream,  in  which  he  saw  the  Lateran  basilica 
tottering  and  upheld  by  Dominic,  settled  his  doubts.  He 
sent  for  Dominic,  approved  his  plan,  and  bade  him  go  back 
to  his  companions,  and  according  to  the  decree  of  the  coun- 
cil choose  the  rule  of  some  old  Order  for  his  own. 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

Dominic's  brotherhood  had  not  yet  any  name  but  that  of 
Preachers.  About  this  time  Innocent  had  to  write  to  them. 
When  the  secretary  asked  how  the  letters  were  to  be 
directed,  he  replied,  "  To  Brother  Dominic  and  his  com- 
panions." Then  hesitating  he  said,  "  No  let  it  be  To 
Brother  Dominic  and  those  who  preach  with  him  in  the 
country  of  Toulouse."  Again  stopping  he  said,  "  Write  To 
Master  Dominic  and  the  Brother-Preachers."  And  thus  the 
title  of  Friar-Preachers  was  taken  for  the  Order. 

Early  in  the  following  spring  Dominic  went  back  to 
Toulouse.  Whilst  he  was  away  his  little  company  had  in- 
creased from  seven  to  sixteen :  eight  were  Frenchmen,  seven 
were  Spaniards,  and  one  was  an  Englishman  named  Law- 
rence who  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  pilgrims  saved  from 
drowning  in  the  Garonne.  In  April  Dominic  and  his  six- 
teen Freres  (or  Friars)  met  at  Prouille  and  chose  the  Rule 
of  St.  Augustine,  which  being  very  simple  could  be  moulded 
into  almost  any  form ;  and  to  it  were  added  particular 
Constitutions  from  the  Premonstratentians,  so  as  to  form 
an  admirable  code  of  laws  for  the  new  Order.  To  the  three 
great  religious  vows  of  chastity,  poverty,  and  obedience,  were 
joined,  the  divine  office  (with  midnight  matins)  in  choir, 
perpetual  abstinence,  fasting  from  Holy  Cross  day  (Sept. 
14th)  to  Easter  and  on  all  Fridays  and  certain  vigils, 
cloistral  silence,  and  the  close  study  of  the  divine  and 
human  sciences ;  with  preaching  to  the  faithful  and  to 
infidels  and  giving  the  Sacraments  of  Penance  and  the  Holy 
Eucharist.*  Thus  the  contemplative  life  of  the  coenobite 

*  The  Order  inherits  the  peculiar  spirit  of  its  Founder  in  his 
devotion  towards  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  towards  the  Blessed 
Virgin  particularly  in  the  Most  Holy  Rosary,  and  towards  the 
dead.  The  feast  and  octave  of  Corpus  Christi  are  kept  by  the 
Dominicans  with  extraordinary  solemnities  equal  to  those  of  Easter 
and  Christmas.  The  full  office  of  the  dead  said  chorally  ever/ 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

and  the  active  life  of  the  missionary  were  united  :  the  duties 
of  Mary  and  Martha  were  blended  into  one  harmonious 
service. 

When  Dominic  got  back  to  Toulouse  the  bishop  and 
chapter  gave  him  three  churches  in  the  diocese ;  close  to 
that  of  St.  Romanus  in  the  city  he  built  a  convent  and 
removed  from  the  private  house.  In  September  he  took  a 
copy  of  the  rule  to  Rome,  but  met  with  some  delay  in 
having  it  approved,  as  Innocent  III.  had  died  and  his 
successor  was  at  Perugia.  At  last  he  obtained  two  bulls, 
December  22nd,  from  Honorius  III.  sanctioning  and  con- 
firming the  Order.  For  some  months  he  was  kept  by  the 
pope  to  preach  in  Rome,  which  he  did  with  wonderful 
success.  He  often  saw  the  servants  and  followers  of  the 
cardinals  idling  about  the  antechambers  of  the  sacred 
palace  and  wasting  their  time  in  gambling,  whilst  their 
masters  were  taken  up  with  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  He 
was  'pained  at  such  sad  conduct  and  suggested  to  the  pope 
how  useful  it  would  be  to  have  some  one  for  instructing  and 
reforming  them.  The  pope  thereupon  created  the  office  of 
Master  of  the  Sacred  Palace  and  appointed  Dominic  to  it. 
Many  important  duties  have  been  added  to  this  office,  as 
the  Master  is  now  the  pope's  theologian,  and  censor  of  all 
works  published  in  Rome,  assists  in  consistories,  grants  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  divinity  at  court  after  the  examination, 
and  names  the  pope's  preachers  :  the  charge  has  always 
been  held  by  a  Dominican.  In  May  1217  Dominic  was 
again  at  St.  Romanus  bent  on  the  spread  of  his  Order. 
On  the  feast  of  the  Assumption  (Aug.  15th)  the  sixteen 
friars  met  at  Prouille  and  made  the  profession  of  the 

•week  (except  at  Easter  and  Pentecost)  was  imposed,  in  1551,  in 
place  of  the  vigil  of  three  lessons,  which  before  was  used  daily. 
The  Order  of  St.  Dominic  still  keeps  its  first  liturgy  and  rites. 


8  INTKODUCTION. 

three  solemn  vows  in  his  hands,  and  the  nuns  added  to 
theirs  a  fourth  vow  of  enclosure.  The  Dogs  of  the  Lord 
were  now  let  loose  to  cast  that  fire  on  the  earth  which  He 
longed  so  much  to  kindle.  Two  of  the  friars  were  to  remain 
at  Prouille  for  directing  the  nuns  and  two  at  Toulouse ; 
seven  and  among  them  Lawrence  the  Englishman  were 
sent  to  establish  the  Order  in  Paris,  and  four  into  Spain 
and  Portugal,  whilst  one  was  to  go  into  the  East  with 
Dominic,  whose  day-dream  was  to  gain  infidels  to  Christ 
or  to  win  the  palm  of  martyrdom.  They  chose  one  to 
govern  the  Order  in  their  founder's  absence  and  styled  him 
abbot :  a  title  never  used  again,  for  since  1220  the  head  of 
the  Order  has  been  called  simply  the  master-general. 

After  taking  several  fresh  subjects  into  the  Order  Dominic 
started  out  a  fourth  time  for  Rome,  and  arrived  there 
about  the  close  of  the  year,  on  his  way  to  those  eastern 
countries,  which  he  was  never  to  reach.  Pope  Honorius 
treated  him  very  kindly  and  gave  him  the  church  of  St. 
SixtuS  for  a  convent.  Whilst  the  half-built  house  next  the 
church  was  being  finished  Dominic  gave  theological  lectures 
in  the  sacred  palace  and  in  the  city  and  preached  in  many 
of  the  churches.  He  had  been  divinely  guided  to  the  great 
and  crying  want  of  the  age :  evangelical  poverty  against 
worldliness,  and  zeal  against  lukewarmness ;  and  by  minis- 
tering to  the  keenest  spiritual  yearnings  of  the  heart,  he 
reached  the  feelings  of  the  people.  His  winning  speech  and 
holy  manners,  with  his  fame  as  the  Thaumaturgus  or  great 
wonder-worker  of  the  time,  drew  immense  crowds  around 
him,  and  he  soon  numbered  a  hundred  disciples  in  his  new 
cloister.  His  frequent  miracles,  even  to  bringing  the  dead 
back  to  life,  were  the  talk  of  Rome  and  all  the  neighbouring 
country. 

"  While  the  brethren  were  still  living  at  St.  Sixtus  and 
were  a  hundred  in  number,  on  a  certain  day  blessed  Dominic 
ordered  Friar  John  of  Calabria  and  Friar  Albert  the  Roman 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

to  go  about  the  city  and  quest  for  alms.  But  they  employed 
themselves  to  no  purpose  from  morning  till  the  third  hour 
of  the  day.  They  were  going  home  again  and  had  already 
reached  the  church  of  St.  Anastasia,  when  a  woman  met 
them  who  was  very  devout  towards  the  Order :  seeing  that 
they  were  carrying  nothing  back  she  gave  them  a  loaf,  say- 
ing, '  I  will  not  have  you  return  quite  empty.'  A  little  far- 
ther on  a  man  came  up  and  earnestly  begged  charity.  They 
excused  themselves  from  giving  because  they  had  nothing 
for  themselves ;  but  as  the  man  only  went  on  to  press  them 
all  the  more  they  said  to  each  other,  *  What  shall  we  do 
with  one  loaf  ?  Let  us  give  it  him  for  the  love  of  God.' 
Then  they  gave  him  the  bread;  and  forthwith  they  lost 
sight  of  him*  Now  as  they  were  going  into  the  convent  the 
pious  Father,  to  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  had  already  shown 
what  had  passed,  went  to  meet  them,  and  said  with  a  cheer- 
ful voice,  '  Children,  have  you  nothing  ?'  '  No,  Father/ 
they  answered ;  and  they  told  him  what  had  happened,  and 
how  they  had  given  the  loaf  to  a  poor  man.  He  said  to 
them,  '  It  was  an  angel  of  the  Lord.  The  Lord  will  know 
how  to  feed  His  own.  Let  us  go  and  pray.'  Thereupon 
he  went  into  the  church,  and  coming  out  in  a  short  time 
he  told  the  brethren  to  call  the  community  into  the  refec- 
tory. '  But,  holy  Father,'  they  said,  *  how  can  you  have  us 
call  them,  as  there  is  nothing  for  them?'  And  they  pur- 
posely delayed  to  do  what  he  told  them.  On  this  the 
blessed  Father  sent  for  Friar  Roger  the  cellarer  and 
commanded  him  to  assemble  the  brethren  for  dinner,  for 
the  Lord  would  see  to  their  wants.  Then  the  cloths  were 
laid  and  the  cups  were  set  out,  and  at  the  signal  the  whole 
community  went  into  the  refectory.  The  holy  Father  gave 
the  blessing,  and  when  all  were  seated  Friar  Henry  the 
Eoman  began  the  reading.  Meanwhile  blessed  Dominic  was 
praying  with  his  hands  clasped  upon  the  table :  when  lo  I 
all  at  once,  just  as  he  had  promised  by  the  inspiration  of 


10  INTKODUCTION. 

the    Holy  Ghost,   two    beautiful   young  men   ministers  of 
Divine  Providence  appeared  in   the   midst  of  the  refectory 
carrying  loaves  in  two  white  napkins,  which  hung  from  their 
shoulders  before  and  behind.     They  began  to  give  out  the 
bread  from  the  lowest  rows  one  on  the  right  and  the  other 
on  the  left,  and  set  a  whole  wonderfully-beautiful  loaf  before 
each  brother.     And  when  they  had  come  to  blessed  Dominic 
and  had  likewise  put  a  whole  loaf  before   him  they  bowed 
their  heads  and  vanished,  without  any  one  knowing  to  this 
day  whither    they    went   or    whence   they   came.      Blessed 
Dominic  said,  '  My  brethren,  eat  the  bread  the  Lord  hath 
sent  you.'     Then  he  told  the  serving  brothers  to  pour  out 
the  wine ;  but  they  answered,  '  Holy  Father,  there  is  none/ 
Then  the  blessed  Father  full  of  the  prophetic  spirit  said  to 
them,  '  Go  to  the  cask  and  pour  out  for  the  brethren  the 
wine  the  Lord  hath  sent  them/     So  they  went  and  found 
the  cask  brimful  of  excellent  wine,  which  they  hastened  to 
carry.     And  blessed  Dominic  said,  (  Drink,  my  brethren,  of 
the   wine  the  Lord   hath   sent  you.'     Then  they   eat   and 
drank  as  much  as  they  would,  that  day  and  the  next  and 
the  day  after.     But  after  the  meal  on  the  third  day  he  had 
all  of  the  bread  and  wine  over  given  to  the  poor,  and  would 
not  have  any  of  it  kept  longer  in  the  house."     Friar  Law- 
rence of  England,  who  had  been  called  from  Paris  to  Home, 
was  present ;    and   he  and  others  who  were  there  told  all 
about  it  to  the  nuns  of  St.  Mary  beyond  Tiber  and  even 
gave  them  some  of  the  bread  and  wine,  which  they  long 
kept  as  relics.     Hence  in  the  Order   came   the   custom   of 
serving  from  the  lowest  tables  upwards  and  of  gathering  up 
the  crumbs  after  meals. 

In  summer  1218  Dominic  went  to  Bologna,  where  the 
year  before  a  house  had  been  formed;  thence  to  Toulouse 
and  before  Christmas  he  was  at  Segovia  in  Old  Castile, 
where  he  gathered  many  disciples  together  in  a  -convent. 
Then  he  went  to  Madrid  and  changed  the  house  raised 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

there  into  a  convent  for  sisters.  Many  other  houses  were 
founded  in  Spain ;  hut  what  share  Dominic  himself  had  in 
them  is  not  certain.  He  established  his  great  Confraternity 
of  the  Eosary  everywhere  he  went.  In  April  1219  he  was 
again  at  Toulouse,  and  ahout  June  went  to  Paris,  where 
the  friars  after  suffering  the  greatest  want  for  two  months 
had  settled  in  a  convent  and  had  the  church  of  St.  James. 
At  first  some  of  them  had  tremhled  to  go  to  Paris  and 
perhaps  would  have  given  it  up  altogether  had  it  not  been 
for  Friar  Lawrence  the  Englishman,  "  For  as  they  drew 
nigh  to  that  large  city  they  went  along  in  much  doubt  and 
sorrow,  because  in  their  humility  they  greatly  feared  to 
preach  in  such  a  renowned  university,  where  there  were  so 
many  famous  doctors  and  masters  skilful  in  sacred  science. 
But  to  give  them  courage,  God  let  His  servant  Lawrence 
know  all  that  would  afterwards  happen  to  this  mission  and 
all  the  favours  He  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  would  show  them 
in  their  house  of  St.  James  and  all  the  bright  stars  both 
of  holiness  and  learning  that  would  rise  thence  and  en- 
lighten not  only  the  Order  but  the  whole  Church.  Which 
revelation  as  it  greatly  comforted  the  soul  of  Friar  Law- 
rence, he  likewise  told  to  his  companions,  to  enliven  them 
also.  And  they  believed  it  for  the  opinion  they  all  had  of 
the  holiness  of  that  servant  of  God  and  they  had  a  lively 
faith.  Wherefore  they  went  joyfully  into  the  city ;  and  all 
things  happened  there  as  he  had  foretold." 

Dominic  found  thirty  Keligious  at  Paris.  After  he  had 
settled  their  discipline  he  sent  out  some  to  establish  houses 
in  various  cities  of  France,  as  at  Limoges,  Lyons,  Rheims, 
Poitiers  and  Orleans.  At  Paris  too  he  met  Alexander  II.  of 
Scotland,  who  pressed  him  to  send  some  of  the  brethren  into 
his  kingdom  and  promised  them  his  royal  countenance.  On 
his  way  back  to  Bologna  he  founded  convents  at  Avignon, 
Asti,  Bergamo,  and  Milan.  In  the  course  of  eight  mouths 
he  had  spread  his  Order  throughout  all  Spain  and  France. 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

At  midsummer  1219  Dominic  was  again  at  Bologna  and 
sent  some  of  his  brethren  to  preach  in  all  the  north  of  Italy. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  year  he  made  his  fifth  visit  to  Rome. 
At  that  time  nuns  were  not  generally  required  to  keep  strictly 
enclosed  and  they  spent  their  leisure-hours  in  entertaining 
relatives  and  friends  at  home  and  in  visiting  them  abroad. 
The  evils  of  such  a  lax  discipline  made  Innocent  III.  anxious 
to  gather  all  the  nuns  of  Rome  into  one  house  of  enclosure 
to  be  added  to  the  church  of  St.  Sixtus.  Even  his  authority 
quailed  in  the  storm  of  tongues  which  the  encroachment  on 
ancient  rights  and  privileges  stirred  up.  Innocent  died  before 
the  building  of  the  convent  was  finished.  Honorius  III. 
tasked  Dominic  with  the  reform,  and  joined  with  him  the 
cardinals  Ugolino  bishop  of  Ostia,  Stephen  of  Fossa  Nuova, 
and  Nicholas  bishop  of  Frascati.*  Dominic  strove  to  follow 
out  the  plan  of  Innocent  III.  and  offered  to  give  up  the 
convent  of  St.  Sixtus  to  the  nuns.  For  some  time  he  did  no 
good,  but  at  last  the  nuns  of  St.  Mary  beyond  Tiber,  who 
had  stood  out  most  of  all,  yielded  to  his  holy  words  and  even 
vowed  obedience  to  him.  On  Ash  Wednesday,  which  that 
year  (1220)  fell  on  February  llth,  the  three  cardinals  and 
Dominic  met  in  the  chapter-room  of  St.  Sixtus  where  the  abbess 
gave  up  her  authority  to  Dominic  and  his  brethren.  "  Whilst 
blessed  Dominic  was  seated  with  the  cardinals,"  says  an  eye- 
witness, "  the  abbess  and  all  her  nuns  being  present,  lo !  a 

*  Many  later  authors  say  that  this  happened  in  1218.  Such  a 
date  does  not  at  all  tally  with  what  took  place  about  that  time, 
and  moreover  it  clashes  with  pontifical  grants  to  the  friars  and  the 
nuns.  We  have  followed  the  learned  editor  of  the  JBuUarium 
Ordinis  Prcedicatorum,  as  he  has  the  best  ancient  historians  on  his 
side  and  is  guiltless  of  any  anachronisms. 

Nicholas  cardinal-bishop  of  Frascati  was  not  raised  to  his  high 
rank  in  the  Church  till  1219,  so  that  the  reform  of  the  nuns  could 
not  have  been  earlier  than  that  year. 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

man  rushed  in  tearing  his  hair  and  uttering  loud  cries. 
When  he  was  asked  the  cause  he  said,  '  The  nephew  of  my 
lord  Stephen  has  just  fallen  from  his  horse  and  is  killed.' 
Now  the  young  man's  name  was  Napoleon.  His  uncle  hear- 
ing it  fell  fainting  on  the  breast  of  blessed  Dominic.  They 
supported  him,  and  Blessed  Dominic  rose  and  threw  holy 
water  on  him  and  then  leaving  him  in  the  arms  of  others 
ran  to  the  spot  where  the  young  man's  body  was  lying  bruised 
and  horribly  mangled.  He  ordered  them  to  remove  it 
directly  into  another  room  and  to  keep  it  there.  Then  he 
desired  brother  Tancred  and  the  rest  to  get  everything  ready 
for  Mass.  Blessed  Dominic,  the  cardinals,  friars,  the  abbess 
and  her  nuns  all  went  to  the  place  where  the  altar  stood,  and 
blessed  Dominic  offered  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  with  many 
tears.  And  when  he  came  to  elevate  the  Body  of  the  Lord 
and  held  it  up  between  his  hands  as  usual,  he  was  himself 
raised  a  palm  from  the  ground  in  the  sight  of  all  and  to  their 
great  wonder.  When  Mass  was  over  he  went  back  to  the 
body  of  the  dead  man,  along  with  the  cardinals,  abbess,  nuns 
and  the  others.  And  when  he  was  there  he  straightened  the 
limbs  one  by  one  with  his  holy  hands.  Then  he  prostrated 
himself  on  the  ground  praying  and  weeping.  Thrice  he 
touched  the  'face  and  limbs  of  the  dead  man  to  put  them  in 
their  place,  and  thrice  he  prostrated  himself.  When  he  had 
risen  the  third  time  he  stood  by  the  head  and  made  the  sign 
of  the  Cross ;  and  then  with  his  hands  stretched  out  towards 
heaven  and  his  body  raised  more  than  a  palm  from  the 
ground  he  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  '  0  young  man, 
Napoleon,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  say  to 
thee,  arise.'  And  immediately  before  all  those  who  had  been 
drawn  together  by  such  a  wonderful  sight  the  young  man 
arose  unhurt  and  said  to  the  blessed  Dominic,  *  Father,  give 
me  to  eat.'  And  blessed  Dominic  gave  him  to  eat  and  drink 
and  restored  him  joyful  and  scarless  to  his  uncle  the 
cardinal."  In  grateful  thanks  to  Heaven  for  his  nephew 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

being  thus  wonderfully  brought  back  to  life  cardinal  Stephen 
gave  to  the  convent  of  St.  Sixtus  the  yearly  rent  of  fifty 
marks  (£33.  6s.  Sd.)  out  of  the  revenues  of  the  parish-church 
of  Bamborough  in  Northumberland.  This  church  then 
belonged  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Oswald  of  Nostel  in  York- 
shire :  the  sub-prior  and  cellarer  who  happened  to  be  at  the 
Roman  court  agreed  to  the  gift,  which  was  confirmed  by 
Honorius  III.  and  in  1244  by  Innocent  IV.  The  nuns 
enjoyed  the  rent  for  two  hundred  years,  when  it  was  dis- 
puted and  fell  into  arrears,  till  in  1428  land  in  Italy  and 
8086  florins  of  gold  were  given  in  place  of  it. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent  following  (Feb.  15th)  the 
nuns,  about  forty  in  number,  settled  at  St.  Sixtus.*  The 
first  of  them  who  begged  of  Dominic  the  habit  of  his  Order 
was  Sister  Cecily,  and  she  was  followed  by  all  the  rest ;  and 
thus  the  third  house  of  women  was  formed  in  the  Order. 
Sister  Cecily  who  was  of  the  family  of  the  Cesarini  was  then 
young.  She  afterwards  became  prioress  of  the  convent  of 
St.  Agnes  at  Bologna,  and  about  1240  dictated  to  Sister 
Angelica  what  she  had  heard  or  seen  of  St.  Dominic  :  we 
have  taken  her  narratives  of  the  two  miracles  at  St.  Sixtus. 

From  St.  Sixtus,  the  friars  removed  to  St.  Sabina  which 
the  pope  gave  them.  Among  those  who  witnessed  the 
raising  of  Napoleon  Orsini  were  Ivo  bishop  of  Cracow,  and 
his  two  nephews  Hyacinth  and  Ceslaus  canons  of  his 
cathedral.  The  last  two,  with  Henry  of  Moravia  and  Herman 
a  German  noble,  entered  the  Order,  and  in  a  few  months  were 
sent  out  as  missionaries.  The  apostolate  of  Hyacinth 
extended  over  the  northern  and  eastern  nations  of  Europe 
and  into  Asia  even  to  China ;  while  Ceslaus  planted  the 
Order  in  Bohemia.  The  first  is  now  a  canonized  Saint,  the 
second  a  Blessed  in  the  Church.  Henry  went  into  Styria 

*  The  nuns  left  St.  Sixtus  in  1572 ;  and  in  1602  it  was  given 
back  to  the  friars. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

and  Austria  and  founded  many  convents  particularly  that  of 
Vienna.  Herman  governed  a  convent  at  Friesack.  One  of 
the  greatest  who  gave  his  name  to  the  Order  at  St.  Sahina 
was  Keginald  of  Orleans,  doctor  of  canon  law  in  the  uni- 
versity of  Paris.  Twice  he  had  a  vision  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  hearing  a  white  scapular  as  the  habit  of  the  new 
Order,  in  consequence  of  which  Dominic  had  the  linen 
surplice  of  the  canons-regular  laid  aside.* 

Honorius  III.  made  Dominic,  in  a  formal  manner,  master- 
general  of  the  Order.  Dominic  called  a  general  chapter  of 
his  brethren  to  meet  at  Pentecost  (May  27th)  in  the  convent 
of  St.  Nicholas  at  Bologna.  In  this  chapter  the  laws  of  the 
abstinence  and  fasting  and  the  authority  of  superiors  were 
passed;  and  it  was  decreed  that  the  brethren  were  not  to 
have  any  property  but  to  live  solely  on  the  alms  of  the  faith- 
ful, and  that  the  chapter  should  meet  every  year.  Both 
these  decrees  had  to  be  changed  in  after-ages.  When  charity 
grew  cold  and  the  desolation  of  the  great  Kevolt  stood  in 
holy  places,  it  was  needful  for  the  convents  to  have  fixed 
revenues.  And  as  the  Order  spread  the  fathers  could  not 
meet  every  year,  nor  was  it  so  much  called  for  when  its 
government  was  firmly  settled.! 

*  The  full  habit  of  the  Friar- Preachers  is,  a  tunic  (with  a 
girdle),  a  scapular  hanging  loose,  and  a  capuce,  all  white.  la 
public  and  during  winter  in  choir  a  black  cappa  or  cloak  and  capuce 
are  worn ;  whence  in  England  the  Dominicans  were  formerly  called 
Black  Friars.  In  tropical  climates  where  the  cappa  is  less  worn 
they  became  known  as  the  White  Robes  or  White  Priests. 
Woollen  only  is  used,  all  other  materials  being  strictly  forbidden. 

t  The  Order  is  governed  by  a  master-general  with  his  council  of 
definitors,  elected  by  the  general  chapter,  formerly  for  life,  now  for 
twelve  years ;  each  Province,  by  a  prior-provincial  and  his  defini- 
tors, chosen  by  the  provincial  chapter,  usually  every  four  years ; 


16  INTBODUCTION. 

Dominic  never  quitted  Italy  again ;  be  went  about  preacb- 

ing  from  tbe  Alps   to   tbe  Apennines   and  particularly   in 

Lombardy.     Tbe  nortb  of  Italy  was  overrun  like  Languedoc 

witb   false  doctrines,   and  tbe   Cburcb  was   oppressed   and 

stripped  by  its  foes.     To  defend  it  be  set  on  foot  tbe  Militia 

of  Jesus  Christ.     Tbis  was  an  association  of  persons  of  both 

eexes  in  tbe  world,  wbo  witbout  vows  took  upon  themselves 

as  far  as  possible  a  religious  life  in  tbeir  own  bouses,  keeping 

certain  fasts,  vigils,  and  abstinences,  and  saying  a  number  of 

Paters  and  Aves  every  day  instead  of  tbe  divine  office.     Tbe 

men  were  bound  to  upbold  tbe  Cburcb  and  its  rigbts  by  all 

due  means  witbin  tbeir  power.     Some  writers  say  tbat  tbis 

Militia  was  formed  about  twelve  years  earlier  under  tbe  same 

circumstances  in  Languedoc  ;  but  tbis  is  very  doubtful.     In 

course  of  time  tbe  association  ceased  to  be  military,  and 

became    wbolly    religious    as    a    Tbird    Order    called    The 

Brothers  and  Sisters  of  Penance  of  St.  Dominic.     Tbougb  in 

tbe  main  it  is  secular,  a  conventual  brancb  bas  sprung  up  in 

it.     It  bas  been  very  fruitful  in  Jibe  Saints  and  boly  persons 

it  bas  given  to  tbe  Cburcb  and  to  tbe  Order.* 


and  each  convent  by  a  prior  elected  by  the  qualified  fathers  usually 
every  three  years,  -with  his  conventual  council. 

*  The  Third  Order  of  Penance  of  S  t.  Dominic  flourishes  under 
the  most  solemn  sanctions  of  the  Church.  Besides  the  strict  con- 
ventual branch,  there  are  two  other  classes  of  Tertiaries  (as  the 
members  arc  called),  one  in  -which  the  Tertiaries  in  the  world 
profess  the  Rule  openly,  have  an  elected  prior,  and  hold  regular 
chapters  ;  the  other  in  which  they  wear  the  habit  in  secret  and 
practise  the  rule  in  the  bosom  of  their  families  or  in  the  secular 
college.  The  first  of  these  classes  is  numerously  spread  throughout 
Ireland,  the  second  chiefly  prevails  in  England.  Tertiaries  gain 
immense  spiritual  privileges  and  blessings,  as  they  fully  share  iii  the 
merits  of  the  whole  Order,  and  by  saying  their  office  are  joined  with 
the  prayer  of  the  Church.  In  its  threefold  spirit  of  prayer,  penance, 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

In  December  1220  Dominic  paid  his  sixth  and  last  visit 
to  the  city  of  the  great  Apostles.  Honorius  III.  granted  him 
many  graces  for  his  Order.  In  ahout  four  months,  as  the 
time  for  the  second  general  chapter  was  drawing  nigh,  he 
went  back  to  Bologna,  and  there  presided  over  the  assembly 
at  Pentecost  (May  30th)  1221.  The  Order  was  now  spread 
over  Spain,  France,  Italy,  and  Germany :  it  had  sixty  con- 
vents, and  more  were  being  built.  A  simple  legend  says, 
that  two  of  the  brethren  going  to  Bologna  for  the  chapter 
were  joined  by  a  man,  who  began  to  talk  with  them.  When 
they  told  him  it  was  likely  that  friars  would  be  sent  into 
Hungary,  England,  and  Greece,  he  cried  out  in  anguish, 
"  Your  Order  is  my  confusion."  Then  he  leaped  up  into  the 
air  and  vanished,  and  they  knew  him  to  be  the  great  enemy 
of  man.  It  was  settled  by  the  chapter  to  carry  the  torch  of 

and  works  of  mercy,  the  Third  Order  has  been  looked  on  even  by 
the  greatest  Saints  as  one  of  the  most  powerful  means  to  forward 
holiness  of  life  in  the  world.  The  late  Dr.  Paber,  in  Ids  work 
"The  Blessed  Sacrament:  or,  The  Works  and  Ways  of  God," 
says  that  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic  "  rivals  Carmel  as  a 
mystical  garden  of  delights  to  the  Heavenly  Spouse."  And  then 
he  speaks  of  it  in  a  still  higher  strain  of  admiration.  "  It  is  not 
one  of  the  least  blessings  for  which  English  Catholics  have  to  thank 
the  infinite  compassion  of  their  Lord  during  the  last  few  years,  that 
we  possess  now  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic  in  England. 
Those  who  are  conversant,  indeed  who  find  the  strength  and  con- 
solation of  their  lives,  iii  the  Acts  of  the  Saints,  well  know  that 
there  is  not  a  nook  of  the  mystical  paradise  of  our  Heavenly 
Spouse  where  the  flowers  grow  thicker  or  smell  more  fragrantly 
than  this  Order  of  multitudinous  child-like  Saints.  Nowhere  in 
the  Church  does  the  Incarnate  Word  show  His  *  delight  at  being 
"with  the  children  of  men'  in  more  touching  simplicity,  with  more 
unearthly  sweetness,  or  more  spouselike  familiarity,  than  in  this  the 
youngest  family  of  St.  Dominic.'* 
2 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

Dominic  into  Hungary  and  England.  The  whole  Order  was 
divided  into  eight  provinces,  Spain,  Provence,  France, 
Lombardy,  Kome,  Germany,  Hungary,  and  England ;  and  a 
prior-provincial  was  set  over  each  of  them,  while  for  the  last 
two  kingdoms  a  number  of  friars  were  chosen  and  sent 
straight  into  those  countries. 

The  work  of  Dominic  was  now  almost  over;  and  God 
forewarned  him  that  his  time  of  rest  was  at  hand.  From 
Bologna  he  went  to  Venice,  and  founded  the  house  of 
SS.  John  and  Paul.  On  his  way  back  he  stopped  at  Milan, 
and  he  preached  as  usual  in  places  as  he  passed  along.  But 
he  was  worn  out  with  his  austerities  and  toils,  although  he 
was  only  in  the  51st  year  of  his  age.  As  he  drew  nigh  to 
Bologna,  at  the  close  of  July,  he  felt  unusually  overcome  by 
the  summer-heat.  When  he  reached  St.  Nicholas  a 
dysenteric  fever  seized  him,  and  he  began  to  sink  rapidly. 
As  change  of  air  was  thought  good  for  him  he  was  taken  to 
St.  Mary-on-the-Mount  outside  the  city,  where  he  received 
Extreme  Unction  and  made  his  last  bequest  to  his  children 
in  God  :  ' '  Have  charity,  keep  humility,  and  uphold  voluntary 
poverty."  He  desired  to  be  buried  in  his  own  church  "  at 
the  feet  of  his  brethren ;"  so  he  was  carried  back  to  his 
convent  though  it  was  feared  he  would  have  died  on  the  way. 
He  had  no  cell  of  his  own,  for  he  spent  all  his  nights  in 
prayer  within  the  church  and  only  snatched  short  repose 
upon  the  altar- step  or  floor.  He  was  taken  into  the  cell  of 
one  of  the  brethren.  They  began  the  service  for  the  dying, 
and  when  they  came  to  the  words,  Subvenite,  sancti  Dei ; 
occurrite,  angeli  Domini,  Suscipientes  animam  ejus  offerentes 
earn  in  conspectu  Altissimi,  he  raised  his  hands  to  heaven  and 
calmly  fell  asleep  in  Christ. 

Saint  Dominic  died  about  noon  Friday  Aug.  6th  1221.  He 
was  solemnly  canonised  July  3rd  1234  by  Gregory  IX.,  and 
as  the  Transfiguration  of  our  Lord  was  kept  on  the  day  of 
his  death  his  feast  was  fixed  for  the  5th.  But  when  the 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

Dedication  of  the  basilica  of  St.  Mary  ad  Nives  was  ordered 
for  Aug.  5th,  Clement  VIII.  changed  his  festival  to  the  4th. 
The  body  of  St.  Dominic  rests  under  a  beautiful  tomb  in  the 
church  of  St.  Nicholas,  yet  not  so  fair  and  lasting  as  the  love 
and  reverence  for  him  in  the  hearts  of  his  children  who 
follow  in  the  path  he  trod. 

n. 

When  St.  Dominic  was  called  to  rest  from  his  labours  the 
work  which  Divine  Providence  had  fixed  for  him  to  begin  was 
carried  on  by  his  chosen  sons.  Far  and  wide  have  they 
spread  their  apostolate  through  every  region  of  the  world. 
Within  ten  years  after  his  death  the  whole  of  Europe  divided 
into  eleven  provinces  was  colonized  with  Friar- Preachers ; 
for  in  1228  were  formed  the  provinces  of  Poland  with  Kussia, 
Denmark  with  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  Greece.  In  after- 
ages  as  convents  increased  in  number  or  otherwise  were 
called  for,  these  eleven  provinces  were  again  parcelled  out, 
and  down  to  the  beginning  of  last  century  twenty-four  were 
added  to  the  European  list.  The  province  of  the  Two 
Sicilies  was  formed  in  1294,  Arragon,  Bohemia,  in  1301 ; 
Provence,  Saxony,  in  1303  ;  Dalmatia  in  1308 ;  Island  of 
Sicily  in  1395 ;  Portugal  in  1417 ;  Scotland  in  1481 ;  Ire- 
land in  1484;  Andalusia  in  1514;  Belgium  in  1515; 
Apulia,  Calabria,  in  1530  ;  Languedoc  in  1569  ;  St.  Dominic 
of  the  Venetians  in  1580 ;  St.  Peter  Martyr  in  Lombardy, 
Teremo,  in  1601 ;  Russia  in  1612;  Paris,  Lithunia,  in  1647; 
St.  Louis  in  France  in  1670 ;  St.  Rose  in  Belgium  in  1686  ; 
and  Sardinia  in  1706. 

The  third  general  chapter  was  held  at  Paris  in  1222,  when 
Blessed  Jordan  of  Saxony  was  chosen  master-general.  The 
apostolical  spirit  of  the  Order  was  there  shown  in  a  degree 
worthy  of  notice.  The  new  master-general  proposed  the 
heathen  missions  to  the  friars,  when  all  except  a  few  old  men 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

broken  with  years  and  infirmities  offered  themselves  for  the 
service.  In  1253  numberless  Dominicans  were  preaching  in 
the  lands  of  the  Saracens,  Greeks,  Bulgarians,  Cumans, 
Ethiopians,  Syrians,  Iberians,  Alans,  Goths,  Jacobites, 
Nubians,  Georgians,  Armenians,  Indians,  Tartars,  Hungari- 
ans and  other  infidel  nations  of  the  East.  Such  was  the 
missionary  zeal  of  the  Dominicans  that  in  1235  a  congrega- 
tion had  been  established  in  their  body  called,  "  The  Friar- 
travellers  for  the  love,  of  Jesus  Christ  among  the  Infidels." 
Pope  John  XXIT.  in  1325  gave  a  general  leave  for  the 
brethren  to  join  it,  but  he  was  soon  obliged  to  set  bounds  to 
the  grant,  as  the  convents  of  Europe  were  in  danger  of  being 
left  empty.  The  Eastern  languages  were  very  freely  studied 
in  the  Order.  In  the  general  chapter  of  1333  two  convents 
in  particular  were  appointed  for  that  branch  of  learning,  one 
at  Pera  close  to  Constantinople  and  the  other  at  Caffa  in  the 
Crimea.  For  the  same  purpose  St.  Raymund  of  Pennafort 
in  1250  founded  a  college  at  Toledo,  also  one  in  Murcia  and 
one  in  Tunis,  both  in  the  midst  of  the  Moors. 

St.  Hyacinth  after  joining  the  Order  in  1220  preached  in 
Poland,  then  in  Russia,  Pomerania  and  other  countries 
bordering  the  Baltic  sea,  the  Island  of  Rugen,  Denmark, 
Sweden,  Gothland,  Norway,  and  in  Lesser  or  Red  Russia. 
He  passed  down  to  the  Black  Sea,  into  the  islands  of  the  Greek 
Archipelago,  and  into  Great  or  Black  Russia.  Then  turning 
eastward  he  worked  his  way  quite  through  the  Steppes  of 
Tartary  and  through  Thibet  to  the  northern  parts  of  China 
Proper  or  Kathay  as  it  was  then  called.  He  returned  into 
Poland,  went  again  into  Red  Russia,  and  after  travelling 
about  12,000  miles  arrived  at  Cracow  in  1257,  when  he  died 
in  the  73rd  year  of  his  age.  As  he  went  along  he  marked 
his  way  by  the  many  convents  he  founded,  and  countless  were 
the  souls  he  brought  into  the  Church  from  the  ranks  of  the 
Greek  schismatics  and  infidels. 

Henry  of  Cologne  (or  Albert  as  Matthew  of  Westminster 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

calls  him)  was  provincial  of  the  English  Dominicans,  when 
in  1240  he  was  made  archbishop  of  Armagh  in  Ireland. 
Ahout  four  years  after,  he  went  into  the  more  eastern  parts  of 
Europe,  for  which  perhaps  his  mother-tongue  best  fitted  him, 
as  archbishop  of  Russia,  Livonia,  and  Esthonia.  In  1246 
Innocent  IV.  sent  him  to  the  Russian  court  to  strive  and  put 
an  end  to  the  schism  of  the  East  in  Russia,  giving  him 
power  to  appoint  bishops  in  that  country.  The  labours  of  the 
archbishop  were  very  successful ;  for  in  the  following  year  he 
brought  the  king  and  the  whole  nation  over  to  the  orthodox 
faith  of  the  Roman  Church,  and  shortly  before  his  death 
which  happened  July  1st  1254  he  converted  from  idolatry 
the  king  of  Litland  or  Litten  in  Livonia.  About  1248 
Thomas,  an  English  Dominican,  was  bishop  of  Abo  in 
Finland. 

Asia  became  the  great  battle-field  of  the  Dominicans  with 
error.  The  province  of  the  Holy  Land  formed  in  1228 
extended  over  Egypt  and  Ethiopia  and  the  whole  of  Asia. 
The  master-general,  Blessed  Jordan  of  Saxony,  sailed  with 
many  of  his  brethren  for  Palestine  in  1237,  but  just  as  he 
was  in  sight  of  shore  a  storm  arose  and  all  perished  by 
shipwreck  off  the  city  of  Acre.  The  province  of  the  Holy 
Land  was  governed  for  some  time  by  Friar  Ivo,  a  very  holy 
English  Dominican  who  lived  about  1234.  Friar  Geoffry 
also  an  English  Dominican  was  bishop  of  Ebron  in  Palestine 
and  vicar  of  the  patriarch  of  Jerusalem  :  in  October  1281  he 
wrote  to  his  special  lord  Edward  I.  and  gave  an  account  of 
the  wretched  conditions  of  the  Christians  in  the  East, 
perhaps  with  the  hope  of  stirring  up  the  royal  zeal  for 
another  crusade  against  the  Saracens.* 


*  A  little  before  this  time  another  Englishman  of  the  OrJer  seems 
to  have  been  labouring  in  the  East.  This  was  Friar  William  de 
Fraxinent  or  Fresney,  often  called  William  (or  Geffrey)  of  EJessa, 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

The  Dominicans  and  Franciscans  divided  Asia  between 
them  :  to  the  latter  were  given  China  and  the  eastern  parts.* 
The  Dominicans  spread  over  the  land  from  the  Black  Sea  to 
Coromandel  and  Malacca  and  from  the  confines  of  Egypt  to 
Siberia.  As  they  went  eastward  from  the  Holy  Land  they 
rested  amidst  the  ruins  of  mighty  Babylon  or  crossed  the 
mounded  site  of  unremembered  Nineve  :  types  of  the  evil 
power  they  sped  to  overthrow.  Their  voice  was  heard  by  the 
Brahmins  and  Pariahs  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  and  the 
Tartar  chiefs  and  their  slaves  by  the  streams  of  northern  and 
central  Asia,  by  the  Arabs  in  their  tents  and  the  Persians  in 
their  cities  and  vast  treeless  plains  and  deserts.  Worshippers 
of  Buddha  and  of  Brahma,  followers  of  Zoroaster,  of  Con- 
fucius, and  of  Mahomet,  and  schismatical  Christians  alike 
listened  to  their  words  and  yielded  to  their  wondrous 
teaching.  Countless  multitudes  were  converted  to  the 
faith,  and  in  Armenia  the  Greek  schism  was  almost 
rooted  out.  The  mission  of  Armenia  became  one  of  the 

whom  pope  Urban  VI.  in  1263  consecrated  archbishop  and  then 
wrote  to  the  patriarch  of  Antioch  to  give  him  a  title.  He  became 
Archbishop  of  Rages;  and  was  much  favoured  by  Henry  III., 
-who  gave  him  in  1265  and  1266  the  deanery  of  Wimbourne,  the 
rent  of  fifty  marks  a-year  out  of  the  manor  of  Havering  and  his 
dwelling  there,  until  he  was  otherwise  provided  for,  or  returned  to 
his  own  province.  He  was  at  the  dedication  of  Norwich  Cathedral 
in  1278,  and  was  still  living  in  1286.  It  is  probable  that  he  was 
buried  at  the  Dominican  convent  of  Khyddlan  in  Flintshire,  as  his 
tombstone  is  now  found  built  into  the  wall  of  a  barn  near  the  site 
of  that  house.  The  stone  bears  the  figure  of  an  archbishop  in  full 
pontificals,  with  the  inscription  around  : 

&  .  .  .  .  PVR  LALME  FRERE  WILLAM  FRENEY  ERCHEVESKE 
DE  RAGES. 

*  See  "  Missions  Dominicaines  dans  Pextre'me  Orient,  par  le 
R.  P.  Fr.  Andre-Marie."  Lyon :  Paris  :  1864,  2  vols.  8vo. 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

most  flourishing  in  the  east.  In  1318  an  archbishopric 
with  six  suffragan  bishoprics  was  set  up  all  in  the  hands 
of  the  Dominicans,  taking  in  the  whole  of  the  countries  from 
Coulan  in  the  south  of  Hindoostan  to  Caffa  in  the  Crimea. 
The  metropolitan  see  was  fixed  at  Soultaniye  or  Sultania  in 
Persia,  near  the  Caspian  Sea,  because  that  city  was  on  the 
route  of  the  caravans  for  central  Tartary  and  Kara-Koroum 
in  the  country  of  the  Kerites;  had  on  the  N.  and  N.W. 
Armenia  and  Asia-Minor,  and  the  cities  of  Tauris,  Erivan, 
Teflis  and  Mosul.  In  all  these  cities  the  Dominicans  had 
convents  and  large  missions.  In  Sultania  alone  there  were 
twenty-five  Catholic  churches,  and  that  of  the  Dominicans 
was  remarkable  for  its  beauty. 

One  of  the  suffragans  was  Friar  Bartholomew  of  Bologna 
surnamed  the  Little,  who  was  bishop  of  Maragha  near  the  lake 
of  Urumeah.  Through  his  unwearied  zeal  the  Armenian  monks 
of  St.  Basil  who  were  very  numerous  abandoned  their  schism 
in  a  body  in  1330,  joined  the  Dominican  Order,  and  formed 
the  congregation  called  "The  United  Brethren  of  St.  Gregory 
the  Illuminator,"  which  was  approved  in  1356  by  Innocent  VI. 
A  fellow-labourer  of  Friar  Bartholomew  was  Friar  John  an 
English  Dominican,  who  helped  him  to  translate  the  Bible 
and  many  theological  works  into  the  Armenian  language, 
some  of  which  were  still  in  the  convents  of  the  country  in  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  archbishopric  of 
Nakichevan  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Ararat  was  created  about 
1333  :  Friar  Bartholomew  was  the  first  to  fill  it  and  soon 
received  a  crown  of  martyrdom.  In  1403  Friar  William 
Belets,  an  English  Dominican,  was  raised  to  the  archiepiscopal 
see  of  Sultania.  Although  this  city  has  long  been  in  ruins 
and  depopulated  through  the  inroads  of  Mahomedans,  the 
metropolitan  see  of  Nakichevan  sprinkled  with  the  martyr's 
blood  has  been  passed  over  by  the  destroying  angel  and  still 
exists.  The  Armenian  Church  too  has  continued  faithful  to 
the  Roman  See. 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

In  1321  three  Dominicans  left  England  to  preach  among 
the  Saracens.  Friar  Kichard  an  Englishman  in  or  before 
1328  went  with  Friar  Francis  de  Camerino  an  Italian  into 
the  Levant  and  then  along  the  borders  of  the  Black  Sea. 
They  underwent  great  calamities  and  toils,  hut  gathered  a 
vast  harvest  and  built  many  churches.  Through  them  the 
princes  and  chief  men  of  several  countries  were  brought  back 
into  the  Church  from  the  schisms  which  had  been  handed 
down  to  them  from  their  forefathers.  Thus  they  converted 
Milleni  prince  of  the  Alans,  and  Versacht  king  of  the  Zicci 
an  Asiatic  tribe  on  the  N.  shores  of  the  Black  Sea ;  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  people  followed  the  example  of  their 
rulers.  In  1332  these  two  princes  sent  the  missionaries  to 
the  Roman  Court,  both  to  carry  their  submission  to  the  Holy 
See  and  to  beg  more  labourers  for  their  countries.  On 
their  way  to  Eome  the  missionaries  passed  through 
Constantinople  and  had  many  conferences  with  the  emperor 
Andronicus  III.  and  the  Greek  patriarch  and  part  of 
the  clergy  of  the  imperial  city,  whom  they  sought  to 
win  over  to  Catholic  unity.  The  emperor  showed 
himself  eager  to  put  an  end  to  the  Greek  schism,  and 
the  clergy  too  seemed  favourably  disposed.  Pope  John  XXII. 
made  Friar  Francis  archbishop  of  Vospero  on  the  shores  of 
the  Cimmerian  Bosphorus,  and  Friar  Richard  bishop  of 
Cherson,  and  sent  them  as  legates  to  Constantinople.  But 
the  Greek  clergy  despite  their  former  fair  words  obstinately 
refused  even  to  treat  on  union,  and  the  two  prelates  turned 
to  the  more  hopeful  Saracens  and  Tartars  iof  Asia.  Friar 
Richard  dedicated  his  cathedral  in  honour  -of  St.  Clement 
pope  who  was  martyred  in  Chersonesus.  What  became  of 
the  English  bishop  of  Cherson,  whether  he  died  in  peace  or 
fell  in  the  persecution  which  after  a  time  overtook  his 
flock,  will  probably  be  known  only  at  the  great  day  of 
doom. 

Till  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  scarcely  anything  was 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

known  of  Africa  except  the  countries  bordering  on  the 
Mediterranean  and  Eed  Seas,  beyond  which  the  vast  deserts 
of  sand  seemed  to  set  bounds  to  the  habitable  world.  But 
even  that  small  portion  of  the  African  continent  was  quickly 
colonized  by  Dominicans.  St.  Eaymund  of  Pennafort,  when 
he  had  converted,  by  1256,  ten  thousand  Moors  in  Spain,  sent 
his  brethren  into  Barbary  and  founded  convents  as  far  as 
Tunis  and  Tripoli.  In  1316  there  were  very  many  Domini- 
cans in  Abyssinia  and  Ethiopia,  where  they  had  given 
the  habit  to  several  natives  and  even  to  a  prince  of  the  royal 
blood. 

In  East- Greenland  the  Friar-Preachers  had  a  convent 
which  existed  long  before  1380,  and  which  the  Dutch  were 
amazed  to  find  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

Thus  were  the  children  of  St.  Dominic  spread  over  every 
known  region  of  the  world. 

The  Catholic  missions  of  the  East  were  paralyzed  and  for 
the  greatest  part  destroyed  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth 
century  by  the  fearful  plague  which  had  desolated  the  con- 
vents of  Europe,  by  the  still  more  dreadful  lukewarmness 
that  hag-rode  the  sluggard  orders,  and  by  the  great  schism 
most  terrible  of  all  that  for  thirty-nine  years  rent  the 
Western  Church.  The  threefold  scourge  of  God  came  on 
the  people,  then  the  Spirit  breathed  on  the  dry  bones  and 
they  lived  again.  The  work  of  the  missions  had  to  be  begun 
afresh. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  and  during  the 
sixteenth,  the  inroads  of  the  Greek  schism  and  of  Mahomed- 
anism  and  the  outburst  of  Protestantism  desolated  six  of 
the  Dominican  provinces  and  scattered  innumerable  com- 
munities of  religious.  But  in  place  of  these,  fourteen  pro- 
vinces with  countless  convents  and  churches  sprang  up  in 
the  East  and  in  the  two  Americas. 

The  Dominican  province  of  Armenia  was  organised  in 
1583. 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

In  the  wake  of  Portuguese  enterprise  the  Dominicans, 
before  1463,  settled  at  Ceuta  in  Morocco,  in  Madeira,  and 
in  the  Canary  Islands,  also  in  the  Azores.  The  province 
of  the  Canaries  was  formed  in  1650.  The  Dominicans  went 
from  Cape  Verde  along  the  coast  of  Guinea  and  southward 
to  Congo,  where  in  1484  they  hegan  the  glorious  missions 
which  stretched  far  and  wide  into  the  neighbouring  countries 
of  Loango,  Angola,  and  Benguela,  and  went  on  till  almost 
the  close  of  last  century.  At  Congo  a  Dominican  bishopric 
was  fixed. 

In  1503  five  Dominicans  went  out  with  Alphonso  Albu- 
querque, founder  of  the  Portuguese  empire  in  the  East,  when 
he  seized  the  island  of  Ormuz  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  took 
Goa,  conquered  the  whole  coast  of  Malabar,  and  made 
Sumatra  and  various  other  islands  in  the  Indian  Archipelago 
tributary  to  the  Portuguese  Crown.  At  Cochin  in  Malabar 
they  built  their  first  church  and  dedicated  it  to  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, whom  they  chose  for  patron  of  their  apostolate  in 
India.  In  that  country  where  a  Dominican  bishop  had 
toiled  in  the'  fourteenth  century  they  found  more  than 
twelve  thousand  Christian  families.  In  1505  numerous 
Dominicans  went  out  of  Portugal  into  India  and  settled  in 
Ormuz  and  at  Goa.  As  Albuquerque  went  eastward  so  the 
fathers  penetrated  into  Ceylon,  along  the  coast  of  Coro- 
mandel,  into  the  isles  of  Sunda,  into  Malacca,  and  along 
the  coasts  of  Siam,  Cambogia,  Cochin-China  and  Tonquin 
into  China.  They  prepared  the  way  for  the  great  Apostle 
of  the  East,  St.  Francis  Xavier,  whose  confessor  and  com- 
panion for  some  time  was  Friar  Denis  of  the  Cross,  a 
Chinese  Dominican. 

In  1548  Paul  III.  nominated  a  Dominican  bishop  and 
vicar  apostolic  of  the  Indies  with  residence  in  the  island  of 
St.  Thomas  in  the  gulf  of  Guinea  ;  the  Congregation  of  the 
Holy  Cross  of  the  East  Indies  was  formed ;  and  the  Domi- 
nicans settled  at  Mosambique  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

The  fathers  had  numerous  convents  and  churches  and  very 
flourishing  missions,  and  chiefly  spent  their  strength  not 
only  in  bringing  over  the  natives  of  the  various  countries 
but  also  in  opposing  or  softening  the  oppressions  they 
suffered  from  their  Portuguese  conquerors.  Ormuz  became 
the  centre  of  the  gospel  for  Arabia  and  Persia  and  even  for 
Abyssinia.  The  Dominican  missions  on  the  west  side  of 
Hindoostan  extended  from  the  gulf  of  Cambay  to  Cape 
Comorin.  Goa  soon  became  entirely  Christian,  one  Domi- 
nican alone  baptizing  seven  thousand  persons  in  three  years, 
while  another  baptized  seven  hundred  in  one  day.  In  the 
peninsula  of  Malacca  and  neighbouring  islands  there  were 
eighteen  convents  or  churches  with  60,000  Christians  under 
the  care  of  the  Dominicans.  In  1557  Paul  IV.  founded 
three  sees,  the  metropolitan  or  primitial  at  Goa,  one  at 
Malacca,  and  another  at  Cochin.  The  mission  of  Mosarn- 
bique,  after  long  struggles  and  many  martyrdoms,  extended 
southward  into  Soffala  and  northward  to  Melinde  in  Zingue- 
bar,  from  Sena  to  central  Africa  and  into  Madagascar.  The 
Dominican  fathers  baptized  innumerable  natives  and  built 
churches  on  the  ruins  of  the  deserted  pagodas. 

In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  Dutch  step 
by  step  drove  the  Portuguese  from  their  possessions  in  the 
East,  and  at  last  only  Goa  and  Diu  at  the  entrance  to  the 
gulf  of  Cambay  remained  in  their  hands.  The  Portuguese 
Dominicans  shared  the  same  fate  and  their  splendid  missions 
were  blasted  by  the  intolerance  of  the  Dutch  Protestants. 
The  convent  of  Macao  was  given  up  to  the  Spanish  Domi- 
nicans in  1640.  The  Congregation  of  the  Holy  Cross  held 
their  latest  chapter  in  1814 ;  and  now  it  is  perhaps  totally 
wrecked  by  the  political  oppression  of  the  Church  in  Por- 
tugal. 

Magellan  a  Portuguese  in  the  service  of  Spain  in  1525 
discovered  in  the  eastern  seas  a  group  of  islands  which  he 
named  the  Archipelago  of  St.  Lazarus;  but  these  islands 


28  INTRODUCTION. 

were  afterwards  called  the  Philippines  in  honour  of  Philip 
II.  of  Spain  when  prince  of  Asturias.  The  islands  lay  very 
convenient  for  commerce,  being  within  some  few  days'  sail  of 
Japan,  Corea,  China,  Tonquin,  Cochin-China,  Camhogia, 
Siam,  Malacca,  and  the  numerous  islands  of  the  Indian 
ocean.  In  1571  the  Spaniards  took  possession  of  these 
islands,  and  at  Manilla  on  the  west  coast  of  Luzon  the 
largest  of  them  established  a  flourishing  colony.  The 
bishopric  (afterwards  archbishopric)  of  Manilla  was  erected 
and  a  Dominican  was  the  first  who  held  it.  Great  numbers 
of  his  brethren  followed  him,  and  in  1580  formed  themselves 
into  the  "  Congregation  of  our  Lady  of  the  Most  Holy 
Rosary  of  the  Philippines,'*  which  in  twelve  years  became 
a  regular  Dominican  province  rich  in  Christian  enterprise, 
fruitful  in  saints  and  martyrs,  and  distinguished  by  austerity 
of  conventual  observance.  They  founded  the  university  of 
the  Manillas  in  1616. 

In  less  than  two  hundred  years  the  Dominicans  rescued 
nearly  four  millions  of  souls  from  paganism  in  the  Philip- 
pines. Their  labours  extended  beyond  these  islands  into 
China,  Japan,  and  Tonquin.  In  1587  they  settled  at 
Macao  and  founded  a  convent  and  mission  there,  and  three 
years  after  they  went  to  Hai-Teng  but  were  soon  driven  out. 
After  many  vain  attempts  to  get  into  the  centre  of  the 
Celestial  Empire  they  succeeded  to  some  extent  in  1611, 
but  could  not  make  a  firm  footing  for  themselves.  They 
fixed  themselves  in  the  island  of  Formosa  in  1625  where 
they  built  a  church  and  convent  and  a  seminary  for  Chinese 
and  Japanese  priests.  Both  there  and  in  Manilla  they  con- 
verted multitudes  of  Chinese,  many  of  whom  entered  the 
Order.  The  Dutch  captured  Formosa  in  1643  and  ruined 
the  mission  which  formed  the  key  to  China.  The  Domini- 
cans often  strove  to  gain  back  their  position  in  the  island 
but  it  was  not  till  1860  that  they  were  again  established  in 
that  "  Garden  of  flowing  waters." 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

From  Formosa  the  Dominicans  passed  in  1635  into  the 
province  of  Fo-Kien  on  the  coast  of  China  and  settled  them 
at  Fou-Gan,  whence  they  spread  themselves  over  the 
country.  In  course  of  time  they  had  eleven  residences, 
twenty  churches,  and  many  oratories  in  towns  and  villages ; 
they  occupied  five  cities,  three  towns,  and  five  villages  in 
the  provinces  of  Fo-Kien,  Tche-Kiang,  and  Kouang-Tong. 
Out  of  all  these  they  were  forcibly  driven  in  1666,  and  the 
charge  of  the  Christians  fell  on  a  single  Chinese  Dominican, 
who  in  the  course  of  thirty  months  consoled  the  weak, 
reconciled  apostates,  and  baptized  more  than  three  thousand 
persons  in  ten  great  provinces.  When  the  persecution  was 
lulled  the  Dominicans  again  flocked  into  the  country  from 
Manilla.  In  1679  a  Dominican  vicar  apostolic  was  ap- 
pointed over  many  provinces.  The  vicariate  of  Fo-Kien,  one 
of  the  most  flourishing  in  China,  was  given  up  to  the  Order 
in  1726,  and  from  that  time  the  Fathers  have  held  it  and 
laboured  with  unceasing  zeal. 

St.  Francis  Xavier  first  carried  the  faith  into  Japan.  He 
was  followed  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  and  by 
the  Franciscans  till  1597,  when  the  martyrdom  of  twenty- 
three  Franciscans  and  three  Jesuits,  whose  canonization  has 
lately  gladdened  the  Church,  checked  for  a  time  the  progress 
of  the  faith.  In  1601  the  Dominicans  from  Manilla  went 
into  the  island  of  Cogiqui  a  dependent  of  Satzuma  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  Japan,  where  they  built  a  church 
dedicated  to  our  Lady  of  the  Rosary.  Afterwards  they  had 
churches  and  convents  in  the  imperial  city  Meaco  and  many 
other  important  places  and  evangelized  in  particular  the 
kingdom  of  Figen.  About  twelve  years  passed  when  the 
English  captain  of  a  Dutch  vessel,  in  his  hatred  of  Spaniards 
and  of  the  Catholic  faith,  so  prejudiced  the  mind  of  the  king 
against  the  missionaries,  that  Christianity  was  forbidden 
and  the  fathers  were  all  driven  out  or  massacred.  The 
Dominicans  again  ventured  into  the  island  in  1618,  but 


30  INTRODUCTION. 

down  to  the  present  time  they  have  gained  little  more  than 
the  crown  of  martyrdom. 

Since  the  beginning  of  this  century  Tonquin,  with  Cochin- 
China  and  the  Annamite  Laos  and  Gamboge,  forms  the 
Empire  of  Annam.  After  the  Portuguese  Dominicans  the 
Jesuits  in  1615  and  1627  entered  Cochin-China  and  Ton- 
quin, and  in  1659  Alexander  VII.  divided  those  countries 
into  two  vicariates.  In  the  midst  of  a  fierce  persecution  the 
Dominicans  of  Manilla  were  called  in,  in  1676,  and  fourteen 
years  after  they  had  in  the  southern  province  alone  sixty 
churches  and  18,000  Christians  in  their  charge.  That  same 
year  (1690)  they  baptized  725  infants,  486  adults  among 
whom  were  twenty-five  bonzes  or  Buddhist  priests,  heard  the 
confessions  of  14,200  persons,  blessed  112  marriages,  and 
gave  Extreme  Unction  141  times.  In  1692  the  eastern 
vicariate  of  Tonquin  was  given  entirely  to  them,  and  they 
had  140  churches,  and  preached  in  500  cities,  towns  or 
villages.  This  vicariate  was  divided  in  1848  and  the  cen- 
ytral  formed  out  of  it.  Both  have  always  continued  in  the 
hands  of  the  Dominicans  and  have  each  its  bishop  and  his 
coadjutor.  Seventeen  Dominicans  six  of  whom  became  mar- 
tyrs have  governed  these  districts.  At  the  present  time  the 
Eastern  district,  out  of  about  six  million  inhabitants  Las 
55,000  Christians,  and  the  Central  district  out  of  about  four 
million  inhabitants  has  155,435  Christians.  These  two 
Dominican  vicariates  in  1857,  1858,  had  41  priests  of  the 
Order  two-thirds  being  natives,  30  native  secular  priests, 
163  students  some  in  holy  orders  in  seven  seminaries,  275 
admirably  organised  catechists,  1141  pupil  catechists,  26 
convents  of  Dominican  Tertiary  nuns,  3  convents  of  nuns 
"  Lovers  of  the  Cross,"  in  all  624  Annamite  nuns,  of  whom 
550  belonged  to  the  Third  Order :  and  there  were  770 
churches. 

The  history   of  the   Dominican   missions   in   China  and 
Tonquin  from  the  beginning  to  the  present  time  shows  a 


INTRODUCTION.  31 

regular  and  oft-repeated  series  of  heroic  labours,  vast  suc- 
cess, and  then  deadly  persecution,  imprisonment,  exile, 
sufferings  unspeakable,  and  martyrdom.  The  land  is  well 
watered  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  the  seed  is  sown,  but 
the  time  of  the  harvest  has  not  yet  come. 

The  discovery  of  America  was  due  in  some  manner  to  a 
Dominican.  F.  Diego  Deza,  preceptor  of  the  Infanta  Don 
Juan  of  Castile  and  confessor  of  Ferdinand  the  Catholic, 
encouraged  Columbus  in  his  great  enterprise,  and  after  that 
intrepid  Genoese  had  been  repulsed  as  a  visionary  adventurer 
by  the  courts  of  Portugal,  England,  and  Castile,  obtained 
for  him  of  Queen  Isabel  in  1492  three  ships,  aboard  which 
a  Dominican  friar  was  one  of  those  who  first  hailed  the 
land  that  opened  a  new  world  to  European  enterprise  and 
to  Christian  heroism.  Columbus  discovered  the  islands  of 
Guanahani,  Cuba  and  Hayti;  in  his  second  voyage,  Ja- 
maica ;  and  in  his  third,  Trinidad  and  the  coasts  of  Paria 
and  Cumana  in  South  America.  Little  more  than  half  a 
century  passed  when  Spain  possessed  the  western  countries 
of  the  two  Americas  from  the  north  of  Mexico  to  the  boun- 
daries of  Patagonia,  and  the  Portuguese  discovered  and  took 
Brasil. 

No  sooner  was  the  existence  of  vast  nations  of  barbarians 
made  known  than  the  Church  hastened  to  carry  Christian 
truth  and  civilization  to  them  :  and  it  was  her  task  too,  in 
which  the  Dominicans  took  the  leading  part,  to  raise  her 
voice  and  use  her  authority  against  the  oppression  and 
wrongs  which  the  Indians  suffered  from  the  rapacity  of  the 
Spanish  colonists  and  adventurers.  In  1510  the  Domini- 
cans entered  the  island  of  Hayti  which  took  the  name  of 
San  Domingo,  where  in  1522  the  famous  "  Protector- General 
of  the  Indians,"  Bartholomew  de  Las-Casas,  who  spent  his 
life  in  seeking  justice  for  them,  joined  the  Order,  as  he 
found  in  it  the  greatest  supports  of  his  righteous  cause. 
The  Dominicans  soon  outstripped  the  limits  of  the  colonies 


32  INTRODUCTION. 

and  went  into  Mexico,  where  they  underwent  immense  trou- 
bles and  persecutions  and  gained  many  a  martyr  for  the 
Order. 

When  the  intrepid  Cortez  took  Mexico  for  the  Spanish 
crown,  Charles  V.  in  1519  had  a  bishopric  erected  at  Telas- 
cala  or  Texcalan,  now  called  Peubla  de  los  Angeles,  and 
Julian  Garces,  a  Dominican,  was  the  first  to  fill  it.  He 
went  out  from  Spain  to  his  see  with  a  number  of  his  reli- 
gious brethren  and  founded  a  convent  at  Texcalan,  whilst 
they  scattered  themselves  over  the  country  and  raised  more 
than  a  hundred  houses  and  convents.  The  Dominican  pro- 
vince of  the  Holy  Cross  in  the  West  Indies  was  formed  in 
1530  for  the  whole  of  the  western  world.  Las  Casas  in 
1544  was  made  bishop  of  Chiapa,  but  wearied  out  at  length 
with  his  fruitless  struggles  in  favour  of  the  Indians  he 
quitted  the  scenes  of  so  much  misery  in  1551,  and  died 
after  five  years  of  cloistral  retirement  near  Madrid.  For  a 
long  time  the  tide  of  Indian  conversions  ebbed  and  flowed, 
but  at  last  it  set  in  favourably  for  the  Church.  As  the 
Order  spread  and  grew  in  strength  the  provinces  were 
founded,  of  St.  James  in  Mexico,  and  St.  Vincent  the  Mar- 
tyr in  Chiapa  and  Guattemala,  in  1551 ;  of  St.  Hippolytus 
in  Oaxaca  in  1592,  and  of  the  Holy  Angels  in  Texcalan  in 
1656.  The  early  history  of  the  first  three  Provinces  is  un- 
rivalled by  any  missionary  records  in  adventures  and  interest. 
Friar  Lewis  Canceri  evangelized  the  Floridas.  The  West 
Indian  islands  were  soon  occupied  by  Spanish  Dominicans. 
About  1633  many  French  fathers  were  sent  from  Paris  into 
the  islands  of  Martinico,  Gaudaloupe,  St.  Christopher,  Santa 
Cruz,  and  Dominica,  and  into  the  island  of  St.  Vincent 
then  unsubdued  and  inhabited  only  by  Caribbean  savages. 
Hence  was  formed  the  congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Name 
of  Jesus  in  the  Antilles,  which  spread  into  all  the  French 
colonies  from  St.  Domingo  to  Trinidad. 

Friar  Vincent  Valverdo  had  been  named  bishop  of  Panama, 


INTBODUCTION.  33 

when  he  went  out  with  six  other  Dominicans  in  1530  in  the 
expedition   of  Francis   Pizarro   against  Peru.     The  fathers 
immediately   scattered   themselves  over  the  country.      The 
bishop  was  so  much  shocked  at  the  cruelty  of  Pizarro  against 
the   natives   that  he   returned  and   denounced  him   at  the 
Spanish  court.     He  was  declared  "  Patron  and  Protector  of 
the  Indians"  and  made  bishop  of  Cuzco   in  1533,  returned 
into  Peru  and  preached  with  great  fruit  among  the  savages. 
At  length  he  was  martyred  and  torn  to  pieces  while  he  was 
celebrating  Mass,  by  the  cannibals  of  Puna  near  the  lake  of 
Titicaca.      New  Granada  was  colonized  by  Spain  in  1536. 
In  the  following  year  Friar  Jerome  de  Loaysa  was  made  first 
bishop    of  Cartagena,    after    which    he   left    Spain   with   a 
company   of  his   brethren   whom   he   scattered   among  the 
aborigines   of  his  diocese.      They   soon  gained  over  innu- 
merable Indian  families  to  the  Church.     Afterwards,  in  1538 
he  became  first   archbishop   of  Lima,  where    he    founded 
the  university.     It  is  reckoned  that  he  converted  as  many  as 
were  lost  to  the  Church  in  Europe  by  the  Protestant  revolt. 
In  1562  St.  Lewis  Bertrand,  the  great  Dominican  Apostle  of 
the  West,  landed  in  New  Granada.     In  three  years  he  con- 
verted more  than  ten  thousand  Indians  in  the  isthmus  of 
Panama,  island  of  Tobago,  and  province  of  Cartagena.     He 
baptized  all  the  inhabitants  of  Tabara  and  places  adjacent, 
and   with  the   same    effects   preached   in  the  territories  of 
Cipacoa  and  Paluato ;  among  the  wild  inhabitants  of  Santa 
Marta,   he  baptized   15,000  persons.      He  penetrated   the 
forests  and  ranged  the  mountains  of  the  cannibal  Caribbees. 
In  the  country  of  Monpaia  and  island  of  St,  Thomas  he  won 
over  whole  races  to  Christianity. 

The  Dominican  provinces  of  St.  John  Baptist  in  Peru  and 
of  St.  Antoninus  in  New  Granada  were  established  in  1551  : 
out  of  the  latter  that  of  St.  Catherine  the  martyr  in  Quito 
was  formed  in  1589.  There  were  forty  convents  and  houses 
in  Chili  in  1541,  and  as  they  increased,  the  province  of  St. 

3 


34  INTRODUCTION. 

Lawrence  the  martyr  sprang  up  in  1589.  The  Order  also 
spread  into  La  Plata,  colonised  in  1553  by  Spain,  and  the 
province  of  St.  Augustine  in  Buenos  Ayres  was  formed  in 
consequence,  at  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century. 

Father  Francis  of  the  Cross  laboured  with  great  fruit 
among  the  Indians  who  had  withdrawn  from  the  Spaniards 
into  the  Andes  of  Acobamba  in  Peru.  In  1658  he  was  made 
bishop  of  Santa  Marta.  In  fact  the  Dominicans  worked 
amongst  the  Indians  with  the  same  zeal  as  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  among  those  of  Paraguay  in  Brazil,  and  with  the 
same  success.  The  glory  of  their  apostolate  has  been  kept 
for  the  Great  Day.  The  Dominicans  drew  the  Indians  from 
the  forests  and  mountain  fastnesses,  settled  them  in  the 
plains  near  the  Spaniards,  and  gave  them  the  blessings  of 
civilization.  These  Indians  have  now  disappeared,  not  by 
being  exterminated,  but  by  becoming  blended  with  the 
settlers.  The  present  inhabitants  of  those  countries  are  as 
much  the  representatives  of  the  first  owners  of  the  soil  as  of 
the  Spanish  conquerors  and  colonists. 

Most  of  the  Dominican  missions  throughout  the  world 
flourished  till  near  the  close  of  last  century.  Then  came  the 
French  Revolution,  and  after  it  the  wars,  tumults,  and  political 
strifes,  which  have  overthrown  dynasties,  removed  the  land- 
marks of  nations,  formed  new  empires  and  kingdoms,  and 
remoulded  the  whole  of  society.  Amidst  all  these  mighty 
disturbances  the  Church  has  suffered  persecutions  and 
trials  in  every  form.  The  Religious  Orders  would  have 
been  destroyed  if  they  had  not  been  rooted  in  the  deepest 
foundations  of  Christianity.  The  Dominican  Order  had  to 
struggle  for  its  very  life.  It  was  driven  out  of  France,  and 
has  been  desolated  in  Spain  and  Portugal,  the  convents  were 
destroyed  in  Germany  and  Belgium,  and  are  now  broken  up 
in  Poland  and  the  greatest  part  of  Italy.  But  in  some  of 
those  countries  whither  peace  has  returned  the  Order  is  once 
more  springing  up,  especially  iu  France,  England,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

Belgium,  and  again  puts  forth  its  missionary  strength. 
Even  in  times  of  the  greatest  affliction  four  Dominicans  went 
out  from  England  in  1804,  1805,  and  formed  the  Province  of 
St.  Joseph  in  the  United  States.  The  Order  has  now  mis- 
sions in  North  and  South  America;  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope;  in  Ytuy,  Paniqui,  and  Batan,  in  the  Philippines;  and 
in  China,  Tonquin,  Russia,  Constantinople,  Mesopotamia, 
Mosul,  and  Kurdistan.  In  these  place  there  were  in  1844 
1002,  and  in  1860  1276  Dominican  missionaries,  and  of  late 
the  number  has  greatly  increased.  California  has  now  a 
Dominican  bishop  and  his  brethren  are  again  in  that  country. 
An  archbishop  of  the  Order  rules  the  Church  of  Trinidad,  and 
the  old  inhabitants  are  again  gladdened  with  the  "White 
Robes,"  the  loss  of  whom  they  had  long  mourned  with  many 
a  regretful  sigh. 

An  Order  of  Apostles  is  an  Order  of  martyrs.  When  com- 
plaints were  made  to  the  Apostolic  See  that  the  severities  of 
the  Friar-Preachers'  rule  were  far  too  great  for  missionary 
undertakings,  the  general  chapter  of  1335  replied,  that  within 
the  century  from  1234  there  had  been  13,370  martyrs  in  the 
Order ;  and  this  simple  answer  at  once  put  an  ond  to  the 
charge.  For  the  most  part  the  palms  of  martyrdom  had  been 
gathered  in  the  East,  on  the  confines  of  Europe  and  in 
Asia,  and  in  Egypt  and  the  neighbouring  countries.  Blessed 
Sadoc  and  his  forty-eight  companions,  while  they  were  chant- 
ing the  Salve  Regina  after  Complin,  were  martyred  in  1261 
by  the  Cuman  Tartars  in  the  convent  of  Sandomir,  in  Poland. 
Two  hundred  Dominicans  were  slain  that  same  year  at 
Damietta  in  Egypt  and  in  the  parts  around ;  and  in  1268  the 
Dominican  patriarch  of  Antioch  and  more  than  a  hundred 
religious  fell  by  the  hands  of  the  Saracens  in  Palestine. 
Asia  was  the  vast  arena  where  the  heroes  fell  unconquered 
in  defeat. 

As  the  Catholic  missions  of  the  east  faded  away  in  the 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  so  the  numbers  lessened  of 


36  INTBODUCTION. 

those  who  laid  down  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  the  faith. 
Yet  during  all  that  dreary  hundred  years  of  zealless  faith  the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  kept  trickling  from  the  Dominican  altars 
and  made  the  world  fruitful  for  coming  harvests.  As  the 
Portuguese  gained  their  power  in  Africa  and  India,  so  the 
blood  of  the  Order  drenched  the  land  from  Cape  Verde  to 
Congo,  from  Soffala  to  Zinguebar,  in  Madagascar,  Ormuz, 
Abyssinia,  Arabia,  and  Persia,  and  all  along  the  coasts  from 
the  gulf  of  Cambay  to  China.  Between  1565  and  1638  there 
was  an  almost  unbroken  chain  of  Dominican  martyrdoms,  by 
the  hands  of  infidels,  Mussulmen,  and  even  of  the  Dutch,  in 
the  Sunda  islands,  Sumatra,  Java,  Pagna,  Flores,  Solor, 
Timor,  Maquera,  Duan,  in  the  Moluccas,  in  Malacca,  and 
in  Corea.  From  1500  to  1600  the  Dominican  Order  had 
26,000  martyrs. 

The  Province  of  the  Most  Holy  Eosary  has  brought  forth 
long  generations  of  martyrs.  Numbers  of  Dominicans  fell  in 
the  Philippines  from  1625  to  1684  under  the  Nigrellos 
Zambales,  Mandayas,  Foulots,  Igorrotes,  and  many  other 
savage  races;  in  Formosa  from  1633  to  1636  under  the 
barbarous  inhabitants ;  and  in  Japan  in  the  general  persecu- 
tion from  1614  to  1617,  in  the  great  martyrdom  of  1622,  and 
in  1633,  when  many  were  beheaded  or  burnt  alive,  or  perished 
in  the  terrible  fire,  smoke,  and  sulphureous  waters  of  the 
volcanic  Mont-Ungen  fitly  called  the  Mouth  of  Hell.  Domi- 
nican blood  was  first  shed  in  China  in  1648,  and  its 
measure  has  still  to  be  filled  up.  Two  Dominican  bishops, 
vicars  apostolic  of  Fo-Kien,  fell  in  the  cause  of  Christianity: 
Peter  Martyr  Sanz  in  1747,  and  Francis  Serrano  in  1748. 
Tonquin  is  now  the  crown  of  the  Order  jewelled  with  mar- 
tyrdoms even  down  to  our  own  days.  Within  the  last  thirty 
years  six  Dominican  bishops  have  sacrificed  themselves  in 
blood  to  their  missionary  zeal :  Clement  Ignatius  Delgado  and 
Dominic  Henares  in  1838,  and  Jerome  Hermosilla  in  1861, 
vicars  apostolic  of  the  Eastern  District;  and  Joseph  Mary 


INTRODUCTION.  37 

Diaz  Sanjurjo  in  1857,  Melchior  Garcia  San  Pedro  in  1858, 
and  Valentine  Berrio-Ochoa  in  1861,  vicarg  apostolic  of  the 
Central  District. 

Both  the  Americas  and  the  West  Indies  had  their  hosts  of 
Dominican  martyrs,  the  numhers  of  whom  will  be  known 
only  when  some  diligent  historian  has  ransacked  the  unedited 
records,  which  the  carelessness  of  the  Order  as  to  its  own  fame 
has  left  to  moulder  in  the  dark. 

The  Order  has  always  abounded  in  heroes  of  confessorship 
as  well  as  heroes  of  martyrdom.  There  were,  St.  Dominic 
(1221)  the  great  patriarch  of  the  Friar-Preachers ;  St.  Peter 
Martyr  (1252)  who  was  assassinated  by  heretics  and  wrote 
the  first  words  of  the  Creed  in  his  life-blood  whilst  it  was 
welling  from  his  wounds ;  St.  Hyacinth  (1257)  apostle  of  the 
East ;  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  (1274)  the  angelic  Doctor,  who 
made  theology  a  science,  and  the  philosophy  of  Aristotle 
Christian;  St.  Kaymund  of  Pennafort  (1275)  the  great 
canonist,  and  founder,  with  St.  Peter  Nolasco,  of  the  Order  of 
our  Lady  of  Mercy  ;*  St.  Agnes  of  Montepulciano  (1317)  on 
whose  virgin-form  a  snow-white  manna  fell ;  St.  Catherine  of 
Sienna  (1380)  the  Seraphic  Tertiary  who  bore  the  Wounds 
of  Christ,  brought  back  the  sovereign  pontiffs  from  Avignon 
to  Home,  and  saw  in  prophetic  vision  the  great  schism  of  the 
West  and  its  miseries,  and  after  it  the  coming  glories  of  the 
Church ;  St.  Vincent  Ferrer  (1419)  who  preached  throughout 
Spain,  France,  Italy,  Germany,  England,  Scotland,  and 
Ireland,  and  is  likened  to  the  great  angel  of  the  Apocalypse ; 
St.  Antoninus  (1459)  the  zealous  archbishop  of  Florence;  St. 
Pius  fifth  pope  of  that  name  (1572)  who  at  Lepanto  broke  the 
power  of  the  Turks,  wherefore  was  established  the  festival  of 


*  Two  Friar-Preachers  were  charged  to  correct  and  mitigate  the 
rule  of  the  Order  of  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel,  and  Innocent  IV. 
in  1247  confirmed  and  established  the  result  of  their  labours. 


38  INTRODUCTION. 

the  Most  Holy  Kosary ;  St.  Lewis  Bertrand  (1581)  apostle  of 
the  West,  who  spoke  only  one  language  yet  every  one  heard 
his  own  tongue ;  St.  Catherine  of  Ricci  (1589)  the  Wound- 
stricken  hride  of  Christ;  and  St.  Eose  of  Lima  (1617)  the 
Seraphic  Tertiary,  who  was  the  first  fruits  of  holiness  in  the 
New  World.  Many  hundreds  of  all  three  branches  of  the 
Order  are  now  styled  Blessed  or  Venerable,  some  of  whom  are 
formally  beatified,  while  the  process  of  canonization  or 
beatification  is  still  in  hand  for  others.  Among  those  not  yet 
canonized,  but  whose  feasts  are  kept  with  Mass  and  Office, 
may  be  marked  out,  B.  Jordan  of  Saxony  (1237)  second 
master-general  of  the  Order;  B.  Bartholomew  of  Bra- 
ganza  (1270)  bishop  of  Nemesia  in  Cyprus,  and  about  1258 
papal  legate  in  England  ;  B.  Albert  the  Great  (1280)  "great 
in  natural  science,  greater  in  philosophy,  and  greatest  in 
theology,"  who  was  the  master  of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas; 
Pope  Benedict  XI.  (1304) ;  B.  Henry  Suso  (1365)  the  sweet 
mystic  writer;  BB.  Peter  de  Eodulphia  (1365),  Anthony 
Pavone  (1374),  Anthony  Neyrot  (1459),  and  Bartholomew  de 
Cerveriis  (1466),  four  martyrs,  who  fell  by  the  hands  of  un- 
believers; B.  Margaret  daughter  of  the  king  of  Hungary 
(1470) ;  B.  Jane  daughter  of  the  king  of  Portugal  (1490)  ; 
B.  Catherine  of  Raconigi  (1547)  another  Wounded  bride  of 
Christ ;  B.  John  (1572)  one  of  the  nineteen  martyrs  of 
Gorcum  whose  canonization  is  now  going  on;  B.  Bartholo- 
mew de  Martyribus  (1590)  archbishop  of  Braga  in  Portugal, 
who  aided  in  the  council  of  Trent,  and  was  the  friend  and 
adviser  of  St.  Charles  Borromeo ;  and  B.  Martin  Porres 
(1639)  lay -brother  the  Indian  half-caste  of  Lima. 

Down  to  the  year  1825  the  Order  has  given  to  the  Church, 
four  popes  (Innocent  V.  B.  Benedict  XI.  St.  Pius  V.  and 
Benedict  XHL),  70  cardinals,  29  patriarchs,  460  archbishops, 
2136  bishops,  4  presidents  of  general  councils,  25  legates-a- 
latere,  and  80  apostolic  nuncios.  The  Dominicans  have  been 


INTRODUCTION.  39 

great  and  most  learned  writers  in  every  branch  of  knowledge,* 
and  long  led  the  way  in  the  fine  arts.f  For  three  hundred 
years  they  swayed  the  most  famous  universities  of  the  world. 
The  art  of  printing  has  in  a  great  measure  removed  the 
college  to  the  private  study.  For  the  Dominican,  whose  Order 
possesses  in  itself  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  an  univer- 
sity, his  cell  is  now  his  professor's  chair  whence  he  teaches 
with  his  pen :  from  the  press  and  the  pulpit  he  must  wage 
the  battles  of  his  Lord. 

III. 

Thirteen  Friar-Preachers,  of  whom  Father  Gilbert  de 
Fresnoy  was  head,  set  out  for  England  soon  after  they  had 
been  chosen  for  that  mission  by  St.  Dominic  in  the  general 
chapter  of  1221.  It  so  happened  that  Peter  de  Rupibus, 
bishop  of  Winchester,  was  then  at  Bologna  on  his  way  back 
from  the  Holy  Land,  and  they  travelled  in  his  company.  At 
Canterbury  they  immediately  waited  on  the  archbishop 
Stephen  Langton.  He  made  F.  Gilbert  the  same  day 
preach  before  him  in  the  Church,  and  he  was  so  well  pleased 
with  the  sermon  and  with  the  religious  bearing  of  the  whole 
company  that  he  took  the  brethren  into  his  good  graces  and 
became  their  friend  and  protector.  They  reached  London 
August  10th,  and  thence  went  on  to  Oxford,  which  they 
entered  on  the  feast  of  the  Assumption.  There  they  built  a 
little  Oratory  dedicated  to  our  Lady.  They  soon  spread  over 
the  country  and  began  their  holy  work  of  preaching  to  the 
people.  Everywhere  they  were  received  with  favour,  by 

*  See  Echard's  "  Scriptores  Ordinis  Prsedicatorum,"  2  vols.  foL 
1719-21. 

t  See  Marchese's  "Lives  of  the  most  Eminent  Painters,  Sculptors 
and  Architects  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,"  translated  by  Meehan. 
2  vols.  8vo  :  Dublin,  1852. 


40  INTRODUCTION. 

Henry  III.,  by  the  most  powerful  of  the  clergy  and  by  the 
people,  so  that  the  Order  rapidly  increased,  and  convents  were 
soon  built  in  the  chief  towns  of  the  kingdom. 

From  England  the  Order  passed  into  Ireland,  whither  it 
was  carried  in  1224  by  F.  Reginald  an  Irishman,  one  of 
the  thirteen  founders,  who  was  afterwards  archbishop  of 
Armagh.  Ireland  long  formed  a  part  of  the  English  province, 
though  its  dependence  seems  to  have  been  quite  nominal ; 
for  the  Irish  Dominicans  had  their  own  provincial  chapters 
and  were  governed  by  their  own  vicars-general.  In  the  general 
chapter  of  1314,  it  was  decreed  that  the  English  provincial 
should  have  power  in  Ireland,  only  when  he  was  himself 
there ;  and  in  1484  Ireland  was  made  into  a  province  of 
itself.*  In  1230  the  Dominicans  first  went  into  Scotland, 
and  that  kingdom  too  formed  part  of  the  English  province 
till  1481. 


*  Though  the  Irish  Province  was  thus  separated  from  the 
English,  the  Irish  Dominicans  have  unceasingly  shown  the  greatest 
friendship  towards  their  English  brethren,  and  in  times  of  the 
deepest  need  have  stretched  out  to  them  that  helping  hand,  without 
which  the  English  Province  might  have  fallen  amidst  its  sufferings. 
That  aid  was  given  in  the  spirit  of  heaven-born  charity,  when  the 
oppression  of  Ireland  had  reached  a  pitch  almost  unequalled  in  the 
annals  of  persecution,  and  the  Irish  Dominicans  were  undergoing 
trials  which  few  could  possibly  have  withstood*  In  spite  of  the 
halter,  sword,  and  penal  laws,  that  fair  Province  has  flourished  and 
is  now  becoming  one  of  the  brightest  gems  in  the  crown  of  St. 
Dominic.  In  the  Irish  heart  so  keenly  sensible  of  truth  and 
beauty,  the  Order  has  found  a  cherished  home.  Dominican  Tertia- 
ries  are  now  scattered  over  all  the  country,  and  the  members  of  the 
Confraternity  of  the  Holy  Kosary,  called  "Kosarians/*  wearing 
according  to  an  ancient  custom  the  little  white  scapular  of  our  Lady 
everywhere  hail  Her,  through  whose  hands  those  graces  flow  which 
make  the  Isle  still  the  land  of  Saints. 


INTRODUCTION.  41 

Within  fifty-six  years  more  than  forty  convents  were  built 
in  England  and  Wales ;  in  the  next  twenty-five  years  above 
twelve  more  were  added  ;  and  in  after  times  they  became  still 
more  numerous.  We  give  here  a  short  notice  of  each  foun- 
dation.* 

Arundel,  Sussex.  Built  soon  after  the  Order  came  into 
England.  To  this  convent,  St.  Richard,  bishop  of  Chiches- 
ter,  bequeathed  in  1253,  his  book  of  Sentences  and  20s. 
Edmund  Fitz  Alan,  earl  of  Arundel,  in  1324,  gave  2  a.  of 
land  for  enlarging.  After  the  suppression,  granted  Nov. 
1540,  to  Edw.  Myllet  of  Westminster,  yeoman.  No  trace 
left :  it  is  supposed  that  the  site  is  taken  up  with  the  custom- 
house. 

Bamborough,  Northumberland.  At  the  prayer  of  F. 
John  de  Derlington,  Hen.  III.  Nov.  20th  1265  gave  leave 
for  the  convent  to  be  founded.  The  king  in  the  following 
year  gave  7  a.  of  land  for  the  purpose,  and  in  1267  he  added 
10  a.  for  the  oratory  &c.  Granted  2  Eliz.  to  Tho.  Reeve  and 
Nich.  Finder. 

Bangor,  Caernarvonshire.  As  early  as  1250,  and  probably 
rebuilt  or  enlarged  by  Tudor  ap  Gronow,  lord  of  Penmynydd, 
who  was  called  founder.  .Anian,  bishop  of  Bangor,  in  1301, 
gave  1  a.  of  land.  Leland,  in  his  Itinerary,  about  1542, 
says  this  convent  was  dedicated  to  Jesus,  but  by  mistake  he 
gives  it  to  the  White  Friars.  Granted  7  Edw.  VI.  to  Tho. 
Brown  and  Will.  Breton :  Dr.  Jeffrey  Glynn,  brother  of 
William  bishop  of  Bangor,  bequeathed  it,  in  1557,  for  a  free 
school,  and  it  is  still  called  "  the  Friars'  Grammar  School." 

Beverley,  Yorkshire.  Before  1263.  Leland  says  that  it  was 
of  one  Goldsmith's  foundation,  and  so  the  town ;  but  the 


*  We  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  load  our  present  pages 
with  references  to  the  documents  in  the  Public  Record  Office  we 
have  used  in  these  notices.  We  hope  soon  to  complete  a  Monasti- 
con  Dominicanum. 


42  INTRODUCTION. 

Lord  Darcy  had  of  late  strove  for  the  patronage  with  the 
town.  Granted  36  Hen.  VIII.  to  John  Pope  and  Anthony 
Foster. 

Boston,  Lincolnshire.  During  a  fair,  July  26th  1288,  a 
squire  named  Eob.  Chamherlain,  with  a  lot  of  followers, 
set  fire  to  the  merchants'  booths,  and  a  great  part  of  the  town, 
with  the  Church  of  the  Friar-Preachers,  was  burnt  down. 
Granted  32  Hen.  VIII.  to  Charles  duke  of  Suffolk. 

Brecknock.  Before  the  end  of  the  13th  century.  Henry 
VIII.  by  letters  patent  of  Jan.  19th  1541-2  transferred  to  it 
the  college  of  Abergwili,  in  Caermarthenshire,  named  it  Christ 
College,  and  made  it  into  a  school  for  educating  youth,  and 
particularly  for  teaching  Welsh  the  English  tongue.  The 
ruins  of  the  church  by  the  west  gate  of  the  town  are  still  to 
be  seen. 

Bristol,  Somersetshire.  Founded  in  1228  by  Sir  Maurice 
Gaunt.  Trivet  says  that,  in  1249,  a  friar  of  the  Order 
brought  into  England  a  footprint  of  our  Lord,  and  it  was 
here  till  the  brethren  gave  it  to  Henry  III.  who  had  it 
placed  in  Westminster  Abbey,  where  it  .was  long  held  in 
veneration.  Granted  in  1540  to  Will.  Chester,  has  passed 
through  countless  hands,  and  is  now  used  in  part  as  a  school 
for  the  Society  of  Friends. 

Cambridge.  Before  1240,  when  the  friars  had  royal 
license  to  exchange  some  land  for  enlarging  their  churchyard. 
Dedicated  to  St.  Dominic.  Alice  widow  of  Kobert  de  Vere, 
earl  of  Oxford,  about  1280,  enlarged  or  rebuilt,  so  as  to  earn 
the  title  of  foundress.  Surrendered  in  1538,  by  the  prior, 
sub-prior  and  fourteen  friars.  One  Mr.  Sherwood  turned  it 
into  his  dwelling-house.  Sir  Walter  Mildmay,  chancellor  of 
the  exchequer,  purchased  it,  and  in  1584  founded  Emanuel 
College,  which  now  stands  on  the  site. 

Canterbury,  Kent.  Built  soon  after  the  friars  came  into 
England  by  Archbishop  Langton,  and  dedicated  to  St. 
Nicholas.  Henry  HI.  was  also  a  founder ;  in  1236  he  gave  a 


INTRODUCTION.  43 

river-island,  and  in  1258,  at  a  cost  of  £32,  erected  buildings 
in  honour  of  St.  Edward  his  patron.  Granted  to  Tho. 
Wiseman  and  2  Eliz.  to  John  Harrington.  The  churchyard 
was  made  into  an  artillery  ground,  and  on  parts  of  the  site 
are  the  Anabaptists'  and  Methodists'  meeting-houses.  Some 
ruins  are  still  to  be  seen  in  Blackfriars,  between  Best-lane 
and  the  river  Stour. 

Cardifff  Glamorganshire.  Probably  as  early  as  Henry  III. 
Leland  says,  "  The  Black  Freres  house  was  withoute  Meskin 
(or  West)  gate,  and  by  side  this  is  litle  building  there." 

Carlisle,  Cumberland.  Founded  before  1233 ;  in  1237  the 
friars  had  to  remove  some  buildings  which  encroached  on  the 
public  street.  Noticed  by  Leland. 

Chelmsford,  Essex.  Said  to  have  been  founded  by  Mal- 
colm king  of  Scotland,  but  he  died  more  than  half  a  century 
before  the  Order  came  into  England.  Still  the  house  was 
built  at  an  early  date,  and  stood  in  the  adjoining  hamlet  of 
Fulsham.  Dedicated  to  St.  Dominic.  Yearly  rental  in  1535 
£9.  6s.  5d.  Granted  34  Hen.  VIII.  to  Anthony  Bonvisso. 

Chester,  Cheshire.  Founded  before  1235  by  a  bishop  of 
Coventry  and  Lichfield,  in  the  S.  W.  suburbs  of  the  city  near 
Water-gate.  Granted  36  Hen.  VIH.  to  John  Cokke. 

Cliichester,  Sussex.  Built  in  the  time  of  Henry  III. 
Eleanor  queen  of  Edward  I.  was  a  great  benefactress. 
Granted  32  Hen.  VIII.  to  the  mayor  and  citizens;  the  church 
was  formed  into  the  guildhall. 

Dartford,  Kent.  Eleanor  first  consort  of  Edward  I.  was 
deeply  attached  to  the  Order,  and  was  planning  the  erection 
of  a  nunnery  in  1290  when  she  died.  Edward  II.  made  a 
vow  to  carry  out  his  mother's  intention,  and  wrote  to  Pope 
John  XXII.  in  1318  upon  the  subject,  desiring  to  turn 
the  convent  of  Guildford  into  a  house  of  the  second  order. 
Then  he  determined  to  erect  a  house  at  Kings-Langley,  and 
requested  the  master-general  to  send  over  seven  sisters.  The 
king  died  before  he  could  carry  out  his  intention.  Edward 


44  INTRODUCTION. 

III.  took  the  same  vow  upon  himself,  and  in  1344  commis- 
sioned Tho.  de  Wake  to  bring  into  England  four  or  six  nuns 
of  the  Order  of  Preachers  from  Brabant,*  and  then  he  founded 
the  convent  of  Dartford  for  forty  Eeligious.  To  it  he  gave  the 
yearly  rent  of  £100  out  of  the  exchequer,  which  he  after- 
wards changed  for  landed  and  other  property.  Kichard  II. 
by  his  liberality  earned  the  title  of  second  founder.  This 
became  a  very  famous  house  of  education ;  many  ladies  of  the 
highest  rank  entered  the  convent,  and  amongst  them  Bridget 
fourth  daughter  of  Edward  IV.  This  only  Dominican  nun- 
nery in  England,  valued  in  1535  at  ^9408  a  year,  was  sup- 
pressed in  1538,  when  the  prioress  and  twenty-five  religious 
in  all  were  pensioned  off.  Henry  VIII.  changed  the  house 
into  a  hunting  seat,  and  1  Edw.  VI.  it  was  given  to  Lady 
Ann  of  Cleves,  Henry's  fourth  wife.  Mary  restored  it  in 
1558  to  the  surviving  nuns,  and  Elizabeth  turned  them  out 
again.  Granted  4  Jac.  I.  to  Robert  Cecil  earl  of  Salisbury, 
who  conveyed  it  six  years  after  to  Sir  Robert  Darcy  knight, 
with  whose  descendants  it  remained.  The  house  was  made 
into  a  farm-dwelling,  and  little  now  remains  except  the 
ancient  gateway. 
Derby.  Founded  before  1257,  and  dedicated  to  the  Blessed 


*  Some  few  years  later  the  king  granted  special  pensions  to  the 
prioress  and  sisters  who  had  come  into  England  from  abroad. 

Antiquarians  are  puzzled  to  say  to  what  order  this  house  belonged, 
and  make  it  Augustinian  or  Dominican  again  and  again  in  an  extra- 
ordinary manner.  The  fact  is,  the  sisters  here,  like  all  others  of 
the  Order,  were  "  Ordinis  sancti  Augustini,  secundum  instituta  et  sub 
cura  Fratrum  Ordinis  Prsedicatorum."  Martin  V.July  16th  1418 
confirmed  their  obedience  to  the  Dominican  prior  of  Kings- Langley: 
and  the  prioress  in  a  letter  to  secretary  Cromwell,  about  1535,  says, 
"  We  be  of  that  profession  and  habit  that  none  other  be  within  this 
realm.'* 


INTRODUCTION.  45 

Virgin.  Surrendered  Jan.  3rd  1538-9  by  the  prior  and  five 
friars.  Granted  35  Hen.  VIII.  to  John  Hynde. 

Doncaster,  Yorkshire.  Founded  in  the  reign  of  Hen.  III. 
Cardinal  Wolsey  "being  arrested  Nov.  1st  1529  at  Cawood, 
when  he  was  led  towards  London,  lodged  the  second  night 
with  the  Black  friars  here. 

Dunstable,  Bedfordshire.  At  the  request  of  Henry  III. 
the  Augustinian  lords  of  Dunstable  in  1259  allowed  the 
Friar-Preachers  to  settle  in  the  town,  and  under  the  protec- 
tion of  cardinal  Hugh  and  with  the  help  of  the  charitable 
they  increased  from  time  to  time.  Yearly  rental  in  1535 
£4.  18s.  4d.  Granted  1  Edw.  VI.  to  Sir  Will.  Herbert. 

Dunwich,  Suffolk.  Founded  before  1255,  by  Sir  Roger 
Holishe  knight.  When  the  sea  had  washed  away  the  shore 
almost  up  to  the  walls,  it  was  arranged  in  1384  to  remove  to 
Blythburgh  in  the  same  county,  on  condition  that  the  house 
here  should  be  destroyed.  But  the  exchange  was  not  made, 
and  the  friars  remained  here  till  the  dissolution.  Granted  36 
Hen.  VIII.  (1544)  to  John  Eyer.  The  whole  has  long  been 
swallowed  up  by  the  sea. 

Exeter,  Devonshire.  The  Friar-Preachers  were  settled 
here  by  a  bishop  of  Exeter,  as  the  bishops  of  that  see  were 
styled  their  only  patrons  and  founders.  The  Church  was 
being  built  in  1232,  when  Henry  III.  granted  stone  out  of 
the  quarry  near  the  castle  ditch;  and  was  dedicated  Nov. 
26th  1259.  Suppressed  Sept.  12th  1538,  and  granted  July 
4th  1541  to  John  lord  Kussel,  who  changed  the  convent 
into  a  large  mansion  and  called  it  Bedford-house;  it  was 
demolished  in  1780  to  make  room  for  a  crescent. 

Gloucester.  Founded  about  1239,  by  Henry  HE.  and  Sir 
Stephen  de  Herneshull  knight,  near  the  castle-yard  by  the 
South  Gate.  Granted  31  Henry  VIII.  to  Tho.  Bell,  who 
made  it  into  a  draper's  house,  and  since  his  time  it  has  often 
changed  hands.  The  buildings  of  this  fine  convent  still 
stand_on  all  four  sides  of  the  cloister-quadrangle,  on  the 


46  INTRODUCTION. 

N.  a  cruciform  Church  now  a  dwelling-house,  on  the  south 
the  dormitory  very  perfect  now  used  as  a  warehouse,  on  the 
E.  the  chapter-house  now  almost  hidden  by  modern  build- 
ings, and  on  the  W.  the  refectory  changed  partly  into  a  stable 
and  hay-loft  and  partly  into  small  dwellings. 

Guildford,  Surrey.  Founded  by  Queen  Eleanor  wife  of 
Henry  III.,  and  dedicated  to  St.  Dominic.  Here  reposed 
the  heart  of  Henry  second  son  of  Edward  I.  who  died  young, 
and  his  body  was  buried  Nov.  20th  1272  in  Westminster 
Abbey :  the  heart  was  solemnly  exposed  Oct.  21st  every 
year.  The  building  stood  on  the  E.  bank  of  the  river  Wey, 
a  little  to  the  north  of  the  High-street.  On  the  site  Henry 
VIII.  erected  a  mansion,  which  in  the  time  of  James  I. 
passed  into  private  hands,  and  so  to  the  Onslow  family.  In 
the  war  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  it  was  used 
for  barracks,  and  then  it  was  made  to  accommodate  the  judges 
during  the  assizes. 

Haverfordwest,  Pembrokeshire.  Before  1256,  in  which  year 
Henry  IH.  gave  the  friars,  who  had  diligently  preached  the 
crusade,  15  marks  (£10)  towards  removing  to  a  better  spot. 
Granted  38  Hen.  VIII.  to  Kog.  and  Tho.  Barlow.  There 
are  some  ruins. 

Hereford.  Begun  about  1270,  in  which  year  (May  10th) 
the  friars  had  royal  letters  of  protection  for  their  place  in 
Portfeld.*  Leland  says,  "  Ther  cam  in  the  tyme  of  Ser 
Thomas  Cantelope,  3  Friers  Prechars  to  Hereford,  and  by  the 
Favour  of  William  Cantelope,  Brothar  to  Bysshope  Cantelupe, 
they  set  up  a  litle  Oratorie  at  Portfelde ;  but  Byshope  Thomas 
toke  that  Place  from  the  Friers.  Then  one  Syr  John  Daniell, 
havynge  a  litle  Place  in  the  Northe  Suburbe,  let  them  have 
the  use*  of  it.  Then  the  Bysshope  of  Hereforde  gave  them  a 

*  The  fiiars  "  qui  commorari  debent"  in  Hereford  had  royal 
license  July  13th  1246  to  acquire  a  certain  plot  of  land,  for  enlarg- 
ing the  place  given  them  by  Agnes  By  set. 


INTRODUCTION.  47 

Plot  of  Ground  hard  by  Daniel's  Place,  and  ther  they  began 
to  builde,  and  make  a  solempne  Pece  of  Worke,  Daniell 
helpynge  them."  The  Portfield  is  in  the  Ive  Gate  suburbs  of 
the  city :  the  convent  was  without  the  north  or  Widemarsh- 
gate.  This  house  suffered  much  from  fires,  for  before  1414 
it  had  been  three  times  burnt  down.  Granted  5  Eliz.  to 
Elizabeth  Wynne ;  and  out  of  the  ruins  Sir  Thomas  Con- 
ingsby  of  Hampton-Court  erected  the  buildings  which  in 
1614  he  made  into  a  hospital  for  worn-out  soldiers  and  super- 
annuated faithful  servants.  There  still  remain  the  ruins  of 
some  offices  and  of  a  beautiful  hexagonal  cross,  or  rather 
stone  pulpit,  which  stood  probably  in  the  preaching-yard. 

Hully  or  Kingston-on-Hull,  Yorkshire.  Stood  between  the 
present  Queen  Street  and  the  landing  place,  where  the  Hull 
falls  into  the  Humber.  Site  granted  36  Henry  VIII.  to 
John  Broxholme,  and  5  Edw.  VI.  to  John  duke  of  Northum- 
berland. 

Ilchester,  Somersetshire.  Before  1283,  when  the  friars 
had  royal  license  to  add  two  and  a  half  acres  of  land  given 
them  by  Will.  Whytbred.  Granted  37  Hen.  VIH.  to  Wil- 
liam Hodges. 

Ipswich,  Suffolk.  Dedicated  to  St.  Dominic,  and  stood 
near  the  river-quay.  Founded  in  1263  by  the  king,  Hen. 
de  Manesby,  Hen.  Kedred,  and  Hen.  de  Loudham ;  John 
Hares  afterwards  gave  land  to  enlarge  it.  The  site,  which 
was  very  large,  was  granted  33  Hen.  VIII.  (1541)  to  Will. 
Sabyn,  and  Mr.  Southwell  sold  it  in  part  to  the  corporation 
and  in  part  to  John  Tooley.  The  corporation  made  their 
share  into  Christ's  hospital,  a  free  grammar  school,  a  public 
library,  a  bridewell,  &c. :  Tooley 's  executors  according  to 
his  will  established  an  almshouse  for  poor  men  and  women 
which  was  confirmed  in  1556  by  a  charter  of  queen  Mary. 
The  cloisters  and  other  conventual  buildings  are  still  entire, 
but  the  refectory  (or  school)  has  been  recently  pulled  down. 


48  INTRODUCTION. 

The  new  Catholic  church  stands  on  part  of  the  ground  not 
far  from  the  house. 

R'mgs-Langley ,  Hertfordshire.  Dedicated  to  St.  Dominic 
and  first  established  at  the  sole  labour  and  expense  of  the 
friars  of  Oxford  probably  in  the  reign  of  Hen.  III.  It 
became  the  house  of  studies  for  all  the  four  "  Visitations" 
into  which  the  houses  of  the  Order  in  England  were  divided. 
Edward  II.  in  1308  removed  it  to  a  better  site,  close  to  the 
king's  palace  at  Langley.  When  Sir  Piers  Gaveston  was 
summarily  beheaded  June  19th  1312  near  Warwick,  a  Domi- 
nican friar  who  was  passing  took  up  the  head  of  the  royal 
favourite  and  bore  it  in  his  capuce  to  the  king ;  the  body 
was  taken  to  the  convent  of  Oxford,  where  it  rested  for  more 
than  a  year.  Edward  had  the  remains  removed  to  Langley 
and  interred  in  the  friars'  church,  which  he  built ;  and  for 
the  repose  of  Sir  Piers'  soul  he  supported  the  students  out 
of  the  treasury.  Edward  III.  enlarged  and  endowed  the 
house  for  sixty  friars.  Richard  II.  had  the  bones  of  his 
brother  Edward  buried  here,  and  himself  also  lay  here  till 
his  body  was  removed  by  Henry  V.  to  Westminster  Abbey. 
At  the  dissolution  this  convent  had  the  clear  yearly  rent  of 
d9122.  4s.  Queen  Mary  placed  the  nuns  of  Dartfor4  here  in 
1556,  but  they  left  two  years  after  for  their  former  cloister. 
Granted  16  Eliz.  to  Edward  Grimston. 

Lancaster,  Lancashire.  Founded  in  1260  by  Sir  Hugh 
Harrington  knt.,  the  royal  license  to  the  provincial  being 
dated  May  27th.  Granted  32  Hen.  VIII.  to  John  Holcroft. 

Leicester.  Founded  by  Simon  de  Montfort  earl  of  Leices- 
ter in  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  "Le  Blake  Freares  in  le 
Ashes"  as  it  was  called  was  surrendered  November  10th 
1538,  by  the  prior,  sub-prior,  and  eight  friars.  Granted  38 
Hen.  VIII.  to  Hen.  Marquis  of  Dorset. 

Lincoln.  Founded  about  1237  when  Henry  III.  made 
them  a  grant  of  building  timber ;  and  stood  on  the  east  of 


INTBODUCTION.  49 

the  city,  just  outside  Potters'  Gate.  Granted  37  Hen.  VIII. 
to  John  Bellew  and  John  Broxholm. 

London,  Middlesex.  When  the  Friar-Preachers  came 
into  England  in  1221  they  formed  a  house  in  Holborn  just 
outside  the  city  walls  near  the  Old  Temple.  In  1235  Henry 
III.  and  Gilbert  earl  of  Pembroke  gave  them  much  building 
timber.  Hubert  de  Burgh  was  a  great  benefactor,  and 
bestowed  on  them  his  place  in  Westminster:  they  never 
lived  there,  but  sold  it  to  Walter  archbishop  of  York,  and  it 
formed  the  palace  of  the  archbishops  called  York  Place  till 
1529,  when  Henry  VIII.  took  it  from  Cardinal  Wolsey  and 
named  it  Whitehall.  Two  general  chapters  of  the  Order 
were  held  in  Holborn  ;  May  18th  1250  and  May  20th  1263. 
"  In  the  yeere  1250,"  says  Stowe,  "the  Fryers  of  this  Order 
of  Preachers,  throughout  Christendom,  and  from  Jerusalem, 
were  by  Convocation  assembled  together,  at  this  their  house 
by  Oldboorne,  to  entreat  of  their  estate,  to  the  number  of 
400,  hauing  meate  and  drinke  found  them  of  Almes,  because 
they  had  no  possessions  of  their  owne.  The  first  day,  the 
king  came  to  their  Chapter,  found  them  meate  and  drinke, 
and  dined  with  them.  Another  day,  the  Queene  found  them 
meat  and  drink ;  afterward  the  Bishop  of  London,  then  the 
Abbot  of  Westminster,  of  St.  Albons,  Waltham,  and  others." 
At  the  chapter  of  1263,  the  great  Angelic  Doctor  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  was  present. 

F.  Robert  de  Kilwardby,  after  he  became  archbishop 
of  Canterbury  removed  his  brethren  of  London  to  a  better 
place.  In  1275  Sir  Robert  Fitz  Walter  sold  or  gave  him 
Baynard  Castle  with  the  tower  of  Montfitchett,  and  in  the 
next  year  the  mayor  and  barons  of  London  granted  him  two 
lanes  next  the  castle.  On  this  site  and  partly  out  of  the 
stones  of  the  tower,  the  Archbishop  with  royal  aid  raised  a 
church  and  convent  for  the  brethren  of  his  Order,  who  left 
Holborn  after  they  had  been  there  for  more  than  fifty-five 
years.  The  old  house  in  Holborn  was  confirmed  by  Edward 


5  0  INTRODUCTION. 

I.  in  1287  to  Henry  Lacy  earl  of  Lincoln,  who  built  his  inn 
there.  This  inn  afterwards  passed  to  the  bishops  of  Chi- 
chester,  whose  palace  adjoined  and  became  at  last  an  Inn  of 
Court  for  law- students ;  and  now  as  a  residence  of  lawyers 
it  still  keeps  the  name  Lincolns-Inn. 

The  second  convent  stood  in  the  city  between  Ludgate  and 
the  Thames,  where  Printing-house  Square  now  lies.  It  had 
a  very  large  extent  of  ground  shut  in  with  four  walls  and 
gates,  and  in  it  numerous  artizans  lived  and  plied  their 
trades.  All  who  dwelt  there  were  subject  only  to  the  king, 
to  the  superiors,  and  to  the  justices  within  the  precincts. 
The  inhabitants  kept  these  liberties  for  some  time  after  the 
dissolution.  This  was  a  very  famous  house.  In  the  church 
were  buried  many  great  personages  :  here  reposed  the  hearts 
of  the  foundress  Eleanor,  Edward  the  First's  "  chere  reine," 
and  of  Alphonsus  her  son.  Here  were  held,  the  general 
chapters  of  May  26th  1314,  and  June  14th  1335  j  the  court 
of  queen  Isabell  in  1327,  when  the  furious  fray  occurred 
between  the  Heinhaulters  and  the  English  archers ;  and  the 
provincial  synod  of  1382,  in  which  the  opinions  of  Wycliffe 
were  condemned.  In  1450  the  parliament  begun  at  West- 
minster was  adjourned  to  this  house  and  hence  to  Leicester. 
In  1522  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  lodged  here.  In  1524  the 
"  black  parliament"  was  opened  here  and  adjourned  to 
Westminster  abbey.  And  in  1529  cardinals  Campeggio  and 
Wolsejr  sat  in  the  "  parliament-chamber"  as  judges  in  the 
cause  of  Henry  VIII.  when  queen  Catherine  made  her  touch- 
ing appeal  to  her  faithless  husband.  John  Hilsley  bishop  of 
Rochester  commendatory  prior  and  fifteen  friars  surrendered 
it  November  12th  1538  ;  the  temporalities  were  then  valued 
at  £104.  15s.  5d.  a-year.  The  site  and  buildings  were 
granted  to  Sir  Tho.  Cawarden  knt.,  who  after  the  death  of 
Henry  VIII.  unroofed  the  church  of  St.  Anne  which  served 
the  inhabitants  of  the  precincts  for  a  parish  church,  and  let 
part  of  it  for  stables.  Afterwards  he  pulled  down  the 


INTRODUCTION.  51 

church  walls  and  huilt  a  tennis-court  "  to  the  mayntenance 
of  vice  and  great  hurte  and  corrupcion  of  the  youthe  of  the 
citie  of  London,"  and  let  part  of  the  churchyard  as  a  car- 
penter's yard.  The  precincts  became  a  place  of  fashionable 
residence,  and  many  of  the  nobility  built  houses  for  them- 
selves. Here  queen  Elizabeth  when  sixty  years  old  danced 
at  a  wedding.  Close  by  the  convent-church  on  the  spot 
still  known  as  Playhouse  Yard  was  erected  in  1575  the 
Blackfriars'  theatre,  to  which  Shakespere  has  given  an  ever- 
lasting fame.  The  Blackfriars  was  desolated  in  1666  by  the 
great  fire  of  London  :  the  ground  is  now  built  over,  yet 
among  the  back  houses  some  remains  of  the  ancient  walls 
may  still  be  seen. 

Lynn,  Norfolk.  Dedicated  to  St.  Dominic,  being  founded 
in  1272  by  Thomas  Gedney.  Temporalities  in  1535  valued 
at  18s.  a-year.  The  prior  and  eleven  brethren  signed  the 
surrender  in  1538.  John  Eyre  esq.  bought  the  site  in  1544 
of  the  king,  and  through  many  hands  it  is  now  held  by  the 
corporation  of  Lynn  and  others.  Few  traces  of  the  buildings 
are  to  be  seen. 

Melcombe-Regis,  Dorsetshire.  Founded  about  1417  by 
Hugh  Deverell  and  John  Roger,  who  gave  two  houses  and 
land,  and  began  to  build  the  convent  and  church,  for  en- 
couraging the  town,  which  had  been  often  attacked  and 
nearly  ruined  by  invaders.  Pope  Martin  V.  August  17th 
1418  granted  license  for  the  foundation  and  also  for  a 
convent  at  Wendover,*  which  other  benefactors  had  begun. 
This  convent  made  no  progress  till  1431  when  the  royal  license 

*  "Wendover  was  probably  soon  abandoned. 

In  1267,  the  Friar-Preachers  had  a  royal  grant  of  twelve  oaks, 
for  the  fabric  of  their  church  at  Gillingham  in  Dorsetshire,  And 
in  1279  John  de  London  gave  them  a  site  in  Windsor,  and  they 
had  the  royal  license  to  establish  themselves  there.  These  foun- 
dations were  soon  either  given  up  or  removed. 


52  INTKODUCTION. 

was  given  for  it ;  meanwhile  the  Religious  dwelt  and  carried 
on  their  services  in  the  two  houses.  In  Feh.  1445-6  Henry 
VI.  granted  them  land  in  the  sea  and  £10.  a-year  for  twelve 
years  to  build  a  tower  and  jettee  for  defending  the  town  and 
port  against  the  flowing  of  the  sea  ;  which  they  did  at  "  grete 
charge  and  costes"  to  themselves.  Granted  35  Hen.  VIII. 
(1543)  to  Sir  John  Roger  of  Brianston,  of  the  family  of  the 
founder.  The  convent  became  changed  into  small  dwell- 
ings, and  the  church  into  a  malthouse. 

Newcastle-on-Tyne,  Northumberland.  Near  the  West 
Gate,  founded  about  1260  by  Sir  Peter  Scot  first  mayor  and 
Sir  Nich.  Scot  his  son.  In  the  church  John  Baliol  king  of 
Scotland  did  homage  in  1344  to  Edward  III.  and  yielded 
up  to  him  the  five  southern  counties  of  his  kingdom. 
Yearly  rental  in  1535  £2.  19s.  4d.  Surrendered  January 
10th  1538-9  by  the  prior  and  twelve  friars.  Sold  35  Hen. 
VIII.  (1544)  to  the  mayor  and  burgesses  of  the  town.  In 
1553  the  corporation  demised  the  friary  to  nine  of  the 
mysteries  or  ancient  trades  of  the  town,  and  thus  the  build- 
ings though  greatly  altered  have  been  well  preserved  to  the 
present  time. 

Newcastle-under-Lyne,  Staffordshire.  Founded  before  1281. 
Leland  says  it  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  town. 

Newport,  Monmouthshire.  On  the  banks  of  the  Usk 
below  the  bridge.  Granted  35  Hen.  VIII.  to  Sir  Edw. 
Carn.  There  are  still  remains  :  some  years  ago  the  small 
but  elegant  chapel  was  taken  up  with  a  cider  mill. 

Northampton.  Built  about  1235,  when  the  king  gave 
fifteen  oaks  for  building-timber.  Dedicated  to  St.  Dominic. 
John  de  Dabington  was  either  founder  or  a  considerable 
benefactor.  Eleanor  queen  of  Edward  I.  in  1279  gave  the 
friars  a  spring  called  Floxewell.  Yearly  rental  in  1535 
£5.  7s.  lOd.  Surrendered  October  20th  1538  by  eight  friars. 
Granted  38  Hen.  VIII.  to  Will.  Ramsden. 

Norwich,  Norfolk.     The  Friar- Preachers  entered  Norwich 


INTRODUCTION.  53 

in  1226.  Sir  Thomas  Gelham  knt.  was  their  patron.  They 
had  the  old  parish  church  of  St.  John  Baptist  in  the  Cole- 
gate  now  called  Black  Boys  Street ;  and  made  it  conventual. 
When  the  Order  of  Sacked  Friars  was  put  down  in  1307 
their  house  in  Norwich  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
was  given  (Oct.  28th)  to  the  Friar-Preachers,  who  quitted 
their  old  house  in  1309,  but  left  one  of  their  brethren  in  it 
for  serving  the  church.  In  1413  a  great  part  of  the  city 
with  this  convent  was  burnt  down,  and  the  friars  went  back 
to  their  old  house.  They  had  not  been  very  long  settled 
there  when  they  were  again  burnt  out  in  1449  and  driven 
back  to  their  new  house  which  they  restored,  the  church 
dedicated  to  St.  John  Baptist  being  finished  about  1462. 
Here  Elizabeth  queen  of  Edward  IV.  lodged  with  her  daugh- 
ters and  suite  in  1470,  when  she  visited  Norwich.  All  the 
possessions  of  the  Friar-Preachers  in  this  city  were  granted 
by  Henry  VIII.  in  1540  for  £81.  and  9s.  a-year  rent  to  the 
mayor  and  corporation,  and  have"  been  variously  used.  The 
ground  of  the  first  house  was  parcelled  out  to  several  persons  : 
the  Unitarian  chapel  stands  in  the  churchyard  and  the  Inde- 
pendents' meeting  house  is  within  the  precincts  near  the 
orchard.  In  1804  a  great  part  of  the  buildings  of  the 
second  house  was  made  into  a  workhouse  and  the  choir 
(which  had  long  served  as  a  place  of  worship  for  the  Dutch 
Protestants)  was  used  as  a  chapel  for  the  paupers  :  the  fine 
nave  has  always  been  used  by  the  corporation  as  a  corn- 
market  and  guild-hall,  called  from"  the  parish  St.  Andrew's 
Hall. 

Oxford.  F.  Gilbert  de  Fresnoy  and  his  brethren  found 
their  little  oratory  of  our  Lady  too  distant  from  the  city,  so 
they  obtained  a  more  suitable  place  within  the  Jewry,  hoping 
at  the  same  time  to  bring  over  the  inhabitants  of  it  to 
Christianity.  Isabel  countess  of  Oxford  and  Stephen  Mai- 
clerk  bishop  of  Carlisle,  who  afterwards  gave  up  his  see  and 
joined  the  Order,  bestowed  on  them  two  pieces  of  land,  and 


54  INTRODUCTION. 

the  canons  of  St.  Frideswide  let  them  have  several  lands  at 
a  very  low  rent.  Here  they  built  a  house,  while  the  coun- 
tess of  Oxford  erected  an  oratory  with  a  burial-ground 
attached.  They  were  soon  joined  by  four  of  the  greatest 
theologians,  philosophers,  and  writers  of  the  age :  F.  John 
of  St.  Giles,  F.  Robert  Bacon,  F.  Richard  Fishacre,  and 
F.  Robert  de  Kilwardby,  for  whose  schools  they  built  a 
separate  house.  In  this  convent  was  held  in  1230  the  first 
chapter  of  the  English  province,  and  in  1258  the  "  Mad 
Parliament"  sat  here. 

The  convent  became  too  small  to  hold  the  scholars  from 
all  parts  of  Europe  who  crowded  to  this  school,  which  was 
taught  by  Dominican  professors  who  had  a  world-wide 
renown.  About  1259  Henry  III.  granted  the  friars  in  the 
south  suburbs,  outside  Little  Gate  and  close  to  the  river 
Isis,  a  piece  of  land  which  was  formed  into  an  island  by  the 
brook  called  Trill  Mill  stream.  They  sold  their  place  in  the 
Jewry  and  with  the  money  and  benefactions  built  a  larger 
house.  The  church  dedicated  to  St.  Nicholas  was  conse- 
crated June  15th  1262  by  the  bishop  of  Lincoln.  Here 
they  had  distinct  schools  for  theology  and  philosophy,  and 
performed  all  their  solemn  acts  of  divinity  in  the  church 
and  chapter-house  and  those  of  philosophy  in  the  cloister. 
The  house  was  made  a  general  college  open  to  all  the  Order 
and  to  the  whole  world,  where  for  nearly  three  hundred 
years  many  men  of  eminence  were  educated. 

Henry  VIII.  destroyed  this  house,  and  in  1540  sold  it 
with  the  Grey  friars,  for  £1094.  to  Richard  Andrews  and 
John  How,  who  some  time  after  parted  with  it  to  Will.  Frere 
of  Oxford  and  Agnes  his  wife.  Frere  pulled  down  the 
church  and  most  of  the  convent,  and  sold  the  stone,  lead, 
glass,  bells,  &c.  at  the  lowest  rate ;  and  thus  the  seat  of  the 
Friar-Preachers  at  Oxford  vanished.  "  But,"  says  Wood, 
"their  memory  has  a  right  to  be  eternally  preserved,  who 
lived  with  us  to  the  immense  benefit  of  the  university; 


INTRODUCTION.  55 

whilst  the  very  prelates  of  the  Church,  attracted  both  by 
their  learning  and  unspotted  course  of  life,  laid  down  their 
honours  and  preferments,  and  often  repaired  to  Oxford  to 
take  that  rule  upon  them.'* 

Pontefract,  Yorkshire.  Founded  before  1266.  Surren- 
dered November  26th  1538  by  seven  friars  and  one  unpro- 
fessed  novice.  Granted  36  Hen.  VIII.  to  Will.  Clifford  and 
Mich.  Wildbore. 

Rhuddlan,  Flintshire.  Anian  de  Shonaw  called  Y  Brawd 
du  o  Nanneu  or  the  Blackfriar  of  Nanneu  was  prior  of 
Ehuddlan  in  1268,  when  he  was  made  bishop  of  St.  Asaph. 
It  suffered  greatly  in  the  Welsh  wars  of  Edward  I.,  but  kept 
up  till  the  dissolution.  Granted  32  Hen.  VIII.  to  Henry 
ap  Harry. 

Salisbury,  Wiltshire.  Begun  in  1277  by  Eob.  de  Kil- 
wardby,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  at  Fisherton  close  to 
Salisbury.  To  it  a  community  of  friars  removed  from  the 
adjoining  parish  of  Wilton  where  they  had  been  established 
much  earlier.*  Edward  I.  in  1281  and  Eleanor  his  queen 
in  1289  were  benefactors.  Granted  36  Hen.  VIII.  to  John 
Pollard  and  Will.  Byrte. 

Scarborough,  Yorkshire.  Founded  about  1245  by  Sir 
Adam  Sage  knt.  At  the  request  of  the  burgesses  the  friars 
in  1285  removed  to  a  better  spot. 

Shrewsbury,  Shropshire.  The  Friar-Preachers  settled  here 
in  1232  (not  in  6  Hen.  III.  as  the  historians  of  the  town 
state)  when  the  king  granted  them  stone  and  timber  for 
their  church.  Lady  Matilda  de  Lasci  wife  of  Geoffry  de 
Genevile  was  so  great  a  benefactress  that  she  was  styled 
foundress.  Stood  a  little  without  the  wall  on  Severn  side 
at  the  end  of  Marwell  St.  Suppressed  in  1538,  and  sold  by 

*  The  friars  seem  to  have  kept  the  site  at  Wilton  ;  Tanner  says 
it  was  granted  1  Edw.  VI.  to  Sir  Will.  Herbert. 


56  INTRODUCTION. 

Henry  VIII.  in  1543  to  Kich.  Andrewes  and  Nich.  Tem- 
ple ;  and  since  that  time  it  has  pa'ssed  though  many  hands. 
The  buildings  have  long  disappeared ;  hut  in  1823  when  the 
site  was  levelled  for  a  wharf,  the  foundations  of  three  cham- 
bers were  laid  bare  and  many  fragments  of  fine  stonework 
found. 

Stamford,  Lincolnshire.  Founded  before  1240  it  is 
supposed  by  Will,  earl  of  Albemarle.  Surrendered  October 
7th  1538  by  the  prior  and  eight  friars.  Granted  33  Hen. 
VIII.  to  Eob.  Bocher  and  David  Vincent. 

Sudbury,  Suffolk.  The  friars  settled  here  about  1242, 
through  the  aid  of  Baldwin  de  Simperling  and  Mabilla  his 
wife,  together  with  John  de  Chertsey.  Granted  in  1539  to 
Tho.  Eden  esq.  clerk  of  the  Star  Chamber ;  and  after  being 
sold  many  times  the  buildings  were  pulled  down  about  1819. 

Thetford,  Norfolk.  Thetford  was  an  episcopal  see  from 
1075  to  1094.  The  church  was  for  a  short  time  in  the 
hands  of  the  Cluniacs  who  gave  it  up  soon  after  1114,  and 
it  fell  into  decay.  At  length  Sir  Edmund  Gonvile  (founder 
of  the  Gonvile  Hall  now  Caius  College  Cambridge)  induced 
Henry  earl  of  Lancaster  lord  of  Thetford,  to  whom  he  was 
steward,  to  repair  this  old  church  and  house  and  to  settle 
Friar-Preachers  there.  This  was  about  1336.  John  earl  of 
Warren  by  royal  license  of  April  28th  1338  gave  them  land ; 
he  was  esteemed  a  founder  with  Gonvile  and  the  earl  of 
Lancaster.  Dedicated  to  Holy  Trinity,  St.  Mary,  and  All 
Saints.  The  prior  and  five  brethren  signed  the  surrender 
in  1538 ;  but  Blomefield  thinks  that  there  were  many  others 
who  would  not  join  in  it.  Granted  in  1540  to  Sir  Rich. 
Fulmerston,  who  by  will  in  1566  founded  a  grammar  school 
and  a  hospital  for  two  poor  men  and  two  poor  women,  which 
were  built  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  cathedral.  There  are. 
still  considerable  remains. 

Truro,  Cornwall.     Founded  by  the  Reskiner  family  and 
dedicated  to  St.  Dominic.     Henry  III.  was  also  reputed  a 


INTRODUCTION.  57 

founder.  Walter  bishop  of  Exeter  consecrated  the  church 
September  29th  1258.  Leland  says  it  was  in  Kenwyn 
Street.  Granted  7  Edw.  VI.  to  Edward  Aglionby. 

Warwick.  Founded  by  John  Plessets  earl  of  Warwick 
who  died  in  1263.  Stood  in  the  west  suburbs  of  the  city. 
Yearly  rental  in  1535  £4.  18s.  6d.  The  prior,  sub-prior, 
and  four  brethren  surrendered  it  October  20th  1538. 
Granted  January  5th  1552  to  John  duke  of  Northumber- 
land ;  "  and  that  it  was  soon  after  demolished,"  says  Dug- 
dale,  "  we  need  not  doubt ;  so  that  what  became  of  the 
ground  whereon  it  stood,  after  it  was  escheated  to  Queen 
Mary  by  his  attainder,  is  not  worth  while  to  enquire." 

Winchelsea,  Sussex.  Founded  by  Edward  II.  who  March 
19th  1317-8  gave  twelve  acres  of  land  for  the  convent  and 
church.  As  they  were  too  far  from  the  town  the  friars  had 
royal  license  Apr.  10th  1339  to  receive  six  acres  of  land 
from  Will.  Batan  which  was  nearer.  Granted  38  Hen.  VIII. 
to  Will.  Clifford  and  Mich.  Wildbore. 

Winchester,  Hants.  Founded  about  1230  by  Peter  de 
Rupibus  bishop  of  Winchester,  with  whom  the  friars  first 
came  into  England.  Hen.  III.  in  1235  gave  forty  oaks  for 
the  building.  Granted  35  Hen.  III.  to  the  warden  and 
scholars  of  Winchester  college. 

Worcester.  Founded  about  the  end  of  Henry  III.  reign 
by  Will,  de  Beauchamp  of  Powick.  Stood  in  the  north  part 
on  the  highest  ground  of  the  city.  Granted  31  Hen.  VIII. 
to  the  bailiffs  and  citizens. 

Farm,  Yorkshire.  Peter  de  Brus  the  second  who  died  in 
1271  was  founder.  John  de  Aslacby  and  Petronilla  his  wife 
in  1301  gave  five  acres  of  land  for  enlarging.  Surrendered 
in  December  1538  by  the  prior  five  friars  and  six  novices. 
A  gentleman's  residence  stands  on  the  site. 

Yarmouth  (Great),  Norfolk.  At  the  south  end  of  the 
town,  founded  about  1270  by  Thomas  Falstolf  and  Geoffrey 
de  Pykgrin  or  Pykering.  William  Charles  and  in  1271 


58  INTRODUCTION. 

Henry  III.  gave  land  for  building  on  and  enlarging.  The 
church  rebuilt  in  1380  and  dedicated  to  St.  Dominic  was 
burnt  down  in  1525.  Granted  34  Hen.  VIII.  (1542)  to 
Rich.  Andrews  and  Leonard  Chamberleyn ;  occasionally 
used  as  one  of  the  defences  of  the  town,  particularly  in  1588 
at  the  Spanish  invasion.  Site  now  possessed  by  several 
owners. 

York.  The  Friar-Preachers  were  settled  here  by  Sir  Brian 
Stapleton,  and  Henry  HI.  March  8th  1227-8  gave  them 
the  chapel  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen  in  the  Kingstofts.  Sur- 
rendered Nov.  27th  1538  by  seven  friars  and  four  novices. 
Granted  32  Hen.  VIII.  to  Will.  Blythman.  On  the  site 
was  afterwards  built  in  Tanner's  Row  by  lady  Hewley,  a 
Presbyterian,  relict  of  Sir  John  Hewley  of  Bell  hall,  a 
hospital  for  ten  old  women  of  her  own  religious  persuasion. 
Rest  of  the  site  turned  into  spacious  gardens  called  the 
Friars'  Gardens,  all  private  property. 

This  short  account  of  the  convents  in  England  and  Wales 
shows  how  rapidly  the    Friar-Preachers    spread    over    the 
country.     An  Order  given  up  to  study  as  well  as  piety  is  more 
select  than  those  religious  bodies  in  which  piety  alone  opens 
the  cloister-door  to  the  untalented  but  holy  ascetic.     What 
the  Dominicans  wanted  in   numbers  they  made  up  for  in 
learning,   and   by  learning    in   moral  power,    so  that   they 
secured  the   confidence  of  royal  and  noble  personages,  and 
won  the  esteem  of  the  middle  classes  and  the  reverence  of  the 
humblest  ranks  of  the  people.    Their  convents  were  generally 
built  in  the  suburbs  of  towns  and  cities  amidst  the  dwellings 
of  the  lower  orders  to  whom  they  mostly  gave  their  ministry. 
Henry  III.  showed  them  great  favour  and  had  some  of  them 
always  with  him,  for  whom  he  had  the  pope's  leave  April 
30th  1250  enabling  them  to  ride  on  horseback,   when  he 
took  the  cross  and  intended  them  to  go  with  him  into  the 
Holy  Land.     They  were  employed  in  preaching  the  crusade  : 
the  provincial  chapter  of  1255  chose  out  those  who  were  to 


INTRODUCTION.  59 

stir  up  the  people  in  the  various  diocesqs  against  the  en- 
croaching Saracens.  They  also  laboured  to  convert  the  Jews: 
it  is  pleasing  to  mark  that  when  the  child  Hugh  of  Lincoln, 
in  1255,  was  crucified  in  scorn  of  Christianity,  the  Domini- 
cans successfully  pleaded  for  the  lives  of  innocent  Jews,  on 
all  whom  as  a  body  the  bitter  hatred  of  the  age  charged  the 
crime.  The  Londoners  were  so  angry  with  the  Dominicans 
for  this  really  just  and  charitable  act  that  they  withheld  the 
usual  alms,  and  for  several  days  the  friars  of  Holborn  had 
not  even  bread  to  eat.  The  Dominicans  were  constantly 
engaged  in  the  affairs  of  state,  from  the  time  when  one  of 
them  persuaded  Henry  III.  to  send  away  from  his  council  the 
obnoxious  Poitevins.  They  were  sent  as  ambassadors  to 
Sweden  and  other  kingdoms,  and  to  the  courts  of  France  and 
Rome,  particularly  in  the  matter  of  the  crusades  and  in  the 
quarrel  about  Guienne.  Henry  III.  Edward  I.  Edward 
II.  and  Edward  III.  chose  Dominicans  for  their  confessors ; 
Edward  II.  once  when  his  life  was  in  great  peril  made  a  vow 
in  favour  of  the  friars  of  Kings-Langley,  and  he  faithfully 
kept  his  promise  in  1312.  And  after  that  unhappy  king 
was  dethroned,  the  Friar-Preachers  took  up  his  cause 
vigorously  among  the  people,  seeking  to  restore  him;  for 
they  did  not  know  that  he  had  met  with  a  miserable  and 
cruel  death.  Edward  III.  granted  many  favours,  and  estab- 
lished in  the  provincial  chapters  of  the  body,  a  solemn 
anniversary  for  the  soul  of  his  consort  queen  Philippa,  which 
Richard  II.  and  many  succeeding  kings  confirmed.  Richard  II. 
used  the  divine  office  according  to  the  Dominican  rite ;  and  in 
1395  Boniface  IX.  granted  leave  to  all  clerics  saying  it  with 
him  to  continue  it  for  two  months  when  absent  for  a  time. 
There  were  some  of  the  Order  always  in  his  council.  Henry 
VI.  had  a  Dominican  confessor.  Even  Edward  IV.  was 
attached  to  the  friars,  and  in  their  house  at  Shrewsbury  his 
two  sons,  Richard  and  George  were  born.  And  the  first  con- 


60  INTRODUCTION. 

fessor  of  Catherine  of  Arragon,  the  injured  queen  of  Henry 
VIII.  was  a  Dominican. 

To  the  Church  the  English  Dominicans  rendered  their  full 
measure  of  service.  St.  Edmund  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
whose  relics  now  repose  at  the  college  of  the  archdiocese  of 
Westminster  which  bears  his  name,  always  kept  Dominicans 
with  him  in  his  household,  and  his  schoolfellow  at  Oxford, 
F.  Eobert  Bacon,  aided  in  making  those  formal  enquiries  into 
his  holiness  which  ki  1246  led  to  the  canonization  of  that 
great  servant  of  God.  F.  Ralph  Booking  was  the  confessor 
and  biographer  of  St.  Richard  of  Chichester,  and  F.  John 
of  St.  Giles  was  the  friend  of  Robert  Grosseteste,  while  F. 
Thomas  Jortz  took  in  hand,  but  unsuccessfully  the  canoni- 
zation of  that  stern  but  good  bishop  of  Lincoln.  The  office 
of  penitentiary  in  the  various  dioceses  which  requires  deep 
knowledge  of  theology  and  of  canon  law  was  often  given  to  a 
Dominican.  Many  Dominicans  of  the  English  province  have 
filled  the  sees  of  England  and  Ireland  or  held  titular 
bishoprics  in  partibus  infidel'wm,  and  have  been  coadjutors  of 
the  bishops,  and  some  have  been  raised  to  the  dignity  of 
princes  of  the  Church. 

DOMINICAN  CARDINALS  OF  ENGLAND. 

Robert  de  Kilwardby,*  tit.  S.  Eufaice  and  bishop  of  Porto, 
1278—1279. 

William  de  Macclesfield,  tit.  S.  Sabina,  1303 ;  but  he  had 
died  before  his  promotion. 

*  Parker  by  his  loose  use  of  the  word  Friar-Minor  which  he 
applied  both  to  Dominicans  and  Franciscans  has  led  Godwin, 
Collier,  and  some  others  to  fancy  that  Kilwardby  was  a  Franciscan, 
though  in  his  list  of  English  cardinals  he  says  directly  that  he  was 
a  Dominican.  Older  authors  agree  on  the  point,  and  the  State 
Records  of  England  place  the  matter  beyond  all  dispute. 


INTRODUCTION.  61 

William  de  Winterbourne,  tit.  S.  Sabina,  1304—1305. 
Thomas  Jortz,  tit.  S.  Sabina,  1305—1310. 

DOMINICAN  ARCHBISHOP  IN  ENGLAND. 

Kobert  de  Kilwardby,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  1272 — 
1278. 

DOMINICAN  BISHOPS  IN  ENGLAND. 

St.  Asaph.  Hugh,  1234—1242.  Anian  de  Schonaw, 
1268—1292.  Alexander  Bache,  1389-90—1394.  Thomas 
Bud,  1450—1462-3. 

Bangor.  Thomas  de  Eingstead,  1357 — 1365.  Gervase  de 
Castro,  1366—1370.  John  Gilbert,  1371-2  ;  translated  to 
Hereford,  1375.  Thomas  Cheriton,  1436—1447.  James 
Blakeden,  1452—1464. 

Carlisle.  Kobert  Beade,  1396 ;  translated  to  Chichester. 

Chichester.  Thomas  Bushook,  1385 ;  translated  to  Kil- 
more  in  Ireland,  1389.  Bobert  Beade,  1396—1415. 

Coventry  and  Lichfield.  John  Burghill,  1398—1414. 

St.  David.  John  Gilbert,  1389—1397. 

Ely.  Thomas  de  Lisle,  1345—1361. 

Hereford.  John  Gilbert,  1375;  translated  to  St.  David, 
1389. 

Llandaff.  John  Egglescliffe,  1323— 1346.  Thomas  Bushook, 
1383;  translated  to  Chichester,  1385.  William  de  Bottle- 
sham,  1386  ;  translated  to  Bochester,  1389.  John  Burghill, 
1396;  translated  to  Coventry  and  Lichfield,  1398.  John 
Hunden,  1458—1478.  George  Athequa,  1516-7—1536-7. 

Norwich.  John  Hopton,  1554 — 1558. 

Rochester.  William  de  Bottlesham,  1389—1399.  John 
Hilsley,  1535—1538. 

Sodor.  John  Sproton,  1392  (1400  ?)  John  Howden,  1523 
(1532  ?) 


62 


INTRODUCTION. 


ENGLISH  DOMINICAN  ARCHBISHOPS  AND  BISHOPS  IN  IRELAND. 

Armagh  (Archb.)  Walter  Jortz,  1307.  Eoland  Jortz, 
1313—1321. 

Meath.  William  Andrew,  1374—1385.  John  Payn,  1483 
—1507. 

Down  and  Connor.  John  de  Egglescliffe,  1322  ;  translated 
to  Llandaff,  1323.  Robert  de  Rochfort,  1451—1456. 

Kilmore.  Thomas  Rushook,  1390. 

Dublin  (Archb.)  John  de  Derlington,  1279 — 1284;  John  de 
Hotham,  1297—1298. 

Ossory.  Richard  Winchelsea,  1479— (1486  ?) 

Lismore  and  Waterford.  Robert  Reade,  1394 ;  translated 
to  Carlisle,  1396. 

Tuam  (Archb.)  John  Baterley,  1427—1437. 

Achonry.  William -Andrew,  1374;  translated  to  Meath, 
1380.  James  Blakeden,  1442  ;  translated  to  Bangor,  1452. 

As  writers,  the  English  Dominicans  were  not  excelled  by 
any  others  in  the  country,  and  shone,  as  Leland  says  of  F. 
Henry  Escheburn,  like  the  evening  star  among  the  lesser 
lights,  and  though  they  lived  in  the  ages  of  chattering 
sophists  many  of  their  works  were  worthy  of  later  times. 
They  wrote  on  every  subject :  commentaries  on  Scripture, 
Theology,  Canon  Law,  Metaphysics,  Logic,  and  all  branches 
of  Philosophy,  Physics,  History,  Biographies,  Philology,  and 
even  Medicine  and  Magic  :  nor  did  they  despise  the  pleasing 
art  of  poetry ;  and  their  quodlibets  and  sermons  are  un- 
numbered.* As  preachers  they  taught  the  people  in  market- 

*  A  French  Dominican  first  began  the  Concordance  of  the  Bible 
by  making  an  index  of  the  bare  words ;  but  three  English  Domi- 
nicans, F.  Rich,  de  Stavensby,  F.  Hugh  de  Croyndon,  and 
F.  John  de  Derlington  about  1250  and  1252  gave  us  the  con- 
cordance as  it  now  stands  by  quoting  the  passage  with  each  word. 


INTRODUCTION.  63 

places,  in  portable  pulpits,  and  in  public  crosses,  they  aided 
the  parochial  clergy,  particularly  at  certain  seasons,  with 
missions  and  retreats  and  in  the  confessional ;  they  spread 


The  first  English-Latin  Dictionary  was  compiled  by  Richard 
Frauncis,  called  F.  Geoffrey  the  Grammarian.  The  following  is 
the  number  of  English  Dominican  works  or  treatises^  as  far  as  we 
have  yet  collected  them. 

Rob.  Bacon  5,  Rich,  de  Fishacre  9,  Rob.  de  Kilwardby  45,  John 
of  St.  Giles  18,  John  de  Derlington  3,  including  the  "  Concordantise 
magnse  Bibliorum  Sacrorum  Anglicanse  dictse,"  Will,  de  Boderi- 
sham  3,  Will,  de  Kingsham  3,  Will,  de  Alton  4,  Anian  de  Schonaw 
1,  Rich.  Castlecon  2,  Ralph  Booking  1,  Hugh  de  Manchester  2, 
Tho.  de  Sutton  13,  Rich.  Clapole  or  Knapwell  9,  Hen.  Escheburn 

5,  Will,  de  Hotham  7,  John  Redhead  2,  Walter  de  Winterbourno 
4,  Maurice  4,  Rob.  Orford  5,  Will,  de  Macclesfield  13,  Tho.  Jortz 
13,  Tho.  Sperman  4,  Walter  de  Exeter  1,  Nich.  Trivet  34,  Will, 
de  Southampton  6,  Gregory  Britain  2,  Walfc.  Jortz  4,  Tho.  de 
Langford   4,   Tho.   de  Norwood  2,  Rob.  de  York  5,  Simon   de 
Bouralston    6,    Tho.    Waleis    29,    Hugh    de    Ducton    3,    Will. 
D'Eyncourt  2,  Peter  1,  Rob.  Holcot  "  the  Firm  and    Unwearied 
Doctor"  28,  Tho.  de  Lisle  2,  Tho.  de  Ringstead  7,  Chr.  de  Molesey 

6,  Will.  Brunyard  3,  Will,  de  Roth  well  17,  Simon  de  Hinton  13, 
John  Stokes  2,  Will.  Jordan  9,  Tho.  Stubbs  14,  Hen.  Daniell  2 
Will,  de  Bottlesham  2,  Tho.  Claxton  2,  John  de  Bromyard  12^ 
Rob.  Humbleton  2,   Simon  4,  Robert  Josse  5,  Walt.  Buckden  1, 
Rog.  Dymoke  2,  Abraham  de   Walden  2,  Acton  (5  ?)  2,  Hugh 
Sweth  2,  John  Skelton  1,  Reind  1,   Tho.  Palmer  6,  Hen.  Witfield 
1,  Rich._Winchelsea  1,  Will.  Beeth  3,  John  5,  Phil.  Bromyard  2, 
Griffin  2,  Geoffrey   the  Grammarian  5,  Reginald  Pipern   2,  John 
de    Coloribus   1,   John   Harley   3,    John    Hilsley   2,    and  Will. 
Perm  3. 

Many  of  these  works  have  passed  through  the  press.  The  Biblical 
Concordance  was  printed  the  first  time  we  think  in  1479  at 
Bologna.  Tho.  Jortg,  *<  Commentaria  super  IV.  libros  sententi- 
arum,"  those  on  the  first  book  printed  Venetiis  1523;  "Com- 


64  INTBODUCTION. 

the  devotion  of  the  holy  Rosary ;  and  by  instructing  all  in 
sound  doctrine  and  piety  led  their  hearers  into  the  paths  of 
truth,  virtue,  and  holiness  of  life.  When  John  "Wycliffe 

mentaria  super  Psalmos"  Yenetiis  1611.  "  la  Beati  Joannis 
Apocalypsim  Expositio"  Florentiae  1549,  but  falsely  attributed  to 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas.  Ralph  Booking,  Life  of  St.  Eichard  of 
Chichester  in  the  Bollandists'  Acta  Sanctorum.  Mich.  Trivet,  twelve 
books  of  his  work  *'  In  libros  Sancti  Augustini,  de  Civkate  Dei" 
with  Tho.  Waleis's  work  on  the  same  subject;  "  Annales  sex 
Eegurn  Anglise''  by  Lucas  d'Achery  in  the  8bh  vol.  of  his 
Spicilegium,  Parish's  1668,  by  Anthony  Hall  Oxford  1719,  and  a 
few  years  ago  by  the  Royal  Historical  Society.  Tho.  Waleis,  his 
incompleted  work  "  In  decem  primes  libros  e  xxii  de  Civitate  Dei 
St.  Augustini  expositiones"  made  up  from  Trivet  on  the  same  sub- 
jecfc,  Moguntise  1473,  Tolosse  1488,  Venetiis  1489,  Friburgi 
BrisgoisB  1494,  Lugduni  1520.  Rob.  Holcot,  "Super  quatuor 
Libros  Sententiarum  Questiones,"  "  Qusedam  Conferencise,"  "  De 
Imputabilitate  peccati,  Qusestio  longa,''  "  Determinationes  quarun- 
dam  aliarum  Questionum,"  all  four  printed  together  Lugduni  1497, 
1510,  1518;  "In  Librum  Sapientise  Prselectiones  ccxiii"  in 
the  infancy  of  printing  without  date  or  place,  Spirse  1483,  Venetiis 
1483,  1500,  1509,  1515,  1586,  Eeutlingse  1489,  Basilese  1489, 
1506,  1586,  Hagenoaj  1494,  Parish's  1511,  1514,  1518,  1586,  and 
again  in  abstract  under  the  title  of  "  Phoenix  Eedivivus  ex  Eelicta 
facundia  Holcotiana  palam  in  lucem  progrediens,  seu  Postilla  super 
Librum  Sapiential'  etc.,  by  F.  Eaymund  Ortz,  Colonise  Agrip- 
pinse  1689 ;  "  Explicationes  Proverbiorum  Salomonis"  Parisiis 
1510,  1515,  Lavingise  1591;  "In  Cantica  Canticorum"  and  "In 
Ecclesiastic!  capita  septem  priora"  Venetiis  1509  ;  and  the  latter 
work  only  (which  Holcot  was  prevented  by  death  from  finishing)  in 
the  infancy  of  printing  without  date  or  place,  Venetiis  1509; 
"  Moralizationes  Historiarum,"  Venetiis  1505;  Parisiis  1507,  1510, 
1513,  and  with  the  second  1586  edit,  of  the  work,  in  Librura 
Sapientise;  "  De  Septem  Peccatis  Mortalibus,"  Parisiis  1517; 
"  Philobiblon,  seu  de  Amore  Librorum  &  Institutione  Bibliothe- 


INTRODUCTION.  65 

broached  his  new  and  revolutionary  opinions  he  found 
some  of  his  ablest  and  most  determined  opponents  in  the 
Dominican  body. 

The  Order  of  Friar-Preachers  had  flourished  in  England 
for  a  little  more  than  three  centuries,  when  the  nation  having 
left  its  first  charity  and  made  the  Church  a  creature  of  the 
state  had  its  candlestick  moved  out  of  its  place.  Henry  VIII. 
found  many  a  ready  tool  for  his  breach  with  the  Roman  See 
(which  he  completed  in  1534)  among  the  secular  clergy,  in 
universities,  and  in  all  the  religious  Orders.  Among  the 
Dominicans  there  were  traitors.  A  friar  of  Bristol,  who 

carum,"  Spirse  1483 ;  Parisiis  1500 ;  in  Tiio.  James's  Ecloga, 
Oxonise  1599;  and  at  the  end  of  the  Centuria  I^pistolarurn 
Philologicarum  of  Goldastus,  Francof.,  1610  :  "  Moralitates  Verbum 
Dei  Evangelizantibus  perutiles,"  Venetiis  1514.  Tho.  Stubs, 
'*  Chronica  Pontificum  Ecclesise  Eboraci''  in  Twysden's  Decem 
Soriptores  Historise  Anglican®,  Lomlini  1652  :  '•  Officium  et  Missa 
de  Nomine  Jesu"  and  "  Officium  et  Missa  de  B.  Anna"  in  the 
Breviary  and  Missal.  John  de  Bromyard,  "  Sumraa  Prae  Jicantium," 
very  early  but  without  date  or  place,  Nurimburgse  1485,  1518, 
Lugduni  1522,  Venetiis  1586,  Antverpise  1614;  "Opus  Trivium'' 
on  divine,  canon,  and  civil  law,  very  early  but  without  date  or 
place,  1500,  Parisiis  1500.  Geoffrey  the  Grammarian,  "  Promptorius 
Puerorum.  Promptorium  Parvuloruna  sive  Clericorum.  Medulla 
Grammatice,"  printed  by  Rich.  Pynson  in  1499;  by  Wykyn  de 
Worde  in  1510,  1512,  1516,  1528,  and  lately  by  the  Caraden 
Society.  John  Hilsley,  a  Manual  of  Prayers  (or  Primer)  with  the 
Epistles  and  Gospels  (posthumous)  London  1539  ;  De  Veri  Corporia 
esu  in  Sacramento.  Will.  Perin,  three  godly  and  most  learned 
Sermons  of  the  most  honourable  and  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the 
Altar,  London  1546,  1548;  "  Spiritvall  Exercyses  and  Goostly 
Meditations,"  London  1557,  Caen  1598;  a  book,  in  defence  and 
for  the  frequent  celebrating  of  the  Mass,  which  Wood  had  not 
seen.  Many  Dominican  works  and  editions  we  believe  have  escaped 

our  notice. 
5 


66  INTRODUCTION. 

was  clever  but  ambitious,  was  eager  to  make  himself  great  at 
any  cost  by  backing  the  royal  will,  and  lending  his  name  to 
every  schismatical  measure.  This  was  John  Hilsley,  who 
was  rewarded  for  his  pains  in  1535  with  the  bishopric  of 
Eochester.  There  were  too  a  Stroddle  prior  of  London,  who 
subscribed  the  supremacy  ;  a  Cosin  of  Winchester  and  Dod 
of  Cambridge,  who  preached  error,  and  a  Briggs  of  Norwich, 
who  yielded  to  expediency.  Hilsley  died  in  his  schism  in 
1538.  Stroddle,  when  he  was  turned  out  of  the  convent  of 
London  by  Hilsley,  inflicted  his  presence  on  the  unwilling 
nuns  of  Dartford  under  the  false  plea  that  he  had  royal 
orders  to  do  so  ;  his  after  career,  as  that  of  Cosin  and  Dod, 
is  unknown.  Briggs  went  among  the  secular  clergy,  was 
made  vicar  of  Bressingham  in  1539,  of  Kenningham  in  1547, 
and  of  Wymondham  in  1559,  and  after  following  every 
change  of  faith  probably  died  out  of  the  Church.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  were  numerous  friars  of  the  Order,  as  F. 
William  Hardove,  F.  Will.  Perin,  F.  Eich.  Marshall,  and 
F.  Eich.  Hargrave,  who  combated  the  king's  divorce  and 
supremacy  with  tongue  and  pen,  and  suffered  in  the 
Church's  cause.  F.  Will.  Hardove  was  imprisoned  in 
1534,  with  many  more,  and  the  others  had  to  quit  the 
country.  In  the  following  year  more  than  a  hundred 
Dominicans  chose  rather  to  be  driven  from  their  native  land 
than  to  yield  up  their  faith  at  the  beck  of  the  royal  despot. 
Fontana  says,  that  not  one  of  the  young  religious  forsook  the 
Order ;  they  fled  into  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  waited  there 
till  the  master-general  settled  them  in  different  convents 
abroad.  The  destruction  of  religious  communities  was  begun 
in  1536  by  putting  down  the  small  convents,  and  in  1538  it 
was  finished  by  the  forced  surrender  or  forfeiture  of  the  large 
monasteries,  which  were  sold  to  satisfy  the  avarice  of  needy 
courtiers,  or  squandered  on  the  pleasures  of  the  king.  Out 
of  all  the  houses,  only  thirteen  appear  as  having  surrendered 


INTRODUCTION.  67 

formally.*  The  remaining  friars  were  turned  out  of  their 
dwellings  into  the  world  without  any  provision  for  their 
support,  as  they  had  not  even  the  paltry  pensions  doled  out 
to  the  unhoused  monks.  Some  few  were  secularized,  as 
F.  Maurice  Griffin,  who  in  Mary's  time  became  bishop  of 
Rochester ;  most  withdrew  abroad,  but  some  remained  in  the 
service  of  their  Order  and  of  the  fallen  Church,  among  whom 
was  F.  John  Hopton,  confessor  to  the  princess,  afterwards 
queen  Mary.  When  under  Edward  VI.  Protestantism  was 
set  up  on  the  ruins  of  the  Church,  the  wreck  of  the  Domini- 
can province  was  threatened  with  entire  destruction.  But 
that  end  has  never  come.  A  holy  hope  has  ever  dwelt  in  the 
province  whispering  the  inspired  words :  "  Miseries  obli- 
visceris,  et  quasi  aquarum  quse  praeterierunt  recordaberis. 
Et  quasi  meridianus  fulgor  consurget  tibi  ad  vesperam :  et 
cum  te  consumptum  putaveris,  orieris  ut  lucifer."  Job  xi. 
16,  17. 

*  The  community  of  Dartford  alone  subscribed  the  supremacy 
May  14th  1534,  if  faith  can  be  put  in  an  instrument  which 
has  only  the  seal  of  the  convent,  and  bears  neither  names  nor 
signatures. 


THE  LIFE 

OF 

PHILIP  THOMAS  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

CHAPTER  I. 

During  the  five  years  of  queen  Mary's  eventful  reign,  the 
national  religion  brought  in  by  Henry  VIII.  and  settled  by 
the  protectorate  of  Edward  VI.  was  abolished.  In  its  an- 
cient faith  and  ecclesiastical  discipline,  England  was  again  in 
communion  with  the  Roman  pontiff.  In  restoring  the 
Church  Mary  satisfied  the  many  claims  it  had  on  her  sym- 
pathies even  in  a  temporal  point  of  view.  In  order  to  give 
more  security  to  it  she  laboured  to  repair  the  great  defences 
of  the  citadel  of  Sion.  Several  of  the  religious  Orders  were 
revived,  and  the  scanty  possessions  belonging  to  ecclesias- 
tical foundations  which  had  escaped  the  rapacity  of  courtiers 
were  given  back  for  their  hallowed  uses.  The  Dominican 
Order  was  then  rendering  great  services  in  the  two  Universi- 
ties, and  shared  the  royal  favour.  Eighteen  years  had 
passed  since  the  convents  were  destroyed,  and  most  of  the 
Religious  who  had  fled  into  foreign  countries  were  dead  or 
had  become  bound  to  other  duties.  The  Dominican  province 
of  England  had  lost  its  canonical  form  of  government,  and 
the  provincialship  was  made  an  honorary  title  for  one  of  the 
associates  who  form  the  council  of  the  master-general  at 
Rome.  Still  there  was  a  considerable  body  of  Dominicans 
in  England  governed  by  a  vicar  appointed  by  the  master- 
general.  Mary  called  together  a  remnant  of  the  Order  in 


70  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

1556,  and  established  it  in  the  priory  of  St.  Bartholomew  in 
Smithfield  founded  about  1102  by  Kaliere  the  king's  min- 
strel :  and  F.  William  Perin  was  made  prior  of  the  house 
by  the  authority  of  cardinal  Pole  legate  of  the  pope  in  Eng- 
land. This  father  was  also  vicar-general  of  the  province, 
and  made  himself  famous  as  a  great  champion  of  the  Church 
during  all  the  stormy  period  of  the  schism,  and  in  conse- 
quence underwent  exile  and  severe  trials  all  borne  with  un- 
broken constancy  and  courage.  He  gathered  a  community 
of  English,  Spanish,  and  Belgian  friars  in  his  new  convent, 
where  however  he  soon  rested  from  his  labours.  He  was 
buried  August  22nd  1558  in  the  convent-church  formed  out 
of  the  choir  of  the  ancient  priory  which  was  all  then  left  of 
the  venerable  building. 

The  nuns  of  Dartford  were  likewise  restored.  Out  of  nine- 
teen choir-sisters  pensioned  when  their  house  was  suppressed 
seven  still  survived,  and  they  again  formed  a  community  in 
England.  The  convent  of  KingVLangley  was  given  to  them 
in  1556;  in  1558  after  the  death  of  Lady  Anne  of  Cleves 
they  removed  to  Dartford,  and  their  own  home  was  once 
more  hallowed  with  their  choral  services  and  witnessed  the 
holiness  of  life  which  had  made  them  faithful  to  their  vows 
for  so  many  years  and  through  such  heavy  trials.  These 
seven  were,  Elizabeth  Cresner  prioress,  Catherine  Clovyle, 
Catherine  Efflyn,  Elizabeth  White  or  Wright,  Maria  Benson, 
Elizabeth  Exmen,  and  Magdalen  Frere :  and  their  confessor 
was  F.  Richard  Hargrave  an  excellent  Religious  who  had 
never  yielded  for  a  moment  to  the  schism. 

The  death  of  queen  Mary  November  17th  1558  was  fatal 
to  the  Church :  her  passing-bell  was  its  knell  too.  Eliza- 
beth was  proclaimed  queen,  and  there  seemed  a  well-founded 
hope  at  first  that  no  change  would  be  made  in  religion,  as 
she  outwardly  professed  the  ancient  faith.  But  in  a  very 
short  time  Mass  was  celebrated  in  her  private  chapel  without 
the  elevation  of  the  Host,  and  then  the  Holy  Sacrifice  was 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL    HOWARD.  71 

done  away  with  and  communion  given  under  both  kinds. 
Protestants  from  all  parts  of  the  continent,  and  particularly 
from  Geneva  the  head-quarters  of  Calvinism  flocked  into 
England  and  spread  their  doctrines  on  all  sides ;  and  every 
one  could  now  follow  his  inward  spirit  without  question. 
The  parliament  soon  renewed  the  schism,  by  decreeing  that 
Elizabeth  was  supreme  governor  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  that  all  who  held  any  benefice  or  office  must  swear 
to  maintain  her  supremacy.  The  "  Act  for  the  Uniformity 
of  Common  Prayer"  was  then  passed;  and  the  property  of 
the  restored  religious  establishments  was  granted  to  the 
crown. 

After  F.  William  Perm's  death  F.  Kichard  Hargrave 
was  elected  prior  of  St.  Bartholomew's  by  the  unanimous 
votes  of  the  community ;  and  he  was  recommended  to  the 
master-general  by  cardinal  Pole  for  the  vicarship  of  the  pro- 
vince. The  letters-patent  of  the  two  offices  did  not  reach 
England  till  Easter  1559,  when  they  were  sent  to  F.  John 
de  Villagarcia  a  Spanish  Dominican  then  professor  of  theo- 
logy in  the  university  of  Oxford ;  and  he  forwarded  them  to 
the  sub-prior  of  the  convent  to  be  put  into  force.  But  the 
sub-prior  was  a  timid  man  and  his  moral  cowardice  made 
him  a  traitor.  He  feared  to  break  the  laws  enacted  against 
those  receiving  autfiority  or  jurisdiction  from  any  foreign 
prelate,  and  carried  the  letters  to  the  privy  council.  F. 
Richard  Hargrave  went  to  the  convent  to  take  the  govern- 
ment, when  Lord  Rich  a  nobleman  of  the  privy  council  had 
him  driven  out,  and  his  life  was  in  jeopardy,  so  he  returned 
to  Dartford.  The  sub-prior  kept  the  convent  in  his  own 
hands  till  it  was  destroyed.  Of  the  friars  there,  after  the 
decease  of  F.  William  Perin  some  died,  others  who  belonged 
to  the  Spanish  and  Belgian  provinces  departed  into  their  own 
countries,  and  when  the  convent  was  suppressed  July  12th 


72  LIFE    Or    CAE    INAL    HOWARD. 

(o.  s.)  1559*  there  were  only  three  priests  and  one  young 
man,  "  who,"  to  quote  the  words  of  F.  Richard  Hargrave, 
"  chose  to  remain  in  England  and  enjoy  the  flesh-pots  of 
Egypt  to  being  abject  in  the  house  of  the  Lord." 

The  oath  of  supremacy  and  the  "  Book  of  Common 
Prayer"  were  enforced  from  the  feast  of  St.  John  Baptist 
(June  24th)  1559.  All  the  bishops  except  one  were  deprived, 
and  the  political  destruction  of  the  Church  was  completed. 
Three  visitors  were  chosen  out  of  the  privy  council  and 
authorized  under  the  great  seal  of  England  to  suppress  the 
new  convents ;  for  all  the  religious  had  stood  their  ground 
after  the  act  was  passed  against  them,  except  the  Friar- 
Minors  who  at  once  withdrew  out  of  the  kingdom  and 
carried  away  their  goods  unmolested.  King  Philip  of  Spain, 
through  his  ambassador  the  duke  of  Feria,  obtained  a  safe 
conduct  for  the  Religious  thus  driven  from  their  homes  and 
found  them  means  to  pass  the  sea.  The  visitors  soon  went 


*  In  the  archives  of  the  province,  an  interesting  memorial  of  the 
convent  of  St.  Bartholomew  in  Smithfield  is  still  preserved.  It  is  a 
Collectarium,  in  small  folio,  written  in  black  letter,  on  vellum,  and 
comprising  134  leaves.  At  the  bottom  of  the  first  page  after  the 
calendar:  •' Orate  p'  a'i'a  Venerabilis  p'ris  ff'ris  Rob'ti  Mylys  sacre 
theologie  m'ri  ac  q°nda*  p'uincialis  anglie  q1  hu'c  libru'  fieri  fecit 
A°  xl  M  ccccc  xxiij."  Added  at  the  head  of  the  calendar  :  "  Orate 
pro  aVa  D'ni  Thorns  Dowman  Sacerdotis  eccli'ae  lychfyldieV  qui 
hu'c  libru'  Conve'tui  ordinis  predicator'  apud  Sanctu'  Bartholomeu1 
londini  dedit  anno  1557  :  12  :  Septe'bris.'*  At  the  bottom  of  the 
last  page;  "  Orate  pro  anima  fris  Vincentij  Torre  S.  Theol  :  Magrl 
Pro'ce  Anglise  Vicarij  Gen118  Ordis  ffm  Predicatorum,  qui  hunc 
libr'  Dono  acceptum  ab  adm  Rdo  P.  Paulo  Jordaens  Priore  Brugensi 
eiqsdem  Oord'3  (sic)  die  3.  Junij  1683,  deposuit  in  Bibliotheca  ff m 
Predm  Bornhemiensiu'.  Pro  Conventu  suo  Su  Bartholonjaei  Lon- 
dinensi,  die  15.  Junii  1683." 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  7  * 

to  Dartford,  and  calling  F.  Richard  Hargrave  and  another 
priest  who  lived  with  him  tendered  the  oath  and  book,  and 
promised  great  dignities  and  favours  if  they  would  leave  the 
Order  and  conform  to  what  was  required  of  them.  "But 
that  Lord,"  says  F.  Richard,  "  who  saved  me  from  schism 
in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  delivered  me  once  more  from 
the  lion's  mouth,  gave  me  constancy,  and  kept  me  from 
apostatizing  either  from  the  faith  or  from  religion."  The 
visitors  next  summoned  the  prioress  and  nuns  each  alone 
the  better  to  induce  them  to  yield,  bat  they  all  refused  with 
unshaken  constancy.  Then  the  visitors  seeing  that  they 
gained  nothing  had  everything  in  the  convent  valued,  and 
Bold  all  in  the  face  of  the  nuns  at  the  lowest  rate.  They 
paid  the  debts  of  the  house,  divided  the  little  money  over 
between  the  prioress  and  the  nuns,  took  away  the  common 
seal  and  the  patents  of  the  revenues,  and  commanded  the 
Religious  to  quit  within  twenty-four  hours.  Accordingly  the 
'nuns  departed  taking  their  books  and  best  clothing,  and 
four  days  after  together  with  the  Bridgettins  of  Sion  House* 
embarked  on  board  a  vessel  prepared  at  king  Philip's  expense 
and  crossed  over  to  Belgium.  The  band  of  Dominican  exiles 
was  formed  of  twelve  members  of  the  Order  consisting  of  the 
two  priests,  the  prioress  with  four  choir-nuns  and  four  lay- 
sisters,  and  a  young  girl  who  had  not  yet  received  the  habit. 
These  nuns  were  all  aged  women  the  youngest  being  fifty 
and  three  of  them  eighty  years  of  age  :  one  of  them  Eliza- 
beth Wright  was  half-sister  to  John  Fisher  bishop  of 
Rochester,  whose  martyr-spirit  she  fully  shared.  They  went 
first  to  Antwerp  and  thence  to  Dendermond,  where  for  two 
months  they  lived  in  a  hospital.  At  length  the  provincial 


*  The  prioress  of  the  Bridgettin  nuns  was  Catherine  Palmer,  to 
whom  F.  William  Perm  in  1557  dedicated  his  beautiful  «*  Spiritual 
Exercises.'* 


74  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

of  Belgium  who  was  their  only  comforter  found  them  a  refuge 
in  the  convent  of  Leliendael  near  Zierikzee,  the  capital  of 
Schowen  one  of  the  islands  of  Zeeland,  the  house  heing  in 
a  barren  place  almost  without  fresh  water,  and  nearly  in 
ruins.  Unfriended  strangers  they  were  obliged  to  ask  the 
master-general's  leave  for  disposing  of  their  few  goods  to 
procure  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  and  they  had  to  petition  the 
duchess  of  Parma  to  extend  to  them  her  charitable  aid. 
Resources  failed,  and  as  the  convent  of  Leliendael  could  not 
support  so  great  a  burden  on  its  means  the  English  nuns 
in  two  months  had  to  return  to  Antwerp,  where  they  lived  on 
alms.  The  iconoclastic  outbreak  in  1566  drove  them  from 
that  city,  and  they  fled  to  Bergen-op-zoom.  During  those 
times  of  hardship  and  suffering  Elizabeth  Cresner  continued 
to  be  their  prioress,  and  they  observed  all  the  holy  offices  of 
their  Order.  Death  gradually  reduced  their  numbers,  so 
that  when  the  master-general  made  his  visitation  about  the 
end  of  December  1573  only  the  prioress  and  three  nuns  - 
were  still  alive;  and  he  assigned  them  to  the  convent  of 
Engelendael  outside  Bruges,  where  they  soon  passed  through 
the  gate  of  death  from  the  Angels'  Valley  to  the  Mount  of 
God. 

Thus  was  the  English  province  of  St.  Dominic  laid  waste. 
Whilst  the  nuns  were  in  Zeeland,  the  vicar-general  proposed 
to  return  into  his  native  country  with  three  of  his  religious 
and  try  to  organize  his  brethren  again.  All  was  fruitless. 
The  oppression  of  the  Church  began  which  in  fierceness 
equalled  and  in  malice  exceeded  the  persecutions  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  early  ages.  But  the  province  has  never  been 
extinguished.  From  time  to  time  English  Catholics  entered 
the  Order  in  foreign  convents,  and  then  came  to  labour  for 
their  countrymen  and  even  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  the 
glorious  but  unequal  strife  with  error.  They  ministered  to 
the  spiritual  necessities  of  the  faithful,  flying  from  place  to 
place,  from  town  to  town,  from  county  to  county,  as  the 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD.  75 

bloodhounds  of  heresy  harried  the  land.  When  Elizabeth's 
evil  reign  was  over  it  was  hoped  that  the  son  of  the  queen 
of  Scots  for  the  sake  at  least  of  his  mother's  memory  would 
grant  toleration  to  Catholics.  The  master-general  sent 
additional  missionaries  into  England  from  the  neighbouring 
provinces  and  enjoined  the  provincial  of  Ireland  to  lend  his 
aid.  But  James  I.  was  too  weak  to  be  generous,  and  yield- 
ing to  the  temper  of  the  times  he  appointed  a  commission  in 
1604  for  banishing  the  Catholic  missionaries  from  England. 
Many  of  the  Dominicans  had  to  withdraw,  but  several  boldly 
remained  at  the  peril  of  their  lives  to  console  the  faithful  in 
secret.  For  many  years  the  little  Dominican  body  struggled 
on,  recruited  from  time  to  time  by  religious  from  abroad. 
In  three  general  chapters  of  the  Order  regulations  were  made 
for  meeting  the  wants  of  the  English  province.  In  1615  it 
was  recommended  that  the  college  founded  by  donna  Agnes 
de  Gabennas  in  Andalusia  should  be  assigned  to  the  Eng- 
lish; in  1618  probably  on  the  failure  of  that  scheme  the 
convent  of  Alcala  also  in  Andalusia  was  deputed  for  English 
novices ;  and  in  1628  it  was  decreed  that  English  novices 
should  be  received  into  the  convents  of  Honda  and  Marchena 
in  the  south  of  Spain.  The  province  continued  to  be  governed 
by  vicars- general  even  down  to  1685. 

A  great  many  of  the  Dominicans  in  England  were  foreign- 
ers attached  to  the  embassies.  The  most  famous  of  these 
was  F.  Diego  de  la  Fuente  a  Spaniard  who  resided  many 
years  in  London  as  confessor  to  count  Gondomar  ambassa- 
dor of  the  king  of  Spain  at  the  court  of  James  I.  This  good 
"  Padre  Maestro"  as  he  was  called  was  a  very  zealous  and 
learned  friar,  and  was  so  much  esteemed  by  the  secular 
clergy  that  when  the  archpriest  Edward  Harrison  died  in 
1621  they  sought  him  for  their  bishop,  and  it  was  only  his 
own  earnest  entreaties  that  made  them  cease  to  press  their 
point.  He  might  have  governed  the  Dominican  body  in 
England,  but  here  again  he  showed  his  disinterestedness, 


76  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

for  at  his  instance  the  master-general  July  8th  1622*  gave 
the  charge  to  F.  Thomas  Middleton. 

F.  Thomas  Middleton  came  on  the  mission  into  his  native 
country  in  1617,  and  was  usually  known  by  the  name  of 
Bade.  He  was  superior  of  the  province  for  thirty-three 
years,  and  under  the  auspices  of  queen  Henrietta  Maria  he 
endeavoured  to  reinvigorate  it  by  erecting  a  noviciate  in 
England.  He  obtained  the  master-general's  patents  for  this 
purpose  June  24th  1638,  but  the  troubles  of  the  great 
rebellion  probably  thwarted  his  plans.  Among  others  he 
was  commissioned  in  1642  by  the  archbishop  of  Cambray  to 
enquire  diligently  into  the  cause  and  manner  of  death  of 
several  priests  in  England  who  had  preferred  the  faith  to 
their  lives.  He,  too,  narrowly  escaped  taking  his  own  place 
among  the  martyrs  whose  acts  he  had  to  record.  He  was 
arrested  in  London  on  account  of  his  priestly  character,  cast 
into  Newgate,  and  brought  up  for  trial  along  with  F..  Peter 
Wright  S.J.  at  the  spring  sessions  of  1651.  The  lord  chief 
justice  Koles  sent  into  the  country  for  Thomas  Gage  to 
appear  against  the  prisoners.  To  ward  off  this  blow  the 
Rev.  George  Gage  an  eminent  clergyman  prevailed  on  his 
apostate  brother  not  to  sink  himself  into  deeper  guilt  by 
steeping  his  hands  in  innocent  blood.  Thomas  Gage  kept 
his  word  as  to  F.  Thomas  Dade,  for  although  he  bore  wit- 
ness against  him  that  he  knew  him  to  be  the  superior  of  the 
Dominicans  he  qualified  his  testimony  by  adding  that  possibly 
lie  was  not  a  priest  as  St.  Francis  governed  his  Order  without 

*  All  our  dates  are  New  Style,  except  when  it  is  otherwise  ex- 
pressed. It  may  be  useful  to  some  of  our  readers  to  observe,  that 
the  New  Style  in  the  seventeenth  century  was  ten  days  and  in  the 
eighteenth  eleven  days  in  advance  of  the  old.  So  the  date  above 
given  was  June  28th  in  England.  The  Old  Style  was  given  up  in 
September  1752. 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  77 

being  one;    and  as  the  capital  charge  was  not  proved  F. 
Thomas  was  acquitted  by  the  jury. 

In  1634  there  were  twenty  Dominicans  in  England. 
By  the  disastrous  civil  war  which  raged  for  so  many  years 
this  number  was  lessened,  and  during  the  Commonwealth 
there  were  only  six  Keligious  who  were  natives  of  the  country. 

F.  Thomas  Middleton  resigned  the  office  of  vicar-general 
in  1655,  and  closed  his  life  it  is  said  May  18th  1664. 

F.  Thomas  Catchmay  whose  baptismal  name  was  George 
was  professed  in  the  Order  in  1623  and  was  long  a  mis- 
sionary in  London.  He  was  appointed  vicar-general  Novem- 
ber 3rd  1655  and  was  in  authority  for  nearly  six  years. 

F.  William  Fowler  belonged  to  the  family  of  Fowler  of 
St.  Thomas's  near  Stafford,  where  he  dwelt  and  died  May 
24th  1662.  He  left  a  picture  of  St.  Dominic  and  one  of 
St.  Thomas  in  the  chapel  of  the  house  which  was  formerly 
a  priory  of  canons-regular  of  St.  Augustine. 

F.  Thomas  Armstrong  was  born  in  Northumberland  or  in 
the  county  of  Durham.  He  entered  the  English  College  at 
Rome  in  1631  for  the  secular  priesthood,  but  was  allowed  to 
leave  and  follow  his  vocation  in  the  Order  of  Friar-Preachers. 
He  lived  many  years  at  Stonecroft  about  three  miles  from 
Hexham,  and  laboured  chiefly  among  the  nobility  and  gentry 
of  those  parts.  He  was  widely  known  and  much  esteemed 
for  his  diligence  in  his  religious  duties,  and  through  his 
means  John  Widdrington  lord  of  Stonecroft  left  an  annuity 
for  maintaining  a  priest  of  the  Order  there.  He  closed  his 
life  May  29th  1662  and  was  burred  at  Stonecroft. 

F.  Robert  Armstrong  brother  of  F.  Thomas  dwelt  in  a 
mean  cottage  either  within  or  close  to  Hexham.  He  laboured 
in  his  missionary  career  with  plentiful  fruit  especially  among 
the  common  people  and  brought  back  many  families  into 
the  church.  He  was  remarkable  for  holiness  of  life  and  for 
great  gifts  as  an  exorcist,  so  that  he  became  "  daemonibus 
terribilis."  He  was  usually  called  by  the  name  of  Roberts 


78  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

and  died  at  Hexham  May  5th  1663  in  the  repute  of  sanctity, 
for  fifty  years  after  "  his  name  still  breathed  a  sweet  odour 
and  his  memory  was  in  benediction." 

F.  David  Joseph  Kemeys  will  be  repeatedly  mentioned  in 
the  course  of  our  narrative. 

Besides  these  six  on  the  mission  there  were  other  English 
Dominicans  in  various  convents  abroad.  But  the  province 
had  now  fallen  so  low  that  it  seemed  to  be  on  the  brink  of 
utter  ruin,  when  it  pleased  God  in  His  good  providence  to 
call  His  servant  from  the  highest  nobility  of  the  land  for 
bringing  about  its  Kestoration. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Hon.  Philip  Howard  belonged  to  the  most  noble 
family  of  England.  Thomas  Howard  his  grandfather,  born 
in  1585,  enjoyed  the  hereditary  titles  of  his  illustrious 
ancestors,  being  Sir  Thomas  Howard,  chief  of  the  Howards, 
Earl  of  Arundel  and  Surrey,  premier  Earl  and  Earl  Marshall 
of  England;  Baron  Howard,  Mowbray,  Segrave,  Bruce  of 
Gower,  Fitz  Alan,  Clun,  Oswaldestre,  Maltravers  and  Grey- 
stock.  He  took  for  his  consort  Lady  Alethea,  third  daughter 
and  eventually  sole  heir  of  Gilbert  Talbot  earl  of  Shrewsbury ; 
and  had  with  others  two  sons  James  and  Henry  Frederick. 
James,  commonly  called  Lord  Mowbray  and  Maltravers,  died 
without  issue.  Henry-Frederick  on  his  brother's  decease 
received  those  titles,  and  when  his  father  died  succeeded  to  the 
other  dignities  of  his  house. 

By  his  consort  Elizabeth  daughter  of  Esme  Stuart,  duke 
of  Lennox,  who  was  allied  in  blood  to  the  reigning  sovereign 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  lord  Henry  Frederick  Howard 
had  a  numerous  family,  the  sons  being  Thomas,  Henry, 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  79 

Philip,  Charles,  Talhot,  Edward,  Francis,  Bernard  and  Esme; 
and  the  daughters  Anne,  Catherine  and  Elizabeth. 

Philip,  the  third  son,  is  the  subject  of  the  present  work. 
He  was  born  September  21st  1629,  at  Arundel  House,  the 
town-residence  of  his  family  in  the  parish  of  St.  Clement  Dane 
without  Temple  Bar.  Up  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he 
was  under  several  private  tutors*  by  whom  his  fine  abilities 
were  well  developed,  whilst  his  active  mind  was  disciplined 
in  the  school  of  Christ.  Some  of  his  tutors  were  Protestants, 
but  they  failed  to  influence  the  fair  character  of  their  pupil. 
His  education  was  entirely  controlled  by  his  grandfather,  who 
unfortunately  for  himself  had  conformed  in  1615  to  the 
Church  of  England,  being  perhaps  led  to  do  so  by  political 
motives,  for  the  sincerity  of  his  change  may  be  questioned,  as 
his  children  and  grand-children  were  brought  up  in  the  faith 
he  had  forsworn ;  Clarendon  says  that  "  he  was  rather 
thought  not  to  be  much  concerned  for  Religion,  than  to 
incline  to  this  or  that  party  of  any,"  and  that  "he  died  in 
Italy,  under  the  same  doubtful  character  of  Religion  in  which 
he  lived."  Thus  Philip  was  educated  a  Catholic.  His  mind 
was  deeply  imbued  with  piety,  and  whilst  he  was  a  mere  boy 
he  had  a  gentle  but  strong  influence  for  good  on  those  around 
him,  so  that  his  grandfather  was  wont  to  call  him  his  Bishop; 
and  even  then  he  had  ideas  that  needed  only  favourable 
circumstances  to  bud  and  ripen  into  the  high  vocation  of 
religious  life. 

Thomas  earl  of  Arundel  was  greatly  esteemed  and  much 
employed  in  the  court  of  Charles  I.  He  was  chief  justice  and 
justice-in-eyre  of  the  royal  forests,  parks  and  chases  beyond 
Trent ;  lord  lieutenant  of  Norfolk,  Sussex  and  Surrey,  Nor- 

*  \Yhen  he  was  eleven  years  old,  Philip  with  his  brothers 
Thomas  and  Henry  appear  to  have  been  entered  Fellow  Com- 
moners of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.  His  and  their  residence 
in  the  University  must  have  been  very  short. 


80  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

thumberland,  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  ;  knight  of  the 
most  noble  Order  of  the  Garter ;  one  of  the  most  honourable 
Privy  Council  in  England  and  Ireland ;  steward  of  the  royal 
household ;  and  although  no  soldier,  general  of  all  the  king's 
forces  in  the  expedition  of  1639  against  the  Scots;  and  in 
1644  he  was  created  earl  of  Norfolk.  In  July  1641  the  earl 
and  his  countess  were  appointed  by  the  king  to  conduct 
abroad  the  mother  of  queen  Henrietta  Maria,  who  for  two 
years  had  been  in  England.  He  left  his  countess  with  the 
French  queen  at  Cologne,  and  spent  some  time  at  Utrecht 
with  his  grandsons  who  had  been  sent  there  for  their  educa- 
tion. Again  after  the  marriage  of  Mary  the  king's  eldest 
daughter  to  William  second  prince  of  Orange  (father  of 
William  III.)  he  was  commissioned  to  escort  the  royal  bride 
with  her  mother  Henrietta-Maria  into  Holland.  He  em- 
barked at  Dover,  at  the  end  of  February  1641-2  and  safely  led 
his  charge  to  her  destination.  The  earl  never  returned  into 
England,  for  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  he  determined  to 
remain  on  the  continent.  From  Holland  he  went  to  Ant- 
werp, where  he  was  joined  by  his  countess  and  grandchildren, 
who  were  forced  to  seek  abroad  the  personal  safety  and 
religious  freedom  which  the  calamities  of  their  native  land 
imperilled. 

A  Catholic  country  influenced  Philip  Howard  in  a  manner 
easily  foreseen  in  a  youth  so  well  disposed.  Soon  after  he 
arrived  at  Antwerp  he  fell  in  with  the  Carmelite  friars  there, 
and  in  the  first  impulse  of  devotion  he  wished  to  join  their 
venerable  Order.  But  his  vocation  lay  elsewhere,  so  that  it 
is  no  wonder  that  his  resolution  gave  way  when  it  encountered 
the  affection  of  his  parents  and  the  extraordinary  fondness  of 
his  grandfather  for  him.  Still  he  did  not  give  up  his 
hopes  of  entering  religion,  but  patiently  awaited  the  time 
when  his  course  would  become  clear  and  practicable. 

Leaving  the  countess  at  Antwerp  (and  they  never  met 
again)  the  earl  of  Arundel  began  a  long  tour  with  some  of  his 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  81 

grandsons,  of  whom  Philip  was  one.  He  visited  Spa,  passed 
through  part  of  France,  and  then  went  into  Italy.  At  Milan 
Philip  Howard  hecame  acquainted  with  F.  John  Baptist 
Hackett,  of  the  Order  of  Friar-Preachers,  who  was  regent  in 
the  convent  of  St.  Eustorgius  and  taught  theology  there. 
The  kindness  and  learning  of  this  celebrated  Irish  Dominican 
won  the  heart  and  secured  the  confidence  of  Philip,  who 
opened  his  mind  to  him  and  declared  that  he  intended  if 
possible  to  'quit  the  world.  Philip  very  soon  felt  strongly 
drawn  towards  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  and  while  begging 
spiritual  guidance  in  the  matter  he  explained  how  he  would 
be  greatly  hindered  in  his  design  by  the  affectionate  oppo- 
sition of  his  family  and  in  particular  of  his  grandfather.  In 
reply  F.  John  Baptist  Hackett  only  repeated  the  sound  and 
prudent  counsel  usually  given  on  such  occasions.  If  the 
vocation  was  from  God  there  was  no  reason  to  dread  the  con- 
tradiction of  friends,  for  He  who  inspired  the  holy  purpose 
would  by  His  grace  change  their  dispositions  in  the  end,  and 
make  what  seemed  insurmountable  obstacles  only  serve  His 
holy  Will.  So  the  good  Father  advised  Philip  to  recommend 
the  matter  earnestly  to  God,  to  increase  the  fervour  of  his 
prayers,  to  cleanse  his  conscience  thoroughly  by  a  strict  con- 
fession, and  to  leave  the  event  in  the  hands  of  Providence. 
Philip  was  much  comforted  and  encouraged,  and  remained 
with  his  grandfather,  but  he  prudently  kept  his  aspirations 
secret.  He  continued  the  tour  through  the  chief  cities  of 
Italy.  In  his  travels  he  came  to  the  town  of  Piacenza  in  the 
duchy  of  Parma,  where  he  stayed  for  some  time.  He  now 
seized  the  opportunity  to  carry  out  his  purpose.  With  leave 
from  his  grandfather  to  go  again  to  Milan  he  hastened  to  his 
kind  guide,  to  whom  he  declared  that  he  was  determined  to 
join  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  and  he  sought  means  to  do  so. 
F.  John  Baptist  Hackett  perceived  how  difficult  and  pressing 
was  the  case.  He  had  to  choose  between  the  danger  of  a 
serious  and  perhaps  everlasting  injury  to  the  young  nobleman 

6 


82  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

and  the  certainty  of  stirring  up  the  earl  of  Arundel's  anger  and 
the  calumnies  of  the  world  against  him.  He  preferred  the 
latter  alternative,  as  it  would  at  least  hring  the  matter  to  an 
issue.  In  his  company  Philip  hastened  to  the  convent  of  the 
Order  of  Cremona,  where  June  28th  1645  he  laid  aside  his 
rich  attire,  put  on  the  simple  hahit  of  religion,  took  the  name 
of  Thomas  out  of  devotion  to  the  Angelic  Doctor  whose 
extraordinary  trials  of  vocation  he  was  in  some  measure 
to  share,  and  entered  on  the  noviciate  of  a  humble  Black- 
friar. 

The  news  of  this  bold  step  was  immediately  sent  to  the 
earl  of  Arundel  in  letters  both  from  Brother  Thomas  Howard 
and  F.  John  Baptist  Hackett,  and  it  made  a  stir  in  the 
earl's  family  which  in  violence  could  hardly  have  been  fore- 
seen. In  the  mind  of  the  earl,  the  bitterest  feelings  of  pride, 
anger,  and  deeply-wounded  affection  were  aroused.  His 
indignation  was  directed  against  the  Dominicans  for  daring 
to  receive  the  novice,  and  particularly  against  F.  John 
Baptist  Hackett,  whom  he  represented  as  seducing  his  grand- 
child into  the  monastic  state,  towards  which  the  youth  had 
never  shown  any  leaning.  Unweariedly  he  took  measures 
for  drawing  the  novice  from  his  retreat  and  restoring  him  to 
his  family,  and  he  engaged  most  powerful  friends  in  his  own 
behalf  by  stating  the  case  to  them  with  all  the  prejudices  of 
his  own  views.  The  day  after  the  religious  clothing  the  earl 
sent  his  account  of  what  had  happened  to  the  countess  of 
Arundel  at  Antwerp,  and  meanwhile  he  and  his  grandson 
Henry  tried  to  entice  the  novice  from  his  new  career.  But 
their  entreaties,  promises,  and  remonstrances  were  withstood 
with  wonderful  firmness  and  energy,  in  which  the  earl  could 
see  nothing  but  obstinacy  and  disobedience. 

By  gaining  over  the  supreme  ecclesiastical  authorities  to 
his  side  the  earl  of  Arundel  thought  to  frustrate  the  purpose 
of  the  novice  beyond  the  power  of  any  appeal.  He  called  in 
the  aid  of  John  Digby,  esq.,  who  afterwards  married  lady 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  83 

Catherine  Howard,  the  earl's  granddaughter  :  and  this  active 
and  interested  advocate  "being  then  in  Borne  went  immediately 
to  cardinal  Francis  Barberini  protector  of  England,  through 
whom  he  got  access  to  cardinal  Panfili  nephew  of  the  reign- 
ing pontiff,  and  to  cardinal  Anthony  Barberini  protector  of 
the  Order  of  Friar- Preachers.  All  three  he  enlisted  in  favour 
of  the  earl.  Cardinal  Panfili  laid  his  representations  before 
Innocent  X.,  and  received  commands,  which,  though  they  fell 
short  of  the '  earl's  full  wishes,  were  calculated  to  discover 
whether  Brother  Thomas  Howard  had  been  improperly  in- 
fluenced in  choosing  his  new  state  of  life.  By  the  pontiff's 
order,  cardinal  Panfili  wrote  July  17th  to  the  bishop  of 
Cremona  and  directed  him  to  remove  the  young  religious 
from  his  convent,  to  forbid  all  intercourse  between  the  Domini- 
cans and  their  novice,  and  to  keep  him  in  the  episcopal 
palace  till  his  real  disposition  was  found  out  and  the  further 
will  of  his  Holiness  made  known.  Two  days  after  cardinal 
Francis  Barberini  expressed  to  the  earl  how  much  he  sym- 
pathized with  him  and  disapproved  of  the  imprudence  of 
those  who  had  taken  such  advantage  of  his  grandson's  frank- 
ness ;  and  he  added  that  he  had  forwarded  the  great  exer- 
tions of  Mr.  Digby  by  dispatching  Sig.  Prospero  Meocci,  a 
gentleman  in  his  service,  into  Lombardy  to  carry  out  the 
pope's  instructions. 

By  the  hand  of  Meocci,  cardinal  Anthony  Barberini  sent  a 
letter  to  the  master-general  F.  Thomas  Turco  to  engage 
his  co-operation,  so  that  the  matter  which  regarded  the 
service  of  English  Catholics  might  be  speedily  and  silently 
ended;  and  the  master-general  seeing  such  an  appearance 
of  justice  at  once  yielded,  and  wrote  in  suitable  terms  to  the 
prior  of  Cremona. 

Commissioned  by  these  high  authorities  Meocci  hastened 
to  obey  his  orders.  When  the  prior  learned  the  will  of  the 
pope  and  received  the  master-general's  letter  he  promptly 
submitted.  Brother  Thomas  Howard  was  overwhelmed  with 


84  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

sorrow,  protested  against  his  removal,  and  refused  to 
acknowledge  his  separation  from  the  Order,  or  even  to  lay 
aside  the  outward  tokens  of  religion.  He  was  taken  from 
the  convent  July  26th  to  the  palace  of  Caesar  Monti  cardinal- 
archbishop  of  Milan.  There  he  had  apartments  to  himself 
adjoining  those  of  his  eminence,  and  he  was  surrounded  with 
domestics  and  strangers,  hut  strictly  withdrawn  from  every- 
one suspected  of  influencing  him  in  his  cherished  purpose. 
In  a  few  days,  Meocci  gave  an  account  of  his  own  proceedings 
to  the  earl  of  Arundel,  and  added  that  his  eminence  had 
several  times  examined  the  novice  and  found  him  very  con- 
stant in  his  resolution. 

Meanwhile,  this  constancy  was  well  searched  into  by  the 
cardinal-archbishop,  who  daily  spent  some  hours  in  convers- 
ing familiarly  with  the  novice.  To  him  Brother  Thomas 
Howard  laid  his  mind  open,  and  explained  that  for  three 
years  he  had  thought  of  becoming  a  religious  in  order  that 
he  might  help  in  the  conversion  of  his  kindred  and  country- 
men. The  cardinal  urged  against  him,  that  the  change  from 
the  Carmelites  to  the  Dominicans  was  a  reason  for  doubting 
other  changes  as  time  went  on;  the  restraints  of  religious  life 
might  be  very  burdensome  at  his  tender  age  ;  he  could  pro- 
mote his  own  salvation  in  every  state ;  by  his  example  and 
great  zeal  he  might  as  a  secular  do  much  among  the  Catholics 
of  England  and  help  to  convert  heretics,  and  perhaps  he 
would  succeed  better  with  the  sword  at  his  side  than  with  the 
capuce  upon  his  head ;  the  scholars  of  the  Swiss  college  were 
not  allowed  to  become  Religious,  as  out  of  religion  they 
were  more  useful  in  their  own  country ;  his  resolution  mis- 
represented and  ill-understood  might  perhaps  be  somewhat 
injurious  to  the  Catholics  of  England ;  the  delay  of  a  couple 
of  years  might  strengthen  and  fix  his  vocation ;  and  some 
doubts  of  his  constancy  might  arise.  To  all  these  and  other 
like  objections  the  novice  replied  in  few  words,  that  he  could 
save  his  soul  better  in  religion  than  in  the  world,  in  England 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD.  85 

be  could  do  all  the  more  as  a  religious  in  the  service  of  souls, 
and  if  he  waited  for  another  opportunity  he  was  not  sure  of 
it.  The  novice  always  spoke  of  the  conversion  of  his  friends 
and  countrymen  with  great  earnestness,  and  with  a  peculiar 
bright  expression  of  pleasure  lighting  up  his  countenance. 
The  cardinal  called  in  an  Oblate  who  was  prefect  of  the 
spiritual  exercises,  and  the  grand  Penitentiary  of  Milan,  who 
particularly  noted  all  these  traits  of  character ;  and  their 
knowledge  of  the  spiritual  life  rendered  their  decision  above 
all  dispute :  after  repeated  examinations  they  both  con- 
cluded that  the  vocation  of  Brother  Thomas  Howard  was 
true  and  came  from  God. 

Cardinal  Monti  saw  all  that  passed  with  secret  satisfaction, 
and  August  2nd  wrote  a  long  account  to  cardinal  Panfili  of 
what  he  had  done  in  this  delicate  matter.  His  letter  gave 
the  case  in  its  juster  and  more  favourable  aspect,  and  con- 
siderably altered  the  opinion  of  the  three  cardinals.  Inso- 
much that  when  the  earl  of  Arundel  wrote  twice  to  cardinal 
Francis  Barberini  thanking  him  for  his  ready  assistance  and 
urging  him  to  bring  the  affair  to  a  speedy  close,  his  eminence 
returned  a  tardy  reply,  which  though  courteous  was  so 
reserved  as  to  show  how  he  now  looked  on  the  case  and  that 
lie  would  not  overstep  the  bounds  of  strict  justice.  The 
master-general  too  openly  took  up  the  cause  of  Brother 
Thomas  Howard  and  lent  it  all  his  influence. 

The  earl  of  Arundel  signally  failed  in  attempting  to  show 
that  the  Dominicans  had  used  unwarrantable  influence.  He 
now  tried  again  to  carry  his  point  by  a  more  particular  attack 
on  the  affections  of  his  grandson.  Henry  Howard  went  to 
his  brother  at  the  cardinal's  palace,  and  he  thus  describes 
what  passed  there  in  a  letter  written  to  the  earl  on  the  same 
day  (August  9th).  "  I  had  two  or  three  howres  talke  with 
him  in  the  Garden  alone,  &  I  thinke  tould  him  as  much,  and 
as  many,  and  as  strong  reasons  &  persuasions  as  I  could 
possibly  thinke  of;  &  could  not  moue  him  in  anything;  onely 


86  LIFE    OP   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

when  I  cliidd  him  for  his  disobedience,  and  tould  him  how 
vnkindly  your  Exce  tooke  it  at  his  hands,  hee  seemed  to  be 
somewhat  mooued  to  heare  how  much  your  Exce  greeued  for 
his  losse,  yett  not  with  the  least  intent  euer  of  quitting  his 
habite,  telling  me  how  fully  he  was  resolued  to  continue  his 
firme  purpose  during  life.  I  shall  not  fayle  to  talke  with 
him,  and  doe  y6  best  I  can  to  persuade  him  to  reason,  to 
the  wch  now  I  finde  him  very  auerse  and  obstinate."  The 
ecclesiastical  authorities  became  so  well  satisfied  with  Brother 
Thomas's  case  that  he  was  sent  to  the  Dominican  convent  of 
S.  Maria  delle  Grazie  in  Milan ;  and  Henry  Howard  foiled 
in  his  powerful  assaults  on  his  brother's  resolution  returned 
to  his  grandfather. 

The  subject  was  again  forced  on  the  attention  of  Innocent 
X.  from  another  quarter.  At  Antwerp  the  countess  of  Arun- 
del  afflicted  at  the  earl's  letter,  flew  to  the  papal  nuncio  at 
Brussels  and  secured  his  co-operation.  In  a  letter  to  the 
earl  she  thus  expresses  her  hopes  and  feelings. 

"My  Dearest  harte,  I  receaued  yesterday  your  letter  of 
ye  29  of  June,  with  the  sadest  newes  (as  with  all  reason  you 
expresse  it  to  be  vnto  you,  and  is  no  lesse  to  me,)  of  Philip, 
though  so  much  comfort  we  have,  that  there  cannot  be  lesse 
than  one  whole  yeare's  time  to  worke  with  effect  his  returne, 
for  w°h  a  letter  to  the  Marques  of  Velada  will,  I  hope,  be  suf- 
ficient :  for  he  being  informed  of  the  case,  it  cannot  but  be 
estemed  a  thing  due  in  al  iustice  to  have  him  taken  away 
from  those,  who  have  in  such  manner  receaued  him.  The 
Marques  cannot  but  in  honor  and  iustice  effectually  order  and 
vse  his  authority  in  it ;  and  if  he  finde  it  needefull,  that  of 
y°  Nuntio's  theare;  but  if  nothing  else  shall  serue,  I  am 
resolued  (if  I  can  geet  moneys  to  free  my  selfe  from  this 
place)  to  goe  my  selfe  in  person  (to  free  you  from  such  an 
affliction)  and  to  effecte  it,  and  euen  follow  the  Pope's  letter 
for  that  purpos,  rather  then  it  should  not  be  done.  For  God 


LIFE   OF   CAEDINAL   HOWARD.  87 

his  sake,  my  harte,  lett  us  not  afflict  ourselues :  wee  shall 
assuredly  haue  redresse,  as  I  find  to  he  the  iudgment  of  the 
most  pious  and  prudent  men  of  all  Sortes,  who  all  condemne 
vtterly  such  proceedings  of  theyrs  :  to  wch  [I  join]  my  prayers 
to  our  Lord  Jesus  for  all  happiness  to  vs  and  all  ours. 

I  rest 

"  Yr   most  faythful  louing  wife, 

"A.  ARUNDEL  &  SURREY. 
"  Antwerpe,  29  Julij,  1645." 

The  nuncio  accordingly  wrote  to  Innocent  X.,  who  wearied 
with  the  importunities  of  the  Howard  family  passed  the 
affair  over  to  the  Congregation  de  Propaganda  Fide.  Early 
in  September  this  congregation  yielded  to  the  countess's 
desire  so  far  as  to  direct  Brother  Thomas  Howard  to  be 
removed  to  Borne  that  his  vocation  might  undergo  a  still 
stricter  ordeal. 

On  learning  it  was  intended  to  send  him  from  Milan  to 
Rome,  Brother  Thomas  Howard  was  much  alarmed.  Hitherto 
he  had  only  passively  resisted  the  overtures  of  his  family,  hut 
now  he  thought  it  needful  to  strike  openly  and  boldly  for  his 
religious  freedom.  He  wrote  September  18th  a  formal  pro- 
test praying  and  claiming  as  his  right,  that  if  he  were  again 
separated  from  his  Order  he  might  be  restored  to  it,  as  he 
was  fully  determined  to  persevere  till  death. 

The  decree  of  the  propaganda  revived  the  earl  of  Arundel's 
hopes  of  soon  carrying  his  point ;  and  before  he  knew  the 
decision  of  the  congregation  he  wrote  twice  to  sir  Kenelm 
Digby,  through  whose  influence  at  the  Roman  Court  still 
greater  importance  he  thought  would  be  added  to  his  cause. 
Sir  Kenelm's  reply  was  delayed  for  nearly  a  fortnight. 

"  My  Lord,  Be  pleased  to  receaue  by  this  my  dutifull 
acknowledgement  of  your  lo^'8 ,  one  of  the  18,  the  other  of  the 
25  September.  In  both  of  wch  yr  lo :  doth  me  much  more 
honor  then  I  can  deserue.  But  certainely  (my  lord)  no 


88  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

man  lining  desireth  more  then  I  to  do  yr  lo :  and  yr  noble 
famely,  seruice.  I  haue,  this  morning,  spoken  both  wth  Car- 
dinall  Panfilio  and  Cardinall  Panzirola,  to  vnderstand  when 
they  expect  Mr.  Phillip  here;  and  they  both  told  me  that 
Cardinal  Monti  his  last  letters  assured  them  there  should  be 
no  time  lost  in  his  sending  hither,  but  that  he  should  infal- 
libly come  by  the  first  fitting  and  secure  conveniency.  And 
in  truth,  they  expressed  themselves  exceeding  sensible  of 
Mr  Phillip's  forgetting  himselfe  to  yr  lo  :  and  to  his  parents, 
and  of  the  fryars'  impudency  and  other  missebeseeming  pro- 
ceedings, and  bad  me  assure  yr  lo  :  that,  as  soone  as  he  shall 
be  here,  they  will  do  their  vtmost  to  serue  you  in  this  busi- 
nesse,  as  being  exceedingly  sensible  of  yr  case.  Father  Hector 
will  do  yr  lo:  much  seruice  herein,  both  wth  his  aduice  and 
solicitation,  so  doubptlessely  will  Cardinall  Barbarin  (in  whose 
house,  I  conceaue,  yr  grandchild  is  to  remaine);  and  as  farre 
as  my  small  talent  reacheth,  yr  lo:  is  sure  of  my  dutiful 
seruice  as  long  as  I  stay  here.  Yet  for  the  credit  of  the 
businesse  (besides  the  efficacious  helpe),  it  will  be  requisite 
somebody  should  be  here  with  imediate  procure  from  yr  lo :,  wch 
if  you  did  thinke  fitt  to  haue  yr  granchild  Mr  Henry  to  be  the 
person,  and  that  no  other  considerations  checke  att  it,  I  am 
very  confident  the  businesse  would  thriue  in  his  hands ;  for 
his  great  discretion  and  the  much  esteeme  he  hath  with  all 
persons  here  will  render  him  successfull  in  any  thing  hee 
shall  undertake,  especially  when  he  shall  be  accompanied  wth 
so  much  reason  and  iustice.  I  will  not  longer  troble  your  lo  :, 
but  beseching  God  to  send  you  perfect  health  and  happinesse, 
I  rest 

"  Yr  lo:  most  humble  and  most  obedient  seruant, 

"KENELME  DIGBY. 
"Borne,  7thof8ber,  1645." 

It  seems  to  have  been  at  first  arranged  to  place  Brother 
Thomas  Howard  in  the  palace  of  cardinal  Barberini,  it  was 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD.  89 

perhaps  owing  to  his  own  protest  that  he  was  sent  to  the 
Dominican  convent  of  St.  Sixtus.  Following  sir  Kenelm's 
advice,  the  earl  of  Arundel  despatched  Henry  Howard  to 
Rome,  who  sought  to  procure  a  command  from  the  pope 
shutting  Brother  Thomas  out  of  the  Dominican  and  every 
other  Order,  except  with  the  clear  sanction  of  the  Holy  See 
and  the  leave  of  his  family.  The  reasons  given  for  so  severe 
a  measure  were  solely  that  the  Howards  would  he  disgraced 
hy  one  of  them  turning  friar,  and  that  were  the  matter  taken 
up  by  the  British  parliament,  the  earl  might  have  to  suffer 
imprisonment  and  the  forfeiture  of  all  his  property,  if  he  ever 
returned  into  England.  To  such  effect  Henry  Howard  wrote 
a  letter  in  the  name  of  the  whole  Howard  family  to  cardinal 
Capponi  for  the  consideration  of  the  sacred  college  and  of  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff. 

Little  ear  could  be  given  to  such  weak  reasons  for  making 
a  vocation  void,  and  Henry  Howard  saw  that  he  must  limit 
his  efforts  to  the  object  of  stripping  his  brother  of  the  habit 
for  a  time  and  sending  him  to  a  distance,  in  the  hope  that 
change  and  delay  would  alter  the  purpose  which  all  other 
means  had  failed  to  shake.  He  had  however  penetra- 
tion enough  to  perceive  that  even  do  what  he  might  there 
was  still  too  much  ground  for  fearing  that  he  would  be  foiled 
in  the  long-run  by  his  brother's  steadfastness.  He  thus 
wrote  to  the  earl  of  Arundel. 

"  Deare  Grandfather,  Since  my  last  letter  vnto  your 
Excellce,  I  have  solicited  the  business  very  hard,  and  find  by 
Cardinall  Pamphilio,  that  we  cannot  possibly  haue  any 
comand  from  ye  Pope  to  conland  my  brother  absolutely  to 
bee  excluded  the  Order;  for  Cardinall  Pamphilio  himselfe 
sayes,  it  would  bee  an  extreame  scandale  to  the  world,  that 
by  mayne  force  hee  should  bee  hindred  from  it,  if  it  be  a 
trew  vocation  from  God.  Thearefore  that  wch  I  cheefly  reach  at 
is,  that  only  ye  Pope  will  for  the  present  be  pleased  to 


90  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

comand  his  habite  to  be  taken  offe,  and  that  he  may  only  be 
excluded  the  Order  for  the  present,  vntill  his  holinesse  shall 
againe,  by  expresse  order,  give  way  vnto  it,  I  wishing  that, 
in  the  meane  time,  he  may  be  sent  vnto  Perugia  or  some 
other  convenient  place,  wheare  for  a  few  yeares  he  may 
studey ;  and  if  it  be  a  trew  vocation  from  God  (as  hee  sayes 
it  is)  then  it  will  continue  for  euer,  although  hee  bee  for 
ye  present  seuered  from  ye  Order  :  and  thus  much  I  haue 
very  good  hopes  to  obtaine,  yett  I  feare  that  I  can  scarce 
hinder  that,  after  some  yeares'  time  wch  he  must  employ  in 
studey,  if  his  resolution  and  obstinacy  continue,  but  that  he 
will  then  be  permitted  by  ye  Pope  to  enter  againe.  Yett  I 
thinke  that  if,  for  ye  present,  I  can  gett  off  his  habite  & 
take  him  out  of  ye  Dominicans'  clawes,  I  shall  doe  very  well, 
&  I  doe  really  assure  your  Exce  that  this  businesse  is  ex- 
treamely  much  more  difficult  then  I  could  possibly  imagine 
it,  ere  I  was  a  personall  and  eye  witnesse  of  it :  this  is  all 
that  I  can  say  of  it  at  this  present ;  wherefore,  I  shall  only 
most  humbly  craue  your  Exce's  blessing,  &  expect  your 
comands,  who  am  and  ever  shall  bee, 

"  Yr  E  xe'3  most  dutifull  grandchild, 

"HENRY  HOWARD. 
"Kome,  9berthe7,  1645." 

.This  scheme  also  failed,  and  after  more  than  half  a  year's 
toil  to  thwart  the  divine  will,  Henry  Howard  withdrew  from 
Rome  and  returned  to  Padua  where  the  earl  of  Arundel 
had  fixed  his  abode.*  By  him  Brother  Thomas  sent  the  fol- 
lowing letter. 

*  John  Evelyn  was  at  Padua  in  1646,  and  thus  writes  in  his 
diary.  "  It  was  on  Easter  Monday  that  I  was  invited  to  breakfast 
at  the  earl  of  ArundePs.  I  took  my  leave  of  him  in  bed,  where  I 
left  that  great  and  excellent  man  in  teares  on  some  private  discourse 
of  crosses  that  had  befallen  his  illustrious  family,  particularly  the 
unhappiness  of  his  grandson  Pailip  turning  Dominican  friar.'* 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  91 

"Deare  Grandfather,  With  this  occasion  of  my  deare 
brother  his  returning  backe  to  your  E.,  I  could  not  doe  lesse 
then  write  these  few  lines  vnto  your  E.,  to  lett  you  vnderstand 
bow  sory  I  am  that  your  E.  taketh  it  so  ille  that  I  haue 
made  my  selfe  a  frier;  for  God  Almighty  knoweth  that  I 
would  neuer  haue  done  any  such  thing,  if  hee  had  not 
inspired  and  caled  mee  theare  vnto  :  thearefore,  I  humbly 
desire  your  E.  not  to  trouble  your  selfe  theareat ;  for  since 
God  hath  caled  mee  vnto  such  a  holy  Keligion,  I  make  no 
doubpt  but  hee  will  giue  me  perseuerance  thearein :  and  your 

E.  may  bee  assured  that  I  doe  not  faile  in  praying  daly  both 
for  you  and  all  my  parents :  therefore,  humbly  crauing  your 
pardon  both  for  this  and  all  the  rest  of  my  offences,  &  humbly 
desiring  your  blessing,  I  remaine  alwaise,  From  our  Convent 
of  S.  Sisto  in  Home,  this  22  of  January,  1646, 

"Your  Excell6'8  most  dutifull  &  obedient  grandchild, 
"FREYER  THOMAS  HOWARD,  of  the  order  of  the  Preachers." 

Due  prudence  and  moderation  required  that  the  wishes  of 
the  earl  of  Arundel  and  of  his  family  should  be  yielded  to 
as  far  as  Christian  justice  allowed.  At  the  suggestion  of 

F.  Dominic   de   Marini,*  vicar-general   of  the   Order,   (the 
master-general    being  then   on    his    visitations    in    Spain) 
Brother  Thomas  Howard  was  withdrawn  from  the  Dominicans 
of  St.  Sixtus  and  placed  with  the  fathers  of  St.  Philip  Neri.f 
Thus  the  last  five  months  of  his  noviciate  were  passed  at  La 
Chiesa   Nuova   under  the   famous    F.   Paul   Arringhi,  who 

*  He  was  brother  of  the  master-general  F.  John  Baptist  de 
Marini,  and  became  at  last  vice-legate  and  archbishop  of 
Avignon. 

I  Brother  Thomas  Howard  was  received  to  the  clerical  habit  in 
the  name  of  the  province  of  England  and  convent  of  London  ;  but 
he  now  changed  his  affiliation,  and  was  accepted  Feb.  27th  for  the 
convent  of  Cremona. 


92  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

fathomed  the  disposition  of  his  novice  with  fitting  trials. 
At  the  close  of  the  probation  the  good  Oratorian  openly 
declared  that  if  Brother  Thomas's  vocation  was  not  from 
God  he  did  not  know  what  a  true  vocation  was.  He  gave  the 
same  testimony  to  Innocent  X.  whose  interest  was  stirred  up 
himself  to  question  the  novice.  Accordingly  Brother  Thomas 
had  an  audience  of  the  pope,  and  his  prudent  and  ready 
answers  drove  away  all  doubts  from  the  pontiff's  mind.  The 
pope  called  F.  Dominic  de  Marini  into  his  presence  and  gave 
him  leave  to  admit  the  novice  into  the  Dominican  Order. 
Brother  Thomas  Howard  made  the  usual  protest,  Oct.  18th, 
that  of  his  own  free  will  he  entered  the  Order,  and  next  day 
he  joyfully  subscribed  his  solemn  profession  at  the  convent  of 
St.  Sixtus,  being  then  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age.  His 
vows  were  received  by  the  vicar-general  of  the  Order. 


CHAPTER  III. 

From  Rome  Brother  Thomas  Howard  was  sent  to  the 
Dominican  convent  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  commonly  called  La 
Sanita  at  Naples,  where  he  studied  very  diligently  for  four 
years,  and  made  rapid  progress  in  piety  and  learning.  A  few 
weeks  before  he  left  Rome,  he  received  from  Padua  the 
news  of  the  death  of  his  grandfather,  who  had  long 
been  in  failing  health  :  and  again  in  1649  a  fresh  sorrow 
overtook  him  in  the  decease  of  the  master-general  F.  Thomas 
Turco,  who  had  been  his  firm  and  valued  friend  in  all  the 
severe  trials  of  the  noviciate.  A  general  chapter  was 
summoned  to  meet  at  Rome  June  5th  in  the  following  year 
for  electing  another  head  of  the  Order.  Brother  Thomas 
was  sent  thither  being  chosen  out  of  the  students  to  deliver 
the  usual  Latin  oration  before  the  fathers.  When  he 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  93 

addressed  the  august  assembly  he  took  as  his  topic  the 
subject  which  absorbed  his  mind  and  had  carried  him  across 
the  threshold  of  religion.  He  pleaded  for  his  desolate 
country  wasted  by  heresy  and  persecution  and  urged  that  the 
Order  might  be  made  more  efficient  in  restoring  it  to  the 
communion  of  the  Church.  And  in  a  formal  petition  he 
humbly  declared,  that  there  were  only  few  missionaries  of  the 
Order  for  confirming  Catholics  in  their  faith  and  for  convert- 
ing Protestants,  and  still  fewer  existed  out  of  England  who 
might  be  sent  into  the  mission  :  and  there  was  no  seminary 
in  the  Order  where  others  might  be  received  to  the  habit  for 
that  particular  purpose.  Therefore  he  most  earnestly  prayed 
that  the  fathers  would  either  set  apart  some  convent  for  such 
a  seminary,  or  at  least  charge  provincials  and  priors  to  receive 
English  youths  who  offered  themselves  for  the  Order. 

The  fathers  were  astonished  and  moved  at  the  novice's 
address,  and  answered  his  appeal  by  an  Admonition  to 
provincials  and  to  vicars  of  congregations  not  to  be  hard  in 
receiving  into  the  Order,  English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  youths, 
when  any  offered  themselves  who  were  fit,  but  rather  to 
admit  them  kindly  into  the  noviciates  for  their  own  provinces, 
and  after  instructing  them  in  regular  observance  and 
scholastic  studies  to  send  them  back  to  spread  the  faith  in 
their  own  countries. 

After  the  general  chapter  Br.  Thomas  Howard  was  sent  by 
advice  of  F.  Dominic  of  the  Eosary  (O'Daly)  to  finish  his 
studies  at  the  convent  of  Eennes  in  Bretagne,  whither  he 
went  with  that  great  Irish  Dominican.  He  was  ordained  a 
priest  in  1652,  with  a  papal  dispensation  for  two  years  as  he 
was  only  in  his  twenty-third  year.  The  dispensation  was 
applied  for  (August  22nd)  by  F.  Peter  Martin  prior  of  the 
convent,  and  procured  in  Home  by  F.  Master  O'Heyn  of  the 
Irish  province.  The  reason  for  choosing  Bennes  for  his 
abode  was  that  he  might  assist  his  Catholic  countrymen 
who  fled  from  persecution  in  England.  To  them  he  devoted 


94  LIFE  OF  CABDINAL  HOWARD. 

all  his  energies  day  and  night,  consoling  them  in  distress, 
supporting  their  faith,  and  relieving  their  necessities. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  was  in  the  province  of  Bretagne  till 
near  the  close  of  1654  when  he  went  to  Paris.  The 
admonition  of  the  general  chapter  in  1650  in  favour  of  his 
country  fell  far  short  of  his  desires  for  the  welfare  of  Eng- 
land. The  want  of  systematic  organization  for  keeping  up 
and  increasing  the  province  was  the  great  bar  to  the  full 
operation  of  the  Order  in  England,  and  this  want  could  be 
met  only  by  founding  a  monastery  or  college  exclusively  for 
the  province.  On  such  a  house  F.  Thomas  Howard  had 
set  his  mind.  The  penal  laws  shut  out  religious  commu- 
nities from  England,  so  he  chose  Belgium  as  being  the  best 
country  both  politically  and  geographically  for  his  under- 
taking. He  also  preferred  the  discipline  of  the  Order  there, 
as  it  avoided  equally  the  severity  or  the  laxity  of  the  obser- 
vance in  the  French  provinces.  Into  Belgium  he  bent  his 
steps  early  in  the  spring  of  1655. 

At  Brussels  F.  Thomas  Howard  took  on  this  subject  the 
advice  of  F.  Ambrose  Druwe,  as  he  had  great  confidence  in 
him  who  was  so  renowned  for  his  labours  and  virtues  that 
his  memory  has  become  venerable.  F.  Ambrose  in  his  zeal 
for  the  good  of  the  Order  at  once  approved  of  the  scheme, 
and  bethought  himself  of  the  convent  of  Bornhem  which 
had  formerly  belonged  to  his  brethren  and  which  he  much 
desired  to  see  once  again  in  their  hands.  F.  Master  John 
Baptist  Yerjuyse  fully  agreed  with  him ;  and  thus  F. 
Thomas  Howard's  attention  was  first  turned  towards  Born- 
hem.  But  as  he  had  business  in  England  he  left  the  affair 
in  the  hands  of  these  two  Belgian  fathers,  and  went  on 
towards  his  native  country. 

On  his  way  F.  Thomas  Howard  passed  through  Ghent  and 
seized  the  opportunity  to  consult  F.  Master  James  van  den 
Heede  ex-provincial  of  Belgium  then  prior  of  the  convent  there. 
This  father  entered  warmly  into  the  purpose,  but  did  not 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  95 

look  on  Bornhem  as  a  fit  place :  tie  thought  a  city  would  he 
hetter,  as  country  convents  in  times  of  war  were  much 
more  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  soldiery  and  were  often 
crushed  in  their  infancy.  He  recommended  a  house  in  Den- 
derrnonde  afterwards  inhabited  hy  Discalced  Carmelite  friars. 
But  this  would  have  been  very  expensive,  as  the  house  was 
in  part  fallen  down  and  in  part  destroyed.  There  was  more- 
over another  difficulty  in  the  way.  It  was  feared  that  the 
local  authorities  both  ecclesiastical  and  secular  would  refuse 
to  admit  foreign  Eeligious  into  the  city.  It  afterwards 
appeared  however  that  D'Haens  rural  dean  of  Dendermonde 
had  a  strong  leaning  to  the  Dominicans,  the  more  so  per- 
haps as  F.  Alphonsus  Henry  of  St.  Thomas  a  Dominican 
illegitimate  son.  of  the  king  of  Spain  afterwards  successively 
bishop  of  Osma,  Placencia,  and  Malaga  was  expected  in  the 
country  as  governor  of  Belgium..  D'Haens  had  freely  given 
two  thousand  florins  towards  rebuilding  the  convent  for 
Dominicans  who  knew  the  language  of  the  country  and 
could  serve  the  city  by  preaching  and  hearing  confessions, 
for  which  duties  Englishmen  were  not  very  fit.  These  diffi- 
culties stopped  F.  Thomas  from  taking  any  steps  as  to  this 
house,  and  he  turned  in  another  direction. 

A  house  in  Oudenarde  called  Berlamont  was  for  sale  on 
reasonable  terms.  It  belonged  to  the  count  of  Egmond,  and 
was  near  the  convent  of  Sion.  It  was  a  very  fine  building 
and  with  some  alterations  was  well  suited  for  a  religious  com- 
munity. The  garden  though  small  could  easily  be  enlarged, 
and  this  was  done  afterwards  by  D.  Tatton  superintendent  of 
the  French  whilst  they  had  the  city.  F.  Thomas  Howard* 

*  After  he  entered  the  Order  F.  Thomas  Howard  often  used 
Arundel  as  his  surname ;  but  when  his  family  was  restored  in  1660 
and  1661  to  the  dukedom  of  Norfolk  which  had  been  forfeited  in 
1572,  he  called  himself  Howard  of  Norfolk.  To  avoid  ambiguity 
hese  changes  have  not  been  admitted  into  our  narrative. 


96  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

having  already  set  on  foot  the  treaty  for  the  convent  of 
Bornhem  did  not  think  it  well  to  lay  it  aside.  He  preferred 
to  negotiate  for  both  and  ultimately  choose  whichever  seemed 
to  he  the  better  and  more  convenient  of  the  two.  This 
matter  therefore  he  left  in  the  hands  of  the  prior  of  Ghent, 
who  through  the  assistance  of  F.  Michael  Boon  bought  the 
house  for  12,000  florins,  on  condition  that  if  F.  Thomas 
did  not  like  it  the  contract  might  be  made  void  by  paying 
fifty  imperial  crowns. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  perils  which  beset  the  Catholic 
priesthood  in  England  during  the  protectorate  of  Oliver  Crom- 
well F.  Thomas  Howard  remained  for  a  considerable  time  in 
his  native  country,  where  he  consulted  the  English  Domi- 
nican fathers  as  to  his  undertaking.  The  vicar-general  of  the 
province  and  all  of  them  fully  approved  his  intentions,  and 
joined  in  collecting  the  large  sum  of  money  needed  for  the 
purpose,  in  the  firm  hope  of  now  setting  again  the  bright 
torch  of  St.  Dominic  upon  the  deserted  towers  of  the  English 
Sion.  First  of  all  F.  William  Fowler  gave  .£200.  down,  and 
he  resolved  to  retire  into  the  convent  when  finished  and  pass 
his  old  age  in  religious  peace,  but  this  plan  was  frustrated 
by  his  death.  F.  David  Joseph  Keme}?s  confessor  to  the 
countess  of  Arundel  F.  Thomas  Howard's  mother  spoke  on 
the  matter  to  his  friend  Mr.  David  Morris  a  secular  priest, 
and  begged  him  to  try  and  incline  for  the  reviving  province 
any  young  men  of  good  hope  he  knew  who  were  well  dis- 
posed for  the  clerical  state.  Not  long  after  Mr.  Morris  went 
to  Little  Malvern  in  Worcestershire,  and  there  he  met  with 
Mr.  Martin  Eussel  who  belonged  to  the  honourable  family 
of  Kussel  lords  of  the  manor.  This  gentleman  had  been 
educated  by  the  Jesuits  of  St.  Omers,  and  fought  on  the  side 
of  Charles  II.  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Worcester.  He  was 
thinking  of  becoming  a  priest.  By  Mr.  Morris's  advice  he 
went  to  London,  where  he  was  heartily  welcomed  by  F. 
Thomas  Howard,  and  he  resolved  to  exchange  a  military  life 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD.  97 

for  one  of  religion  in  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic.  In  May 
1656  he  was  sent  by  F.  Thomas  to  the  great  house  of 
Friar-Preachers  at  Ghent,  and  with  the  especial  leave  of  the 
English  vicar-general  he  took  the  habit  of  the  Order  June 
18th,  and  passed  through  his  year  of  probation. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  had  as  part  of  his  patrimony  the 
yearly  rent  of  <£97.  10s.  10 Jd.  issuing  out  of  the  castle  of 
Folkingham  in  Lincolnshire  held  by  the  earl  of  Lincoln. 
As  this  rent  had  not  been  paid  for  a  long  time  he  claimed 
seven  years'  arrears,  and  at  his  request  sir  Francis  Stydolfe 
knt.  his  trustee  empowered  two  gentlemen  of  the  law  to 
recover  the  amount  by  legal  means.  Thus  with  his  own 
resources  and  the  assistance  of  his  friends  he  raised  about 
£1600.  for  his  convent.  His  grandmother  died  in  1654 
before  he  had  formed  his  plans,  or  doubtless  she  would  have 
given  much,  as  she  abounded  in  works  of  piety  and  had 
bestowed  £6,000.  on  the  English  fathers  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  for  founding  their  college  at  Ghent.  F.  Thomas 
spent  much  of  his  time  in  London  in  attending  to  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  his  countrymen.  About  May  1657  he 
went  back  into  Flanders  without  paying  a  visit  to  Rome  as 
he  thought  of  doing ;  but  he  sent  an  account  of  his  progress 
to  the  master-general,  who  wrote  back  June  30th  congratulat- 
ing him  on  his  safe  arrival  in  Belgium  and  enclosed  an 
epistle  for  F.  Ambrose  Druwe  to  stir  him  up  most  actively 
in  the  affair  of  the  English  convent. 

Going  first  to  Ghent  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  gratified 
with  witnessing  the  solemn  vows  taken  by  B.  Martin  Russel 
June  18th,  who  was  professed  for  the  province  of  England 
and  convent  of  London  because  the  situation  of  the  house 
in  Belgium  was  not  settled.  At  Ghent  too  he  deliberated 
concerning  the  house  at  Oudenarde.  When  he  had  well 
weighed  the  matter  he  thought  Bornhem  to  be  the  better, 
so  he  broke  off  the  contract  for  the  house  and  paid  the  fifty 
crowns.  From  Ghent  he  went  on  to  Brussels  and  founcj 


98  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

that  F.  Ambrose  Druwe  had  carried  on  the  treaty  for 
Bornhem  most  happily.  Still  he  had  much  to  do  to  gain 
the  leave  of  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authorities  for  the 
new  convent ;  but  unweariedly  he  overcame  everything  that 
stood  in  his  way,  and  in  the  following  April  he  again  set  up 
the  conventual  life  which  had  been  withdrawn  from  the 
English  province  for  ninety-nine  years. 


CHAPTEK  IV. 

Bornhem  a  village  of  East  Flanders  lies  midway  between 
Antwerp  and  Aalst,  being  four  leagues  south-west  of  Antwerp, 
three  north-east  of  Dendermonde,  seven  east  of  Ghent,  seven 
north-west  of  Brussels,  and  four  north-north-west  of  Malines 
or  Mechlin.  It  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Scheldt 
which  has  been  dammed  off  it  about  half  a  league,  whilst  the 
old  Scheldt  separated  from  the  new  by  sluices  became  stag- 
nant as  a  morass  almost  close  to  the  village  and  surrounded 
all  the  castle.  The  parish  of  Bornhem  forms  part  of  a 
barony;  the  lord  takes  his  title  from  this  territory  and 
resides  at  the  castle. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  the  ancient  castle  of  Bornhem 
passed  in  right  of  his  wife  to  the  marquis  Piscarie.  The 
sluices  had  not  then  been  made,  and  during  floods  it  could 
be  approached  only  by  boats,  so  that  the  marquis  became 
discontent  with  the  place  and  was  wont  to  say  he  did  not 
like  to  live  in  a  swan's  nest.  So  he  sold  the  castle  with  all 
the  demesnes  to  a  nobleman  Peter  Coloma  supreme  receiver 
of  Philip  II.  of  Spain  for  Belgium  and  a  member  of  the 
great  Spanish  family  of  the  same  surname.  Peter  Coloma 
now  baron  of  Bornhem  began  the  rescue  of  the  place  from 
the  water  by  means  of  the  sluices,  and  also  to  build  a  convent 
which  was  founded  in  the  following  manner. 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  99 

The  reform  of  the  Franciscan  Order  throughout  Flanders 
led  several  Religious  to  quit  that  province.  Amongst  them 
one  who  was  a  friend  of  Peter  Coloma  betook  himself  to 
Bornhem  and  employed  his  time  in  teaching  youth  the 
rudiments  of  the  Christian  faith.  The  good  Franciscan 
sometimes  talked  with  the  baron  on  this  useful  and  then 
much-needed  work  and  offered  to  give  himself  up  still  more 
to  it,  for  which  he  thought  he  could  easily  have  leave  from 
his  superiors  if  the  baron  would  build  a  small  religious 
dwelling  with  a  chapel  near  the  heath.  The  scheme  suc- 
ceeded far  better  than  he  expected,  for  the  baron  immediately 
began  a  church  and  convent  endowed  with  rents.  This 
was  about  1601.  The  old  inhabitants  of  the  village  after- 
wards told  the  English  fathers  how  the  place  was  then 
infested  in  the  night-time  with  hideous  spectres  and  hob- 
goblins, so  that  people  scarcely  had  courage  enough  to  go 
out  in  the  dark,  and  when  they  were  driven  to  do  so  how 
they  were  scared  by  tremendous  visions.  In  such  a  swampy 
country  it  is  very  likely  that  strange  things  were  sometimes 
seen.  The  people  however  were  highly  pleased  with  the 
baron's  purpose  and  lent  their  carts  and  horses  gladly  to 
carry  the  building  materials,  "  recte  judicantes,"  says  the 
annalist  of  Bornhem,  "  edificiis  tarn  religiosis  spectra  dissi- 
panda  ;"  and  doubtless  the  confidence  inspired  by  the  conse- 
crated foundation  would  drive  away  many  a  spectre  of  the 
fancy. 

There  was  also  another  reason  for  building  the  house. 
The  baron  had  a  large  fragment  of  the  Cross  whereon  the 
salvation  of  man  was  finished,  and  he  wished  to  place  the 
holy  relic  where  it  would  be  publicly  venerated.  Anna  van 
Bech  abbess  of  the  Benedictine  convent  of  Coninx-dorp 
bestowed  it  April  18th  1588  on  Don  Ferdinando  Lopez  de 
Villa  Nuova,  who  two  years  after  gave  it  to  Peter  Coloma 
baron  of  Bornhem,  when  Laurence  Fabricius  titular  bishop 


100  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

of  Gyrene  and   grand  vicar  of  the  archbishop   of  Cologne 
gave  leave  for  it  to  be  carried  out  of  the  archdiocese. 

The  baron  of  Bornhem  did  not  live  to  see  Keligious  on  the 
foundation  :  he  died  in  1621  before  he  had  leave  from  the 
Apostolic  See  for  the  Holy  Sacrifice  to  be  offered  and  the 
divine  office  to  be  celebrated  there.  His  son  who  bore  the 
same  Christian  name  inherited  his  goodness,  and  was  quite 
as  eager  for  the  house  to  be  filled  with  persons  consecrated 
to  God. 

Thus  the  convent  of  Bornhem  was  built  for  the  Francis- 
cans. It  was  arranged  in  the  usual  manner  of  their  estab- 
lishments. But  they  never  had  it,  for  the  question  arose 
whether  it  ought  to  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  reformed  Francis- 
cans of  Flanders  or  of  the  old  Franciscans  of  Brabant. 
And  so  it  happened  that  the  house  remained  empty  for 
many  years:  it  was  put  under  the  charge  of  an  old  man 
named  Arthur  Roosc,  and  sometimes  when  the  country  was 
overrun  with  military,  soldiers  were  quartered  in  it  for  the 
winter. 

At  length  the  baron  became  outwearied  with  the  delay 
and  sought  occupants  for  the  house  in  other  Orders.  He 
offered  it  to  some  Minims,  but  the  negotiations  were 
broken  off.  A  treaty  with  some  Benedictine  nuns  was  also 
without  effect.  The  baron  who  highly  esteemed  F.  Ambrose 
Druwe  at  last  resolved  to  place  Friar-Preachers  there,  and 
the  fathers  of  Brussels  readily  accepted  the  generous  offer. 
Urban  VHI.  gave  leave  November  9th  1639  for  Mass  to  be 
celebrated  in  the  conventual  chapel,  but  the  bishop  of  Ghent 
did  not  put  the  brief  into  execution  till  November  8th  1641. 
The  baron  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  public  venera- 
tion of  the  Cross  and  exhibited  the  relic  to  the  archbishop 
of  Mechlin,  who  February  16th  1642  formally  attested  its 
authenticity,  and  afterwards  the  bishop  of  Ghent  allowed  it 
to  be  exposed  to  the  faithful. 

F.  Ambrose    Druwe  and    many  of   his    brethren    from 


LIFE   OF  CARDINAL J  flO WX»D.  -'''101 

Brussels  took  possession  of  the  bouse  with  some  solemnity 
in  1641,  but  in  consequence  of  the  litigated  claim  of  the 
Cordeliers  they  bad  to  leave  in   1643.     They  were  allowed 
by  a  royal  decree  June  22nd  1646  to  inhabit  the  cloister 
that  summer,  and  they  gave  it  up  altogether  in  the  beginning 
of  the  following  year.     During  that  time  there  were  three 
Dominicans    in    the    house :    the    baron    contributed    four 
pistoles  a  month  towards  maintaining  them.     The  house  was 
again  void;  but  in  September  1650  royal  leave  to  live  there 
for  a  time  was  granted  to  the  Friar-Preachers   of  Bois-le- 
Duc,  who  in  1629  had  been  driven  out  of  their  own  convent 
by  the  Calvinists.     These  Eeligious  were  at  Bornhem  till 
May  1651,  when  they  removed  to  Mechlin  where  F.  Ambrose 
had  secured  them  a  fixed  abode.     Meanwhile  the  Franciscans 
suffered  their  claim  to  fall  through,    and   F.  Ambrose  was 
successfully  labouring  in  founding  convents  at  Namur   and 
Mechlin  so  that  he  ceased  to  care  any  more  for  Bornhem. 
The  baron  thus  thwarted  in  his  plans  made  an  agreement 
with  the  Gulielmites  of  Wasia  and  three  Religious  from  the 
convent  of  Bevern  took  the  house.     The  baron  was  greatly 
pleased  when  he  saw  his  convent  thus  occupied,  though  he 
much    regretted  the    loss  of  the  Dominicans    and   kept  up 
a    friendly  intercourse  with   them,      His    untimely    death 
happened  October   9th   1656  :   he  was   succeeded  by  John. 
Francis  Coloma  his  eldest  son. 

While  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  raising  means  in  England 
for  founding  his  religious  house  F.  Ambrose  Druwe  and  F. 
John  Baptist  Verjuyse  laboured  to  secure  the  convent  of 
Bornhem  for  him,  and  they  favourably  inclined  the  privy 
council.  F.  Ambrose  gained  over  the  paramount  interest  of 
the  governor  of  Belgium  don  John  of  Austria,  who  was, 
influenced  too  it  is  said  by  the  count  of  Marcin  general  of 
the  forces  in  Charles  II. 's  mimic  court  at  Brussels.  F. 
Ambrose  also  treated  with  the  baron  of  Bornhem  who 
respected  him  so  much  that  they  readily  agreed. 


102  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

Great  trouble  had  to  be  taken  for  the  legal  possession  of 
the  convent.  To  have  the  sanction  of  the  civil  power  a  peti- 
tion was  presented  to  the  Spanish  government  "  by  the  poor 
exiled  English  Keligious  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic"  with 
the  written  consent  of  the  Baron  attached.  The  government 
was  fully  determined  that  the  colony  of  foreign  Religious 
should  not  receive  any  support  from  the  country  in  which 
they  were  to  settle  as  strangers,  and  September  10th  1657 
they  were  ordered  to  show  what  means  of  support  they 
possessed.  Matthew  Bedingfeld  an  English  gentleman  who 
had  lived  in  Brussels  since  1646  appeared  on  their  behalf 
September  28th  and  certified  that  they  had  for  the  purpose 
9000  florins  already  invested  and  11,000  florins  in  hand,  for 
duly  applying  which  he  generously  pledged  his  real  and  per- 
sonal property  in  Belgium. 

Mr.  Bedingfeld's  certificate  and  the  baron's  consent  were 
inserted  in  another  petition  from  F.  Thomas  Howard,  which 
the  privy  council  placed  in  the  hands  of  one  of  them,  Van 
der  Becke,  and  when  he  had  thoroughly  gone  through  the 
case  he  referred  it  Oct.  2nd  to  the  president  and  provincial 
council  of  Flanders.  Every  effort  for  success  was  made.  The 
master-general  wrote  Sept.  15th  to  Don  Alonzo  de  Cardinas 
a  privy  councillor,  who  had  great  authority  at  the  court  and 
considerable  power  for  particular  reasons  with  Sr.  la  Falla 
president  of  Flanders.  Cardinas  immediately  forwarded  the 
undertaking  by  a  letter  Oct.  10th  to  the  president.  The 
president  himself  was  much  attached  to  the  Dominican 
Order :  this  letter  and  tl^e  solicitations  of  F.  James  van  den 
Heede  led  him  to  bring  the  matter  to  a  happy  issue.  The 
master-general  does  not  seem  to  have  known  how  deeply 
F.  James  was  interested  in  the  matter  when  he  wrote  Sept. 
15th  to  engage  him  in  it. 

Ecclesiastical  leave  for  the  foundation  was  required  from 
the  vicars-general  of  Ghent,  the  episcopal  see  being  vacant. 
In  this  matter  F.  Thomas  Howard  found  seasonable  friends, 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  103 

and  he  sought  the  good  offices  of  the  papal  nuncio  at 
Brussels,  to  whom  the  master-general  Sept.  15th  also 
recommended  him.  The  nuncio's  reply  to  the  master- 
general  Nov.  16th  was  very  favourable,  and  the  leave  was 
granted. 

The  rank  and  zeal  of  F.  Thomas  Howard  gained  him  all 
this  powerful  support,  and  at  last  he  had  everything  for  settling 
the  English  Dominicans  at  Bornhem.  It  was  necessary  to 
remove  the  Gulielmites  in  a  formal  manner,  and  this  was 
easily  done  by  the  baron,  as  they  were  not  legally  fixed  at 
Bornhem  being  there  on  mere  sufferance.  The  king  was 
reminded  of  this  in  a  petition  wherein  it  was  also  prayed  that 
they  might  be  removed  or  made  to  show  the  royal  leave  of 
admission.  The  local  authorities  were  directed  Oct.  12th 
to  look  into  the  matter,  and  the  Gulielmites  had  to  return  to 
Bevern  in  the  following  Lent.  They  thought  themselves 
harshly  treated  by  the  baron,  who  gave  them  nothing  for 
their  support  or  expenses.  As  they  had  run  into  much  debt 
in  keeping  up  the  house  they  claimed  a  right  to  all  the 
moveables  of  the  convent  and  carried  off  even  the  Relio 
of  the  Cross.  But  the  royal  apparitor  was  sent  after 
them,  and  did  not  leave  Bevern  till  everything  was 
restored. 

The  agreement  with  the  baron  of  Bornhem  was  con- 
cluded in  the  autumn  of  1657.  Thereupon  the  master- 
general  appointed  the  provincial  of  Belgium  F.  John 
Baptist  Verjuyse  to  be  commissary  and  vicar-general  of  the 
convent,  as  F.  Thomas  Catchmay  in  London  could  not  duly 
adjust  the  community  at  so  great  a  distance ;  and  then  by 
letters  patent  of  Dec.  15th  he  formally  accepted  the  house  at 
Bornhem  and  made  F.  Thomas  Howard  first  prior.* 

*  Some  dateless  ordinations  for  the  province  of  England 
clearly  refer  to  this  time.  In  them  the  master-general  accepts  the 
church  and  house  of  Holy  Oosa  at  Bornhem,  purchased  with  the 


104  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

The  royal  license  was  granted  March  19th  1658  under 
conditions  much  against  the  privileges  of  the  Mendicant 
Orders.  Still  it  was  thought  best  to  agree,  for  by  opposing 
them  all  might  have  been  lost ;  and  the  conditions  which 
were  binding  only  as  far  as  the  government  chose  might 
afterwards  be  enlarged  as  often  happened  in  other  cases. 
The  fathers  were  to  possess  1000  florins  a-year,  and  the 
capital  was  never  to  be  alienated  or  lessened.  They  were  to 
have  the  cloister  and  church  as  a  refuge  only,  and  not  to  add 
to  their  inheritance  in  times  to  come.  There  were  not  to  be 
more  than  thirteen  religious,  who  were  never  to  quest  or  beg 
alms  in  the  country  under  any  plea  whatever.  The  Order 
of  St.  Dominic  was  not  to  claim  the  cloister  so  as  to  place 
Religious  of  another  nation  there  if  the  English  withdrew, 
nor  to  mingle  foreigners  with  the  English.  On  all  Sundays 
and  festivals  Mass  and  the  divine  offices  were  to  be  celebrated 
with  closed  doors,  so  as  not  to  draw  off  the  people  from  the 
parish-church  :  and  the  fathers  were  not  to  exercise  parochial 


patrimony  of  F.  Thomas  Howard  left  him  by  will  by  his  father 
Henry  earl  of  Arundel,  and  by  his  mother  lady  Elizabeth.  He 
erects  the  church  into  a  convent  for  the  English  province  under  the 
title  and  invocation  of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  and  creates  F.  Thomas 
Howard  the  first  prior.  The  earl  and  countess  of  Arundel  are 
declared  to  be  founders  and  patrons  of  the  convent,  and  in  perpetual 
memorial  of  it  on  the  day  of  their  decease  (to  be  marked  down  on 
public  tablets)  the  brethren  shall  celebrate  a  solemn  anniversary  for 
their  souls  and  also  for  the  soul  of  F.  Thomas  their  son  after  his 
death.  The  earl  and  countess  are  received  to  all  the  suffrages  and 
merits  of  the  Order  both  public  and  private,  that  God  may  preserve 
and  protect  the  Catholics  of  their  family,  strengthen  them  in  the 
faith,  and  bring  those  who  are  wandering  back  into  the  bosom  of 
the  holy  church. 

These  ordinations  were  mostly  annulled,  for  they  were  evidently 
founded  on  some  misunderstanding. 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  105 

functions  anywhere  without  the  leave  of  the  pastors.  But 
the  king  might  enlarge,  restrain,  and  interpret  the  conditions 
as  it  was  found  convenient. 

The  formal  donation  of  the  house  and  church  was  signed 
at  Brussels  April  6th  hy  the  baron,  and  in  the  name  of 
F.  Thomas  Howard  hy  F.  John  Baptist  Verjuyse.  The 
noble  donor  too  had  his  conditions.  The  fathers  were  never 
to  diminish  the  cloister,  nor  were  there  to  be  less  than 
two  priests  and  one  laybrother.  One  priest  was  to  celebrate 
Mass  at  the  castle  whenever  a  baron  or  baroness  was  there, 
the  other  was  to  say  a  Mass  in  the  convent  church  at 
eleven  o'clock  every  day,  and  on  all  Fridays  this  Mass  was  to 
be  for  the  baron's  intention.  After  his  decease  the  Religious 
were  to  keep  his  anniversary  with  the  nine-lesson  office  of  the 
dead.*  The  holy  Relic  of  the  Cross  was  to  be  always  kept 
at  the  convent  in  the  silver  and  crystal  case  in  which  it  was 
given  by  the  abbess  of  Coninx-dorp,  but  in  times  of  war  it 
was  to  be  sent  for  safety  to  the  baron's  successors,  and  to 
be  restored  when  the  danger  was  over.  For  their  better 
maintenance,  the  fathers  were  to  have  all  the  church  orna- 
ments and  the  moveables  set  down  in  an  inventory  at  the 
end  of  the  grant.  They  were  not  to  alienate  the  cloister, 
gardens,  and  land,  without  the  consent  of  the  baron's 
successors ;  and  if  they  did  so  or  left  altogether  the  whole 
was  to  revert  to  the  baron  or  his  heirs.  And  within  six 
months  the  baron  was  to  be  declared  founder  of  the 
convent  with  all  the  prerogatives  pertaining  to  his1  title  as 
such. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  soon  found  Religious  to  form  his 
convent ;  he  had  already  one  subject  in  Brother  Martin 
Russel.  Whilst  in  Brussels  he  met  with  F.  William  Collins, 
who,  born  of  English  parents  in  Ireland,  was  then  sub-prior 

*  This  anniversary  fell  on  June  24th,  and  was  duly  kept  as  long 
as  the  convent  remained. 


106  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

of  the  Irish  college  of  Holy  Cross,  at  Louvain,  but  had  gone 
to  Brussels  intending  to  change  his  province.  F.  Thomas 
soon  engaged  him  in  the  great  work  on  hand.  John  Canning, 
fourth  son  of  Eichard  Canning,  esq.  of  Foxcote  in 
Warwickshire,  and  Gratian  Fowler  his  wife,  was  sent  to 
join  the  Order  hy  his  uncle  F.  William  Fowler,  and  took  the 
habit  for  the  convent  of  Bornhem  at  Brussels  Nov.  llth 
1657  from  the  hands  of  F.  John  Baptist  Verjuyse.  And 
early  in  1658  Lionel  Anderson  was  clothed  among  the 
Dominicans  of  Paris  by  F.  Vincent  Baron  prior  of  the 
convent  there,  took  the  name  of  Albert,  and  was  then  sent  to 
the  noviciate  at  Brussels  for  the  English  province.  He  was 
the  son  of  a  Lincolnshire  gentleman  of  good  estate,  was 
educated  abroad,  and  on  being  converted  to  the  faith 
sacrificed  all  his  worldly  pretensions  and  expectations.  Thus 
there  were  three  English  novices  at  Brussels.  F.  Ambrose 
Druwe  lent  the  aid  of  F.  James  Lovel  and  of  Brother  Peter 
van  den  Berghe,  who  both  belonged  to  the  house  of  Brussels. 
F.  Thomas  Howard  had  also  an  English  attendant  named 
George  Daggitt,  who  served  him  for  about  three  years,  and 
now  entered  the  cloister  with  him. 

At  length  after  many  delays  and  disappointments  all  was 
arranged  for  beginning  the  convent.  F.  John  Baptist 
Verjuyse  April  8th  1658  communicated  the  master-general's 
patents  of  priorship  to  F.  Thomas  Howard,  who  then 
took  office,  and  on  the  17th  with  unspeakable  gladness 
entered  the  convent  of  Holy  Cross  and  colonized  it  for  the 
English  province.  He  had  along  with  him  F,  William 
Collins,  whom  he-  made  sub-prior  and  syndic  or  procurator, 
and  Daggitt ;  and  on  the  20th  he  was  joined  by  F.  James 
Lovel,  Brother  Martin  Bussel,  and  Brother  Peter  van  den 
Berghe.  F.  James  Lovel  was  the  son  of  an  Englishman, 
and  probably  went  back  to  his  own  convent  in  the  course  of  a 
year  or  two  as  nothing  more  is  said  of  him.  Brother 
Peter  a  tailor  could  readily  turn  his  hand  to  any  work  and 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  107 

for  two  or  three  years  was  exceedingly  useful  to  the  rising 
community.     These  six  began  the  convent  of  Bornhem. 


CHAPTER  V. 

When  the  convent  of  Bornhem  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  fathers,  the  buildings  were  mean  and  in  wretched  repair. 
The  church  had  an  open-timber  slated  roof,  the  shattered 
windows  of  the  house  were  stopped  with  straw,  and  some  of 
the  rooms  were  only  roughly  partitioned  off  with  boards.  In 
fact  the  whole  displayed  the  sad  effects  of  so  many  years  of 
incompletion  and  neglect.  Nor  was  the  furniture  of  the 
church  and  cloister  any  better.  The  goods  made  over  to  the 
fathers  where  only  part  of  what  had  been  assigned  to  the 
Gulielmites  in  1653,  and  must  have  had  at  least  six  years* 
wear.  The  land  attached  to  the  house  was  less  than  half  an 
English  acre.  F.  Thomas  Howard  began  first  of  all  to 
improve  and  adorn  the  church  and  to  adapt  it  to  the 
Dominican  rite;  afterwards  he  fitted  up  cells  for  the  Religious, 
and  formed  a  library  so  needful  in  a  studious  Order.  The 
work  was  carried  on  mainly  by  Sebastian  Reynaets,  whom 
F.  Ambrose  Druwe  sent  from  Brussels  for  the  purpose. 
These  improvements  went  on  by  degrees  for  several  years, 
and  F.  Thomas  Howard  had  to  lay  out  great  sums  of  money 
on  them.  As  he  was  bound  by  the  vow  of  poverty,  a  tender 
conscience  made  him  fear  to  apply  his  own  property  on  his 
sole  responsibility  even  in  restoring  his  own  Order.  To 
remove  the  difficulty  the  master- general  June  28th  1659 
gave  him  leave  to  dispose  of  his  patrimony  and  of  gifts  as  he 
thought  best  for  the  good  of  his  province  and  convent,  and 
even  to  use  them  in  other  pious  works  not  against  the 
personal  poverty  his  institute  required  of  him. 

The  convent  being  now  established,  F.  Thomas  Howard 


108  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

began  to  gather  into  it  Religious  of  ability  and  young  men  of 
promise  for  increasing  the  Order.  He  was  empowered  to  call 
to  his  aid  English  Dominicans  scattered  in  various  Provinces, 
and  he  now  sent  for  F.  Thomas  Bidden  from  Bohemia, 
F.  Thomas  Molineux  from  the  province  of  Toulouse,  and 
F.  Vincent  Torre  from  Bretagne.  The  latter  was  the  only 
one  who  could  immediately  obey.  The  other  two  reached 
Bornhem  about  the  summer  of  the  following  year. 

F.  Vincent  Torre  joined  the  Order  at  Dinant  in  the  north 
of  France  in  1651,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old.  He  was 
professed  in  1652,  ordained  priest  in  1654,  soon  became  a 
lector,  and  was  then  made  master  of  novices  at  Morlaix  in 
Bretague.  He  arrived  at  Bornhem  about  Aug.  1658,  with 
letters  of  obedience  from  F.  Peter  Martin  now  commissary 
and  vicar-general  of  the  congregation  of  Bretagne.  He  did 
not  continue  long  at  Bornhem;  for  F.  Thomas  Howard 
intended  to  go  to  Rome  on  business,  but  at  last  had  to  send 
him  in  his  stead.  F.  Vincent  left  Oct.  10th  for  Rome.  He 
had  along  with  him  Brother  Francis  Hayes  an  Englishman, 
who  shortly  before  had  received  the  laybrother's  habit  in  the 
convent.  This  Hayes  was  very  clever  in  several  languages, 
and  was  for  some  years  with  the  English  Franciscans  at 
Douay  as  their  steward  or  procurator;  in  times  of  war  he 
dressed  like  a  hermit  and  cultivated  his  beard  for  more 
conveniently  discharging  his  office  in  disguise.  From  Rome 
F.  Vincent  Torre  went  to  be  master  of  novices  at  Viterbo, 
where  he  was  also  lector  of  philosophy  and  theology.  Hayes 
remained  for  his  noviciate  in  the  convent  of  St.  Sixtus  :  he 
had  not  been  long  there  when  he  changed  his  mind,  put  off 
the  habit  and  returned  into  France,  became  a  domestic 
servant  to  the  Spanish  ambassador  count  Fuensaldagna,  and 
died  in  Paris. 

F.  Thomas  Molineux  a  native  of  Kent  studied  at  a  good 
age  among  the  English  Jesuits  of  St.  Omer's,  and  afterwards  * 
at  the  English  College  in  Rome,  which  he  quitted  for  the 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD.  109 

Order  of  St.  Dominic.  He  was  sent  by  the  master- general 
to  St.  Maximus  in  France,  where  he  received  the  habit, 
passed  his  noviciate,  and  in  1653  made  his  profession  when 
he  was  thirty-four  years  old.  He  went  through  philosophy 
at  St.  Maximus,  and  theology  at  Toulouse  being  ordained 
priest  in  1656,  whence  he  went  to  Bornhem. 

John  Fidden,  son  of  Catholic  parents,  for  three  years 
desired  to  become  a  Friar-Preacher  and  left  England  for 
Borne  in  1654  to  carry  out  his  purpose.  The  master-general 
recommended  him  to  the  provincial  of  Bohemia  and  to  the 
prior  and  fathers  of  the  convent  of  Leutmeritz/  There  he 
was  clothed  March  7th  1655,  was  professed  for  that  convent 
on  the  same  day  in  the  following  year,  pursued  all  his 
studies,  and  was  fully  ordained.  Being  called  to  Bornhem 
he  was  assigned  to  it  April  26th  1659  by  the  master-general, 
and  with  the  commendatory  letter  of  F.  Godefrid  Marquis 
provincial  of  Bohemia  and  Moravia  dated  June  6th,  soon 
joined  his  English  brethren. 

There  were  other  English  Dominicans  abroad  who  did  not 
go  to  Bornhem  :  one  of  them  at  Ghent  led  a  very  holy  life. 
F.  Gregory  Lovel  left  his  native  land  for  the  sake  of  keeping 
his  faith  pure.  He  dedicated  himself  to  God  by  the  vows  in 
1637  at  Ghent,  and  through  all  his  life  kept  up  the  spirit  of 
regular  observance  imbibed  in  his  noviciate.  He  never  broke 
the  rule  and  constitutions  and  particularly  loved  solitude  and 
prayer.  By  words  he  could  not  preach  to  the  people  as  he 
never  mastered  the  Flemish  language,  yet  he  never  ceased 
doing  so  by  his  behaviour.  Not  to  break  the  silence  enjoined 
by  the  rule  he  replied  by  signs  and  nods  if  there  was  a  rea- 
sonable cause  and  always  with  a  pleasant  countenance ;  and 
when  speaking  was  allowed  he  talked  with  his  spiritual 
director  F.  Peter  Dierkens  a  great  ascetic  but  only  of  God 
and  on  divine  things,  and  to  stir  up  each  other  to  regular 
observance.  He  was  the  first  and  last  at  the  divine  office 
both  day  and  night  except  when  sickness  kept  him  away  :  all 


110  LIFE  OF  CAKDINAL  HOWARD. 

the  rest  of  his  time  he  spent  in  prayer,  so  that  he  had  to  be 
sought  only  in  the  church  and  in  his  cell.  Out  of  tender 
devotion  to  the  Mother  of  God  he  said  her  rosary  every  day 
and  with  holy  care  decked  her  image  and  altar  in  the  chapter- 
room.  He  held  so  fast  to  poverty  that  he  only  used  the  worn- 
out  habits  others  had  cast  aside.  A  crucifix,  the  works  of 
Thomas  a  Kempis,  the  spiritual  exercises,  and  a  little  table  and 
bed  were  all  the  furniture  of  his  cell.  His  humility  was  so  deep 
that  he  concealed  his  good  birth  and  wished  to  be  wholly 
unknown.  As  he  generously  despised  human  things  so  he 
eagerly  followed  after  heavenly ;  whilst  he  meditated  on  them 
tears  of  joy  coursed  down  his  cheeks,  and  sighs  showed  the 
fervour  of  his  soul.  In  counselling  especially  the  younger 
Religious  to  keep  discipline  he  usually  said  sweetly  to  them, 
"  If  you  only  knew  dearest  brethren  how  delicate  is  divine 
grace,  you  would  carefully  guard  against  the  least  transgres- 
sion of  the  rule  even  by  a  single  breach  of  silence."  He  was 
given  up  altogether  to  mortification  and  afflicted  himself  with 
fasts,  hair-shirts,  disciplines  and  other  austerities,  so  as  to 
live  for  God  and  not  for  himself.  An  Israelite  indeed  in 
whom  there  was  no  guile,  he  was  always  at  the  beck  of  his 
superiors  and  spiritual  director.  After  an  almost  angelic  life 
he  died  November  30th  1673  in  the  58th  year  of  his  age  and 
the  37th  of  his  religious  profession.  Such  is  the  account  of 
F.  Gregory  Lovel  given  by  F.  Bernard  de  Jonghe  in  his 
Belgium  Dominicanum.* 

*  George  Goring,  eldest  son  of  George  earl  of  Norwich  by  a 
daughter  of  Edward  Nevill  lord  Abergavenny,  was  a  very  distin- 
guished commander  in  the  civil  war  and  appeared  early  in  the  cause 
of  Charles  I.  He  was  the  bravest  officer  and  the  most  witty  and 
sociable  man  of  his  age  :  Echard  styles  him  also  deceitful  and  profli- 
gate, and  Clarendon  too  speaks  very  indifferently  of  him.  He 
married  Lettice  daughter  of  Richard  Boyle  earl  of  Cork,  but  had  no 
issue.  After  the  fall  of  the  king's  cause  he  went  into  Flanders 


LIFE    OF   CAEDINAL   HOWARD.  Ill 

In  1660  F.  John  Quick  an  English  Dominican  of 
Maastricht  was  some  time  at  Bornhem,  whence  he  departed 
to  Brussels  and  then  to  Maastricht  again.  At  different  times 
he  was  sub-prior,  prior,  and  for  thirty-two  years  novice-master 
in  his  native  convent,  and  died  reputed  a  saint  February  24th 
1709  in  the  89th  year  of  his  age,  the  71st  of  his  religious 
profession,  and  the  63rd  of  his  priesthood. 

The  noviciate  at  Bornhem  was  begun  a  few  months  after 
the  house  was  opened,  and  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  also 
novice-master.  By  him  Brother  John  Canning  was  professed 
November  llth  1658;  as  he  was  the  first  that  entered  for 
the  convent  of  Bornhem  he  became  its  eldest  son.  Brother 
Albert  Anderson  went  through  upwards  a  year's  probation  at 
Brussels,  and  June  5th  following  his  vows  were  received  at 
Bornhem  in  the  prior's  absence  by  the  sub-prior  with  the 
leave  of  the  vicar-general  of  the  house.  Brother  Lawrence 
Thwaits  was  step-son  of  Mr.  William  Thompson  an  English 
merchant  of  Brussels  and  a  great  friend  to  the  convent :  he 
was  clothed  at  Bornhem  August  10th  1658  by  F.  Thomas 
Howard,  was  sent  to  the  noviciate  at  Brussels,  and  returning 
was  professed  August  25th  in  the  following  year  by  the  vicar- 
general.  George  Daggitt  was  clothed  as  a  laybrother  July 
22nd  by  F.  Thomas  Howard ;  his  probation  was  shortend  by 
dispensation  for  a  year,  and  he  made  his  profession  September 
21st  1660  at  the  hands  of  the  sub-prior.  John  Jenkin  born 
in  Kent  was  sent  on  mercantile  business  into  Holland  and  at 

and  served  in  the  Spanish  army.  Thence  he  was  called  into  Spain. 
There  by  order  of  the  king  of  Spain,  with  great  fidelity  and  resolu- 
tion he  arrested  his  own  general  Don  Juan  de  Sylva,  who  was 
executed  for  a  treasonable  correspondence  with  France.  At  last 
surfeited  with  the  pleasures  of  the  world  which  he  had  drained  to 
the  dregs,  he  cast  aside  his  rank  and  splendid  prospects,  became  a 
Dominican  friar,  and  after  expiating  the  follies  of  his  youth  closed 
his  life  about  1C60  while  his  father  was  still  alive. 


112  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

Antwerp  was  converted  to  the  faith.  For  improving  his 
humanities  he  spent  some  time  at  Vilvorde  and  became  inti- 
mate with  John  Canning,  whose  example  led  him  to  join  the 
rank  of  the  English  Friar-Preachers.  As  all  his  property  was 
in  the  hands  of  his  friends,  he  came  with  F.  Thomas  Howard 
into  England  about  May  1659  and  sold  all  he  possessed.  He 
was  clothed  at  Bornhem  October  6th  by  F.  Thomas,  passed 
his  noviciate  under  him,  and  was  professed  by  the  sub-prior, 
on  the  anniversary  of  his  receiving  the  habit. 

These  then  were  the  Keligious  that  entered  the  Order  at 
Bornhem  during  the  first  priorship  of  F.  Thomas  Howard. 
Though  there  was  a  noviciate  at  Bornhem,  the  number  of 
Religious  was  so  greatly  limited  by  the  royal  grant,  that  in 
after-times  many  were  sent  to  other  houses  to  be  tried  and  to 
be  taught  regular  discipline. 

Founding  the  convent  was  not  without  severe  trials,  and 
one  of  the  most  vexatious  of  them  was  the  variance  with  the 
baroness  of  Bornhem.  According  to  the  terms  of  the  grant 
F.  Thomas  Howard  obtained  letters-patent  dated  May  llth 
1658  from  the  master-general,  acknowledging  the  baron  to 
be  founder  and  bestowing  on  him  the  graces  of  the  distinc- 
tion. The  patents  were  handed  to  him  by  F.  John  Baptist 
Verjuyse ;  and  thereupon  the  baroness  claimed  to  enter  the 
cloister  when  and  with  whom  she  pleased,  as  such  she 
asserted  was  the  privilege  of  founders.  F.  John  Baptist 
replied  that  it  was  indeed  a  privilege  in  some  institutes,  but 
it  was  altogether  forbidden  in  the  Order  of  Friar-Preachers, 
were  the  foundation  8,000  florins  or  even  enough  to  support 
the  whole  community.  But  he  added  the  supreme  pontiff 
could  make  a  special  concession  in  the  present  case.  To  this 
the  baroness  would  not  listen :  in  thus  wishing  to  gratify  her 
pride  by  showing  the  convent  to  her  friends,  she  was  standing 
to  a  right  and  not  begging  a  favour.  She  proposed  her  claim 
to  several  Religious,  and  among  others  spoke  to  F.  Coomans 
of  the  Order  of  Minims  at  Brussels.  He  told  her  that  in  his 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL  HOWARD.  113 

own  institute  such  a  privilege  was  allowed  to  founders  and 
foundresses,  but  he  did  not  think  it  was  the  same  among  the 
Friar-Preachers ;  at  all  events  it  was  not  a  general  privilege 
but  was  peculiar  to  those  Orders  where  it  had  not  been 
recalled  by  the  apostolic  see.  Other  Religious  who  were  con- 
sulted on  the  point  replied  in  the  same  manner.  Neverthe- 
less the  baroness  continued  to  be  obstinately  bent  on  her 
*whim,  and  it  became  a  great  annoyance  to  F.  Thomas 
Howard  and  to  his  successors  at  Bornhem  for  twenty  years. 

The  royal  license  put  the  public  services  of  the  convent 
in  the  power  of  the  pastor  of  Bornhem.  Andrew  Denys 
then  pastor  was  very  friendly  with  the  English  fathers,  and 
even  wished  to  give  them  a  window  for  their  refectory,  but  he 
feared  that  a  popular  religious  Order  would  injure  his  church. 
So  he  pressed  F.  Thomas  Howard  to  give  him  a  written 
promise  for  the  conditions  of  the  royal  grant  to  be  kept  to  the 
very  letter.  F.  Thomas  refused  to  do  so,  as  he  hoped  in  time 
to  have  the  conditions  favourably  altered.  The  pastor  then 
referred  the  matter  to  the  vicars-general  of  the  diocese,  by 
whose  order  the  rural  dean  De  Haens  wrote  a  letter  December 
23rd  1658  to  F.  Thomas  requiring  him  to  do  what  was  really 
giving  up  almost  all  the  privileges  of  his  Order.  F.  Thomas 
sent  so  forcible  yet  mild  a  reply  on  the  25th,  in  which  he 
only  begged  time  to  consult  the  master*-general  that  nothing 
more  was  done.  The  wishes  of  the  pastor  were  treated  very 
considerately,  and  for  many  years  whilst  he  lived  the  convent- 
bell  was  not  sounded  except  for  the  11  o'clock  Mass,  and  even 
the  Angelus  was  never  rung.  Baldwin  de  Backer  his  suc- 
cessor by  degrees  allowed  many  privileges. 

After  the  battle  of  Worcester  in  1650  Charles  II.  went  to 
live  at  Paris.  When  the  treaty  was  on  foot  between 
Cromwell  and  Louis  XIV.  of  France,  in  March  1656,  he 
withdrew  to  Cologne  for  almost  two  years,  and  then  to 
Brussels.  F.  Thomas  Howard  often  visited  him,  and  was 
always  very  cordially  welcomed  on  account  both  of  his  high 


114  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

family  and  of  his  own  merits.  The  prince  had  the  greatest 
confidence  in  him  and  most  likely  received  from  him  no 
small  share  of  that  favourable  impression  of  the  Catholic 
faith  which  ended  in  his  being  reconciled  to  the  Church  on 
his  death-bed. 

After  Oliver  Cromwell  died  in  September  1658,  there  were 
great  hopes  that  Charles  might  gain  the  throne,  especially  as 
a  large  party  in  England  headed  by  Sir  George  Booth  were 
weary  of  the  Commonwealth  and  desired  monarchy.  Charles 
found  no  one  to  send  into  England  better  fitted  than 
F.  Thomas  Howard  to  aid  the  royal  cause.  About  May 
1659  F.  Thomas  set  out  for  England  on  this  secret  service. 
For  making  the  business  surer  the  prince  joined  with  him 
one  F.  Kichard  Eookwood  a  convert  who  had  been  a  priest 
in  the  Society  of  Jesus  but  was  now  a  Carthusian.  This 
Rookwood  was  singularly  learned  and  eloquent,  but  was 
considered  even  by  his  own  brethren  to  be  excessively 
proud,  rash,  and  double-minded;  insomuch  that  the  Car- 
thusian prior  of  Nieuport  warned  Charles  not  to  trust  him  in 
any  of  his  affairs.  But  Charles  would  not  even  suspect 
treachery,  and  charmed  with  the  bland  address  of  the  man 
let  him  into  his  confidence,  and  united  him  with  the  prior  of 
Bornhem  in  the  commission  to  the  royalists  of  England. 
But  F.  Thomas  Howard  well  knew  the  real  disposition  of 
Rookwood,  and  on  that  or  some  other  account  would  not  go 
along  with  him.  Rookwood  went  to  Nieuport  to  take  the 
packet-boat  for  England,  while  F.  Thomas  Howard  with 
Mr.  John  Jenkin  went  round  secretly  by  Zeeland,  where  he 
had  to  wait  about  a  month  owing  to  contrary  winds.  Mean- 
while Rookwood  reached  England,  bent  on  making  himself 
great  by  the  basest  treachery.  He  went  direct  to  Richard 
Cromwell  who  had  succeeded  his  father  as  protector,  and 
disclosed  to  him,  that  F.  Thomas  Howard  bearing  a  most 
extensive  commission  from  prince  Charles  to  the  royalists 
was  expected  every  day  in  England.  He  believed  he  would 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  115 

take  the  same  route  as  he  himself  had  done,  as  he  had 
received  a  letter  at  Nieuport  from  the  sub-prior  F.  William 
Collins  saying  that  the  F.  Thomas  Howard  would  he  there 
in  a  few  days ;  and  he  advised  that  scouts  should  he 
set  to  watch  and  arrest  him  on  landing.  But  F.  Thomas 
Howard  came  into  England  hy  another  and  unexpected  way, 
yet  his  arrival  was  not  so  secret  hut  that  it  was  bruited  about 
London,  and  a  warrant  was  issued  for  apprehending  him. 
Fortunately  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  warned  of  the  danger 
by  friends  :  he  found  he  could  not  possibly  carry  out  his 
instructions  and  must  look  to  his  personal  safety  without  loss 
of  time.  It  so  happened  that  the  Polish  ambassador  was  then 
leaving  the  country.  F.  Thomas  Howard  went  immediately 
to  him  and  frankly  told  him  who  he  was,  whose  commission 
he  bore,  and  his  present  peril.  The  ambassador  kindly  took 
him  under  his  protection,  and  F.  Thomas  putting  off  his 
English  dress  for  a  Polish,  undetected  by  the  scouts  went  on 
board  among  the  Poles,  and  with  a  favourable  breeze  reached 
Belgium ;  full  of  thanks  to  God,  says  the  annalist,  who  thus 
rescued  him  from  the  jaws  of  death. 

The  annals  of  Bornhem  here  explain  an  important  point  in 
English  history,  which  writers  on  the  subject  have  hitherto 
failed  clearly  to  explain  :  it  is  now  shown  how  the  royalists' 
insurrection  in  Cheshire  was  so  suddenly  discovered  by  the 
government  and  so  rapidly  put  down.  Though  F.  Thomas 
Howard  escaped  the  snares  of  the  traitor,  such  was  not  the 
good  fortune  of  those  who  were  organizing  the  revolution  in 
favour  of  Charles.  Through  Eookwood's  information  the 
rising  of  Sir  George  Booth  was  quashed.  General  Lambert 
with  about  20,000  soldiers  was  sent  with  all  speed  to 
Chester,  the  infantry  being  hurried  forward  on  horseback ; 
Sir  George's  forces  being  surprised  were  taken  or  scattered, 
and  he  was  imprisoned  in  the  tower  of  London.  Charles 
was  reported  to  be  in  England,  but  he  had  only  come  as  far 
as  Rochelle ;  he  had  to  return  to  Brussels  and  wait  for 


116  LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

another  chance  of  attempting  the  kingdom.  Rookwood 
received  a  very  large  reward  which  he  did  not  long  enjoy,  for 
he  soon  had  what  he  most  richly  deserved.  Charles  after 
being  recalled  in  the  following  May  into  England  commanded 
him  to  be  arrested,  and  as  he  did  not  like  to  punish  him 
directed  that  he  should  be  sent  for  correction  to  his  convent. 
But  Rookwood  slipped  off  into  Holland,  whence  he  passed 
into  Germany,  and  at  Heidelburg  for  some  time  he  acted 
the  part  of  a  Protestant  minister  and  taught  Calvinism. 
Then  forsaking  Minerva,  quaintly  says  the  annalist,  he  took 
to  Venus  and  Mars,  and  married  the  widow  of  a  German 
colonel,  who  procured  him  from  the  palatine  her  late 
husband's  embassy.  He  rose  into  such  favour  and  influence 
that  the  elector  sent  him  as  his  ambassador  into  England. 
Charles  was  as  angry  as  he  could  be,  would  not  hear  even  his 
name,  and  peremptorily  ordered  him  to  get  out  of  the  country. 
At  length  in  1673  while  defending  a  place  of  the  palatine, 
Rookwood  was  slain  by  the  French,  and  ended  at  once  his 
life  and  his  crimes. 

Soon     after    he    was    safely    back    at    Bornhem,*    and 

*  At  this  time  F.  Thomas  Howard  placed  in  the  library  of  Born- 
hem  convent  the  precious  book  of  devotions,  splendidly  illuminated 
and  written  about  1475,  which  has  been  noticed  in  the  Gentleman's 
Magazine  of  1789  and  1790,  and  made  the  subject  of  a  very  able 
article  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Hunter,  F.  S.  A.,  in  the  45th  No.  of  the 
Archaeological  Journal.  A  memorandum  in  the  book  runs  thus : 
"  Conventus  Anglo-Bornhemiensis,  dono-datus  ab  Emmo  Dno 
Cardinal!  de  Norfolcia  fundatore  ejusdem  Conventus,  1659.- V.  T.'' 
This  note  is  in  the  hand-writing  of  F.  Vincent  Torre,  and  must 
have  been  put  in  either  in  or  after  1675,  most  probably  between 
1679  and  1683.  The  work  could  hardly  have  belonged  to 
F.  Thomas  Howard  earlier  than  1659,  or  he  would  have  placed  it 
in  the  library  when  first  formed  the  year  before ;  at  which  time  too 
we  find  his  brother  Charles  Howard  making  a  donation  of  books. 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  117 

F.  Thomas  Molineux  and  F.  Thomas  Fidden  had  joined  the 
community,  F.  Thomas  Howard  began  a  college  at  the 
convent  for  educating  English  Catholic  youth  in  all  branches 
of  scholastic  and  polite  learning,  from  which  they  were 
rigorously  shut  by  the  penal  laws  in  their  native  land.  A 
college  was  a  ready  means  too  for  recruiting  the  province  with 
subjects.  In  this  and  the  next  year  six  students  went  to 
Bornhem,  among  whom  was  Esme  Howard,  F.  Thomas's 
youngest  brother  :  and  they  had  suitable  masters  placed  over 
them.  So  important  did  F.  Thomas  Howard  think  this 
college  to  be,  that  as  the  convent  was  much  too  small  he 
tried  to  buy  a  neighbouring  house  called  the  Delft  to  be 
turned  into  a  school,  and  offered  20,000  florins  for  it,  more 
than  double  the  real  value.  But  the  owner  Honorius  Coene 
asked  2,000  florins  more,  and  F.  Thomas  Howard  refused  so 
extravagant  a  sum. 

About  this  time  Francis  seventh  son  of  Henry  Frederic 
earl  of  Arundel  joined  the  Order.  He  was  born  in  1639, 
and  when  he  was  fourteen  years  old  went  July  8th  1654 
with  his  brothers  Edward  and  Bernard  to  the  English 
college  at  Douay.  There  he  had  a  very  severe  illness  in 
1656,  and  when  the  physicians  despaired  of  his  recovery  and 
he  seemed  to  be  at  the  gate  of  death  he  was  wonderfully 
recalled  to  life  by  the  relics  of  John  Southworth  a  secular 
priest  martyred  in  England  two  years  before.  In  1658  he 
went  with  Francis  Hayes  from  Douay  to  Bornhem  and 
stayed  some  time  with  his  brother  F.  Thomas  Howard,  who 
gave  him  the  habit  March  21st  1660  and  with  it  the  addi- 
tional name  of  Dominic.  He  made  his  solemn  profession 
March  22nd  1661  to  the  vicar-general  of  the  house,  studied 

The  work  was  probably  given  to  him  by  his  mother  or  some  of  the 
family ;  and  a  new  interest  is  added  to  its  history  if  he  carried  it 
with  him  when  he  fled  out  of  England. 


118  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

philosophy  at  Douay,  and  after  lie  had  been  ordained  deacon 
returned  to  Bornhem  to  prepare  for  the  priesthood.  He  was 
scrupulously  pious  and  had  quite  a  morbid  dread  of  the 
priestly  office.  This  unfortunate  state  of  mind  together  with 
maladies  which  seized  him  in  Lent  1662  and  again  in  1668 
stopped  his  ordination.  He  spent  his  time  in  Paris,  Lou- 
vain,  Brussels,  Bornhem  and  other  places,  and  died  at 
Geele  February  27th  1683  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

In  1660  F.  Thomas  Howard  again  thought  of  consulting 
on  the  affairs  of  the  province  with  the  master-general,  and 
had  letters  of  obedience  from  him  dated  March  20th  for 
going  to  Eome.  But  many  important  affairs  turned  up  and 
the  chief  of  them  was  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.,  so  that 
he  contented  himself  with  sending  F.  Martin  Russel  in  his 
stead.  This  Religious  entered  the  priesthood  in  the  Ember- 
days  of  September  1658,  and  very  early  in  the  next  year 
was  sent  from  Bornhem  to  Brussels  for  his  philosophy. 
His  present  journey  into  Italy  served  a  two-fold  purpose, 
for  after  he  had  acquitted  himself  of  his  commission  he 
passed  through  his  theological  courses  at  St.  Eustorgius  in 
Milan,  and  then  being  made  lector  taught  philosophy  in  the 
convent  of  Rimini.  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  exceedingly 
anxious  to  have  the  convent  of  Bornhem  thoroughly  well 
organized  and  the  studies  carried  on  as  the  Order  required. 
He  found  it  best  to  have  a  proper  no  vice- master  and  begged 
the  master-general  to  send  back  F.  Vincent  Torre  from 
Italy.  F.  Vincent  returned  about  the  end  of  August  while 
F.  Thomas  Howard  was  away ;  the  vicar-general  of  the 
house  immediately  put  him  into  the  office,  and  also  Septem- 
ber 24th  made  him  and  the  sub-prior  F.  William  Collins 
the  lectors  of  philosophy ;  and  they  directly  began  the  first 
course  of  regular  instructions. 

Meanwhile  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  again  in  England  on 
a  more  pleasing  mission  than  the  last.  Charles  II.  gained 
his  throne,  and  made  his  public  entry  into  London  May 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  119 

29th  (o.  s.)  1660.  Whilst  at  Brussels  the  prince  had  often 
declared  that  if  he  ever  came  in  for  his  kingdom  he  would 
marry  a  Catholic  princess.  On  this  account  F.  Thomas 
Howard  followed  his  royal  master  into  England,  in  hopes 
of  forwarding  a  match  so  promising  for  English  Catholics, 
and  for  nearly  two  years  he  actively  promoted  the  marriage 
treaties  with  Spain  and  Portugal.  Spain  offered  a  princess 
of  Parma  with  a  royal  dowry :  the  alliance  pleased  the  king 
and  the  articles  were  settled  on  both  sides,  when  the  French 
mindful  of  some  injuries  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards  upset 
all  through  chancellor  Hyde  and  proposed  Catherine  of 
Braganza  infanta  of  Portugal,  whom  Charles  accepted  with 
a  large  dowry  including  the  city  of  Tangier  in  Africa. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Eegular  observance  would  not  have  been  fully  restored  in 
the  English  province  without  Religious  of  the  Second  Order. 
A  convent  of  sisters  entered  into  the  broad  schemes  of  F. 
Thomas  Howard.  In  England  he  found  some  ladies  of 
gentle  birth  who  desired  to  dedicate  themselves  to  God 
under  the  rule  of  St.  Dominic,  and  others  in  Belgium  had 
also  the  same  holy  aspirations.  Among  them  was  his  cousin 
Antonia  Howard ;  and  her  elder  sister  Elizabeth  too  seemed 
much  inclined  for  a  life  of  perfection.  Being  sure  of  sub- 
jects F.  Thomas  Howard  March  6th  1660  asked  the  master- 
general  for  leave  to  erect  a  convent  in  Belgium,  and  April 
3rd  it  was  readily  granted. 

Though  F.  John  Baptist  Verjuyse  advised  it  to  be  delayed 
till  the  convent  of  Bornhem  was  more  firmly  settled,  F. 
Thomas  Howard  immediately  set  about  founding  the  house. 
He  received  due  authorization  for  it  from  the  sovereign 
pontiff  Alexander  VII.  and  enlisted  the  kind  services  of  the 


120  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

Dominican  nuns  of  Tempsche  not  very  far  from  Bornhem 
but  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Scheldt.     To  that  convent 
he  sent  Antonia  Howard  about  June  1660,  "  she  being  the 
first  English,"  say  the  English  nuns'  chronicles,  "  that  had 
to  our  knowledge  taken  the  habit   of  our  Holy  Father  St. 
Dominic  since  the  unhappy  fall  of  religion   in   England;" 
and  after  a  twelvemonth  June  llth  1661  he  clothed  her  in 
the  habit  there.     He  then  hired  and  afterwards  bought  for 
5,000  florins  a  house  near  the  vicarage  of  the  Friar-Preachers 
at  Vilvorde,   a  small  town   of  S3uth  Brabant  on  the  river 
Senne  two  leagues  north  of  Brussels  and  between  that  city 
and  Mechlin.     This  house  he  formed  into  a  convent,  and 
with    the   license   of  the  bishop   of  Ghent  to  whom    they 
were  subject,  three  nuns  of  Tempsche  gave  their  services, 
Sr.  Louisa  de  Hertoghe  or  Paddeschoot  and  Sr.  Clare  van 
Elst  being  choir-religious  and  the  other  a  lay-sister.     The 
three  with  Antonia  Howard  (now  Sr.  Catherine)  removed  to 
Vilvorde,  and  there  joined  by  another  novice  Elizabeth  Boyle 
began  strict  observance.     To  the  eldest  of  the  Dutch  Reli- 
gious Sr.  Louisa  de  Hertoghe  F.  Thomas  Howard  gave  the 
office  of  prioress. 

Sister  Catherine  Howard  was  the  youngest  daughter  of 
colonel  Thomas  Howard  of  Tursdale  in  the  county  of  Durham 
(of  the  family  of  the  Howards  of  Carlisle)  and  Margaret  Evers 
his  wife.  She  received  the  habit  at  her  own  most  earnest 
entreaties  though  she  had  a  very  delicate  constitution  and 
was  only  sixteen  years  old.  A  little  more  than  three 
months  of  her  noviciate  passed  when  it  pleased  God  to  send 
her  a  tedious  and  fatal  sickness  borne  with  singular  patience 
and  perfect  resignation  to  the  divine  will.  Six  days  (October 
2nd)  before  her  death  when  no  hope  of  recovery  was  left  she 
took  the  solemn  vows  of  religion  that  she  might  enter  heaven 
with  the  higher  prerogatives  of  the  consecrated  brides  of 
Christ. 

"Her  death,  to  the  best  of  my  memory,"  says  an  eye- 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  121 

witness,*  "  passed  in  this  manner.     The  day  before,  she  said 
several  times  that  she  should  depart  out  of  the  world  that 
night,  and  demanded  often  if  the  confessor  were  returned, 
who  was  that  day  gone  to  Brussels :  we  not  perceiving  her 
to  he  worse  than  she  had  been  ten  days  before,  [or]  when 
she  made  her  profession  and  received  the  rites  of  the  Church. 
She  appeared  to  be  glad  when  she  heard  the  confessor  was 
come  home,  saying  she  had  much  to  do  that  night,  every 
hour  of  which  she  observed  the  clock,  and  a  little  before 
twelve  desired  that  the  confessor  might  be  called  to  hear 
her  confession  and  to  bring  her  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, 
for  it  would  be  soon  time  for  her  to  communicate.     This 
was  performed,  and  she  confessed  and  communicated  with 
great   devotion,    and   an    entire   confidence   in   the   infinite 
mercies  of  our  dear  Redeemer.     She  then  desired  the  holy 
candle,  and  a  little  while  after  fell  into  a  trance,  in  which 
for  about  a  quarter  of  an   hour  she  appeared  quite   dead. 
Then  smiling  she  opened  her  eyes,  with  great  signs  of  joy, 
and  presently  after  fell  into  another  trance  which  lasted  not 
so  long  as  the  former,  but  the  signs  of  joy  and  satisfaction 
which  she  then  expressed  far  exceeded  what  she  had  shown 
before.     This  moved  the  father  to  ask  her  the  cause  of  her 
joy,  to  which  she  made  no  reply,  but  looked  on  him  and  us 
that  were  by  her  very  cheerfully  and  made  some  signs  with 
her    hands   which   we    could   not   understand.      Then    her 
confessor  much  surprised  to  see  this  strange  satisfaction  so 
very  unusual   at   such  a  time  said  thus  to  her,   '  Child,  I 
command  you  in  virtue  of  holy   obedience   to  declare   the 
cause  of  your  joy  at  this  dreadful  time  when  you  are  going 
to  give  a  strict  account  of  every  thought,   word,  and  deed, 
which  God  exacts  with  such  severity  that  the  greatest  saints 
have  trembled  to  think  of  it.'     She  without  any  change  of 

*  We  have  not  doubt  that  the  unnamed  writer  of  this  narrative 
was  Sister  Barbara  (Elizabeth)  Boyle. 


122  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

countenance  answered,  '  I  see  it.'  '  Child,'  said  the  father, 
*  what  do  you  see  ?  Tell  what  you  see.'  She  said,  '  I  see 
our  Blessed  Lady,  with  a  crown  in  one  hand  and  a  rosary 
in  the  other :  a  fine  crown  !'  '  Child,'  said  the  father, 
'  have  a  care  what  you  say  :  Do  you  see  our  Blessed  Lady  ?' 
She  very  cheerfully  replied,  '  Yes,  I  do  see  our  Blessed  Lady 
with  a  fine  crown  and  rosary.  0  fine  crown !  0  fine  rosary  ! 
I  desire  to  see  no  more  of  this  world.'  Then  the  confessor 
who  was  the  Very  Kev.  Father  William  Collins  a  very 
learned  and  exemplary  religious  man  said  to  her,  '  Child, 
would  you  have  the  absolution  of  the  Kosary  ?'  She 
answered,  '  I  made  signs  for  it  many  times  when  I  could 
not  speak :  pray  give  it  me.'  Then  devoutly  preparing 
herself  to  receive  it,  he  gave  it  to  her,  and  presently  after 
with  a  pleasant  smiling  countenance  she  left  this  wretched 
life  (as  we  have  great  reason  to  hope)  to  pass  into  eternal 
felicity.  I  though  most  unworthy  of  it  then  felt  a  joy  and 
satisfaction  so  great  that  I  did  not  then  resent  any  sorrow 
for  her  death,  though  I  loved  her  with  such  tenderness  that 
I  could  never  before  think  of  her  death  without  being 
extremely  afflicted.  All  that  were  present  felt  an  extraordi- 
nary joy.  Her  face  retained  the  same  beauty  she  had  when 
alive." 

Thus  died  this  holy  girl  October  8th  1661  "cum  opinione 
sanctitatis,"  as  F.  Bernard  de  Jonghe  says.  As  the  nuns 
at  Vilvorde  were  in  a  hired  house  and  could  not  inter  there, 
the  body  was  removed  in  a  wooden  coffin  to  Bornhem  by 
order  of  F.  William  Collins  and  buried  in  the  cloister.  As 
to  Elizabeth  sister  of  Antonia  Howard,  she  never  joined  the 
community  but  after  spending  a  few  years  at  Brussels  in  the 
convent  of  Berlamont  returned  into  England  and  was  soon 
married. 

Elizabeth  Boyle,  of  the  family  of  the  earls  of  Cork  and 
Burlington,  was  daughter  of  Thomas  Boyle  esq.  and  Alice 
Modant  his  wife  relict  of  Mr.  Piney.  She  was  born  in 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  123 

Ireland  in  1624,  came  into  England  whilst  young,  and  then 
settled  in  Belgium.  She  was  educated  a  Protestant  but  by 
God's  grace  became  a  Catholic.  She  met  with  F.  Thomas 
Howard  and  resolved  to  join  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic ; 
so  she  went  to  the  house  at  Vilvorde  when  she  was  thirty- 
six  years  old  and  took  the  habit  with  the  name  of  Barbara. 
Very  great  and  wearisome  difficulties  were  met  with  in 
overcoming  the  unwillingness  of  the  archbishop  of  Mechin 
and  the  opposition  of  the  temporal  authorities  for  an  English 
community  to  be  established  at  Vilvorde.  Full  three  years 
passed  before  F.  Thomas  Howard  gained  their  consent, 
though  he  was  Very  pressing  in  the  matter ;  and  whilst 
they  held  back  the  monastery  made  no  real  progress,  for  the 
vows  of  religion  could  not  be  legally  administered. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  first  priorship  of  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  drawing  to 
a  close  when  the  master-general  by  patents  of  November 
20th  1660  placed  him  in  the  office  again  for  another  three 
years,  and  the  fathers  of  Bornhem  immediately  accepted  the 
appointment.  He  was  in  England  when  the  patents  reached 
him.  He  continued  F.  William  Collins  sub-prior,  who  April 
17th  1661  professed  Brother  Sebastian  Raynaets.  Raynaets 
was  the  Belgian  sent  in  1658  by  F.  Ambrose  Druwe  to  over- 
look the  repairs  and  improvements  of  the  convent ;  and  after- 
wards he  became  a  lay-brother  in  the  house.  He  was  clothed 
at  Brussels  May  15th  1659  by  F.  John  Baptist  Verjuyse,  and 
was  sent  to  Bornhem  where  he  passed  his  noviciate. 

About  the  beginning  of  May  1661  F.  Thomas  Howard 
returned  from  England  to  Bornhem.  He  found  F.  Thomas 
Fidden  in  weak  health,  so  he  sent  him  into  his  native  country 


124  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

and  stationed  him  in  London.  F.  Thomas  Fidden  left  June 
28th,  and  was  the  first  in  the  long  list  of  missionaries  apos- 
tolic supplied  hy  the  convent  of  Bornhern  to  England.  Soon 
after,  F.  Thomas  Catchmay  gave  up  his  office  as  vicar-general 
of  the  English  province,  in  favour  of  F.  Thomas  Howard, 
whom  the  master-general  appointed  to  it  during  pleasure  with 
full  jurisdiction  hoth  in  England  and  Belgium  and  power  to 
remain  prior  of  Bornhem  till  his  term  in  that  office  expired 
in  the  usual  course  :  and  now  F.  John  Baptist  Yerjuyse 
ceased  to  be  vicar-general  of  the  convent.  The  patents  dated 
July  24th  came  to  hand  just  before  he  again  left  Belgium  for 
England  towards  the  end  of  September.  Important  affairs  at 
the  English  court  were  constantly  calling  him  away,  and 
whilst  he  was  absent  the  government  of  the  convent  fell  to 
the  sub-prior:  F.  Thomas  Howard  got  power  from  the 
master-general  July  21st  to  delegate  and  sub-delegate  as  he 
thought  proper  all  his  powers  both  ordinary  and  delegated. 
He  had  already  gone  from  the  convent  when  Brother  George 
Daggitt  was  carried  off  September  3rd  by  the  pleuritic  fever, 
of  which  for  some  time  he  had  lain  ill.  This  lay-brother 
was  of  a  very  obliging  disposition  and  exceedingly  laborious 
even  beyond  his  strength.  He  was  the  first  that  died  at 
Bornhem,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  cloister  near  the  church- 
door.  At  his  funeral  F.  William  Collins  blessed  the  cloister 
and  declared  the  convent  to  be  canonically  enclosed ;  but  it 
was  afterwards  doubted  whether  this  act  was  really  valid. 
Sister  Catherine  Howard  early  in  the  next  month  was  buried 
in  a  grave  at  his  feet,  "  ad  introitum  portse,  quse  ducit  ad 
sacristiam."* 
Belgium  was  now  gladdened  with  the  peace  declared 

*  When  the  foundations  of  the  church  were  being  repaired  about 
1823,  the  graves  of  some  Religious  were  unavoidably  opened.  Two 
skeletons  were  found  in  the  place  thus  marked  out,  but  they  were 
not  identified. 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  125 

between  France  and  Spain,  and  the  people  were  restoring 
their  ruined  houses  and  building  new.  During  his  stay  in 
the  convent  F.  Thomas  Howard  shared  in  the  general  joy; 
and  as  he  thought  that  the  happiest  fortunes  were  in  store 
for  the  Church  in  England,  he  again  turned  his  attention  on 
improving  the  accommodations  of  the  secular  college.  The 
Delft  would  have  formed  an  excellent  school-house  both  as 
to  size  and  situation,  for  the  building  afterwards  put  up  on 
the  west  of  the  convent  would  have  been  on  the  east  and  a 
direct  fenced  road  made  from  it  to  the  college.  But  Honorius 
Coene  refused  to  abate  anything  off  the  22,000  florins;  he 
was  afterwards  well  punished  for  his  exorbitancy,  for  when  he 
was  overwhelmed  with  his  difficulties  the  house  was  sold  by 
royal  decree  for  10,500  florins  less  than  F.  Thomas  Howard 
had  offered.  The  Religious  of  Bornhem  were  engaged,  some 
in  teaching  others  in  studying  philosophy,  and  some  in 
directing  the  secular  college.  As  the  Delft  could  not  be  had, 
F.  Thomas  Howard  fixed  on  enlarging  the  buildings  of  the 
convent,  and  had  Herman  de  Wauters  a  very  skilful  Domini- 
can lay-brother  of  Ghent  to  draw  out  the  plans ;  when  he 
departed  for  England  he  left  the  work  in  the  charge  of  the 
sub-prior  to  begin  them  early  in  the  following  year.  A  third 
set  of  buildings  were  added  in  1662. 

Brother  James  Goodlad,  of  the  Holy  Cross,  and  F.  Joseph 
Vere  both  made  their  solemn  professions  November  8th 
1661.  Goodlad,  an  Englishman,  had  lived  for  a  long  time  at 
Antwerp,  and  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the  Flemish 
language.  He  was  clothed  at  Bornhem  October  6th  1660 
by  the  sub-prior,  and  was  the  first  student  of  the  college  that 
entered  the  cloister.  Henry  Vere  was  a  secular  priest  of 
Douay  College,  who  had  spent  some  years  as  a  missionary  in 
England.  He  received  the  habit  at  Bornhem  November 
8th  1660  from  the  sub-prior.  About  this  time  many  strove 
to  become  lay-brothers,  and  among  them  were  Peter  Hassel-. 
man  of  Tempsche,  Lawrence  van  Hove  of  Bornhem, 


126  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

Lambert  den  Ubael  cook  of  the  convent,  James  from 
Antwerp  baker,  Peter  of  Dixmude  cook,  and  Ivo  Williensen 
or  Willerms ;  but  the  last  was  the  only  one  who  went  so  far 
as  to  put  on  the  habit. 

In  1662  F.  Thomas  Howard  visited  Bornhem  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year,  taking  with  him  Edward  Bing  to  join 
the  Order.  This  gentleman  born  in  1625  had  been  an 
officer  under  Oliver  Cromwell  during  the  civil  war,  and  after 
the  Restoration  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  body-guard  of 
Charles  II.  He  was  converted  by  Mr.  "Whright  a  priest,  who 
seems  to  have  served  the  army,  being  commonly  known  as 
captain  "Wright.  His  wife  was  now  dead,  and  his  only  daughter 
was  in  the  care  of  her  Protestant  aunt.  As  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  leave  the  world  he  was  recommended  by  the  same  priest 
to  F.  Thomas  Howard.  At  Brussels  F.  Thomas  agreed  with 
the  Baron  (now  Count)  of  Bornhem  for  half  a  bounier  of  land 
on  the  east  side  of  the  convent,  and  it  was  afterwards  turned 
into  a  garden,  while  the  ditch  was  filled  up  to  form  the 
broad  way  leading  from  the  highroad  to  the  bridge.  This 
land,  subject  to  the  yearly  rent  of  a  viertale  of  rye  to  the  poor 
of  Bornhem,  was  taken  on  a  lease  of  twenty  years  with  power 
of  purchase  within  that  time  for  450  florins,  and  it  was  thus 
bought  in  1667.  At  the  convent  F.  Thomas  Howard  gave 
the  habit  February  22nd  to  Edward  Bing,  George  Mildmay, 
and  Ivo  Williensen.  George  Mildmay,  son  of  Francis  Mild- 
may,  esq.,  of  Amersden  in  Oxfordshire,  and  Mary  Brook  his 
wife,  was  born  in  1638.  He  learned  his  humanities  at  St. 
Omers,  and  entered  the  Order,  being  so  counselled  by  his 
cousin  Mr.  Matthew  Bedingfeld.  Williensen  was  a  Bra- 
bantine,  and  had  for  some  years  served  the  Carthusians  of 
Lire ;  he  left  Bornhem  early  in  Lent,  1663,  married  at 
Antwerp,  and  died  near  Louvain  where  he  dwelt.  F.  Thomas 
Howard  about  this  time  deeply  interested  himself  in  the 
welfare  of  the  English  nuns  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis, 
and  lent  them  his  powerful  aid  to  remove  in  1662  from  their 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  12? 

unhealthy  dwelling  at  Nieuport  into  the  noble  and  ancient 
palace  called  Princenhoff  at  Bruges.* 

The  number  of  Religious  in  the  convent  was  now  so  much 
increased  that  all  the  cells  were  occupied,  and  such  was  the 
regular  observance  and  so  great  the  charity  towards  one 
another,  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  annalist,  the  primitive  ages 
of  the  Order  seemed  to  have  come  back.  The  Religious  rose 
at  5  o'clock  and  said  Matins.  Then  followed  meditation 
during  the  first  Mass.  At  7  o'clock  the  schools  of  humani- 
ties, and  at  9  those  of  philosophy  were  opened.  At  10 
o'clock,  Mass  was  often  sung.  After  dinner  at  half-past 
twelve,  there  was  free  conversation  for  an  hour,  the  priests 
and  novices  apart.  At  4  o'clock  p.m.  the  schools  were 
closed,  and  for  the  most  part  Vespers  were  then  said. 
Complin  was  sung  every  day  with  the  Salve  in  the  nave  of 
the  Church,  according  to  the  custom-  of  the  Order.  At  6 
o'clock  all  went  again  to  the  refectory;  at  8  the  bell  was 
rung  for  profound  silence,  and  the  suffrages  were  said ;  and 
at  a  quarter  to  9  the  signal  was  given  for  the  Ughts  in  the 
cells  to  be  all  put  out.  Moreover  at  a  signal  given  by  the 
master,  those  in  the  noviciate,  on  the  evening  before  holy 
communion  took  the  discipline  from  their  own  hands ;  and 
all  outside  the  noviciate  had  become  BO  used  to  the  exercise 
that  none  scarcely  ever  laid  it  aside.  The  noviciate  was 
closed  to  all  without :  and  so  strict  was  the  profound  silence 
that  the  convent  seemed  to  be  deserted.  The  observance 
greatly  edified  the  students,  so  that  some  and  among  them 
Esme  and  John  Howard  spoke  openly  of  their  wish  to  join 
the  community,  and  they  would  have  done  so  if  the  college 
had  remained  on  the  same  footing. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  was  created  a  master  of  theology  March 
7th  1662  by  the  master-general.  About  the  same  time  he 

*  This  community  now  flourishes  at  Taunton-lodge  in  Somerset- 
shire. 


128  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

returned  into  England;  for  the  marriage  of  Charles  II.  with 
the  Infanta  of  Portugal,  which  he  had  done  much  to  forward, 
had  been  settled  and  was  to  he  speedily  celebrated.  Cathe- 
rine of  Braganza  arrived  at  Portsmouth  May  13th  (o.  s.-)  and 
was  joined  on  the  20th  (o.  s.)  by  the  king.  The  marriage 
took  place  on  the  following  day.  Catherine  was  earnestly 
solicited  to  dispense  altogether  with  the  Catholic  rite,  but  she 
was  firm  and  expressed  her  will  rather  to  return  into  Portugal 
than  to  accept  the  Protestant  ministry.  The  royal  pair  were 
accordingly  married  by  lord  Aubigny  in  the  strict  privacy  of 
Catherine's  bed-chamber,  and  the  public  ceremony  was  after- 
wards formally  gone  through  by  the  bishop  of  London.  The 
queen  had  her  own  ecclesiastical  establishment  so  that  she 
might  freely  practise  her  faith.  Lord  Aubigny  was  her  chief 
almoner,  and  through  his  interest  F.  Thomas  Howard  his 
nephew  was  made  her  first  chaplain.  This  appointment 
required  F.  Thomas  to  reside  continually  at  the  English 
court. 

In  the  beginning  of  1663  F.  Thomas  Howard  attempted  to 
found  a  second  English  convent  of  the  Order,  as  Bornhem 
was  quite  full.  This  house  was  to  be  in  France  and  one 
about  an  hour's  distance  from  Dieppe  was  pitched  on.  F. 
Vincent  Torre  with  Brother  Lawrence  Thwaits  went  to  arrange 
for  it,  but  when  they  got  to  Dieppe  they  found  that  Carmelito 
Fathers  were  already  living  there.  While  on  his  way  back 
to  Bornhem  Brother  Lawrence  was  laid  up  for  a  month  at 
Douay  by  illness.  John  Atwood  and  Henry  Errington 
received  the  clerical  habit  February  22nd  from  the  sub-prior. 
The  former  was  a  native  of  Warwickshire,  was  educated  at 
St.  Omer's,  and  in  religion  took  Peter  as  his  religious  name 
and  his  mother's  surname  as  Pitts  ;  the  latter  in  two  months 
returned  to  the  world  and  to  England  his  native  country. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  paid  his  yearly  visit  to  his  convent 
about  the  end  of  Lent  in  the  same  year,  and  again  took  with 
him  Brother  Herman  from  Ghent  to  make  good  the  cellars 


0  LIFE    OF   CABDINAL   HOWARD.  129 

which  were  deluged  with  water.  The  annalist  gives  a  curious 
account  of  his  method  with  the  most  difficult  of  them,  how 
he  wisely  set  the  floor  with  drains  and  three  layers  of  rubhle, 
mortar,  and  cement  an  inch  thick,  and  then  stopped  up  the 
last  hole  with  a  stone  wrapped  in  linen  steeped  in  a  melted 
compound  of  candle-ends  and  of  toads  and  sulphur  pounded 
together  in  a  mortar ;  after  which  the  cellar  remained  dry, 
"  gratias  Deo,  fratrique  Hermanno  !"  Immediately  after  F. 
Thomas  Howard  arrived  theses  in  universal  philosophy  were 
defended  at  the  convent,  in  the  morning  by  F.  John  Canning, 
F.  William  Collins  presiding ;  and  in  the  afternoon  by 
Brother  Lawrence  Thwaits,  F.  Vincent  Torre  presiding.  There 
were  present  F.  Master  Moitings  and  F.  Master  Nightingale 
from  Antwerp,  and  F.  Master  Henry  Collins  from  Brussels, 
all  three  very  learned  and  eminent  Dominicans,  with  many 
others.  Theotheses  were  dedicated  to  the  count  of  Bornhem_ 
and  to  his  brother  the  baron  of  Marianser,  each  of  whom 
made  a  donation  of  fifty  paticons,  and  F.  Thomas  Howard 
gave  them  an  entertainment  in  the  greater  dining-room  at  a 
cost  of  nearly  200  florins.  F.  Thomas  April  15th  received 
the  vows  of  Brothers  Edward  Bing  and  George  Mildmay,  who 
had  put  off  their  solemn  profession  for  nearly  eight  weeks 
so  that  they  might  have  the  pleasure  of  making  it  at  his 
hands. 

About  the  end  of  April  F.  Thomas  Howard  set  out  again 
for  England.  On  July  2nd  following  F.  John  Jenkin  died  of 
icteric  disease  in  the  27th  year  of  his  age.  He  had  been 
ordained  priest  and  chosen  procurator  of  the  convent  within  a 
twelve  month  before.  He  was  little  in  stature,  but  was  very 
useful  to  the  community  as  he  was  perfect  in  the  French  and 
Flemish  languages,  wrote  a  fine  hand,  and  was  an  excelled 
accountant.  Both  before  and  after  him  the  sub-priors  had 
to  be  procurators.  His  loss  was  severely  felt  by  the  commu- 
nity as  he  was  reckoned  its  greatest  hope,  but  he  was  well 


130  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  . 

succeeded  by  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  a  lay-brother  who 
made  his  profession  within  three  weeks  after. 

Giles  Coomans  was  born  in  1635  at  Brussels.  He  seems 
to  have  come  of  a  very  respectable  family  and  certainly  had  a 
good  education  :  his  father-in-law  Matthew  de  Haese  was  a 
merchant  at  Brussels,  and  rendered  many  important  services 
to  the  Fathers  of  Bornhem  especially  as  to  their  landed 
property.  Entering  the  convent  of  Bornhem  he  took  the 
lay-brother's  habit  and  the  name  of  Hyacinth  November  15th 
1661  from  the  sub-prior,  who  also  received  his  solemn  pro- 
fession on  the  feast  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen  1663.  He  was  a 
diligent  writer,  and  compiled  in  Flemish  the  History  of  the 
Convent  of  Bornhem  down  to  1675  (now  lost)  from  which 
F.  Thomas  Worthington  in  1710  abridged  the  Annals  that, 
form  a  very  valuable  source  of  information  in  the  present 
r  compilation.  * 


CHAPTEK  VIII. 

F.  Thomas  Howard  discharged  the  duties  of  first  chaplain 
in  the  royal  household  of  Catherine  of  Braganza  with  such 
care  and  zeal  as  to  call  forth  the  praises  of  the  queen  in  a 
letter  which  she  addressed  in  November  1663  to  the  master- 
general  ;  and  the  master-general  wrote  to  him  December 
22nd  following,  expressing  his  satisfaction  at  it  and  his 
pleasure  on  hearing  of  the  great  friendship  between  him  and 
F.  Christopher-  of  the  Rosary,  a  Portuguese  Dominican  of  the 
twghest  repute  and  .confessor  to  the  queen. 

Although  so  far  from  Bornhem  F.  Thomas  Howard  still 
continued  his  jurisdiction  over  the  convent  even  for  many 
years  after  his  second  prior  ship  had  come  to  an  end,  for  such 
was  the  respect  of  his  brethren  that  they  would  not  elect 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  131 

another  in  his  place.  At  the  end  of  summer  1663  he 
appointed  F.  Vincent  Torre  sub-prior,  whose  patents  of  office 
were  read  and  accepted  on  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
F.  William  Collins  was  made  confessor  to  the  nuns  at 
Vilvorde,  who  till  then  had  been  only  casually  supplied  with  a 
director. 

Brought  up  in  the  strict  observance  of  France  F.  Vincent 
Torre  seems  to  have  imbibed  all  the  spirit  of  what  it  is  clear 
the  annalist  thought  its  supererogatory  austerity  with  its 
pencjiant  for  that  outward  edification  which  sits  so  gracefully 
on  our  French  brethren,  but  grates  so  harshly  in  the  reserved 
and  less  demonstrative  Englishman.  He  took  up  their 
practices,  but  missed  that  delicate  tact  in  governing  without 
which  it  is  impossible  to  lead  souls  along  the  highest  and 
most  rugged  paths  of  perfection.  Yet  he  was  a  man  of  very 
great  and  singular  piety,  and  won  the  full  confidence  of  F. 
Thomas  Howard,  though  he  was  certainly  somewhat  too 
credulous,  and  perhaps  was  one  of  those  ascetics  who  wrapped 
in  self-contemplation  measure  all  spirits  by  their  own. 
There  was  indeed  much  in  the  discipline  of  the  convent  to 
alter  before  it  would  come  up  to  the  full  constitutions  of  the 
Order,  for'  observance  was  sacrificed  in  many  points ;  but  as 
far  as  he  could  he  followed  out  his  views  with  a  headstrong- 
ness  that  brought  great  troubles  and  well-nigh  ruined  the 
foundation.  F.  Thomas  Howard  allowed  him  in  a  great 
degree  to  carry  on  his  plans,  as  they  were  most  praise-worthy 
in  themselves  though  now  injudiciously  enforced. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  secular  college  must  have  some- 
what interfered  with  strict  discipline.  It  was  at  once  put 
down.  The  scholars  were  few  in  number,  but  there  was 
every  likelihood  of  more :  they  were  sent  to  the  vicarage  of 
the  Brabantine  Friar-Preachers  at  Vilvorde  to  study  under 
the  confessor  of  the  nuns,  who  lived  in  that  house  and  would 
thus  usefully  fill  up  his  leisure-hours.  The  convent  of  Born- 
hem  found  all  their  expenses  and  had  nothing  in  return:  and 


132  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

John  and  Esme*  Howard  and  Charles  Atkins,  three  very  pro- 
mising youths  who  had  seemed  bent  on  joining  the  Order, 
changed  their  minds  with  the  change  of  place.  "  Condonet 
ipsis  Deus,  quicunque  authores  fuere  consilii  Provinciae  adeo 
perniciosi,"  exclaims  the  annalist,  "damni  minus  attulissent, 
si  conventum  in  cineres  reduxissent;  damnum  enim  illud 
reparabile,  hoc  numquam  reparari  potest." 

After  the  defensions  of  philosophy  it  was  debated  whether 
theology  should  not  also  be  taught  at  Bornhem.  F.  William 
Collins  before  going  to  Vilvorde,  and  F.  Master  Carney  a 
very  learned  Irish  Dominican  who  died  at  Liege  in  1667, 
tendered  their  services,  which  were  not  accepted.  F.  Yincent 
Torre  began  his  school  of  philosophy  again,  and  all  had  to  be 
present  even  those  who  had  already  gone  through  that  branch 
of  study.  But  such  an  ill  arrangement  could  not  be  con- 
tinued long,  and  the  religious  students  were  soon  scattered. 

About  the  end  of  November  F.  Antoninus  Wichart  and 
F.  Albert  de  Groet  being  sent  for  went  to  Bornhem.  Both 
were  sons  of  the  convent  of  Bruges,  but  had  lived  some  years 
in  the  strict  observance  of  France,  which  made  them  very 
welcome  to  the  sub-prior.  A  well-grounded  report  soon 
spread  through  the  convent  that  the  French  observance  was 
speedily  to  be  brought  in,  and  some  of  the  Religious  signified 
to  the  sub-prior  that  in  such  a  case  they  would  pass  over  to 
the  Carthusian  Order.  He  replied  only  that  he  should  soon 
know  the  will  of  the  Vicar-General  in  the  matter.  The  mind 
of  F.  Thomas  Howard  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  no 
change  took  place. 

It  is  clear  however  that  an  attempt  was  made  to  alter 
the  community.  The  greater  part  of  the  Religious  were 

*  Esme  Howard  returned  into  England  and  married.  He  died 
June  3rd  (o.  s.)  1728  in  the  83rd  year  of  his  age.  His  only 
daughter  Elizabeth  died  unmarried  in  1737  aged  61,  and  was 
buiied  with  her  father  and  mother  at  St.  Pancras,  Middlesex. 


LIFE   OF   CABDINAL  HOWARD.  133 

placed  in  various  houses  of  the  Order,  partly  it  is  true  for  the 
sake  of  theological  courses.  Brother  John  Canning  was  sent 
to  Louvain,  Brother  Lawrence  Thwaits  to  Brussels,  Brother 
Francis  Howard  with  Brother  Henry  Packe  to  Paris,  Brother 
James  Goodlad  to  Burg  St.  Winox  (Bergues)  near  Dunkirk,* 
Brother  Edward  Bing  to  St.  Omers  afterwards  to  Burg  St. 
Winox,  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  to  Ghent,  and  F.  Thomas 
Molineux  into  England.  Thus  of  the  professed  Religious 
there  remained  in  the  convent  besides  the  sub-prior  and  the 
two  fathers  of  Bruges  only  F.  Joseph  Vere  who  left  after  six 
months,  F.  George  Mildmay,  and  the  lay-brother  Sebastian 
Reynaets,  so  that  the  sub-prior  had  all  in  his  own  hands. 
In  hopes  to  make  up  the  numbers  with  new  subjects 
Brother  Edward  Bing  was  sent  to  Douay  and  F.  Thomas 
Molineux  to  St.  Omers,  to  see  some  Englishmen  who  they 
thought  might  have  a  vocation  to  religion.  But  the  two 
returned  without  success  to  their  former  places. 

Henry  Packe  an  Englishman  was  clothed  at  Bornhem  as 
a  lay-brother  August  6th  1662  by  F.  William  Collins,  and 
was  professed  at  the  age  of  35  years  November  28th  1663 
by  F.  Vincent  Torre.  Brother  Peter  Atwood  was  professed 
Feb.  22nd  following  by  the  same  sub-prior. 

On  Whitsunday  (May  29th)  1664  F.  Thomas  Howard 
reached  at  the  convent  from  England,  and  stayed  till  August. 
He  did  not  make  any  changes  in  the  community.  He  was 
chiefly  taken  up  with  the  affairs  of  the  nuns,  and  at  last  his 
unflagging  zeal  removed  every  hindrance  on  the  part  of  the 

*  F.  James  Goodlad,  being  ordained  priest,  left  Burg  St.  Winox 
June  26th  1666  for  the  English  mission.  He  returned  to 
Bornhem  in  Feb.  1668  with  F.  Thomas  Molineux,  and  in  March 
1669  was  made  sacristan.  In  November  1676  he  became  com- 
panion to  the  nuns'  confessor  at  Brussels,  was  appointed  procurator 
at  Bornhem  in  1683,  and  died  in  that  office  April  2nd  1684  in 
the  44th  year  of  his  age. 


134  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

temporal  and  ecclesiastical  authorities  to  their  settling  at 
Vilvorde.  He  received  the  royal  leave  of  Philip  IV.  for  the 
convent  to  he  founded,  which  the  king  granted  gratuitously, 
with  the  simple  obligation  of  some  prayers  for  the  good 
estate  of  the  royal  family  of  Spain.*  Sister  Barhara  Boyle 
was  now  allowed  to  take  the  vows,  which  she  did  July  13th 
at  the  hands  of  F.  Thomas  Howard,  who  at  the  same  time 
gave  the  hahit  to  Sister  Magdalen  Sheldon  and  to  Sister 
Catherine  Mildmay.  Bridget  Sheldon  was  daughter  of 
Edward  Sheldon,  of  Little  Ditchford  Worcestershire,  third 
son  of  Edward  Sheldon,  esq.,  of  Beoley  in  the  same 
county,  by  Margaret  his  wife  daughter  of  Lionel  Wake,  esq., 
of  London,  of  the  family  of  Wake,  formerly  of  Kent,  and 
sister  of  the  famous  Carmelite  Nun  of  Antwerp  Sister 
Mary  Margaret  of  the  Angels,  who  died  in  1678  reputed  a 
saint.  She  entered  the  house  at  Vilvorde  early  in  June  1663, 
took  the  name  of  Magdalen,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years  subscribed  the  solemn  vows  July  14th  1665  along 
with  Sister  Catherine  Mildmay,  who  had  gone  to  Vilvorde  at 
the  end  of  August  1663,  and  was  fourth  sister  of  F.  George 
Mildmay.  Owing  to  F.  Thomas  Howard  living  in  London,  it 
was  thought  best  for  the  convent  of  Vilvorde  to  be  under  a 
well-qualified  member  of  the  Order,  who  was  always  at  hand 
and  could  readily  help  it  in  all  the  doubts  and  difficulties 
which  beset  every  newly-organised  religious  body.  The 
master-general  gave  the  important  charge  to  F.  John  Baptist 
Verjuyse  then  prior  of  Antwerp. 

Before  leaving  Belgium  F.  Thomas  Howard  assigned 
F.  William  Collins  to  the  English  mission,  who  probably 
accompanied  him  back  to  London,  and  F.  Joseph  Vere  went 


*  In  return  for  this  grant  the  nuns  as  long  as  they  remained  in 
Belgium  offered  up  the  daily  Salve  and  a  general  Communion  on 
the  first  day  of  the  year. 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  135 

from  Bornhem  to  be  the  confessor  of  the  nuns.  F.  Martin 
Russel  was  called  back  from  Rimini  and  reached  Bornhem  in 
November.  He  had  been  only  a  few  days  in  the  convent 
when  he  was  sent  by  the  sub-prior  to  Burg  St.  Winox.  After 
some  weeks  F.  Thomas  Howard  summoned  him  into  Eng- 
land. There  was  a  small  Dominican  convent  in  Tangier,  and 
when  that  city  as  part  of  the  dowry  of  queen  Catherine  of 
Braganza  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  the 
Portuguese  Religious  there  became  useless.  The  master- 
general  September  10th  1664  made  over  the  house  to  the 
English  province,  and  enjoined  F.  Thomas  Howard  to  sta- 
tion at  least  two  Religious  there  for  the  sake  of  the  Catholic 
soldiers  who  were  chiefly  Irish.  F.  Martin  Russel  was  the 
only  one  that  could  then  be  sent.  He  was  decked  with  the 
title  of  prior,  reached  Tangier  April  15th  1665,  and  took 
possession  of  the  convent,  where  he  dwelt  without  any  com- 
panion all  the  time,  and  supported  himself  on  the  pay  of 
a  common  officer. 


CHAPTER  IX.. 

Louis  Stuart  lord  Aubigny,  son  of  Esme  duke  of  Lennox, 
died  in  1665,  and  F.  Thomas  Howard  succeeded  him  as 
Grand  Almoner  to  queen  Catherine  of  Braganza.  By  his 
new  office  he  had  now  fully  to  superintend  her  royal  oratory 
at  Whitehall,  while  too  he  had  a  state  apartment  for  his 
use.*  For  his  services  he  received  the  yearly  salary  of 

*  Pepys  went  January  23rd  1 666-7  (o.  s.)  to  St.  James's,  to  see 
the  organ.  "  I  took  my  lord  Brouncker  with  me,"  he  writes,  "he 
being  acquainted  with  my  present  lord  almoner,  Mr.  Howard,  bro- 
ther of  the  duke  of  Norfolk The  almoner  seems  a  goodnatured 

gentleman.    He  discoursed  much  of  the  goodness  of  the  musique 


136  LIFE    OP   CAKDINAL    HOWARD. 

£500,  with  an  additional  £500  for  his  table,  and  £100  for 
the  necessaries  of  the  oratory.  He  was  now  always  addressed 
by  the  title  of  "  my  Lord  Almoner." 

Amid  the  occupations  that  engrossed  his  attention  at  the 
English  Court,  F.  Thomas  Howard  never  forgot  that  he  was 
a  Religious  and  a  Dominican,  and  always  kept  at  heart  the 
welfare  of  the  province  in  his  charge.  He  tried  to  obtain 
from  the  master-general  the  convent  of  St.  Clement  in  Rome 
as  a  house  of  studies  for  the  English  Dominicans.  This 
could  not  be  granted,  on  account  it  was  alleged  (April  4th 
1664)  of  the  connection  of  that  house  with  St.  Sixtus.*  The 
master-general  recommended  the  place  of  education  to  be 
either  in  Belgium  or  in  Bretagne  where  the  controversy  called 
for  on  the  English  mission  was  more  in  vogue  than  at  Rome. 
Again,  F.  Thomas  Howard  July  13th  1668  asked  for 
powers  like  those  just  given  (September  16th  1667)  to  the 
Irish  province,  for  founding  houses  subject  to  it  alone 
anywhere  on  the  continent,  where  Irish,  English,  and  Scotch 
Religious  might  be  freely  educated,  to  be  also  granted  to 
England.  The  master-general  August  18th  declined  doing 


in  Rome;  and  of  the  great  buildings  which  the  Pope  (whom,  in 
mirth  to  us,  he  calls  Anti-christ)  hath  done  in  his  time.5'  After 
visiting  the  Capuchins'  establishment  the  visitors  «*  went  away  with 
the  almoner  in  his  coach  talking  merrily  of  the  differences  of  our 
religions,  to  Whitehall,  wher3  we  left  him."  Of  the  lord  almoner's 
apartment  the  chatty  diarist  says,  "  I  doe  observe  the  counterfeit 
windows  there  was,  in  the  forme  "of  doors,  with  looking-glasses 
instead  of  windows,  which  makes  the  room  seem  both  bigger  and 
lighter  I  think."  And  again,  "  here  I  observed  the  deske  which 
he  hath,  made  to  remove,  and  is  fastened  to  one  of  the  arms  of  his 
chayre." 

*  St.  Clement  with  St.  Sixtus  was  given  in  1677  to  the  Irish 
province. 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD.  137 

so,  as  such  unusual  faculties  liad  been  given  only  under  very 
extraordinary  circumstances ;  but  he  freely  allowed  two  other 
favours  begged  at  the  same  time;  that  an  English  father 
might  be  placed  at  Paris  for  managing  business,  and  that  one 
might  be  received  as  a  student  in  the  convent  of  the  Minerva 
at  Rome. 

Meanwhile  the  convent  of  Bornhem  was  making  only  slow 
progress.  From  time  to  time  F.  Thomas  Howard  sent  over 
large  sums  of  money  to  help  it  in  his  financial  straits.  In 
1665  F.  William  Collins  returned  to  it  from  England, 
taking  with  him  Brother  Francis  Dominic  Howard  from  Paris 
and  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  from  Ghent.  None  of  them 
remained  there  long,  for  F.  William  Collins  came  back  into 
England,  and  Brother  Francis  Howard  with  Brother 
Hyacinth,  who  became  his  companion  for  four  years,  went  to 
Vilvorde  and  were  there  all  the  winter.  In  this  year  F.  Vincent 
Torre  professed  two  Religious,  Brother  Antoninus  van  Antryve 
April  19th,  and  Brother  Dominic  Gwillim  November  1st. 
The  former  whose  baptismal  name  was  Anthony  was  a 
Belgian,  born  near  Ghent,  and  had  received  the  lay-brother's 
habit  May  10th  1663  from  F.  William  Collins.*  The 
latter,  Edward  Gwillim  or  Williams,  was  born  in  Monmouth- 
shire ;  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  students  in  the  college  of 
Bornhem  where  he  finished  his  education,  but  had  to  return 
home  for  the  sake  of  his  health.  After  he  had  recovered 
from  his  sickness  he  betook  himself  to  the  cloister,  and  was 
clothed  at  Bornhem,  October  28th  1664  by  the  sub-prior, 
under  whom  he  passed  his  noviciate.  With  the  habit  he 
changed  his  name  to  Dominic,  and  when  he  uttered  the  vows 
(being  then  twenty  years  old)  he  added  to  it  "  of  the 
Most  Holy  Rosary."  F.  Vincent  Torre  had  been  sub-prior 


*  This  lay-brother  died  April  17th  1693  in  the  55th  year  of 
his  age. 


138  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

for  the  usual  two  years,  and  now  willingly  laid  down  bis 
charge.  F.  Joseph  Vere  declined  the  office,  so  F.  Thomas 
Howard  sent  F.  Thomas  Fidden  from  England,  who  was 
installed  Nov.  16th  ;  and  early  in  the  following  year  F.  Vin- 
cent departed  for  the  mission  in  London. 

In  1666  several  changes  were  made  amongst  the  Religious. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  year  F.  William  Collins  was  claimed 
by  his  native  province,  being  chosen  prior  of  the  Irish 
Dominicans  of  Louvain ;  he  took  the  office  very  unwillingly 
only  after  he  had  a  formal  precept  to  do  so  from  the  master- 
general.  F.  Lawrence  Thwaits,  having  been  the  year  before 
ordained  priest,  went  from  Brussels  to  Antwerp  for  finishing 
his  theology;  Brother  Francis  Dominic  Howard  with  Bro- 
ther Hyacinth  Coomans  from  Vilvorde  to  the  Irish  Domi- 
nicans of  Louvain ;  F.  James  Goodlad  June  26th  from 
Burg  St.  Winox  to  the  English  mission ;  F.  Edward  Bing 
from  Douay  to  Brussels;  Brother  George  Mildmay  from 
Bornhem  to  Antwerp,  where  he  had  a  burse  in  the  convent 
and  began  his  theology;  and  Brother  Peter  Atwood  to 
Louvain  to  study  with  F.  John  Canning.  On  September 
8th  the  sub-prior  gave  the  habit  to  F.  Thomas  Cowper  a 
secular  priest  of  the  English  college  of  Douay,  who  now  took 
the  name  of  Vincent  Hyacinth,  and  September  14th  to 
Alexander  Thursby,  who  had  just  gone  through  his  grammar, 
being  sixteen  years  old,  and  became  Lewis  in  religion ;  and 
he  professed  September  29th  Brother  Ambrose  Graham  or 
Grymes  and  William  Michael  Bertram,  both  of  whom  had 
been  clothed  September  27th  the  year  before  by  F.  Vincent 
Torre. 

Brother  Ambrose  Grymes  was  of  a  high .  family.  He  was 
born  about  1647,  his  baptismal  name  was  Richard,  and  he 
was  the  heir  to  a  baronetcy ;  but  entering  the  Dominican  Order 
he  waived  his  right,  preferring  an  everlasting  crown  and 
inheritance  to  a  temporary  title  and  wealth. 

The  plague  ravaged  the  parish  of  Bornhem  in  1666,  but 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  139 

by  God's  mercy  the  convent  escaped  the  infection.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  castle  dreading  to  face  the  contagion  by 
going  to  the  parochial  church  begged  a  priest  from  the  con- 
vent to  celebrate  Mass  in  the  castle  chapel  on  all  Sundays 
and  festivals,  and  the  fathers  freely  granted  the  request. 
F.  Thomas  Fidden  restored  the  time  of  the  evening  collation 
to  6  o'clock,  which  F.  Vincent  Torre  had  fixed  an  hour  later. 
He  also  tried  to  bring  in  the  custom  of  publicly  exposing  the 
Relic  of  the  Cross  and  singing  some  canticles  in  honour  of 
it,  but  F.  Thomas  Howard  put  this  down  as  an  innovation 
on  the  constitutions  of  the  Order. 

Early  in  1667  F.  William  Collins  a  second  time  left 
Louvain,  and  returned  to  the  English  mission.  On  his  way 
he  visited  Bornhem,  taking  with  him  Brother  Francis 
Dominic  Howard  and  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans,  who  staid 
at  the  convent  for  a  short  time  and  in  June  went  to  Brussels 
for  the  whole  summer.  FF.  John  Canning  and  Lawrence 
Thwaits  having  gone  through  all  their  studies  also  returned 
to  Bornhem.  In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  FF.  Antoninus 
Wichart  and  Albert  de  Groet  departed,  the  former  to  Louvain 
the  latter  to  his  native  convent  at  Bruges. 

Meanwhile,  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  in  Holland  with  the 
English  ambassadors-extraordinary  to  assist  at  the  congress 
for  re-establishing  peace  between  England  and  the  United 
Provinces.  With  the  embassy  he  left  England  April  29th 
(o.  s.),  made  a  splendid  public  entry  into  Breda  May  21st 
(o.  s.)  and  \r<mt  to  the  conference,  which  began  in  the  castle 
June  8th  (o.  s.),  the  pacification  was  concluded  June  29 
(o.  s.),  signed  July  23rd  (o.  s.)  and  proclaimed  in  London 
August  24th  (o.  s.)  with  great  solemnity.  Before  the 
conference  he  visited  Bornhem,  and  afterwards  went  to 
Vilvorde,  and  he  meant  to  have  spent  the  whole  summer  in 
his  convent  had  not  the  siege  of  Dendermonde  by  the  French 
forced  him  to  change  his  plan. 

At  Vilvorde  he  found  the  little  flock  of  sisters  had  increased, 


140  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

four  Keligious  having  joined  since  he  was  last  there.  Jane 
Bergmans  a  lay-sister  was  professed  September  14th  1665. 
Frances  Peck,  third  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Peck  and  Jane 
Farwood  his  wife,  took  the  holy  habit  November  16th  1664 
when  she  was  forty-three  years  old,  and  the  vows  exactly  a 
twelvemonth  after.  Columba  Pound  a  lay-sister  was  professed 
March  4th  1666,  and  Ann  Busby,  daughter  of  Mr.  Joseph 
Busby  of  Yorkshire  and  Mary  Dancer  his  wife,  subscribed 
the  vows  April  26th  following  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  A 
small  and  fervent  community  was  formed,  numerous  enough 
indeed  to  govern  themselves  without  the  aid  of  the  Dutch 
nuns  who  now  went  back  to  Tempsche,  and  Mother  Barbara 
Boyle  was  made  prioress  of  the  convent.  F.  Thomas  Howard 
probably  gave  the  habit  to  his  cousin  Catherine,  third 
daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Howard  and  sister  of  Antonia 
Howard:  she  was  professed  May  15th  1668  at  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years.  F.  John  Baptist  Verjuyse  who  had  charge 
of  the  house  died  September  21st  1667,  and  it  then  fell 
under  the  ordinary  jurisdiction  of  the  vicar-general  of  the 
English  province. 

The  close  neighbourhood  of  the  war  at  Dendermonde 
greatly  alarmed  the  Religious  of  Bornhem,  and  not 
without  good  cause.  One  day  a  troop  of  French  soldiers 
entered  the  village  of  Bornhem,  slew  the  son  of  one 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  drove  off  many  horses  and  cows. 
Four  soldiers  went  to  pillage  the  convent,  and  as  they 
could  not  find  any  beasts  on  the  premises  r$roke  open 
the  sacristy-door,  overran  the  whole  house,  and  betook  them- 
selves to  drinking  and  to  seeking  for  money.  F.  Thomas 
Fidden  spoke  to  one  of  them  who  was  an  Irishman,  and 
then  went  up  into  his  cell  for  a  bag  of  money  to  bribe  off  the 
unwelcome  intruders  with  a  part  of  its  contents,  so  that  still 
greater  evils  might  be  avoided.  The  Irishman  spied  the  bag 
under  the  sub-prior's  scapular,  seized  on  it,  and  then  ordered 
off  his  companions,  very  probably  keeping  to  himself  the 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  141 

whole  booty  of  about  sixty  florins.  On  this  occasion  the 
four  novices,  Grymes,  Bartham,  Cowper,  and  Tliursby, 
particularly  Cowper,  were  so  terrified  that  next  day  the  sub- 
prior  took  them  all  to  Antwerp,  where  they  remained  for  a 
short  time. 

The  danger  which  thus  threatened  the  convent  made  F. 
Thomas  Howard  wish  for  a  city-refuge  for  his  Religious,  and 
he  immediately  set  about  finding  a  fit  house  in  Antwerp  which 
would  serve  also  for  a  secular  college  or  school.  He  consulted 
the  bishop  of  Antwerp,  the  abbot  of  St.  Michael,  and  F.  Gode- 
frid  Marquis  prior  of  the  Dominican  convent  there,  who  all 
encouraged  his  purpose  :  as  to  the  purchase  of  the  house  he 
spoke  with  Mr.  Hartopp,  Mr.  Shaw,  and  other  English  mer- 
chants. There  were  many  different  opinions  as  to  where  the 
house  should  be,  as  some  preferred  one  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
St.  George's,  some,  one  near  the  river,  and  others,  one  adjoin- 
ing the  Dominican  convent-garden  which  the  English  might 
use  and  at  the  same  time  attend  the  convent  choir.  F. 
Thomas  Howard  chose  the  last  plan  as  the  best.  But  the 
petition  for  the  English  Keligious  to  enter  the  city  was 
rejected,  and  probably  by  some  of  those  who  seemed  at  first 
most  favourable.  Although  he  thus  failed  in  trying  to 
benefit  his  brethren  F.  Thomas  Howard  had  twice  seen  how 
much  could  be  done  by  steadily  pushing  on,  and  he  made  up 
his  mind  to  try  again  at  a  better  time.  He  returned  into 
England  in  September,  bringing  with  him  F.  Hyacinth  Revel 
from  Antwerp.  F.  Hyacinth* '  son  of  an  English  officer  was 
born  at  Brussels,  joined  the  Order  young  at  Louvain,  and 
then  taught  philosophy  at  Antwerp.  He  was  always  very 
much  attached  to  his  father's  countrymen,  which  led  him  to 
become  a  missionary  in  England ;  but  he  fell  into  ill. 
health,  returned  the  next  year  into  Belgium,  and  died  at 
Antwerp. 

F.  Vincent  Hyacinth  Cowper  and  Brother  Lewis  Thursby 
were  solemnly  professed  September  14th  1667  by  the  sub- 


142  LIFE  OF  CABDINAL  HOWARD. 

prior,  and  not  long,  after  F.  George  Mildmay  ended  his 
studies  and  went  back  to  his  own  convent.  In 'the  same 
month  Brother  Dominic  Gwillim  was  placed  at  Antwerp 
for  his  theology,  and  shortly  after  BB.  Ambrose  Thomas 
Gryrnes  and  William  Michael  Bartrarn  at  Brussels  for  their 
philosophy. 

The  convent  of  Tangier  in  Africa  was  attached  to  the 
English  province  for  a  little  over  two  years.  F.  Martin 
Eussel  laboured  there  with  unwearied  zeal  and  suffered  many 
heavy  trials  and  privations.  It  happened  in  1667  that  two 
Protestants  were  condemned  to  death  for  some  capital  crime, 
F.  Martin  charitably  visited  the  men  in  their  prison  and 
converted  both  of  them,  so  that  while  they  were  being  led  to 
execution  and  at  their  death  they  boldly  and  openly  pro- 
fessed their  new  faith.  The  English  governor  was  so  angry 
and  carried  on  such  bitter  bickering,  and  threatened  so  much 
that  F.  Martin  was  driven  altogether  out  of  Tangier.*  He 
withdrew  to  Malaga  in  Spain,  whence  he  sailed  to  Calais  in  a 
ship  employed  in  carrying  Italian  soldiers  into  Belgium, 
and  from  Calais  he  crossed  over  in  an  English  vessel  to 
Dover,  and  so  went  to  London  for  the  sake  of  seeing 
F.  Thomas  Howard.  From  the  Italian  soldiers  he  caught  a 
fever  which  harassed  and  enfeebled  him  for  a  long  time. 
F.  Thomas  Fidden's  term  as  sub-prior  was  now  drawn  to  a 
close,  so  F.  Thomas  Howard  gave  the  office  to  F.  Martin,  who 
accordingly  went  to  Bornhem,  and  November  27th  the  day 
after  he  reached  it  undertook  his  new  duties.  F.  Thomas 
Fidden  after  some  weeks  was  called  to  London  and  made 
procurator  of  the  province. 

In  February  1668  Brothers  Ambrose  Thomas  Grymes 
and  William  Michael  Bertram  were  called  from  Brussels  to 

*  The  convent  of  Tangier  was  given  in  March  1668  to  the  Irish 
Dominicans,  and  was  held  by  them  till  1681  when  the  city  was 
destroyed  and  abandoned  by  the  English. 


'LIFE  OF  CAKDINAL  HOWARD.  143 

go  through  all  their  studies  at  Eennes,  whither  they  went  a 
little  before  Easter.*  At  the  same  time  FF.  Thomas 
Molineux  and  James  Goodlad  went  back  to  Bornhem,  but  the 
former  was  soon  again  on  the  English  mission.  Not  long 
after  Brother  Lewis  Thursby  was  sent  May  27th  to  Louvain 
for  his  courses. 

F.  Thomas  Catchmay  was  now  old  and  was  so  broken  by 
his  unwearied  labours  on  the  mission  that  his  memory  failed 
him  much,  though  in  other  respects  his  mind  was  quite 
unimpaired.  He  was  a  very  learned  man,  and  his  conversation 
had  a  particular  charm  about  it.  He  resolved  to  spend  the 
short  time  that  still  remained  for  him  in  religious  retirement, 
and  was  taken  over  to  Bornhem  by  F.  Thomas  Fidden  who 
left  him  there  and  immediately  came  back  to  England.  But  the 
veteran  missionary  did  not  long  enjoy  the  peace  of  conventual 
life,  for  he  died  July  22nd  1669*  in  the  72nd  year  of  his 
age,  the  47th  of  his  profession,  and  about  the  44th  of  his 
priesthood :  he  was  buried  in  the  cloister  at  the  feet  of  F. 
John  Jenkin. 

In  the  summer  of  1668  F.  Joseph  Veret  went  for  two  or 
three  months  to  Bornhem,  and  F.  George  Mildmay  taking 
his  place  at  Vilvorde  served  the  nuns.  The  plague  was  then 
ravaging  that  town  and  neighbourhood,  and  almost  all 
the  Brabantine  Dominicans  of  the  vicarage  fell  by  the  scourge 
ready  victims  of  their  charity  and  religious  duties.  F.  Bauens 


*  F.  Will.  Mich.  Bertram  returned  in  1675  to  Bornhem,  and 
early  in  the  next  year  was  made  sub-prior.  From  1681  to  1G86 
he  was  at  Stonecroft  near  Hexham.  He  died  in  his  convent  April 
19th  1691  aged  48  years. 

t  F.  Joseph  Vere  returned  to  Brussels  about  the  end  of  October 
1668,  lefD  in  1674  for  England,  two  years  after  was  again 
the  nuns'  director,  and  died  at  last  May  13th  1683  in  Eng- 
land. 


144  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

was  sent  from  Brussels  to  help  the  people  and  took  up  his 
quarters  in  the  public  hospital  so  as  to  be  always  at  hand  for 
the  sick.  One  day  he  sent  for  F.  George  Mildmay  to  hear 
his  confession,  who  accordingly  went  to  the  hospital  early  in 
the  day  before  he  had  broken  his  fast.  Immediately  after  he 
went  and  celebrated  Mass  for  the  nuns.  When  it  was  over 
he  complained  of  feeling  somewhat  unwell  and  begged  to 
have  a  little  wormwood  tea.  He  went  back  to  the  vicarage, 
fell  ill  of  the  plague,  died  on  the  third  day  (October 
26th)  and  was  buried  there  being  then  in  the  31st  year 
of  his  age.  The  next  day  the  news  of  his  death  was  carried 
to  Bornhem  where  his  loss  was  much  lamented,  for  great 
expectations  were  centred  in  him  as  he  was  deeply 
read  in  general  literature  and  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  Flemish  language.  Yet  the  sorrow  of  his 
brethren  must  have  been  softened  with  the  consolation  that 
he  had  sacrificed  himself  in  conscientiously  and  fearlessly 
fulfilling  his  duties. 

F.  Thomas   Howard  was  again   employed   in    1669  as  a 
public   functionary.      The    September   before,   the    marquis 
Castel  Eoderigo  by  command  of  the  king  of  Spain  gave  up 
at  Mechlin  the  government   of  the   Low  Countries  to  Don 
Pedro  de  Velasco  grand  constable  of  Castile.     Early  in  the 
year  F.  Thomas  was  sent  to  Brussels  by  Queen  Catherine  to 
carry  her  royal  congratulations  to  the  new  governor  on  his 
taking    the    vice-regal    power,    who    however   was    still   at 
Mechlin,  as  the  plague  was  in  Brussels.     He  took  advantage 
to  see  after  his  two  foundations  in  Belgium.     The  situation 
of  the  nuns  made  him  very  uneasy,  as  they  were  exposed  to 
great  perils  in  time  of  war;   so  he  determined  to  remove 
them   from   Yilvorde  to  Brussels,  and  set   about  finding  a 
suitable  house  for  them.     Some  advised  a  place  in  Eosbank 
near  the  little  stream,  others,  one  in  the  Walsplat  where  a 
convent  would  be  more  readily  allowed  by  the  magistracy,  as 
it  was  much  desired  to  improve  so  desolate  a  spot  by  building 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  145 

good  houses  there  so  as  to  draw  inhabitants  in  that  direction. 
But  F.  Thomas  Howard  chose  a  large  castle-like  edifice 
called  Het  Spellekins-huys,  the  pin-house,  because  it  was  at 
first  a  pin  manufactory,  a  name  commonly  shortened  into 
Spellekens  or  corrupted  into  Pelikans.  It  had  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  fathers  of  the  Oratory,  who  built  a  small 
chapel  and  fitted  up  the  house  with  cells,  chambers,  and  all 
that  a  convent  required.  It  stood  in  a  healthy  place  in  the 
Rue  du  Chene,  and  had  a  very  spacious  garden  shaped  like 
an  amphitheatre  which  commanded  a  very  fine  prospect 
especially  towards  the  west.  The  Oratorians  wished  to 
dispose  of  it  as  they  had  just  built  themselves  another  house 
nearer  the  great  church  of  St.  Gudule,  and  they  agreed  to  sell 
it  to  F.  Thomas  Howard  for  20,000  florins.  The  sharp  oppo- 
sition of  the  magistracy  against  the  nuns  being  in  the  city 
was  overruled  by  the  governor  (March  14th)  who  said  that  as 
other  religious  communities  were  allowed  to  have  property  in 
Brussels  he  did  not  see  why  the  English  nuns  should  not 
occupy  the  Spellekens.  Ame  Coriache  vicar-general  of  the 
archbishop  readily  gave  his  consent  (March  28th)  so  that 
every  hindrance  was  thus  removed.  F.  Thomas  Howard  in 
Lent  led  the  nuns  himself  from  Vilvorde  to  their  new 
asylum.  The  Religious  who  removed  to  Brussels  were 
Mother  Barbara  Boyle  prioress,  Sisters  Magdalen  Sheldon, 
Catherine  Mildmay,  Frances  Peck,  Ann  Busby,  and  Catherine 
Howard  ;  and  the  lay-sisters  Jane  Bergmans  and  Columba 
Pound.  The  building  underwent  great  improvements  at  con- 
siderable expense :  the  house  at  Vilvorde  was  sold  and  the 
money  used  for  a  guest-house.  King  Charles  II.  of  Spain 
Dec.  15th  1693  granted  amortization  of  the  house  gratui- 
tously, in  return  for  which  the  nuns,  of  their  own  good-will, 
gave  the  Mass  on  every  Easter-Sunday  and  a  daily  Exaudiat. 
In  the  mean  time  F.  Thomas  Howard  met  with  the  pro- 
vincial of  Belgium  F.  master  Matthias  Marquis,  who  found 
him  a  new  subject  for  the  English  province.  Mr.  Jonston 


146  LIFE   OP   CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

a   Scotchman   was  a  secular  priest,   and  then  entered  the 
Benedictine  Order  abroad  in  which  he  continued  for  eleven 
years.     He  now   sought  to  become   a  Dominican   and   was 
sent  from   Eome  to  join   the    Belgian   province.     But  the 
provincial  thought  it  better  for  a  Scotchman  to  be  with  the 
English  than  with  the  Belgians.     F.  Thomas  Howard  sent 
Mr.   Jonston  to  Bornhem,  and  following   soon   after   gave 
liim  the  habit  March  13th  with  the  name  of  Dominic  of  St. 
Thomas   and  placed   him  in   the   noviciate  at   Ghent.     As 
vicar-general  and  prior  F.  Thomas  Howard  had  much  to  do 
for  Bornhem.     Whilst  he  was  at  Brussels  he  presented  F. 
Lawrence  Thwaits  to  the  bishop  for  faculties.     F.  Lawrence 
was  the  first  of  the  convent  who  thus  had  power  to   hear 
confessions  at  large  in  the  diocese  of  Ghent,  for  before  him 
F.  William  Collins  had  leave  only  for  the  three  festivals  of 
Holy  Cross,  of  St.  Dominic,  and  of  the  Most  Holy  Kosary. 
F.    Thomas    Howard    took    back    F.   Edward    Bing    from 
Brussels  to  his  convent.    F.  Martin  Eussel  had  not  recovered 
his  health  since  his  voyage   from  Tangier,   and   his   elder 
brother   at  Little   Malvern  being  lately  dead  his  sister-in- 
law  pressed  him  to   come   into  England;  F.  Edward  Bing 
too  was  very  anxious  to  see  after  the  welfare  of  his  daughter 
whom   he  had  left  in  his   native  country.     So   F.  Thomas 
Howard  released  F.  Martin  from  his  office  of  sub-prior,  and 
sent  him   March   13th   with   F.   Edward   Bing   by  way   of 
Ghent  into  England.     The  same   day  too   he   departed  to 
Brussels  after  he  had  made,  F.  John  Canning  vicar  of  the 
convent  till    he  could  arrange  for    another    sub-prior,   F. 
Lawrence  Thwaits  procurator,  and  F.  James  Goodlad  sacris- 
tan.    At  Brussels  he  was  joined  by  F.  Antoninus  Wichart 
whom   he   brought   with   him   into    England.     This   father 
knew  nothing  at  all  of  the  English  language,  but  he  had 
continued  to   be   on   very  friendly  terms  with  F.  Vincent 
Torre,  who  always  corresponded  with  him  and  led  him  thus 
to  betake  himself  to  the  English  mission.    It  was  attempted 


LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  147 

now  to  affiliate  him  and  F.  Albert  de  Groet  to  the  English 
province,  and  F.  Thomas  Howard  got  the  leave  of  the 
master-general  and  the  full  consent  of  all  the  fathers  of 
Bruges  for  this  purpose ;  but  something  or  other  was 
wanting  on  the  part  of  Bornhem  which  made  the  proceedings 
void  and  afterwards  in  the  opinion  of  the  annalist  came  very 
seasonably  into  use. 

In  May  shortly  after  reaching  England  F.  Thomas  Howard 
sent  the  patents  of  the  sub-priorship  to  F.  John  Canning  who 
was  the  first  son  of  the  convent  that  had  the  government  of 
it :  he  rendered  great  services  and  first  invested  the  capital 
of  the  house  in  real  property.  At  this  time  F.  Peter 
Atwood  returned  having  done  all  his  studies  at  Louvain. 
Some  time  after  B.  Francis  Dominic  Howard  who  was  much 
worse  than  ever  in  health  went  to  live  with  the  dean  of 
Geele  hoping  he  might  recover  through  the  intercession  of 
St.  Dympna  :  he  gained  only  in  part  what  he  thus  sought. 
The  sub-prior  April  7th  1670  received  the  profession  of  F. 
Dominic  Thomas  Jonston.* 

For  five  years  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  so  much  taken  up 
with  his  office  of  grand  almoner  at  the  English  court  that 
he  could  not  visit  Belgium  ;  and  during  this  time  there  are 
only  a  few.  scattered  facts  about  the  convent  of  Bornhem, 
as  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  with  his  recording  pen  was 
away.  In  1670  F.  Lawrence  Thwaits  fell  into  ill  health 
and  was  sent  May  1st  into  England,  as  it  was  thought  that 
the  climate  of  his  native  country  would  do  him  good ;  he 
died  in  London  June  22nd  in  the  29th  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  a  mild  and  learned  Religious  and  was  thoroughly 
well  acquainted  with  the  Flemish  and  French  languages. 

In  1671  the  roof  of  the  church  was  raised  five  feet  and 
arched  over  with  masonry ;  the  count  of  Bornhem  had  his 


»  This  Religious  died  at  Bornhem  April  llth  1685. 


148  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

armorial  bearings  put  into  the  windows.  The  area  in  front 
of  the  church  was  enlarged,  for  it  was  so  narrow  that  a 
carnage  could  not  be  turned  in  it.  The  commissary  of 
Rupelmonde  required  the  fathers  as  English  strangers  to 
pay  all  secular  imposts.  Against  this  exaction  the  fathers 
petitioned  the  council  of  Flanders,  whilst  the  commissary  on 
the  other  hand  contended  that  the  matter  ought  to  be  taken 
before  the  royal  ministers  of  Ghent  who  supported  his  claim. 
The  council  April  14th  provisionally  granted  immunity  and 
sent  the  cause  to  Ghent ;  but  nothing  more  was  then  done 
and  the  fathers  were  left  in  their  former  liberty. 

In  May  1672  a  secular  college  was  again  formed  at  Born- 
hem  and  four  or  five  bo}rs  of  respectable  families  were  sent 
to  it,  but  it  was  given  up  about  the  end  of  the  following 
year.  F.  Edward  Bing  was  made  chaplain  in  an  English 
regiment  under  the  duke  of  Monmouth,  and  during  the 
invasion  of  Holland  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  convent.  In 
1673  Roger  Powell  a  fine  and  modest  "Welsh  youth  was 
clothed  August  4th  as  a  cleric  by  the  sub-prior ;  but  while 
he  was  in  the  noviciate  of  Ghent  he  became  half  silly 
through  over-done  and  ill-regulated  devotion,  so  that  in 
about  six  months  not  without  some  difficulty  he  was  sent 
back  into  his  own  country.  F.  Dominic  Gwillim  was  insti- 
tuted sub-prior  September  1st,  as  F.  Joseph  Vere  was  called 
into  England  by  F.  Thomas  Howard,  and  F.  John  Canning 
became  confessor  to  the  nuns  at  Brussels  where  he  died 
July  19th  1676  in  the  36th  year  of  his  age. 

George  Gibson  clothed  December  20th  1672  by  the  then 
sub-prior  was  professed  December  26th  in  the  following  year 
by  F.  Dominic  Gwillim  and  became  in  religion  George  of 
St.  Thomas.*  He  belonged  to  the  honourable  family  of 

*  F.  George  Thomas  Gibson  in  1682  was  made  sub- prior  of 
Bornhem,  and  was  vicar  till  1685.  He  came  into  England  and 
was  chaplain  to  Ralph  Clavering  esq.  and  also  had  Stonecrofb 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

Gibson  of  Corbridge  in  Northumberland,  settled  in  1693  at 
Stonecroft  near  Hexham  which  they  then  bought  of  John 
lord  Widdrington.  The  Gibsons  have  been  distinguished 
for  their  unwavering  attachment  to  the  faith  and  for  the 
number  of  ecclesiastics  they  have  given  to  the  Church. 

Brother  Sebastian  Reynaets  died  April  22nd  1674  when 
he  was  in  the  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age  :  he  was  a  very 
hard-working  laybrother  and  aided  very  much  the  rising 
convent.  About  the  end  of  summer  the  same  year  F.  William 
Collins  went  to  Bornhem,  on  what  account  is  not  recorded ; 
but  he  was  soon  called  back  into  England.  Shortly  after  an 
unfortunate  affair  happened  with  F.  Vincent  Torre,  who 
wrought  a  great  miracle  as  he  thought  it,  the  fame  of 
which  was  buzzed  about  far  and  wide,  whilst  its  spuriousness 
made  it  a  scandal  to  religion  and  a  derision  to  Protestants, 
He  was  obliged  to  hide  himself  for  some  time  in  London, 
and  then  F.  Thomas  Howard  sent  him  out  of  the  way  to 
the  Spellekens.  It  is  probable  that  F.  Antoninus  Wichart 
returned  into  Belgium  with  him,  for  he  was  at  Bornhem  in 
1675;  but  how  long  he  stayed  there  and  what  became  of 
him  do  not  appear. 


in  place  of  F.  Will.  Mich.  Bertram.  He  died  at  Stonecroft 
December  19th  (o.  s.)  1696  and  was  buried  at  the  little  church 
there. 


150  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 


CHAPTER  X. 

• 

At  the  English  court  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  in  the 
highest  esteem :  his  abounding  charities  led  him  to  he 
called  "the  common  father  of  the  poor."  The  king  always 
addressed  him  as  "  My  lord."  He  alone  was  allowed  to 
appear  in  puhlic  hahited  as  an  ecclesiastic,  and  hy  dispensa- 
tion he  wore  the  dress  of  a  French  abbe.  He  was  often  the 
guest  and  companion  of  Cosmo  de  Medici  in  and  around 
London,  when  that  prince  of  Tuscany  visited  England  in 
1669,  who  thus  speaks  of  him  in  his  published  travels. 
"  It  has  been  wished  at  Eome  to  consecrate  as  titular  bishop 
in  England  some  ecclesiastic  of  integrity  and  talent  a  native 
of  the  kingdom  who  may  watch  over  the  missions,  as  is 
done  in  Holland.  For  this  purpose  they  cast  their  eye 
upon  Philip  Howard  grand  almoner  to  the  queen,  having 
ascertained  that  the  king  was  no  way  averse  from  such  a 
step ;  but  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  being  in  a  condition 
not  very  favourable  to  the  Catholics  owing  to  the  inveteracy 
of  the  Parliament,  it  was  thought  unseasonable,  and  was 
judged  more  prudent,  the  same  having  been  hinted  by  the 
king,  to  put  off  the  execution  of  such  a  proceeding  to  some 
other  more  favourable  opportunity.  In  the  mean  time  the 
bishops  of  Ireland  perform  the  episcopal  functions  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Catholics  and  come  over  occasionally  to  exer- 
cise their  charge  in  the  best  manner  in  their  power." 

Fearful  times  indeed  were  coming  on  for  the  persecuted 
Church  in  England.  There  were  mutterings  and  threats 
against  it  throughout  all  the  land  and  in  high  places,  which 
grew  louder  and  foretokened  the  greatest  evils  as  time  went 
on  and  showed  that  a  Catholic  sovereign  would  mount  the 
throne.  When  the  convent  of  Bornhem  was  in  danger 


LIFE   OF  CAEDINAL   HOWARD.  151 

from  the  arms  of  France  F.  Thomas  Howard  interested 
the  French  ambassador  in  London  in  behalf  of  it,  and  also 
wrote  December  29th  1673  to  the  marshal  de  Bellefond, 
pleading  that  the  house  he  had  founded  might  be  saved  for 
his  retreat  when  his  country  would  no  longer  receive  him. 
This  letter  shows  how  clearly  he  foresaw  the  issue  of  the 
deadly  hatred  which  was  more  and  more  rapidly  gathering 
against  the  Church  and  in  a  great  measure  against  himself. 
His  zeal  and  his  influence  at  the  court  made  him  very  much 
disliked  by  Protestants,  especially  as  he  had  a  great  hand 
in  the  royal  Declaration  of  Toleration  for  liberty  of  con- 
science published  March  15th  (o.  s.)  1671-2,  and  almost 
daily  complaints  were  brought  against  him  of  reconciling 
persons  to  the  Church.  At  length  he  drew  upon  himself 
the  anger  of  the  dean  and  chapter  of  Windsor  by  converting 
John  Davis  one  of  their  minor-canons  and  chaplain  of 
Magdalen  College  Oxford,  and  also  John  Greene  a  young 
protege  of  theirs  of  much  talent  whom  they  had  sent  to 
the  same  college  to  be  brought  up  for  the  Establish- 
ment. Such  liberty  of  conscience  could  not  be  suffered 
for  a  moment :  and  when  the  chapter  had  taken  deep 
offence  it  was  easy  to  gather  other  charges  against  F, 
Thomas  Howard  which  would  make  their  cause  seem  still 
more  important.  They  accused  him  of  being  the  promoter 
of  the  Declaration  of  Toleration,  and  of  having  printed  in 
some  English  books  of  piety  the  pontifical  bulls  of  indul- 
gences granted  to  the  Most  Holy  Kosary.  This  last  charge 
was  the  most  serious  of  all,  as  the  penal  laws  made  it  high 
treason  to  publish  papal  bulls  and  decrees.  In  vain  he 
tried  to  justify  or  excuse  himself  by  alleging  that  he  had 
only  followed  the  example  of  the  Capuchin  chaplains  of 
queen  Henrietta  Maria  :  the  chapter  was  not  to  be  appeased, 
raised  a  mighty  uproar  and  threatened  to  carry  the  matter , 
into  parliament.  For  a  time  F.  Thomas  Howard  withstood 
the  storm,  but  it  thickened  around  him  and  raged  so 


152  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HuWARD. 

violently  that  it  was  rash  to  outbrave  it.  He  sought  the 
king's  leave  to  withdraw  abroad  lest  he  should  entangle 
the  faithful  and  even  the  royal  household  of  the  queen  in  all 
the  troubles  of  a  national  religious  strife.  Charles  granted 
his  request,  and  F.  Thomas  Howard  giving  much  of  his 
personal  property  into  the  care  of  the  provincial  procurator 
F.  Thomas  Fidden,  but  carrying  with  him  his  valuable 
ecclesiastical  ornaments  together  with  some  sums  of  money 
which  the  king  and  queen  bestowed  on  him  to  relieve  his 
exiled  Catholic  countrymen,  sought  an  asylum  at  Bornhem 
where  he  arrived  about  the  middle  of  September  1674. 

Mr.  Davis  and  Mr.  Greene  who  had  been  the  innocent 
cause  of  so  great  a  stir  followed  F.  Thomas  Howard  to 
Bornhem  and  reached  the  convent  October  3rd  shortly  after 
him.  John  Greene  was  born  in  1655  ;  his  mother's  maiden 
name  seems  to  have  been  Westby,  by  which  he  was  after- 
wards known  on  the  mission,  as  persecution  made  it  needful 
for  a  priest  to  screen  his  family  and  himself  under  another 
name.  He  spent  a  great  part  of  his  youth  in  the  royal 
household  at  London  and  Windsor,  where  when  he  was 
seven  years  old  he  was  much  noticed  by  Cosmo  de  Medici 
afterwards  grand  duke  of  Tuscany.  He  received  the  habit 
of  St.  Dominic  and  the  religious  name  of  Raymund  Decem- 
ber 9th  from  the  sub-prior  F.  Dominic  Gwillim,  by  whom  he 
was  professed  December  15th  in  the  following  year  after  he 
had  passed  through  his  noviciate  in  the  convent  of  Ghent. 
John  Ovington  his  elder  in  age  by  a  year  and  in  the  Order 
who  entered  Bornhem  November  10th,  was  clothed,  passed 
his  noviciate  and  made  his  profession  along  with  him.* 
Mr.  Davis  never  tried  even  to  take  the  habit :  he  left  Born- 
hem  April  29th  after  he  had  stayed  there  nearly  seven 

*  F.  John  Ovington  was  sent  to  Brussels  June  1st  1678,  and  to 
Nantes  in  Bretagne  June  4th  1682  for  his  studies.  He  was  made 
procurator  of  Bornhem  September  21st  1686,  vicar-in-capite  of  the 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  153 

months,  and  his  after-history  has  escaped  our  researches. 
With  him  went  a  Mr.  Butler,  who  had  gone  there  November 
4th,  had  been  clothed  with  Ovington  and  Greene,  and  March 
9th  following  quitted  the  noviciate  at  Ghent. 


convent  in  1688,  prior  in  1691,  and  died  at  Bornhem  March  25th 
1696  in  his  forty-third  year. 

F.  Eaymund  Greene  was  professed  along  with  the  last  December 
15th  1675  by  the  sub-prior  and  vicar  F.Dominic  Gwillim.  He 
studied  his  philosophy  at  Bornhem  and  his  theology  at  Naples. 
He  then  taught  both  these  sciences  at  Rome  and  Bornhem,  and  so 
skilful  was  he  in  them  that  being  companion  to  the  provincial  for 
the  general  chapter  held  at  Rome  in  1686  he  made  such  an  excel- 
lent defension  embracing  the  whole  sweep  of  theology  before  the 
assembled  fathers,  that  the  newly-elected  master-general  F.  Anto- 
ninus Cloche  raised  him  to  the  grade  of  a  prcesentatus  ;  and  in  the 
general  chapter  of  1706  he  was  laureated  master  of  theology.  In 
1707  he  went  to  the  college  at  Louvain  and  taught  there  for  five 
years.  He  became  confessor  to  the  nuns  at  the  Spellekens  in 
1693,  1712,  1719,  1722,  and  1732;  was  elected  prior  of  Bornhem 
in  1694  and  1697;  and  was  appointed  provincial  in  1716.  In 
1700  he  twice  attempted  to  cross  the  sea  into  England,  but  was 
taken  both  times  by  enemies  (for  much  warfare  was  then  raging) 
and  forcibly  landed  in  the  Netherlands.  In  1720  he  was  on  the 
mission  for  two  years,  and  in  1726  became  chaplain  in  the  Catholic 
family  of  Knight  in  Lincolnshire  till  1730  when  he  removed  to 
London.  In  June  1736  he  was  made  rector  of  the  college  of  St. 
Thomas  at  Louvain  where  he  died  July  28th  1741  in  the  eighty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  For  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life  he 
suffered  much  from  hemiplegia.  .He  was  the  last  of  the  province 
who  was  personally  acquainted  with  cardinal  Howard,  whose 
memory  he  cherished  with  the  greatest  veneration. 

In  the  library  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  at  Arundel  castle  is  a 
beautifully  executed  Processionale  of  the  Order,  "  Written  out  for 
the  use  of  the  most  truly  Vertuous  and  very  Religious  Sister  Sr. 
Dominica  Howard  of  Norfolke,  By  her  unworthy  Brother  and  Ser- 


154  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWAED. 

At  Bornliem  F.   Thomas  Howard  took  up  his  duties  as 
prior.     One  of  his  first  acts  was  to  agree  with  the  fathers  of 
the    conventual    council    September    20th    in    declining    a 
perpetual  foundation  for  the  soul  of  Frances  Coloma,  widow 
of  Christopher  de  Medina  Montoya  chevalier  of  the  Order  of 
St.  James  in  Spain.     By  her  will  December  7th  .1659   she 
desired   her   body  to   be  buried   in   the   convent  church  of 
Bornhem,  and  directed  six  hundred  Masses  to  be  said  for  her, 
half  by  the  English  fathers  and  half  by  the  Friar-Minors  of 
Mechlin,  at  privileged  altars.    She  also  bequeathed  110  florins 
a-year  to  Bornhem  for  celebrating  daily  for  her  soul  in  per- 
petuity.    The  fathers  complied  with  the  other  conditions  ; 
but  the  foundation  offered  them  by  the  count  of  Bornhem  and 
his  brother  Peter   Coloma  baron   of  Mariensart  was  much 
below  the  honorarium  fixed  by  the  bishops  of  the  Netherlands. 
What  was  afterwards  done  does  not  appear  in  existing  records. 
The  baron  of  Mariensart  was  a  great  benefactor  of  the  con- 
vent, and  perhaps  he  came  to  some  arrangement,  for  a  daily 
Mass  for  Madame  Medina  was  regularly  celebrated  till  about 
1804,  when  the  loss  of  the  rent  through  the  French  Ke volu- 
tion  destroyed  the  foundation.     F.  Thomas  Howard  April 
28th  1675  received  the  profession  of  Brother  Pius  Westcote 
alias   Lyttelton,   whose  baptismal  name  was  Gervase.     Ha 
belonged   to    the    honourable    family  whence   descend    the 
Lytteltons   barons   of  Frankley  in  Worcestershire,  went  to 
Bornhem  February  26th  1674,  was  clothed  March  28th  by  the 
sub-prior  F.  Dominic  Gwillim,  and  two  days  after  began  his 
noviciate.*     F.    Thomas   Howard   intended   to   travel  some 


vanfc,  the  most  unworthy  of  all  the  Childien  of  St.  Dominique,  Br. 
Kaymund  Greene,  Professed  at  Bornhera  in  Flanders  among  the 
English  Dominican  Fryars  Preachers,  the  15  day  of  December,  In 
the  yeare  of  Grace  1675."  The  MS.  was  finished  in  1694. 

*  F.  Pius  Westcote  was  procurator  of  the  convent  of  Bornhera 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  155 

time  in  France,  and  then  settle  down  in  his  convent  for  the 
rest  of  his  days  and  dedicate  all  his  energies  to  the  welfare  of 
the  English  province. 

The  year  of  jubilee  arrived  in  1675,  and  F.  Thomas 
Howard  sought  the  master-general's  leave  to  visit  Home,  so 
that  he  might  partake  there  of  the  fulness  of  the  Church's 
spiritual  gifts.  But  before  he  could  receive  an  answer  an 
event  happened  which  changed  every  scheme  for  the  future. 
On  Trinity  Sunday  (June  9th)  a  traveller  drew  nigh  to 
Bornhem  and  enquired  for  the  English  Dominican  convent. 
"When  he  saw  how  poor  and  small  it  was  he  paused  for  some 
time  fancying  he  had  wandered  out  of  the  right  road  and  had 
mistaken  the  house.  As  he  found  he  was  not  wrong  he 
entered  the  convent,  and  announced  that  he  had  been  officially 
sent  direct  from  Eome  ten  days  before  with  the  message,  that 
among  the  six  dignitaries  whom  Clement  X.  May  27th  had 
added  to  the  Sacred  College,  F.  Thomas  Howard  had  been 
created  a  Cardinal-Priest.  The  news  was  received  with  great 
joy  by  all  except  by  F.  Thomas  Howard  himself,  who  was 
thunder-struck  as  he  was  wholly  unprepared  for  it.  He 
remained  dumb  with  amazement  for  some  time  and  then 
burst  into  tears.  He  heeded  little  the  congratulations  of  his 
brethren  and  hardly  would  admit  into  his  presence  the  mes- 
senger with  the  letters  of  promotion.  He  was  at  a  loss  to 
conceive  to  whom  he  owed  this  great  honour,  little  suspecting 
then  that  the  great  friend  of  his  early  years  F.  John  Baptist 
Hackett  had  some  hand  in  it ;  though  his  former  tutor  now 
the  pope's  confessor  mainly  brought  it  about,  as  a  token  of 

from  1681  to  1683  and  then  came  into  England.  He  led  a 
•wandering  life  ministering  to  the  faithful  from  place  to  place  till 
1696,  when  he  settled  at  Stonecroft.  Failing  health  forced  him 
within  ten  years  to  give  up  that  mission,  and  he  became  chaplain 
to  Marmaduke  baron  Langclale  at  the  Holme  in  Yorkshire,  where 
he  died  June  10th  1723  in  his  seventy-fifth  year. 


156  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

respect  for  his  rank,  a  reward  for  his  religious  zeal,  and  a 
recompense  for  the  exile  into  which  persecution  had  driven 
him. 

The  first  wish  of  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  to  learn  the  will 
of  God  in  such  a  weighty  affair,  and  he  withdrew  into  his  cell 
where  he  remained  alone  for  three  or  four  hours  in  medita- 
tion and  prayer.     The  next  morning  he  celebrated  Mass  and 
exposed  the  venerable  Relic  of  the  Cross,  in  order  to  draw 
down  divine  aid  and  light ;  and  then  he  resolved  to  consult 
the  bishop  of  Antwerp  F.  Marius  Ambrose  Capello  a  Domi- 
nican in  whose  wisdom,  piety  and  prudence  he  reposed  the 
greatest  confidence.     In  the  company  of  Brother  Hyacinth 
Coomans  he  went  to  Antwerp  and  first  visited  the  Dominican 
convent,  receiving  there  on  bended  knee  the  blessing  of  the 
prior  F.  master  Godefrid  Marquis,  to  whom  the  whole  affair 
was  unknown.     The  prior  asked  him  to  dine  there  as  it  was 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  he  excused  himself 
and  took  his  way  to  the  bishop's  palace.     He  found  the  aged 
bishop  was  just  taking  his  siesta,  so  not  wishing  to  disturb 
him  he  turned  aside  to  the  professed  house  of  the  Jesuits  to 
wait  his  leisure.     Meanwhile  the  news  began  to  fly  about  all 
the  convent  and  to  make  no  small  stir  there.     During  vespers 
Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  went  into  the  choir  to  ask  the 
prior's  leave  for  going  out,   and  unable  to  keep  his  over- 
charged tongue  still  whispered  what  had  happened  and  added 
that  he  thought  F.  Thomas  Howard  would  not  accept  the 
dignity.      The  prior  did  not  believe  a  word   and   took   no 
notice.     Brother  Hyacinth   had  told  all  before  to  the  less 
doubting  porter  of  the  convent  Brother  Philip  van  Hoof,  who 
in  his  turn  went  to  F.  lector  de  Brew  and  pointed  out  the 
messenger.     F.  de  Brew  had  been  in  Rome  and  knew  the 
man  again,  and  when  he  learned  of  him  the  truth  he  too  ran 
off  to  the  prior  who  was  still  in*  the  choir.     The  prior  putting 
on  his  cappa,  immediately  hurried  off  with  the  lector  to  the 
bishop's  palace  to  meet  F.  Thomas  Howard  and  to  offer  him 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  157 

his  hearty  congratulations.  When  the  two  arrived  F.  Thomas 
had  not  returned  from  the  house  of  the  Jesuits,  so  that  they 
had  time  to  tell  the  bishop  of  the  honour  done  to  the  prior  of 
Bornhem.  The  bishop  called  together  all  his  household  to 
give  a  fitting  reception  to  the  new  cardinal.  F.  Thomas  Howard 
soon  came  in  ;  he  knelt  for  the  blessing  of  the  bishop  who 
in  his  turn  knelt  for  that  of  his  eminence.  He  laid  open  all 
his  difficulties  and  anxieties  regarding  his  promotion,  and 
declared  he  would  refuse  the  cardinalship  if  his  lordship  so 
advised  him.  The  bishop  led  him  into  the  private  chapel; 
after  praying  there  for  a  few  minutes  he  stood  up  and  entoned 
the  Te  Deum  with  a  loud  and  joyful  voice,  and  F.  Thomas 
Howard  arose  from  his  knees  a  Prince  of  the  Church  of  God. 
The  bishop  then  led  the  cardinal  into  some  private  apart- 
ments in  the  palace.  In  the  evening  the  cardinal  returned  in 
his  lordship's  carriage  to  the  convent  where  he  remained  two 
nights.  The  first  night  he  spent  there  he  had  a  characteristic 
conversation  with  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans.  He  remarked, 
"  I  am  afraid  my  promotion  will  prove  more  hurtful  than 
advantageous  to  the  convent  of  Bornhem,  as  I  have  not 
means  to  keep  up  a  cardinal's  dignity  properly."  "I  hope," 
replied  Brother  Hyacinth,  "  that  his  Catholic  Majesty  will 
provide  a  valuable  bishopric  for  your  eminence."  "No,  no  !" 
he  exclaimed,  "I  will  not  bind  myself  to  anybody;  for  if  a  man 
once  attaches  himself  to  a  prince  by  receiving  a  favour  he  is 
always  and  in  everything  at  the  prince's  beck,  even  though  it 
may  go  against  his  conscience."  The  cardinal  soon  acted  on 
this  high  principle,  for  the  messenger  from  Home  brought 
him  the  present  of  one  hundred  gold  crowns  from  Cosmo  de 
Medici  grand  duke  of  Tuscany,  and  the  same  sum  from 
cardinal  Altieri.  He  declined  the  gift  from  the  grand  duke, 
but  thought  it  best  to  take  the  one  from  the  cardinal  who  was 
the  patron  and  protector  of  the  Dominican  Order.  And 
throughout  all  the  rest  of  his  life  he  religiously  kept  to  his 


158  LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

resolution,  for  when  Spain,  France,  and  Germany  offered  him 
many  benefits  he  firmly  refused  them. 

From  the  convent  his  eminence  returned  to  the  bishop's 
palace  where  he  was  most  kindly  entertained  for  some  time. 
Meanwhile  Monsignor  Con  arrived  from  Borne  bringing  the 
cardinal's  biretta,  which  the  bishop  publicly  placed  upon  the 
head  of  the  elect  with  the  usual  ceremonial  in  the  cathedral 
of  Antwerp,  when  numerous  spectators  were  present. 

Amidst  all  this  excitement  the  cardinal  never  lost  sight  of 
the  English  province  and  of  his  own  cherished  foundations  in 
Belgium.     "Whilst  he  was  now  at  Antwerp  it  seemed  a  very 
good  time  for  him  to  try  again  to  have  a  house  and  college  in 
the  city  joined  with  the  convent  of  Bornhem.    He  spoke  about 
it  with  the  bishop  and  abbot,  who  counselled  him  against  pro- 
posing anything  in  the  matter  to  Mr.  Hartop  or  Mr.  Newport. 
Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  was  sent  in  secular  clothes  to 
look  at   some  houses,  and  he   found  two  adjoining  in  the 
Iserway  called  de  Guide  Panne  and  St.  Jacques,  which  seemed 
most  suitable  and  were  tenanted  by  relatives  of  M.  de  Witt  a 
Norbertine  and  pastor  of  Duerne.   M.  de  Witt  himself  advised 
the  cardinal  to  buy  them,  and  it  was  agreed  to  give  11,500 
florins  for  them,  twenty-five  patigons  being  added  in  favour  of 
some  Devout  Daughters  who  dwelt  there.     The  cardinal  sent 
12,000  florins  to  Brother  Hyacinth,  who  took  possession  of 
the  houses  in  the  name  of  his  step-father,  and  in  the  middle 
of  August  the  purchase  was  completed.     The  houses  were 
amortized  by  the  king  May  30th  1682,  and  sometimes  served 
as  a  refuge  in  perilous  times,  but  beyond  this  no  good  came 
out  of  the  scheme  and  the  houses  were  at  length  sold  in  1697. 
The  cardinal  also  endeavoured  to  have  the  endowment  of  the 
convent  enlarged  and  the  number  of  Religious  increased  from 
thirteen  to  twenty ;  and  for  that  purpose  he  petitioned  the 
privy  council  for  leave  to  buy  lands  and  to  have  them  amor- 
tized, and  even  went  privately  to  speak  with  the  supreme 
president  on  the  subject.    But  an  unfavourable  answer  was 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD.  159 

returned  and  the  matter  was  altogether  laid  aside.  The 
financial  state  of  the  convent  was  the  cardinal's  greatest 
trouble,  for  out  of  the  foundation-capital  5,000  florins  had 
been  borrowed  to  buy  the  nuns'  house  at  Yilvorde,  and  12,000 
florins  were  now  used  for  the  two  houses  at  Antwerp  which 
never  brought  in  anything,  as  the  rents  (when  there  were 
any)  were  swallowed  up  in  repairs  and  other  expenses.  So 
the  convent  was  almost  without  the  legal  endowment;  yet  as 
it  never  drew  at  all  upon  the  country  the  government  let  the 
matter  alone,  and  the  convent  had  to  struggle  on  for  many 
years  in  deep  poverty  before  its  revenues  were  fully  recruited. 
Before  quitting  the  country  the  cardinal  paid  a  last  visit 
to  Brussels  and  Bornhem,  and  the  countess  of  Bornhem 
seized  the  occasion  to  press  again  her  long-fostered  claim  to 
enter  the  cloister  at  pleasure  as  foundress  of  the  convent. 
Moreover  she  demanded  that  the  aspersorium  should  be 
offered  her,  so  that  she  might  take  the  holy  water  with  her 
own  hand.  This  latter  privilege  had  been  yielded  to  her 
vanity  by  D.  Legaw  of  Hosdunk,  but  was  denied  by  D.  de 
Backer  pastor  of  Bornhem,  which  so  piqued  her  that  she 
would  not  go  any  more  to  the  parish  church.  The  cardinal 
replied  that  offering  the  aspersorium  was  directly  against  the 
pontifical  rubrics  and  was  allowed  only  to  a  bishop  in  his  own 
diocese  ;  and  that  while  he  was  grand-almoner  to  the  queen 
of  England  it  was  never  done,  but  it  was  the  custom  to 
sprinkle  first  the  deacon  and  sub- deacon  and  then  the  queen  ; 
and  he  could  not  allow  the  Religious  to  take  up  another 
practice.  As  to  the  countess  entering  the  cloister  it  was  quite 
out  of  his  power  to  grant  it ;  but  when  he  got  to  Rome  he 
would  speak  to  the  sovereign  pontiff  on  the  matter.  The 
countess  was  not  contented  and  went  off  in  a  pet,  declaring 
afterwards  that  she  would  never  again  enter  the  convent- 
church,  and  she  desired  that  a  Religious  would  say  mass  every 
day  at  the  castle.  In  a  day  or  two  the  cardinal  returned  to 
Anwerp  accompanied  by  the  count  of  Bornhem  and  the  baron 


160  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

of  Mariensart,  both  of  whom  pressed  him  to  give  in  to  the 
countess's  whims ;  but  he  excused  himself  from  granting  what 
in  fact  he  could  not. 

On  the  following  morning  which  was  a  Sunday  the  countess 
sent  her  steward  to  the  convent  to  announce  her  will  that  a 
Religious  should  celebrate  at  the  castle.  The  sub -prior  sent 
back  word  that  he  could  not  obey  her  order,  for  the  Mass 
must  be  said  in  a  place  where  those  hearing  it  would  fulfil 
the  obligation  of  the  day.  On  receiving  this  message  the 
countess  lost  her  temper,  and  the  steward  hurried  back  to  the 
convent  and  begged  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  to  go  and 
speak  to  her  with  all  speed.  He  found  her  in  the  castle- 
garden  overwhelmed  with  tears,  and  he  boldly  but  respect- 
fully begged  her  if  she  would  not  give  scandal  to  her  children 
and  to  the  baroness  of  Mariensart  who  were  present  to  repair 
at  once  to  the  convent,  as  it  was  not  fit  for  upwards  of  a 
hundred  persons  to  be  bereft  of  Mass,  as  it  was  now  eleven 
o'clock  and  they  were  staying  for  the  last  celebration.  The 
countess  at  length  gave  way  and  getting  into  her  carriage 
attended  the  church.  A  day  or  two  after  when  the  count  and 
baron  had  returned  from  Antwerp  Brother  Hyacinth  waited 
on  them,  and  the  question  of  celebrating  Mass  in  the  castle- 
chapel  was  gone  into  with  some  sharpness.  The  count 
believed  that  his  chapel  was  consecrated  and  that  the  obliga- 
tion of  hearing  Mass  could  be  fulfilled  there  as  had  been  often 
done  without  contradiction.  Brother  Hyacinth  said  that  the 
chapel  was  not  consecrated,  and  that  an  abuse  could  not  avail 
in  the  argument ;  and  on  examining  the  altar  they  found 
inscribed  on  it  the  year  and  day  of  its  consecration  but  nothing 
about  the  chapel.  The  count  was  amazed,  and  wondered  how 
Brother  Hyacinth  knew  so  much  about  it.  The  good  lay- 
brother  had  been  made  so  bold  in  what  he  said  by  his  having 
noted  that  there  were  no  dedicatory  crosses  on  the  walls.  He 
even  went  farther  and  asked  if  papal  leave  had  been  given  for 
Mass  there  at  all,  and  the  count  had  to  own  that  he  had  not 


LIFE  OF  CAKDINAL  HOWARD.  161 

got  it.  Thereupon  brother  Hyacinth*  offered  if  it  was  agree- 
able that  he  would  obtain  it  at  Rome.  The  count  would  not 
agree  at  the  time,  as  he  perhaps  wished  to  have  the  opinion 
of  others.  The  bishop  of  Antwerp  was  consulted,  who  said 
that  formerly  bishops  had  power  to  give  such  a  leave,  but  it 
had  long  been  reserved  to  the  Apostolic  See ;  still  it  would 
be  easy  to  have  it  from  Rome :  and  with  this  opinion  the 
count  was  contented. 

The  cardinal  left  at  the  Spellekens  all  the  personal  property 
he  had  carried  out  of  England;  and  he  told  the  nuns 
(October  5th)  that  if  he  did  not  hereafter  dispose  of  it  under 
his  hand  and  seal  it  would  belong  to  them.  The  goods 
forwarded  by  F.  Thomas  Fidden  after  lying  some  time  at  the 
bishop's  palace  in  Antwerp  were  placed  with  the  rest  at 
Brussels.  To  the  convent  of  Bornhem  he  gave  a  fine  silver 
sanctuary-lamp  and  a  silver  thurible  and  incense-boat  which 
had  probably  belonged  to  the  royal  chapel  at  Whitehall ;  they 
are  still  kept  as  memorials  of  the  great  man  to  whom  the 
province  owed  its  restoration.  He  also  ordered  wooden  con- 
fessionals and  sedilia  to  be  made  for  the  convent-church.  F. 
Vincent  Torre  was  to  go  with  the  cardinal  to  Rome  as  his 
confessor.  But  at  that  time  F.  David  Joseph  Kemeys  chap- 
lain to  the  countess  of  Arundel  and  a  good  and  prudent 
Religious  had  gone  over  into  Belgium  to  carry  the  congratu- 

*  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans  was  for  many  years  procurator  at 
Bornhem,  then  at  the  college  of  St.  Thomas  at  Louvain.  He  died 
at  Bornhem  July  12th  1701  in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  Besides  hia 
Annals,  he  wrote  :  1.  "  A  Booke  of  Avthentike  Copys  Concerneing 
the  Concession,  Donation,  Fundation,  Rents,  and  Revenues  of 
ye  English  Cloyster  of  the  Dominicans  at  Bornhem,"  began  in  1672 
and  continued.  2.  "  A  Formall  Discription  of  the  Lands  and 
Woods  that  ;ye  English  Dominicans  at  Bornhem  have  to  their  Vse," 
etc.  etc.  1694.  3.  A  genealogical  history  in  Flemish  of  the 
family  of  Howard  of  Norfolk,  1696  (title  page  gone). 
11 


162  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

lations  of  the  countess  to  her  son  on  his  promotion,  and  he 
seized  an  opportunity  to  speak  with  his  eminence  on  this 
matter,  as  the  fame  of  the  false  miracle  was  spread  as  much 
about  Home  as  about  London ;  and  choosing  F.  Vincent  as 
confessor  might  seem  to  be  approving  and  patronizing  "  such 
folly."  The  cardinal  yielded  ;  and  not  long  after  F.  Vincent 
with  tears  expressed  his  sorrow  to  Brother  Hyacinth  Coomans 
that  he  was  not  going  to  Rome,  but  would  shortly  be  sent 
back  into  England  as  vicar-general  of  the  province.  This 
last  appointment  F.  William  Collins  and  other  missionary 
fathers  tried  to  prevent;  but  the  cardinal  overruled  their 
objections,  and  as  the  master-general  took  up  his  recommen- 
dation F.  Vincent  Torre  was  soon  again  in  London. 

The  cardinal  now  got  ready  to  leave  Belgium  for  Rome. 
Among  the  distinguished  company  that  attended  him  in  his 
journey  were,  his  uncle  William  viscount  Stafford  who  lost 
his  life  on  the  scaffold  in  1680,  Mr.  John  Howard  the 
viscount's  son,  lord  Thomas  Howard  his  eminence's  nephew 
and  son  of  Henry  earl  of  Norwich  afterwards  duke  of 
Norfolk,  monsignor  Con,  and  Mr.  John  Leyburn  president  of 
the  English  college  of  Douay  who  became  his  secretary  and 
auditor.  The  cardinal  went  through  Flanders  to  Douay  and 
took  up  his  quarters  in  the  college,  where  he  was  received 
with  very  great  state  and  entertained  with  every  mark  of 
respect  by  Mr.  Leyburn.  Next  day  he  visited  St.  Gregory's 
college  of  the  English  Benedictines  in  the  same  city,  and 
being  met  by  the  whole  community  was  led  into  the  church 
in  solemn  procession,  when  the  Te  Deum  was  sung  and  the 
ritual  for  such  receptions  fully  carried  out.  From  the 
church  he  passed  into  the  cloister  and  was  regaled  with  a 
splendid  banquet.  A  panegyric  was  then  addressed  to  him 
by  Richard  (Brother  Wilfrid)  Reeves  a  religious  student  of 
the  college,  which  shortly  afterwards  was  printed  in  twenty 
pages  folio.  "  All  which/'  says  Anthony  a  Wood,  "  was  so 
well  performed  that  Vise.  Stafford  was  pleased  to  say,  that  it 


LIFE    OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  163 

was  the  only  fit  reception  his  Eminence  had  met  with  in  all 
his  journey."  From  Douay  the  cardinal  went  to  Paris  where 
he  remained  a  short  time  in  retirement.  "At  length," 
continues  our  author,  "  with  other  Nobility  and  Persons  of 
Quality  added  to  the  former  company,  he  journeyed  to  Home, 
and  made  his  entry :  for  the  defraying  of  which  and  his 
journey,  he  had  the  assistance  of  the  Pope,  and  not  of  King 
Charles  2.  and  Queen  Catherine,  as  the  common  report  then 
went." 

There  is  no  douht  that  this  last  statement  of  Anthony 
a  "Wood  is  correct,  but  the  cardinal  owed  no  little  to  the 
kindness  of  his  brother  Henry  earl  of  Norwich,  who  for  once 
dared  (such  were  the  dangers  of  Catholics  in  those  unhappy 
times)  to  write  to  him.  The  earl's  letter  is  dated,  "  London, 
\%  June,  1675,"  and  from  it  we  make  some  interesting 
extracts.* 

"  Although  I  had  much  difficulty  at  first,  and  when  I  spake 
with  Coll.  Balati  about  your  Em.  affaires,  how  I  could 
correspond  with  you,  for  feare  of  offending  our  masters  here, 
yet  I  found  it  so  necessary,  not  alone  in  order  to  your  Em. 
service,  but  to  the  preservation  of  mine  and  families  interest 
and  credit  abroad,  that  I  write  to  yourselfe,  and  also  to  Ld^ 
Padrone!  and  Barbarino,  that  I  have  swallowed  all  apprehen- 
sions of  difficulties  at  present,  and  henceforward  never  more 
to  correspond  more  then  to  order  Mr.  Hay  to  write  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Grane,J  who  will  informe  your  Em.  of  all  my  con- 

*  This  letter  with  the  foot-notes  is  taken  from  Tierney's 
"History  of  the  Castle  and  Town  of  Arundel,"  (Vol.  II.)  p. 
530. 

t  Cardinal  Altieri,  to  whose  influence,  in  conjunction  with  that 
of  cardinal  Barberino,  Howard  appears  to  have  been  principally 
indebted  for  his  advancement  to  the  purple. 

J  The  name  which  the  cardinal  henceforth  assumed  in  most  of 
liis  correspondence  with  England. 


164  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

C3rnes I  was  out  of  towne  at  the  arryvall  here  of  the 

express  you  sent,  and  came,  the  day  ere  yesterday,  to  towne. 
All  yesterday  and  this  day,  I  spent  in  preparing  what  you 
desire,  and,  this  very  night,  am  going  to  supp  with  his  ma1? 
and  the  duke,  at  the  prince  of  Newburgh's,  where,  since  I 
cannot  now  meet  them  at  Westminster,  nor  conveniently  go 
to  Whitehall,*  I  will  make  your  compliments,  and  ask  if  they 
desire  you  should  write  or  not.  Next  day  I  will  go  to  the 
Portugall  emhassador,  and,  by  his  advice,  address  to  her 
maty,  and,  by  lord  Peterborow,  to  the  dutchess.  I  send  the 
two  letters  for  Rome,  with  a  blank  for  the  filling  up  of  the 
day  of  the  moneth,  though  els  I  had  put  the  ||,  and  have 
wrote  them  both  all  with  my  owne  hand.  I  would  have  said 
much  more  of  the  causa  di  Dio,  dc.,  but  I  durst  not :  and 
pray  let  their  Emces  know,  I  would,  had  I  durst,  have  ex- 
pressed the  joy,  gratitude,  and  concerne  of  my  family  herein 
much  better:  but  time  will  show  that  I  am  sensibilissimo  del 

honore I  desire  your  Em.  to  reckon  upon  it,  that  I  ever 

will  be  a  true  friend,  as  well  as  a  kind  brother,  to  one  who 
has  ever  bin  so  kind  and  sincere  to  me  in  all  my  concernes. 
And  I  reckon  upon  it  also,  that  one  in  your  Em.  condition 
now  and  ever  will  be  as  just  and  kind  to  me,  and  the  concerns 
of  our  family,  as  all  other  persons  in  their  posture.  And,  for 
the  first  earnest  of  my  part,  I  am  providing,  and,  next  post, 
(certainly  depend  upon  it)  I  will  send  your  Em.  a  bill  of  a 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  payable  at  sight  in  Antwerp,  of 
which  if  you  will  receive  all  or  part  in  Italy,  it  depends  on 
your  pleasure :  and  I  hope  one  day,  at  your  owne  best 
leasure,  your  condition  will  be  so  good,  as  that,  before,  or  at, 

*  In  January,  a  proclamation  had  been  issued,  declaring  that  any 
papist  or  reputed  papist  who  should  presume  to  enter  the  palace  of 
Whitehall  or  of  St.  James's,  should,  according  to  his  rank,  be  com- 
mitted either  to  the  tower,  or  to  one  of  the  common  gaols.  Kennet 
III.  301. 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  165 

your  death,  you  may  with  ease  repay  it  to  me,  or  those  I 
leave  behind  me  to  receive  it :  and,  if  not,  I  freely  remitt  it 
from  the  hower  forward  as  I  send  it.  I  am  going,  in  August 
next,  into  Cumberland,  and  hope,  at  my  returne,  I  may 
furnish  your  Em.  with  a  thousand  more,  on  the  same  terms, 
of  which  though  I  am  not  certaine  as  to  the  time  precise,  yet 
you  may  as  well  reckon  upon  it  as  soon  as  I  can  get  it,  and,  I 
believe  it,  suddainly.  I  am  glad  to  see  in  Mr.  Hay's  letter 
of  the  generous  offer  or  presents  of  the  cardinal  padrone,  and 
the  great  duke,  in  which  particular  I  cannot,  at  this  distance, 
take  upon  me  to  advise  what  to  do,  but  an  swear  only  for 
myselfe,  that,  at  every  turne,  I  will  be  a  sure  carde  not  to  faile 
you  in  time  of  the  greatest  need.  And  if  you  can  but  rubb 
out  for  the  present,  I  hope  some  veschovate,*  or  other  church 
livings,  will  so  capacitate  you  as  to  need  little  more  hence. 
As  to  your  going  into  Italy,  it's  best,  I  think,  if  your  chiefe 
padronet  continue  in  any  reasonable  health,  that  you  deferr  it 
till  the  heats  be  over,  or  els  that  you  rest  at  Padoua,  in  your 
brother's  house,  where,  let  your  traine  be  what  it  will,  20,  or 
30,  I  will  see  all  defrayed  as  long  as  ever  you  please  to  be 
there  :  and,  in  sede  vacante,  in  24  howres  you  may  be  thence 
in  Kome.  I  have  also  thought,  as  soon,  or  in  what  time  you 
please,  to  add  to  your  traine  your  nephew  Tom,  wherere  you'l 
goe,  and  to  allow  him,  at  my  cost,  to  keep  a  camariero,!  a 
coach  and  two  horses,  and  two  foot  footmen,  and  all  in  your 
livery,'  and  to  pass  as  if  it  were  at  your  cost,  though  I  pay 
underhand  for  it.  And  also  agree,  and  like  extreamly  the 
name  of  'Card,  of  Norfolke,'  as  Vendosme§  and  others  did.  If 

*  '  Vescovado,'  a  bishoprick, 

t  The  pope. 
J  «  Cameriere,'  a  valet. 
§  Louis,  Duke  of  Vendome,  grandson  of  Henry  IV.  of  France, 
who,  after  the  death  of  hia  wife,  Laura  Mancini,  in  1657,  took 


166  LIFE   OF   CAKDINAL   HOWARD. 

my  letters  to  the  two  cardinals  get  any  replies,  pray  open, 
keep  by,  and  read  them,  and  send  only  to  Mr.  Hay  the 

breviat  of  what  they  purport I  hope  her  ma1?  will  still 

continue  your  office  under  her,  which,  I  think,  will  be  no 
solecisme  for  either,  for  I  am  really  in  pain  to  know  how,  for 
the  future,  you  will  be  annually  supplied.  You  know  my 
condition,  and  how  I  am  tyed  up  with  entails  &c.,  whilst 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk  lives,  who  is  likelyer  to  do  so  long  then 
I ;  els  I  had  more  elbow-roome.  Besides,  I  feare  our  mise- 
ries and  disorders  here  are  much  more  likely  to  increase 
then  decrease,  of  which  God  alone  can  foresee  the  event* 

I  should  be  glad  finally  that  Mr.  Grane  would  write  to 

Mr.  Hay,  how  he  believes  your  Em.  proposes  to  live  for  the 
future,  and  out  of  what  fonde  or  yearly  revenue,  that  my 
opinion  and  help  may  be  best  applyed.  I  believe  Dr.  Yer- 
bury*  has,  by  this,  good  store  of  silver  plate,  and  some  very 
good  moveables,  in  Padoua.  I  freely  offer  all  that  to  your 
present  service,  to  go  to  Rome  for  a  yeare,  two  or  three,  till 
your  owne  condition  may  be  better :  and  do  consent,  if  you 
please,  to  put  out  the  armes,  if  any  were  now  graven  upon 
such  plate,  and  put  yours  in  the  place,  the  which,  at  your 
return  of  it  hereafter,  may  againe  be  altered,  and  no  hurt 

neither  if  it  remaine." 

The  arrival  of  the  new  cardinal  in  Rome  was  hailed  with  great 
joy,  and  numerous  congratulatory  verses  were  as  usual  com- 
posed in  his  honour.  F.  Vincent  Fontana  was  then  just 
completing  his  great  "  Monumenta  Dominicana,"  and  he 

orders,  and  obtained  the  purple.  He  was  known  as  the  cardinal  of 
Vendome. 

*  Dr.  Henry  Yerbury,  fellow  of  Magdalen  college  Oxford,  and 
doctor  of  physick  in  the  university  pf  Padua.  He  seems  to  have 
been  professionally  employed  in  the  care  of  Thomas,  Duke  of 
Norfolk.  See  an  account  of  him  in  Wood,  Ath.  Ox.  II.  860,  and 
Fasti,  124. 


LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   HOWARD.  167 

added  two  leaves  in  order  to  commemorate  the  great  event 
and  insert  the  heroic  verses-  of  James  Alban  Ghibbes,*  poet- 
laureate  of  the  emperor  of  Germany. 

Ad  Eminentiss,  atqve  Reverendiss.     Principem 
Fr.  Philippum  Thorn  am 

Hovvardum 

Ducis  Norfolciae 

Perpetvi  Angliae  Marescalli, 

Germanvm  fratrem ; 
E  Sacro  Praedicatorurn  Ordine 

S.  R.  E. 

Cardinalem  Creatvm 
Anno  lubil.  1675,  Mens.  Maij  27. 

Gratvlatio. 

Maius  a  celsa  titulos  baud  iustius  vnqnam 
Maiestate  tulit,  neq  ;  tanto  veris  honore 
Se  iactauit  ouans,  regalia  germina  quam  cum 
Stirpis  Arundelice  Romano  murice  tinxit, 
Atq  ;  sacrum  Patribus  lectis  adscripsit  J&ovardum. 
Nempe  bono  par  mensis  erat  nee  degener  anno, 
Saturni  regnum  referens,  &  Virginia  astrum 
Sub  specie  Alterice  Stellse.    Nam  respuit  imas 
Pacto  aKo  a  Superis  Astrsea  reuisere  terras, 
CLEMENTIS  Patris  obsequio  &  moderamine  laeta. 

Rem  miram  vnius  monstrant  hsec  tempora  secli 
Angligenis,  laxare  parat  quo  maximus  orbis 
Arbiter,  atque  idem  prseses  sublimis  Olympi, 

*  James  Alban  Ghibbes  or  Gibbes  was,  says  Wood  "a  most 
celebrated  poet"  born  of  English  parents  at  Rouen.  His  father  a 
convert  was  physician  to  queen  Henrietta  Maria.  He  followed  the 
same  profession,  and  in  1644  went  to  Rome.  He  was  made 
professor  of  rhetoric  at  the  Sapienza  in  1657  by  pope  Alexander 
VII.,  and  poet-laureate  in  1667  by  Leopold  emperor  of  Germany, 
and  in  1673  as  a  mark  of  honour  was  created  M.  D.  of  the 
university  of  Oxford.  He  died  at  Rome  in  June  1677, 


168  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

Scrinia  Divorura,  ac  coelestia  munera  pandit 
Thesauros  late  spargens  mortalibus  segris; 
Te  quoq ;  neglectam  venisse,  Britannia,  dudum, 
Currit  ab  insigni  quam  longum  tempus  Alano, 
Prsecipuam  in  partem,  rubro  dignata  galero, 
Speraris  cum  tale  nihil,  vel  credere  posses. 
Albion,  ipsa  facis  pollute  nomine  minim, 
Quam  seiuncta  loco,  Latijs  tarn  dissita  sacris. 

Attamen  vnus  homo,  prauae  telluris  alumnus, 
Propositi  ille  tenax  &  spectatissimus  sequi, 
Heroiim  soboles,  ac  longo  sanguine  Princeps, 
Grandior  ac  patrio  censu  virtu tis  auitae, 
Nee  fidei  deserter  iners,  nee  transfuga  campi 
Cognitus,  excubias  ad  propugnacula  seruans 
Maiorum  exemplo  pro  Relligione  satelles  : 
Pro  qua  mille  neces,  qusecunque  pericula  vitae, 
Omnes  fortunae  vultus,  vncosque,  rotasque", 
Pauperiem,  &  vilem  cultum,  durosque  labores 
Constant!  nunquam  dubitauit  fronte  subire  ; 
Hie  tibi  restituit  famam,  sanctseque  vocamsn 
Insulce  Oeeano  in  vasto;  veniamque  rogauit 
Ccalicolas,  rursum  vt  fieres  Dos  Virginia  almaa. 
Scitur,  Aranidse  quantum  miseratus  ab  alto 
Detulerit  soli  Deus  ob  pietatis  amorem. 
Totas  ssepe  vrbes  texit  iustissimus  vnus 
Nee  raro  populis  renouauit  foederis  arcum. 

O  bend  !  diuinse  sed  quis  penetralia  mentis 
Explicet,  saternos  aut  possit  voluere  sensus  ? 
0  decus  arcanse  sortis,  memorandaque  fastis 
Gloria,  virtutem  profugi  velut  vmbra  secuta, 
Post  tergum  quse  sedit  eques  !    Nouus  aduena  terrain 
Dum  premit  ignotam,  non  miti  lege  Senatus 
Pulsus  in  exilium  nuper,  Norfolcius  heros, 
(Causa  tulit ;    CHRISTVM  Eomane  fassus  abito, 
Contiil  qui  steterit,  capital  fecisse  putator :) 
Ecce  Quirinali,  vel  sic,  occurritur  ostro 
Menapios  intra  fines  ad  litora  Scaldis, 


LIFE    OF   CABDINAL    HOWARD.  169 

Ingrat%  patrise  iussus  prseponere  Roraam 
Principis  imperio,  fraenat  qui  Tibridis  arces. 

Nostri  odio  natale  solum  te  quando  repellifc, 
Noster  eris  :  Fratres  inter  numerabere  nostros, 
Te  maior  primo,  procerum  cum  maximis  ires. 
Exilium  felix,  Capitolj  habuisse  triumphum  : 
Illius  invidia  reparat  sic  Eoma  minutos. 
Ocyus  hue  eia,  Ausoniurn  &  nunc  indue  coccum. 

Scripserat  hsec  Genitor :  tabulas  fert  nuncius  albas 
Prsecipiti  cursu,  Bruxellae  in  sede  moranti. 
I,  Fama,  altisonse  notissima  filia  Clius, 
Exere  pennarum  remos  librata  per  auras, 
Atque  his  immensum  comple  clangoribus  orbera 
Ante,  suus  tantos  quam  sentiat  author  honores. 
Vltimus  esto  ipse  ;  ignaro  gratentur  vt  omnes  ; 
Ac  plausus  pom  pis  veniant  Lauren tibus  apti. 

Talibus  haud  facilem  dictis  accommodat  aurem 
Ille  quide"m,  &  fastus  odifc,  quos  fugerat  olim 
Pene  puer,  regum  altorum,  prognatus  ab  ipsis  : 
Prse  cunctis  opibus,  tectisque  illustribus  optans 
Veste  sub  obscura;  contractse  in  limite  cella3 
Magni  sancta  sequi  Calarogce  iura  Magistri. 
Sed  quid  agat  ?     Superum  frustra  pugnatur  amori 
Addictos  si  laude  volunt  cumulare  clientes. 
Mentem  aperit  coali  Interpres  :  parere  necesse  eat  i 
Exemplum  graue  cedendi  paulo  antd  Gramnot 
Pra3buit  assultu  simili,  dum  ferre  latebras 
Mallet  adoratas  pariter,  Guzmannia  pubes : 
Multa  diu  luctatus,  objt  prsecepta  parentis. 

Ergo  agite,  egregij  Fratres  virtute,  vel  ortu  , 
Nobile  stemma  Ducum  ;  cleris  incumbite  coeptis, 
Atque  augete  genus  prsestantis  lumiue  vitse. 
Oebalio  niteant  Ledsei  sidere  Diui ; 
Oebalio  nexi  cinctu  splendete  sodales. 
Vos  ego,  cantando  si  quicquam  nostra  Camsena 
Proficiet,  veniensue  olim  demisit  in  sevum, 


170  LIFE   OP   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

Alite  Mseonio  secli  miracula  tollam  ; 
Nullaque  post  setas  meritos  obducet  honores. 
Pars  mihi  laudis  erit,  Clauslmm  vertisse  Theatro. 

Eminentise  Tuae 

Hamillimus  seruus 

Romse,  ex  Musseo  meo,  JACOBUS  ALBANUS  GHIBBESIUS, 

Cal.  Jun.  1675.  Poet.  Laur.  Gees. 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  cardinal's  hat  was  placed  on  the  head  of  F.  Thomas 
Howard  by  the  pope,  and  the  new  cardinal  took  the  title  of 
S.  Cecilia  trans  Tyberim,  which  after  the  death  of  the' 
great  cardinal  of  Retz  in  1679,  he  changed  for  S.  Maria 
supra  Minervam.  Clement  X.  declared  him  March  23rd 
1676  assistant  of  the  four  congregations,  of  Bishops  and 
Regulars,  of  the  council  of  Trent,  of  the  Propaganda,  and  of 
Sacred  Rites.  Innocent  XI.  afterwards  placed  him  on  the 
congregation  of  Relics.  He  was  generally  called  the  "  Car- 
dinal of  Norfolk,"  or  the  "Cardinal  of  England." 

In  England  F.  Thomas  Howard  had  been  in  close  friend- 
ship with  sir  Henry  Tichborne,  who  dedicated  a  work  of  his 
to  him.  On  being  made  cardinal  he  pressed  the  baronet  to 
join  his  company  to  Rome.  Sir  Henry  could  not  then  do 
so,  but  early  in  the  following  year  he  visited  his  eminence  in 
Rome,  as  he  thus  mentions  in  his  quaint  Diurnal  of  Pil- 
grimage. In  his  reasons  for  the  pilgrimage  the  baronet 
says,  "  Besides,  to  lead  as  well  as  to  drive  me  to  this  reso- 
lution, the  Cardinal  Norfolk,  then  Philip  Howard,  Lord 
Almoner  to  the  Queen,  who  had  honoured  me  with  a  parti- 
cular friendship  and  acquaintance,  and  banished  not  only 
from  that  office  and  honour,  but  from  the  nation  also,  whom 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  171 

they  were  not  worthy  of,  was  pleased  to  give  me  a  kind 
invitation  to  accompany  him  to  Rome,  then  going  thither  to 
receive  the  honour  of  the  purple,  which  sacred  dignity  was 
conferred  on  him,  not  only  in  recompense  for  these  losses, 
but  in  respect  of  his  great  merit  and  virtue,  and  nobleness 
of  Ducal  Family,  whereof  he  is  descended.  But  so  it  was, 
that  my  affairs  would  not  permit  me  to  go  as  soon  as  his 
pressed  him  forward ;  hut  hoping  to  overtake  him  by  the 

way,  if  not,  to  meet  him  at  Rome." Sir  Henry  Tich- 

borne  reached  Rome  December  26th  1675,  and  first  of  all 
visited  the  tomb  of  the  apostles.  He  then  goes  on,  "  the 
principal  and  first  business  of  my  long  journey  done,  I  went 
to  perform  the  other  part  of  it,  which  was  to  wait  upon  our 
English  Cardinal  Howard,  to  whom  having  delivered  letters 
of  recommendation,  I  was  kindly  and  familiarly  received  by 
him  :  he  brought  me  to  Cardinal  Altery,  ye  patron,  and 
several  other  Cardinals  ;  to  whom  having  made  the  reverence 
due  to  the  sacred  purple,  he  carried  me  to  St.  John 
Latteran's,  the  most  ancient  Christian  church  in  Rome." 
Sir  Henry  went  to  Naples,  returned  to  Rome,  and  then 
resolved  to  visit  Loretto.  He  says,  "  having  obtained  my 
last  audience  of  his  Holiness,  where  being  particularly  alone 
with  him  by  myself,  he  was  pleased  to  entertain  me  a  long 
time,  a  good  deal  longer  than  ordinary,  giving  me  several  graces 

which  I  begged  of  him: kissing  his  foot,  I  took  my 

leave  of  him  April  14th  1676 ;  so  visiting  Cardinal  Bar- 
berini,  the  Cardinal  of  Norfolk,  who  gave  me  several  relics 
of  great  value  of  St.  Maximus  and  St.  Longinus  with  others. 
Then  I  visited  Princhipe  Vicivaro,  Sigr.  Manuco,  and  many 
others  my  friends  &c.  and  left  Rome  on  the  16th  of  April." 
Although  raised  to  so  high  a  dignity  in  the  Church  and 
far  away  from  the  scenes  of  his  former  undertakings,  cardi- 
nal Howard  never  ceased  to  have  at  heart  the  welfare  of  the 
province  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life.  He  had  long 
wished  for  his  brethren  to  have  an  establishment  in  Rome, 


172  LIFE   OF   CAEDINAL   HOWARD. 

and  immediately  after  he  settled  there  or  early  in  167# 
Clement  X.  at  his  request  gave  the  church  of  SS.  John  and 
Paul  with  the  house  joining  it  on  Mont  Ceilo  for  a  convent 
of  English  Friar-Preachers. 

This  church  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  interesting  in 
Eome.  It  was  first  huilt  in  the  fourth  century  by  St. 
Pammachius  on  the  site  of  the  dwelling  of  the  two  brothers 
John  and  Paul,  who  were  martyred  under  Julian  the  apos- 
tate, and  whose  relics  still  repose  beneath  the  high  altar. 
Several  sovereign  pontiffs  greatly  favoured  it  particularly  St. 
Gregory  the  Great,  and  it  was  made  the  station  for  the  first 
Friday  in  Lent.  It  was  restored  several  times  by  the 
cardinal-priests  who  took  their  title  from  it ;  and  it  is  now 
remarkable  as  a  pure  specimen  of  the  Komanesque  style  of 
the  north  of  Europe.  Nicholas  V.  about  1452  gave  this 
church  to  the  Gesuati  or  Jesuats  of  St.  Jerome  founded  by 
St.  John  Columbino  and  approved  in  1367.  When  the 
Jesuats  were  put  down  in  1668  by  Clement  IX.  the  church 
and  house,  both  of  which  were  going  to  ruin,  returned  into 
the  hands  of  the  sovereign  pontiffs  and  the  house  remained 
void  for  eight  years.  The  Irish  Dominicans  wished  to  have 
this  foundation,  and  their  procurator-general  F.  master  John 
O'Connor  would  have  gained  his  point  respecting  it  had  not 
the  cardinal  unwittingly  tripped  him  up.  The  disappoint- 
ment of  the  Irish  Dominicans  was  fully  made  up  in  the 
following  year  when  they  secured  the  church  of  St.  Clement 
with  St.  Sixtus.  Cardinal  Howard  immediately  set  about 
repairing  the  buildings.  He  laid  out  more  than  15,000 
Roman  scudi  (about  £3000)  in  restoring  the  fine  but  much 
decayed  campanile  which  stands  to  the  south-west  quite  alone 
upon  the  ruins  of  the  Curia  Hostilia,  and  in  ornamenting 
the  church  and  cloisters.  Over  this  new  foundation  he 
watched  with  ceaseless  care,  forwarding  its  interests  with  his 
powerful  influence  and  aiding  it  with  his  purse  in  its  struggles 
against  poverty. 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  173 

All  the  records  of  the  English  Dominicans  of  this  house 
are  unfortunately  lost  and  we  glean  only  scanty  particulars 
concerning  it  from  scattered  sources.  The  convent  had  a 
noviciate  and  was  the  college  of  studies  for  the  English 
province. 

It  is  probable  that  this  convent  was  colonized  with  the 
assistance  of  the  Irish  province.  F.  Felix  MacDowell  taught 
theology  there  before  1680,  and  F.  Lawrence  O'Farrell 
followed  him  in  the  professor's  chair.  The  community 
seems  to  have  been  governed  at  first  by  F.  Thomas  White, 
an  English  Dominican  who  spent  all  his  life  in  Italy  where 
he  changed  his  name  into  the  language  of  the  country  and 
was  usually  called  Bianchi.  He  was  a  very  learned  man  and 
had  the  degree  of  master  of  theology  in  the  Order.  There 
is  scarcely  any  doubt  that  it  was  he  who  September  30th 
(o.  s.)  1673  celebrated  the  marriage  of  James  duke  of  York 
(afterwards  James  II.)  with  Maria  Beatrice  Eleanora  d'Este 
sister  of  the  reigning  duke  of  Modena.  The  earl  of  Peter- 
borough who  was  the  duke's  proxy  on  the  occasion  says  in 
his  Genealogy  of  his  Family,  that  when  the  bishop  of  Modena 
refused,  this  "  poor  English  Jacobite,"  having  nothing  to 
lose  and  on  whom  the  terror  of  excommunication  did  not 
much  prevail,  undertook  the  ceremony.  In  truth  the  court 
of  Rome  was  against  the  match  unless  the  princess  could 
have  her  private  chapel  and  the  free  exercise  of  her  faith : 
but  no  excommunication  was  uttered  on ,  any  priest  marry- 
ing the  parties,  though  some  fears  on  that  head  might  have 
got  abroad.  F.  Thomas  White  was  brother  of  F.  Jerome 
White  also  a  Dominican  who  afterwards  served  the  duchess 
of  York  as  her  chaplain  and  confessor.  Cardinal  Howard 
who  became  archpriest  of  St.  Mary  Major,  got  him  made  a 
penitentiary  apostolic  in  that  basilica.  He  held  this  office 
till  the  master-general  in  1688  chose  him  provincial  and 
commissary-general  of  the  English  province,  when  he  gave 
it  up  for  a  time  to  F.  Ambrose  Me  Dermott  (an  Irish 


174  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

Dominican  afterwards  bishop  of  Elphin)  purposing  to  take 
it  again  when  his  provincialship  was  over,  but  death  hin- 
dered him  from  doing  so.  He  lived  in  Rome  where  he  was 
at  the  general  chapter  of  1694 ;  and  where  still  provincial  he 
closed  his  life  November  19th  in  the  same  year.  He  bore 
for  his  arms  as  his  provincial's  seal  shows,  in  a  border  of 
eight  bezants,  a  chevron  betiveen  three  popinjays  :  this  points 
out  the  good  English  family  of  South  Warnborough,  Hants, 
to  which  he  belonged. 

Of  the  other  Religious  who  joined  the  Order  in  this  con- 
vent under  the  eye  of  cardinal  Howard  the  notices  are  very 
few.*  F.  Dominic  Pegge  took  the  vows  about  1677,  three 
years  later  was  ordained  priest,  became  a  lector  of  theology, 
was  chosen  prior  of  this  house,  and  died  in  office  December 
21st  1691  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  F.  Patrick 
Ogliby  was  professed  1679  and  died  in  1685  in  his  forty- 
second  year.  F.  Thomas  Cottam  went  to  be  director  to  the 
sisters  at  the  Spellekens,  and  closed  his  life  October  3rd 
1693  at  Brussels  in  their  service.  F.  Joseph  Broughton 
took  the  vows  in  1683,  and  died  at  Bornhem  April  26th 


*  In  a  letter  to  the  prioress  at  the  Spellekens  September  20th 
1687  cardinal  Howard  thus  writes  from  Rome :  "  The  noble  pious 
Earle  of  Salisbury  with  his  Camerado  Mr.  Charles  Hales  went 
hence  yesterday  towards  England  and  ye  Priour  of  S.  Jo  :  Paul's 
theyr  confesseur  with  them,  and  perhaps  they  may  goe  to  Brus13 
to  see  you,  wcl1  if  they  doe  pray  make  them  very  welcome.  Fatr 
master  Tho  :  White  will  be  Priour  of  S.  Jo  :  Paul's  in  his  place,  as 
soon  as  his  place  of  Penitentiary  in  Santa  Maria  Maggiore  in  Rome 
will  be  provided  for.  Fatr  Bachelior  Raimond  Greene  having  ended 
his  Courses  of  Philosophy  and  Divinity,'  both  wcl1  hee  taught  at  S. 
Jo  :  Paul  with  greate  applause,  will  next  weeke  beginne  his  voiage 
towards  Borm,  wheare  he  will  stay  for  some  time." 

James  Cicil  earl  of  Salisbury,  his  countess  and  two  brothers, 
were  converts. 


LIFE   OP   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  175 

1696  in  his  forty-second  year.  F.  John  Been  became  a 
missionary  apostolic  in  Ireland  where  he  died  in  1690. 
Brother  Robert  Procter  died  August  30th  1690  while  he 
was  still  a  subdeacon. 

Among  the  English  Catholics  who  frequented  the  palace  of 
cardinal  Howard  in  Rome  few  secured  more  of  his  esteem  and 
friendship  than  did  the  three  sons  of  the  poet- laureate  John 
Dryden.  Counselled  by  the  cardinal  the  youngest  of  them 
entered  the  Dominican  Order  in  the  convent  of  SS.  John 
and  Paul.  The  history  of  F.  Thomas  Dryden  gives  a  curious 
example  how  the  penal  laws  worked  against  the  Church  in 
England. 

The  honourable  family  of  Dryden  seated  at  Canon s-Ashby 
in  Northamptonshire  had  a  baronetcy  given  it  November 
16th  (o.  s.)  1619  by  James  I.  John  Dryden  grandson  of 
the  first  baronet  by  a  younger  son  was  the  poet-laureate  of 
Charles  II.  and  James  II.,  and  added  everlasting  glory  to  his 
earthly  laurels  by  his  conversion  in  1686  to  the  Catholio 
faith.  He  was  followed  by  his  three  sons.  Charles  was 
usher  of  the  palace  to  Clement  XI.,  and  while  visiting 
England  was  unfortunately  drowned  August  18th  (o.  s.) 
1704  in  the  Thames  at  Datchet-ferry,  and  two  days  after  was 
buried  at  Windsor.  John  died  of  a  pleurisy  in  his  father's 
life-time  at  Rome.  Erasmus  Henry  was  born  May  2nd 
(o.  s.)  1669,  and  after  he  joined  the  Church  made  up  his 
mind  to  be  a  secular  priest.  He  spent  some  time  at  Douay 
college,  but  in  1690  went  to  the  English  college  at  Rome. 
Being  called  to  a  stricter  life  he  quitted  the  college  for  the 
English  convent,  where  he  changed  his  name  into  Thomas  in 
religion  and  in  1692  took  the  vows.  Two  years  after  he 
entered  the  priesthood  and  studying  with  much  success 
became  a  lector. 

In  1697  F.  Thomas  Dryden  went  to  Bornhem.  He  was 
made  sub-prior,  and  in  17  00  between  two  priorships  he  was 


176  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

vicar-in-capite  of  the  house.    He  then  came  on  the  mission 
in  London. 

Sir  John  Dryden  fourth  baronet  of  the  family  died  in  May 
1710,  and  the  title  fell  to  F.  Thomas.  On  hearing  of  his 
cousin's  death  F.  Thomas  Dryden  went  to  Canons-Ashby 
where  he  was  saluted  by  his  kinsmen  as  Sir  Erasmus  Henry 
Dryden.  They  could  not  strip  him  of  the  title,  but  he  gained 
nothing  more  than  that  empty  honour  by  becoming  the  head 
of  his  family.  Sir  Robert  Dryden  third  baronet  foreseeing 
that  a  popish  priest  and  friar  would  succeed  the  next  heir 
John  Dryden  (whose  only  son  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his 
horse),  by  his  will  dated  July  5th  (o.  s.)  1708  about  a  month 
before  his  decease,  had  passed  over  F.  Thomas  Dryden  and 
settled  the  patrimonial  estates  of  Canons-Ashby  worth  about 
^92,000  a-year  in  next  succession  on  Edward  son  of  F. 
Thomas's  uncle  Erasmus,  relying  it  seems  on  the  great  like- 
lihood that  this  Edward  would  succeed  F.  Thomas  in  the  title. 
But  by  the  speedy  death  of  the  latter  the  title  went  to  the 
uncle  Erasmus,  who  moreover  outlived  his  son,  and  thus  by 
the  studied  shutting  out  of  the  Catholic  heir  the  title  and  the 
family  estates  were  separated  for  eight  years  till  the  son  of 
Edward  inherited  both  by  his  grandfather's  and  father's 
deaths.  F.  Thomas  might  perhaps  have  had  the  inheritance 
had  he  chosen  to  apostatize;  but  he  would  not  make  the 
false  and  costly  sacrifice  of  his  faith.  As  it  was  he  could  do 
nothing,  for  a  penal  statute  of  1699  disabled  any  papist  from 
inheriting  landed  property  and  his  estates  were  to  be  enjoyed 
by  his  nearest  Protestant  kinsman.  F.  Thomas  Dryden  had 
a  pittance  allowed  him  at  the  good  pleasure  of  his  uncle. 
Malone  says,  "From  the  time  his  kinsman  Edward  Dryden 
became  possessed  of  the  family  estates  in  1708,  Erasmus 
Henry  was  probably  an  inmate  at  Ashby,  where  he  appears  to 
have  resided  after  he  succeeded  to  the  title ;  and  from  various 
entries  in  the  account  books  of  his  uncle  Erasmus  respecting 
the  rents  of  his  patrimonial  estate  in  Northamptonshire  (at 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  177 

Blakesley)  which  were  regularly  received  by  him  for  the  use  of 
his  nephew,  though  he  himself  was  on  the  spot,  I  imagine 
he  was  in  a  state  of  mental  imbecility  derived  perhaps  from  his 
mother,  who  became  insane  after  the  poet's  death."  F. 
Thomas  Dryden's  imagined  madness  is  easily  explained.  He 
was  suffering  from  a  lingering  phthisis  and  had  not  been  long 
at  Canons- Ashby  when  he  sank  under  it.  While  his  life  was " 
fast  ebbing  he  sent  word  of  his  state  to  the  provincial  F. 
Thomas  Worthington  in  London.  The  provincial  hurried  to 
Canons-Ashby  where  he  was  received  with  outward  courtesy 
by  the  family  and  saw  the  dying  friar-baronet.  F.  Thomas 
welcomed  his  superior  with  great  joy,  told  him  that  he  had 
received  the  last  sacraments  from  a  neighbouring  priest,  and 
now  gladly  shared  in  the  blessings  and  gifts  the  Order  bestows 
at  the  gate  of  death.  He  then  pressed  the  provincial  to  quit 
the  house  with  all  speed,  as  he  dreaded  treachery  on  the  part 
of  his  protestant  relatives.  The  provincial  bade  a  last  fare- 
well to  his  fellow-religious  and  sorrowfully  hastened  back  to 
London.  Very  soon  after  F.  Thomas  Dryden  went  to  receive 
it  must  be  hoped  the  hundredfold  for  what  he  lost,  in  the 
everlasting  inheritance  which  neither  cruel  penal  laws  can 
reach  nor  grasping  relatives  debar.  He  died  December  3rd 
(o.  s.)  1710  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  next  day  in  the  church  of  Canons-Ashby  which  stands 
not  far  from  the  mansion :  consecrated  ground  being  once 
part  of  an  Augustinian  priory,  whence  the  place  takes  its  dis- 
tinctive name. 

Two  others  joined  the  convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  in  the 
time  of  cardinal  Howard.  F.  Albert  Lovell  was  "professed 
about  1692.  He  went  to  Bornhem,  and  in  1704  was  made 
lector  of  controversy  there.  Then  he  was  chaplain  to  one 
of  the  foreign  ambassadors  in  London.  Falling  into  the 
clutches  of  the  penal  laws  he  narrowly  escaped  prison  by  flying 
into  the  country,  as  the  ambassador  could  not  shield  him, 
though  he  was  loath  to  part  with  him  and  promised  to  receive 


178  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

him  again  when  the  storm  had  blown  over.  He  suffered 
much  while  wandering  up  and  down  as  an  outlaw,  sent  for 
help  to  the  count  of  Bornhem,  and  got  over  into  Belgium. 
Afterwards  he  was  tutor  in  the  family  of  lord  Clifford  of 
Ugbrooke  in  Devonshire,  and  in  1738  was  elected  provincial. 
He  was  chaplain  to  the  Dominican  nuns  of  Brussels  during 
his  time  of  office,  came  over  to  London  in  1742  for  the  pro- 
vincial chapter,  fell  sick,  and  died  there  June  1st  (o.  s.) 
F.  Alan  Pennington  of  the  family  of  Pennington  in  Lanca- 
shire left  the  English  college  at  Rome  in  1692  to  become  a 
Dominican.  In  five  or  six  years  he  went  to  Bornhem,  where 
at  several  times  he  held  many  offices,  being  made  procurator 
in  1703,  sub-prior  in  1707,  prior  in  1708,  and  sub-prior 
again  in  1718.  He  taught  all  the  time  in  the  secular  college 
there  and  was  prefect  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  was 
again  made  prior  in  1726,  and  died  in  office  March  31st 
1728  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

Though  he  was  thus  founding  and  supporting  the  convent 
of  SS.  John  and  Paul,  cardinal  Howard  was  as  deeply  as 
ever  concerned  in  his  Belgian  houses  and  did  not  let  slip 
any  occasion  of  forwarding  their  welfare.  At  his  prayer 
Charles  II.  king  of  Spain  by  royal  letters  dated  May  20th 
1682  amortizated  the  convent  of  Bornhem  with  the  gardens 
and  566  virges  of  land  :  to  this  grant  was  attached  July  26th 
in  the  following  year  by  the  government  of  the  Netherlands 
the  yearly  obligation  of  two  solemn  masses,  one  (March 
19th)  in  honour  of  St.  Joseph  for  the  health  long  life  and 
prosperity  of  the  kings  of  Spain ;  the  other  (September 
23rd)  for  the  souls  of  their  illustrious  predecessors.  The 
cardinal  wrote  to  his  brother  Henry  duke  of  Norfolk  August 
30th  1681  earnestly  recommending  him  to  educate  some  of 
his  daughters  at  the  Spellekens :  and  when  one  of  those 
daughters  lady  Catherine  Howard  shortly  after  her  father 
died  desired  to  enter  religion  he  advised  her  April  30th 
1684  to  try  her  vocation  there,  and  if  it  proved  true  to  join 


LIFE   OP   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  179 

the  community ;  but  he  yielded  to  her  choice  of  another 
Order  in  Flanders.  Through  his  kindly  advice  and  aid  a 
daughter  of  his  uncle  William  lord  viscount  Stafford,  and 
the  two  elder  daughters  of  his  brother  colonel  Bernard 
Howard  became  Dominican  nuns  at  Brussels.  Mary  Del- 
phina  Stafford-Howard  was  professed  March  2nd  1677  and 
died  January  12th  1714  aged  56  years.  Elizabeth  (Domi- 
nica) Howard  and  Mary  (Rose)  Howard  both  took  the  vows 
February  10th  1695.  The  former  was  twice  sub-prioress, 
and  also  mistress  of  novices  and  died  December  17th  1761 
at  a  very  great  age,  having  been  professed  sixty-six  years : 
she  was  an  exceedingly  skilful  miniaturist.  The  latter  was 
chosen  prioress  in  1721,  and  closed  her  life  April  18th  1747 
in  the  seventy-first  year  of  her  age.  The  third  and  youngest 
daughter  of  colonel  Bernard  Howard,  Catherine  (Mary 
Joseph)  also  entered  the  Spellekens,  taking  the  vows  August 
17th  1701  and  dying  February  2nd  1753  aged  seventy 
years.  Indeed  the  noble  house  of  Norfolk  was  linked  with 
the  English  Dominican  province  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years  and  helped  it  with  a  bountiful  hand.  Elizabeth 
duchess  of  Gordon  second  daughter  of  Henry  duke  of  Nor- 
folk and  niece  of  cardinal  Howard  gave  the  English  fathers 
large  means  to  found  a  mission  in  Scotland  with  the  aim  of 
restoring  the  Scotch  province ;  but  while  the  the  fund  was 
in  the  bank  of  Paris  it  was  lost  in  1719  when  commerce  was 
wrecked  by  the  failure  of  the  great  Missisippi  scheme.  In 
our  days  this  friendship  with  the  house  of  Howard  comes 
again  and  calls  up  olden  times  into  memory.  The  church 
at  Littlehampton  built  in  domestic  affection  for  a  loved  and 
honoured  one,  and  placed  under  the  invocation  of  St. 
Catherine  on  whose  feast  he  slept  in  Christ,  is  now  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  fathers  of  that  province  which  one  of 
his  family  restored. 


180  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD, 


CHAPTER  XIT. 

After  F.  Thomas  Howard  had  heen  forced  to  fly  from 
England  in  1674,  the  puritanical  spirit  of  the  age  had 
deepened  the  hatred  of  Protestants  against  the  Catholic  Church 
into  a  frenzy  which  was  perfectly  fiendish,  and  which  now 
could  hardly  have  been  imagined  had  not  an  echo  of  its  cry 
resounded  in  our  own  days  when  the  Catholic  hierarchy  was 
restored  in  England  and  the  "  Papal  Aggression"  scared  the 
nation  for  a  time  out  of  its  good  sense.  In  Charles's  time 
this  hatred  was  joined  with  fear,  as  James  duke  of  York  had 
openly  declared  himself  a  Catholic,  had  married  a  Catholic 
princess,  and  was  the  presumptive  heir  to  the  throne. 
When  the  whole  realm  was  ready  for  anything  that  pandered 
to  its  religious  passion  the  astounding  news  came  that  a 
great  popish  plot  was  on  foot.  Titus  Gates  a  clergyman  of 
the  Establishment  suspended  for  his  disorderly  life  and 
heterodox  opinions,  had  feigned  himself  a  Catholic  and  spent 
some  time  among  the  Jesuits  in  their  colleges  at  Yalladolid 
and  St.  Omer's  out  of  which  he  was  turned  for  his  immoralities. 
"In  those  seminaries,"  says  Macaulay,  "he  had  heard 
much  wild  talk  about  the  best  means  of  bringing  England 
back  to  the  true  Church.  From  hints  thus  furnished  he 
constructed  a  hideous  romance,  resembling  rather  the  dream 
of  a  sick  man  than  any  transaction  which  ever  took  place  in 
the  real  world.  The  Pope,  he  said,  had  entrusted  the 
government  of  England  to  the  Jesuits.  The  Jesuits  had, 
by  commissions  under  the  seal  of  their  society,  appointed 
Catholic  clergymen,  noblemen,  and  gentlemen,  to  all  the 
highest  offices  in  Church  and  State.  The  Papists  had 
burned  down  London  once.  They  had  tried  to  burn  it  down 
again.  They  were  at  that  moment  planning  a  scheme  for 


LIFE    OF   CABDINAL   HOWARD.  181 

setting  fire  to  all  the  shipping  in  the  Thames.  They  were 
to  rise  at  a  signal  and  massacre  all  their  Protestant  neigh- 
bours. A  French  army  was  at  the  same  time  to  land  in 
Ireland.  All  the  leading  statesmen  and  divines  of  England 
were  to  be  murdered.  Three  or  four  schemes  had  been 
formed  for  assassinating  the  King.  He  was  to  be  stabbed. 
He  was  to  be  poisoned  in  his  medicine.  He  was  to  be  shot 
with  silver  bullets.  The  public  mind  was  so  sore  and 
excitable  that  these  lies  readily  found  credit  with  the 
vulgar."  And  when  sir  Edmondsbury  Godfrey  the  justice  of 
the  peace  who  had  taken  the  depositions  of  Gates  was  found 
murdered  either  by  his  own  hand  or  by  a  private  enemy, 
the  whole  nation  went  frantic.  "  Everywhere  justices  were 
busied  in  searching  houses  and  seizing  papers.  All  the 
gaols  were  filled  with  Papists.  London  had  the  aspect  of  a 
city  in  a  state  of  siege.  The  trainbands  were  under  arms 
all  night.  Preparations  were  made  for  barricading  the 
great  thoroughfares.  Patroles  marched  up  and  down  the 
streets.  Cannon  were  planted  round  Whitehall.  No  citizen 
thought  himself  safe  unless  he  carried  under  his  coat  a 
small  flail  loaded  with  lead  to  brain  the  Popish  assassins." 
Gates  was  called  the  "  saviour  of  his  country"  and  was 
pensioned  with  £1200  a  year.  His  success  stirred  up 
rivalry,  "  and  soon,  from  all  the  brothels,  gambling  houses, 
and  spunging  houses  of  London,  false  witnesses  poured  forth 
to  swear  away  the  lives  of  Roman  Catholics.  Gne  came 
with  a  story  about  an  army  of  thirty  thousand  men  who  were 
to  muster  in  the  disguise  of  pilgrims  at  Corunna,  and  to  sail 
thence  to  Wales.  Another  had  been  promised  canonization 
and  five  hundred  pounds  to  murder  the  King.  A  third  had 
stepped  into  an  eating-house  in  Covent  Garden  and  had 
there  heard  a  great  Roman  Catholic  banker  vow,  in  the 
hearing  of  all  the  guests  and  drawers,  to  kill  the  heretical 
tyrant.  Gates,  that  he  might  not  be  eclipsed  by  his  imita- 
tors, soon  added  a  large  supplement  to  his  original  narrative. 


182  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

He  had  the  portentous  impudence  to  affirm,  among  other 
things,  that  he  had  once  stood  behind  a  door  that  was  ajar, 
and  had  there  overheard  the  Queen  declare  that  she  had 
resolved  to  give  her  consent  to  the  assassination  of  her 
husband.  The  vulgar  believed,  and  the  highest  magistrates 
pretended  to  believe,  even  such  fictions  as  these.  The 
chief  judges  of  the  realm  were  corrupt,  cruel,  and  timid." 
"  The  juries  partook  of  the  feelings  then  common  throughout 
the  nation,  and  were  encouraged  by  the  bench  to  indulge 
those  feelings  without  restraint.  The  multitude  applauded 
Gates  and  his  confederates,  hooted  and  pelted  the  witnesses 
who  appeared  on  behalf  of  the  accused,  and  shouted  with 
joy  when  the  verdict  of  Guilty  was  pronounced.  It  was  in 
vain  that  the  sufferers  appealed  to  the  respectability  of  their 
past  lives  :  for  the  public  mind  was  possessed  with  a  belief 
that  the  more  conscientious  a  Papist  was,  the  more  likely 
he  would  be  to  plot  against  a  Protestant  government.  It 
was  in  vain  that,  just  before  the  cart  passed  from  under 
their  feet,  they  resolutely  affirmed  their  innocence  :  for  the 
general  opinion  was  that  a  good  Papist  considered  all  lies 
which  were  serviceable  to  his  Church  as  not  only  excusable 
but  meritorious." 

More  than  two  thousand  Catholics  were  arrested  under 
the  monstrous  charges  of  Gates.  Twenty-six,  the  greater 
part  being  priests  and  Eeligious,  suffered  the  penalty  of 
death,  nearly  twenty  were  condemned  but  reprieved,  and 
some  died  in  prison.  Gates  threw  the  plot  on  the  Jesuits, 
because  their  power  was  most  dreaded  by  the  people,  and  he 
knew  by  name  more  of  them  than  of  any  others,  as  he  had 
lived  in  their  colleges  abroad.  It  is  honourable  to  the 
English  Dominicans  that  they  held  a  high  rank  in  numbers 
among  the  Regulars  he  dragged  into  the  arena  of  his  bloody 
tragedy ;  in  fact  they  were  made  the  arch  conspirators  with  the 
Jesuits,  and  representatives  of  the  other  Orders.  When  he  was 
examined  on  oath  at  the  bar  of  the  House  of  Lords  October 


LIFE    OF  CARDINAL    HOWARD.  183 

31st  (o.  s.)  1678  Gates  named  more  than  eighty  priests, 
secular  and  regular,  who  were  engaged  in  the  plot.  Of  the 
"  conspirators"  in  the  latter  class,  43  were  Jesuits,  9 
Dominicans  (besides  cardinal  Howard),  3  Carmelites,  and 
2  Franciscans.  He  gave  in  the  following  list  of  the  Domini- 
can "conspirators,"  and  where  they  were  at  the  time;  to 
which  we  add  the  correct  names. 

"  Joseph  David  Keymash,  in 

Engl'd.  F.  David  Joseph  Kemeys. 

Mr.  Dominick,  in  England.    F.  Dominic  Maguire. 
Mr.  Collins,  in  England.         F.  William  Collins. 
Mr.  Vincent,  in  England.       F.  Vincent  Torre. 
Mr.  Fidding,  in  Engl'd.          F.  Thomas  Fidden. 
Mr.  Mansell,  in  England.       F.  Albert  Anderson  alias 

Munson. 

Mr.  Cooper,  at  Kome.  F.  Vincent  Hyacinth  Cowper. 

Mr.  Lunsdall,  in  England.     F.  Alexander  Lumsden. 
Captain  Bingly,  in  England."  F.  Edward  Bing. 

Gates  swore  that  in  a  congregation  of  the  Propaganda 
held  about  December  1677  Innocent  XI.  had  declared  all  the 
dominions  of  the  king  of  England  to  be  part  of  St.  Peter's 
patrimony  and  to  be  forfeited  through  the  heresy  of  the 
prince  and  people,  so  as  to  be  at  the  free  disposal  of  the 
Holy  See  ;  and  that  cardinal  Howard  was  appointed  legate  to 
take  possession  of  England  in  the  name  of  his  holiness. 
The  throne  was  to  be  given  to  a  Catholic,  and  the  five  prin- 
cipal offices  of  state  were  to  be  entrusted  to  the  Catholic 
lords,  William  Herbert  earl  Powis,  Henry  lord  Arundel  of 
Wardour,  William  Howard  viscount  Stafford,  William  lord 
Petre,  and  John  lord  Bellasyse.  Moreover  the  Protestant 
ecclesiastical  dignitaries  were  to  be  deprived  and  Catholics 
put  into  their  places.  Gates  declared  that  Innocent  had 
issued  a  bull  dated  either  the  November  or  December  before, 
a  copy  of  which  had  been  shown  him,  whereby  the  pope 


184  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

was  pleased  to  dispose  of  the  bishoprics  of  England.  Of 
those  twenty  sees,  five  were  to  go  to  the  Dominicans,  five  to 
Jesuits,  two  to  Franciscans,  one  to  a  Benedictine,  and  the 
rest  to  the  secular  clergy.  The  archbishopric  of  Canterbury 
was  given  to  cardinal  Howard,  with  an  augmentation  of  forty 
thousand  crowns  a-year  to  maintain  his  legatine  authority  : 
Ely  to  Vincent  provincial  of  the  Dominicans ;  Peterborough 
to  Gifford  a  Dominican ;  Bristol  to  Minis  on  [Munson]  a 
Dominican  ;  and  Bangor  to  Joseph  David  Keirnash  a  Domi- 
nican. The  tales  of  Gates  stirred  up  the  Commons  to 
madness  against  the  Catholics ;  and  April  3rd  (o.  s.)  follow- 
ing they  impeached  for  high  treason  all  the  parties  concerned 
in  the  "  Popish  Plot."  This  impeachment  was  sent  on  the 
7th  to  the  house  of  Lords  :  besides  the  Catholic  noblemen 
named  above,  it  included  cardinal  Howard,  Vincent  com- 
monly called  provincial  of  the  Dominicans  in  England,  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  conspirators  in  order.  Gf  the  Dominican 
"  traitors"  five  were  arrested,  two  were  beyond  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Houses,  one  fled  out  of  the  country,  one  escaped 
being  taken,  and  one  died  amidst  the  troubles. 

Cardinal  Howard  was  fortunately  at  Kome,  far  away  from 
the  dangers  that  threatened  his  life  in  his  unhappy  country. 
If  he  had  been  in  England  he  would  have  found,  not  only  a 
lord  high  chancellor  to  trample  his  hat  underfoot,  but  a 
headsman  to  strike  him  with  the  fate  which  overtook  his 
uncle  William  viscount  Stafford. 

F.  David  Joseph  Kemeys  was  charged  by  Gates  with  being 
one  of  the  popish  conspirators  who  planned  the  burning  of 
London  in  1666,  and  with  enticing  him  to  join  the  Church 
in  order  to  escape  the  mighty  blow  which  was  soon  to  over- 
throw the  throne  and  the  Protestantism  of  the  country. 
Being  arrested  and  cast  into  Newgate,  he  was  arraigned 
January  17th  (o.  s.)  1679-80  at  the  Old  Bailey  before  the 
lord  chief  justice  Scroggs,  not  on  account  of  the  conspiracy, 
but  for  the  high  treason  of  being  a  priest  and  remaining  in 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD.  185 

the  country  contrary  to  the  law.  He  pleaded  "Not  guilty;'' 
but  being  aged  and  weakened  in  health  by  his  imprisonment 
he  was  scarcely  able  to  stand,  and  could  not  speak  in  his  own 
defence,  particularly  as  no  time  had  been  given  him  to 
prepare  for  it.  Scroggs  was  obliged  to  put  off  the  trial  and 
order  the  gaoler  to  take  the  prisoner  back  and  get  him  a  bed. 
F.  David  Joseph  lived  only  a  few  days  longer,  dying  January 
27th  (o.  s.)  in  Newgate. 

F.  Dominic  Maguire  an  Irish  Dominican  joined  the  Order 
in  Spain.  He  became  honorary  chaplain  to  the  Spanish 
ambassador  in  London,  and  as  we  shall  soon  see  was  brought 
up  before  the  House  of  Lords  as  a  suspected  person.  Inno- 
cent XI.  made  him  archbishop  of  Armagh,  in  place  of  Dr. 
Oliver  Plunket  who  was  executed  at  Tyburn  July  1st  (o.  s.) 
1681  the  last  victim  of  the  'Popish  Plot.'  He  governed 
his  church  till  1691,  when  he  was  exiled  with  many 
others  at  the  Hanoverian  invasion,  and  died  in  1708  at 
Paris. 

F.  William  Collins  was  also  sheltered  in  the  household  of 
the  Spanish  ambassador.  He  was  charged  with  high  treason 
before  the  House  of  Lords  by  a  low  villain  who  was  willing 
enough  to  share  anyhow  in  the  profits  of  the  Plot.  William 
Greene  on  oath  at  the  bar  of  the  house  deposed  November 
14th  (o.  s.)  1678  that  about  August  he  took  a  letter  to  one 
Collins  a  popish  priest,  sent  out  of  Flanders,  wherein  there 
was  this  passage :  That  there  would  be  a  war  between 
England  and  France.  Whereupon  Collins  replied,  We 
should  have  war  enough  at  home.  This  Collins,  he  said, 
lived  in  the  Spanish  ambassador's  house.  The  Lords  immedi- 
ately prayed  the  king  for  Collins  and  Dominic  Maguire 
to  be  delivered  up,  and  for  Greene  to  go  along  with  the 
messenger  as  he  knew  Collins  when  he  saw  him.  The  next 
day  the  king's  answer  came,  that  the  ambassador  had 
promised  to  send  the  two  persons  when  and  where  his 
majesty  pleased ;  "  expressing  himself  sensible  of  the 


186  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

occasion  upon  which  they  were  demanded,  that  if  he  knew 
his  own  Son  was  engaged  in  it,  he  would  deliver  him  up.'* 
F.  William  Collins  was  hrought  to  the  har  on  the  16th  and 
asked,  whether  he  knew  one  William  Greene.  He  answered  : 
No ;  but  when  Greene  was  called  in  and  he  saw  him  he 
confessed  that  he  did  know  him.  Greene  repeated  what  he 
had  said  two  days  before  at  the  bar;  which  F.  William 
denied.  Then  Greene  deposed  that  Collins  had  confessed  to 
him,  That  he  was  a  Eomish  priest.  The  House  commanded 
F.  William  Collins  to  be  committed  to  the  Gate  House  prison 
till  farther  order.  F.  Dominic  Maguire  being  brought  to  the 
bar  said  that  he  was  born  in  Spain  and  not  naturalized. 
As  there  was  no  charge  against  him  and  as  he  was  a 
Spaniard  it  was  ordered  that  he  should  be  returned  to  the 
Spanish  ambassador. 

It  does  not  appear  that  F.  William  Collins  was  brought  to 
trial.  He  was  probably  set  free  by  the  king  after  the  parlia- 
ment was  dissolved.  Charles  II.  was  the  only  one  who  had 
a  grain  of  common  sense  in  the  matter  of  the  Plot.  He 
always  declared  his  disbelief  of  it  and  did  what  he  could  to 
unmask  the  perjurors.  -He  often  used  his  royal  power  to 
rescue  some  of  the  victims,  but  he  was  wholly  powerless  to 
stem  the  torrent  of  the  national  fury.  F.  William  Collins 
returned  to  Bornhem,  became  prior  of  the  convent  in  August 
1685,  was  affiliated  to  the  English  province  in  1691,  and 
died  at  Bruges  November  17th  1699  in  the  78th  year  of  his 
age.  "  He  writ,"  says  our  MS.,  "  somewhat  against  ye 
sectaries  of  ye  times/'  but  we  have  not  lighted  on  any  of 
his  works. 

F.  Vincent  Torre  fled  when  he  was  impeached  for  high 
treason,  and  found  a  safe  shelter  at  Bornhem.  In  1682  he 
took  the  government  of  the  convent.  He  left  August  20th 
in  the  following  year  for  Home,  and  spent  almost  all  the  rest 
of  his  life  in  the  convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul.  He  was 
still  vicar-general  when  the  master-general's  associate 


LIFE    OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  187 

F.  Leonard  Han  sen,  who  had  borne  the  titular  dignity  of 
Provincial  of  England  for  about  twenty  years,  closed 
his  life  March  28th  1685.  At  the  instance  of  cardinal 
Howard,  the  master- general  made  F.  Vincent  Torre  pro- 
vincial of  England,  who  thus  became  the  first  one  since  the 
fall  of  the  faith  under  Henry  VIII.  In  this  character  he 
assisted  in  the  chapter  at  Rome  in  June  1686,  when  the 
great  F.  Antoninus  Cloche  was  elected  head  of  the  Order. 
He  held  the  office  till  his  decease.  In  1687  he  quitted 
Home,*  and  August  3rd  arrived  at  Bornhem,  where  he  died 
on  the  24th  of  the  same  month,  in  the  57th  year  of  his 
age. 

F.  Thomas  Fidden  died  in  London  September  4th  (o.  s.) 
1679  in  the  heat  of  the  Plot,  when  he  was  in  his  55th 
year. 

F.  Albert  Anderson  alias  Munson  after  he  had  gone 
through  all  his  studies  and  was  ordained  returned  into 
England  as  a  missionary,  and  abode  for  the  most  part  in 
London.  He  was  much  esteemed  by  many  of  the  nobility 
and  persons  at  the  Court,  and  even  Charles  II.  sometimes 
enjoyed  his  pleasant  conversation.  He  took  little  part  in  the 
affairs  of  the  time  beyond  publishing  one  or  two  pamphlets 
against  the  temporal  power  of  the  popes,  and  in  favour  of  the 
oath  of  allegiance  then  proposed  for  Catholics,  which  he  in 

*  Three  months  before  F.  Vincent  Torre  left  Rome  cardinal 
Howard  gave  him  some  relics  of  the  martyrs  of  Christ  taken  out  of 
the  catacomb  of  St.  Castulus,  and  consisting  of  the  whole  arm  of 
St.  Vincent  and  relics  of  St.  Bonus.  The  letter  of  authenti- 
cation dated  April  14th  1687  is  now  in  the  Bodleian  library. 
With  it  in  the  same  collection  of  "  Miscellaneous  papers,  being 
chiefly  original  letters  from  K.  Henry  8,  Theodore  Beza,  Archbp. 
Whitgift,  Bp.  Morton,  Cardinal  Howard,  [etc.]'*  is  a  long  article 
on  the  jurisdiction,  rights,  and  privileges  of  a  cardinal.  No 
name  is  given,  but  it  is  in  the  handwriting  cf  F.  Raymund  Greene. 


188  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

common  with  man y  others  including  several  of  the  greatest 
doctors  of  the  Sorhonne  thought  could  he  lawfully  taken. 
For  these  writings  he  was  hlamed  hy  his  own  brethren,  and 
severely  censured  hy  the  numerous  and  more  powerful  party 
rightly  opposed  to  the  views  he  took.  In  the  frenzy  of  the 
Plot  he  was  imprisoned  in  the  King's  hench  and  thence 
removed  to  Newgate.  Along  with  F.  David  Joseph  Kemeys, 
F.  Alexander  Lumsden,  and  several  secular,  Benedictine,  and 
Franciscan  priests,  he  was  tried  at  the  Old  Bailey  January 
17th  (o.  s.)  1679-80  hefore  the  infamous  lord-chief  justice 
Scroggs.  Dangerfield,  Gates,  Bedloe,  and  Prance  gave 
evidence  against  him  and  swore  most  positively  to  his  saying 
Mass  and  giving  the  Sacraments.  The  vileness  of  the  wit- 
nesses' characters,  their  reckless  oaths  and  clear  falsehoods 
raised  his  temper,  and  though  he  was  in  poor  health  he 
defended  himself  with  great  warmth  and  freedom  which  even 
the  brow-heating  of  his  unjust  judge  could  not  put  down. 
The  verdict  of  Guilty  was  Drought  in,  and  he  was  condemned 
to  death  hy  the  halter  and  to  the  hutchery  of  quartering. 
He  heard  his  sentence  with  great  firmness.  Many  of  his  and 
of  the  other  prisoners'  expressions  were  left  out  or  mis-given 
in  the  report  of  the  trials  printed  by  authority ;  but  they 
were  afterwards  published  by  the  parties  themselves  in  a 
pamphlet  entitled,  "  Some  of  the  most  material  Errors  and 
Omission  in  the  late  printed  Tryals  of  the  Eoman  priests  at 
the  Old  Bailey,  Jan.  17,  1679." 

"When  he  had  been  in  Newgate  under  condemnation  about 
a  year  he  humbly  petitioned  Charles  II.  that  the  sentence 
of  death  might  be  carried  out.  The  king  changed  his  punish- 
ment into  one  of  banishment  for  life.  It  is  certain  that  once 
if  not  twice  he  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  and  perhaps 
it  was  at  this  time  he  visited  the  Holy  Land.  Spite  of  his 
judicial  condemnation  he  returned  to  London.  James  II. 
April  6th  (o.  s.)  1686  granted  him  a  free  pardon.  At  the 
Hanoverian  invasion  he  fled  with  king  James  and  remained 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  189 

for  some  time  abroad,  but  again  lie  took  up  his  charge  in  the 
metropolis.  In  1710  he  was  seized  with  a  fever  which  in 
about  a  week  ended  his  life.  Strengthened  in  the  last 
struggle  by  the  sacraments,  and  surrounded  by  many  of 
his  brethren,  he  died  October  21st  (o.  s.)  in  the  91st 
year  of  his  age.  Next  day  he  was  buried  at  St.  Giles'. 

F.  Vincent  Hyacinth  Cowper  after  his  profession  came  into 
England,  but  about  1676  he  was  sent  to  the  newly-formed 
convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  in  Home.  Then  he  was  again 
in  England,  where  he  died  April  21st  (o.  s.  ?)  1690  in  his 
61st  year. 

F.  Alexander  Lumsden  was  arrested  at  Whitehall,  and 
tried  at  the  Old  Bailey  along  with  F.  Albert  Anderson.  He 
was  then  fifty-eight  years  old.  Oates,  Dugdale,  and  Prance 
appeared  against  him,  and  Oates  and  Prance  swore  to  having 
seen  him  say  Mass  at  Wildhouse  the  residence  of  the 
Spanish  ambassador.  But  as  he  was  a  Scotchman  born  in 
Aberdeen,  and  was  prosecuted  under  a  statute  of  queen 
Elizabeth  passed  when  Scotland  was  an  independent  king- 
dom, the  jury  brought  in  a  special  verdict,  and  he  was  not 
sentenced  to  death.  He  was  still  on  the  mission  in  1687. 

F.  Edward  Bing,  though  he  lived  most  of  his  time  in 
London,  seems  to  have  escaped  the  fangs  of  the  law  during 
the  Plot.  After  the  decease  of  F.  Thomas  White,  the 
master-general  March  8th  1695  made  him  provincial  of 
England  for  four  years.  Shortly  after  he  was  arrested,  tried, 
and  condemned,  on  account  of  his  priesthood.  His  life  wacj 
spared,  but  he  was  driven  out  of  his  country.  He  withdrew 
to  Bornhem  and  died  in  the  convent  September  25th  1701 
in  his  77th  year. 

F.  Maurice  Gifford  was  fifth  son  of  Thomas  Gifford  esq. 
of  London,  by  Ann  daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Gregory 
Brookesby  esq.  of  Frisby  in  Leicestershire;  his  elder  brother 
Henry  of  Burstall  in  the  same  county  was  made  a  baronet 
November  21st  (o.  s.)  1660,  but  the  title  soon  became  extinct. 


190  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

He  was  professed  among  the  Friar-Preachers  of  Antwerp,  and 
was  on  the  English  mission  before  1672.  At  the  time  of  the 
Plot  he  baffled  his  foes.  By  letters-patent  of  the  master- 
general  dated  February  9th  1692  he  was  affiliated  to  the 
English  province.  He  died  in  London  March  25th  1699. 
Jonghe  ranks  him  among  the  illustrious  fathers  of  the 
convent  of  Antwerp. 

The  '  conspirators'  were  not  the  only  fathers  of  the 
Dominican  province  that  suffered  in  Gates'  persecutions. 
All  the  rest  on  the  English  missions  being  looked  on 
as  traitors  to  the  state  were  in  jeopardy,  and  being  hunted  up 
and  down  the  country  had  to  fly  or  to  conceal  themselves 
from  the  pursuit  of  their  enemies. 

F.  Thomas  Molineux  seems  to  have  been  at  some  distance 
from  London  as  he  was  unnoticed  by  Gates,  and  we  do  not 
find  that  he  fell  into  any  troubles.  When  old  age  hindered 
him  from  his  pastoral  duties  he  withdrew  to  Bornhem. 
After  a  few  years  of  repose  from  his  toils  he  was  seized  with 
a  catarrh,  and  after  receiving  the  sacraments  peacefully 
died  at  the  convent  December  10th  1708  in  the  90th  year  of 
his  age. 

F.  Martin  Kussel  laboured  among  the  Catholics  about 
Malvern  and  the  Western  counties  of  England.  He  was  very 
zealous  and  laborious  in  all  his  duties.  During  the  Plot  he 
withdrew  to  Bornhem,  but  left  the  convent  August  23rd  1680 
and  came  again  into  England.  Gn  Christmas-eve  1690  he 
was  taken  for  being  a  priest,  and  imprisoned  about  three 
months  in  Hereford  gaol  along  with  another  of  the  Order 
who  afterwards  died  in  the  convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  at 
Borne.  He  underwent  many  hardships  in  prison  and  was 
brought  up  to  be  examined  by  the  Protestant  bishop  of 
Hereford.  Now  this  bishop  was  an  apostate  Catholic.  His 
father  was  sir  Kobert  Croft  of  Croft-castle  in  Herefordshire, 
who  was  converted  to  the  faith,  and  had  a  little  cell  within 
the  ambits  of  the  English  Benedictine  college  at  Douay, 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  191 

where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  religious  exercises  and 
died  in  1622.  His  younger  son  who  hore  hoth  his  names 
was  brought  up  in  the  Catholic  faith,  but  soon  turned  a  rigid 
Calvinist,  was  rector  of  Uley  in  Gloucestershire,  then  dean  of 
Hereford,  and  from  1661  to  his  death  in  1691  occupied 
the  see.  F.  Martin  Eussel  parried  the  bishop's  ques- 
tions very  skilfully.  Dr.  Croft  asked  him  how  he  was 
bred. 

F.  Martin.  When  a  little  one,  I  heard  people  say  I  was 
reared  like  other  children  with  milk  and  pap.  When  I  grew 
bigger  I  remember  a  butterum  and  a  piece  of  cheese  served. 

Dr.  Croft.  This  is  not  to  your  purpose.  I  ask  your 
education. 

F.  Martin.  When  I  was  grown  up  I  served  my  king,  and 
fought  for  him  in  Worcester  battle  where  you  durst  not  show 
your  face. 

Dr.  Croft.  You  were  educated  beyond  seas,  were  you 
not? 

F.  Martin.  I  hope,  my  lord,  that  is  no  crime.  Your 
lordship  was  so  too. 

Dr.  Croft.  What  did  you  study  there  ? 

F.  Martin.  How  to  get  back  again.  I  served  the  king 
at  Tangier  and  suffered  there  much  for  his  sake. 

Dr.  Croft.  Come,  come,  tell  the  truth. 

F.  Martin.  That  I  will  and  the  naked  truth. 

Thereupon  one  present  took  F.  Martin  up  and  presented  a 
bill  of  indictment  against  him.  He  was  sent  back  to  Here- 
ford gaol  and  thence  to  the  assizes,  and  stood  fair  for  his 
trial  and  condemnation,  had  not  the  gentry  of  the  country 
(warned  probably  by  the  prosecutions  under  Gates)  turned 
his  friends  by  becoming  jurymen  in  his  cause  and  hindering 
the  witnesses  from  coming  in  against  him. 

Another  time  F.  Martin  Russel  was  met  by  the  king's 
officers,  who  questioned  him  whence  he  came.  "  From 
Cracovia/'  he  replied.  "  And  whither,"  they  asked,  "  are 


192  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

you  going  ?"  He  said  jestingly,  "  To  Cracovia  :"  nor  would 
he  give  them  any  serious  answer.  That  time  they  departed 
not  knowing  him.  Afterwards  many  searches  were  made 
for  him,  but  he  gave  them  the  slip  and  escaped  their 
hands.  To  the  last  he  continued  his  fugitive  life,  serving  tlio 
scattered  faithful  from  place  to  place  as  duty  called  him.  He 
had  been  about  forty-two  years  on  the  mission  when  he 
peacefully  closed  his  life  September  8th  (o.  s.)  1711  in  the 
house  of  a  Catholic  family  named  Pickering  at  Stanton-Lacey 
near  Ludlow  in  Shropshire,  being  then  in  his  eightieth  year. 
He  was  buried  at  the  village  church  where  he  died.  A  plain 
stone  marked  the  grave  of  this  first  subject  and  early  friend  of 
cardinal  Howard :  on  it  was  inscribed  simply, 

D.  MARTINUS  RUSSEL  0.  P. 
E.  I.  P. 

F.  Peter  Atwood  was  placed  on  the  English  mission  in 
1672  by  F.  Thomas  Howard,  and  generally  lived  in  London. 
In  Gates'  Plot  in  1679  he  was  imprisoned,  tried,  and  con- 
demned to  death  for  his  priesthood.  Just  as  he  was  step- 
ping on  the  hurdle  which  was  at  the  prison-gate  waiting  to 
carry  him  to  the  butchery  of  hanging  and  quartering  at 
Tyburn,  a  reprieve  came  which  some  Catholics  had  obtained 
of  the  king  who  well  knew  his  innocence.  When  he  was 
told  that  he  was  delivered  from  death  he  burst  into  tears  and 
exclaimed,  "  Alas !  alas !  my  friends,  to-day  they  have 
bereaved  me  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven :  the  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom has  fallen  from  my  head."  All  the  rest  of  his  life  he 
went  about  in  deep  sorrow  for  his  loss.  But  though  he 
missed  the  martyr's  crown,  he  won  at  least  the  martyr's 
spirit.  More  than  once  he  suffered  chains  and  loss  of 
freedom  for  Christ's  sake,  all  which  he  bore  most  patiently. 
He  was  vicar-provincial  of  England  from  1696  to  1708  while 
the  provincials  were  in  Flanders.  At  last  he  died  in  London 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  193 

August  12th  (o.  s.)  1712,  in  tlie  seventieth  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  buried  two  days  after  at  St.  Giles'. 

F.  Cornelius  O'Heyn  an  Irish  Dominican  studied  at  the 
Minerva  in  Rome,  and  for  many  years  taught  philosophy  and 
theology  at  Prague  where  he  was  made  a  master  of  theology. 
He  came  into  England  and  was  socius  and  commensalis  to  F. 
Christopher  of  the  Rosary  confessor  to  queen  Catherine  of 
Braganza.  At  the  time  of  the  '  Plot'  he  was  forced  to  seek 
safety  abroad,  hut  as  soon  as  the  country  had  calmed  down 
he  came  back  to  London.  Burke  in  his  Hibernia  Dominicana 
styles  him  "Celebris,"  and  says,  "fuit  valde  candidus,  doctus, 
ac  proficuus  Catholicis  Anglis."  The  Bornhem  records  men- 
tion him  among  the  English  Religious,  so  that  he  must  have 
been  incorporated  into  the  province ;  and  they  add  that  his 
death  took  place  in  1686,  while  Burke  dates  it  a  year  earlier. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

From  the  first  year  of  Elizabeth's  reign  the  Church  in 
England  underwent  an  oppression  scarcely  surpassed  in  the 
history  of  persecution.  From  time  to  time  penal  laws  were 
framed  against  it  more  harassing  and  cruel  than  open  warfare 
would  have  been.  Catholics  were  forbidden  the  freedom  of 
worship  even  in  their  own  private  houses  and  in  the  solitude 
of  their  chambers.  They  were  denied  a  fitting  education 
either  at  home  or  abroad.  Stripped  of  their  rights  as  citizens 
and  subjects  they  were  shut  out  from  their  elective  franchises, 
from  every  public  office  however  mean  it  might  be,  from 
practising  the  liberal  professions  as  a  means  of  support,  and 
even  from  being  executors  or  guardians,  or  mere  witnesses  to 
a  contract.  They  were  kept  prisoners  to  the  neighbourhood 

13 


194  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

of  their  dwellings ;  and  they  ran  the  risk  of  their  lives  if  they 
dared  to  look  unbidden  on  the  face  of  their  sovereign.  The 
oaths  of  allegiance  and  supremacy  closed  against  them  the 
houses  of  Lords  and  Commons  and  all  the  local  corporate 
bodies,  and  embarrassed  them  even  as  common  soldiers  and 
sailors  in  the  army  and  navy ;  while  added  to  the  oaths 
those  thirty-nine  articles  which  declare  fundamental  doctrines 
of  the  Church  to  be  vain,  corrupt,  and  blasphemous,  drove 
them  from  the  gates  of  the  universities.  At  the  malicious 
pleasure  of  a  private  enemy  or  the  covetousness  of  the  vilest 
informer  and  foresworn  witness  the  Catholic  was  doomed  to 
death,  was  put  out  of  the  protection  of  the  laws,  or  was 
condemned  to  banishment,  to  imprisonment,  to  the  loss  of 
real  and  personal  property,  to  ruinous  penalties,  and  to 
every  civil  disability :  for  disbelieving  in  the  royal  supremacy ; 
for  believing  in  the  spiritual  supremacy  of  the  sovereign 
pontiff  of  Rome ;  for  bringing  in  or  publishing  any  papal 
bull  or  decree  even  on  devotional  matters ;  for  being  a 
priest ;  for  harbouring,  concealing,  or  aiding  a  priest ;  for 
saying  or  hearing  Mass ;  for  believing  in  transubstantiation, 
the  invocation  of  saints,  and  the  sacrament  of  the  Mass ; 
for  reconciling  another  or  being  reconciled  to  the  Church  of 
Rome ;  for  having  any  controversial  work  in  favour  of 
popery ;  for  buying,  selling,  or  having  any  popish  book 
written  in  English  ;  for  having  an  Agnus  Dei,  a  relic,  cross, 
crucifix,  popish  picture,  or  beads  ;*  for  not  attending  the 


*  There  was  some  show  of  reason  for  forbidding  Kosaries. 
Thirty  years  after  Elizabeth  had  set  up  Protestantism  they  were 
still  used  openly  in  Wales.  The  common  people  said  that  they 
could  read  upon  their  beads  as  others  did  on  their  books,  and  made 
such  "  clappings"  with  them  in  the  church  that  it  was  complained 
the  minister  could  hardly  be  heard  for  the  noise. 

Confraternities  of  the  Most  Holy  Rosary   flourished   secretly 


LIFE   OF  CARDINAL   HOWARD.  195 

parish  church  at  least  once  a  month ;  for  not  receiving  the 
sacrament  of  the  Church  of  England ;  for  being  married  or 
having  a  child  baptized  otherwise  than  openly  in  the  Church 
of  England;  for  having  a  fellow- Catholic  buried  elsewhere 
than  in  the  church  or  churchyard ;  for  keeping  a  school ; 
for  having  a  popish  schoolmaster  in  private ;  for  sending 
anyone  or  being  sent  abroad  into  any  popish  college,  semi- 
nary, or  family  to  be  educated ;  for  practising  law,  physic, 
or  any  liberal  art  or  science  to  gain  a  livelihood  ;  for  keeping 
arms  ;  for  going  to  the  royal  court  without  the  command  of 
the  king  or  the  warrant  of  the  privy  council ;  for  going 
within  ten  miles  of  London  ;  or  for  being  five  miles  beyond 
his  dwelling  without  the  leave  of  four  justices  of  the  peace. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  Catholic  body  in  England 
when  James  II.  came  to  the  throne  in  1685.  The  penal 
laws  had  been  put  into  force  during  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth 
and  James  I.  so  fiercely  that  the  faith  must  have  been  driven 
altogether  out  of  the  land  if  avarice  had  not  overruled  all 
godly  considerations,  and  allowed  the  Catholic  nobility  and 
gentry  by  compounding  for  their  recusancy  to  buy  at  great 
prices  the  secret  practice  of  their  religion  and  to  shield  from 
persecution  the  humble  dependants  of  their  houses  and 
estates.  When  a  Catholic  queen  shared  the  honours  of  the 
court  of  Charles  I.  the  penal  laws  were  not  so  much  carried 
out,  and  Catholics  enjoyed  fitful  seasons  of  calm  broken 
from  time  to  time  when  at  the  instance  of  some  needy 
informer  a  priest  was  offered  in  bloody  sacrifice  to  glut  the 
bigotry  of  the  country.  In  the  great  rebellion  the  deep 
devotion  of  Catholics  to  their  monarch's  cause  earned  for 
them  the  lasting  esteem  of  the  royal  family.  Charles  II. 
spite  of  the  loud  complaints  of  the  whole  nation  would  fain 

through  all  the  times  of  persecution  and  aided  powerfully  to  foster 
the  heroic  spirit  of  the  faithful  in  setting  at  nought  the  rack,  the 
gibbet,  and  the  knife. 


196  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

have  granted  toleration  to  them  and  to  all  dissenters.  By  his 
Declaration  of  Indulgence  (for  promoting  which  F.  Thomas 
Howard  suffered  so  much)  he  set  aside  the  penal  laws  against 
Catholics  and  against  Protestant  nonconformists,  granting 
to  the  former  the  private,  and  to  the  latter  the  public, 
exercise  of  their  religion.  But  in  the  fierce  intolerant 
spirit  of  the  time  the  Commons  denied  to  the  king  that 
prescriptive  right  to  use  the  royal  prerogative  of  mercy 
which  had  not  heen  questioned  before,  and  obliged  him 
forthwith  to  cancel  the  declaration  and  promise  solemnly 
that  it  should  never  be  made  a  precedent.  Nor  was  this 
enough.  The  Commons  immediately  passed  the  Test  Act 
directed  avowedly  against  Catholics,  by  which  every  person 
holding  any  office  civil  or  military  had  to  receive  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Church  of  England  publicly  and  to  sign  a 
declaration  against  transubstantiation.  A  few  years  after 
they  added  to  the  test  a  further  declaration  against  "the 
Invocation  or  Adoration  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  or  any  other 
Saint,  and  the  Sacrament  of  the  Mass,  as  they  are  now  used 
in  the  Church  of  Kome." 

James  II.  did  not  stretch  his  royal  prerogatives  farther 
than  the  kings  who  went  before  him  had  used  their  acknow- 
ledged powers;  but  he  carried  them  beyond  the  bounds  of 
moderation  and  prudence  when  the  temper  of  the  whole 
nation  was  so  obstinately  set  against  the  Church.  He 
relied  too  much  on  his  supremacy  and  on  the  loud  profes- 
sions of  passive  obedience  which  were  rife  among  the 
English  Protestant  clergy.  Moreover  he  was  driven  on  to 
the  measures  he  took  by  traitors  in  his  court,  who  at  the 
same  time  were  planning  his  downfall  and  courting  the 
favour  of  his  Protestant  successor.  The  king  had  Mass  and 
the  rites  of  the  Church  celebrated  in  all  their  grandeur  at 
the  palace  and  attended  them  with  royal  pomp.  He  sent  an 
ambassador  to  Rome  and  publicly  received  a  papal  nuncio. 
He  called  four  Catholics,  one  of  whom  was  a  Jesuit,  into 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD.  197 

the  privy  council  made  up  of  forty  members.  He  admitted 
Catholics  into  the  army  spite  of  the  Test  Act.  He  autho- 
rized a  few  Catholics  to  hold  some  preferments  in  the 
Protestant  establishment,  and  appointed  seven  commissioners 
for  governing  it.  He  forced  Catholics  on  the  universities 
of  Oxford*  and  Cambridge,  gave  the  deanery  of  Christchurch 
Oxford  to  a  Catholic,  and  sanctioned  the  time-serving  rene- 
gade master  in  bringing  over  University  college  :  he  turned 
out  the  fellows  and  scholars  of  Magdalen  college,  and  when 

*  The  original  of  the  following  is  in  the  archives  of  the  English 
Dominican  province. 

"To  the  Eight  Eeverend  Father  in  God,   Samuell, 

Lord   Bishop  of  Oxon,  President  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen 

Colledge,  in  Our  Vniversity  of  Oxon,  or  in  his  absence  to 

the  Vice  President  of  Our  said  Colledge, 

"  JAMES  R. 

"  Right  reverend  Father  in  God,  "We  greet  you  well.  Whereas 
there  are  severall  Fellowships  now  voyd  in  that  Our  Colledge  of 
S*  Mary  Magdalen  ;  We  haue  thought  fit  hereby  to  signify  Our 
will  and  pleasure  to  you,  that  you  forthwith  admit  Our  trusty  and 
-welbeloved  Richard  Short  to  be  a  Fellow  of  Our  said  Colledge, 
with  all  the  Rights,  Priviledges,  Profits,  Perquisits  and  Advan- 
tages to  the  same  belonging  or  appertaining,  without  administring 
unto  him  any  Oath  or  Oaths  but  that  of  a  Fellow,  any  Law, 
Statute,  Custom  or  Constitution  to  the  contrary  in  any  wise  not- 
withstanding, with  which  We  are  graciously  pleased  to  dispense  in 
this  behalfe.  And  for  so  doing,  this  shall  be  your  Warrant.  And 
so  We  bid  you  heartily  Farewell.  Given  at  Our  Court  at  White- 
hall, the  14«*  day  of  March  168|,  in  the  fourth  yeare  of  Our 

Reigne. 

"By  his  Majty's  command. 

"  SQNDERLAND,  P. 
"  Mr  Richard  Short  to  be  a  Fellow  of  Magdalen  Colledge." 

Rich.  Short  became  an  eminent  physician.  An  account  of  him 
is  given  in  Dodd's  Church  History. 


198  LIFE   OF   CABDINAL  HOWAKD. 

the  bishop  of  Oxford  died,  appointed  a  Catholic  bishop  to  be 
president,  so  as  to  make  it  entirely  a  Catholic  institution. 
He  put  forth  April  4th  (o.  s.)  1687  a  Declaration  of  Indul- 
gence removing  the  penal  laws  and  freely  allowing  public 
worship  to  all  classes  of  nonconformists,  so  that  Catholics 
built  chapels  and  convents  in  some  parts  of  the  kingdom. 
He  repeated  this  declaration  April  27th  (o.  s.)  1688  and 
enjoined  it  to  be  read  in  all  churches,  and  when  his  order 
was  disobeyed  .he  sent  seven  of  the  English  bishops  to  the 
tower  of  London.  And  he  remodelled  the  self-elective 
corporate  bodies  of  cities  and  boroughs  formed  under  the 
penal  and  test  codes,  and  opened  them  and  every  civil 
office  to  members  of  all  sects.  The  nation  was  aroused, 
and  the  English  clergy  soon  unlearned  their  doctrine  of 
non-resistance.  James  now  saw  his  danger.  He  strove  to 
undo  his  great  errors  by  withdrawing  his  acts  against  the 
Protestant  Establishment,  abolishing  the  court  of  High 
Commission  he  had  revived,  and  giving  up  Magdalen  college : 
and  he  restored  the  corporate  bodies  to  their  former  state. 
But  all  was  too  late.  The  Kevolution  was  fully  organized. 
Insurrections  occurred  throughout  the  country.  William 
prince  of  Orange  landed  an<J  gathered  a  military  force 
around  him.  The  army  was  disaffected.  James  had  to  fly 
and  the  Calvinist  stadtholder  seized  the  government  and 
for  ever  shut  out  the  Catholic  House  of  Stuart  from  the 
British  throne.  The  penal  laws  were  brought  again  into 
force  and  increased  in  severity,  and  the  state  of  the  Church 
in  England  became  worse  than  ever. 

Cardinal  Howard  took  deeply  to  heart  the  ecclesiastical 
affairs  of  England  and  forwarded  them  with  every  means  in 
his  power.  At  his  instance  Innocent  XI.  extender  ^e  feast 
of  St.  Edward  the  Confessor,  which  had  been  kept  in  England 
only,  to  the  universal  Church  :  a  decree  of  the  congregation 
of  rites  May  29th  1679  ordered  it  to  be  on  October  9th,  but 
another  decree  of  April  6th  1680  changed  it  to  the  13th  of 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  199 

the  month,  being  the  anniversary  of  the  Translation  of 
the  Saint's  relics  in  1161.  Francesco  Barberini  cardinal- 
protector  of  England  died  in  1679.  Charles  II.  prayed 
Innocent  XI.  to  give  the  charge  to  cardinal  Howard,  who 
accordingly  undertook  the  welfare  of  the  Catholics  of  Eng- 
land. The  English  secular  clergy  congratulated  him  on  his 
appointment  in  a  letter  dated,  Paris  March  15th  1680.  In 
his  answer  April  10th  he  commended  them  for  their  zeal  in 
defence  of  the  faith,  for  which  many  of  their  predecessors  and 
even  some  in  the  persecution  then  on  foot  had  lost  their  lives, 
whom  he  proposed  to  their  imitation.  At  the  same  time  he 
warned  them  that  it  was  not  lawful  to  take  the  oaths  of 
allegiance  and  supremacy,  though  some  of  their  brethren  had 
abetted  them  so  as  to  cause  reflections  on  the  whole  body  of 
clergy  and  some  uneasiness  at  the  court  of  Rome  and  in  the 
mind  of  the  sovereign  pontiff.  As  cardinal-protector  of  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  he  also  addressed  an  admirable  epistle 
dated  Rome  April  7th  1684  to  the  clergy  of  the  two  countries. 
Among  other  things  he  recommended  to  them  the  "  Insti- 
tutum  clericorum  in  communi  viventium,"  founded  about  1644 
by  a  German  priest  Bartholomew  Holtzhauser.  The  institute 
was  eagerly  taken  up  in  England  and  flourished  for  some 
years,  but  was  broken  up  at  last  through  a  misunderstanding 
between  the  members  and  the  rest  of  the  secular  clergy : 
still  it  gave  rise  to  some  important  and  valuable  funds  for 
relieving  over-aged  or  disabled  priests,  which  have  continued 
to  the  present  day.  Under  the  protection  and  the  watchful  eye 
of  the  cardinal  were  carried  on  the  fine  new  buildings  of  the 
English  college  and  of  his  own  adjoining  palace  in  Rome. 
The  famous  Legenda  and  Carlo  Fontana  were  the  architects 
of  the  buildings,  which  were  finished  in  1685.  Here  were 
only  his  state  rooms.  Though  he  had  a  pension  of  10,000 
scudi  from  the  pope  and  apartments  in  the  Vatican  he  chose 
the  cloistral  life  in  the  Dominican  convent  of  St.  Sabina, 
where  to  the  time  of  his  death  he  shared  the  humble  fare 


200  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

of  the  friars  iu  the  common  refectory.  The  palace  of  cardi- 
nal Howard  has  always  been  interesting  to  English  Catholics 
in  Rome,  and  of  late  years  it  has  gained  an  additional 
claim  on  their  attention.  The  present  supreme  pontiff 
Pius  IX.,  whose  affection  for  the  Church  in  this  country  is 
one  of  the  leading  traits  of  his  pontificate,  has  established  in 
it  a  college  for  meeting  the  growing  wants  of  England.  The 
Collegio  Pio  provides  a  place  and  means  of  study  for  adults 
and  for  converts  to  enrol  themselves  among  the  secular  clergy. 
When  a  Catholic  sovereign  once  more  sat  on  the  British 
throne,  cardinal  Howard  hailed  the  event  with  the  greatest 
delight  and  looked  forward  to  bright  days  for  the  Church  in 
his  native  land.  But  sorely  was  he  dismayed  when  he  found 
what  headstrong  courses  James  II.  was  pursuing,  and  his 
alarm  was  shared  by  Innocent  XL  It  was  the  aim  of  the 
pope  and  of  the  cardinal,  not  so  much  to  raise  the  political 
powers  of  English  Catholics  in  direct  opposition  to  the  fierce 
Protestant  temper  of  the  nation,  as  to  give  the  Church 
internal  strength  and  power,  which  in  course  of  time  must 
have  won  for  Catholics  their  due  position  in  the  state.  For 
fifty- six  years  there  had  not  been  any  vicar-apostolic  in 
England  to  govern  the  secular  clergy,  and  English  Catholics 
were  indebted  to  Irish  charity  for  those  ministrations  which 
belong  to  the  office  of  bishop.  Cardinal  Howard  set  about 
repairing  this  evil  as  soon  as  possible.  His  great  friend, 
secretary  and  auditor  John  Leyburn  was  consecrated  bishop 
at  Eome  September  9th  1685  with  the  title  of  Adrumetum 
in  partibus  infidelium,  and  the  spiritual  charge  of  the 
Catholics  of  England  was  entrusted  to  him.  He  arrived  in 
the  following  month ;  the  king  lodged  him  in  Whitehall  and 
gave  him  a  pension  of  £1000.  a  year.  With  him  came 
Ferdinand  count  of  Adda  as  papal  nuncio.  Macaulay  says 
that  Dr.  Leyburn,  whom  he  mistakes  for  an  English 
Dominican,  "  with  some  learning  and  a  rich  vein  of  natural 
humour,  was  the  most  cautious,  dexterous,  and  taciturn  of 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  201 

men  ;"  and  that  "he  seems  to  have  behaved,  on  all  occasions, 
like  a  wise  and  honest  man."  Adda  was  of  mild  temper  and 
courtly  manners.  Innocent  XI.  sent  these  two  to  the 
English  Court  with  the  charge  to  inculcate  moderation  both 
by  admonition  and  example ;  and  had  James  listened  to 
them  and  not  to  the  hot-headed  and  wrong-hearted 
counsellors,  who  bolstered  him  up  with  grand  ideas  of  his 
supremacy  and  urged  him  on  to  his  extreme  measures,  he 
would  have  saved  his  crown  and  have  done  lasting  good  to 
the  Church.  Dr.  Leyburn  was  kept  at  the  court,  but  his 
advice  had  no  weight.  He  boldly  told  the  king  that  the 
fellows  and  students  of  Magdalen  college  were  grievously 
wronged,  and  that  restitution  ought  to  be  made  to  them  on 
religious  as  well  as  on  political  grounds.  James  yielded  only 
when  he  was  forced  to  do  so. 

The  pope  saw  clearly  the  fatal  tendency  of  the  royal  policy. 
"  Innocent  was  confirmed  in  his  judgment,"  says  Macaulay, 
"  by  the  principal  Englishmen  who  resided  at  his  court.  Of 
these  the  most  illustrious  was  Philip  Howard,  sprung  from 
the  noblest  houses  of  Britain,  grandson,  on  one  side,  of  an 
Earl  of  Arundel,  on  the  other,  of  a  Duke  of  Lennox.  Philip 
had  long  been  a  member  of  the  sacred  college :  he  was 
commonly  designated  as  the  Cardinal  of  England ;  and  he 
was  the  chief  counsellor  of  the  Holy  See  in  matters  relating 
to  his  country.  He  had  been  driven  into  exile  by  the  outcry 
of  Protestant  bigots;  and  a  member  of  his  family,  the 
unfortunate  Stafford,  had  fallen  a  victim  to  their  rage.  But 
neither  the  Cardinal's  own  wrongs,  nor  those  of  his  house, 
had  so  heated  his  mind  as  to  make  him  a  rash  adviser. 
Every  letter,  therefore,  which  went  from  the  Vatican  to  White- 
hall recommended  patience,  moderation,  and  respect  for  the 
prejudices  of  the  English  people."  Burnet  visited  Rome  in 
August  1685  before  James  had  entered  on  the  most  violent 
part  of  his  career,  and  he  was  treated  by  the  English  cardinal 
"with  great  freedom."  This  bishop,  in  his  History  of  his 


202  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

own  Times,  says,  "  Cardinal  Howard  showed  me  all  his 
letters  from  England,  by  which  I  saw,  that  those  who  wrote 
to  him  reckoned,  that  their  designs  were  so  well  laid,  that 
they  could  not  miscarry.  They  thought,  they  should 
certainly  carry  everything  in  the  next  session  of  parliament. 
There  was  a  high  strain  of  insolence  in  their  letters :  And 
they  reckoned,  they  were  so  sure  of  the  King,  that  they 
seemed  to  have  no  doubt  left  of  their  succeeding  in  the 
reduction  of  England.  The  Romans  and  Italians  were  much 
troubled  at  all  this  :  For  they  were  under  such  apprehensions 
of  the  growth  of  the  French  power,  and  had  conceived  such 
hopes  of  the  King  of  England's  putting  a  stop  to  it,  that  they 
were  sorry  to  see  the  King  engage  himself  so,  in  the  design 
of  changing  the  religion  of  his  subjects,  which  they  thought 
would  create  him  so  much  trouble  at  home,  that  he  would 
neither  have  leisure  nor  strength,  to  look  after  the  common 
concerns  of  Europe.  The  Cardinal  told  me,  that  all  the 
advices  writ  over  from  thence  to  England  were  for  slow, 
calm  and  moderate  courses.  He  said,  he  wished  he  was  at 
liberty  to  show  me  the  copies  of  them :  But  he  saw  violent 
courses  were  more  acceptable,  and  would  probably  be 
followed.  And  he  added,  that  these  were  the  production 
of  England,  far  different  from  the  counsels  of  Rome. 

"  He  also  told  me,  that  they  had  not  instruments  enough 
to  work  with  :  For,  tho'  they  were  sending  over  all  that  were 
capable  of  the  Mission,  yet  he  expected  no  great  matters  from 
them.  Few  of  them  spoke  true  English.  They  came  over 
young,  and  retained  all  the  English  that  they  brought  over 
with  them,  which  was  only  the  language  of  boys  :  But,  their 
education  being  among  strangers,  they  had  formed  themselves 
so  upon  that  model,  that  really  they  preached  as  Frenchmen 
or  Italians  in  English  words;  of  which  he  was  every  day 
warning  them,  for  he  knew  this  could  have  no  good  effect  in 
England.  He  also  spoke  with  great  sense  of  the  proceedings 
in  France,  which  he  apprehended  would  have  very  ill  con- 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  203 

sequences  in  England.  I  shall  only  add  one  other  particular, 
which  will  show  the  soft  temper  of  that  good  natured 
man. 

"  He  used  me  in  such  a  manner,  that  it  was  much  observed 
by  many  others.  So  two  French  Gentlemen  desired  a  note 
from  me  to  introduce  them  to  him.  Their  design  was  to  be 
furnished  with  Reliques ;  for  he  was  then  the  Cardinal  that 
looked  after  that  matter.  One  evening  I  came  in  to  him  as 
he  was  very  busy  in  giving  them  some  Reliques.  So  I  was 
called  in  to  see  them :  And  I  whispered  to  him  in  English, 
that  it  was  somewhat  odd,  that  a  Priest  of  the  Church  of 
England  should  be  at  Rome,  helping  them  off  with  the  ware 
of  Babylon.  He  was  so  pleased  with  this,  that  he  repeated  it 
to  the  others  in  French  ;  and  told  the  Frenchmen,  that  they 
should  tell  their  countrymen,  how  bold  the  hereticks,  and 
how  mild  the  Cardinals  were  at  Rome." 

A  single  vicar-apostolic  and  mere  titular  bishop  for  the 
whole  of  England  was  far  from  contenting  the  king.  James 
through  his  ambassador  at  Rome  prayed  the  pope  that  F. 
Edward  Petre  vice-provincial  of  the  Jesuits  (who  became  one 
of  the  four  Catholic  privy  councillors)  might  be  made  a 
bishop  and  cardinal,  with  the  view  it  was  bruited  abroad  of 
thrusting  him  into  the  vacant  archbishopric  of  York.  Inno- 
cent firmly  refused  though  the  matter  was  again  and  again 
strongly  urged  on  him,  as  he  thought  the  proposal  most 
imprudent  and  rash.  But  he  appointed  another  vicar- 
apostolic,  and  January  30th  1688  he  divided  England  into 
four  districts,  and  let  James  name  the  persons  who  would  be 
fit  to  govern  them.  Bonaventure  Giffard  the  king's  chaplain 
was  consecrated  April  22nd  (o.  s.)  1687  at  Whitehall  by  title 
of  bishop  of  Madaura,  Philip  Michael  Ellis  0.  S.  B.  May  6th 
(o.  s.)  1688  at  St.  James's  palace  by  title  of  bishop  of 
Aureliopolis,  and  James  Smith  May  13th  (o.  s.)  following  at 
Somerset-house  by  title  of  bishop  of  Callipolis.  The  London 
district  was  given  to  Dr.  Leyburn,  the  midland  to  Dr. 


204  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL    HOWARD 

Giffard,  the  northern  to  Dr.  Smith,  and  the  western  to  Dr. 
Ellis.  Each  vicar  had  a  salary  of  ^£1000  a-year  out  of  the 
royal  exchequer  with  ^£500  when  he  entered  on  his  office. 

During  the  reign  of  James  II.  there  were  several  Dominican 
fathers  in  London  and  about  the  royal  court.  Many  of  them 
have  been  already  named ;  only  three  now  need  to  be  par- 
ticularly noticed. 

F.  Dominic  Gwillim  after  F.  Thomas  Howard  was  made  a 
cardinal  governed  the  convent  of  Bornhem  as  vicar-in-capite, 
till  early  in  1676  he  was  elected  prior.  In  1679  he  waa 
reinstalled  for  another  term  of  three  years.  When  his  second 
priorship  was  over  he  came  to  London,  and  was  probably  a 
chaplain  in  the  army  as  he  went  by  the  title  of  captain  :  on 
the  death  of  F.  Vincent  Torre  in  August  1687,  the  master- 
general  appointed  him  provincial  of  England.  In  that  office 
he  died  at  London  September  llth  (o.  s.)  1688  in  the  forty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age. 

F.  Ambrose  Thomas  Grymes  returned  from  Eennes  to 
Bornhern  late  in  1675,  and  taught  philosophy.  Then  he  had 
a  professor's  chair  in  Italy,  but  the  place  is  not  named ;  it 
was  probably  at  the  convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  in 
Rome.  In  England  he  became  preacher-in-ordinary  to  the 
queen-dowager  Catherine  of  Braganza.  He  was  vicar-provin- 
cial for  England  while  the  provincial  was  abroad.  The 
queen- dowager  broke  up  her  establishment  at  Somerset-house 
in  March  1692-3  and  returned  into  Portugal;  and  after  some 
time,  F.  Ambrose  recrossed  the  sea  into  Flanders.  The 
master-general  made  him  provincial  of  England  in  1699  and 
again  in  1704;  and  in  this  time  he  was  confessor  at  the 
Spellekens.  In  1708  he  was  appointed  rector  of  the  Domini- 
can college  of  St.  Thomas  at  Louvain,  of  which  we  shall  here- 
after speak ;  and  in  May  1711  was  elected  prior  of  Bornhem. 
In  1718  he  was  again  at  St.  Thomas's  college,  where  he  was 
master  of  studies  and  professor  of  sacred  Scripture.  He 
closed  his  days  at  Louvain  February  18th  1719  in  the 


LIFE    OF  CARDINAL    HOWARD.  205 

seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age.  As  the  English  fathers  had 
no  cemetery  attached  to  their  college  he  was  huried  among 
the  Irish  Friar-Preachers  of  the  convent  of  Holy  Cross. 

F.  Lewis  Thursby  was  for  thirty-nine  years  on  the  English 
mission,  probably  in  London  where  we  find  him  in  1709.  In 
his  old  age  he  returned  to  Bornhem  about  1720,  and  there 
died  October  12th  1726  in  the  seventy- eighth  year  of  his 
age. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  Dominicans*  took  any  part  in 
the  political  affairs  of  James  II.  In  the  archives  of  the 
English  Dominican  province  is  a  record  which  gives  a  curious 
incident  in  the  babyhood  of  James  Francis  Edward  Prince  of 
Wales,  who  afterwards  became  famous  as  the  "  Chevalier  de 
St. 'George"  or  "  the  Old  Pretender."  It  has  escaped  alike 
the  political  misrepresentations  of  Burnet  and  the  malignant 
tattle  of  Macaulay.  This  son  of  king  James  and  Maria 
Beatrice  his  consort,  born  June  10th  (o.  s.)  1688,  was  griev- 
ously afflicted  with  convulsions.  As  the  hope  of  the  kingdom 
and  of  the  Catholic  religion  seemed  to  be  centred  in  this 
prince,  no  human  means  were  spared  to  save  him  from  the 
'disease,  which  had  carried  off  all  the  other  children  of  the 
queen.  By  the  advice  of  the  physicians  the  child  was  fed  in 
place  of  milk  on  black-cherry  water,  which  was  thought  best 
for  guarding  against  or  driving  off  the  fits ;  but  this  remedy 
did  no  good.  When  medical  skill  failed  the  queen,  who  had 
long  before  heard  of  the  merits  of  St.  Macharius  in  curing 
such  diseases,  had  some  relics  of  the  saint  sent  to  London  by 

*  In  the  Life  of  Dr.  John  Radcliffe  physician  to  the  princess 
Anne  of  Denmark  and  founder  of  the  library  which  bears  his 
name  at  Oxford,  it  is  said  that  he  "  was  sorely  beset"  "  by  the  court 
chaplains  Father  Saunders  and  another  Dominican,  to  change  his 
religion,  and  turn  papist."  Though  they  had  been  sent  to  him  by 
James  he  was  deaf  to  their  solicitations.  Now  F.  Francis  Saunders 
the  king's  confessor  was  a  Jesuit  and  not  a  Dominican. 


206  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

the  reverend  Marianus  Irvin  abbot  of  the  Scotch  Benedic- 
tine monastery  of  St.  James  of  Wurzburg.  One  portion  of 
the  relics  sewn  in  a  cloth  was  placed  upon  the  head  of  the 
royal  baby,  the  other  by  order  of  the  nuncio  Adda  was 
exposed  in  the  royal  chapel  for  the  veneration  of  the  faithful. 
The  child  was  immediately  freed  from  the  convulsions  and 
never  had  them  again.  All  this  was  told  to  the  fathers  by 
the  duke  of  Perth  chancellor  of  Scotland,  who  at  the  queen's 
desire  engaged  one  of  their  missionaries  to  write  the  life  of 
St.  Macharius  in  English,  which  was  accordingly  done.  In 
memory  of  so  great  a  benefit,  much  good  was  promised  in 
honour  of  the  saint  to  their  monastery,  but  all  was  lost  by  the 
revolution. 

The  birth  of  this  heir  to  the  throne  was  a  source  of  great 
joy  at  Rome.  On  the  occasion  cardinal  Howard  gave  a 
feast  in  which  an  ox  roasted  whole  stuffed  with  lambs  and 
fowls  and  provisions  of  all  kinds  stirred  up  the  wonder  and 
gladdened  the  hearts  of  the  common  people  of  the  city. 

The  flight  of  James  was  the  signal  for  riots  and  general 
uprisings  against  popery.  The  chapels  and  convents,  and 
the  houses  of  the  leading  Catholics  in  London  and  throughout 
the  country  were  sacked  and  destroyed.  Three  of  the  vicars- 
apostolic  were  cast  into  prison,  Dr.  Leyburn  in  the  tower,  Dr. 
Giffard  and  Dr.  Ellis  in  Newgate;  Dr.  Smith  withdrew  into 
concealment  in  a  gentleman's  country-house.  But  their 
blameless  conduct  which  even  their  enemies  could  not  im- 
peach, secured  their  liberty  and  leave  for  them  still  to  dwell 
in  England.  Dr.  Leyburn  and  Dr.  Giffard  lived  privately  in 
London  and  died,  the  one  in  1703,  the  other  at  Hammersmith 
in  1733.  Dr.  Smith  died  in  1711.  Dr.  Ellis  joined  his 
exiled  king  at  St.  Germain ;  thence  he  went  to  Rome  where 
he  formed  a  close  friendship  with  cardinal  Howard;  in  1710 
he  was  made  bishop  of  Segni,  and  closed  his  life  in  1726. 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  207 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  sorrow  of  cardinal  Howard  for  the  renewed  affliction  of 
the  Church  in  England  was  one  of  delayed  and  not  of 
destroyed  hopes.  He  did  not  live  to  witness  every  chance 
fail  that  James  would  win  his  throne  again,  as  he  died  within 
six  years  after  the  revolution.  His  direct  intercourse  with 
England  was  cut  off;  and  all  he  could  do  for  the  English 
mission  was,  to  return  to  the  old  state  of  things,  and  aid  it  by 
bringing  up  priests  in  the  college  at  Eome,  by  forwarding  the 
interests  of  the  English  Dominican  province,  and  by  receiving 
and  bounteously  assisting  the  English  Catholics  in  exile  who 
flocked  around  him  and  sought  his  aid  or  friendship.  Within 
the  last  three  weeks  of  his  life  he  saw  his  cherished  province 
placed  on  a  better  footing  with  the  rest  of  the  Order.  The 
province  was  now  strong  enough  to  return  to  a  more  nor- 
mal form  of  government  as  soon  as  political  affairs  would 
allow,  by  means  of  provincial  chapters.  It  is  true  that  the 
fathers  being  brought  up  chiefly  for  the  mission  could  not  go 
through  the  long  and  deep  studies  needed  for  the  honorary 
degrees  of  the  Order,  and  there  was  only  one  religious  house 
of  men,  so  that  the  province  had  no  regular  masters  of 
theology^  preachers-general,  and  priors  to  form  a  canonical 
assemblage  for  electing  a  provincial.  But  the  difficulty  was 
met  by  the  general  chapter  held  May  30th  1694  at  Rome, 
which  ordained  that  those  English  fathers  whose  labours  made 
them  deserving  of  honour  might  be  decorated  with  the  titles 
of  masters  or  preachers,  and  of  priors  of  the  ancient  deso- 
lated convents  in  England,  and  enjoy  the  privileges  and 
powers  of  graduates  and  real  priors.  And  at  the  same  time 
the  length  of  the  provincialship  was  fixed  at  the  regular 
standard  of  four  years.  Under  these  arrangements  it  was 


208  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

attempted  to  form  a  chapter  for  1712,  and  the  provincial 
created  several  titular  priors.  But  owing  to  the  perils  of  the 
times  the  fathers  were  afraid  to  meet  together  in  England ; 
and  the  master-general  continued  to  select  and  appoint  a 
provincial  till  the  fathers  in  1718  had  leave  to  nominate  three 
of  their  body  out  of  whom  the  choice  should  be  made.  In 
1730  the  provincial  chapters  were  begun  again;  and  they  have 
been  carried  on  to  the  present  time  in  a  regular  order  every 
four  years,  broken  only  in  1746  when  the  last  desperate  effort 
of  the  Stuarts  for  the  British  throne  made  it  dangerous  for 
any  reputed  Jacobites  to  assemble.  This  was  the  last  act  in 
favour  of  his  Order  promoted  by  cardinal  Howard.  Like  the 
restoration  of  the  hierarchy  in  respect  to  the  English  Church, 
it  placed  the  province  on  the  lasting  and  normal  footing  on 
which  it  still  remains. 

Cardinal  Howard  assisted  in  three  conclaves  for  electing 
sovereign  pontiffs,  when  Innocent  XI.  September  21st  1676, 
Alexander  VIII.  October  6th  1689,  and  Innocent  XII.  July 
12th  1691  were  chosen  to  fill  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.      He 
went  through  all  the  duties  of  his  high  post  with  an  upright- 
ness  of  intention,  earnestness   of  mind,   and  simplicity  of 
manner  that  did  honour  to  the  dignity  which  honoured  him. 
He  never  forgot  that  he  was  a  Keligious  nor  allowed  ambi- 
tion to  carry  him  away.     Greatness  had  been  thrust  on  him 
without  his  having  sought  it,  and  he  accepted  it  only  when 
he  believed  it  would  help  him  on  in  the  great  aim  of  his  life. 
He  refused  all  other  dignities  that  would  have  drawn  him 
from  his  purpose  and  allured  him  from  the  path  he  had  so 
long  trodden.     His  great  idea  was,  to  restore  the  Dominican 
province  of  England  as  a  means  of  forwarding  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  his  country.     It  unfolded  itself  in  his  mind  from 
the  moment  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  Order ;  he  took 
it   up   as  soon  as  he  was  freed  from  the  trammels  of  the 
noviciate,  and  spite  of  all  difficulties  and  dangers  carried  it  on 
for  forty-five  years  with   a   singleness   of  purpose   and  an 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  209 

energy  which  shows  it  was  the  great  work  Providence  had 

given  him  to  do.     He  lived  just  to  see  his  province  restored 

lastingly  and  as  fully  as  the  circumstances  of  the  age  would 

permit.     Then  his  task  was  over  and  he  was  called  away  to 

his  everlasting  reward,  though  many  years  of  after-labours 

for  the  good  of  the  Church  seemed  to  be  still  in  store  for 

him.     He  fell  into  weak  health,  which  in  the  spring  of  1694 

rapidly  failed.    On  March  llth  of  that  year,  he  thus  wrote  his 

last  will,  by  faculty  which  Clement  VIII.  had  granted  to  him 

July  8th  1676  to  dispose  of  his  property.     He  recommended 

his  soul  to  the  infinite  mercy  of  God  and  to  the  intercession 

of  the  most  holy  Virgin  Mary,  St.  Dominic,  St.  ^Thomas  of 

Canterbury,    St.    Thomas   Aquinas,    St.    Peter  Martyr,    St. 

Catherine  of  Sienna,  and  all  his  other  holy  advocates.     He 

desired  to   be   buried  with  as  little  pomp  and  at  as  little 

expense  as  possible  in  the  church  of  the  Minerva,    with  a 

small  and  very  common  stone  over  him   and  only  his  name 

upon  it :  and  that  two  thousand  low  masses  of  requiem  should 

be  said  for  his  soul.     But  in  case  he  did  not  die  in  Home  he 

desired  to  be  buried  in  the  commonest  fashion  where  his 

executors   pleased ;    and  in  the  same  place  if  possible  the 

masses  were  to  be  said.     He  desired  that  the  8000  Koman 

crowns  lent  him  by  his  brother  Henry  late  duke  of  Norfolk 

(who  had  begged  it  might  be  paid  back  for  the  good  of  his 

children   by  his  second  wife)  should   be  given  over  to  his 

nephew  lord  George  Howard  of  Norfolk,  the  duke's  eldest  son 

by  the  same  wife,  to  be  duly  shared  among  those  children.    He 

bequeathed  to  all  who  were  his  servants  at  the  time  of  his 

death  and  to  his  physician  Guidarelli  a  whole  year's  wages  ;  to 

found  in  the  Flemish  Dominican  convent  at  Bussels  two  places 

for  the  confessor  of  the  English  Dominican  sisters  and  for  the 

priest  or  lay-brother  his   companion    2000  crowns,  and  he 

desired  that  Brother  Henry  Packe*  should  be  the  companion ; 


*  Brother  Henry   Packe   was  companion   and   steward   of  F. 


210  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

to  the  convent  of  the  same  English  nuns  at  Brussels  2000 
crowns ;  to  the  convent  of  Flemish  Ursuline  nuns  iu  Rome 
500  crowns  ;  to  found  for  ever  a  chaplaincy  of  one  daily  mass 
in  their  church,  the  mass  being  for  the  convenience  of  the 
nuns  but  applied  to  his  own  soul,  1000  crowns ;  to  the  same 
nuns  for  the  good  of  their  convent  all  the  vestments  and 
everything  else  he  had  left  in  their  keeping ;  to  the  Chiesa 
Nuova  in  Rome  his  four  great  candlesticks  with  the  cross 
also  in  his  chapel ;  to  the  convent  of  the  Minerva  one  of  his 
best  white    vestments ;    to   his   chamberlain   sig.    Giovanni 
Battista  Novelli's  first-born  daughter,  whose  god-father  he 
was,  two  of  his  largest  candlesticks  standing  upon  his  dressing- 
table  ;  and  to  the  English  bishop  Mons.  Ellis  100  Roman 
crowns.     He  besought  his  holiness  to  accept  a  picture  of  our 
Lady  with  the  Child  Jesus  and  St.  Joseph  and  St.  John 
Baptist  painted  by  Raffaello.     He  left  to  cardinal  Paluzzio 
Altieri  the  best  of  his  English  clocks;   to  cardinal  Nerli, 
cardinal  Mareschotti,  and  cardinal  Spada,  each  another  clock 
which  they  pleased  :    and  he  besought  their  eminences  to 
compassionate  his  poverty  and  his  confidence  if  he  begged 
them  to  be  his  executors  in  case  he  died  in  Italy.     And  all 
the  residue  of  his  goods  he  gave  to  buy  and  found  the  college 
of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  of  the  Walloon  Dominicans  of  Douay, 
to  form  a  college  for  the  English  Dominicans.     And  in  case 
that  college  could  not  be  bought,  or  some  other  convenient 
place  for  that  purpose  in  Louvain,  Brussels,   Antwerp,   or 
elsewhere  in  the  Low  Countries,  where  it  should  seem  good 
to  the  provincial  of  England,  he  willed  it  to  be  given  to  the 
convent  of  Bornhem,  being  himself  a  son  though  a  most 

Thomas  Howard  when  grand- almoner,  went  with  him  to  Rome,  and 
served  him  while  cardinal  in  the  same  office.  After  the  cardinal's 
death,  he  became  provincial  procurator  in  England,  and  at  last  went 
to  be  the  confessor's  companion  at  Brussels,  where  he  died 
December  26th  1716  in  his  89th  year. 


LIFE  OF  CABDINAL  HOWARD.  211 

unworthy  one  of  our  holy  patriarch  St.  Dominic.  And 
therefore  he  begged  their  eminences  that  the  provincial 
of  England  might  also  be  one  of  the  executors  of  his  will. 

The  health  of  the  cardinal  became  still  worse,  and  while  he 
lay  sick  in  bed  June  9th  he  sent  for  a  notary,  gave  him  his 
will,  and  dictated  a  codicil.  He  now  bequeathed  to  Mr. 
Charles  Hill,  to  Mr.  Francis  Clayton,  to  Mr.  Stephen 
Wagman,  and  to  Mr.  Peter  Smitt  100  crowns  a-piece  :  to 
Mr.  Charles  and  Mr.  John  Dryden  50  crowns  a-piece ;  to 
George  Kell  his  cupboard  of  provision ;  and  to  the  venerable 
college... [stables]... for  one  [year's]*  rent  of  the  said  palace. 
To  all  the  residue  of  his  goods  he  made  his  universal  heir  the 
venerable  religion  of  St.  Dominic,  of  the  province  of  England, 
and  for  that  F.  Thomas  Bianchi  [White]  provincial,  and  after 
his  death  the  other  provincials  succeeding  him.  And  lastly 
he  left  to  the  bishop  mons.  Philip  Michael  Ellis  the  coach 
which  used  to  serve  his  lordship,  with  the  horses  and 
harness. 

Full  of  his  good  designs  for  the  English  province  cardinal 
Howard  died  at  Ptome  June  17th  1694  in  the  64th  year  of 
his  age,  the  48th  of  his  religious  profession,  the  42nd  of  his 
priesthood,  and  the  20th  of  his  cardinalship.  His  tombstone 
records  that  his  death  took  place  "  14  kal  Julii"  June  18th, 
and  some  authors  have  given  the  16th.  But  the  Bornhem 
mortuary  rolls  and  all  the  records  of  the  fathers  of  Bornhem 
and  of  the  sisters  of  Brussels  agree  in  dating  the  fatal  event 
on  the  17th,  in  which  Jonghe,  Touron,  Guarnacci,  and 
other  most  trust-worthy  writers  agree.  The  loss  of  him  was 
much  deplored,  and  by  none  with  deeper  sorrow  than  by  the 

*  Here  the  copy  of  the  will,  which  is  written  in  Italian,  must 
have  a  line  or  two  by  oversight  left  out.  It  seems  to  have  been  a 
bequest  to  the  English  college  and  connected  with  the  cardinal's 
own  palace.  A  different  hand  has  interlined  the  words  "stalla" 
and  "anno." 


212  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWABD. 

Religious  of  Bornhem,  who  reverenced  him  as  their  Father, 
Founder,  and  Friend,  and  as  a  most  exemplary  and  zealous 
prince  of  the  Church.  The  master-general  F.  Antoninus 
Cloche  addressed  an  encyclical  letter  to  the  whole  Order  (June 
19th)  in  which  he  lamented  his  death  and  praised  his  great 
virtues  ;  and  the  suffrages  of  all  his  brethren  throughout  the 
world  went  up  to  heaven,  that  the  soul  of  the  Cardinal  of 
Norfolk  might  rest  in  peace. 

In  Mudie's  '  English  medals'  is  engraved  a  splendid  one 
having  on  the  ohverse  the  cardinal's  likeness  with  the 
legend, 

PH.  T.  HOWARD  S.  R.  E.  CARD. 
DE  NOBFOLKE  TIT.  S.  M.  S.  M. 

on  the  reverse,  Hercules  destroying  the  Hydra,  and  above,  an 
eagle  about  to  crown  the  conqueror,  with  the  legend, 

NE  VICTA  RESVRGANT. 

Bromley  in  his  catalogue  gives  the  names  of  six  engravers  of 
the  cardinal's  portrait.  Several  engravings  have  fallen  under 
our  notice.  One  by  H.  Noblin  consists  of  a  good  likeness 
nearly-  full  face  within  a  medallion,  around  which  is  in- 
scribed, 

PHILIPPVS  *  HOWARD  g  CARDINALIS  %  DE 
NORFOLK. 

At  the  base,  are  his  armorial  bearings  containing  the  eight 
principal  quarterings  of  the  Howard  family  and  escutcheon 
of  pretence  :  all  surmounted  with  the  cardinal's  hat.  Motto, 
VIBTVTIS  LAUS  ACTio.  The  subscription 

Offerebant  Alumni 

Anglo-  duacensi 

seems  to  show  that  the  engraving  was  brought  out  by  the 
students  of  Douay  to  commemorate  the  cardinal's  visit  to  their 
college  in  1675.  At  Norfolk  house  is  a  very  curious  folio 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  213 

print  by  Vesterhout  1688,  depicting  '  Cardinal  Ovard  de 
Norfolcia'  giving  to  the  people  of  Rome  the  roasted  ox,  out 
of  which  the  lambs  and  fowls  are  seen  peeping.  Another 
engraving  from  the  collection  of  Sheffield  Grace  is  of  no 
value  as  a  likeness.  It  is  by  some  nameless  artist,  and 
must  have  been  published  soon  after  the  death  of  the  cardinal. 
At  the  top,  on  the  right  the  arms  of  Howard,  on  the  left 

PHILIPPVS  THOMAS  HOWARDVS 

TIT.  S.  M^   SA  MINERVA  PRESBYT. 

CARDINALIS  DE  NORFOLCIA  OB.  1694. 

There  is  a  good  engraving  in  Guarnacci's  'Histories  Pontificum 
Romanorum  et  S.  R.  E.  Cardinalium.'  An  admirable  portrait 
in  oil-colours  formerly  at  Bornhem  belongs  to  the  English 
province  and  consists  of  a  third  length  full-sized  figure.  It 
is  by  an  unknown  artist.  Another  large  portrait  was  painted 
at  Rome  in  1687  by  H.  Tilson,  and  in  1808,  was  in  the 
possession  of  F.  Eyre  esq. :  from  it  was  taken  the  engraving 
in  the  Catholic  Directory  of  1809.  The  earl  of  Carlisle 
possesses  at  Castle  Howard  another  fine  painting,  full  length, 
by  Carlo  Maratti.  There  is  a  fourth  at  Arundel  castle  the 
chief  seat  of  the  duke  of  Norfolk;  a  fifth-half-length  portrait, 
with  scarlet  berretta,  is  at  Greystock  castle ;  and  a  sixth  may 
be  seen  at  the  Minerva  in  Rome.  The  portrait  by  Du  Chatel 
was  engraved  by  J.  Van  der  Bruggen :  a  copy  of  this  fine 
likeness  adorns  our  present  work. 

The  body  of  cardinal  Howard  was  buried  in  the  choir  of  his 
titular  church  Santa  Maria  sopra  Minerva.  His  tombstone 
bears  this  epitaph. 


214  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

D.  0.  M. 

Fr.  Philippo  Thomse  Howardo 

De  Norfolcia  &  Arundella 

S.  E.  E.  Presbytero  Cardinal! 

Tituli  Sanctae  Marias  super  Minervam 

Ex  Sacra  Familia  Fratrum  Praedicatorum 

S.  Marise  Majoris  Archipresbytero 

Magnae  Britanniae  Protector! 

Magno  AnglisB  Eleemosynario 

Patriae,  &  Pauperum  Patri 
Filio  ProvinciaB  Anglicanae  ejusdem  Ordinis 

Parent!,  &  Kestauratori  optimo 

Haeredes  inscripti  moerentes  posuere 

Annuentibus  S.  E.  E.  Cardinalibus  Eminentiss. 

Palutio  de  Alteriis 

Francesco  Nerlio 

Galeatio  Marescotto, 

Fabritio  Spada, 

Supremi  Testament!  executoribus, 
Obiit  XIV  Kalendas  Jul.  Anno  sal.  MDCXIV. 
^Etatis  suae  LXIY. 


LIFE    OF  CARDINAL    HOWARD.  215 


CHAPTER  XV. 

In  spite  of  its  poverty  the  convent  of  Bornhem  went  on 
successfully  after  cardinal  Howard  left  it  in  1675.  The 
prior  F.  Dominic  Gwillim  had  the  church  dedicated  Septem- 
ber 13th  1676,  the  high  altar  in  honour  of  the  Holy  Cross 
and  to  the  most  hlessed  Virgin  of  the  Rosary,  the  little 
altar  on  the  right  to  St.  Dominic  and  St.  Thomas  Aquinas, 
and  the  little  altar  on  the  left  to  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna 
and  St.  Rose  of  Lima.  As  the  see  of  Ghent  was  then  void 
the  vicars-general  of  the  diocese  gave  leave  for  Dr.  Nicholas 
French  bishop  of  Femes  in  Ireland*  to  perform  the  cere- 
mony; and  he  also  ratified  the  benediction  of  the  cloister 
given  in  1661  by  F.  William  Collins.  The  anniversary  of 
the  dedication  was  fixed  for  the  third  Sunday  of  September. 

All  the  difficulties  of  founding  the  convent  were  now 
overcome.  The  clash  of  opinions  as  to  the  manner  of 
organizing  the  house  shown  in  the  case  of  F.  Vincent  Torre 
had  long  vanished.  Discipline  had  by  degrees  taken  its 
right  course  ;  religious  observance  was  fully  established,  and 
went  on  with  a  harmony  which  was  never  again  disturbed. 
The  perpetual  abstinence  and  the  long  fasts  of  the  Order  were 
strictly  kept,  and  the  choral  services  were  carried  on  with  a 
regularity  and  a  devotion  that  made  the  house  a  point  of  great 
attraction  for  piety  particularly  on  the  feasts  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
of  the  Most  Holy  Rosary,  and  of  St.  Dominic.  After  a 
time  pilgrims  flocked  to  it  not  only  from  the  neighbourhood 

*  Dr.  French  was  then  living  in  exile  at  Ghent.  Being  a 
Dominican  he  spent  much  of  his  time  at  Bornhem.  He  was  at 
the  convent  for  six  months  a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  which 
took  place  August  23rd  1678. 


216  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

but  also  from  all  Flanders.  These  pilgrimages  were  made 
to  the  relics  of  St.  Amantius.  That  great  martyr  of  Christ 
who  was  highly  venerated  in  the  early  ages  of  the  Church 
suffered  about  the  year  133  under  the  emperor  Adrian.  His 
Acts  tell  us  that  he  was  beaten,  cast  into  prison,  and  con- 
demned to  the  flames,  and  that  when  the  fire  failed  to  do  its 
work  he  was  despatched  by  the  blows  of  a  club  on  the 
head.  His  brother's  wife  buried  him  in  the  sandpits  on 
her  estate  at  the  thirteenth  milestone  from  Kome  along  the 
Salarian  way.  His  tomb  was  found  in  the  catacombs 
hidden  within  those  sandpits,  and  Innocent  XI.  gave  the 
relics  of  the  martyr  to  cardinal  Howard.  The  bones  were 
whole  but  disjointed,  and  the  skull  was  deeply  broken  in ; 
there  was  also  the  ampulla  filled  with  blood  and  sand. 
These  holy  relics  were  sent  in  1697  from  the  convent  of  SS. 
John  and  Paul  to  the  English  Dominican  nuns  of  Brussels 
who  kept  them  for  thirteen  years.  The  fathers  of  Bornhem 
September  26th  1710  translated  them  to  their  own  convent. 
A  new  altar  in  honour  of  St.  Amantius  given  by  the  count 
of  Bornhem  was  put  up  in  April  1713  in  place  of  St. 
Catherine's.  In  June  1714  the  saint's  bones  were  with 
great  pains  set  together  and  each  joint  secured  with  the 
bishop's  seal.  The  skeleton  was  then  placed  in  a  magni- 
ficent shrine  with  crystal  sides  above  his  altar,  and  on  the 
17th  the  exaltation  of  the  body  of  the  holy  martyr  was 
celebrated  with  very  great  solemnity.  His  festival  richly 
indulgenced  was  kept  June  14th  every  year,  and  drew  the 
devotion  of  the  faithful  till  the  French  revolution  desolated 
religion  in  Belgium. 

The  bequest  of  cardinal  Howard  for  a  college  in  Flanders 
was  very  serviceable  to  the  convent  of  Bornhem.  The 
Walloon  convent  at  Douay  could  not  be  had,  so  the  fathers 
bought  a  house  at  Louvain  in  Kraeke  street,  fitted  it  up, 
and  opened  it  in  1697  as  the  college  of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 
It  was  governed  by  a  rector  with  a  staff  of  professors ;  and 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  217 

being  incorporated  with  the  university  of  Louvain,  and 
recognized  by  the  Order  in  the  general  chapters  of  1706, 
1721,  and  1725,  became  the  regular  house  of  studies  for  the 
English  province.  After  all  the  costs  had  been  paid  there 
was  left  from  the  cardinal's  property  a  capital  of  8,100  florins 
towards  endowing  the  foundation.* 

*  The  following  lists  contain  all  the  provincials  of  the  restored 
province  down  to  1834;  and  the  priors  of  Bornhem,  rectors  of 
Ijouvain,  and  prioresses  of  Vilvorde  and  Brussels  down  to  the 
French  revolution. 

F.  Thomas  Howard.  Appointed  prior  December  15th  1657, 
November  20th  1660;  and  vicar-general  of  the  province  July  24th 
1661.  Continued  in  both  offices  till  1675. 

F.  William  Collins.     Installed  prior  August  23rd  1685. 
'•  F.  Vincent  Torre.     Appointed  vicar-general  of  province  1675  ; 
provincial  about  April  1685,  and  died  in  office  August  21th  1687. 

F.  Edward  Bing.     Appointed  provincial  March  8th  1695, 

F.  Dominic  Gwillim.  Elected  prior  1676  and  1679.  Appointed 
provincial  September  1687;  died  in  office  September  llth  (o.  *.) 
1688. 

F.Ambrose  Thomas  Grymes.  *  Appointed  provincial  1699  and 
1704;  and  rector  1708.  Installed  prior  May  23rd  1711. 

F.  Thomas  White.  Appointed  provincial  1688;  died  in  office 
November  19th  1694. 

F.  George  Thomas  Gibson.  Governed  the  convent  as  vicar  from 
1682  to  1685,  the  vicar-general  being  the  superior  of  Bornhem  till 
August  1683. 

F.  John  Ovington.  Governed  Bornhem  as  vicar-in-capite  from 
1688  to  1691  and  then  elected  prior. 

F.  Raymund  Greene.  Elected  prior  1694  and  1697.  Appointed 
provincial  1716.  Instituted  rector  June  9th  1736;  died  in  office 
July  28th  1741. 

F.  William  Barry  an  Irish  Dominican.  Installed  prior  October 
10th  1700. 

F.  Dominic  Williams,     Instituted  rector  1697,  1711,  and  twice 


218  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

But  while  the  fathers  gained  another  house  in  Flanders 
they  lost  the  one  in  Rome.  In  1697  Innocent  XII.  took 
back  the  convent  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  into  his  own  hands. 
Certainly  this  was  not  done  for  the  sake  of  any  other  reli- 

again.  Appointed  provincial  February  28th  1712.  While  rector 
for  the  last  time,  elected  prior,  and  installed  May  18th  1724. 
Appointed  provincial  July  25th  1725.  By  pontifical  brief  of 
December  22nd  following  made  bishop  of  Tiberiopolis  a  desolated 
see  in  the  archbishopric  of  Hieropolis  in  Phrygia  Magna:  conse- 
crated December  30th  by  Pope  Benedict  XIII.  himself  in  the 
chapel  of  the  apostolic  palace ;  and  by  brief  of  June  7th  1726  made 
vicar-apostolic  of  the  northern  district  of  England. 

F.  Thomas  Gibson.  Elected  prior  Miy  23rd,  installed  June 
llth  1714. 

F.  Gilbert  Parker.  Installed  prior  October  21st  1703,  resigned 
February  1705. 

F.  Thomas  Worthington.  Installed  prior  March  10th  1705 ; 
elected  again  March  12th  and  installed  March  15th  1708.  Ap- 
pointed provincial  April  following,  took  office  May  2nd.  Installed 
prior  January  25th  1718,  March  Hth  1721,  and  October  15th 
1725,  but  February  15th  1726  appointed  provincial.  Elected 
provincial  May  10th  1742:  prior  1750,  but  excused  on  account  of 
age:  and  provincial  September  26th  in  the  same  year;  died  in 
office  February  25th  1754. 

F.  Albert  Lovett.     Elected  provincial  April  24th  1738. 

F.  Alan  Pennington.  Installed  prior  May  13th  1708,  and 
February  2 1st  1726,  dying  in  office  March  31st  1728. 

F.  Joseph  Hansbie.  Appointed  provincial  1721.  Installed 
prior  September  2nd  1728  and  October  13th  1731.  Elected  pro- 
vincial May  4th  1734;  and  being  appointed  again  about  June 
1747  died  in  office  June  5th  (o.  s.)  1750. 

F.  Antoninus  Thompson.  Appointed  rector  1754  and  1758 ; 
died  in  office  November  7th  1760. 

F.  Ambrose  Burgis.  Rector  from  1715  to  1720,  and  from  1724 
to  1730.  Elected  provincial  April  20th  1730.  Installed  prior 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  219 

gious  body,  for  it  was  very  long  before  the  house  was 
inhabited  again.  No  reason  was  given  for  it  being  taken 
away,  and  as  the  community  was  never  charged  with  any 
fault  the  fathers  of  Bornhem  always  thought  that  the  loss 


April    4th    1741.      Appointed  vicar-general    of  the    province   in 
1746  ;  died  in  office  April  27th  1747. 

F.  Andrew  Wynter.  Appointed  rector  March  1734.  Installed 
prior  January  3rd  1735  and  March  7th  1738.  Rector  again  aboufc 
1743.  Appointed  vicar-general  of  the  province  about  May  1747. 

F.  Pius  Bruce.     Elected  prior  February  1757. 

F.  Dominic  Darbyshire.  Installed'  prior  October  1st  1747, 
resigned  May  llth  1750.  Elected  prior  again  but  died  January 
7th  1757  before  he  started  from  England. 

F.  John  Clarkson.  Elected  prior  in  1753.  Appointed  vicar- 
general  of  the  province  about  July  1750  and  in  March  1754,  only 
for  a  few  months  each  time.  Elected  provincial  April  17th  1758. 

F.  Stephen  Catterell.  Elected  provincial  May  5th  1762,  died  in 
office  December  25th  1765. 

F.  Antoninus  Hatton.  Elected  provincial  May  21st  1754  and 
May  7th  1770. 

F.  Vincent  Teasdale.  Installed  prior  October  28th  1750. 
Eector  from  about  September  1757  to  the  following  March.  Elected 
prior  in  1760  and  in  July  1763.  Eector  again  from  October  1780 
to  June  1782. 

F.  James  Barbour.     Installed  prior  April  20th  1744. 

F.  Benedict  Short.  Elected  provincial  April  25th  1766,  May 
12th  1778,  May  10th  1786,  and  May  13th  1794. 

F.  Ambrose  Gage.  Elected  prior  December  18th  1770.  Ap- 
pointed rector  December  1773,  but  resigned  in  a  few  months. 

F.  Joseph  Edwards.  Rector  from  about  1754  to  April  25th 
1774  when  he  was  elected  provincial.  Elected  prior  in  1781,  but 
died  suddenly  in  England  September  4th  before  he  could  take 
office. 

F.  John  Kearton.  Elected  prior  June  3rd  1778.  Instituted 
rector  June  1782,  ceased  June  1793. 


220  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

was  owing  to  the  poverty  of  the  foundation  and  the  small 
number  of  the  Religious.  But  there  are  good  grounds  for 
supposing  that  F.  Dominic  Williams  who  was  at  the  convent 
in  1697  had  the  chief  hand  in  the  business.  He  was 


F.  Thomas  Norton.  Elected  prior  in  1767  and  1774.  Appointed 
rector  February  1775;  resigned  about  September  1780. 

F.  Hyacinth  Houghton.     Installed  prior  February  1775. 

F.  Albert  Underbill.     Rector  from  1771  to  1774. 

F.  Peter  Robson.     Elected  provincial  April  22nd  1782. 

F.  Lewis  Brittain.     Elected  provincial  May  3rd  1814. 

F.  R>;iymund  Bullock.  Elected  prior  1781,  and  according  to  the 
imperial  edict  June  1782  for  four  years.  Elected  provincial  April 
26th  1790  and  May  1st  1798. 

F.  Anthony  Underbill.  Elected  prior  July  1792 :  provincial 
May  llth  1802. 

F.  Charles  Bullock.  Elected  prior  June  1786.  Appointed  rector 
about  June  1793,  died  in  office  June  12th  1794. 

F.  Francis  Xavier  Chappell.  Elected  provincial  May  14th 
1810. 

F.  Pius  Potier.  Elected  provincial  April  13th  1806  and  April 
13th  1808. 

F.  Ambrose  Woods.  Elected  provincial  April  30th  1822; 
appointed  vicar-general  of  the  province  for  four  years  May  17th 
1826;  elected  provincial  again  May  4th  1830. 

PRIORESSES. 

Sister  Lewisa  de  Hertoghe  a  Dutch  Religious,  appointed  1661. 
Sister  Barbara  Boyle,  appointed  1667  and  continued  till  1697  ; 
elected  1700,  1706.  Sister  Dorothy  Canning,  elected  1703;  Sister 
Mary  Crofts,  1697;  Sister  Ann  Busby,  1709;  Sister  Catherine 
Mildmay,  1715;  Sister  Letitia  Barker,  1727;  Sister  Julia  Browne 
an  Irish  Religious,  1730;  Sister  Agnes  Atmore,  1712,  1718,  3724; 
Sister  Mary  Ann  Chilton,  August  1733,  1736;  Sister  Mary  Rose 
Howard,  June  21st  1721  ;  Sister  Mary  Teresa  Sarsfield,  October 
1739,  died  in  office  February  22nd  1740  ;  Sister  Margaret  Joseph 


LIFE   OF    CARDINAL   HOWARD.  221 

appointed  first  rector  of  the  college  at  Louvain,  and  might 
have  thought  it  best  to  gather  all  the  studies  into  one  house. 
The  fathers  deeply  lamented  this  loss  and  tried  to  repair  it. 
When  they  sent  a  proctor  to  the  Roman  court  in  1718 
he  was  to  petition  that  the  convent  might  be  restored  or  an 
equivalent  given  either  to  Bornhem  or  Louvain  for  what 
cardinal  Howard  had  laid  out  in  repairs,  as  there  were  more 
novices  and  students  than  the  two  houses  in  Belgium  could 
well  hold  or  provide  for  :  or  at  least  a  yearly  pension  might 
be  given  as  was  often  done  for  other  missionaries  in 
England.  But  the  master-general  did  not  think  it  was  a 
fit  time  to  make  such  an  application.  After  a  Dominican 

had  been  called  to  the  chair  of  St.  Peter  as  Benedict  XIII. 

• 

the  fathers  reckoned  that  the  good  time  had  come,  and  in 
August  1724  sent  F.  Dominic  Williams  to  Rome  directing 
him  to  explain  their  right  to  the  convent,  what  cardinal 
Howard  had  done  for  it,  and  that  out  of  the  six  Religious 
who  had  belonged  to  it,  four  were  still  alive  and  had  to  be 
supported  by  the  English  province.  F.  Dominic  had  an 
audience  on  the  matter  with  the  pope,  who  reminded  him 
that  he  had  been  the  cause  of  the  surrender,  and  the  appli- 
cation was  unsuccessful. 

The  convent  of  Bornhem  owed  its  great  success  mainly  to 
the  college  which  was  begun  November  12th  1703  in  connec- 
tion with  it.  The  most  talented  of  the  fathers  were  chosen 
professors  in  every  branch  of  humanities.  This  college 
became  one  of  the  most  flourishing  Catholic  secular  schools 

Compton,  March  21st  1743,  1752,  1764;  Sister  Mary  Young, 
February  1740;  Sister  Ann  Mary  Short,  March  24th  1746,  1749, 
April  13th  1755,  April  1758,  1761,  1767;  Sister  Mary  Agnes 
Short,  1770,  1773,  1776;  Sister  Mary  Ann  Calvert,  1786;  Sister 
Ann  Dominica  Brooke,  1783,  1789;  Sister  Mary  Hyacinth 
Wilkinson,  1780;  Sister  Mary  Louisa  Allgood,  December  8th 
1792. 


222  LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

on  the  continent,  and  was  open  both  to  English  and  Dutch 
youths.  It  was  the  great  means  of  furnishing  Religious  to 
the  province.  In  1769  the  old  convent  was  pulled  down  and 
a  much  larger  one  built,  for  after  the  Netherlands  had  passed 
in  1714  from  the  thraldom  of  Spain  to  Austria  the  condition 
of  the  royal  grant  limiting  the  number  of  Religious  was 
relaxed.  In  1773  a  new  college  was  begun,  the  first  stone  of 
which  was  laid  September  14th,  to  contain  from  100  to  150 
scholars.  The  new  buildings  formed  the  three  sides  of  a 
square,  the  fourth  side  being  formed  by  the  old  church  which 
with  the  sacristy  was  not  rebuilt,  and  so  far  the  design  was 
not  carried  out,  though  it  would  have  been  had  it  not  been 
for  the  French  revolution.  So  great  was  the  fame  of  the 
college  that  when  the  Society  of  Jesus  was  put  down,  the 
Austrian  government  in  1773  chose  the  Dominican  fathers  to 
take  the  place  of  the  Jesuits  in  the  greater  and  lesser  English 
colleges  at  Bruges,  and  September  30th  the  prime  minister 
ordered  the  prior  of  Bornhem  to  confer  with  the  secretary  of 
state  on  the  subject.  But  the  fathers  did  not  think  it  prudent 
to  sacrifice  their  own  for  other  establishments. 

The  community  of  the  English  Dominican  sisters  at 
Brussels  flourished  till  the  French  revolution.  In  time  the 
buildings  of  the  Spellekens  became  very  much  decayed,  and 
about  1777  were  ready  to  fall,  so  the  sisters  built  a  handsome 
new  house  and  church  in  the  upper  part  of  their  garden.  When 
the  emperor  Joseph  II.  set  himself  up  for  a  church  reformer, 
and  by  an  imperial  edict  in  1782  threatened  to  put  down  all 
houses  of  nuns  not  given  up  to  an  active  life  the  sisters  fitted 
up  a  school  and  thus  remained  undisturbed.  Notices  of  the 
very  holy  lives  of  some  of  them  are  still  preserved,  particularly 
of  Sister  Frances  Peck  who  died  July  14th  1680,  and  of 
Sister  Christina  Touchet  only  child  of  the  Hon.  James 
Touchet  baron  Audley  and  earl  of  Castlehaven  by  his  second 
wife  Catherine  Stanford  of  the  family  of  Stanford  of  Perry- 
hall  near  Birmingham.  Susanna  Touchet  was  born  in 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  223 

London  August  16th  1655  and  was  professed  February  28th 
1677 :  the  following  epitaph  for  her  was  copied  if  not 
composed  by  F.  Kaymund  Greene. 

"  Bene  pinxit  sed  melius  vixit  seternitati 
Divi  Dominici  Religiosa  Filia, 
Soror  Christina  Touchet  de  Castlehaven, 
Sanguine,  Forma,  Sanctitate,  clarissima  Virgo. 
Bruxellis  Vivere  et  Pati  desijt,  non  Amari, 
Die  19  Novemb.  1694,  ^tat:  An:  39." 

The  missionary  work  of  the  fathers  was  carried  on  very 
zealously  and  successfully  in  England.  At  first  they  were  chiefly 
chaplains  in  the  households  of  the  foreign  ambassadors  and  in 
the  families  of  some  of  the  principal  Catholic  nobility  and 
gentry  of  the  country.  Then  they  became  pastors  of  small 
congregations  and  ministered  in  their  humble  houses  to  the 
chosen  few,*  whilst  they  were  generally  known  only  as 
agriculturists  or  retired  officers  or  gentlemen.  But  as  soon 
as  the  penal  system  became  relaxed,  when  the  American  war 
forced  the  government  to  make  friends  with  Ireland  or  risk 
its  dismemberment,  the  fathers  built  small  chapels  and 
performed  their  ministry  more  openly.  In  London  they  served 
the  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Austrian,  Sardinian,  Venetian,  and 

*  Among  the  papers  of  the  mission  at  Aston -Flam  vile  about 
1748  is  a  small  but  interesting  memorial  of  the  persecution,  which 
brought  back  into  England  the  early  ages  of  the  church  when  it 
was  dangerous  to  let  an  unknown  person  into  the  secret  assemblies 
of  the  faithful  lest  he  should  be  a  spy  and  informer.  It  is  the  form 
for  certifying  that  a  person  might  be  admitted  safely  to  the  sacra- 
ments and  to  the  devotions  of  Catholics,  and  runs  thus :  "  Ego 
Infrascriptus  Fidem  facio  N.  Catholicum  esse,  et  tuto  ad  Sacra- 
menta  et  c&teras  Catholicorum  devotiones  admitti  posse  :  in  cujus 

rei  fidem  has  manu  propria  subscriptas  dedi,  mensis  , 

anni ." 


224  LIFE   OP   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

Neapolitan  embassies.  Connected  with  the  Sardinian  chapel 
they  had  a  house  in  Duke  street,  which  they  made  into  a 
quasi- convent.  One  of  the  Dominicans  there  was  F.  Patrick 
Bradley  who  changed  his  affiliation  from  the  Irish  to  the 
English  province  as  was  declared  in  the  provincial  chapter  of 
1750.  Benedict  XIV.  made  him  bishop  of  Derry,  and  he  was 
consecrated  March  3rd  1751  in  this  chapel;  but  he  found  the 
bishopric  too  burdensome  in  those  hard  times,  resigned  in  the 
following  year,  and  taking  up  his  old  quarters  in  London 
closed  his  life  March  22nd  1760  in  his  56th  year,  a  little 
more  than  three  months  after  the  chapel  (December  1st)  had 
been  unfortunately  destroyed  by  fire.  Some  of  the  families 
in  which  the  fathers  were  chaplains  founded  and  endowed 
regular  missions,  as  "Widdrington  at  Stonecroft  in  Northum- 
berland ;  Martin  at  Long-Melford  in  Suffolk ;  Brandling  at 
Middleton  lodge  near  Leeds ;  Tourvile  at  Aston-Flamvile  in 
Leicestershire ;  and  Southcote  at  Woburn  near  Chertsey.  Out 
of  these  many  other  missions  soon  sprang,  and  among  them, 
Hexham,  Leeds,  Hinckley,  Leicester,  and  "Weybridge. 

The  devotion  of  the  most  Holy  Rosary  of  our  Lady  was 
cultivated  with  peculiar  care.  By  special  orders  of  each 
provincial  chapter  the  fathers  on  the  mission  were  strictly 
bound  to  encourage  and  spread  it  by  every  means  within 
their  power,  and  one  or  two  of  them  wrote  popular  works  on 
the  subject.  The  Arch- confraternity  of  the  Rosary  was  spread 
all  over  England,  the  convent  of  Bornhem  being  the  head- 
quarters, and  the  Perpetual  Rosary  formed  a  guard  of  honour 
which  hour  by  hour  watched  around  the  throne  of  the  blessed 
Virgin.  It  is  interesting  to  find  in- the  old  lists  of  these 
associations  the  names  of  the  noble  and  chief  families  of 
England  still  distinguished  for  their  steadfastness  in  the 
faith. 

The  French  revolution  checked  in  the  heyday  of  its  success 
the  work  which  cardinal  Howard  had  so  happily  begun,  and 
destroyed  the  houses  he  founded  in  Belgium.  Towards  the 


LIFE   OP  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  225 

end  of  1792  the  French  army  extended  the  dominions  of  the 
Republic  from  the  Alps  to  the  Rhine  and  from  Geneva  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Scheldt.  Early  in  November  general  Dumourier 
entered  Austrian  Flanders,  and  on  the  6th  his  victory  over 
the  Austrians  at  Jemmapes  secured  the  conquest  of  Belgium. 
The  general  entered  Brussels  on  the  14th,  Ghent  and 
Antwerp  soon  yielded  to  him.  ** 

The  success  of  France  troubled  and  dismayed  the  fathers 
at  Bornhem  and  the  nuns  of  Brussels.  When  the  enemy 
were  advancing  on  Brussels  the  nuns  at  the  repeated  and 
urgent  advice  of  their  friends  secreted  all  their  most  valuable 
goods  in  the  house  of  a  neighbour  and  used  the  commonest 
articles  for  the  altar.  Late  one  evening  after  the  French  had 
entered  the  city  some  soldiers  were  billeted  on  them  for  three 
or  four  days.  While  these  rude  guests  were  in  the  house  an 
English  gentleman  named  Martin  kindly  saw  to  the  safety  of 
the  buildings  and  went  round  regularly  every  night  to  see 
that  the  soldiers'  lights  were  properly  put  out.*  On  Wednes- 
day March  6th  1793  about  half  past  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, a  band  of  soldiers  demanded  to  be  let  into  the  convent. 
They  applied  first  to  the  nuns'  director  F.  Lewis  Brittain,  and 
when  he  refused  they  became  so  much  enraged  and  pointed 
their  bayonets  at  him  so  threateningly  that  he  fled  affrighted. 
They  then  went  to  the  convent-door,  rang  the  bell,  and 
ordered  the  portress  to  open  the  enclosure-door.  The  poor  lay- 
sister  not  understanding  their  language  could  only  answer, 
"  Oui,  oui,"  and  ran  off  to  the  prioress.  While  she  was 
away  the  impatient  soldiers  broke  down  the  staves  of  the  turn 
and  entered.  An  officer  called  for  the  prioress,  but  when  in 
her  great  alarm  she  did  not  immediately  make  her  appearance 
the  men  scattered  themselves  over  the  house  in  search  of 

*  The  account  of  the  sufferings  of  the  nuns  has  been  given  in  the 
"  Rambler"  for  185 1.  Our  narrative  contains  many  additions  and 
corrections. 

15 


226  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWABD. 

plunder.      They  first  ransacked  the  cells  of  the  nuns  but 
found  no  booty.     In  the  church  two  or  three  of  the  officers 
entered  the  sanctuary.  *  One  of  them  opened  the  tabernacle 
and  took  out  the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  and  when  the  gardener 
who  was  also  sacristan  tried  to  rescue  the  ciborium  from  him, 
in  order  to  carry  it  to  two  nuns  who  were  waiting  at  the  grate 
to  receive  it  into  a  corporal,  fce  ordered  the  man  off,  saying  that 
he  had  no  more  right  than  himself  to  touch  the  sacred  vessel. 
The  officer  then  called  for  a  purificatory,  uncovered  his  head, 
poured  out  the  Host  into  the  corporal,  and  most  carefully 
wiped  out  the  ciborium,  which  he  then  struck  with  the  key 
of  the  tabernacle,  and  crying  out,   "Now  it  is  profaned," 
threw  it  down  upon  the  ground.  Thereupon  the  soldiers  set  up 
an  infernal  yell  and  seized  the  spoil.     From  the  sacristy  they 
took  the  church  plate  consisting  only  of  a  chalice,  paten,  pair 
of  silver  candlesticks,  and  silver  cruets.     From  the  refectory 
they  pillaged  the  tea,  sugar,  chocolate,  and   such  articles, 
which  they  partly  eat  on  the  spot  and  partly  carried  off  in 
their  pockets.     F.  Lewis  Brittain's  apartments  enriched  them 
with  a  single  silver  spoon,  which  one  of  them  stuck  in  the 
front  of  his  cap.     From  the  choir  they  took  the  nuns'  veils 
and  mantles,  to  make  as  they  said  cravats  and  waistcoats. 
The  behaviour  of  the  soldiers  towards  the  nuns  personally  was 
not  wanting  in  respect.     When  they  had  gathered  up  their 
booty  they  met  together  and  an  officer  read  aloud  a  paper, 
which  he  said  was  the  warrant  for  what  they  had  done.     All 
then  decamped  to  the  great  relief  of  the  nuns.     Next  day 
these   soldiers   hearing  that   the   Austrians    were   close   on 
Brussels  nimbly  beat  the  hoof  leaving  the  plunder  behind. 
The  nuns  claimed  their  property  again ;  F.  Lewis  Brittaiu 
recovered  all  the  church  plate  in  a  sadly  battered  condition. 

The  fathers  of  Bornhem  too  were  for  many  weeks  in  con- 
stant alarm.  On  Sunday  evening  February  17th  1793  a  com- 
missaire  of  the  French  executive  power  at  the  head  of  twenty- 
five  men  entered  the  convent,  and  next  day  took  an  inventory 


LIFE  OP  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  227 

of  everything  in  the  house  and  placed  the  French  national 
seal  on  the  procurator's  office.  They  stayed  for  three  or  four 
days  and  lived  at  the  cost  of  the  community.  Bornhem  was 
saved  from  such  another  visit  hy  its  distance  from  any  head- 
quarters of  the  French  army.  That  part  of  the  country  fell 
into  the  charge  of  general  Eustace  an  American.  In  a  singular 
letter  to  the  prior  dated  March  26th  he  boasted  that  he  had 
protected  the  country,  so  that  not  one  altar  or  family  had 
heen  polluted  or  disturbed.  But  at  the  same  time  he  owned 
that  the  conduct  of  the  French  troops  had  been  truly  in- 
famous, and  that  the  numberless  vexations  the  people  had 
received  from  his  fellow- officers  and  soldiers  almost  justified 
their  indiscriminate  aversion  for  every  individual  who  wore 
the  French  uniform. 

A  short  success  of  Austria  over  France  seemed  to  promise 
peace.  The  French  were  defeated  March  18th  in  the  battle 
of  Neerwinden  and  were  forced  by  degrees  to  withdraw.  On 
the  25th  F.  Pius  Potier  broke  the  French  seals  and  entered 
again  on  his  office  of  procurator.  In  the  general  contribu- 
tions for  defending  the  country  the  fathers  July  5th  made  a 
"free  gift"  of  sixty-one  florins  and  13|  oz.  of  old  silver  to  the 
emperor  of  Austria. 

But  an  ebb  in  the  tide  of  fortune  spread  another  general 
alarm.  In  the  spring  of  1794  the  conquering  and  angry  armies 
of  France  again  attacked  the  Netherlands.  On  Sunday  May 
4th  they  were  at  Kousselaere,  six  leagues  from  Bruges.  This 
created  great  terror :  two-thirds  of  those  who  had  any  pro- 
perty ran  out  of  Bruges  into  Holland,  into  villages  on  the 
borders,  or  into  Ghent,  while  in  the  confusion  many  from 
Ghent  sought  safety  in  Bruges.  The  week  before,  the  English 
nuns  of  Bruges  began  their  flight  towards  their  native 
country  and  were  speedily  followed  by  other  English  commu- 
nities. After  besieging  Ypres  and  Oudenarde,  the  Repub- 
licans passed  within  a  few  miles  of  Brussels  to  Charleroi. 
Brussels  was  panic-stricken.  The  Dominican  nuns  yielded 


228  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

unwillingly  to  the  pressing  entreaties  of  their  friends  to  make 
ready  to  fly  at  any  time.  From  Charleroi  the  French  turned 
towards  Brussels.  On  Saturday  evening  June  21st  F.  Lewis 
Brittain  told  the  nuns  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost  for  they 
must  quit  the  city  without  delay.  All  the  night  was  spent  in 
packing  up  and  securing  their  goods.  F.  Lewis  Brittain  was 
eo  agitated  that  on  the  following  day  he  could  not  celebrate,  and 
the  nuns  were  indebted  to  a  Dutch  Dominican  for  their  Sunday 
Mass  at  a  very  early  hour.  The  rush  of  inhabitants  out  of 
the  city  made  it  almost  impossible  to  find  conveyances  ;  two 
carts  at  last  were  hired  at  a  very  high  price,  and  were  given 
up  to  the  sick  and  aged  and  for  the  goods.  One  of  the 
Religious,  Sister  Mary  Joseph  Hunt  lay  in  the  last  stage  of 
pulmonary  consumption,  but  she  could  not  be  left  behind 
and  was  placed  in  a  cart  with  all  care.  The  food  which  had 
been  got  ready  for  the  journey  and  a  vast  quantity  of  luggage 
could  not  be  taken  away  and  was  lost. 

The  nuns  determined  to  seek  shelter  at  Bornhem  till  either 
they  could  return  home  or  were  forced  to  go  on  in  their 
flight.  At  length  the  sorrowful  moment  of  departing  came. 
Several  of  the  nuns  had  been  hardly  prevailed  on  to  change 
their  habits  for  secular  clothing,  some  of  them  now  refused  to 
cross  the  threshold  of  their  sanctuary  and  were  forcibly 
carried  out  in  the  arms  of  others.  All  but  the  aged  and  sick 
had  to  walk,  and  a  wearisome  march  they  had  with  their 
unpractised  feet  for  twenty  miles  under  a  burning  sun  and 
ankle- deep  in  hot  sand.  The  two  carts  reached  Bornhem  iu 
the  afternoon,  F.  Lewis  Brittain  and  his  companions  com- 
pletely exhausted  did  not  arrive  before  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 
The  nuns  were  Sisters  Mary  Ann  Calvert,  Ann  Dominica 
Brooke,  Louisa  Allgood  prioress,  Mary  Joseph  Hunt, 
Margaret  Joseph  Smith,  Mary  Magdalen  Bastow,  Mary  Rose 
Stowers,  Catherine  Teresa  Dantan,  Mary  Teresa  Leadbitter, 
and  Rosalia  Bourdon  and  Emilie  Cloppes,  two  French 
Dominicanesses  of  Metz,  who  had  taken  refuge  at  Brussels, 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  229 

choir-sisters :  Jerome  Kitchen  and  Catherine  Leroi,  lay- 
sisters  ;  and  also  Mary  Stennet  a  choir-postulant. 

Amidst  the  frequent  alarms  the  fathers  of  Bornhem  did  not 
cease  to  hope  that  some  good  turn  of  fortune  would  once 
more  favour  the  Austrian  arms.  But  when  the  fugitive  nuns 
arrived  from  Brussels  and  threw  themselves  on  their  protec- 
tion, it  was  plain  that  no  time  must  be  lost,  for  the  only 
chance  of  safety  lay  in  following  the  example  of  the  other 
English  religious  Orders  in  Belgium  and  seeking  safety  in 
England.  It  was  thought  best  to  leave  some  on  the  spot  for 
the  sake  of  watching  events  and  guarding  if  possible  the  house 
and  property.  Those  who  were  chosen  for  this  dangerous 
duty  were  F.  Dominic  Fenwick  an  American,  Brother  Hyacinth 
Haime  not  then  ordained,  and  three  native  lay-brothers. 
The  Religious  who  had  to  leave  were  FF.  Vincent  Patient, 
Augustine  Noel,  Lewis  Brittain,  Anthony  Underbill  prior, 
Bernard  Smith,  Hyacinth  Brown,  Vincent  Bowyer,  Peter 
Potier,  Benedict  Atkinson,  John  Fenwick,  Joseph  Smith, 
Thomas  Wilson,  Antoninus  Angier  sub-prior,  Ambrose 
"Woods,  and  Raymund  Tuite,  and  Brother  Thomas  Dias 
Santos :  also  two  foreign  Dominicans,  FF.  Benedict  Caes- 
tryck  and  Hyacinth  Lefebvre,  and  an  English  Carthusian 
who  had  lived  in  seclusion  at  Bornhem  since  1783  when  the 
emperor  Joseph  II.  suppressed  his  convent  at  Nieuport. 

On  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wednesday  affairs  were  arranged 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  the  most  valuable  goods  secured  or 
packed  to  be  carried  away.  The  relics  of  St.  Amantius  were 
taken  out  of  their  costly  shrine,  placed  in  a  box,  and  hidden  in 
a  neighbouring  house  :  the  ampulla  of  his  blood  was  brought 
into  England,  and  is  now  carefully  kept,  though  it  has  been 
deprived  of  its  sacred  contents  by  the  over-care  of  a  sacristan 
whose  ideas  of  cleanliness  were  greater  than  his  antiquarian 
knowledge.  The  fathers  carried  with  them  their  other  holy 
relics,  and  particularly  the  venerable  Cross  which  had  so  long 
"hallowed  their  convent-home,  and  now  became  to  them  an 


230  LIFE    OP   CARDINAL   HOWARD. 

earnest  of  their  trials  and  a  pledge  of  their  success.  The 
fathers  had  to  provide  themselves  with  what  secular  clothes 
they  could  get  and  with  wigs  to  hide  their  tonsures  ;  sorry 
figures  most  of  them  cut  in  their  ill-assorted  and  ill-fitting 
attires.  Two  vessels  were  engaged  for  634  florins  to  convey 
the  whole  party  to  [Rotterdam,  waggons  also  being  hired 
for  the  nuns  and  baggage  down  to  Scheldt.  On  Wednes- 
day evening  June  25th  the  flight  began.  F.  Ambrose  Woods 
mounted  the  first  waggon  armed  with  an  old  musket,  and  F. 
Pius  Potier  followed  on  the  other  with  a  double-barreled  gun, 
all  in  terror  em,  for  the  feat  of  firing  would  have  been  more 
perilous  to  the  equilibrium  of  the  trigger  pullers  than  to  the 
lives  of  the  enemy.  The  other  Religious  hastened  on  foot  to 
the  vessels  and  all  safely  embarked,  the  fathers  in  one  boat 
and  the  nuns  in  the  other.  They  made  their  way  down  the 
Scheldt  to  Antwerp  which  they  reached  next  day.  There  they 
were  delayed  some  time,  and  the  nuns  had  to  undergo  many 
privations,  as  the  advantage  was  taken  to  make  them  pay 
exorbitantly  for  what  they  needed.  For  one  night  they  had 
to  sleep  on  bare  mattresses  laid  on  brick  floors.  Taking  in  a 
supply  of  food  the  fugitives  continued  their  flight  on  the 
27th  in  the  evening,  as  it  was  thought  safest  to  avoid  the 
bustle  of  the  day.  The  nuns  had  a  happy  escape.  One 
night  heavy  clouds  completely  covered  the  heavens,  and  the 
intense  darkness  was  made  only  more  painful  by  frequent 
flashes  of  lightning.  Two  of  the  sisters  more  wakeful  than 
the  rest  noticed  an  unusual  motion  in  the  boat  and  gave  the 
alarm.  It  was  found  that  a  large  leak  had  been  sprung, 
which  kept  the  sailors  in  constant  labour  at  the  pump  till  on, 
the  evening  of  Tuesday  July  1st  they  reached  Rotterdam. 

At  Rotterdam  the  fugitives  met  with  many  trials.  They 
had  much  trouble  and  delay  at  the  custom-house,  and  Sister 
Mary  Joseph  Hunt  was  so  ill  that  it  was  very  doubtful  if  she 
could  reach  England  alive.  The  poor  nuns  knew  not  whither 
to  turn,  but  after  consulting  together  a  long  time  they  made 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  231 

up  their  minds  to  push  on  for  England.     No  vessel  could  be 
found.     At  last  the  fathers  fell  in  with  an  Americal  captain 
who  wanted  ballast  after  discharging  his  cargo ;  and  he  agreed 
to  carry  the  whole  party  to  England  for  £100.     This  offer 
was  gladly  taken,  though  the  wretchedly  small  vessel  had  no 
conveniences  for  passengers.     On  Wednesday  July  9th  the 
fathers  and  nuns  embarked.     Of  his  own  will  the  captain  gave 
up  his  cabin  to  Sister  Mary  Joseph,  but  at  the  end  of  the 
voyage  he  charged  six  guineas  extra  for  it.     They  had  to  look 
about  them  well  and  sail  not  in  the  open  sea  for  fear  of  ships 
of  war,  nor  too  close  to  the  shore  lest  they  should  fall  in  with 
the  press-gangs.     They  were  fired  on  many  times  by  vessels 
passing  them  to  make  them  show  colours,  and  once  one  of  the 
nuns  by  hoisting  the  British  flag  stopped  a  regular  attack, 
when  the  captain  through  carelessness  or  oversight  did  not 
answer  the  signal.     On  their  passage  F.  Benedict  Caestryck 
cheered  the  nuns  with  his  clarionet  and  F.  Pius  Potier  with 
his  flute.     As  they  drew  nigh  to  England  a   most  serious 
alarm  was  raised  by  the  appearance  of  a  French  man-of-war. 
The  captain  made  up  his  mind  that  if  he  was  chased,  rather 
than  be  taken  he  would  run  his  ship  aground  and  take  to  the 
boat.     But  by  the  goodness  of  Providence  the  French  did  not 
notice  the  little  craft,  which  they  might  have  looked  on  as  a 
common  fishing- smack.     All  the  Eeligious  arrived  safely  in 
the  Thames  on  Wednesday  July  16th  after  twenty-five  days  of 
peril,  hardship,  and  fatigue.     The  provincial  had  heard  of 
their  flight  and  went  three  times  from  Woburn  near  Chertsey, 
to  London  to  meet  them,  and  at  length  all  his  fears  for  them 
were   over  when  he  welcomed  them  to  England.     He  had 
already  provided  for  their  accommodation.     The  fathers  were 
kindly   received   into   the   houses   of    several     Catholics   in 
London,  and  the  nuns  had  lodgings  at  three  guineas  a-week 
in  a  house  in  Seym  our- street  Portnian-square,  where  August 
10th  Sister  Mary  Joseph  Hunt  died. 

Events   showed  how  wisely  the  Religious  had  acted  in 


232  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

leaving  Belgium.  A  furious  battle  took  place  June  26th 
at  Fleurus  between  the  French  and  the  allied  armies  of 
Austria  and  England,  which  lasted  from  morning  till  late 
in  the  afternoon.  The  allies  were  defeated  with  a  loss  of 
twenty  thousand  men  and  retreated  to  Halle  about  thirty 
miles  from  the  battle-field  and  nine  from  Brussels.  The 
French  pushed  on  and  made  their  enemies  decamp  in  all 
haste  from  Halle  and  leave  Brussels  to  its  fate,  and  thither 
the  conquerors  marched  without  delay. 

The  French  entered  Brussels  July  10th  and  immediately 
levied  contributions,  two  thousand  livres  being  laid  on  the 
nuns'  convent,  which  thoir  agent  paid.  In  August  the 
building  was  seized  and  made  into  a  washhouse  for  the 
hospitals,  but  as  there  was  not  enough  water  there  in  the 
winter  it  was  changed  into  an  entre-pot  for  the  foul  linen  of 
the  soldiers.  The  gardener  went  on  cultivating  the  ground 
for  the  directors  of  the  hospital  till  they  let  the  garden  for 
Bix  months.  But  in  June  1795  the  house  was  made  into  a 
magazine  of  clothing  for  the  army,  where  shoemakers  and 
tailors  daily  plied  their  trades.  The  goods  of  the  nuns  and 
the  library  of  F.  Lewis  Brittain  were  nearly  all  lost,  being 
partly  sold  to  pay  the  contributions  for  the  army  and  partly 
carried  off  by  some  of  the  nuns'  servants,  and  so  scattered 
that  they  could  not  be  traced.  The  greater  part  of  the 
large  moveables  was  placed  in  the  care  of  a  tenant ;  and 
the  misery  which  his  family  underwent  in  the  first  winter 
after  the  French  seized  Brussels  in  the  words  of  the  agent 
"les  a  fait  oublier  leur  ancienne  honnetete."  The  nuns' 
capitals  invested  abroad  amounting  to  £12,000  were  seized 
by  the  government. 

After  Brussels  the  French  began  to  take  the  otber  towns 
of  Belgium.  On  July  17th  they  entered  Louvain.  There 
were  in  the  college  of  St.  Thomas  only  three  fathers  and 
one  lay-brother.  Two  of  the  fathers  fled  into  England,  the 


LIFE   OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  233 

others  remained  till  the  college  was  confiscated,  and  both 
within  two  or  three  years  died  there. 

The  five  Keligious  and  the  scholars  at  Bornhem  awaited 
the  issue  of  events  in  the  utmost  anxiety,  and  their  suspense 
was  very  short.  The  trumpet  soon  spread  the  alarm  that 
the  enemy  was  advancing  on  the  village,  and  summoned  the 
inhabitants  to  drive  back  the  invaders.  The  French  were 
met  with  a  vigorous  onset.  The  struggle  too  unequal  to  be 
kept  up  long  only  served  to  check  for  a  moment  and  to 
enrage  soldiers  whom  the  prestige  of  success  had  worked  up 
to  enthusiasm.  The  fighting  men  of  Bornhem  were  routed 
and  driven  from  the  field.  The  French  general  was  wounded 
in  the  knee,  and  was  so  maddened  by  the  stubborn  and 
brave  resistance  that  he  gave  up  Bornhem  to  pillage  and  to 
the  flames.  His  soldiers  afterwards  said  that  they  got  more 
booty  out  of  the  village  than  out  of  many  a  town.  The 
general  mistaking  the  convent  for  the  chateau  of  count 
Marnix  then  baron  of  Bornhem  commanded  his  men  to  set 
it  on  fire.  Br.  Hyacinth  Haime  saved  it.  While  the  sol- 
diers were  obeying  their  orders  he  hastily  gathered  together 
the  scholars,  went  at  their  head  to  the  general  and  told  him 
that  the  house  was  a  school.  The  general  regretted  his 
mistake,  but  feared  it  was  too  late  to  do  anything,  as  the 
flames  had  already  reached  the  roof  of  the  building.  Bro- 
ther Hyacinth  said  he  thought  the  fire  might  still  be  put 
out  and  begged  leave  to  attempt  it.  The  general  was 
appeased  by  a  few  boyish  words  of  hearty  kindness  from  one 
of  the  scholars,  who  expressed  great  sympathy  for  him  on 
account  of  the  wound  he  had  received.  No  time  was  lost 
and  with  immense  exertions  the  fire  was  got  under.  But 
the  convent  was  sacked  and  a  great  deal  of  the  property 
destroyed.  One  of  the  lay-brothers  was  lucky  in  saving  a 
little  money  by  laying  it  on  the  top  of  a  window-frame. 
F.  Dominic  Fen  wick  was  led  off  a  prisoner,  the  other  Keli- 
gious and  scholars  had  to  secure  their  safety  by  hiding 


234  LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD. 

themselves.  The  prudence  of  the  fathers  in  leaving  F. 
Dominic  at  Bornhem  was  now  seen  :  he  claimed  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  French  as  an  American  citizen,  and  was  soon 
set  free.  Still  he  had  some  very  narrow  escapes  of  his  life 
amid  the  brutal  republican  soldiery.  Afterwards  he  and 
the  English  of  the  house  found  safety  in  England.  The 
convent  was  now  deserted.  As  all  communication  between 
England  and  Belgium  was  cut  off  it  was  many  months 
before  the  fathers  learned  the  fate  of  their  continental 
houses. 

After  the  French  had  established  their  government  and 
peace  was  outwardly  restored  some  of  the  fathers  in  1795 
returned  to  Bornhem,  but  durst  not  openly  settle  themselves 
again  in  the  convent.  In  1796  the  possessions  of  all 
religious  bodies  in  Belgium  were  declared  national  property 
and  the  sale  of  them  was  decreed.  A  commissaire  sent 
to  Bornhem  valued  the  property  at  24806  livres :  it  so 
happened  that  five  pieces  of  the  best  land  escaped  the  man's 
notice  and  were  not  sequestrated.  As  a  compensation  the 
directoire  executif  offered  the  fathers  the  amount  in  bons, 
and  although  those  notes  were  available  only  for  government 
purposes  and  their  value  was  very  precarious  the  fathers  took 
them  as  they  were  better  than  nothing. 

The  property  was  brought  to  auction  in  April  and  August 
1797,  and  the  whole  was  sold  to  a  perfumer  of  Antwerp  for 
13,894  livres  more  than  the  government  valuation.  This 
perfumer  was  the  agent  of  the  English  fathers,  and  so  the 
convent  of  Bornhem  returned  to  the  rightful  owners.  The 
government  was  paid  with  its  own  bons  with  an  additional 
sum  of  about  £700. 

As  soon  as  the  fathers  had  the  house  back  they  formed  a 
small  community  there  and  opened  the  college  again.  The 
constitutional  oath  was  tendered  to  them  which  they  refused, 
but  a  trifling  bribe  offered  in  the  most  barefaced  manner  got 
over  the  difficulty.  The  meanest  scoundrels  stood  at  the 


LIFE    OF   CARDINAL   HOWARD.  235 

head  of  affairs ;  some  whom  the  fathers  had  known  in  the 
lowest  circumstances  had  thrust  themselves  by  unscrupulous 
conduct  into  public  notice  and  held  great  preferments.  All 
the  public  functions  of  religion  were  stopped  throughout  the 
country  and  the  churches  closed ;  but  the  people  assembled 
for  their  prayers  in  the  churchyards.  The  college  was  for 
some  time  the  only  large  house  of  Christian  education 
left  in  that  part  of  the  country,  so  that  the  fathers  might 
have  had  what  number  of  scholars  and  what  pensions  they 
pleased. 

The  house  at  Bornhem  never  could  be  again  revived  as  a 
convent.  In  1804  and  1805  four  fathers  went  to  the  United 
States  and  founded  the  Dominican  province  of  St.  Joseph, 
among  whom  was  F.  Dominic  Fenwick,  who  was  afterwards 
first  bishop  of  Cincinnati.  Other  schools  were  opened  in  the 
country,  and  English  youths  could  now  have  a  good  education 
without  going  abroad.  The  college  became  burdened  with 
debts  owing  greatly  to  the  heavy  contributions  levied  by  the 
government.  The  college  dwindled,  being  at  last  occupied 
only  by  Dutch  boys  of  no  good  rank  in  society  and  more 
famous  for  games  and  beer-drinking  than  for  learning  and 
obedience.  Many  great  but  ineffectual  efforts  were  made  to 
put  it  on  a  better  footing. 

The  convent  at  Brussels  was  sold  by  the  government. 
The  college  at  Louvain  was  only  leased  out ;  and  June  4th 
1818  it  was  restored  to  the  fathers.  The  house  had  fallen 
into  a  ruinous  state ;  they  almost  rebuilt  it  and  let  it  as  a 
private  dwelling. 

At  last  the  fathers  resolved  to  get  rid  of  all  their  Belgian 
property.  In  1825  the  college  of  Bornhem  was  sold.  The 
unconfiscated  lands  were  also  disposed  of  for  a  low  sum,  on 
condition  that  the  full  value  should  be  paid  if  the  possession 
could  be  secured;  but  the  government  scented  the  matter, 
and  the  purchaser  had  to  pay  an  amende  to  the  wounded 


236  LIFE    OF    CARDINAL    HOWARD. 

honour  of  the  public  purse.  The  convent  of  Bornhem  happily 
passed  to  the  monks  of  St.  Bernard. 

The  house  formerly  the  college  in  Louvain  could  not  be 
sold  on  account  of  the  title-deeds  having  been  lost.  The 
fathers  determined  to  keep  it  in  their  own  hands.  Again  the 
government  pounced  down  on  the  property  in  1827,  and  sold 
it.  But  with  the  price  of  it,  two  burses  were  founded  in  the 
university  of  Louvain,  in  favour  of  English  students.  The 
provincial  in  1839  petitioned  that  English  Dominicans  might 
be  preferred  before  others ;  and  as  the  request  was  too 
just  to  be  refused  the  English  province  now  enjoys  those 
burses. 

Thus    the    houses    which    cardinal    Howard   founded   in 
Belgium  were  destroyed.     But  the  work  which  he  set  on  foot, 
though  for  a  long  time  it  was  grievously  checked,  did  not  fall 
with  them.     His  spirit  still  lived  in  the  English  province. 
The  nuns  found  generous   friends   in  Catherine  and  Jane 
daughters  of  John  Berkeley,  Esq.,  of  Hindlip,  Worcestershire, 
who  were  afterwards  married,  one  to  Robert  Canning,  Esq., 
the  other  to  Thomas  Anthony    third  Viscount  Southwell. 
These  ladies  established  them  in  a  house  at  Hartpury-court 
near  Gloucester,  whither  they  removed  from  London  August 
28th,  29th  1794  six  weeks  after  they  came  into  England. 
The  nuns  opened  a  ladies'  school,  which  they  gave  up  in 
1832  so  that  they  might  keep  still  closer  to  their  institute 
in  lives  of  pure  contemplation.     They  removed  in  September 
1839  to  Atherstone  in  "Warwickshire ;  thence  in  June  1858 
to  Hurst-green  near  Whalley  in  Lancashire,  and  the  brightest 
days  are  now  dawning  on  them,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

The  fathers  within  three  months  after  they  left  Bornhem 
in  1794  took  a  mansion  at  Carshalton  near  Croydon  in 
Surrey.  There  they  opened  a  large  college,  and  in  1806 
erected  a  noviciate.  Both  the  school  and  the  noviciate  failed; 
financial  difficulties  arose  from  the  loss  of  nearly  ^£7000.  on 
the  foundation,  the  college  was  given  up'Jn  1810,  and  in  the 


LIFE  OF  CARDINAL  HOWARD.  237 

following  year  the  fathers  quitted  the  house  altogether. 
This  misfortune  and  the  gloomy  prospect  of  affairs  so  much 
disheartened  them,  that  they  would  have  hroken  up  the 
province  in  the  chapter  of  1810,  if  one  of  them  had  not  most 
strongly  opposed  it  and  awakened  a  faint  hope  for  the  future. 
Hinckley  was  made  the  head- quarters  of  the  province  in  1814 
and  the  noviciate  removed  to  it.  A  large  house  was  huilt 
there  in  1823,  and  a  seminary  for  a  limited  numher  of 
scholars  established  which  had  the  best  success. 

In  1832  there  were  only  three  of  the  fathers  of  Bornhem 
still  alive,  besides  the  two  foreign  Dominicans  who  in  1794 
had  fled  into  England.  Since  1817  six  had  joined  the 
province  at  Hinckley,  but  two  of  them  had  died.  Thus  the 
province  consisted  of  nine  members,  five  of  whom  were  so 
aged  that  they  were  not  equal  to  the  toils  of  missionary 
duties.  In  order  to  keep  up  the  province,  it  was  needful  to 
centre  its  remaining  strength  in  the  head-house  at  Hinckley, 
by  giving  up  to  the  secular  clergy  the  missions  served  by  the 
fathers  in  distant  parts  of  England.  Hexham  had  been 
surrendered  in  1830 ;  Leeds  followed  in  1833,  and  Weybridge 
in  1834 ;  so  that  the  Dominicans  kept  only  Hinckley, 
Leicester,  and  Hartpury  or  Atherstone.  Between  1832  and 
1851  four  joined  the  order,  but  the  loss  of  seven  brought  the 
whole  number  down  to  six.  The  province  was  in  a  state  very 
like  what  it  was  in  when  F.  Thomas  Howard  set  about  to 
found  his  first  convent.  And  again  came  the  words, 
"  renovabitur  ut  aquilee  juventus  tua." 

Such  was  the  life  of  Cardinal  Howard,  such  were  his 
works,  and  such  have  been  the  results  of  his  works.  "  Omne 
opus  electum  justificabitur :  et  qui  operatur  illud,  honorabitur 
in  illo."  Ecclus.  xiv.  21. 

Jfinis. 


PRINTED   BY    KICHAKDSON  AND    SON, 


Preparing  for  the  Press,  with  fine  Portrait  from  Baffaello. 


LIFE  OF  REGINALD  CARDINAL  POLE, 

ONE  OF  THE  THKEE  PRESIDING  LEGATES  OF  THE 

(ECUMENICAL  COUNCIL  OF  TRENT,  AND  ARCHBISHOP  OF 

CANTERBURY  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  QUEEN  MARY, 

"With  an  Historical  Account  of  the  ^Reformation ;  of  the  Council  of 

Trent;  and  of  the  Ecclesiastical  affairs  of  England  under 

Henry  VIIL,  Edward  VI.,  and  Mary. 

BY  FATHER  EAYMUND  PALMER,  O.S.D., 

Author  of  the  "  LIFE  OF  PHILIP  THOMAS  HOWARD,  O.P.,  CARDINAL  OF  NORFOLK,"  &c. 
Richardson  and  Son,  London ;  Dublin  ;  and  Derby, 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 

or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made 
4  days  prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


AUG  3  1  2005 


DD20  12M   1-05 


44647 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY