The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-02-03
J6ha KnOx,s A@nIties-A Celebrated
he fgious Eteformer and His RelatiUn.

Ar Robert Louis Stevenson, in some arti-
cies recently published in Mden,ikaa's Maqa
sane, has made careful study vi JJnu
hnox's relations TO women. in the course OF
winch he has pointed out some facts, at
| tested by knox's own letters, which strange
kiy contradict the accepted theories of the
great Scottish refOrmer's 5 sternness of charac-
Ter, and which constitute a singular com
mentary upon the contempt Knox expressed
Tor women in his published writings Com
meptlng upon the softer side OF the re-
sseQer's character, which he points our, Mr..
lS5enson says:
It would ne easy, of course, to make fun
OF the whole affair, TO picture him strutting
saln-gloriousiy among those inferior crea-
tuies, or compare religious friendship in
the sixteenth century with what was Called
think, literary friendship in the eigh-
i teenth. But IL is more just and profitable
70 recognize what there is sterling and hu-
man underneath all this theoretical affecta-
tlon OF. superiority. Women, he has said
IN siis First Blast are weak, frail, impa-
tient, feeble and foolish;' and vet it does
Rot appear that he was binlSelf any less de-
pendent than any other men upon the sym
pathy and affection of these weak. frail, I'M
patient, feeble and foolish creatures; it
seems as If he had been rather more Deepen
/ dent than most. =
''Of such scraps and fragments of evidence
as to his private life and more intimate
| thoughts as have survived to us from all the
perils that environ written paper, an aston
lshingly large proportion is in the shape of
letters TO women of his familiarity. He was
twice married, but that is not greatly to the
purpose; for the Turk, who thinks even
more meanly OF women than John Knox, is
none the less given to marrying. What is
" 10
mage. For the man Knox was true man,
and woman, the escig g-toeiJLiche, was as nee
essary to him, in spite of all low theories, as
ever she was to Goethe. x **
1T must not be forgotten that Knox had
been presbyter of the old church and that
| the many women whom we shall see gather.
ing around hlm, as he goes through life, had
| probably been accustomed, while still in the
communion of Rome, to rely much upon
some spiritual director, so that the intima-
cies of which L propose to offer some ac-
count, while testlfying to good heart in
the reiormer, testify also to certain survi-
val OF the spirit of the confessional in the
Reform Church, and are not properly to be
Judged without this idea."
The longest-cOntinued and the closest of
his friendships with women, and the one
which excited the most ill-natured comment
Mrs. Elizabeth Bowes, the wife of Richard
Bowes, and the mother of twelve children.
This woman, we are told, '.'was religious
hypochondriac, very weariful woman, full
of doubts and scruples, and giving no
rest on earth, either to herself or to those
whom she honored with her confidence"
Knox seemed to have assumed something
of the attitude of father confessor to this
woman, and their intercourse, both personal
and by letter, was SO constant and Conliden-
tial as grievously to excite the jealousy of
Richard Bowes and to create considerable
scandal. ,l s.0rz. o.
''Now, perhaps in order to stop scanda-
lous mouths, perhaps out of desire to bind
the mucn-loved evangelist nearer to her in
the only manner possible, Mrs. Bowes con-
iceived the scheme of marrying him to her
fifth daughter, Majorie, and the reformer
seems to have fallen IN with it readily
enough. 1t seems to have been believed
in the family that the whole matter had
originally been made between these two,
with no very spontaneous inclination on the
part of the bride. = The
whole Bowes family, angry enough already
at the influence he had obtained over the
mother, set their faces obdurately against
the match. And ] dare say, the opposition
quickened his inclination. 1 find him writ
ing to Mrs. Bowes that she need not further
trouble herself about the marriage; it should
be his business altogether; it behooved him
now to leopard his life for the comfort of
his own flesh, both fear and friendship of
all earthly creatures laid aside 4
''The actual date of the marriage is un-
certain; but by September, 1866, at the
latest, the reformer was settled in Geneva
with his wife. There is no fear either that
he will be dull; even if the chaste, thrifty,
patient Marjorie should not altogether occu-
py his mind, he need not go out of the
house to seek more female sympathy; for
behold Mrs. Bowes duly domesticated with
the young couple. DR.. McCrie imagined
that Richard Bowes was now dead, and his
widow, consequently, free to live where she
would. go - This,
however, is not the. case. Richard Bowes
did not die till at least two years later 1t
is impossible to believe that he approved Of
his wife's desertion, after so many years of
marriage, and after twelve children had
been born to them /; and accordingly we find
in his will, dated 1868, no mention either of
her or of KDox's wife. This is plain sailing.
1t is easy enough to understand the anger
of Bowes against this interloper, who had
come into quiet family, married the
daughter in spite of the fathers opposition,
alienated the wife from the husband and the
husbands religion, supported her IN long
course of resistance and rebellion, and after
years of intimacy, already too close and ten
der for any jealous, spirit to behold without
resentment, carried her away with him at
last into a foreign land. II
You would have thought that Knox was
now pretty well supplied with female socie-
ty. But we are not yet at the end of the
roll. The last years of his sojourn in Eng
land had been spent principally in London,
where he was resident as one of the chap
laIns of Edward VI, and here he boasts,
althougha a stranger, he had, by Gods grace,
found favor before many. The godly wo-
men of the metropolis made much of him
once ne writes to Mrs. Bowes that her letter
found him closeted with three, and he and
the three women were all in tears. Out of
all, however, he had chosen two. God,
he writes to them, brought us into such
familiar acquaintance that your hearts were
Incensed and kindled with a special care
over me, as the mother useth to be over Ter
natural child; and my heart was opened |
and compelled in your presence to be more
PLAIN than ever was to any, And out of
this two even he had chosen one, Mrs. Anne
Locke, wife to MIR. Harry Locke, merchant,
nigh to Bow KIRK, Cheapside, in London,
as the address runs. If one may venture TO
judge upon such imperfect evidence, this |
was the woman he loved best. Il
Eve find him writing to her from Geneva
in such terms as these: You write that |
your desire is earnest to see me. Dear sis |
ter, if l should express the thirst and Ian |
guor which have had for your presence, /
should appear TO pass measure.
Yes, weep and rejoice in remembrance of |
you; but that would evanish by the COM
fort of your presence, which 1 assure you |
is so dear to me that if the charge of this |
little flock here gathered together in Christ's |
name did not impede me, my coming should |
prevent ray letter. ! say that this was
written from Geneva; and yet you will OBJ |
serve that il Is no consideration for his wife |