The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-07-09

Al The nreeent time little attention
is paid the life and work OF ltoperi
but he is nevertheless one
Of the most UNIQUE and interesting
figures in EliZabethan literature.
SouthWell vas born AT HorSndn'
Saint Faith. Norfolk, England, the
date Of his birth being probably 1861.
although some authorities place It at
1850. while a few set it as late as
1862. OF his childhood. practically
othin is knOUn. but there Is a com
mOnly-accepted tradition that AT "a
very early age he was stolen from his
parents by gyDsies, being, however.
soon recovered. He was the son OF
Tichard and BridgettCopley) South
well. and it is interesting to note that
he was related to the Shelley family
Of which the nineteenth-century
poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, was a de
~Scendant.
Southwel's parents being Roman
Catholics, the education which ne re-
ccived was of the kind peculiar TO
children reared in the Roman com
nlunion. At sixteen he was sent TO
the English college at DOuay, France
and subsequently he studied in Rome,
where lin 1880 he was received into
the Society of Jesus. Following his
ordination to the priesthood in 1884,
he was sent by The Pope to England
as a missionary. Upon arrival in his
native land. he became chaplain TO
the Countess Of Arundel: but his
labors were destined to be for but d
short period. For after only a few
wears, during which time he was fire.
uuently obliged to disguise himself to
escape arrest. he was a~pprehended
by agents Of Queen Elizabeth and
sent to gaOl on the charge Of reason.
After undergoing for three years un-
speakably cruel ~tOrtures, he was
granted the privilege of a trial. At
this trial. he frankly admitted that he
was a Romanist and a Jesuit: but de-
MED being guilty Of treason or
thoughts OF treason He was, how
ever. convicted. and on February p,
1885. ne was hanged at Tyburn. 1t Is
recorded that when asked if he could
give any reason why sentence should
not be passed upon him, he replied:
Nothing: but from my heart l for
give all who have been any way ac-
ceSsible to my death"
Technically. Of course, SouthWen
was guilty Of the charge preferred
against him. inasmuch as he had VIC
lated an Elizabethan statute pro
hibiting Jesuit teachings in England
But there is every reason to believe
that he was entirely innocent Of am
plotting against the government
ENeu were we ~ dSSSOIilc tIdA H wa
guilty. which we are not warranted
In doing. the fact remains that EOber
SOuthWell was a very jealous man
and that he died for a u which h
sincerely believed to be right.
~Southwelps literary work. all O
which is of a religious character. con
SiSts Of a considerable amount Q
verse and some prose tracts of minO
importance. All Of his work. Will
the exception of that contained in
few Latin manuscripts at StOnyhurS'
has been published. Unfortunately
however. so few publishers and critic
during the past hundred, years hav
deemed SouthWell worthy Of consid
GRAFTON, that the material offered tn
student of his work is very meage
and unsatisfactory Indeed, the Onl
modern editions of Southwelrs writ
ings are those of w. j. Walter. 1917
William b. Turnbull, 1856; and A. |
GrOsart, 1871. The Grosart editio
is decidedly the best of the three: a
though it. like its two immediate pre-
decessorS. omits the important poen
"A our Fold Meditation The latte
poem has been published separate
IOndon. 1880.
That Robert ~SOuthWelIS literal
work was much more DOpular durir
the period Immediately following h
death than it is in our day is CIV
denced by the fact that before II
middle Of the seventeenth centu
no fewer tina a score of editions
his works appeared. OF these, IL
most noteworthy were the edition
published by Gabriel CaWOO0.
Southwelfs longest and most al
bilious poem is "St. Peters Cor
Dlaint". which consists of one hu
dred and two stanZas Of six lii
each. This poem. which abounds
quaint cunceits and Earring ALTER
tons, attempts to set forth the !
morse felt by Peter after denying !
Master. The piece is. at best, a q
affair. lacking both in interest and
significance. Short, but nue. mo
important and decidedly better
every way is that exquisite little Tyr
"A Burning Babe, which symbol:
beautifully and touchingly the biz
of Christ and His atonement for t
sins of the world. OF SOuthWe
POEMS. the best, perhaps, are: Tin
Go BY Turns. Locke Home. 'Ct