The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-14
A Jesuit Father In EIixabethn n
EngIahd

In 1873 an English clergyman. the
Rev. DR. AUGUSTUS JEssoPP. modes;ly
expecting only a most limited audience
for his account of phase Of Catholic
affairs in the latter years of Elizabeth,
had only 100 copies printed Of his book,
one Generation Of a Norfolk House A.;
but a favorable warmth of reception
led an enterprising publisher in the fol-
lowing year TO put forth full COM
mercial edition, ana now the volume
Is CDy the Putnams) made available for
American readers In a third edition, re-
vised by the author.
The Norfolk House" OF the title Is
the house Of Walpole. family that has
been in the county named for 500 years
and the history Of its Elizabethan
generation" involves the early activi-
ties az the Society of Jesus In England.
The book Is written in a style and with
a power of reconstructing the past that
easily account for its original success
and commend the judgment of the
American publishers I'm taking 1t up.
DR.. Jessopp bears no apparent burden
OF odium theologium. ecclesiastical
ranking jealousy; and makes a candid
examination of Catholic conditions In
England after the destruction of the
Spanish Armada. matters more or less
obscure, misrepresented or misunder-
stood. There are probably not ten
copies of [Henryl More's History of
the English Province [l660l at this
moment G1s7Sl in England. AS to
LJosephl Creswell's Is. j. little Life
of Henry Walpole.' 1t Is probably
unique" A History OF the Jesuits in
England" by T.. Taunton. was published
at London in 1901.
The Society of Jesus, founded. in 1888
and confirmed by bull OF Paul III,
"Regimni militantis EccesiR," in 1910,
was at first limited to a membership OF
sixty and not until 1913, and then by
new bull, was numerical expansion
provided for, In its early years the
society had few English members, but
the Catholic exodus" after the death
OF Queen Mary carried to the Continent
regiment of scholars and enthusiasts
OF whom considerable number be-
came Jesuit fathers. Some OF these
men, notable among them Robert Par
sons, saw in the society an agent for
the reconversion of England: to his
account may be laid tho beginning of
those pernicious political activities for
which the society became unpleasantly
noted. In 1880 lie led a Jesuit mission
into England; and he the wary plot
ter. and Edmund Campion, fiery zealot,
with their little band OF proselyters.
stirred such an outburst of Catholic
fervor as England had not known for
many a day" The ire OF Government
concentrated upon the Jesuit press, but
even when resorting to cruellest tor
ture they were unable to break up the
propaganda. Campion was taken at
Lyford, in Berkshire; sent to the
Tower; thrice racked, and on the first
day of December In 1881 was hanged
at Tyburn and his body dismembered
and destroyed: the traitors death Par
sons died In Rome April Is, 1910.
The blood OF martyrs Is the seed of
the Church and Campion's death raised
recruits for his cause especially
among the younger men. one of these
was young Henry Walpole, who had
gone up" to Grays Inn in 1873 and who
already was much inclined toward
all that Campion represented. His nor
ror and Indignation moved him to COM
position, and he circulated a poem of
thirty stanzas, in which DR.. Jessopp