John Clerk (writer) facts for kids
John Clerk (who died in 1552) was an English writer who followed the Catholic faith.
Early Life and Education
John Clerk came from a well-known and important family. He studied at Oxford University for a while. There, he learned subjects like grammar, logic, and philosophy. It's not known exactly which college he attended.
After his studies, Clerk traveled around Europe. He became very good at speaking French and Italian. While in Italy, he became close friends with Richard Pace. Pace was a famous religious leader and important government official. They shared everything they learned and read, which helped both of them grow. When Clerk returned to England, he became a secretary for Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. This was a very important job.
His Writings
John Clerk was a strong supporter of the Catholic faith. He wrote several books during his lifetime:
- A Treatise of Nobility: This book was translated from French. It was published in London in 1543.
- Opusculum plane divinum de mortuorum resurrectione et extremo iuditio: This long title means "A truly divine small work about the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment." It was written in four languages: Latin, English, Italian, and French. It was published in 1545, with a second edition in 1547. The English and French parts were printed in a style called blackletter, while the Latin and Italian parts used Roman characters. This book was printed in columns so you could see all four languages at once.
- A Declaration briefly conteyning as well the true understandynge of tharticles ensuynge as also a recitall of the capital errours against the same: This book, published in 1546, discussed important religious ideas. These included predestination, free will, faith, justification, good works, and Christian liberty.
- Meditations on death: This was another one of his works.
