Richard Rowlands facts for kids
Richard Rowlands, also known as Richard Verstegan (born around 1550 – died 1640), was an English-Dutch writer, publisher, and translator. He was also known for his humor and for studying old things (an antiquary).
Contents
A Life of Adventure
Richard Verstegan was born in East London. His father was a cooper, someone who makes barrels. His grandfather, Theodore Roland Verstegen, came to England from Guelders in the Spanish Netherlands around 1500. Richard became a Catholic. He translated a popular Catholic prayer book called the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This book was used by English Catholics for 200 years.
Early Life and Studies
In 1564, Richard went to Christ Church, Oxford, using the name Rowlaunde. He might have studied early English history and the Anglo-Saxon language. Because he was Catholic, he left the university without a degree. This was to avoid taking the Oath of Supremacy, a promise to the Queen that Catholics could not make.
After leaving Oxford, he trained to be a goldsmith. In 1574, he became a full member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. In 1576, he published a travel guide to Western Europe. It was translated from German and called The Post of the World.
A Secret Agent and Publisher
In late 1581, Richard secretly printed a story about the execution of Edmund Campion, a Catholic priest. When he was found out, he had to leave England quickly. He went into exile and started using his family's Dutch name, Verstegen. Around 1585, he moved to the Spanish Netherlands.
With secret money from the Spanish King, Verstegan set up a home and business in Antwerp. He worked as a publisher and an engraver (someone who carves designs onto metal). He was also a valuable secret agent for the Spanish side. He even smuggled banned books and Catholic priests and people to and from the British Isles.
Speaking Out for Catholics
Verstegan used his many contacts in the secret Catholic Church in England, Wales, and Ireland. He wrote and published detailed stories about the suffering of English, Welsh, and Irish Catholic martyrs. These were people who died for their Catholic faith.
His books made all of Catholic Europe aware of the religious persecution happening under Queen Elizabeth I. For example, his important Latin book, Theatrum crudelitatum Hæreticorum nostri temporis (meaning "Theatre of the Cruelties of the Heretics of our Time"), was published in Antwerp in 1587. This book helped spread the stories of martyrs like Dermot O'Hurley, Patrick O'Healy, and Conn O'Rourke. It was printed at least eight times by 1607.
In 1588, while in Paris, Verstegan was briefly put in prison. The English Ambassador, Sir Edward Stafford, wanted him sent back to England. Stafford said Verstegan's book was a lie against Queen Elizabeth I. However, Verstegan's book had already helped the Catholic League in France. He had many powerful friends who protected him. The French King refused to send him to England, and Verstegan was quietly released. After this, he lived for a short time in Rome and received some money from Pope Sixtus V.
In 1595, Verstegan published a Latin-English translation of An Epistle in the Person of Jesus Christ to the Faithful Soule. This book was written by John Justus of Landsberg. Saint Philip Howard had translated it while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Later Years and Journalism
From 1617 to about 1630, Verstegan wrote many things in Dutch. He wrote short witty poems (epigrams), descriptions of people (characters), joke books, and arguments (polemics). He also wrote news comments, funny stories (satires), and opinions for the Nieuwe Tijdinghen (New Tidings) newspaper. This newspaper was printed in Antwerp from 1620 to 1629. This makes him one of the first known newspaper journalists in Europe.
He spent his later years in Antwerp. He was well-liked by important people of his time, both English and foreign. His friends included famous scholars and writers. He was also a close friend of Father Robert Persons, a Jesuit priest. Many of Verstegan's letters to Father Persons are still kept today.
Richard Verstegan's exact death date is not known. However, his will, a legal document about his wishes, is dated February 26, 1640.
His Lasting Impact
His Poems
Some poems were wrongly thought to be written by Verstegan, such as England's Joy about the defeat of the Irish uprising in 1601. These were actually written by Richard Vennar.
However, Verstegan did write a sad poem (an elegy) about the death of Blessed Dermot O'Hurley in Dublin in 1584. This poem was called "The Fall of the Baron of Slane". He also wrote several poems praising Thomas More. And he wrote a sweet lullaby to the Christ Child from the point of view of the Blessed Virgin.
Some people have said his Christian poems have a "rustic simplicity," meaning they are very natural and simple. Others said his poems showed "the peace of a soul that has freed itself from all earthly things."
His Witty Writings
Verstegan was known for his sharp and clever wit. For example, he once said that Holland had as many different religious groups (sects) as Italy had mushrooms. He meant that new ideas popped up quickly. He also joked that Dutch ministers were less interested in fame than merchants. Merchants would travel far to India to steal profits, but ministers didn't go there to argue with Jesuits and become martyrs.
About the Irish, he joked that they found it better to avoid hard work so they wouldn't have to deal with getting rich. He also wrote a strong passage about Queen Elizabeth. He said she had a "malice" that made her hate people who had done her good turns. He believed she was ungrateful and would get revenge for kindness she received. These comments likely had a big effect on people during his time.
What He Wrote
- Theatrum crudelitatum Hæreticorum nostri temporis (meaning "Theatre of the Cruelties of the Heretics of our Time") (1587)
- A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence in Antiquities concerning the most noble and renowned English Nation (1605; reprinted many times). This book included the first English story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
- Nederlantsche Antiquiteyten (1613; many more editions). This was an adaptation of his Restitution of Decayed Intelligence.
- Neder-duytsche epigrammen op verscheyden saecken (1617) – a book of short, witty poems.
- Sundry Successive Regal Governments in England (1620)
- Spiegel der Nederlandsche Elenden (1621)
- Scherp-sinnighe characteren. Oft subtijle beschrijvinghe (1622).
- Medicamenten teghen de melancholie (published 1633)
