Robert Southwell (priest) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Robert Southwell SJ
Line engraving by Matthaus Greuter (Greuther) or Paul Maupin, published 1608.
Martyr
Born	c. 1561 Norfolk, England
Died	(1595-02-21)21 February 1595 Tyburn, London, England
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Beatified	15 December 1929, Rome by Pope Pius XI
Canonized	25 October 1970, Vatican City, by Pope Paul VI
Feast	21 February

Robert Southwell (around 1561 – February 21, 1595) was an English Catholic priest. He was part of the Jesuit Order. Robert Southwell was also a poet and wrote hymns. He worked as a secret missionary in England during the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1592, he was arrested and put in prison. He was questioned harshly by Richard Topcliffe, a priest-hunter. Southwell was later tried and found guilty of high treason. This was because of his connections to the Holy See, which is the Pope's authority. On February 21, 1595, Robert Southwell was hanged at Tyburn. In 1970, he became a saint by Pope Paul VI. He is known as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Early Life in England

Robert Southwell was born in Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England. He was the youngest of eight children. His family was part of the gentry in Norfolk. Even though they had Catholic beliefs, his family had gained a lot from King Henry VIII's Suppression of the Monasteries. Robert was the third son of Richard Southwell. His mother was Bridget, daughter of Sir Roger Copley.

Joining the Jesuits

In 1576, Robert Southwell was sent to the English college in Douai. He studied at the Jesuit College of Anchin. This college was linked to the university of Douai. He briefly studied with Leonard Lessius. His studies were stopped because of fighting between French and Spanish forces.

For safety, Southwell went to Paris. He studied at the College de Clermont. His teacher there was the Jesuit Thomas Darbyshire. He returned to Douai in June 1577. A year later, he walked to Rome. He wanted to join the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.

First, he was not allowed to join. He needed to complete a two-year training period called a novitiate. He wrote a very emotional letter to appeal this decision. He felt sad to be separated from the group he wanted to join. His efforts worked, and he was accepted on October 17, 1578. In 1580, he officially became a Jesuit.

After his training, Southwell began studying philosophy and theology. He studied at the Jesuit College in Rome. During this time, he also worked as a secretary. His writings can be found in the school's documents. He finished his studies and earned his BA degree in 1584. This was also the year he became a priest.

He then became a tutor at the Venerable English College in Rome. After two years, he became the head of studies there. In 1584, a law was passed in England. It said that any English person who became a Catholic priest after Queen Elizabeth I became queen could not stay in England for more than 40 days. If they did, they could face death.

Mission to England

In 1586, Southwell asked to be sent to England. He went as a Jesuit missionary with Henry Garnet. He moved from one Catholic family to another to help them. Another Jesuit, William Weston, had already gone to England. But he was arrested and sent to Wisbech Castle in 1587. The mission of Garnet and Southwell was the third of its kind. The first was by Robert Parsons and Edmund Campion in 1580–1581.

A spy told Sir Francis Walsingham that the Jesuits landed on the east coast in July. But they arrived safely at the home of William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden in Hackney. In 1588, John Gerard and Edward Oldcorne joined Southwell and Garnet. Southwell was watched closely from the start. He secretly mixed with Protestant society. He used a fake name, Cotton. He learned about sports terms and used them in his conversations. He mostly lived in London. He also made trips to Sussex and the North of England.

In 1589, Southwell became the private chaplain for Anne Howard. Her husband, the First Earl of Arundel, was in prison. He had been found guilty of treason. Arundel had been in the Tower of London since 1585. His execution was delayed, and he stayed in prison until he died in 1595. Southwell lived with the Countess at Arundel House in The Strand, London. In 1591, he spent most of his time writing. Even though his name was not publicly linked to his works, the government suspected his writing activities.

Arrest and Imprisonment

After six years of missionary work, Southwell was arrested. This happened at Uxendon Hall, Harrow. He often visited the house of Richard Bellamy. Bellamy lived near Harrow. He was suspected because of his link to Jerome Bellamy. Jerome had been executed for being part of Anthony Babington's plot. One of Richard's daughters, Anne Bellamy, was arrested. She was imprisoned for being involved.

Anne Bellamy was questioned by Richard Topcliffe. Topcliffe was the Queen's main priest-hunter. She told him where Southwell was, and he was arrested right away.

Southwell was first taken to Topcliffe's house. He stayed silent for 40 hours. The queen then ordered Southwell to be moved to the Gatehouse prison. A group of torturers from the Privy Council questioned him. They also could not get him to speak. After about a month, he was moved to solitary confinement. This was in the Tower of London.

It is said that his father asked the queen to treat his son fairly. He asked that if his son was guilty, he should suffer. But if not, he should be treated like a gentleman. He also asked to provide his son with food and clothes. There is no written proof of this request. However, something like it must have happened. His friends were able to send him food and clothing. They also sent him books by St. Bernard and a Bible. His superior, Henry Garnet, later secretly sent him a breviary. He stayed in the Tower for three years. Topcliffe was in charge of him there.

Trial and Execution

In 1595, the Privy Council decided to charge Southwell with treason. He was moved from the Tower to Newgate Prison. There, he was put into a small, dark cell called Limbo.

A few days later, Southwell appeared before the Lord Chief Justice, John Popham. This was at the King's Bench. Popham gave a speech against Jesuits and seminary priests. Southwell was accused by the jury of being a traitor. This was under laws that banned priests ordained by Rome from being in England. Southwell agreed he was a priest. But he said he had "no plans or plots against the queen or kingdom." He said his only reason for returning to England was to give sacraments. These were Catholic Church rituals to those who wanted them.

When asked to plead, he said he was "not guilty of any treason whatsoever." He did not want a jury to be responsible for his death. But he said he would be judged by God and his country.

As the evidence was presented, Southwell said he was the same age as "our Saviour." Topcliffe immediately criticized him. He said Southwell was being too proud by comparing himself to Christ. But Southwell replied that he saw himself as "a worm of the earth." After a short break, the jury found him guilty, as expected. The sentence of death was announced. He was taken back through the city streets to Newgate.

On February 21, 1595, Southwell was sent to Tyburn. There, he was executed.

Works and Legacy

Robert Southwell wrote a book called Epistle of Comfort. He wrote it for Philip, Earl of Arundel. He also wrote other religious texts. These included A Short Rule of Good Life, Triumphs over Death, and A Humble Supplication to Queen Elizabeth. These writings were passed around in handwritten copies.

His book Mary Magdalen's Funeral Tears was published openly in 1591. It became very popular. It had ten editions by 1636. Thomas Nashe copied parts of Mary Magdalen's Funeral Tears. This shows that Southwell's works were known outside of Catholic groups.

Soon after Southwell died, St Peter's Complaint with other poems was published. It did not have the author's name. A second edition came out almost right away. It included eight more poems. Then, on April 5, John Cawood published a third edition. Saint Peter's Complaint became even more popular than Mary Magdalen's Funeral Tears. It had fourteen editions by 1636.

Later that year, another publisher, John Busby, found a handwritten copy of Southwell's poems. He published 22 more poems. The book was called Maeoniae. In 1602, Cawood added eight more poems to his book. After this, no more of Southwell's works were published in England for a while. Southwell's Of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar could not be published in England. It appeared in a printed sheet in Douai in 1606.

Some works once thought to be Southwell's are now known to be by others. For example, A Foure fould Meditation of the foure last things was written by Philip Earl of Arundel. Also, the prose A Hundred Meditations of the Love of God is a translation. It was originally by Fray Diego de Estella.

Southwell's writings greatly influenced other writers. There is evidence that Shakespeare used ideas from Southwell's work. This can be seen in plays like The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet. Southwell also influenced writers like Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, and Hopkins.

A story about Southwell's life was written soon after he died. Much of this information was used by Richard Challoner. He wrote Memoirs of Missionary Priests (1741). The original handwritten story is now in Brussels. Other books about his life include Alexis Possoz's Vie du Pre R. Southwell (1866). Also, Henry Foley's Records of the English Province of the Society of Jesus (1877) has information. The most important modern book about his life is Christopher Devlin's The Life of Robert Southwell, Poet and Martyr (1956).

Southwell seemed to write his poems with music in mind. One musical setting from his time still exists. Thomas Morley set stanzas from "Mary Magdalen's Complaint at Christ's Death" to music. This was in his First book of ayres (1600). Elizabeth Grymeston wrote in a book for her son (1604) that she sang stanzas from Saint Peter's Complaint as part of her daily prayers. A well-known modern musical setting is by Benjamin Britten. He used stanzas from "New Heaven, New War" and "New Prince, New Pomp". These are in his Ceremony of Carols (1942).

In the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Southwell and his friend Henry Garnet were known for their belief in "mental reservation." This was a way of speaking that allowed them to hide the truth without directly lying. It was a debated idea at the time.

After Southwell's death, an updated book about Jesuit writers was published. It was called Bibliotheca Scriptorum Societatis Iesu (Rome, 1676). This book listed over 8000 authors. It used Southwell's Latinized name, Sotvellus. This made "Sotvel" a common reference.

Southwell was declared "blessed" in 1929. He was made a saint by Pope Paul VI on October 25, 1970. He is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Southwell is also the patron saint of Southwell House. This is a house at the London Oratory School in Fulham, London.

Southwell's Poetic Style

Robert Southwell's poetry was mostly for English Catholics. They were facing hard times in England after the Reformation. Southwell wanted to show them that being persecuted could help them grow spiritually. He believed that becoming a martyr was a very true way to show religious devotion.

His poem "Life is but Losse" shows this idea. In the poem, Southwell describes the martyrdom of English Catholics. He uses figures from the Bible, like Samson and the Apostles. The poem's title warns the reader that it has a sad tone. He describes life as "losse, where death is deemed gaine." Being close to God is the best way to find spiritual happiness. "To him I live, for him I hope to dye" shows why he lived. His life did not end with death.

Southwell's writing was different from others at his time. He believed in the power of strong feelings, or "passions." He thought that passions could be good if they were directed in the right way. He said, "Passions I allow, and loves I approve, only I would wish that men would alter their object and better their intent." He felt he could use his writing to stir religious feelings. This style makes scholars call him a leading Baroque writer.

Pierre Janelle studied Southwell in 1935. He saw Southwell as a pioneer of the Baroque style. He was one of the first Baroque writers of the late 1500s. He influenced many Baroque writers in the 1600s.

The famous writer Ben Jonson once said that if he had written Southwell's poem, "The Burning Babe," he would have been happy to destroy many of his own works. This shows how much he admired Southwell. Southwell clearly influenced his friends and later writers. These include Drayton, Lodge, Nashe, Herbert, Crashaw, and especially Shakespeare. Shakespeare seemed to know Southwell's poems and prose very well.

Later, in 1873, Southwell's translation of Fray Diego de Estella's Meditaciónes devotíssimas del amor de Dios was published. This book, called "A Hundred Meditations on the Love of God," inspired Father Gerard Manley Hopkins. It helped him write his poem The Windhover.

Famous Sayings

• "The Chief Justice asked how old he was, seeming to scorn his youth. He answered that he was near about the age of our Saviour, Who lived upon the earth thirty-three years; and he himself was as he thought near about thirty-four years. Hereat Topcliffe seemed to make great acclamation, saying that he compared himself to Christ. Father Southwell answered, 'No he was a humble worm created by Christ.' 'Yes,' said Topcliffe, 'you are Christ's fellow.'"—Father Henry Garnet, "Account of the Trial of Robert Southwell," quoted in Caraman's The Other Face, page 230.
• "Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live" is written on the outside of The DeNaples Center at the Jesuit University of Scranton. A longer version is: "Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live; / Not where I love, but where I am, I die."
• "Hoist up saile while gale doth last, Tide and wind stay no man's pleasure."—from "St. Peter's Complaint. 1595"
• "May never was the month of love, For May is full of flowers; But rather April, wet by kind, For love is full of showers."—from "Love's Servile Lot"
• "My mind to me an empire is, While grace affordeth health."—from "Look Home"
• "O dying souls, behold your living spring; O dazzled eyes, behold your sun of grace; Dull ears, attend what word this Word doth bring; Up, heavy hearts, with joy your joy embrace. From death, from dark, from deafness, from despair: This life, this light, this Word, this joy repairs."—from "The Nativity of Christ"
• "A poet, a lover and a liar are by many reckoned but three words with one signification." – from "The author to his loving cousin," published with "St. Peter's Complaint." 1595.

Images for kids

• 

  Frontispiece of Saint Peter's complaint

See also

In Spanish: Roberto Southwell para niños

• Dissident
• Parrhesia
• Richard Gwyn
• Samizdat
• Speaking truth to power