Collected Essays (1969)
“Miss Guiney in her introduction makes the modest claim that the value of the collection is as much historical as literary; the scholar must decide on that, but the general reader will be astounded by its wealth of little-known poetry.
The term recusant has been given the widest possible meaning – to include any Catholic who suffered from the civil power for his faith, but the contributions have been wisely confined to those which have some bearing on Catholic doctrine or ideals. Many of the poets, of course, are familiar: More himself. Constable, Lodge, Southwell, Surrey; some have been known only to specialists, and a few make their appearance for the first time in print. It is by no means a purely heroic company, and far from a saintly one – here is the turncoat Alabaster and cowardly, light-headed Copley, who, when he was a student in Rome – so Father Parsons reported – went up to the pulpit to preach with a rose in his mouth. It is a pleasant irony that this Bye Plot conspirat...or, who made a confession implicating his friends, should have been the author of the fine stoic lines: Give me the man that with undaunted spirit Dares give occasion of a Tragedie.MoreLess
The term recusant has been given the widest possible meaning – to include any Catholic who suffered from the civil power for his faith, but the contributions have been wisely confined to those which have some bearing on Catholic doctrine or ideals. Many of the poets, of course, are familiar: More himself. Constable, Lodge, Southwell, Surrey; some have been known only to specialists, and a few make their appearance for the first time in print. It is by no means a purely heroic company, and far from a saintly one – here is the turncoat Alabaster and cowardly, light-headed Copley, who, when he was a student in Rome – so Father Parsons reported – went up to the pulpit to preach with a rose in his mouth. It is a pleasant irony that this Bye Plot conspirat...or, who made a confession implicating his friends, should have been the author of the fine stoic lines: Give me the man that with undaunted spirit Dares give occasion of a Tragedie.MoreLess
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