The Reckoned Expense: Edmund Campion and the Early English Jesuits. Essays in Celebration of the First Century of Campion Hall, Oxford (1896-1996) ed. by Thomas McCoog, S.J.

Abstract

Reckoned Expense: Edmund and Early Jesuits. Essays in Celebration of First Century of Hall, Oxford (1896-1996). Edited by Thomas McCoog, SJ. (Rochester, New York: Boydell Press. 1996. Pp. xxvi, 337. $71.00.) Handsomely produced with a good index and bibliography, this book contains fifteen essays by well-known writers including editor. notes indicate latest as well as older standard works. Part I deals with context in which, after a brief life of Campion, David Loades studies spirituality of restored Catholic Church from 1553 to 1558, underlining tensions between Marian restoration and new currents from abroad.The tension theme is taken up in Thomas E Mayer's Test of Wills: Cardinal Pole, Ignatius Loyola and Jesuits in Pole shunned Jesuit help for England, his own sympathies lying with Paul IV and his Theatines (p. 31). J. M. McConica pursues tension theme at Oxford University, where Chancellor, Robert Dudley, forced issue against papists to limit. Colm Lennon begins Part II, Campion and His Contemporaries, with an essay on Campion's Histories of Ireland. Tension existed in individuals as well as systems. strongly supported viceroy, Sir Henry Sidney, including his defeat of Shane O'Neill, paramount chief of Ulster. He believed in Anglicization and education, although an Irish university had to wait (p. 78). Katherine Duncan-Jones pursues Campion's influence on Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Henry's son, especially during his stay in Prague. Alison Shell considers as a dramatist. Thomas McCoog's essay on The Role of Disputation in Jesuit Mission makes it clear why Jesuits were so much hated by adversaries.They trained students in seminaries to argue with needle sharpness (p.122). Unsatisfactory, alas, is John Bossy's assessment of Heart of Robert After a sneer at Campion's angelism and his way of turning a mission into a melodrama (p.141), Bossy gets down to Persons. He claims a that, during his major period of political activity, Persons advocated, or. . did rather more than condone assassination of Queen as a preliminary to enterprise of For evidence Bossy offers an obscure Latin passage from a reply of General Claudio Aquaviva of June 5,1583, to a letter from Persons no longer extant (pp.148-149, and n. 26). Bossy admits one cannot define exactly something hinted at obscurely in Latin but presumably connected with invasion of England. He takes a cardinal unnamed to be Cardinal of Como, who accepted, like Gregory XIII, idea of assassination.If Gallio cardinal in question, we can surmise what Persons' dubious proposal was (p.149)-Elizabeth's murder. He follows this up,I am sorry to say I think there can be no reasonable doubt that . . . what Persons putting to Aquaviva, and Aquaviva stiffly turn[ed] down [George] Gifford's offer to assassinate Elizabeth (p. 150). There were several possibilities, but Bossy unashamedly refers later to the discovery that during major period of political activity, Persons advocated or, shall we say, did rather more than condone assassination of Queen Elizabeth (p.155). He sees Persons possessed by spirit of revenge. By end, a possibility has become the distasteful fact (p. 158). Bossy admits, These may be untoward suggestions; but suggestions seem to be needed (p.157). Untoward suggestions are never needed.The assassination issue controverted on all sides. Persons spoke authentically for himself in A Temperate Ward-word to . . . Sir Francis Hastinges . He never consenting, witting, inducing, yielding, nor privy to any such personal against her Majesty in his life. He knew also that English Catholics themselves desired not to be delivered from their miseries by any such attempt (Scolar reprint,1970, pp. 66-72). …