Henry Bennet (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1561), said to be of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

, was an English translator of Protestant literature. Bennet published in 1561, at the press of

John Awdelay John Awdely (fl. 1559–1577) was an English printer in London, known as a writer of popular and miscellaneous works. Life Before 1559 he had become a freeman of the Stationers' Company; on 24 August of that year he presented an apprentice of ...

, a volume of translations from the German and Swiss Protestant reformers, ''A Famous and Godly History''. The book is divided into two parts, which were published together. The first part was dedicated to

Thomas Wentworth, 2nd Baron Wentworth Thomas Wentworth, 2nd Baron Wentworth (152513 January 1584) was an English peer, courtier, administrator and military commander during the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. His reputation suffered through the surrender of Calais in 1 ...

, with a date of 18 November 1561. It contains

Philip Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the L ...

's life of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

; Luther's declaration of his doctrine before the

Emperor Charles V Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

; and the oration of Melanchthon at

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

, given in place of his usual exposition of the ''

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that Salvation (Christianity), salvation is offered ...

'', after the news of Luther's death. Some of this part was adapted for '' Actes and Monuments'' (1563) by

John Foxe John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587) was an English clergyman, theologian, and historian, notable for his martyrology '' Foxe's Book of Martyrs'', telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the sufferings of En ...

. The second part has a similar dedication to

James Blount, 6th Baron Mountjoy James Blount, 6th Baron Mountjoy (c. 1533 – 1582) was an English peer. Life Blount was born circa 1533 in Barnstaple, Devon, the eldest son of Charles Blount, 5th Baron Mountjoy (1516–1544) and Ann Willoughby. He inherited his title on the d ...

, dated 30 November 1561. It consists of: * a life of

John Œcolampadius Johannes Oecolampadius (also ''Œcolampadius'', in German also Oekolampadius, Oekolampad; 1482 – 24 November 1531) was a German Protestant reformer in the Calvinist tradition from the Electoral Palatinate. He was the leader of the Protestant f ...

Wolfangus Faber Capito Wolfgang Fabricius Capito (also Koepfel) ( – November 1541) was a German Protestant reformer in the Calvinist tradition. His life and revolutionary work Capito was born circa 1478 to a smith at Hagenau in Alsace. He attended the famous Lati ...

; * an account of the death of Œcolampadius by

Simon Grineus Simon Grynaeus (born Simon Griner; 1493 – 1 August 1541) was a German scholar and theologian of the Protestant Reformation. Biography Grynaeus was the son of Jacob Gryner, a Swabian peasant, and was born at Veringenstadt, Veringendorf, in Hohe ...

; and * a life of

Hulderick Zuinglius Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swi ...

Oswald Miconius Oswald Myconius (1488 – 14 October 1552) was a Swiss Protestant theologian and Protestant reformer. He was a follower of Huldrych Zwingli. Life He was born at Lucerne, Switzerland. His family name was Geisshüsler, and his father was a ...

The last two are in the form of letters. The translations are in idiomatic English, and the quotations of Œcolampadius from

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

and

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

are turned into English verse. The authors in the second part had first been brought together by

Theodore Bibliander Theodore (or Theodorus) Bibliander (; 1509 – 26 September 1564) was a Swiss orientalist, publisher, Protestant reformer and linguist. Biography Born Theodor Buchmann (''Bibliander'' is a Greek translation of this surname) in Bischofszell in 1 ...

, though Bennet probably used the anonymous French compilation : ''Histoire des vies et faits de trois excellents personnages, premiers restaurateurs de l’évangile'' (1555).

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennet, Henry Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Calais 16th-century English translators English male non-fiction writers