Jasper Heywood (1535 – 9 January 1598) was an English
Jesuit priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
. He is known as the English translator of three Latin plays of
Seneca, the ''
Troas'' (1559), the ''
Thyestes
In Greek mythology, Thyestes (pronounced , gr, Θυέστης, ) was a king of Olympia. Thyestes and his brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus, in their desire for the throne of Olympi ...
'' (1560) and ''
Hercules Furens'' (1561).
Life
He was son of
John Heywood, and became a fellow of
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ...
, but was compelled to resign in 1558. In the same year he was elected a fellow of
All Souls College, but, refusing to conform to the changes in religion at the beginning of the reign of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
, he gave up his fellowship and went to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, where he was received into the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
.
For seventeen years he was professor of
moral theology
Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...
and controversy in the
Jesuit College
The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges and universities listed here.
Some of these universities are in the United Stat ...
at
Dillingen, in present-day
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
. In 1581 he was sent to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
as superior of the Jesuit mission, but his leniency in that position led to his recall.
On his way back to the Continent, a violent storm drove him back to the English coast. He was arrested on the charge of being a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
, but, although efforts were made to induce him to abjure his opinions, he remained firm. He was condemned to perpetual exile on pain of death, and died at
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on 9 January 1598. His nephew was the poet and preacher
John Donne
John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedr ...
.
Works
Heywood's verse translations of Seneca were supplemented by other plays contributed by
Alexander Neville,
Thomas Nuce
Thomas Nuce or Newce (died 1617) was an English translator from Latin.
Life
He matriculated at Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1559. He then graduated B.A. from Pembroke Hall in 1562, M.A. 1565, and B.D. in 1572. He was in 1562 a fellow of Pembroke.
S ...
,
John Studley
John Studley (1545?–1590?) was an English academic, known as a translator of Seneca. He contributed to the ''Seneca his tenne tragedies translated into English'' (1581), compiled by Thomas Newton and the sole printed translations of Seneca avail ...
and
Thomas Newton. Newton collected these translations in one volume, ''Seneca, his tenne tragedies translated into Englysh'' (1581). The importance of this work in the development of English drama can hardly be overestimated.
He also wrote four poems published in 1576 in the Elizabethan collection known as ''The Paradise of Dainty Devices''.
See also
*
Canons of Elizabethan poetry
The Western canon is the body of high culture literature, music, philosophy, and works of art that are highly valued in the West; works that have achieved the status of classics. However, not all these works originate in the Western world, and ...
References
*Dr. J.W. Cunliffe, ''On the Influence of Seneca upon Elizabethan Tragedy'' (1893).
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heywood, Jasper
1535 births
1598 deaths
Converts to Roman Catholicism
English Catholic poets
English classical scholars
English Roman Catholics
Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford
Fellows of Merton College, Oxford
16th-century English educators
16th-century English Jesuits
16th-century English poets
16th-century scholars
Poet priests