John Constable (alias Lacey; pen-name Clerophilus Alethes) (10 November 1676 or 1678, in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

– 28 March 1743) was an English

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

controversial writer.

Life

In 1695 he entered the Society of Jesus. For many years he served the

Fitzherbert Fitzherbert is a suburb of Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand. The Massey University Manawatu Campus is west and northwest of Fitzherbert. The Food HQ was established north of the Massey University campus in 1971, and incl ...

family at Swinnerton, where he is buried.

Works

Constable's chief controversial opponents were: *

Pierre François le Courayer Pierre François le Courayer (17 November 1681 – 17 October 1776) was a French Catholic theological writer, for many years an expatriate in England. Life Pierre François le Courayer was born at Rouen. While canon regular and librarian of the ...

(1681–1776) who championed Anglican orders, came over to England in 1728, was lionized, and eventually buried in the cloisters of Westminster; and * Charles Dodd, a pseudonym of

Hugh Tootell Hugh Tootell (1671/72 – 27 February 1743) was an English Catholic historian. He is commonly known under his pseudonym Charles Dodd. Life Tootell was born in Lancashire. He was tutored by his uncle, Christopher Tootle, before studying wi ...

, who wrote, Constable maintained, with a prejudice against Jesuits. The chief writings of Constable are: * "Remarks on Courayer's Book in Defense of English Ordinations, wherein their invalidity is fully proved", an answer to Courayer's "Dissertations" of 1723; * "The Stratagem Discovered to show that Courayer writes 'Booty', and is only a sham defender of these ordinations", by "Clerophilus Alethes" (8vo, 1729), against Joseph Trapp, ''The Church of England Defended Against the Calumnies and False Reasoning of the Church of Rome'' (1727): * "Doctrine of Antiquity concerning the Eucharist" by "Clerophilus Alethes" (8vo, 1736); * "Specimen of Amendments proposed to the Compiler of 'The Church History of England'", by "Clerophilus Alethes" (12mo, 1741); * "Advice to the Author of 'The Church History of England'", manuscript at Stonyhurst.

Joseph Gillow Joseph Gillow (5 October 1850, Preston, Lancashire – 17 March 1921, Westholme, Hale, Cheshire) was an English Roman Catholic antiquary, historian and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics". Biography Born in Frenchwood Ho ...

enumerates a few other writings by Constable.

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: **Oliver, Collectanea S.J., 73; ** Henry Foley, ''Records of the English Province of the Society of Jesus'', III, 207; VII (i), 159; **

Sommervogel Carlos Sommervogel (8 January 1834 – 4 March 1902) was a French Jesuit scholar. He was author of the monumental ''Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus'', which served as one of the major references for the editors of the Catholic Encyclo ...

, Bibliothèque de la C. de J., II col. 1374; **

, Dict. of Eng. Cath., I, 552, sqq.; ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Constable, John Year of birth uncertain 1670s births 1743 deaths 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers 18th-century English Jesuits Clergy from Lincolnshire 17th-century English Jesuits