Augustine, Aquinas, and Southwell
Robert Southwell
Life
Robert Southwell was born in 1561 in Norfolk.
Although his family benefitted from King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, Southwell and his family remained Catholic.
Southwell was sent to a Catholic school in Flanders at age 14, which was a risky move since at the time his father was imprisoned for speaking against Queen Elizabeth.
After an initial unsuccessful attempt to take religious orders, Southwell was admitted to the Society of Jesus in 1580, officially becoming a Jesuit.
With the Jesuits Southwell trained in the English and Latin languages, as well as reformed Christian thought so as to be able to counter the reformers in England.
He specifically studied to become a missionary to England for the Jesuit cause, which was a very dangerous undertaking.
Southwell was ordained in 1584, and in 1586 he began his mission in England.
At the time, he was isolated from his family because his religious dedication was stronger than his family’s, and they distanced themselves from the more radical Southwell. They were not willing to take the same risks.
It was risky to undertake such a mission during this time, because the Society of Jesus in particular was outlawed in England, and evangelizing for Catholicism was also against the law. The punishment for these crimes was execution as a traitor.
Southwell served his mission in England for 6 years, mainly in hiding within Catholic households.
There is documentation that the Crown knew of Southwell’s arrival in England as soon as he came ashore in 1586, but he was not immediately a priority for persecution.
But because of the Spanish Armada attempt in 1588, conditions for Catholics in England worsened as they were viewed as more dangerous.
In 1592, Southwell was given up by a member of the household he was staying with, and was arrested.
After three years of imprisonment, Robert Southwell was hanged and quartered as a traitor.
Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits
The Society of Jesus was founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the 1540.
His teachings greatly influenced Robert Southwell.
Ignatius taught that above all else, one ought to serve God. His most famous work, the Spiritual Exercises, set a model of religious devotion that is individual and personal in nature.
But at the same time, the Society of Jesus is predicated upon spreading the word of God to others.
In these ways, Southwell would have experienced dueling motivations: on the one hand pursuing individual devotion through personal means, and on the other sharing the Word with other people.
Southwell’s Works
Robert Southwell is not always taught as a canonical Early Modern English poet, because his works are difficult to pin down.
His poetry and theological writings were ignored by both reformed Christians and Catholics because they resisted conforming to a concrete doctrinal system.
This is why Southwell’s works are so interesting to us now; they demonstrate a different religious viewpoint that is extremely personal and individual, and demonstrates one person’s religious experience unique from others. In that way, we get a glimpse into Southwell’s identity.
Conclusions
Robert Southwell was utterly dedicated to his Jesuit beliefs, so much so that he risked his life to spread his message to the people of England.
Ultimately, he died a martyr, facing a horrific death at the hands of the English Crown.
But his dedication reveals an earnestness in his writings, and an individual who embodies the term ‘faith.’