Jasper Heywood (1535 – 9 January 1598) was an English

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priest. He is known as the English translator of three Latin plays of Seneca, the ''

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'' (1559), the '' Thyestes'' (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 Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, 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, he gave up his fellowship and went to Rome, where he was received into the Society of Jesus. For seventeen years he was professor of moral theology 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. In 1581 he was sent to England 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, 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 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 clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...

Works

Heywood's verse translations of Seneca were supplemented by other plays contributed by Alexander Neville, Thomas Nuce,

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 Thomas Newton (1 January 1704 – 14 February 1782) was an English cleric, biblical scholar and author. He served as the Bishop of Bristol from 1761 to 1782. Biography Newton was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and was subsequently elect ...

. 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''.

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

Life

Works

See also

References