John Barclay (28 January 1582 – 15 August 1621) was a Scottish writer, satirist and
neo-Latin
New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...
poet.
Life
He was born in
Pont-à-Mousson,
Lorraine, France, where his Scottish-born father,
William Barclay William Barclay may refer to:
*William Barclay (jurist) (1546–1608), Scottish jurist
*William Barclay (writer) (c. 1570–c. 1630), Scottish writer
*William Barclay (painter) (1797–1859), English miniature painter
*William Barclay (theologian) ...
, held the chair of
civil law. His mother was a
Frenchwoman. His early education was obtained at 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 Pont-a-Mousson. While there, at the age of nineteen, he wrote a commentary on the ''
Thebaid'' of
Statius.
The Jesuits endeavored to induce him to join their order; but his father refused to give his consent and took him to England in 1603.
Barclay had persistently maintained his
Scottish nationality
Scottish national identity is a term referring to the sense of national identity, as embodied in the shared and characteristic culture, languages and traditions, of the Scottish people.
Although the various dialects of Gaelic, the Scots l ...
in his French surroundings, and probably found in
James VI and I's accession an opportunity which he would not let slip. In early 1604 John Barclay presented James with a Latin poem, "Kalendae Januariae", and afterward dedicated to him the first part of his ''Euphormionis Satyricon'' (''Euphormionis Lusinini Satyricon'') against the
Jesuits. He returned to France by 1605, when a second edition of that book appeared in Paris, having spent some time in
Angers. He was the husband of a Frenchwoman,
Louise Debonaire
Louise or Luise may refer to:
* Louise (given name)
Arts Songs
* Louise (Bonnie Tyler song), "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005
* Louise (The Human League song), "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984
* Louise (Jett Rebel song), "Louise" (Jett ...
. Barclay and his wife returned to London in 1606, and there published his ''
Sylvae'', a collection of Latin poems. In 1607 the second part of the ''Satyricon'' appeared in Paris. In 1616 he went to Rome and resided there until his death on 15 August 1621, aged 39. His departure from England may have been prompted by the threat that his children would be brought up as Protestants, since they had been born in England. To the Catholic Barclay, this was unacceptable. In addition he may have been seeking a more generous patron than the somewhat parsimonious King James. In fact Barclay received a pension of some 150 pounds from the Pope.
[ He wrote his major novel, '' Argenis'', in Rome and, according to his contemporaries, indulged in gardening. He was a member of several learned and literary societies in Rome, including the ]Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...
. His wife outlived him and died in 1652. One son became bishop of Toul in France and survived until 1673.[
]
Works
In 1609 Barclay edited the '' De Potestate Papae'', an anti-papal
Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...
treatise by his father, who had died in the preceding year. In 1611 he issued an '' Apologia'' or "third part" of the ''Satyricon'', in answer to the attacks of the Jesuits. A so-called "fourth part," with the title of ''Icon Animorum
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most c ...
'', describing the character and manners of the European nations, appeared in 1614.
He appears to have been on better terms with the Church and notably with Robert Bellarmine, for in 1617 he issued, from a press
Press may refer to:
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* Print media or news media, commonly called "the press"
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
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People
* Press (surname), a famil ...
at Rome, a ''Paraenesis ad Sectarios
In rhetoric, protrepsis ( grc-gre, πρότρεψις) and paraenesis (παραίνεσις) are two closely related styles of exhortation that are employed by moral philosophers. While there is a widely accepted distinction between the two that i ...
'', an attack on the position of Protestantism. Later editions were published in Cologne. The literary effort of his closing years was his best-known work the '' Argenis'', a political romance, resembling in certain respects the ''Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
'' of Philip Sidney, and the '' Utopia'' of Thomas More. The book was completed about a fortnight before his death, which has been said to have been hastened by poison.
Richard Crashaw
Richard Crashaw (c. 1613 – 21 August 1649) was an English poet, teacher, High Church Anglican cleric and Roman Catholic convert, who was one of the major metaphysical poets in 17th-century English literature.
Crashaw was the son of a famous A ...
's poem, "Description of a Religious House and Condition of Life", beginning, "No roofs of gold o'er riotous tables shining,/Whole days and suns devour'd with endless dining;" was translated "Out of Barclay."[Richard Crashaw (1914), ''The Religious Poems of Richard Crashaw'', ]Roehampton
Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...
, England: Manresa
Manresa () is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographical centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are ...
Press, p. 122.
References
;Attribution
*
Further reading
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, John
1582 births
1621 deaths
People from Pont-à-Mousson
17th-century Latin-language writers
17th-century Scottish writers
17th-century Scottish novelists
New Latin-language poets
Roman Catholic writers
Scottish literary critics
Scottish poets
Scottish satirists
Scottish Roman Catholics
Scottish Catholic poets
Scottish Roman Catholic writers
Members of the Lincean Academy