Anthony Copley
Encyclopedia
Anthony Copley was an English Catholic
poet and conspirator. He reproached the Jesuits and their meditations on martyr
dom, and loyally praised Queen Elizabeth
. He is principally known to posterity for his long allegorical poem in 1596 opposing voluntary death, in parody of Book I of The Faerie Queene
, entitled A Fig for Fortune; it has been considered a contribution to the same tradition as Hamlet.
. He was left in England when his father went abroad, but in 1582, while a student at Furnival's Inn
, he joined his father and mother at Rouen
. He stayed there for two years, and was then sent to the English College, Rome for two years, on a pension of ten crowns from Pope Gregory XIII
. He then went to the Low Countries
, where he obtained a pension of twenty crowns from Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
, and entered the service of Philip II of Spain
, in which he remained until shortly before 1590.
In 1590 he returned to England without permission, was arrested and put in the Tower of London
. He asked for pardon and gave the authorities information on the English Catholic exiles. He lived as a married man at Roughay, in the parish of Horsham
, and on 22 June 1592, in a letter from Richard Topcliffe
to the queen, he is described as a bravo. An object of suspicion to the government, and imprisoned several times during the remainder of Elizabeth's reign, his writings were fervently loyal.
On the accession of James I of England
, Copley was concerned in the Bye Plot
for placing Lady Arabella Stuart on the throne. He and the other conspirators were tried and condemned to death; but Copley was pardoned (18 August 1604), having made a confession relating the history of the plot. In 1606 (1607?) he was a guest, in the English College, Rome, after which he disappears from view.
's ‘Collectanea,’ ii. 456–9.
At the end of Elizabeth's reign Copley took part in the controversy between the Jesuits and the secular priests, and wrote two pamphlets on the side of the seculars, ‘An Answere to a Letter of a Jesuited Gentleman, by his Cosin, Maister A. C., concerning the Appeale, State, Jesuits,’ 1601. This was followed by ‘Another Letter of Mr. A. C. to his Disjesuited Kinsman concerning the Appeale, State, Jesuits. Also a third Letter of his Apologeticall for himself against the calumnies contained against him in a certain Jesuiticall libell intituled A manifestation of folly and bad spirit,’ 1602; in this he announces ‘my forthcoming Manifestation of the Jesuit's Commonwealth,’ which, however, does not seem to have appeared.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
poet and conspirator. He reproached the Jesuits and their meditations on martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
dom, and loyally praised Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. He is principally known to posterity for his long allegorical poem in 1596 opposing voluntary death, in parody of Book I of The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene is an incomplete English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. The first half was published in 1590, and a second installment was published in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza and is one of the longest poems in the English...
, entitled A Fig for Fortune; it has been considered a contribution to the same tradition as Hamlet.
Life
He was the third son of Sir Thomas CopleySir Thomas Copley
Sir Thomas Copley was a prominent English Roman Catholic politician and exile of the reign of Elizabeth I. Knighted, perhaps by the king of France, and created ennobled by Philip II of Spain, he was often known by contemporaries as "Lord Copley"....
. He was left in England when his father went abroad, but in 1582, while a student at Furnival's Inn
Furnival's Inn
Furnival's Inn was an Inn of Chancery which formerly stood on the site of the present Holborn Bars building in Holborn, London, England.-History:...
, he joined his father and mother at Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. He stayed there for two years, and was then sent to the English College, Rome for two years, on a pension of ten crowns from Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...
. He then went to the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, where he obtained a pension of twenty crowns from Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592.-Biography:...
, and entered the service of Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, in which he remained until shortly before 1590.
In 1590 he returned to England without permission, was arrested and put in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. He asked for pardon and gave the authorities information on the English Catholic exiles. He lived as a married man at Roughay, in the parish of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, and on 22 June 1592, in a letter from Richard Topcliffe
Richard Topcliffe
Richard Topcliffe was a landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. He became notorious as a priest-hunter and torturer and was often referred to as the Queen's principal "interrogator"....
to the queen, he is described as a bravo. An object of suspicion to the government, and imprisoned several times during the remainder of Elizabeth's reign, his writings were fervently loyal.
On the accession of James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, Copley was concerned in the Bye Plot
Bye Plot
The Bye Plot was a conspiracy by a Roman Catholic priest, William Watson, to kidnap James I of England and to force him to repeal anti-Catholic legislation.-Background:...
for placing Lady Arabella Stuart on the throne. He and the other conspirators were tried and condemned to death; but Copley was pardoned (18 August 1604), having made a confession relating the history of the plot. In 1606 (1607?) he was a guest, in the English College, Rome, after which he disappears from view.
Works
In 1595 he published ‘Wits, Fittes, and Fancies fronted and entermedled with Presidentes of Honour and Wisdom; also Loves Owle, an idle conceited dialogue between Love and an olde Man,’ London, 1595. The prose portion of this work is a collection of jests, stories, and sayings, mainly taken from a Spanish work, ‘La Floresta Spagnola,’ and was reprinted in 1614 with additions, but without ‘Love's Owle’. This work was followed in 1596 by ‘A Fig for Fortune’, reprinted by the Spenser Society in 1883. It is a poem in six-line stanzas; extracts from it were in Thomas CorserThomas Corser
Thomas Corser was a British literary scholar and Church of England clergyman. He was the editor of Collectanea Anglo-Poetica.-Life:...
's ‘Collectanea,’ ii. 456–9.
At the end of Elizabeth's reign Copley took part in the controversy between the Jesuits and the secular priests, and wrote two pamphlets on the side of the seculars, ‘An Answere to a Letter of a Jesuited Gentleman, by his Cosin, Maister A. C., concerning the Appeale, State, Jesuits,’ 1601. This was followed by ‘Another Letter of Mr. A. C. to his Disjesuited Kinsman concerning the Appeale, State, Jesuits. Also a third Letter of his Apologeticall for himself against the calumnies contained against him in a certain Jesuiticall libell intituled A manifestation of folly and bad spirit,’ 1602; in this he announces ‘my forthcoming Manifestation of the Jesuit's Commonwealth,’ which, however, does not seem to have appeared.