Richard Stanyhurst
Encyclopedia
Richard Stanyhurst was an Irish
alchemist, translator, poet and historian, born in Dublin.
His father, James Stanyhurst, was recorder of the city, and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons
in 1557, 1560 and 1568. Richard was sent in 1563 to University College, Oxford
, and took his degree five years later. At Oxford he became intimate with Edmund Campion
. After leaving the university he studied law at Furnival's Inn
and Lincoln's Inn
. He contributed in 1587 to Holinshed
's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland "a playne and perfecte description" of Ireland
, and a History of Ireland during the reign of Henry VIII, which were severely criticized in Barnabe Rich
's New Description of Ireland (1610) as a misrepresentation of Irish affairs written from the English standpoint. They also caused offense to Catholics for their anti-Catholic perspective .
After the death of his wife, Janet Barnewall, in 1579, Stanyhurst went to the Netherlands
. After his second marriage, which took place before 1585, to Helen Copley, he became active in the Catholic
cause. He lived in the bishopric of Liège
, where he got in touch with the Paracelsan movement gathered around Ernest of Bavaria
(1554–1612). From then, Stanihurst analysed the relationships between medicine and chemistry.
In the early 1590 he was invited to Spain
by King Philip II, who became seriously ill. Stanihurst worked at the great alchemical laboratory in El Escorial. At the same time he informed the state on Catholics interest in England. After his wife's death in 1602 he took holy orders
, and became chaplain to the Archduke Albert of Austria in the Netherlands
. His son was William Stanyhurst
.
He never returned to England, and died at Brussels
, according to Anthony à Wood. He translated into English The First Foure Bookes of Virgil his Aeneis (Leiden, 1582), to give practical proof of the feasibility of Gabriel Harvey
's theory that classical rules of prosody could be successfully applied to English poetry. The translation is an unconscious burlesque
of the original in a jargon arranged in what the writer called hexameters. Thomas Nashe
in his preface to Greene
's Menaphon ridiculed this performance as his
This is a parody, but not a very extravagant one, of Stanyhurst's vocabulary and metrical methods.
Only two copies of the original Leiden edition of Stanyhurst's translation of Virgil are known to be in existence. In this edition his orthographic
al cranks are preserved. A reprint in 1583 by Henry Bynneman
forms the basis of James Maidment
's edition (Edinburgh, 1836), and of Edward Arber
's reprint (1880), which contains an excellent introduction. Stanyhurst's Latin works include De rebus in Hibernia gestis (Antwerp, 1584) and a life of St Patrick (1587).
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
alchemist, translator, poet and historian, born in Dublin.
His father, James Stanyhurst, was recorder of the city, and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
in 1557, 1560 and 1568. Richard was sent in 1563 to University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, and took his degree five years later. At Oxford he became intimate with Edmund Campion
Edmund Campion
Saint Edmund Campion, S.J. was an English Roman Catholic martyr and Jesuit priest. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Protestant England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason by a kangaroo court, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn...
. After leaving the university he studied law 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:...
and Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. He contributed in 1587 to Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed
Raphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland "a playne and perfecte description" of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and a History of Ireland during the reign of Henry VIII, which were severely criticized in Barnabe Rich
Barnabe Rich
Barnabe Rich , was an English author and soldier, and a distant relative of Lord Chancellor Rich....
's New Description of Ireland (1610) as a misrepresentation of Irish affairs written from the English standpoint. They also caused offense to Catholics for their anti-Catholic perspective .
After the death of his wife, Janet Barnewall, in 1579, Stanyhurst went to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. After his second marriage, which took place before 1585, to Helen Copley, he became active in the Catholic
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"...
cause. He lived in the bishopric of Liège
Bishopric of Liège
The Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It acquired its status as a prince-bishopric between 980 and 985 when Bishop Notger, who had been the bishop of Liege since 972, acquired the status of Prince-Bishop...
, where he got in touch with the Paracelsan movement gathered around Ernest of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria was Prince-elector-archbishop of the Archbishopric of Cologne from 1583 to 1612 as successor of the expelled Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg. He was also bishop of Münster, Hildesheim, Freising and Liège....
(1554–1612). From then, Stanihurst analysed the relationships between medicine and chemistry.
In the early 1590 he was invited to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by King Philip II, who became seriously ill. Stanihurst worked at the great alchemical laboratory in El Escorial. At the same time he informed the state on Catholics interest in England. After his wife's death in 1602 he took holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
, and became chaplain to the Archduke Albert of Austria in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. His son was William Stanyhurst
William Stanyhurst
William Stanyhurst was a Belgian Jesuit of Irish parentage. He was a prolific author of Latin religious works, one of which, Dei immortalis in corpore mortali patientis historia, was widely popular, and was translated into many languages....
.
He never returned to England, and died at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, according to Anthony à Wood. He translated into English The First Foure Bookes of Virgil his Aeneis (Leiden, 1582), to give practical proof of the feasibility of Gabriel Harvey
Gabriel Harvey
Gabriel Harvey was an English writer. Harvey was a notable scholar, though his reputation suffered from his quarrel with Thomas Nashe...
's theory that classical rules of prosody could be successfully applied to English poetry. The translation is an unconscious burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
of the original in a jargon arranged in what the writer called hexameters. Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...
in his preface to Greene
Robert Greene (16th century)
Robert Greene was an English author best known for a posthumous pamphlet attributed to him, Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit, widely believed to contain a polemic attack on William Shakespeare. He was born in Norwich and attended Cambridge University, receiving a B.A. in 1580, and an M.A...
's Menaphon ridiculed this performance as his
"heroicall poetrie, infired ... with an hexameter furie
a patterne whereof I will propounde to your judgements.
Then did he make heaven's vault to rebounde, with rounce robble hobble
Of ruffe raffe roaring, with thwick thwack thurlery bouncing."
This is a parody, but not a very extravagant one, of Stanyhurst's vocabulary and metrical methods.
Only two copies of the original Leiden edition of Stanyhurst's translation of Virgil are known to be in existence. In this edition his orthographic
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
al cranks are preserved. A reprint in 1583 by Henry Bynneman
Henry Bynneman
Henry Bynnemans career as a printer lasted from 1566, when he became free of the Stationers' Company, until 1583. He had been apprenticed to Richard Harrison in 1560, but that printer died about January of 1563; though definitive evidence is lacking, Bynneman likely served the remainder of his...
forms the basis of James Maidment
James Maidment
James Maidment was a British antiquary and collector.He passed through Edinburgh University to the Scottish bar, and was chief authority on genealogical cases.Maidment's hobby was the collection of literary rarities...
's edition (Edinburgh, 1836), and of Edward Arber
Edward Arber
Edward Arber was an English academic and writer.Arber was born in London. From 1854 be 1878 he worked as a clerk in the Admiralty, and began evening classes at King's College London in 1858. From 1878 to 1881 he lectured in English, under Prof. H...
's reprint (1880), which contains an excellent introduction. Stanyhurst's Latin works include De rebus in Hibernia gestis (Antwerp, 1584) and a life of St Patrick (1587).
Further reading
- Colm Lennon, Richard Stanihurst the Dubliner, 1547-1618: A Biography, with a Stanihurst Text, on Ireland's Past, Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1981.
- Colm Lennon, "Richard Stanihurst," The Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 281: British Rhetoricians and Logicians, 1500–1660, Second Series, Detroit: Gale, 2003, pp. 296–303.
- Colm Lennon, "Richard Stanihurst and Old English Identity," Irish Historical Studies, vol. 21, 1978, pp. 121–143.
- Colm Lennon, "Richard Stanihurst's 'Spanish Catholicism': Ideology and Diplomacy in Brussels and Madrid," Irland y la monarcquía Hispánica: Kinsale 1601-2001, Madrid, 2002, pp. 75–88.