Protestant Exiles from France/Book First - Chapter 5 - Section I
Chapter V.
REFUGEE CLERGY IN THE REIGNS OF HENRI II., CHARLES IX., HENRI III., AND HENRI IV.
I. Refugees in the Universities.
Peter Bignon, a French Protestant, had assisted Professor Wakefield in conducting his Hebrew class in Cambridge. The chair becoming vacant, he obtained a public certificate of his eminent diligence and ability, dated ioth November 1574, signed by Drs. Perne and Norgate, and other University men. This certificate he presented to the Chancellor of the University, Lord Burghley; and his lordship supported him with much zeal, writing in his favour to the Vice-Chancellor and Heads of Colleges, and also promoting a subscription to augment the stipend; in the latter movement he enlisted the energies of Archbishop Parker. The reply of the University authorities was that they were bound to elect a Master of Arts to the vacant lectureship, and to give a preference to a Fellow of Trinity College; that, therefore, Mr. Bignon was not eligible, and to suspend the statute in his favour would be a discouragement to their own graduates. They undertook, however, to show kindness to him, if he would continue to reside with them. Strype adds, ”what they did for him I find not; probably they allowed him to be a private reader and instructor of scholars in that kind of learning, and might allow him an honorary stipend.” (Life of Parker, folio, page 470).
The first mention of the refugees in the Athenae Oxonienses is under the date, 4th July 1576. “Peter Regius [Le Roy? — ], a Frenchman, M.A. of twelve years’ standing in the University of Paris, now an exile for religion, and a catechistical lecturer in this university, supplicated that he might be admitted Bachelor of Divinity, and that the exercise to be performed for it might be deferred till Michaelmas Term following, because he shortly after designed to return to his native country. But the regents, upon mature consideration, returned this answer, that he might take the said degree when he pleased, conditionally that he perform all exercises requisite by the statute before he take it. On the same day, Giles Gualter [Gaultier?], M.A., of eight years’ standing in the University of Caen (another exile, as it seems), did supplicate under the same form; but whether either of them was admitted, it appears not.”
Pierre Baron, a native of Estampes, Licentiate of Civil Law of the College of Bourges, was a learned theologian, and on taking refuge in England, he was honourably as well as hospitably received at Cambridge by Dr Andrew Perne, ViceChancellor of the University. From his case we infer that French literati, coming among us without any knowledge of English, and finding our great men unable to speak French, introduced themselves in Latin addresses and salutations. Monsieur Baron would give his name as Petrus Baro, and hence he became known as Mr. Barrow. As Petrus Baro he was entered in the books of Cambridge University, where he was incorporated on 3d September 1575, as Licentiate of Civil Law, and also received the degree of D.D.; the adjective Stempanus was sometimes added to his name to indicate the place of his nativity. He seems to have been appointed Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at Cambridge as early us 1574, although he did not draw the stipend till 1576; for in a letter to the Lord Treasurer (Burghley), dated Cambridge, 21st November 1580, representing what slender remuneration he had received, he states that he had held the professorship for six years (totos sex hoxe annos). In the Spending of the Money, of Robert Nowell, we find the following entries:—
" Too one mr Barrowe, a lamed frenchman of Cambridge the 10th of January Ao 1575, 20/-; [the year appears to have been 1576, new style].
“Too one mr Peter Barrow, doctor of divinitie in Cambridge, by thandes of Osmounde, late of the kinges College there, the 31st of Januarie 1578, 10/-
“Too one doctor Barowe a poore learned stranger, the 27th daie of Aprell 1579, 20/-
“Too one mr Doctor Barrowe, a larned stranger, the 10th of Januarie 1579: sent the same by mr Whitakers of Cambridge, £5; [the year was 1580, new style].
In 1576, on July 11th, Petrus Baro was incorporated at Oxford as D.D. Anthony a Wood calls him Baro, but admits that the name is by some called Baron.
This able professor wrote many volumes and tractates; but he unhappily signalized himself by combating the received opinions concerning divine grace in the salvation of men, and in suggesting propositions for a verbal and apparent harmonizing of Romish and Protestant doctrines on that subject and on kindred points. The Lambeth Articles defining and elucidating the Reformation doctrines were sent down to Cambridge to promote peace, and commanded to be held as statutory at least to the extent, “that nothing should be publicly taught to the contrary.” The only rebel was Dr. Baro, who, on 12th January 1595, preached a sermon to the clergy (Concio ad Clerum), re-asserting his own theorems. Queen Elizabeth had heard of the Doctor’s former irregularities, and communicated her warm displeasure to Archbishop Whitgift, her Majesty being pleased to observe that “Dr. Baro, being an alien, ought to have carried himself quietly and peaceably in a country where he was so humanely harboured and enfranchised, both himself and his family.” Dr. Baro was touched by this appeal, and also by the Archbishop’s moderation; to the latter he wrote a letter dated 13th December 1595, expressing his adherence to his own pub- lished doctrines, making this promise — “I will keep peace as long as I shall be here”; as to the Queen he said, “I wish it may be known at length to the Queen’s Majesty what my piety and reverence is toward her; indeed for her, and for the defence of the state of this church which she defends, I would shed my blood, if need were, with as willing and ready a mind as her own faithful subjects ought to do, and as she would have me do, since she has been willing to make me free of her kingdom, and my wife and children, and to confirm it with her seal.” The death of Dr. Whitaker had just happened (viz., on 4th December), and Dr. Baro had desired to be promoted to the Regius Professorship of divinity thus left vacant. For the sake of peace, however, he refrained from making any application for that chair; and in 1596 he withdrew from Cambridge, having resigned his Lady Margaret professorship. He is said to have explained his reasons for retreating, in three Latin words, “Fugio ne fugarer.” He settled in London, in Crutched Fryers. There he died in April 1599, and was buried in the Church of St. Olave, Hart Street. The entry in the register of St. Olave’s is, “1599, April 17, Mr. Doctor Barrow, in the chancel.”[1] The city clergy attended his funeral (by order of the Bishop of London), and six Doctors of Divinity were his pall-bearers. Strype informs us that he left a large posterity behind him, and that his eldest son, Samuel Baro, was a physician, and lived and died in Lynn-Regis, in Norfolk. Anthony a Wood says, “The Baros, or Barons (as they are by some called), who do now, or did lately, live at Boston, in Lincolnshire, and at King’s Lynn in Norfolk, are descended from him.”
There was published in his lifetime a black letter volume, entitled, “A Special Treatise of God’s Providence, and of comforts against all kinde of crosses and calamities to be fetched from the same, with an Exposition of the 107th Psalme — hereunto is added an appendix of Certain Sermons and Questions, conteining sweet and comfortable doctrine as they were vttered and disputed ad clerum in Cambridge — by P. Baro, D. in Deuinitie. Englished by I. L., Vicar of Wethersfielde.”
*∗* In 1660, Dr. Peter Heylin, Archbishop’s Laud’s biographer (known in Scotland as Lee-ing Peter), published a book or huge pamphlet, entitled, “Historia Quinquarticularis, or a declaration of the judgement of the Western Churches, and more particularly of the Church of England, in the five controverted points, reproached in these last times by the name of Arminianism.” In 1673 a reply was published by Henry Hickman, B.D., entitled, “Historia Quinquarticularis exarticulata; [The History of the Five Points shown to be pointless.] Heylin could not deny that the Lambeth Articles were the publicly professed mind of the Church of England, but he makes much of the fact that King James refused to incorporate them within the Thirty-nine Articles. Hickman proves that King James, thinking the Thirty-nine Articles sufficient, and being told that the Lambeth Articles had been drawn up at a special crisis with a view to pacification, decided to leave them outside the Prayer-Book for the use of Divines only. “When such questions (said his Majesty) do arise among scholars, the quietest proceeding is to determine them in the University, and not to stuff the Book with conclusions theological.” One of Heylin’s arguments was that “Doctor Baro” was an avowed opponent of the Lambeth Articles, and “that Bishop Bancroft, when Baro died in London, three or foure yeares after his leaving Cambridge, took order to have most of the Divines in and about London to attend his Funeral — this plainly shows that there were many of both Universities that openly favoured Baroes doctrines” (p. 90). To this Hickman rejoins, “But do we indeed favour — and plainly declare that we favour — the opinions of those whose Funeralls we attend? If so, then we must never go to the Funeral of a Roman Catholick; then did Queen Elizabeth and her Bishop Grindal plainly discover themselves friends to Popery when they so magnificently celebrated the Funerals of the Emperor” (page 212, second edition).
- ↑ Colonel Chester’s MSS. [I had the advantage of the friendship and correspondence of the late Colonel Chester, and information received from him is thus acknowledged throughout this work.]