Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/160

 124 ALAN. Fitzhernert inVit.Caid Alaai. c. ib; J. Watfon's Q'.'cdlibets, citavo, p. 140. Carrden's Annal. - bourhood of Oxford, where he wrote an apology for his party, under the title of Brief Rtafons concerning the Catho- lic Faith. He was obliged to fly from hence to London ; and not long after, with fome difficulty, made his efcape to Flan- ders, in 1568. He went to Mechlin, in the duchy of Bra- bant, where he rcaJ.leclures on divinity with great applaufe; thence he removed to Doway, where he was made doctor of divinity: he hjd alfo the canonry of Cambray beftowed upon him as a reward for his zeal in the fervice of the catholic church. Not long after, he was appointed canon of Rheims, through the intereft of the Guifes, and thither he removed the feminary which had been fettled at Doway ; for don Lewis de Requerens, governor of the Nethei lands, had oblig- cl the Englifli fugitives to withdraw out of his government. Dr. Alan having written various treaties in defence of the doctrines and practices of the Romifh church, was now efteemed the champion of his party. In his own country, however, he was reputed a capital enemy of the ftate j all correfpondence with him was deemed treafon, and Thomas Alfield was executed for bringing certain books of his into England [A]. It was thought to be owing to the inftigation of Dr. Alan, and fome fugitive Englifli noblemen, that Phi- lip II. undertook to invade and conquer England. In order to facilitate this, pope Sixtus V. was prevailed upon to renew the excommunication thundered againft queen Elizabeth by [A~] There is dill amon^ the papers of the lord treafurer Burleigh, a brief of the treafonabh expreiiions extracted cut t>f Dr. Alan's book?, in order to gtou/vj his indictment. Thefe exprflTions are nioft of them contained in a t/eatife written by Dr. Alan, in>itu!ed, ' The Defence of the twelve Martyrs in one Year." In order to give the reader L-me notion of his ftyle and manner of writ- i.ig. we (lull ti ;n!ciibe a paragraph or Kvo from this indidtment : " The bond ' and obligation we have entered into, ' for th: fervice of Chrift and the ' church, far exctedeth all other duty" ' vhtch we owe to any hu i.an crca- ' ture, ar.rt therefore, here the ot>c- dience to the inferior h-iuU ittii the fervice of the oth^r, wiiitii is 'uperior, ve muft, by taw and order, dilchsrge ourfelves of th- inferior. The wife, if fte cannot live vhh her own huf- " hand, being an infidel, or an heretic, '* ithout injury or difhonour to God, ' Hie may depart from him; orctntra- hi fiom her for the like caufe; " neither oweth the innocent party, nor " can the other lawfully il jim any con- " jugal duty or deut in this cafe. The " bond-flave, which is in another kind " no lets bonnd to his lord and mafter, " than the fobject to his f.ivereign, m^y " alfo, by the ancient imperial laws, de- " part, and refufe to obey or ferve him, " if he become a heretic j yea, iplo " fafto, he is mane free. Fina'ly, the " fopcrionty ana dominion they have, " by the law of nature, over their own " children; therefore let no man mar- " vtl, that in cafe ot her^ly, the fove- ' rtign lofcth the fuperi-iitv over his " people na kingdom." The indicl- ment charges, that the author did here- by intend, that queen tlizabeth, by rea- An of her heiely, had fallen from her fovereignty: and it charges Thomas AifieM wiih bridging the faid traiterous books of Willi.Tn Alan into her ma- jeMy's domini'ins, a"d there publishing them, on the jo:h ot September, in tl. a6tb yea: of her i ; L':i, that is, in i$S4- Pius
 * ; parents that become heretics, lofe the