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  Copley and William Watson. He replied first in his 'Briefe Apologie' (an interesting narrative, which must be read with the answer of Dr. Ely in his 'Certayne Briefe Notes'), and afterwards in the violent and least creditable of his works, 'The Manifestation of the Folly of certain calling themselves secalar priests.' The result of the protracted dispute at Rome, carried on during the greater part of 1602, was that the archpriest was forbidden to take counsel of jesuits in the affairs of the secular clergy. Parsons, however, did not desist from political intrigue. He had come to Rome with the view of interesting Clement VIII in his scheme for the marriage of the infanta with the Cardinal Farnese; and when that became impossible, he proposed Arabella Stuart as the bride of Farnese and the successor to Elizabeth, and within three months of the queen's death was negotiating with Cardinal d'Ossat, in the hope of gaining the sanction of France to the arrangement (, ed. Tierney, iii. 30;, History, ed. 1855, vi. 311). But on James's accession he peaceably accepted the accomplished fact; and on the eve of the 'Gunpowder Plot,' of which he apparently knew nothing, he was urging upon Garnet the pope's command to restrain all attempts at insurrection.

Parsons had now secured, as prefect of the jesuit mission, direct control of all the foreign ecclesiastical seminaries which were under jesuit government (, ii. 262). He was also virtually master of Douay College, where Dr. Worthington, who had succeeded Barret as rector in 1599, was under a secret vow of obedience to him (Douay Diaries, pp. xciv, 368). He continued to successfully oppose the desire of the secular clergy for episcopal government; he took an active part in support of the papal prohibition of King James's oath of allegiance; and for the last seven years of his life was more than ever busy with theological writings, carrying on controversy with Sir Francis Hastings, Sir Edward Coke, Morton, afterwards bishop of Durham, Barlow, bishop of Lincoln, and others. For a short time he appears to have been under a cloud at the papal court; and, at the suggestion of the general, he anticipated a dismissal from Rome by a voluntary retirement to Naples (, p. 386;, ed. Tierney, vol. iv. p. cv; , p. 28). But after the death of Clement VIII he returned to Rome, and in the following year (1606) his office of prefect of the mission was confirmed to him, and regulated by a decree of the general (, p. 241). he died, after a short illness, at Rome, on 15 April 1610, and was buried, at his own request, by the side of Cardinal Allen in the church of the English College.

The single aim of Parsons's public life was the restoration of England, by persuasion or force, to the Roman church; and he doubtless believed that this could be best effected under jesuit dictatorship. For nearly twenty years he was one of the most zealous promoters of the Spanish invasion of England. His powers of work were extraordinary. Before the period of his greatest activity Cardinal Allen could speak of his friend's 'industry, prudence, and zeal, his dexterity in writing and acting' as 'surpassing all belief.' As a controversialist he was unequalled, and he was one of the best writers of his day. His English is commended by Swift (Tatler, No. 230) as a model of simplicity and clearness. He could write also with remarkable vigour. His statements of fact, however, when concerned with personal attacks upon his enemies, protestant and catholic, or with a defence of his own actions when there was anything to conceal, must be received with great caution (Allen, Memorials, pp. 390, 392;, ed. Tierney, vol. iii. pp. xcv, xcvi n.) The theory of equivocation which he elaborately defended in his treatise against Morton he carried in practice to extremities, and laid himself open to charges of duplicity and falsehood. He was impetuous and self-willed,and moreover—as Manareus, the Flemish provincial of the society, who knew him well, testifies—he was subject to 'inveterate prejudices,' and therefore could be 'easily deceived' (, Church History, ii. 268). In other respects his private life was irreproachable. Dodd (ii. 40), describing his personal appearance, says 'he was of middle size, his complexion rather swarthy, which, with strong features, made his countenance somewhat forbidding. But his address and the agreeableness of his conversation quickly worked off the aversion.'

There is a fine portrait of Parsons engraved by Jac. Neeffs, in the 'Kerkelijcke Historie' of Cornelius Hazart, S. J., Antwerp, 1669, iii. 378, and a smaller one by Wierix (see, Theatrum viror, erudit. Antwerp, 1685, p. 274). In the 'Gentleman's Magazine' (1794, pt. i. p. 409) was engraved a third portrait, from an original in the possession of Michael Maittaire [q. v.]

Parsons's published works were: 1. 'A brief discovrs contayning certayne reasons why Catholiques refuse to goe to Church. . . dedicated by I. H. to the queenes most excellent Maiestie. Doway, John Lyon '[London], 1580. 2. 'A Discouerie of I. Nicols, minister, misreported a Jesuite, latelye recanted in the Tower of London. Doway'