John Foxe - Martyrologist (2 of 9)

An account of his life taken from The History and Antiquities of Boston by Pishey Thompson (1856). Note that Pishey Thompson drops the "e" from Foxe's name.

Boston has, probably, not given birth to a more distinguished and celebrated individual than JOHN FOX, the Martyrologist. It may, therefore, be reasonably expected that this volume should contain as comprehensive a sketch of his life, character, and literary labours, as its limits will allow. Most copious sources of information exist upon the subject;1 but their full investigation cannot be entered upon, not so much on account of the labour which such an investigation would involve, as through the want of space for even an Intelligible summary of the materials which it would produce.

But a greater difficulty exists than even the extent of the materials, and that is the doubt which has been thrown over the authenticity of the MS. from which all the preceding memoirs of John Fox have been derived. This MS.2 is the life of the Martyrologist, professedly written by his son, Samuel Fox, originally in Latin, and first published in English in the second volume of the “Acts and Monuments,” in 1641. Dr. MAITLAND, in a series of articles which appeared in the “British Magazine” for 1843, has ably controverted many of the statements made in this MS., and expressed great doubts whether it was written by Samuel Fox. To narrate the whole of the arguments, and quote all the authorities, adduced by Dr. Maitland, would be tedious if it were possible, and impracticable if it were desirable. Wishing to give as full and correct an

1 There are many volumes (about 30) of his papers and correspondence among the Harleian MSS., and many papers among the Lansdown MSS., and COLE’s, and other Collections. The Life of Fox, prefixed to his work, published in 1841, extends to nearly 300 pages, and is compiled from twelve different biographies and other sources. 2 Lansdown MSS., 388, article 1. A literary friend, who has gone fully into the examination of the subject, says, “This MS. is not in the hand-writing of Samuel Fox. His writing had a totally different character, as appears by a MS. journal kept by him from 1589 to about 1627. (Lansdown MSS. 679.) The writing of the memoir is in the secretary or court-hand of about James I. The journal in the common hand of the next reign." This, however, does not, we think, affect the genuineness of the document. it is very possible that the author employed a professional writer to make a copy of his work. Speaking of the MS. ascribed to Samuel Fox, Dr. MAITLAND says, “The writer states that about 24 years after his father’s death, he wrote his life for his own satisfaction, and kept it by him for 30 years more; that he was then induced to publish it, because of the spurious lives then put forth by others; of which spurious lives, however, Mr. TOWNSEND says he can discover no trace." . . . . "It is admitted and lamented by Mr. TOWNSEND that the life of Fox by his son is written without a proper attention to dates; but if the dates which are given be attended to, it will be seen that there is reason to suspect

the MS. was not written by SAMUEL FOX. The ‘Preface to the reader,’ purports to have been written by Samuel Fox in 1641, yet it is stated that he died in 1629.See Harleian MS. No. 419, p. 171. The preface, therefore, it is clear, was not written by Samuel Fox, and this induces a conclusion that the same may be said of the memoir to which it is prefixed." For this and the following reasons, Dr. MAITLAND does not hesitate to call this memoir a “traditionary" one. It is asked, “Is it to be believed that any son could write his father’s life without assigning dates to the various events he recorded? Could he be ignorant of the date of his father’s birth, the name of his grandmother’s second husband, or the maiden name and true place of residence of his own mother? Yet in all these essential particulars this memoir is deficient. Yet stranger still, this memoir, deficient and defective as it is, and bearing as it does strong internal evidence in style, sentiment, and spelling, of having been got up in or about 1641— a remarkable year of party spirit, became, for want of any other, the authority for all subsequent biographers, without doubt, inquiry, or examination, till the present period; and is now proved by Dr. MAITLAND, more than 200 years after it was written, to be a fabrication."--B.* * This mark will designate a series of very valuable notes upon the subject from a gentleman who has thoroughly investigated it. Notes from Dr. MAITLAND’s Observations will be marked M.

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