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Henry Constable (1562-1613) |
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On an unknown date in 1562, Henry Constable was born to Christiana and Sir Robert Constable in Yorkshire, England (DNB, 959). Constable began his studies at Oxford and received a bachelor’s degree at sixteen from St John’s College, Cambridge (Ibid). While a great deal of uncertainty surrounds Constable’s life after Cambridge, his conversion to Roman Catholicism at an early age remains undisputed (Oliviera, 34). Constable’s Roman Catholic faith led him to relocate to France because of the ever growing Church of England (Chalmers, 169). Constable settled down in Paris and began to write verse that was distributed as manuscript amongst his circle of friends in England (DNB, 959). An interesting phase of Constable’s life took place during the years 1584 and 1585, when he is believed to have worked as a spy for the government of England. However, this period of intrigue and espionage was short lived and by 1592 Constable had become a serious literary figure in England and abroad (Ibid). With the entry of Diana in the Stationers’ Company Registers, and a second edition following in 1594, Constable had arrived (Ibid). By 1595, correspondence reveals that Constable was attempting to mend the necessary bridges for a return to home to England (Ibid). However, his “zealous Roman Catholic” beliefs eventually secured an alliance with France, making it difficult for Constable to repatriate (Chalmers, 169). By 1598, Constable’s devotion to the Roman Catholic Church had led him to canvass for a Parisian “English catholic college” (DNB, 959). Furthermore, at this time Constable also began to contrive, as best he could, to cement the English ascension of King James of Scotland (Ibid). Constable believed that King James’ succession would free Anglo-Catholics from repressive conditions (Chalmers, 170). Following King James’ coronation, Constable decided to take his chances and attempt a return to his native home. Frustrated by fruitless efforts to secure the permission needed to assure the legality of his homecoming, Constable returned illegally in June of 1603 (DNB, 959). He was swiftly escorted to the Tower where he was forced to take up residence until November of 1604, at which time he was released upon pledging loyalty to the English crown (Ibid). While little is known concerning the remainder of Constable’s life, the continued publication of Constable’s work in various texts accounts for his physical presence in the literary world until his death at Liege on the 9th of October, 1613 (Ibid, 960). After his death, the publication of Constable’s verse in the prestigious England’s Helicon assured the survival of his name (Ibid 960). His most famous works include the “Spiritual Sonnets” which “breathe genuine religious fervour”, and the sonnet “The Shepheard’s [sic] Song of Venus and Adonis”, believed to have inspired Shakespeare’s “Venus and Adonis” (Ibid). Interestingly enough, according to a certain biographer, Constable’s sonnet “far excels…in taste and natural touches” that of the Bard (Chalmers, 169-170). |
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created by Heather C. Milligan |