Saint Edmund Campion (1581)

He was born in London in 1540.  He went to the University of Oxford where he was perhaps its most brilliant student.  Queen Elizabeth the heretical Queen of the English, met him there on a visit in 1566.  She was fascinated by his good looks, his manner and his brilliance of mind.  Temporarily, he took the oath of supremacy to her, but when he saw how the Catholic martyrs were being tried in England and the doctrines for which they were willing to shed their blood, he threw aside all his heretical leanings.  He went to Douai, in France, and later to Rome, where he entered the Society of Jesus.  He returned to England and made an effort to win all Protestants back to the Catholic Faith.  He was seized and arrested and brought to the Tower of London.  The Queen came to see him.  She tried to persuade him to give up his strong stand for the Catholic Church.  She made offers to him of every liberty and honor if he would forsake the Catholic Faith.  Edmund Campion refused.  He was tortured on the rack, and for four long conferences faced the heretics who opposed him and refuted brilliantly every one of their arguments.  He was hanged, drawn and quartered on the first day of December.  He has been one of the glories of the Society of Jesus ever since.

See also: Evelyn Waugh’s Edmund Campion.

Related Books.

Saint Edmund Campion (source)

Saint Edmund Campion (source)