Robert Southwell: Rhythms of Life

My oldest son and I discovered Robert Southwell when my son was reading about him in high school. In Saint Robert Southwell -- Jesuit Saint by Fr John Hardon, it says that his feast day is February 21. One of his most famous poems is said to have been used by Shakespeare in MacBeth.

I found this letter written by Southwell to his friend Thomas Howard, who apparently was executed in 1572; Southwell was executed in 1595 after much misuse and torture, for being a Catholic priest in the Elizabethan reign. It was in the book Living Water; the style is so beautiful. It was written in 1591.

There is in this world a continual interchange of pleasing and affecting accidents, still keeping their succession of time, and overtaking each other in their several courses. No picture can be all drawn of the brightest colours, nor a harmony consorted only of trebles; shadows are needful in expressing of proportions, and the bass is a principal part in perfect music: the condition of our exile here alloweth no unmingled joy; our whole life is tempered between sweet and sour, and we must all look for a mixture of both. The wise so wist, prepared both for the better and the worse; accepting the one, if it come, with liking, and bearing the other without impatience, being so much masters of every turn of fortune, that none shall work them to excess. The dwarf groweth not on the highest hill, nor doth the tall man lose his height in the lowest valley. And as a base mind, though most at ease, will be dejected, so a resolute virtue is most impregnable in the deepest distress.

They evermore most perfectly enjoy their comforts, who least fear their contraries; for a desire to enjoy carrieth with it a fear to lose, and both desire and fear are enemies to quiet possession, making men less owners of God's benefits, than tenants at His will. The cause of our troubles is, that our misfortunes happen, either to unwitting or unwilling minds. Foresight preventeth the one, necessity the other; for he taketh away the smart of the present evils that attendeth their coming, and is not dismayed by any cross, that is armed against all.

Where necessity worketh without our consent, the effect should never greatly afflict us; grief being bootless where it cannot help; needless where there was no fault. God casteth the dice, and giveth us our chance; the most that we can do is to take the point that the cast will afford us, not grudging so much that it is no better, as comforting ourselves that it is no worse. If men were to lay all their evils together, to be afterwards divided by equal portions amonst them, most men would rather take what they brought than stand to the division; yet such is the partial judgement of self-love, that every man judgeth his self-misery too great, fearing he shall find some circumstance to increase it and make it intolerable: thus by thought he aggravates the evil.

When Moses threw his rod from him it became a serpent, ready to sting, and affrighted him so much as to make him fly; but being quietly taken up, it was a rod again, serviceable for his use and no way hurtful. The cross of Christ and the rod of every tribulation, seemeth to threaten stinging and terror to those who shun and eschew it, but they that mildly take it up and embrace it with patience may say with David, thy rod and thy staff have been my comfort. In this, affliction resembleth the crocodile; fly, it pursueth and frighteth; follow, it flieth and feareth; a shame to the constant, a tyrant to the timorous.

Hold not your eyes always upon your hardest haps; there are fairer parts in your body than scars. Let God strip you to the skin, yea to the soul, so He stay with you Himself: let His reproach be your honour, His poverty your riches, and He is lieu of all other friends. Think Him enough for this world that must be your possession for a whole eternity.

When I was looking on the web I found Maureen Wittman's website with a unit on Robert Southwell. ... and also some timeline forms and advice; in PDF form. What I was looking for was the published unit study on Robert Southwell and his times which my son used in high school, but I can't seem to find a link to that online.