§9. Roman Catholic devotional literature. XII. The English Pulpit from Fisher to Donne. Vol. 4. Prose and Poetry: Sir Thomas North to Michael Drayton. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature: An Encyclopedia in Eighteen Volumes. 1907

The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
Volume IV. Prose and Poetry: Sir Thomas North to Michael Drayton.

XII. The English Pulpit from Fisher to Donne.

§ 9. Roman Catholic devotional literature.

The strict enforcement of the penal laws, and the limited and furtive nature of their opportunities of church worship, prevented Roman Catholics in England from contributing to the general store of printed sermons. Controversial and devotional writings exist in sufficient quantity to show that there were men who might have made good use of happier times. Edmund Campion’s letters are attractive, Parsons’s Christian Directory received the compliment of many protestant editions, and the rich fancy of Robert Southwell’s tracts won the praise of Francis Bacon.