There has recently come to light an early seventeenth-century manuscript of Lancelot Andrewes’s Apospasmatia SACRA: or A Collection of posthumous and orphan lectures. [2] For the first and only time published in 1657—some thirty years after Andrewes’s death in 1626—their authorial integrity has ever since been in doubt. In a hastily contrived preface, the notable Laudian Thomas Pierce declared ‘that this Volumne of Notes was only taken by the Eare from the voluble Tongue of the Dictator, as he deliver’d them out of the Pulpit; and so are infinitely short of their original perfection’. Pierce continues painstakingly to discredit these ‘Notes’, which, had he been consulted, would not have appeared. In reflecting and extending this judgement, James Bliss rejects the ‘Orphan Lectures’ for inclusion in the eleven volume edition of Andrewes’s Works in The Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology, noting that ‘there does not appear to be sufficient evidence to justify one in ascribing these sermons, at least in their present form, to Bishop Andrewes’. [3] Thus this substantial body of work, comprising of over 700 octavo pages, has remained marginal to most students of Andrewes. [4]

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Original publication information:

Originally published in Early Modern Literary Studies texts series 2

Year: 2011

URL: https://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/andrewes/andrewe4.htm

License: (CC BY NC-ND 4.0)

Original citation:

Stanwood, P. G., Peter McCullough, Ray Siemens, and others. "Lancelot Andrewes's 'Orphan Lectures': The Exeter Manuscript". Early Modern Literary Studies Texts Series 2. https://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/andrewes/andrewe4.htm.