BRISTOW, RICHARD. - English theologian, b. at Worcester in 1538, d. at Harrow-on-the-Hill on 18 Oct. 1581. He studied at Oxford, where he shone for his intellect, especially on the occasion of a public disputation before Queen Elizabeth, maintained together with the Bl. Edmund Campion (v.), his fellow pupil. Appointed professor at Exeter College in 1567, he taught there for barely two years, being forced to flee because of the relentless hostility of the opponents of the Catholic faith. At Louvain a new field of work opened up for him, when he was called by W. Allen (v.), later cardinal, to organize the English seminary of Douai, of which he was the first priest in 1573. Teaching and an intense scholarly activity soon brought him to the grave.
He wrote a great deal, especially works of controversy against William Fulke. Worthy of remembrance are: A Briefe Treatise of diverse plaine und sure scapes to finde out the truth in this doubtful and dangerous time of Heresie (Antwerp 1574), later republished in a 3rd ed. in 1641 (at Douai?) with the abbreviated title: Motives inducing to the Catholike Faith; Tabula in Summam Theologian s. Thomae Aquinatis, s. l. 1579; Defense of the Bull of Pope Pius V: A Reply to Will. Fulke in Defense of M. D. Allen's Scribe of Articles, and Book of Purgatoire (Louvain 1580). He also undertook to annotate the first English edition of the New Testament commissioned by W. Allen and printed at Rouen in 1582.
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Cosimo Petino