Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
In the merry England of Queen Elizabeth the life of the professional writer was seldom dull—witness the careers of Marlowe, Greene, Peele, and Kyd. Not less varied, though perhaps less appealing, is the career of Barnabe Rych, well known to students as a pamphleteer, romancer, and Shakespearean source. It is the lesser known but more humanly and historically interesting phase of his character which the writer ventures here to present: that of soldier and chronicler of the Irish wars, persecutor of Catholics, and informer to the Crown.
1 Stale Papers for Ireland, 41.81.
2 An interesting parallel to the endeavors of Rych is the career of his contemporary, Goeffrey Fenton, who, writing his way into favor by translation of novelle, made himself indispensable to her Majesty's intelligence service, and subsequently rose to the office of Secretary of State for Ireland. At this time it seemed that Rych bade fair to parallel his contemporary's course, for in 1587 he received a life pension from the Crown.—Col Pat. and Close Rolls, Chancery, Ireland, Sept. 17, 1587.
3 See Hinton, Ireland Through Tudor Eyes, pp. 57–61, and Appendix i.
4 State Papers for Ireland, 143.28 (Apr. 12, 1589).
5 Ibid., 158.12 (May 20, 1591).
6 Stale Papers for Ireland, 206.119.
7 Ibid., 165.21.
8 Acts of the Privy Council, 1597, p. 191.
9 State Papers for Ireland, 206.119.
10 Hist. MSS. Com. De La Warr Papers. Account Book of Sir George Carey, Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1599.
11 For full transcript of Hatfield MSS., v. Hinton, Ireland Through Tudor Eyes, Appendix ii.
12 State Papers for Ireland, 225.272A.
13 Ibid., 229.152.