Henry Francis Van der Burch
Archbishop of Cambrai, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and dedicatee of Lapide's Pentateuch commentary. Lapide draws an extended parallel between Van der Burch and both Moses and Basil the Great throughout the dedicatory letter. His grandfather was President of the Council of Flanders. His father was President of the Parliament of Mechlin, then of the Privy Council; loyal to Philip II amid the upheavals of the Low Countries; cast into prison by heretics in 1572 and rescued by the Duke of Alba; house pillaged again in 1580.
Preliminaries
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Full address as dedicatee
"HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI."
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Being inaugurated as Archbishop at the time the commentary was published
"at the very time you were being inaugurated as Archbishop and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire at Cambrai"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Close union of souls with Lapide for many years; summoned Lapide from Mechlin to the Metropolitan Church as confessor
"All know how close the union of our souls has been for many years"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Called "our Moses of the Low Countries"
"Be therefore, Most Illustrious Lord, our Moses of the Low Countries"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Delights in Moses and Sacred Scripture; would read ten or twelve chapters of Genesis with Lapide at a single meal
"All know, Most Illustrious Lord, how greatly you delight in Moses and Sacred Scripture"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— His grandfather was President of the Council of Flanders; his father was President of the Parliament of Mechlin, then of the Privy Council; loyal to Philip II
"Your grandfather was President of the Council of Flanders... Your father... was first President of the great Parliament of Mechlin"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— His father cast into prison in 1572 when heretics seized Mechlin; in 1580, his house pillaged again, compelled to pay thousands of florins to ransom his wife
"in the year 1572, when the heretics seized Mechlin by surprise, he was cast into a degrading prison"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Ascended step by step: canon, priest, Dean of Metropolitan Church of Mechlin, Vicar-General; appointed Bishop of Ghent; then Archbishop of Cambrai
"You ascended step by step to the summit of the priesthood."
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Nominated as Archbishop of Cambrai by the Archduke; deeply grieved, long resisted; only accepted when driven and compelled
"when His Most Serene Highness the Archduke was considering transferring you from the bishopric of Ghent and had nominated you as Archbishop of Cambrai"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— His courtesy marvelled at by all; drew hearts of Ghent's people; restored discipline; compared to an angel
"Your courtesy, Most Illustrious Lord, is marvelled at by all"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— His charity, solicitude, zeal; restored churches, estates, episcopal residences; spent personal patrimony
"All your pastors, clergy and laity alike, proclaim your charity, solicitude, zeal, and service to all."
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Visited hospitals and homes of the poor; sent relics of Saint Macarius to Mons during plague
"there is nothing you do more willingly... than to visit hospitals and the homes of the poor"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Not a Religious by formal profession but lives a religious life; a friend of the Society of Jesus
"You, Most Illustrious Lord, are not a Religious by formal profession or by belonging to a religious house; but what is more arduous, you live a religious life in the world."
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Visited, reformed, built up women's monasteries throughout Mechlin and Ghent
"The monasteries of women throughout the whole archdiocese of Mechlin in former times, and now in the diocese of Ghent, have been so frequently visited, reformed, built up, and directed by you"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— His constancy in defence of faith and discipline celebrated everywhere
"Your constancy in defence of faith and discipline, Most Illustrious Bishop, is celebrated everywhere"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— People of Ghent grieve at his departure; Cambrai, Mons, Valenciennes rejoice at his arrival
"what grief your people of Ghent feel at your departure, mourning it as the death of a father."
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Nearly eight hundred parishes to administer at Cambrai
"A great harvest rises up before you here, to be reaped with great labour: nearly eight hundred parishes to be administered"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Exhorted to imitate Moses and express Basil
"Go on as you have begun"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Lapide bids farewell, perhaps never to see him again; offers the work as memorial
"since I am now called away hence to other duties, and shall perhaps never see Your Most Illustrious Reverence again in this world"