By Dr. Jean Jofen

� 1985

Part IV

In 1583, the Queen made John Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury and two years later a member of her Privy Council, investiong him with the power to oppose the Puritans and their supporters in Parliament.

At this time, (between 1588 and 1599) a writer callling himself Martin Marprelate (a pseudonym) wrote seven tracts. These satirical tracts ridiculed Elizabeth’s bishops. The popularity of these tracts in England was immense, but it took more than a year to locate the presses that had printed them. Sir Richard Knightely, in whose home some of the books had been printed, was tried in the Star Chamber (a court revived by the Archbishop of Canterbury which was dedicated to punishing religious reformers). Marprelate was never found or identified. It is the aim of this book to identify the mysterious Martin Marprelate as Christopher Marlowe. His seven tracts attacked the bishops of England. Tract I was called "The Epistle."

Why did Marprelate call his first Tract "The Epistle"? I think it was because that was the name of a book, written in Hebrew by Profiat Duran, better known as Efodi, "Al Tehe Keavotekha" (Don’t be like your fathers) known as "The Epistle." This book was not to influence Jews, but Marranos only, to retutrn to Judaism.

"Originally addresse, probably in 1392, to a forced convery who was persuaded by Christian teachings, The Epistle soon became a means of campaigning among the Marrano rank and file. The fact that the authorities ordered it to be burned wherever found among Christians (i.e. Marranos), is sufficient proof to this effect, and it also suggests that this sort of agitation attained some measure of success."

It is interesting that Martin Marprelate calls his tract ridiculing the authority of the bishops "The Epistle" and that he too, as Durham advises, attacks them by using their own words against them. Another of Durham’s work, Ohev Mishpat, (1405) was edited in Venice in 1589 at the same time as the tracts of Marprelate appeared in England.

The character "Pistol" short for "Epistle" appears in Shakespeare’s Henry IV. He, like Marprelate, speaks "nothing but the truth."

Since I established the connection between Marlowe and Marranos (forced Jewish converts) we can expain why at that time there were supposedly two different English writers --- Marlowe and Shakespeare expressing an interest in Jews. The Jew of Malta and The Merchant of Venice, (The Jew of Venice) were written at a time when there were no Jews in England (Jews were driven out of England in 1290 and did not return till the middle of the 17th century). The only Jews allowed to enter England were Marranos.

The question now arises how a man, who had ties to Jews, could write in such positive and also in such negative ways about his people. I maintain that Marlowe’s contribution was the positive warm interest which he showed to his people; the negative aspect was added primarily by the Earl of Oxford and partly by Bacon.

There are two other references in the tracts which show a very positive attitude towards Judaism and Jews; one appears in Tract IV, (224). In answer to the Bishop’s accusation that Martin does not show due reverence to St. Paul, St. Peter and St. Mary, calling them Paul, Peter, and Mary, Martin writes:

"But will you have all those who are saints indeed called saints? Why then do you not call Saint Abraham, Saint Sara, Saint Jeremiah?"

There is a strange passage in The Marprelate Tracts in which Martin speaks to "John Canterbury," and tells him:

Remember your brother Haman. Do you think there is never a Mordechai to step to our gracious Esther for preserving the lives of her faithfullest and best subjects, whom you so mortally hate and bitterly persecute? (Tract I, 69)

The words "our gracious Esther" seem to indicate a close relationship on the part of Martin Marprelate to a woman of Jewish descent who, like Esther, in The Book of Esther, did not reveal her origin or her people. I will show that this woman is none other than Katherine Arthur, the mother of Marlowe.

What do we know about Marlowe’s maternal family? His first name "Christopher" could possibly be a ?????/ to Spanish Jews who converted to Chrisitanity. The Spanish Jews used to write "With the help of G-d" on top of letters. We find a reference to this in Shakespeare II, VI, IV, ii, 191. Jack Cade examines the clerk:

Jack Cade

I am sorry for’t: the man is a proper man, of mine honour; unless I find him guilty, he shall not die. Come hither, sirrah, I must examine thee: what is thy name?

Clerk Of Chatham

Emanuel.

Dick

They use to write it on the top of letters: --- ‘twill go hard with you.