Aemilia Lanyer, from Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum:

To the Virtuous Reader

Aemilia Lanyer's preface to Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (Hail, God, King of the Jews) includes a piece entitled "To the Virtuous Reader."  The radical theology and politics that are found in this prefatory writing , indeed throughout Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum is an example of what may be referred to as proto-feminist. Lanyer's representation of how women should be viewed clashed with most of the society of her time. Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum was originally published in 1611 when Lanyer was forty-two and most of society viewed women in a negative light. It was shortly thereafter, in 1615, that Joseph Swetnam published _An Arraignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Woman_, a piece meant to be harshly humorous, that reflected a number of society's negative views on women. With the majority of writings of this time exemplifying a misogynistic portrayal of women, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum was quite an enormous leap in the direction of feminism.

Lanyer was born in 1569, the daughter of Baptista Bassano, Queen Elizabeth's court musician. The Bassano's, most likely converted Jews, came to England from Venice near the end of Henry VIII's reign. When Aemilia was seven her father died and she was fostered in the household of Susan Wingfield, later Susan Bertie, Countess of Kent. Later in her life Lanyer belonged to the household of Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, and her daughter, Anne Clifford. Due to the homes with which she was associated, Aemilia was educated
along with the noble girls whom she attended. The evidence of this formal education is found in her familiarity with poetic genres, verse forms, and with the (Geneva) Bible.

As a young woman Lanyer visited the court of Elizabeth I often and was mistress to Henry Cary, Lord Hunsdon at the age of eighteen, him being forty-five years her senior. When she was twenty-three she became pregnant with, most likely, the child of Hunsdon. Lord Hunsdon paid her off and she married her cousin by marriage, Alphonso Lanyer who was a musician to the Queen. Three months afterwards she had her first child, whom she named Henry. Her second child, a daughter by the name of Odillya, died at the age of ten months old.

The only physical description known of Lanyer was recorded by the astrologer Simon Forman and is that she had a wart or mole in the pit of her throat (Rowse 12). Lanyer sought advice from Forman on questions about the possibility of her husband's promotion. Forman attempted to lure Lanyer to bed, but she refused, and he retaliated by recording in his books that she was a whore and he wondered "whether or not she is an incuba."  Forman also reported that Lanyer was unhappy with her husband who had "dealt hardly with her" and "spent and consumed her goods." (Rowse 12) Most of the information
available about Lanyer comes from the books of Forman or from her own
writings.

Lanyer was a feminist of her times, a period when women were considered extremely evil and the hatred of women was prevalent throughout the country. Although her writings may not seem feministic by current standards, by the principles of the early seventeenth century they were extremely daring. During this time period there were profoundly limited people writing anything good about women, let alone pamphlets supporting women. Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum is radical in its theology and politics. Both of the preface poems, including "To the Virtuous Reader," and the title
poem argue for women's religious and social equality. The longer version includes a tirade against class privilege.

Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum is a meditation on the Passion which argues that men, not women were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. The divine commissioning of Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum is evident in that Lanyer dreamt of the title long before she compiled the book of verses. In the preface piece, "To the Virtuous Reader," Lanyer basically gives two main supports for her arguments. One of the points she attempts to ease into the reader's mind is that Jesus himself was born of a woman, cared for by a woman, and upon his
dying moment he was concerned for the care of a woman, his mother Mary. She continues to validate this point with the reminder that the first person Jesus spoke to when he arose from the dead was a woman. Now that Layner has readers thinking she might actually have a reasonable argument, she hits them with her second main supports.

In "To the Virtuous Reader" Lanyer follows up her first important "reminder" from the bible with a few others. After reminding the reader that Jesus obviously was not misogynistic, she brings to attention the many virtuous and important women found in the Bible and in history. She points out that in Christianity there is a history of "good" women, as if to say, do not forget what you read in the Bible about women. There was a necessity for Lanyer to give this valid supports prior to the poems of Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. After reading this preface, people would have in their mind a great example of something superior to society's opinions supporting women of virtue. This was necessary to prep the reader so that he would not completely disregard her poems before even reading them.

In the poems following "To the Virtuous Reader" Lanyer points out that women are not to blame for the fall of mankind. For example, in "Eve's Apologie in Defense of Women" Lanyer states that Eve was less accountable than Adam. She then compares women's sinfulness in the Edenic context to men's sinfulness in the context of the crucifixion to argue for women's social and religious equality.

There are nine copies of Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum in existence, including a presentation copy from Prince Henry's Library. (Greer et al. 45; Woods 214) There are no extant contemporary references to Lanyer's book.


The Text:

To the Virtuous Reader

Often have I heard, that it is the property(1) of some women, not only to emulate(2) the virtues and perfections of the rest, but also by all their powers of ill speaking, to eclipse the brightness of their deserved fame: now contrary to this custom, which men I hope unjustly lay to their charge, I have written this small volume, or little book, for the general use of all virtuous Ladies and Gentlewomen of this kingdom(3); and in commendation of some particular persons(4) of our own sex, such as for the most part, are so well known to myself, and others, that I dare undertake Fame dares not to call any better. And this have I done, to make known to the world, that all women deserve not to be blamed though some forgetting they are women themselves, and in danger to be condemned by the words of their own mouths, fall into so great an error, as to speak unadvisedly against the rest of their sex; which if it be true, I am persuaded they can show their own imperfection in nothing more: and therefore could wish (for their own ease, modesties, and credit) they would refer(5) such points of folly, to be practiced by evil disposed men, who forgetting they were born of women, nourished of women, and that if it were not by the means of women, they would be quite extinguished out of the world, and a final end of them all, do like Vipers deface the wombs wherein they were bred, only to give way and utterance to their want of discretion and goodness. Such as these, were they that dishonored Christ his Apostles and Prophets, putting them to shameful deaths. Therefore we are not to regard any imputations, that they undeservedly lay upon us, no(6) otherwise than to make use of them to our own benefits, as spurs to virtue, making us fly all occasions that may color their unjust speeches to pass current(7). Especially considering that they have tempted even the patience of God himself, who gave power to wise and virtuous women, to bring down their pride and arrogancy. As was cruell Cesarus by the discrete counsel of noble Deborab, judge and Prophetess of Israel(8): and resolution of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite(9): wicked Haman, by the divine prayers and pru-dent proceedings of beautiful Hester(10): b1asphemous Holofernes, by the invincible courage, rare wisdom, and confident carriage of Judith(11): and the unjust judges, by the innocency of chaste Susanna(12): with infi- nite others, which for brevities sake I will omit. As also in respect it pleased our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without the assistance of man, being free from original and all other Sins, from the time of his conception, till the hour of his death, to be begotten of a woman, born of a woman, nourished of a woman, obedient to a woman; and that he healed women, pardoned women, comforted women: yea, even when he was in his greatest agony and bloody sweat, going to be crucified, and also in the last hour of his death, took care to dispose of a woman(13): after his resurrection, appeared first to a woman, sent a woman to declare his most glorious resurrection to the rest of his Disciples(14). Many other examples I could allege of diverse faithful and virtuous women, who have in all ages, not only been Confessors, but also endured most cruel martyrdom for their faith in Jesus Christ. All which is sufficient to enforce all good Christians and honorable minded men to speak rever-ently of our sex, and especially of all virtuous and good women. To the modest censures of both which, I refer these my imperfect endeavors, knowing that according to their own excellent dispositions, they will rather, cherish, nourish, and increase the least spark of virtue where they find it, by their favorable and best interpretations, than quench it by wrong constructions. To whom I wish all increase of virtue, and desire their best opinions.



FOOTNOTES

(1) PROPERTY: having the quality or characteristic of

(2) EMULATE: rival, seek to overcome

(3) ALL...GENTLEWOMEN: addresses her book to all the good ladies of England

(4) PARTICULAR PERSONS: individual women whom Layner addresses in her poems

(5) REFER: assign

(6) NO: not

(7) MAKING...CURRENT: occasions when their unjust charges against women might seem true,

(8) CESARUS...ISRAEL: Cesarus (Sisera), a Canaanite military leader, was defeated by the Deborah and Barak who lead the Israelite army (see Judges 4-5). Deborah was a judge and prophetess of Israel who united several tribes in order to defeat Sisera.

(9) JAEL...KENITE: Jael was the wife of Heber and killed Sisera by drivinga nail through his head after luring him into her tent (see Judges 4).

(10) HAMAN...ESTER: Hester (Ester) revelaed Haman's plot to destroy the Jews. Haman was executed (see Esther 5-7)

(11) HOLOFERNES...JUDITH: Judith saved her town by decapitating Holofernes, an Assyrian leader (see Apocrypha, Book of Judith)

(12) UNJUST...SUSANNA: Susanna was falsely accused of commiting adultury by two men whose advances she had rejected and was condemned to death. Daniel revealed their lies and Susanna was saved (see Apocrypha, Book of Susanna)

(13) DISPOSE...WOMAN: while on the cross Jesus instructed a disciple to take care of his mother (see John 19:25-27)

(14) AFTER...DISCIPLES: after his reserection Jesus appeared firs to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" and sent them to his disciples (see Mat. 28:8-10).


Website of intrest:

http://www.u.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/layner/layner.htm


Works Cited:

Damrosch, David, ed. _The Longman Anthology of British Literature_. Vol 1B. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1999.

McBride, Kari Boyd. "Amelia Lanyer 1569-1645."  Women's studies: University of Arizona. Online. Available http://www.u.arizona.edu/ic/mcbride/lanyer/lanyer.htm.