Rheims (1578), he placed it under the care of Bristow, whose laborious life was passed in reading, teaching, and publishing books of controversy. 'He did great things for God's church,' says Pits, 'and he would have done still greater if bad health had not prevented him.' On 13 May 1581 he went to Spa on account of declining health. He returned on 26 July without having derived benefit from drinking the waters, and he was advised to try his native air. Accordingly, on 23 Sept. he set out for England, and soon after reaching the residence of Mr. Richard Bellamy, a catholic gentleman, at Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, he died there of consumption on 14 Oct. 1581 (Diaries of the English College, Douay, 183). His death was regarded as a severe loss to the catholic cause, for according to the character given of him in the college archives he might rival Allen in prudence, Campion in eloquence, Wright in theology, and Martin in languages (Dodd, Church Hist. ii. 60).
His works are:
- 'A Briefe Treatise of diuerse plaine and sure wayes to finde out the truthe in this doubtful and dangerous time of Heresie: conteyning sundry worthy Motiues vnto the Catholike faith, or considerations to moue a man to beleue the Catholikes and not the Heretikes,' Antwerp, 1574, 1599, 12mo. A third edition, entitled 'Motives inducing to the Catholike Faith,' was published [at Douay?] in 1641, 12mo. The 'Motives' elicited a reply from William Fulke, D.D., entitled 'A Retentive to stay good Christians in the true Faith & Religion, against the Motiues of Rich. Bristow,' 1580.
- 'Tabula in Summam Theologicam S. Thomæ Aquinatis,' 1579.
- 'A Reply to Will. Fulke, in Defense of M. D. Aliens Scroll of Articles, and Book of Purgatorie,' Louvain, 1580, 4to. Dr. Fulke soon brought out 'A reioynder to Bristows Replie in defence of Aliens Scrole of Articles and Booke of Purgatorie,' 1581.
- 'Demaundes to be proponed of Catholikes to the Heretics,' 8vo. Several times printed without place or date. This was answered in a book entitled 'To the Seminary Priests late come over, some like Gentlemen,' &c., London, 1592, 4to.
- A Defence of the Bull of Pope Pius V.
- Annotations on the Rheims translation of the New Testament, manuscript.
- 'Carmina Diversa,' manuscript.
- 'Richardi Bristoï Vigorniensis, eximii svo tempore Sacræ Theologiæ Doctoris & Professoris, Motiva omnibus Catholicæ Doctrinæ orthodoxis cultoribus pernecessaria; vt quæ singulas omnium ætatum ac præsentis maximè temporis hæreses funditùs extirpet: Romanæ autem Ecclesiæ auctoritatem fidemq. firmissimis argumentis stabiliat,' 2 vols. Atrebati (Arras), 1608, 4to. The second volume is entitled 'Antihæretica Motiva, cvnctis vnivs veræ atqve solivs salvtaris Christiano-Catholicæ Ecclesiæ Fidei & Religionis Orthodoxis cultoribus longè conducibilissima.' This book was translated into English by Thomas Worthington, who has prefixed a life of the author and also a compendium of the biography in Latin verse. It is a much larger treatise than the original English 'Motives.'
- 'Veritates aureæ S.R. ecclesiæ autoritatibus vet. patrum, &c.,' 1616, 4to. A posthumous work.
Besides writing the above works, he, in conjunction with Dr. William (afterwards cardinal) Allen, revised Gregory Martin's English translation of the Holy Scriptures, commonly known as the 'Douay Bible.'
[Life by Worthington, prefixed to the Motiva; Diaries of the English Coll. Douay, pp. xxix, xxxii, xxxvi, lxxiii, 141, 183, 270, 273, 274, and index; Letters and Memorials of Card. Allen; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), i. 482, and Fasti, i. 156, 161; Dodd's Church Hist. ii. 59; Pits, De Angliæ Scriptoribus, 779; Tanner's Bibl. Brit. 127; R. Simpson's Life of Campion, 11, 46, 93, 94, 204, 379; Fuller's Worthies (1662), Worcestershire, 176; Boase's Register of Exeter Coll. 45, 185, 208; J. Chambers's Biog. Illustr. of Worcestershire, 80; Morris's Troubles of our Catholic Forefathers, 2nd ser. 57, 3rd ser. 110; Jessopp's One Generation of a Norfolk House, p. xv; Ames's Typogr. Antiq. (Herbert), 1059, 1071, 1148, 1635; Cat. Lib. Impress. Bibl. Bodl. i. 333; Cotton's Rhemes and Doway, 13; Fulke's Defence of the Translation of the Scriptures, ed. Hartshorne (Parker Soc.), pp. viii, ix, 15, 68, 76, 95 n.]
BRISTOWE, EDMUND (1787–1876), painter, the son of an heraldic painter, was born at Windsor 1 April 1787, and passed his life at Windsor and Eton. At an early age he was patronised by the Princess Elizabeth, the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV), and others. He made sketches of well-known characters in Eton and Windsor, painted still life, interiors, and domestic and sporting subjects. He had great sympathy with animals, some power of rendering their characteristic movements and expressions, and is said to have given suggestions to Landseer. In 1809 he exhibited at the Royal Academy 'Smith shoeing a Horse,' and was an occasional exhibitor there and at the rooms of the British Institution, and at those of the Society of British Artists, until the year 1838, when he exhibited the 'Donkey Race' at Suffolk Street.
Bristowe was a man of independent eccentric views, would not work to order, and sometimes refused to sell even his finished
