Cresswell's vain-glory to discover his secrets’ (Winwood, vols. ii. and iii. passim; Butler, Hist. Memorials of the English Catholics, 3rd edit. ii. 224–6). Cresswell's name frequently occurs in the State Papers and in the ‘advertisements’ of the government spies (Foley, vi. p. xix, n.) In 1620 he was prefect of the mission at St. Omer, and in 1621 rector of the college at Ghent. He died in the latter city on 19 Feb. 1622–3, according to the Necrology of the society (Stonyhurst MSS.), but a status of the college of St. Omer mentions his death on 20 March 1621–2 (Foley, vi. 182).
Oliver says: ‘That he was a man of great abilities and distinguished piety is undeniable, but his admirers had occasionally to regret peevishness of temper and tenacity of opinion’ (Jesuit Collections, p. 78); and Dodd remarks that ‘by corresponding with statesmen and princes he gave a handle to his enemies to misrepresent his labours upon several occasions’ (Church Hist. ii. 419).
His works are:
- A Latin treatise, ‘De vitâ beatâ.’
- A work in English, under the name of John Perne, against Queen Elizabeth's proclamation of 29 Nov. 1591. It appeared in Latin under the title of ‘Exemplar Litterarum missarum è Germania ad D. Guilielmum Cecilium Consiliarium Regium,’ 1592, 8vo (Southwell, Bibl. Scriptorum Soc. Jesu, p. 521).
- ‘Responsio ad edictum Elizabethæ reginæ Angliæ contra Catholicos Romæ, per Aloysium Zanettum,’ 1595, 4to. A translation of Father Parsons's work under the name of ‘Andreas Philopater’ (Gillow, Bibl. Dict. i. 591).
- ‘Historia de la Vida y Martyrio que padeció en Inglaterra, este año de 1595, el P. Henrique Valpolo, Sacerdote de la Compañia de Jesus, que fué embiado del Colegio de los Ingleses de Valladolid, y ha sido el primer martyr de los Seminarios de Spaña. Con el martyrio de otros quatro Sacerdotes, los dos de la misma Compañia, y los otros dos de los Seminarios,’ Madrid, 1596, 8vo. A French translation of the life of Father Walpole appeared at Arras, 1597, 8vo (Backer, Bibl. des Écrivains de la Compagnie de Jésus, ed. 1869, i. 1464; Jessopp, One Generation of a Norfolk House, 2nd edit. pp. xvi, 105, 168–170).
- Treatise against James I's proclamation issued against the catholics in 1610, St. Omer, 1611, 4to.
- A translation into Spanish, under the name of Peter Manrique, of Father William Bathe's ‘Preparation for administering the Sacrament of Penance,’ Milan, 1614, 4to (Southwell, p. 313; Backer, p. 1464).
- A translation into English and Spanish, under the initials N. T., of Salvian's book ‘Quis dives salvus?’ St. Omer, 1618.
- ‘Meditations upon the Rosary,’ St. Omer, 1620, 8vo.
- ‘Relacion del Estado de Inglaterra en el gobierno de la Reina Isabella,’ manuscript in the National Library at Madrid, X. 14.
[Authorities cited above.]
CRESSY, HUGH PAULINUS or SERENUS, D.D. (1605–1674), Benedictine monk, was born in 1605 at Thorp Salvin in Yorkshire, according to some authorities (Snow, Necrology, p. 66; Weldon, Chronological Notes, p. 209, Append. p. 10), though others state that he was a native of Wakefield (Wood, Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, iii. 1011; Lupton, Wakefield Worthies, p. 70). His father, Hugh Cressy, a barrister of Lincoln's Inn, was descended from an ‘ancient and genteel’ family settled at Holme, near Hodsack, Nottinghamshire; and his mother was a daughter of Thomas D'Oylie, M.D., an eminent London physician (Wood, i. 327). Having been educated in grammar learning in his native county, he was sent in Lent term 1619 to Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 1623. Two years later he was elected a probationer of Merton College, and in 1626 he was made a true and perpetual fellow of that society. After having commenced M.A. 10 July 1629, and taken holy orders, he officiated as chaplain to Thomas Lord Wentworth while that nobleman was president of the council of York, and afterwards when he was lord deputy of Ireland and Earl of Strafford (Knowles, Strafford Papers, i. 272, 300). On 26 Jan. 1635–6 he was installed in the prebend of St. John's in the cathedral of the Holy Trinity, commonly called Christ Church, Dublin; in the following month he was made a prebendary of St. Patrick's, Dublin; and on 11 Aug. 1637 he was installed dean of Leighlin (Cotton, Fasti Eccl. Hibern. ii. 77, 78, 174, 390). Having returned to England, he obtained in 1642, through the interest of Lucius Cary, second viscount Falkland [q. v.], a canonry of Windsor, but he was never installed in that dignity. After the death of his patron Falkland he travelled (1644), in the capacity of tutor, with Charles Berkeley, afterwards earl of Falmouth, and, says Wood, ‘upon a foresight that the church of England would terminate through the endeavours of the peevish and restless presbyterians, he began to think of settling himself in the church of Rome.’ After mature consideration and many conferences with Father Cuthbert, alias John Fursdon, who had been instrumental in the conversion of some members of the Cary family, he was reconciled to the Roman church, and he made a public recantation of protestantism at Rome before the inquisition in 1646.
