Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Weston, Edward (1566-1635)
WESTON, EDWARD (1566–1635), Roman catholic controversialist, son of William Weston of Lincoln College, Oxford, and afterwards a member of Lincoln's Inn, by his wife, daughter of John Story [q. v.], was born in London in 1566. Hugh Weston [q. v.] was his great-uncle. Edward matriculated from Lincoln College, Oxford, on 20 March 1578–9 (Foster, Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714). Afterwards he was put under the tuition of Dr. John Case, who, with license from the university, read to scholars logic and philosophy in his house in the parish of St. Mary Magdalen. Wood states that, under him, Weston ‘profited in several sorts of learning to a miracle, became a good disputant, and very well read in philosophical authors,’ but, after he had spent at least five years at Oxford, his parents, who were Roman catholics, took him from the university and sent him to France, where for a short time he settled in the English College at Rheims. Thence he was sent on 8 March 1584–5 to the English College at Rome, where he spent six years in studying philosophy and theology, and was ordained priest. He was created D.D. by the university of Monreale. Then he returned to Rheims, where, on 3 Nov. 1592, he began a course of lectures on cases of conscience. In 1593 the college was removed to Douay, where Weston lectured in divinity for about ten years. Afterwards he laboured on the mission in England, returning to Douay on 23 Sept. 1612. He maintained a correspondence with Cardinal Bellarmin, who held him in the highest esteem. His ‘exquisite writings’ gained for him so great a reputation that he was called from Douay and made canon of the collegiate church of St. Mary at Bruges, where, according to Duthillœul, he died in 1635.
His works are: 1. ‘De triplici Hominis Officio, ex notione ipsius Naturali, Morali, ac Theologica; Institutiones orthodoxæ, contra Atheos, Politicos, Sectarios,’ Antwerp, 1602, 4to. 2. ‘Juris Pontificii Sanctuarium. Defensum ac propugnatum contra Rogerii Widdringtoni in Apologia & Responso Apologetico Impietatem’ [Douay], 1613, 8vo. 3. ‘The Triall of Christian Truth by the Rules of the Vertues, namely these principall, Faith, Hope, Charitie, and Religion; serving for the discoverie of Heresie, and Antichrist in his Forerunners and Misteries of Iniquitie,’ Douay, 1614–15, 3 vols. 4to. 4. ‘Probatio, seu Examen Veritatis Christianæ,’ Douay, 1614, 4to. 5. ‘The Repaire of Honour, falsely impeached by Featlye, a minister; wherein (by occasion) the Apostles disciple S. Ignatius his religion, against Protestantisme, is layd open,’ Bruges, 1624, 8vo. 6. ‘Theatrum Vitæ civilis ac sacræ: sive de Moribus Reipub. Christianæ Commentaria,’ in 5 books, Bruges, 1626, fol. 7. ‘Jesu Christi Domini nostri Coruscationum, simulque earum vi dictorum, factorumque quarumdam Personarum, eodem Christo præsente, in Evangelica Historia recensitorum, Enarrationes philosophicæ, theologicæ, historicæ,’ Antwerp, 1631, fol.
[Bodleian Cat.; Dodd's Church Hist. iii. 96; Duthillœul's Bibl. Douaisienne, 1842, pp. 374, 375; Foley's Records, vi. 508; Records of the English Catholics, i. 445; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, ii. 573.]