in this kind of piety, and to approach to His likeness as nearly as they possibly can. Which if your Majesty shall regard, our Lord Jesus Christ (who declares that which is done to strangers to be received by Himself) will not only guide you in this life and take up His dwelling with you, but when you shall depart this life will bring you into His eternal mansions, and instead of a temporal kingdom will give you one that is everlasting. — The servant of your serene Majesty,
T. Cant.”
During the brief remainder of Edward’s reign, Le Chevalier continued to read Hebrew with his pupils in Cambridge. But the accession of Queen Mary drove him out of England. He had hopes from the nobles of Lady Jane Grey’s party, but his hopes perished on their scaffolds. When the Duke of Suffolk’s brother, Lord John Grey, obtained a pardon and was set at liberty, the great Calvin wrote to him from Geneva, where Tremellius, and his son-in-law, Le Chevalier, alias Mr. Anthony, were then residing. In his letter, dated 13th November 1544, Calvin said:
“Though I congratulate the most illustrious Duke, your brother, and your excellent niece, a lady whose example is worthy of everlasting remembrance — to both of whom it was given, even in death itself, to commit their triumphant souls into the hands and faithful keeping of God — yet in the midst of so many most distressing tidings it afforded me no common comfort to hear that you have been snatched from the very jaws of death, and are still preserved to us in safety. The anxiety I had felt owing to the false report of your death was first relieved, a short time since, by Immanuel Tremellius and his son-in-law, Anthony, who, while speaking in commendation of your own liberality and offices of kindness towards them, added, that in the ruin of your most noble family they had great reason to deplore their own loss as individuals. They complained, among other things, that on the first bursting forth of this storm they were deprived of those means whereby they had hoped to derive some alleviation of their poverty in their exile. Now that you are restored, they implore that kindness from you which they have in so many ways experienced, if there be any hope and any possibility of recovering that means of support which they so greatly stand in need of.”
There was no possibility. In the Academy at Geneva Le Chevalier found exercise for his talents as a Hebrew reader or professor for a time. Next, he appears as Professor of Hebrew at Strasburg. I have no dates during Mary’s reign. After the accession of Elizabeth, there is Bishop Grindal’s letter to Calvin, 19th June 1563, containing this message, “Salute in my name Master Beza and your other colleagues — as also Master Anthony, the Professor of Hebrew.”
After this, Le Chevalier accepted the pastorate of the French Church of Caen, in Normandy (which included a Hebrew lectureship for the Protestant students), and settled there with his wife and family. The year 1567 is the date of the printing (by Henry Stephanus) of Rodolphi Cevallerii Rudimenta Hebraicae Linguae, in quarto. The troubles of French Protestants being always on the increase, he at length found that, though he had a home, little or no salary was forthcoming. Accordingly in 1568 he followed the example of the refugees from Flanders, and betook himself to London, travelling alone. We are much indebted to Dr. Grosart for printing and annotating an old English account-book of this period, entitled The Spending of the Money of Robert Nowell, Esq. This gentleman and his executors were liberal in gifts of money and clothing to poor scholars. Le Chevalier now received help from Mr Nowell, whose account-book proves that his first employment at this date was Hebrew Lecturer at St. Paul’s. The entry (rendered into modern English) is as follows:—
“1569, the 17th of February. Given to Rodolphus Chevalier, minister of Caen in Normandy, and now in exile, and Reader of the Hebrew Lecture in Paul’s, as by his acquittances appeareth, over and above his gown before entered, in money, 20s.”
In May 1569, Sir Anthony Cooke and Secretary Sir William Cecil (Chancellor of the University) had secured for him the appointment of Professor of the Hebrew Language and Learning in the University of Cambridge, and he went down with good letters of introduction. Secretary Cecil undertook to obtain a safe conduct into England for his wife and children. The following was a joint letter from Archbishop Parker and Bishop Grindal:—
