Crashaw, Richard

Crashaw, Richard an English clergyman and poet, was born in London, and educated at the Charterhouse, and at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, of which he became a fellow in 1637. He took orders and became distinguished as an eloquent preacher, but was ejected in 1644 for refusing to take the covenant. He then removed to France and embraced Romanism. Having been reduced to great pecuniary distress, he received, through the influence of Henrietta Maria, the positions of secretary to one of the cardinals and canon of the church of Loretto. He died about 1650. Among his best known pieces are, Hymn to the Name of Jesus: — Music's Duel: — Lines on a Prayer-book; and some of his translations. His poetry consisted principally of religious invocations and translations of rare merit from the Latin and Italian. See Chalmers, Biog. Dict. s.v.; Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v.