Musius, Cornelius

Musius, Cornelius an eminent Dutch scholar of Roman Catholic proclivities, was born at Delft in 1503. He flourished as pastor of St. Agatha during the contest between the prince of Orange and the Spanish throne for the possession of the Netherlands. He was equally esteemed for his learning and for his amiable qualities, when, on account of his religious faith, he was put to the torture, which caused his death in 1575, by De la Marck. The Romanists have charged the wicked deed to the prince of Orange and his Reformed friends. This,. however, is cruel and unjust. The prince himself, who highly esteemed Musius, shed many tears when he heard of the atrocious deed, and while the Estates of Holland were aroused to an indignation scarcely controllable, De la Marck was obliged to leave the country, notwithstanding his powerful connections. Musius wrote several religious poems, which are remarkable for their elegance and purity of style. See Brandt, Gesch. der Ref. 10:538-540; Hoofe, De Neederlandsche Historien, 7:281 sq.; Motley, Hist. of the Rise of the Dutch Republic, 2:474, 475.