John Gerard
John Gerard
Jesuit missionary, born New Bryn, England , 1564 ; died Rome, Italy , 1637 . Having studied at Douai , France , he entered the Society of Jesus at Rome, and was sent almost immediately to England , where he exercised a marvelous influence. He was betrayed and captured in 1594 . Flung into the Tower of London, he was brutally tortured, but remained unconquerable. After two years he escaped and continued his heroic work till 1605 , when he was forced to retire to the Continent. He has left an account of the Gunpowder Plot and a valuable autobiography.