Nicholas Bourbon : Tutor in the Tudor Era

Portrait from Hans Holbein

Nicholas Bourbon : Tutor in the Tudor Era

Looking into Nicholas Bourbon follow a bit of the same reasoning when I look into Anne Boleyn. Look more into someone of notoriety in order to find the trace of the person he interacted with. I didn't expect, much from Bourbon since the man first and foremost a poet rather than an educator. However I must say, I was rather well rewarded in my search, mainly cause I can look at both English and French source. While I may have been dismissive early on of finding anything in French about Henry Carey, the wonderful research tool Gallica proved me wrong. Though most of it concern the era where he is Lord Hunsdon, so we all to look more at it later.

Prior his exile to england, Nicholas Bourbon (or Nicolas Bourbon or Nicolai Borbonii in latin) he had some experience teaching french noble family and as a teacher of humanity. Though his collection of poem Nugae (bagatelle or trifles) was overly supportive of reformation (he was also a humanist and apparently in contact with everyone favourite Erasmus), which landed him to be sent in jail by the church before receiving a pardon from François 1er, but eventually went to England by 1534 (wikipedia says 1535, but I think I'll go with Sylvie Laigneau-Fontaine, since she made a whole book about him and wikipedia is pretty much a stub) , where he was employ by Anne Boleyn.

Henry Carey wasn't the only student of his you can found Henry Norris, son of a lord chamberlain,  Henry Dudey (Expect to see the Dudley pop-up more in the future), son of Gand ambassador, Thomas Hervey.  While there doesn't seem to be anything that directly mention how were his day to day activty in tutoring, the guy seemed rather positive about it. If we are to believe this quote from Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen by  Joanna Denny, (page 216, can't find exactly from where it is though for some reason, she send back to Weir and king and his court, but it don't seem to be there or it just indicate letter and paper and my research in it give a complete blank, but it must be around somewhere)

You, oh queen, gave me the boys to educate,  I try to keep one faithful to his duty. May Christ grant that I may be equal to the task, shaping vessels worthy of a heavenly house. 

Anne Boleyn beheading forced him back in France, where he made a second edition of his Nugae (without the controversial part) in 1538, but with interesting dedication to his students. Including one H.Carreus. I've struggled to find it, but so far had no luck, while some of his stuff are available on gallica, the fable 1538 edition doesn't seem to be present .  They were written in Latin (which does make me wonder about Henry Carey own language skill as he did diplomatic work in France, though Latin probably could have been use in that case, maybe he did know French, but there is no real trace of anything on that matter).  

Though I can't help but notice that apparently  that while Nicholas Bourbon is the often mention tutor of Henry Carey, if he did indeed got to english shore in 1534, it gives something on a 2 year  (maybe even just a year if it is in 1535)window before Anne Boleyn bite the dust and he goes back home. So while he definitively seem to have been the teacher of Henry Carey, well where was he between 1528 and Bourbon arrival in France? That give us a 6 year of complete blank. So yeah, now that I know more I actually have more questions and seemingly no way to answer them.

Bagatelle, Nicholas Bourbon, edition commented by ‎Sylvie Laigneau-Fontaine (can be found in part on google book), info were found on page 26 (mind you it is in french)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Bourbon_%28the_elder%29

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Bourbon_%281503-1550%29