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Christopher Marlowe: Thomas Kyd
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Notice the record is mistake about where Faunt was from, as he has proven to have been a King's School scholar from Canterbury, as were Harris and Marlowe. Thomas Harris was later Marlowe's major professor or "praelector," who stood for Marlowe's BA in the "Grace Book," in 1585, the year of the Marlowe portrait and of the Will.
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Speculation and controversy over Marlowe's sexual orientation, religion and political views was growing. In the midst of Catholic and Protestant upheaval, he was charged among other things of atheism, blasphemy and subversion. He was involved with Sir Walter Raleigh's group the Free-Thinkers of which they were accused of being a `school of atheism'. While being tortured a former roommate, Thomas Kyd, erroneously admitted that a document denying the divinity of Christ was written by Marlowe, and Richard Baines procured his notorious `Note' attributing two statements to Marlowe: "St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom, that he used him as the sinners of Sodoma," and "That all they that love not Tobacco & Boies were fooles". Marlowe would escape imprisonment likely by his government connections.
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Marlowe had a reputation for atheism. The only contemporary evidence for this is from Marlowe's accuser in Flushing, an informer called Richard Baines. The governor of Flushing had reported that both men had accused one another of instigating the counterfeiting and of intention to go over to the Catholic side (considered atheism by Protestants), "both as they say of malice one to another". Following Marlowe's arrest on a charge of atheism in 1593, Baines submitted to the authorities a "note containing the opinion of one Christopher Marly concerning his damnable judgment of religion, and scorn of God's word".[18] Baines attributes to Marlowe ideas such as, "Christ was a bastard and his mother dishonest [unchaste]", "the woman of Samaria and her sister were whores and that Christ knew them dishonestly" and, "St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom" (cf. John 13:23-25) and "that he used him as the sinners of Sodom". He ... claims that Marlowe had Catholic sympathies. Other passages are merely sceptical in tone: "he persuades men to atheism, willing them not to be afraid of bugbears and hobgoblins". Similar statements were made by Thomas Kyd after his imprisonment and possible torture (see below);[19][20] both Kyd and Baines connect Marlowe with the mathematician Thomas Harriot and Walter Raleigh's circle. Another document claims that Marlowe had read an "atheist lecture" before Raleigh.
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The term "Atheist" was an inexactly defined charge of the day, and Marlowe's former roommate and fellow dramatist, Thomas Kyd, gave evidence (albeit under torture) that Marlowe denied the divinity of Christ. This, and criticism of "scoffing poets" by rival playwright Robert Greene, put him under suspicion of Atheism. And when Richard Baines testified that Marlowe had said both "St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom, that he used him as the sinners of Sodoma," and "That all they that love not Tobacco & Boies were fooles," he was equally suspected of homosexuality.
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Some scholars argue that the evidence is inconclusive and that the reports of Marlowe's homosexuality may simply be exaggerated rumours produced after his death. David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen describe Baines's evidence as "unreliable testimony" and make the comment: "These and other testimonials need to be discounted for their exaggeration and for their having been produced under legal circumstances we would regard as a witch-hunt".[22] It has ... been noted that Kyd's evidence was given after torture, and thus may have little connection to reality.[23]
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Thomas Walsingham IV had been employed by his cousin Sir Francis on secret missions overseas and it may have been through this work that he met Marlowe. At any rate, Thomas became Marlowe's patron and the poet is known to have stayed at Scadbury from time to time, and to have attended services at St.Nicholas' Church in Chislehurst.
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