Short answers, pulled from the story.
William Forrest was born in the early 16th century and remained a Catholic priest throughout his life. He survived the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I by balancing public conformity with private devotion.
William Forrest witnessed the divorce proceedings of Henry VIII and the funeral of Queen Catherine of Aragon at Peterborough on the 2nd of May 1536. He was present at the discussions held at Oxford in 1530 when Henry VIII sought the university's judgment on his divorce.
William Forrest died between the 27th of October 1572 and 1581 while writing devout verses about the Blessed Virgin and the Immaculate Conception. His final work was a life of the Blessed Virgin Mary dated from 1572 to 1581.
William Forrest used poetry as a vehicle for Catholic expression when direct statement was impossible under Elizabethan rule. His works like The History of Joseph the Chaiste were acts of resistance that preserved Catholic theology and history during dangerous times.
William Forrest was an English Catholic priest and poet who was probably protected by Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. He dedicated his History of Joseph to Thomas Howard shortly before the duke's execution in 1572.
The first part of The History of Joseph the Chaiste resides in the library of University College, Oxford. The second part is in the Royal manuscripts of the British Library, 18 C. xiii, and his portrait is held in British Library Royal MS.17 D.iii.