The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland Volume I Part 4

THOMAS CHURCHYARD,

One of the a.s.sistants in the Mirror of Magistrates. He was born in the town of Shrewsbury[1] as himself affirms in his book made in verse of the Worthiness of Wales. He was equally addicted to arts and arms; he had a liberal education, and inherited some fortune, real and personal; but he soon exhausted it, in a tedious and unfruitful attendance at court, for he gained no other equivalent for that mortifying dependance, but the honour of being retained a domestic in the family of lord Surry: during which time by his lords.h.i.+p's encouragement he commenced poet. Upon his master's death he betook himself to arms; was in many engagements, and was frequently wounded; he was twice a prisoner, and redeemed by the charity of two n.o.ble ladies, yet still languis.h.i.+ng in distress, and bitterly complaining of fortune. Neither of his employments afforded him a patron, who would do justice to his obscure merit; and unluckily he was as unhappy in his amours as in his circ.u.mstances, some of his mistresses treating his addresses with contempt, perhaps, on account of his poverty; for tho' it generally happens that Poets have the greatest power in courts.h.i.+p, as they can celebrate their mistresses with more elegance than people of any other profession; yet it very seldom falls out that they marry successfully, as their needy circ.u.mstances naturally deter them from making advances to Ladies of such fas.h.i.+on as their genius and manners give them a right to address. This proved our author's case exactly; he made love to a widow named Browning, who possessed a very good jointure; but this lady being more in love with money than laurels, with wealth than merit, rejected his suit; which not a little discouraged him, as he had spent his money in hopes of effecting this match, which, to his great mortification, all his rhimes and sonnets could not do. He dedicated his vorks to Sir Christopher Hatton; but addresses of that nature don't always imply a provision for their author. It is conjectured that he died about the eleventh year of Queen Elizabeth, and according to Mr. Wood was buried near Skelton in the Chancel of St. Margaret's, Westminster. By his writings, he appears a man of sense, and sometimes a poet, tho' he does not seem to possess any degree of invention. His language is generally pure, and his numbers not wholly inharmonious. The Legend of Jane Sh.o.r.e is the most finished of all his works, from which I have taken a quotation. His death, according to the most probable conjecture, happened in 1570. Thus like a stone (says Winstanley) did he trundle about, but never gathered any moss, dying but poor, as may be seen by his epitaph in Mr. Camden's Remains, which runs thus:

Come Alecto, lend me thy torch To find a Church-yard in a Church-porch; Poverty and poetry his tomb doth enclose, Wherefore good neighbours, be merry in prose.

His works according to Winstanley are as follow:

The Siege of Leith.

A Farewell to the world.

A feigned Fancy of the Spider and the Gaul.

A doleful Discourse of a Lady and a Knight.

The Road into Scotland, by Sir William Drury.

Sir Simon Burley's Tragedy.

A lamentable Description of the Wars in Flanders in prose, and dedicated to Walsingham secretary of state.

A light Bundle of lively Discourses, called Churchyard's Charge 1580, dedicated to his n.o.ble patron the Earl of Surry.

A Spark of Friends.h.i.+p, a treatise on that writer, address'd to Sir Walter Raleigh.

A Description and Discourse on the use of paper, in which he praises a paper-mill built near Darthsend, by a German called Spillman.

The Honour of the Law 1596.

Jane Sh.o.r.e, mistress to King Edward IV.

A Tragical Discourse of the unhappy Man's Life.

A Discourse of Virtue.

Churchyard's Dream.

A Tale of a Fryar and a Shoemaker's Wife,

The Siege of Edinburgh Castle.

Queen Elizabeth's reception into Bristol.

These twelve several pieces he bound together, calling them Churchyard's Chips, which he dedicated to Sir Christopher Hatton. He wrote beside,

The Tragedy of Thomas Moubray Duke of Norfolk.

Among the rest by fortune overthrowne, I am not least, that most may waile her fate: My fame and brute, abroad the world is blowne, Who can forget a thing thus done so late?

My great mischance, my fall, and heavy state, Is such a marke whereat each tongue doth shoot That my good name, is pluckt up by the root, [Footnote 1: Winst. 61.]

JOHN HEYWOOD

One of the first who wrote English plays, was a noted jester, of some reputation in poetry in his time. Wood says, that notwithstanding he was stiled Civis Londinensis, yet he laid a foundation of learning at Oxford, but the severity of an academical life not suitng with his airy genius, he retired to his native place, and had the honour to have a great intimacy with Sir Thomas More. It is said, that he had admirable skill both in instrumental and vocal music, but it is not certain whether he left any compositions of that sort behind him. He found means to become a favourite with King Henry VIII on account of the quickness of his conceits, and was well rewarded by that Monarch.[1] After the accession of Queen Mary to the throne, he was equally valued by her, and was admitted into the most intimate conversation with her, in diverting her by his merry stories, which he did, even when she lay languis.h.i.+ng on her death-bed. After the decease of that princess, he being a bigotted Roman Catholic, and finding the protestant interest was like to prevail under the patronage of the renowned Queen Elizabeth, he sacrificed the enjoyment of living in his own country, to that of his religion: For he entered into a voluntary exile, and settled at Mechlin in Brabant.

The Play called the Four P's being a new and and merry interlude of a Palmer, Pardoner, Poticary, and Pedler-printed in an old English character in quarto, has in the t.i.tle page the pictures of four men in old-fas.h.i.+oned habits, wrought off, from a wooden cut. He has likewise writ the following interludes.

Between John the Husband and Tib the Wife.

Between the Pardoner and the Fryer, the Curate and neighbouring Pratt.

Play of Gentleness and n.o.bility, in two parts.

The Pindar of Wakefield, a comedy.

Philotas Scotch, a comedy.

This author also wrote a dialogue, containing the number in effect of all the proverbs in the English tongue, compact in a matter concerning two manner of marriages. London 1547, and 1598, in two parts in quarto, all writ in old English verse, and printed in an English character.

Three hundred epigrams upon three hundred proverbs, in old English character.

A fourth hundred of epigrams, printed in quarto, London 1598.

A fifth hundred of epigrams, printed in quarto, London 1598.

The Spider and Fly. A Parable of the Spider and Fly, London 1556, in a pretty thick quarto, all in old English verse. Before the t.i.tle is the picture of John Heywood at full length, printed from a wooden cut, with a fur gown on, almost representing the fas.h.i.+on of that, belonging to a master of arts, but the bottom of the sleeve reach no lower than his knees; on his head is a round cap, his chin and lips are close shaved, and hath a dagger hanging to his girdle.[2]

Dr. Fuller mentions a book writ by our author,[3] ent.i.tled Monumenta Literaria, which are said to Non tam labore, condita, quam Lepore condita: The author of English poetry, speaking of several of our old English bards, says thus of our poet. "John Heywood for the mirth and quickness of conceit, more than any good learning that was in him, came to be well rewarded by the king."

That the reader may judge of his epigrams, to which certainly the writer just mentioned alludes, I shall present him with one writ by him on himself.

Art thou Heywood, with thy mad merry wit?

Yea for sooth master, that name is even hit.

Art thou Heywood, that apply's mirth more than thrift?

Yes sir, I take merry mirth, a golden gift.

Art thou Heywood, that hast made many mad plays?

Yea many plays, few good works in my days.

Art thou Heywood, that hath made men merry long?

Yea, and will, if I be made merry among.

Art thou Heywood, that would'st be made merry now?

Yes, Sir, help me to it now, I beseech you.

He died at Mechlin, in the year 1565, and was buried there, leaving behind him several children, to whom he had given liberal education, one of whom is Jasper, who afterwards made a considerable figure, and became a noted Jesuit.

[Footnote 1: Wood Athen, Oxon.]

[Footnote 2: Wood ubi supra.]

[Footnote 3: Worthies of London, p. 221.]

GEORGE FERRARS,