John Davies of Hereford

This article is about the 16th/17th-century poet and schoolmaster. For the 16th/17th-century poet and lawyer, attorney-general for Ireland,, see John Davies (poet).

John Davies, from The Complete Works of John Davies of Hereford, 1878. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

John Davies of Hereford (?1565 - July 1618) was an Anglo-Welsh poet.

Life

Overview

Davies, called "the Welsh Poet," was a writing-master. He wrote very copiously and rather tediously on theological and philosophical themes. His works include Mirum in Modum, Microcosmus (1602), The Picture of a Happy Man (1612), Wit's Bedlam (1617), and many epigrams on his contemporaries which have some historical interest.

Davies is usually known as John Davies of Hereford (after the city where he was born) in order to distinguish him from others of the same name. Hereford was at that time a Welsh-speaking area, even though officially in England.

Youth

Davies was born at Hereford about 1565. Arthur Wilson, who was one of his pupils, states that Davies was a Roman catholic (Peck, Desiderata Curiosa, p. 461). 2 of his brothers were also writing-masters.

Anthony Wood states that Davies was educated at Oxford University, and among the poems prefixed to ‘Microcosmos,’ 1603, is a copy of Latin verses by Robert Burhill, beginning

Oxoniæ vates cum sis, Herefordia quare,
Davisi, in titulo pristina scripta tuo?
Crede mihi, doctam non urbem tale pigebit
Ingenuum in titulo nomen habere suo.

[Seeing that you are a seer, Oxford, Hereford is why,
Davies in the title of your previous writings?
Trust me, who did not shrink from such city
That befits its name in the title.]

Adult life

From a poetical address "To my much honoured and intirely beloued patronesse, the most famous vniversitie of Oxford," published among the poems appended to Microcosmos, we learn that Davies resided for a time at Oxford, pursuing his occupation of writing-master, and 2 of his sonnets are in praise of Magdalen College, where he seems to have had many pupils. But it is clear, both from the address to his "patronesse" and from the sonnets, that he was not a member of the university.

Although he attained high fame as a writing-master, and his pupils were drawn from the noblest families in the land, Davies assures us that it was difficult for him to gain a comfortable livelihood. The Earl of Northumberland's book of household expenses for 1607 records the payment of 40s. "to Mr. Davyes, the writer" (Hist. MSS. Comm., 6th Rep., 229).

In 1608 Davies was living in the parish of St. Dunstan-in-the-West, London (Hunter, Chorus Vatum), and in January 1612–13 his 1st wife, Mary (Croft), by whom he had a son, Sylvanus, was buried in the church of St. Dunstan, where there is a monument to her with memorial verses by her husband.

He took a 2nd wife, Dame Juliana (Preston}, a widow, in 1613, and in the marriage license (dated 19 July 1613), he is stated to be "about forty-eight." On 25 May 1614, letters of administration were issued from the prerogative court of Canterbury to administer his 2nd wife's estate.

Mention is made of a 3rd wife, Margaret, in his own will (printed by the Camden Society), dated 29 June 1618, at which time he was residing at St. Martin's Lane. He desired in his will to be buried near his 1st wife, in the church of St. Dunstan, and there he was buried on 6 July 1618.

Writing

Davies was a very voluminous and somewhat tedious writer. His earliest work, published in 1602, was a philosophical poem, entitled Mirum in Modum: A glimpse of Gods glorie and the soules shape, 4to, dedicated to William, earl of Pembroke, Sir Robert Sidney, kt., and "the right right worshipfull Edward Herbert of Mountgomery, Esquire," afterwards Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

In 1603 was published at Oxford Microcosmos: The discovery of the little world, with the government thereof, 4to, 2nd edit. 1605. Prefixed are dedicatory sonnets to the king and queen, A Request to the City of Hereford, and other matter, including several copies of Latin and English verse in commendation of the author; then follows a long "preface" in verse, addressed to the king, which is succeeded by a poetical address headed "Cambria, to the high and mighty, Henry by the grace of God Prince of Wales." The lengthy poem Microcosmos is a rambling treatise on physiological and psychological subjects. Appended to Microcosmos are a poem entitled "An Extasie," several sonnets and short poems dedicated to distinguished patrons, an English poem by Nicholas Deeble, "In loue and affection of Maister Iohn Dauies … and admiration of his excellence in the Arte of Writing," and some commendatory verses by Ed. Lapworth.

In 1605 appeared Humours Heau'n on Earth: with the Ciuile Warres of Death and Fortune. As also the Triumph of Death: or, the Picture of the Plague, according to the Life; as it was in Anno Domini 1603, 8vo, with a copy of dedicatory verses to Davies's pupil, Algernon, lord Percy, and another to the Ladies Dorothy and Lucy Percy. A copy in the Grenville Library (dated 1609) contains a manuscript dedicatory epistle (in verse) to the Earl of Northumberland. "Through precisenesse of the chaplaines allowed to allowe bookes" or "throughe ignorance or causlesse feare" on the part of the authorities, "Davies could not get this epistle allowed." The poem on the plague is vividly written, but (like all Davies's work) is too prolix.

In 1606, on the occasion of the visit of Christian IV to England, Davies published Bien Venv.: Greate Britaines welcome to hir greate friendes and deere brethren the Danes. His next poem, Summa Totalis; or, All in ll, and the same for ever, 1607, 4to, dedicated to Lord Ellesmere and "my good Lady and Mistresse," the Countess of Derby, was intended as a continuation of Mirum in Modum.

In 1609 appeared a sacred poem, The Holy Roode; or, Christs Crosse; containing Christ Crucified, described in Speaking-picture, 4to, dedicated to the Countess of Derby and her 3 daughters. The title-page is undated, but the imprint at the end of the volume gives the date 1609. Prefixed are commendatory verses by Michael Drayton, and a couplet by "Edw. Herbert, knight" (afterwards Lord Herbert of Cherbury).

To 1610 or 1611 belongs the miscellaneous undated collection entitled Wittes Pilgrimage (by Poeticall Essaies) through a World of Amorous Sonnets, Soule-passions, and other Passages, diuine, philosophicall, morall, poeticall, and politicall, 4to, dedicated to the Earl of Montgomery and Sir James Hays, knight. The amatory sonnets in this collection are Davies's most inspired productions.

About the same date appeared The Scourge of Folly. Consisting of satyricall Epigramms and others in Honor of many noble and worthy Persons of our Land. Together with a pleasant (though discordant) descant vpon most English Prouerbes, and others, 12mo. On the title-page is an illustration of Wit scourging Folly, who is mounted on the back of Time. The epigrams, which number 300, have little merit, but are interesting from the notices that they afford of contemporary writers. One is addressed "To our English Terence, Mr. Will. Shake-speare" (No. 159), and there are epigrams to Daniel, Ben Jonson, Marston, Hall, Fletcher, and others. The sonnets in praise of "worthy persons" show that Davies was well acquainted with many of the most exalted personages of the age. At the end of the volume is a satire headed Papers Complaint, compil'd in ruthfull Rimes / Against the Paper-spoylers of these Times, with dedicatory verses to Thomas Rant, counsellor-at-law. It is valuable as testifying to the popularity of Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis," and for its comments on Nashe, Gabriel Harvey, Jonson, Dekker, and others. The satire was republished in 1625, under the title of A Scourge for Paper-persecutors, with a continuation by A[braham] H[olland].

In 1612 Davies published The Muse's Sacrifice; or, Divine meditations, 12mo, dedicated to Lucy, countess of Bedford, Mary, countess-dowager of Pembroke, and Elizabeth, lady Carey. The sacred poems are followed by "Rights of the Living and the Dead," in which occurs the fine poem describing "The Picture of an Happy Man."

Prince Henry, who had been a pupil of Davies, died in 1613, and the poet expressed his sorrow in The Mvses Teares for the losse of their Hope; Heroick and Nere-too-much praised Henry, Prince of Wales, &c., 4to. In William Browne's The Shepheards Pipe, 1614, 8vo, there is an "eclogue" by Davies, to whom Browne afterwards paid a high compliment in the 2nd song of the 2nd book of Britannia's Pastorals, 1616.

Davies's next work was A Select Second Hvsband for Sir Thomas Overburie's Wife, now a Matchlesse Widow, 1616, 8vo, dedicated to William, earl of Pembroke, to which are appended elegies on Overbury, a poem entitled "Speculum Proditori," and "The Conclusion to Sir Thomas Overbury." In 1617 he published his last work, Wit's Bedlam, a collection of miscellaneous verses. Malone, Brydges, and others have quoted from this volume, but no copy can at present be traced.

Commendatory verses by Davies are prefixed to William Parry's A new and large Discourse of the Trauels of Sir Anthony Sherley, knight, 1601; Joshua Sylvester's Du Bartas, 1605, 1633; John Melton's A Sixe-folde Politician, 1609; Dekker's Lanthorne and Candlelight, 1607; Rowland Vaughan's Most approved and long experienced Water-Workes, 1610; John Guillim's A Display of Heraldrie, 1610; John Speed's The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, 1611; Coryate's Crudities, 1611; J[ohn] D[ennys]'s The Secrets of Angling, 1613; Ravenscroft's Brief Discourse, 1614; Taylor's Urania, 1615; Captain John Smith's Description of New England, 1616; William Browne's Britannia's Pastorals: The second booke, 1616; Edward Wright's A Description of the Admirable Table of Logarithmes, 1616. There is an inscription by Davies beneath a copperplate portrait of Queen Elizabeth ("Elizabetha Regina Nich. Hillyard delin. et excud.").

Of his Writing Schoolmaster, or the Anatomy of Fair Writing, which contains engraved specimen-copies of various styles of handwriting, together with a set of practical directions for learners, the earliest known edition is dated 1633; later editions appeared in 1663 and 1669. Some choice examples of Davies's penmanship are preserved at Penshurst. Fuller judged him to be the most skilful penman of his age.

A Lover's Complaint

In a 2007 monograph, Shakespeare, "A Lover's Complaint," and John Davies of Hereford, Brian Vickers attributes to Davies the poem "A Lover's Complaint", which was published by Thomas Thorpe with Shakespeare's Sonnets in 1609. This attribution goes against scholarly consensus, and in particular studies by Kenneth Muir, Eliot Slater and MacDonald P. Jackson, but is based on both a detailed demonstration of the non-Shakespearean nature of the poem and a list of numerous verbal parallels — such as 'What brest so cold that is not warmed heare' and 'What heart's so cold that is not set on fire' — between the Complaint and the known works of Davies. On Vickers's attribution it was omitted from the 2007 RSC Shakespeare Complete Works, a decision Jackson called a mistake in his Review of English Studies review of Vickers's book, arguing, among other reservations, that "Evidence that, in poems undoubtedly his, Davies exhibits an intimacy with Shakespeare's works equal to that of the author of "A Lover's Complaint" is very meagre."

Recognition

There is a portrait of Davies in his Writing Schoolmaster.

His works were collected by Alexander Balloch Grosart in 1873, 2 volumes 4to.

Publications

File:Scourge of Folly titlepage.JPG

Title page of The Scourge of Folly (1611), depicting Wit scourging Folly mounted on the back of Time.

• Mirum in Modum: a glimpse of Gods glorie and the soules shape. London: Valentine Simmes, for William Aspley, 1602.
• Microcosmos: The discovery of the little world, with the government thereof. Oxford, UK: Ioseph Barnes, for Iohn Barnes, 1603.
• Wittes Pilgrimage: Through a world of amorous sonnets and other passages. London: R. Bradock, for Iohn Browne, 1605.
• Bien Venu: Greate Britaines welcome to the Danes. London: R. Bradock, for Nathaniel Butter, 1606.
• Summa Totalis; or, All in all: An addition to 'Mirum in Modum'. Lonon: William Iaggard, et al, 1607.
• The Holy Roode; or, Christs crosse: Christ crucified described in speaking picture. London: Iohn Windet for N. Butter, 1609.
• Humours Heav'n on Earth: The civile warres of death; The triumph of death: The picture of the plague in 1603. London: Adam Islip, 1609.
• The Scourge of Folly: Satyricall epigrammes; A descant upon English proverbes; To worthy persons; Papers complaint. London: E.A., for Richard Redmer, 1611.
• The Muses Sacrifice: Divine meditations; rights of the living and dead. London: T.S., for George Norton, 1612.
• The Muses-teares for the losse of Henry Prince of Wales. London: G Eld, for Iohn Wright, 1613.
• A Select Second husband: For Sir Thomas Overburies wife. London: Marriott, 1616.
• Wits Bedlam: Where is had, whipping-cheere, to cure the mad. London: G. Eld, for Iames Dauies, 1617.
• Psalmos Theios; or, A divine psalme; An elogie upon the patron [pattern] of scripture; divine epigrams. London: Humphrery Moseley, 1652.

Non-fiction

• The Writing School-master; or, The anatomy of fair writing. 1620 ca; London: S. Griffin, for John Overton, 1667..

Collected editions

• Complete Works (edited by Alexander Balloch Grosart). (2 volumes), Edinburgh: privately published, 1878; facsimile edition, New York: AMS Press, 1967.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• Anglo-Welsh poets
• List of British poets

References

•  Bullen, Arthur Henry (1888) "Davies, John (1565?-1618)" in Stephen, Leslie Dictionary of National Biography 14 London: Smith, Elder, pp. 138-140  Wikisource, Web, Jan. 2, 2018.

External links

Poems

• John Davies of Hereford (1564 ca.-1618) info & 6 poems at English Poetry, 1579-1830
• John Davies of Hereford at Poetry Nook (838 poems)

Books

• John Davies of Hereford at Amazon.com

About

• "John Davies, English poet and writing master" in the Encyclopædia Britannica

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the Dictionary of National Biography (edited by Leslie Stephen). London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900. Original article is at: Davies, John (1565?-1618)