Abraham Fraunce
Encyclopedia
Abraham Fraunce was an English
poet
.
, he was born between 1558 and 1560. His name appears in a list of pupils of Shrewsbury School
in January 1571, and he joined St John's College, Cambridge
, in 1576, becoming a fellow in 1580/1. His Latin comedy, Victoria, dedicated to Sir Philip Sidney
, was probably written at Cambridge, where he remained until he had taken his M.A.
degree in 1583. He was called to the bar
at Gray's Inn
in 1588, and then apparently practiced as a barrister in the court of the Welsh marches.
After the death of his patron, Sidney, Fraunce was protected by Sidney's sister, Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
. His last work was published in 1592. According to the 19th-century antiquary Joseph Hunter
in his Chorus Vatum, in 1633 Fraunce wrote an Epithalamium
in honour of the marriage of Lady Magdalen Egerton, seventh daughter of the Earl of Bridgwater, in whose service he may have been; thus, it was long assumed that Fraunce died in or after 1633. More recent scholarship, however, places Fraunce's death in 1592 or 1593 and attributes the Cutler-Egerton epithalamium to Abraham Darcie.
The Arcadian Rhetorike owes much to earlier critical treatises, but has a special interest from its references to Edmund Spenser
, and Fraunce quotes from the Faerie Queene a year before the publication of the first books. In Colin Clouts Come Home Again, Spenser speaks of Fraunce as Corydon, on account of his translations of Virgil's second eclogue. His poems are written in classical metres, and he was regarded by his contemporaries as the best exponent of Gabriel Harvey
's theory. Even Thomas Nashe
had a good word for "sweete Master Fraunce".
The Countess of Pembroke's Emanuell, hexameters on the nativity and passion of Christ
, with versions of some psalms, were reprinted by Alexander Grosart in the third volume of his Miscellanies of the Fuller Worthies’ Library (1872). Joseph Hunter
in his Chorus Vatum stated that five of Fraunce's songs were included in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella
, but these should probably be attributed not to Fraunce, but to Thomas Campion
. See a life prefixed to the transcription of a manuscript Latin comedy by Fraunce, Victoria, by Professor GC Moore Smith, published in W Bang's Materialien zur Kunde des älteren Englischen Dramas, vol. xiv, 1906.
Dana Sutton argues that Fraunce may be the author of Hymenaeus (1578).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Life
A native of ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, he was born between 1558 and 1560. His name appears in a list of pupils of Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
in January 1571, and he joined St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, in 1576, becoming a fellow in 1580/1. His Latin comedy, Victoria, dedicated to Sir Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age...
, was probably written at Cambridge, where he remained until he had taken his M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in 1583. He was called to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1588, and then apparently practiced as a barrister in the court of the Welsh marches.
After the death of his patron, Sidney, Fraunce was protected by Sidney's sister, Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
Mary Sidney
Mary Herbert , Countess of Pembroke , was one of the first English women to achieve a major reputation for her literary works, poetry, poetic translations and literary patronage.-Family:...
. His last work was published in 1592. According to the 19th-century antiquary Joseph Hunter
Joseph Hunter (antiquarian)
Joseph Hunter was a Unitarian Minister and antiquarian best known for his publications Hallamshire. The History and Topography of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York and the two-volume South Yorkshire , still considered among the best works written on the history of Sheffield and South...
in his Chorus Vatum, in 1633 Fraunce wrote an Epithalamium
Epithalamium
Epithalamium refers to a form of poem that is written specifically for the bride on the way to her marital chamber...
in honour of the marriage of Lady Magdalen Egerton, seventh daughter of the Earl of Bridgwater, in whose service he may have been; thus, it was long assumed that Fraunce died in or after 1633. More recent scholarship, however, places Fraunce's death in 1592 or 1593 and attributes the Cutler-Egerton epithalamium to Abraham Darcie.
Works
His works are:- The Lamentations of Amintas for the death of Phyllis (1587), a version in English hexameters of his friend, Thomas Watson'sThomas Watson (poet)Thomas Watson , English lyrical poet, was the son of William Watson and Anne Lee . He was educated at Winchester College and OxfordUniversity. He then spent 7 years in France and Italy before studying law in London...
, Latin Amyntas - The Lawiers Logike, exemplifying the praecepts of Logike by the practise of the common Lawe (1585)
- The Arcadian Rhetorike (1588)
- Abrahami Fransi Insignium, Armorum ... explicatio (1588)
- The Countess of PembrokeCountess of PembrokeCountess of Pembroke is a title that has been borne by several women throughout history, including:* Margaret of England , wife of John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke; daughter of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault....
's Yvychurch (1591/2), containing a translation of TassoTorquato TassoTorquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, best known for his poem La Gerusalemme liberata , in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between Christians and Muslims at the end of the First Crusade, during the siege of Jerusalem...
's Aminta, a reprint of his earlier version of Watson - The Lamentation of Corydon for the love of Alexis (VirgilVirgilPublius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
, eclogueEclogueAn eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics.The form of the word in contemporary English is taken from French eclogue, from Old French, from Latin ecloga...
II), a short translation from HeliodorusHeliodorus-People:Several persons named Heliodorus are known to us from ancient times, the best known of which are:*Heliodorus a minister of Seleucus IV Philopator ca...
, and, in the third part (1592) "Aminta's Dale," a collection of "conceited tales" supposed to be related by the nymphs of Ivychurch - The Countess of Pembroke's Emanuell (1591)
- The Third Part of Pembroke's Ivychurch, entitled Aminta's Dale (1592)
- Victoria, a Latin Comedy (written before or in 1583; not published until 1906).
The Arcadian Rhetorike owes much to earlier critical treatises, but has a special interest from its references to Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
, and Fraunce quotes from the Faerie Queene a year before the publication of the first books. In Colin Clouts Come Home Again, Spenser speaks of Fraunce as Corydon, on account of his translations of Virgil's second eclogue. His poems are written in classical metres, and he was regarded by his contemporaries as the best exponent of Gabriel Harvey
Gabriel Harvey
Gabriel Harvey was an English writer. Harvey was a notable scholar, though his reputation suffered from his quarrel with Thomas Nashe...
's theory. Even Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe
Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...
had a good word for "sweete Master Fraunce".
The Countess of Pembroke's Emanuell, hexameters on the nativity and passion of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, with versions of some psalms, were reprinted by Alexander Grosart in the third volume of his Miscellanies of the Fuller Worthies’ Library (1872). Joseph Hunter
Joseph Hunter (antiquarian)
Joseph Hunter was a Unitarian Minister and antiquarian best known for his publications Hallamshire. The History and Topography of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York and the two-volume South Yorkshire , still considered among the best works written on the history of Sheffield and South...
in his Chorus Vatum stated that five of Fraunce's songs were included in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella
Astrophel and Stella
Likely composed in the 1580s, Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs. The name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' and 'phil' , and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. Thus Astrophel is the star lover, and Stella is his star...
, but these should probably be attributed not to Fraunce, but to Thomas Campion
Thomas Campion
Thomas Campion was an English composer, poet and physician. He wrote over a hundred lute songs; masques for dancing, and an authoritative technical treatise on music.-Life:...
. See a life prefixed to the transcription of a manuscript Latin comedy by Fraunce, Victoria, by Professor GC Moore Smith, published in W Bang's Materialien zur Kunde des älteren Englischen Dramas, vol. xiv, 1906.
Dana Sutton argues that Fraunce may be the author of Hymenaeus (1578).
Further reading
- William Barker, "Abraham Fraunce (circa 1560 - 1592 or 1593)," The Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 236: British Rhetoricians and Logicians, 1500-1660, First Series, Detroit: Gale, 2001, pp. 140–156.
- G. C. Moore Smith, ed., Victoria: A Latin Comedy, by Abraham Fraunce, Louvain, Belgium: A. Uystpruyst, 1906.
- Mary M. McCormick, ed., "A Critical Edition of Abraham Fraunce's 'The Sheapheardes Logike' and 'Twooe General Discourses,'" dissertation, St. Louis University, 1968.