John Taylor (poet)
Encyclopedia
John Taylor was an English poet
who dubbed himself "The Water Poet".
, 24 August 1578.
After his waterman apprenticeship he served (1596) in Essex's fleet, and was present at Flores in 1597 and at the siege of Cadiz
.
He spent much of his life as a Thames waterman
, a member of the guild of boatmen that ferried passengers across the River Thames
in London
, in the days when the London Bridge
was the only passage between the banks. He became a member of the ruling oligarchy of the guild, serving as its clerk; it is mainly through his writings that history is familiar with the watermen's disputes of 1641–42, in which an attempt was made to democratize the leadership of the Company. He details the uprisings in the pamphlets Iohn Taylors Manifestation ... and To the Right Honorable Assembly ... (Commons Petition), and in John Taylors Last Voyage and Adventure of 1641.
Taylor discusses the watermen's disputes with the theater companies (who moved the theaters from the south bank to the north in 1612, depriving the ferries of traffic) in The True Cause of the Watermen's Suit Concerning Players (written in 1613 or 1614). He also addresses the coachmen, in his tracts An Errant Thief (1622) and The World Runnes on Wheeles (1623).
Taylor was also the first poet to mention the deaths of William Shakespeare
and Francis Beaumont
in print, in his 1620 poem, "The Praise of Hemp-seed". Both had died four years earlier.
He was a prolific, if rough-hewn (wit rather than poet), writer with over one hundred and fifty publications in his lifetime. Many were gathered into the compilation All the Workes of John Taylor the Water Poet (London, 1630; facsimile reprint Scholar Press, Menston, Yorkshire, 1973); and The Spencer Society brought out their Works of John Taylor ... not included in the Folio edition of 1630 (5 volumes, 1870–78). Although his work was not sophisticated, he was a keen observer of people and styles in the seventeenth century, and as such his work is often studied by social historians. One example is his 1621 work Taylor's Motto, which included a list of then-current card games and diversions.
He achieved notoriety by a series of eccentric journeys e.g. he travelled from London to Queenborough in a paper boat with two stockfish tied to canes for oars, described in "The Praise of Hemp-Seed", which was re-enacted in 2006.
Taylor is one of the few early authors of a palindrome
that can be credited as such: in 1614, he wrote "Lewd did I live, & evil I did dwel." He also wrote a poem about Thomas Parr
, a man who supposedly lived to the age of 152. He was also the author of a constructed language called Barmoodan
.
Many of Taylor's works were published by subscription; i.e., he would propose a book, ask for contributors, and write it when he had enough subscribers to undertake the printing costs. He had more than sixteen hundred subscribers to The Pennylesse Pilgrimage; or, the Moneylesse Perambulation of John Taylor, alias the Kings Magesties Water-Poet; How He TRAVAILED on Foot from London to Edenborough in Scotland, Not Carrying any Money To or Fro, Neither Begging, Borrowing, or Asking Meate, Drinke, or Lodging., published in 1618. Those who defaulted on the subscription were chided the following year in a scathing brochure entitled A Kicksey Winsey, or, A Lerry Come-Twang, which he issued in the following year.
John H Chandler (ed.) Stroud, Sutton, 1999.
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...
who dubbed himself "The Water Poet".
Biography
He was born in GloucesterGloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, 24 August 1578.
After his waterman apprenticeship he served (1596) in Essex's fleet, and was present at Flores in 1597 and at the siege of Cadiz
Siege of Cádiz
The Siege of Cádiz was a siege of the large Spanish naval base of Cádiz by a French army from February 5, 1810 to August 24, 1812 during the Peninsular War. Following the occupation of Madrid on March 23, 1808, Cádiz became the Spanish seat of power, and was targeted by 60,000 French troops under...
.
He spent much of his life as a Thames waterman
Waterman
Waterman may refer to:* Watermen, river workers who transferred passengers across and along the city centre rivers in Britain* Waterman Or Waterperson. Someone who takes part in multiple water activities...
, a member of the guild of boatmen that ferried passengers across the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in the days when the London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
was the only passage between the banks. He became a member of the ruling oligarchy of the guild, serving as its clerk; it is mainly through his writings that history is familiar with the watermen's disputes of 1641–42, in which an attempt was made to democratize the leadership of the Company. He details the uprisings in the pamphlets Iohn Taylors Manifestation ... and To the Right Honorable Assembly ... (Commons Petition), and in John Taylors Last Voyage and Adventure of 1641.
Taylor discusses the watermen's disputes with the theater companies (who moved the theaters from the south bank to the north in 1612, depriving the ferries of traffic) in The True Cause of the Watermen's Suit Concerning Players (written in 1613 or 1614). He also addresses the coachmen, in his tracts An Errant Thief (1622) and The World Runnes on Wheeles (1623).
Taylor was also the first poet to mention the deaths of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher....
in print, in his 1620 poem, "The Praise of Hemp-seed". Both had died four years earlier.
- In paper, many a poet now survives
- Or else their lines had perish'd with their lives.
- Old Chaucer, Gower, and Sir Thomas More,
- Sir Philip Sidney, who the laurel wore,
- Spenser, and Shakespeare did in art excell,
- Sir Edward Dyer, Greene, Nash, Daniel.
- Sylvester, Beaumont, Sir John Harrington,
- Forgetfulness their works would over run
- But that in paper they immortally
- Do live in spite of death, and cannot die.
He was a prolific, if rough-hewn (wit rather than poet), writer with over one hundred and fifty publications in his lifetime. Many were gathered into the compilation All the Workes of John Taylor the Water Poet (London, 1630; facsimile reprint Scholar Press, Menston, Yorkshire, 1973); and The Spencer Society brought out their Works of John Taylor ... not included in the Folio edition of 1630 (5 volumes, 1870–78). Although his work was not sophisticated, he was a keen observer of people and styles in the seventeenth century, and as such his work is often studied by social historians. One example is his 1621 work Taylor's Motto, which included a list of then-current card games and diversions.
He achieved notoriety by a series of eccentric journeys e.g. he travelled from London to Queenborough in a paper boat with two stockfish tied to canes for oars, described in "The Praise of Hemp-Seed", which was re-enacted in 2006.
Taylor is one of the few early authors of a palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
that can be credited as such: in 1614, he wrote "Lewd did I live, & evil I did dwel." He also wrote a poem about Thomas Parr
Thomas Parr
Thomas Parr was an English supercentenarian who is claimed to have lived for 152 years. He is often referred to simply as Old Parr or Old Tom Parr.-Biography:...
, a man who supposedly lived to the age of 152. He was also the author of a constructed language called Barmoodan
Barmoodan
Barmoodan is a constructed language created by the "Water poet", John Taylor.Taylor claims to have translated work in Barmoodan into the fictional Utopian language....
.
Many of Taylor's works were published by subscription; i.e., he would propose a book, ask for contributors, and write it when he had enough subscribers to undertake the printing costs. He had more than sixteen hundred subscribers to The Pennylesse Pilgrimage; or, the Moneylesse Perambulation of John Taylor, alias the Kings Magesties Water-Poet; How He TRAVAILED on Foot from London to Edenborough in Scotland, Not Carrying any Money To or Fro, Neither Begging, Borrowing, or Asking Meate, Drinke, or Lodging., published in 1618. Those who defaulted on the subscription were chided the following year in a scathing brochure entitled A Kicksey Winsey, or, A Lerry Come-Twang, which he issued in the following year.
- By wondrous accident perchance one may
- Grope out a needle in a load of hay;
- And though a white crow be exceedingly rare,
- A blind man may, by fortune, catch a hare.
- - A Kicksey Winsey (pt. VII)
Further reading
- bartleby.com
- http://web.archive.org/web/20091026215839/http://www.geocities.com/thameswatermen/original.htm
- http://www.his.com/~rory/castle2.html
- http://www.nndb.com/people/463/000098169/
- Bernard Capp, The World of John Taylor the Water-Poet, 1578–1653 (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1994) – the first full-length biography.
- Travels through Stuart Britain : the adventures of John Taylor, the water poet
John H Chandler (ed.) Stroud, Sutton, 1999.