Thomas Edwards (poet)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Edwards was an English poet who published two Ovidian epic poems Cephalus and Procris and Narcissus. Beyond his name, nothing is known with certainty of Edwards. He has been provisionally identified with a Shropshire
law student of that name who transferred from Furnival's Inn
to Lincoln's Inn
in June 1587, where he shared a room with a known friend of John Donne
.
Edwards possibly contributed the Latin verse to Adriaan van Roomen
's Parvum theatrum urbium which was published in 1595.
's poem Metamorphoses.
Cephalus and Procris
are a romantic couple. Narcissus
famously fell in love with his own reflection.
Edward's poems were published as a single volume in 1595; Cephalus and Procris in couplet
form, Narcissus in a seven-line stanza
. In the first poem Edwards appears to be imitating Marlowe, and in the latter Shakespeare.
The author concluded each work with a long postscript; in Narcissus this includes, using aliases, references to other poets including: Amintas (Thomas Watson
); Collyn (Edmund Spenser
); Leander (Christopher Marlowe
); Rosamond (Samuel Daniel
) and Adon (Shakespeare). A mysterious poet "in purple robes" praised at the end of the list has not been convincingly identified.
and Thomas Nashe
derided the work; Covell listing it, among the "smaller lights" of modern poetry. Nashe attacked it in his pamphlet Have with You to Saffron-Walden
. No copies of the book were known until a portion of a copy was found in the Lamport
Library of Sir Charles Isham, 10th Baronet in 1867. A complete copy was subsequently discovered at the Cathedral Library at Peterborough. It was republished by the Roxburghe Club
in 1882. Before this the poem was only known by its title and the references to it by Nashe and others. Nashe appears to say that it was by written by Anthony Chute
. It was thus attributed to Chute until the actual book with its author's name on the title page was located.
Various authors starting with Thomas Warton
have suggested that Shakespeare satirised Cephalus and Procris in the Pyramus and Thisbe episode in A Midsummer Night's Dream
, supposedly written by incompetent poet Peter Quince
.
However, this view has been generally discounted since the poem was located, as it bears no resemblance to the verses attributed to Peter Quince.
Shropshire
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...
law student of that name who transferred from Furnival's Inn
Furnival's Inn
Furnival's Inn was an Inn of Chancery which formerly stood on the site of the present Holborn Bars building in Holborn, London, England.-History:...
to Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in June 1587, where he shared a room with a known friend of John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
.
Edwards possibly contributed the Latin verse to Adriaan van Roomen
Adriaan van Roomen
Adriaan van Roomen , also known as Adrianus Romanus, was a Flemish mathematician.-Life:Van Roomen was born in Leuven, the son of Adriaan Van Roomen and Maria Van Den Daele. He became a professor, and then travelled extensively in Europe.After studying at the Jesuit College in Cologne, Roomen...
's Parvum theatrum urbium which was published in 1595.
Cephalus and Procris and Narcissus
Edward's two known poems concern characters who all feature in OvidOvid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's poem Metamorphoses.
Cephalus and Procris
Procris
In Greek mythology, Procris was the daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens and his wife, Praxithea. She married Cephalus, the son of Deioneus. Procris had at least two sisters, Creusa and Orithyia...
are a romantic couple. Narcissus
Narcissus (mythology)
Narcissus or Narkissos , possibly derived from ναρκη meaning "sleep, numbness," in Greek mythology was a hunter from the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him...
famously fell in love with his own reflection.
Edward's poems were published as a single volume in 1595; Cephalus and Procris in couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
form, Narcissus in a seven-line stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
. In the first poem Edwards appears to be imitating Marlowe, and in the latter Shakespeare.
The author concluded each work with a long postscript; in Narcissus this includes, using aliases, references to other poets including: Amintas (Thomas Watson
Thomas 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...
); Collyn (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...
); Leander (Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
); Rosamond (Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel
Samuel Daniel was an English poet and historian.-Early life:Daniel was born near Taunton in Somerset, the son of a music-master. He was the brother of lutenist and composer John Danyel. Their sister Rosa was Edmund Spenser's model for Rosalind in his The Shepherd's Calendar; she eventually married...
) and Adon (Shakespeare). A mysterious poet "in purple robes" praised at the end of the list has not been convincingly identified.
Reception
The book was not well received. Contemporaries such as William CovellWilliam Covell
-Life:He was born in Chadderton, Lancashire, England, and proceeded M.A. at Queens' College, Cambridge in 1588.In the 1590s Covell took part in the controversy about how far the newly-reformed Church of England should abandon the liturgy and hierarchy of the past, to which debate he contributed...
and 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:...
derided the work; Covell listing it, among the "smaller lights" of modern poetry. Nashe attacked it in his pamphlet Have with You to Saffron-Walden
Have with You to Saffron-Walden
Have With You To Saffron-Walden, Or, Gabriell Harveys hunt is up is the title of a pamphlet written by Thomas Nashe and published in London in late 1596 by John Danter. The work is Nashe's final shot in his four-year literary feud with Dr. Gabriel Harvey...
. No copies of the book were known until a portion of a copy was found in the Lamport
Lamport, Northamptonshire
Lamport is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire, England. The village is on the A508, about south of Market Harborough and north of Northampton. Nearby is Lamport Hall...
Library of Sir Charles Isham, 10th Baronet in 1867. A complete copy was subsequently discovered at the Cathedral Library at Peterborough. It was republished by the Roxburghe Club
Roxburghe Club
The Roxburghe Club was formed on 17 June 1812 by leading bibliophiles, at the time the library of the Duke of Roxburghe was auctioned. It took 45 days to sell the entire collection. The first edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, printed by Chrisopher Valdarfer of Venice in 1471, was sold to the...
in 1882. Before this the poem was only known by its title and the references to it by Nashe and others. Nashe appears to say that it was by written by Anthony Chute
Anthony Chute
Anthony Chute was an Elizabethan poet and pamphleteer. Very little is known about him.Chute appears to have been a protégé of Gabriel Harvey. Harvey refers to him in his work Pierces Supererogation, saying that Chute was an orator and a herald...
. It was thus attributed to Chute until the actual book with its author's name on the title page was located.
Various authors starting with Thomas Warton
Thomas Warton
Thomas Warton was an English literary historian, critic, and poet. From 1785 to 1790 he was the Poet Laureate of England...
have suggested that Shakespeare satirised Cephalus and Procris in the Pyramus and Thisbe episode in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, supposedly written by incompetent poet Peter Quince
Peter Quince
In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Quince is a carpenter who works in ancient Athens. He is one of the six craftsmen that put on a play for Theseus and Hippolyta at their wedding...
.
- Pyramus: Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.
- Thisbe: As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you.
- (Midsummer Night's Dream, Act v. 1)
However, this view has been generally discounted since the poem was located, as it bears no resemblance to the verses attributed to Peter Quince.