- 1640 in literature
The year 1640 in literature involved some significant events.
Events
*
January 21 - "Salmacida Spolia ", amasque written by SirWilliam Davenant and designed byInigo Jones , is performed atWhitehall Palace — the final royal masque of theCaroline era .
*March 17 (St. Patrick's Day ) - Henry Burnell's play "Landgartha" premieres at theWerburgh Street Theatre inDublin . It is one of the earliest dramatic works from a native Irish playwright.
*April 16 (approx.) -James Shirley returns to England from Ireland.
*May 4 - Theatre managerWilliam Beeston is sent to theMarshalsea Prison for staging a play (perhapsRichard Brome 's "The Court Beggar ", or his "The Queen and Concubine ") that offended the Stuart regime. This constituted the sole repression of the theatre to occur during the reign of King Charles I.
*May 28 -Pedro Calderón de la Barca joins the Catalonian campaign led by the Duke of Olivares.New books
*"The
Bay Psalm Book ", the first book printed in North America
*Diego de Saavedra Fajardo - "Idea de un principe plotico cristiano" (literally, "The Idea of a Christian Political Prince;" in English, "The Royal Politician")
*Thomas Fuller - "Joseph's partly-coloured Coat"
*James Howell - "Dodona's Grove"
*Cornelius Jansen - "Augustinus"
*John Wilkins - "A Discourse Concerning a New Planet"New drama
*Henry Burnell - "Landgartha"
*William Davenant – "Salmacida Spolia "
* John Fletcher & James Shirley - "The Night Walker " (published)
*Henry Glapthorne - "The Hollander", "Wit in a Constable", and "The Ladies' Privilege" (published)
*John Gough - "The Strange Discovery"
*William Habington - "The Queen of Arragon"
*Samuel Harding - "Sicily and Naples"
*Jean Mairet - "L’Illustre corsaire"
*Nathaniel Richards - "Messalina" (published)
*Joseph Rutter - "The Cid, Part 2" (published)
*George Sandys - "Christ's Passion" (English translation ofHugo Grotius 's "Christus Patiens")
*Lewis Sharpe - "The Noble Stranger" published
*James Shirley - "The Imposture " performed; a single-volume collection of eight plays published; "The Arcadia", "The Humorous Courtier ", and "Saint Patrick for Ireland " published; "The Coronation " published but misattributed to John FletcherPoetry
*
Thomas Carew - "Poems"
*Robert Sempill the younger - "The Life and Death of Habbie Simpson, Piper of Kilbarchan"
*John Tatham - "Fancy's Theatre"Births
*
April 2 -Marianna Alcoforado , author of "Letters of a Portuguese Nun" (died1723 )
*July 10 -Aphra Behn , dramatist (died1689 )
*August 8 -Amalia Catharina , German poet (died1697 )
*September 6 -Heinrich Brewer , German historian (died c. 1713)
*December 6 -Claude Fleury , historian (died1723 )
*"date unknown"
**David-Augustin de Brueys , French theologian and dramatist (died1723 )
**Madame de Villedieu, French dramatist and novelist (died1683 )
*"probable" -William Wycherley , dramatist (died1716 )Deaths
*
January 25 - Robert Burton, scholar (born1577 )
*March 17 -Philip Massinger , dramatist (born1583 )
*March 22 -Thomas Carew , poet (born1595 )
*April -Uriel da Costa , Portuguese philosopher (born c. 1585)
*May 30 -André Duchesne , French historian (born1584 )
*October 1 -Claudio Achillini , Italian philosopher and poet (born1574 )
*"date unknown"
**William Alabaster , poet (born1567 )
**William Aspley , London publisher
**Paul Fleming , poet (born1609 )
**Elizabeth Melville , Scottish poet
**SirJohn Melton , politician and writer
**Daniel Naborowski , Polish poet (born1573 )
**Richard Rowlands , antiquary (born c. 1550)
*"probable"
**Charles Aleyn , poet
**John Day, dramatist (born1574 )
**John Ford, dramatist (born1584 )
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