Jasper Mayne

Jasper Mayne

Jasper Mayne (1604 – December 6, 1672) was an English clergyman, translator, and a minor poet and dramatist.

Mayne was baptized at Hatherleigh, Devonshire, on November 23, 1604, and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He then entered the Church, was given two college livings in Oxfordshire (the vicarages of Cassington near Woodstock, and Pyrton near Watlington), and in 1646 was made a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). These livings ended under the Commonwealth (1649–1660), when he was turned out of office to become chaplain to the Duke of Devonshire. After the Restoration, he was made canon of Christ Church (1660–1672), Archdeacon of Chichester (1660–1672), and chaplain in ordinary to King Charles II. Burke records that Dr. Mayne gave £500 towards the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Mayne wrote two plays before giving up poetry as unbefitting his station: "The City Match" (1639), a domestic farce acted at Whitehall by the command of King Charles I; and "The Amorous War" (1648), a tragicomedy. His other works include a number of poems and sermons; translations of Lucian of Samosata (1638, 1664), and John Donne's "Latin Epigrams"; and the preface to the 1647 Beaumont and Fletcher first folio.

In an amusing anecdote recounted in Blackwood's Magazine, Dr. Mayne is said to have bequeathed a trunk to an old servant, noting that it contained something that would make him drink. When opened, it was found to contain a red herring.

Shakespeare scholar Sydney Lee proposed Jasper Mayne as a possible identity of the "I. M." who wrote the fourth commendatory verse in the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays (1623). Yet since Mayne was only nineteen years old at the time the Folio was published, scholars have tended to favor James Mabbe. [F. E. Halliday, "A Shakespeare Companion 1564-1964," Baltimore, Penguin, 1964; p. 294.]

Mayne died on December 6, 1672 at Oxford, and was interred on the north side of the choir at Christchurch.

Notes

References

*Samuel Johnson and William Hazlitt, "Johnson's Lives of the British poets completed by W. Hazlitt"
*"A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature"
*John Burke, "A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank", 1838.
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ British History Online]
*A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mayne — may refer to: People Andrew Mayne, magician and filmmaker Brent Mayne (born 1968), American Baseball catcher Chris Mayne Clarice Mayne Cuthbert Mayne (1544–1577), English Roman Catholic priest and martyr Edgar Mayne (1882–1961), Australian… …   Wikipedia

  • Jasper (name) — This article is about the given name. For other meanings, see Jasper (disambiguation). Jasper Gender Either Other names Related names Casper, Gasper, Jesper Jasper is a given name. The name means spotted or speckled stone and is derived from… …   Wikipedia

  • Jasper Graham Mayne — CBE (9 April 1859 ndash;6 January 1936) was a British soldier, marksman and police officer.Mayne was the son of a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army. He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1879 he… …   Wikipedia

  • Mayne, Jasper — (1604 1672)    Dramatist, was at Oxf., entered the Church, and became Archdeacon of Chichester. He wrote two dramas, The City Match (1639), and The Amorous War (1648), in neither of which did he sustain the clerical character. He had, however,… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Francis Cheynell — Franicis Cheynell [Cheynel, Chenell, Channell.] (1608 1665) was a prominent English religious controversialist, of Presbyterian views, and President of St. John s College, Oxford 1648 to 1650, imposed by the Parliamentary regime.His Aulicus of… …   Wikipedia

  • 17th century in literature — See also: 16th century in literature *Early Modern literature *other events of the 17th century *18th century in literature, 1700 in literature,and list of years in literature.Events and trends* 1660 1669 Samuel Pepys writes his diary. * 1667… …   Wikipedia

  • 1604 — Year 1604 (MDCIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 10 day slower Julian calendar).Events of 1604January June * January 14 The Hampton… …   Wikipedia

  • List of former pupils of Westminster School — The following people were educated at Westminster School, and are sometimes listed with OW (Old Westminster) after their name (collectively, OWW) There are over 900 Old Westminsters listed in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography so these… …   Wikipedia

  • 1658 in literature — The year 1658 in literature involved some significant events.Events* Molière arrives in Paris to act at the Louvre. * Edward Phillips continues the Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Time of the Romans Government unto the Death of King… …   Wikipedia

  • 1648 in literature — The year 1648 in literature involved some significant events.Events* Richard Lovelace, Royalist poet, is imprisoned for opposition to Parliament. * René Descartes meets Frans Burman, resulting in the Conversation with Burman . * During the siege… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”