The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume I.Cibber, Theophilus
General
The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume I.
Cibber, Theophilus
Poets, English -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Poets, Irish -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
Thyestes, another tragedy of Seneca's, which in the judgment of
Hiensius, is not inferior to any other of his dramatic pieces. Our
author translated this play when he was at Oxford; it is wrote in
the same manner of verse as the other, only the chorus is written in
alternate rhime. The translator has added a scene at the end of the
fifth act, spoken by Thyestes alone; in which he bewails his misery,
and implores Heaven's vengeance on Atreus. These plays are printed in
a black letter in 4to. 1581.
Langbain observes, that tho' he cannot much commend the version of
Heywood, as poetically elegant, as he has chosen a measure of fourteen
syllables, which ever sounds harsh to the ears of those that are used
to heroic poetry, yet, says he, I must do the author this justice, to
acquaint the world, that he endeavours to give Seneca's sense, and
likewise to imitate his verse, changing his measure, as often as his
author, the chorus of each act being different from the act itself, as
the reader may observe, by comparing the English copy with the Latin
original.
After our author had spent two years in the study of divinity amongst
the priests, he was sent to Diling in Switzerland, where he continued
about seventeen years, in explaining and discussing controverted
questions, among those he called Heretics, in which time, for his zeal
for the holy mother, he was promoted to the degree of Dr. of Divinity,
and of the Four Vows. At length pope Gregory XIII. calling him away
in 1581, he sent him, with others, the same year into the mission of
England, and the rather because the brethren there told his holiness,
that the harvest was great, and the labourers few [3]. Being settled
then in the metropolis of his own country, and esteemed the chief
provincial of the Jesuits in England, it was taken notice of, that
he affected more the exterior shew of a lord, than the humility of a
priest, keeping as grand an equipage, as money could then furnish him
with. Dr. Fuller says, that our author was executed in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth; but Sir Richard Baker tells us, that he was one of
the chief of those 70 priests that were taken in the year 1585; and
when some of them were condemned, and the rest in danger of the law,
her Majesty caused them all to be shipp'd away, and sent out of
England. Upon Heywood's being taken and committed to prison, and the
earl of Warwick thereupon ready to relieve his necessity, he made a
copy of verses, mentioned by Sir John Harrington, concluding with
these two;
----Thanks to that lord, that wills me good;
For I want all things, saving hay and wood.
He afterwards went to Rome, and at last settled in the city of Naples,
where he became familiarly known to that zealous Roman Catholick, John
Pitceus, who speaks of him with great respect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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