A History that Begins with the Poet John Davies and “the Bastinado”.
Edward de Vere as Shakespeare in Ben Jonson's Poetaster (pending)
The Fire, Air, Earth and Water did
agree
By LOVE’S persuasion (Nature’s mighty
King)
To leave their first disordered
combating;
And, in a dance, such Measure to
observe
As all the world their motion should preserve.
I knew little more about him than that he also wrote another
longish poem called Nosce Teipsum — “Know Yourself” — and more than a
few short poems.
For obvious reasons Orchestra is a particular
favorite of mine. The metaphor of the
poem is extended far beyond what most poets can manage. It took many of its images from the soundest
science of its day. My own poem was intended to do the same with images from 21st
century science.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I recently came upon an account, in
the records of London’s Middle Temple, of a member, John Davies, furiously
attacking another, Richard Martin, with a club.
Parliament, 9 Feb., 1597-8. "While the Masters of the
Bench, etc., were quietly dining in the public Hall, John Davies, one of the
Masters of the Bar, in cap and gown and girt with a dagger, his servant and
another with him being armed with him, came into the Hall. The servant and the
other person stayed at the bottom of the Hall, while he walked up to the
fireplace and then to the lower part of the second table for Masters of the
Bar, where Richard Martyn was quietly dining; taking from under his gown a
stick which is commonly called a 'Bastinado,' he struck Martyn on the head with
it, till it broke, and then running to the bottom of the Hall he took his
servant's sword out of his hand, shook it over his own head, and ran down to
the water steps and jumped into a boat. He is expelled never to return."[1]
Master Davies gave Master Martin the ole “bastinado”. He
beat him over the head with a thick, sturdy
stick, commonly called by that name. And he did not stop until the stick
had broken from the force of the blows. Next, after demonstratively brandishing
a sword, he ran to the Temple Stairs — “stairs” being what one called a
fashionable dock on the Thames — and escaped on a waiting boat.
Happily, I said to myself, John Davies is a very common name
and unlikely to be the poet. Okay, I really said to myself “I hope this is the
poet John Davies because it will make a fascinating story.” To be quite honest,
the latter was the irresistible thought that I thought.
Before I’d had the time to check the pedigree of the John
Davies in question, I learned of his being accepted back into the fellowship of
the Middle Temple.
Parliament, 30 Oct., 1601. A petition for restoration of John
Davies, expelled for disorder four years ago, granted, "if he makes
submission and satisfactioned enjoined by Messrs. Pagytt and three other
(named) Masters." He pronounced his submission All Saints' Day at the
Cup-board in the Hall, immediately before dinner, in the presence of Sir John
Popham, Knt., Chief Justice and Privy Councillor; William Periam, Knt., Chief
Baron; Edward Fenner, Justice of the Bench; John Savile, Baron of the
Exchequer; Thomas Harris and David Williams, Serjeants, and others. He then
asked Mr. Martyn's pardon.[2]
So then, a mere four years having passed, all were friends
again. Master Davies was accepted back.
But, like so many stories from Tudor and Stuart times, there
would prove to be much more to the story. Much, much more.
A check of the Catalogue Of Notable Middle Templars
informed me that the John Davies in question was indeed the poet. And a good
deal more.
DAVIES or DAVYS, Sir JOHN. Lawyer and Poet. 1569—1626.
Admitted 10 February, 1587.
Third son of John Davies of Tisbury, Wilts, where he was born
16 April, 1569. According to Wood, after having laid a considerable foundation
of academical literature at Queen's College, Oxford, he passed to New Inn, and
from thence removed to the Middle Temple, where he was called to the Bar in
July, 1595. "But so it was that he, being a high spirited young man, did,
upon some little provocation or punctilio, bastinado Richard Martin {q.v.) in
the Common Hall of the Middle Temple, while he was at dinner." For this he
was, of course, expelled; but afterwards, by favour of Lord Ellesmere, on his
apology to the Bench and to Mr. Martin, he was restored, and became a
Counsellor and Member of Parliament at Westminster (1601). He was a favourite
with James I., whose attention he had attracted by a treatise entitled Nosce
Teipsum, published in 1599, and who made him his Solicitor and
Attorney-General in Ireland, and knighted him in 1607. In 1606 he became
Serjeant-at-Law, and in 1626 was appointed Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench, but died before his installation into office. He was held in greater
esteem as a scholar than as a lawyer, and is known as the author of the
following works: Nosce Teipsum (1599); Hymns of Astroea [printed
with the former]; Orchestra: a Poem . . . of Dancing [printed
with the former]; Discovery of the True Causes why Ireland was never brought
under obedience to the Crown of England (1612); Declaration concerning
the title of his Majesty's son Charles (1614); Le Primer Reports des
Cases et Matters en Ley (1615); Perfect Abridgment of the eleven Books
of Reports of Sir Edward Coke (1651); Jus imponendi Vectigalia
(1656); The Question concerning the Imposition of Tonnage and Poundage
(1656).[3]
Information elsewhere describes Master Martin as a man of
exceedingly sharp tongue and slashing wit — especially after he had one or two
under his belt. It seems certain, then, that we can add to the description of
Master Davies that he did not appreciate Master Martin’s use of his talents.
But this is only the
beginning of a rather astonishing tale involving Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, John
Donne, The Mermaid Tavern, a trial for libel, and an historical blow-out party
with lots of very famous Tudor-Stuart writers one of whom would be seen off to
die in India.
[1] A
Calendar of the Middle Temple Records (1903), 29.
[2] Middle Temple Records, 30-1.
[3] Catalogue
Of Notable Middle Templars (1902). 69.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
1 comment:
OK Gilbert How do I get the rest of this story?
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