Deaths on January 29

Francis Meres, English priest and author (b. 1565)

Francis Meres (baptized 20 May 1566, likely born 1565 – 29 January 1647) was a prominent English churchman and prolific author during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. A distinguished graduate of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Meres later dedicated his life to ecclesiastical duties, serving as the rector of Wing in Rutland from 1602 until his passing. Beyond his pastoral responsibilities, he left an enduring mark on English letters through his insightful literary compilations, offering valuable insights into the cultural and intellectual landscape of his time.

The Significance of Francis Meres's Palladis Tamia

Meres is perhaps most famously remembered for his comprehensive and influential commonplace book, published in 1598, titled Palladis Tamia, Wits Treasury. This substantial work stands as a monumental compendium of literary observations, moral reflections, and critical assessments, characteristic of the scholarly practices prevalent in the late 16th century. Commonplace books served as essential intellectual tools, allowing scholars and writers to systematically collect, organize, and reflect upon noteworthy passages, aphorisms, facts, and ideas gleaned from their extensive reading and personal experiences, essentially acting as a personalized, curated encyclopedia.

The First Critical Account of Shakespeare's Works

Within the extensive pages of Palladis Tamia lies an exceptionally valuable section that offers the earliest known published critical account of the poems and plays of William Shakespeare. At a time when formal literary criticism was still nascent, Meres's detailed commentary provided unprecedented insight into Shakespeare's burgeoning reputation and prolific output. His work is considered invaluable for several key reasons:

• Contemporary Recognition: Meres definitively establishes Shakespeare's status as a celebrated and highly regarded dramatist and poet during his own lifetime, notably a full 25 years before the compilation and publication of the First Folio in 1623. This counters any later suggestions that Shakespeare's fame was posthumous or limited.
• Evidence of Prolific Output: He enumerates a substantial number of Shakespeare's works, confirming that by 1598, Shakespeare had already authored a significant body of comedies, tragedies, and narrative poems, cementing his reputation as a prolific playwright and poet.
• Literary Comparison and Praise: Meres lavishly praises Shakespeare, comparing him favorably to classical masters. He famously declared that "the sweet witty soul of Ovid lives in mellifluous & honey-tongued Shakespeare," and for comedy and tragedy, Shakespeare was "the most excellent in both kinds for the stage." Such comparisons underscored Shakespeare's perceived genius among his contemporaries.

Shakespearean Works Referenced by Meres

In Palladis Tamia, Francis Meres specifically lists many of Shakespeare's pivotal works, offering vital clues for the chronology and attribution of his plays and poems. These include:

• Comedies: Love's Labour's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Comedy of Errors. He also referenced a play titled "Love's Labour's Won," which is now a lost play or an alternative title for another extant comedy.
• Tragedies and Histories: Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, Richard III, King John, Titus Andronicus, and a play identified simply as "Henry IV" (most likely referring to Henry IV, Part 1, as Part 2 was probably completed around the same time or slightly after the book's publication).
• Narrative Poems: Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.

Meres also famously alluded to Shakespeare's "sugared Sonnets among his private friends," providing the earliest documented hint of the existence and circulation of Shakespeare's sonnets, even before their official publication in 1609. This early reference further underscores the breadth of Shakespeare's creative output recognized and admired by his contemporaries, making Meres's commonplace book an indispensable resource for Shakespearean scholars.

FAQs about Francis Meres and Shakespeare

Who was Francis Meres?

Francis Meres (1565/1566–1647) was an English churchman, scholar, and author. He is primarily known for his comprehensive literary compilation, Palladis Tamia, Wits Treasury, published in 1598, which offers significant insights into Elizabethan literature and culture.

What is Palladis Tamia, Wits Treasury?

It is a commonplace book, a type of scholarly compilation popular in the Elizabethan era. In this work, Meres collected aphorisms, moral essays, and various forms of literary criticism, serving as a compendium of knowledge and intellectual observations from a wide array of sources.

Why is Francis Meres important to Shakespearean scholarship?

His 1598 commonplace book contains the first detailed, published critical assessment of William Shakespeare's poems and plays. It provides crucial contemporary evidence of Shakespeare's high standing and prolific output during the 1590s, listing many of his notable works and confirming his status as a leading dramatist and poet during his lifetime.

What Shakespearean works did Meres mention?

Meres listed several comedies and tragedies, including Love's Labour's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, Richard III, King John, and "Henry IV." He also mentioned the narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, and referenced Shakespeare's "sugared Sonnets," indicating their private circulation.