John Pace (c.1523 – c.1590) was a

jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

, and later at the court of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

Life

Pace was probably a nephew of English diplomat

Richard Pace Richard Pace (c. 148228 June 1536) was an English clergyman and diplomat of the Tudor period. Life He was born in Hampshire and educated at Winchester College under Thomas Langton. He attended the universities of Padua and Oxford. In 1509, ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, and in 1539 was elected a scholar of

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

. He apparently left the university before he finished his studies, although he was popularly credited with being a master of arts. He may have been jester to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, although this is doubted. It is probable that he became jester in the household of the Duke of Norfolk before Henry VIII's death; in Elizabeth's reign he was transferred to the court. That a man of education like Pace should have voluntarily assumed "the fool's coat" often excited hostile comment. To such criticism Pace's friend,

John Heywood John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no musical works survive. A devout ...

, the

epigrammatist An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for ...

, once answered that it was better for the

common weal Common Weal is a Scottish pro-independence think tank and advocacy group which campaigns for social and economic equality in Scotland. It launched in 2013 and regularly publishes papers and works exploring an alternate economic and social model ...

for wise men to "go in fools' coats" than for fools to "go in wise men's gowns". Thomas Nash authored epistles honouring Pace.

His wit

Two examples of Pace's wit survive. Cardinal Allen relates in his ''An Apology for the English Seminaries'' (1581) that when the English government interdicted the circulation of catholic books in England, ‘madde J. Pace, meeting one day with M. Juel .e._John_Jewel,_bishop_of_Salisbury.html" ;"title="John_Jewel.html" ;"title=".e. John Jewel">.e. John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury">John_Jewel.html" ;"title=".e. John Jewel">.e. John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury saluted his lordship courtly, and said, "Now, my Lord, you may be at rest with these felowes, for you are quit by proclamation. Francis Bacon relates in his ''Apothegms New and Old'' (1625) that 'Pace the bitter fool was not suffered to come at the Queen because of his bitter humour. Yet at one time some persuaded the Queen that he should come to her; undertaking for him that he should keep compass. So he was brought to her, and the Queen said: "Come on, Pace; now we shall hear of our faults.” Saith Pace: "I do not use to talk of that that all the town talks of. Pace died some time before 1592.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, John 1520s births 1590s deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English jesters 16th-century English people