Samuel Rowlands (c. 1573–1630) was an English author of pamphlets in prose and verse which reflect the follies and humours of lower middle-class life in his day. He seems to have had no literary reputation at the time, but his work throws much light on the development of popular literature and social life in London, where he spent his life. His contact with the middle and lower classes of society included working in 1600–1615 for William White, and then George Loftus, booksellers, who published Rowlands's pamphlets in this time.

Selected sacred and secular poems

*''The Betraying of Christ'' (1598) *''The Letting of Humour's Blood in the Head-vaine'' (epigrams and satires) and ''A Mery Meetinge, or tis Mery when Knaves mete'' (1600) – the two latter being publicly burnt by order, but republished later under other names (''Humors Ordinarie'' and ''The Knave of Clubbes'') *''Greene's Ghost haunting Conie-Catchers'' (1602), which he pretended to have edited from

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...

's papers, but which is largely borrowed from his printed works *''Tis Merrie when Gossips meete'' (1602), a dialogue between a Widow, a Wile, a Maid and a Vintner *' (1604), in which Death describes the tyrants, careless divines and other evil-doers whom he will destroy *''Hell's broke loose'' (1605), an account of

John of Leyden John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into ...

. In the same year a ''Theatre of Divine Recreation'' (not extant), poems founded on the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

, and a collection of epigrams entitled ''Humor's Antique Faces'' *''A Terrible Battle between ... Time and Death'' (1606) *''Democritus, or Doctor Merry-man his Medicines against Melancholy humors'', reprinted, with alterations, as ''Doctor Merrie-man, and Diogenes Lent home'' (1607), in which Athens is London *''The Famous History of Guy, Earl of Warwick'' (1607), a long romance in Rowlands's favorite six-lined stanza, and one of his hastiest, least successful efforts *''Humors Looking Glasse'' (1608) *(dubiously) ''Martin Mark-all, Beadle of Bridewell'' (1608 or 1610), a history of roguery containing much information about notable

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

(q.v. kings of gypsies) and the completest vocabulary of thieves' slang up to that time, usually attributed to Samuel Rid.

Later works

Of his later works may be mentioned ''Sir Thomas Overbury; or the Poysoned Knights Complaint, and The Melancholic Knight'' (1615), which suggests a hearing of

Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603–25). They became known as a team early in their association, so much so that their jo ...

's ''Knight of the Burning Pestle''. The last of his humorous studies, ''Good Newes and Bad Newes'', appeared in 1622, and in 1628 he published a pious volume of prose and verse, entitled ''Heaven's Glory, Seeke it: Earts vanitie, Flye it: Hells Horror, Fere it''., Nothing is known of him after that.

Edmund Gosse Sir Edmund William Gosse (; 21 September 184916 May 1928) was an English poet, author and critic. He was strictly brought up in a small Protestant sect, the Plymouth Brethren, but broke away sharply from that faith. His account of his childhoo ...

, introducing Rowlands's complete works, edited in 1872–1880 for the Hunterian Club in Glasgow by Sidney John Hervon Herrtage,Complete Works. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
/ref> sums him up as a small, non-political

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

, a pamphleteer in verse whose talents were never exercised except when their possessor was pressed for means, and a poet of considerable talent, yet without a spark or glimmer of genius. Gosse's notice is reprinted in his ''Seventeenth Century Studies'' (1883). A poem by Rowlands, ''The Bride'' (1617), was reprinted at Boston, USA, in 1905 by A. C. Potter.,

References

External links

* * *
''The complete works of Samuel Rowlands''
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

''The knave of clubbes''
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowlands, Samuel 1570s births 1630 deaths 16th-century English poets English male poets English non-fiction writers Writers from London English pamphleteers 17th-century English poets

Selected sacred and secular poems

Later works

See also

References

External links