Thomas Freeman, (ca. 1590–1630), was a minor English Jacobean poet and epigramist who is mostly remembered for writing an early poem addressed to

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. Freeman was born near

Moreton-in-Marsh Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town in the Evenlode Valley, within the Cotswolds district and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England. The town stands at the crossroads of the Fosse Way Roman road (now the A429) and the ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, and entered

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

, in 1607 at the age of 16 and matriculated with a Bachelor of Arts 22 June 1611. After graduation he moved to London, and in 1614 published two collections of epigrams in one volume, ''Rvbbe, and A great Caste'', and ''Rvnne And a great Cast: the second bowle'', dedicated to Thomas, Lord Windsor. They were addressed to many of the contemporary poets as well as the poets of history, including

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

, Shakespeare,

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

, Donne, Spenser, Heywood, and Chapman. His last poem was written in 1630 to commemorate the birth of

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. His Epigram 92 is an early example of Shakespeare criticism. His epigram 37 has attracted some attention from modern readers, owing perhaps to its self-reflexive commentary:''The New Yorker'', 20 February 1995 ----

References

* Bloxam, John Rouse. ''Magdalen College Register, The Demies'', Vol. II. John Parker: Oxford, London, 1876, pp. 33–34. {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Thomas 1590s births 1630 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford English male poets