Thomas Jordan (poet)
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Thomas Jordan (c. 1612–1685) was an English poet, playwright and actor, born possibly in London or
Eynsham Eynsham is an English village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Oxfordshire, about north-west of Oxford and east of Witney. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 4,648. It was estimated at 5,0 ...
in Oxfordshire about 1612 or 1614.Lynn Hulse
"Jordan, Thomas (c.1614–1685)"
in ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', online edn, Jan 2008. Date retrieved: 5 May 2013.


Early career

Jordan was a
boy actor Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...
in the King's Revels Company, which played at the
Salisbury Court Salisbury Square is a square in London EC4. History The square is named after Salisbury Court, by and on part of the land, today the name of the narrow street which leads the square from the north. Salisbury Court was the medieval London house ...
and
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
theatres, and continued with the company as an adult. He is known to have performed the part of Lepida, the mother of
Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...
, in
Thomas Rawlins Thomas Rawlins (1620?–1670) was an English medallist and playwright. Life Born about 1620, Rawlins appears to have received instruction as a goldsmith and gem engraver, and to have worked under Nicholas Briot at the Royal Mint. Rawlins's fi ...
's ''Messalina'' (published in 1640) some time between 1634 and 1636. In 1637, Jordan published his earliest known work, ''Poeticall Varieties, or Variety of Fancies'', which shows his theatrical background. It was dedicated to John Ford of
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
, a cousin of John Ford the dramatist. His connection with the King's Revels Company ceased in 1636, and his activities in the late 1630s are not known. Lynn Hulse suggests as "an attractive possibility" that he may then have been attached to the
Werburgh Street Theatre The Werburgh Street Theatre, also the Saint Werbrugh Street Theatre or the New Theatre, was a seventeenth-century theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Scholars and historians of the subject generally identify it as the "first custom-built theatre in the c ...
in Dublin. Details that support an Irish connection include a
commendatory verse The epideictic oratory, also called ceremonial oratory, or praise-and-blame rhetoric, is one of the three branches, or "species" (eidē), of rhetoric as outlined in Aristotle's ''Rhetoric'', to be used to praise or blame during ceremonies. Origin ...
signed "T.I." in one of the plays of
James Shirley James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist. He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so m ...
, the Werburgh Street house dramatist, and the dedication of Jordan's miscellany ''Sacred Poems'' (1640) to
James Ussher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ident ...
,
archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
and
primate of all Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...
. By 1641 he was acting with the
King's Company The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London, after the London theatre closure had been lifted at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682, when it merged wit ...
at their playhouse in
Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...
. His second comedy, "Youths Figaries", was written for the troupe that year and was "publikely Acted 19. days together, with extraordinary Applause" (published in 1657 as ''The Walks of Islington and Hogsdon'', a title which refers to the many taverns frequented in the course of the play).


Commonwealth period

In the period of the official closing of the theatres during the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
, 1642–60, Jordan was apparently involved in some of the clandestine theatrical activities at the
Red Bull Theatre The Red Bull was an inn-yard conversion erected in Clerkenwell, London operating in the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the City and its suburbs, developing a reputation over the years for r ...
. In a raid on the playhouse in September 1655, several actors were arrested, including one Thomas Jay, alias Thomas Jordan. Jordan probably also supported himself and his family for some time by writing dedications, commendatory verses, and
panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...
s. According to
Thomas Seccombe Thomas Seccombe (1866–1923) was a miscellaneous English writer and, from 1891 to 1901, assistant editor of the ''Dictionary of National Biography'', in which he wrote over 700 entries. A son of physician and episcopus vagans John Thomas Se ...
's ''
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' article, these were remarkable for their brazen
plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
s: "His plan seems to have been to print a book with the dedication in blank, and to fill in the name afterwards by means of a small press worked by himself".
Thomas Seccombe Thomas Seccombe (1866–1923) was a miscellaneous English writer and, from 1891 to 1901, assistant editor of the ''Dictionary of National Biography'', in which he wrote over 700 entries. A son of physician and episcopus vagans John Thomas Se ...
, "Jordan, Thomas" in ''Dictionary of National Biography''. Date retrieved: 5 May 2013.
For example, ''Wit in a Wildernesse'' was dedicated to at least five different individuals. Jordan frequently reissued both his own and other people's already-published works with new title-pages. Jordan was a prolific writer of verse, satire, collections of poetry and sundries. Being a fervent supporter of the
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
cause, he produced a stream of both prose and poetry in support of the cause, both before and after the
Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
in 1660. The miscellany ''A Royal Arbor of Loyal Poesie'', written in 1663, was reissued five times. When the theatres were reopened at the Restoration in 1660, Jordan again focused his energies on the drama, writing two plays and a masqueWilliam Winstanley,
The Lives of the Most Famous English Poets
' (1687), p. 191. (Winstanley spells the name "Thomas Jorden".) Date retrieved: 2 April 2013.
as well as numerous
droll A droll is a short comical sketch of a type that originated during the Puritan Interregnum in England. With the closure of the theatres, actors were left without any way of plying their art. Borrowing scenes from well-known plays of the Elizab ...
s,
afterpiece An afterpiece is a short, usually humorous one-act playlet or musical work following the main attraction, the full-length play, and concluding the theatrical evening.p24 "The Chambers Dictionary"Edinburgh, Chambers,2003 This short comedy, farce, o ...
s,
prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...
s and
epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...
s, and also doing some acting. He played the part of Captain Penniless in his own play ''Money is an Ass'' (1668).


City poet

Jordan started writing civic verse in the late 1650s, including an
eclogue An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics. Overview The form of the word ''eclogue'' in contemporary English developed from Middle English , which came from Latin , whi ...
in four parts for the Lord Mayor, Sir
Thomas Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy *Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England * ...
, and a
jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...
, "The Cheaters Cheated", for the sheriffs of London. He wrote speeches and songs for at least five of the great livery company feasts given in honour of
General Monck George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle JP KG PC (6 December 1608 – 3 January 1670) was an English soldier, who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support was cru ...
in the spring of 1660. In 1671 he was chosen to be poet of the corporation of London. The chief duties of the city laureates were to invent pageants for the successive Lord Mayor's Shows, and to compose a yearly panegyric upon the Lord Mayor elect. Jordan conducted the annual civic ceremonies very successfully for fourteen years, adapting each to the changing political situation. His civic entertainments were according to S. J. Owen characterised by "moderation and peace, coupled with Protestantism, patriotism, the promotion of trade, and a socially inclusive vision in which the city and its government have an important role in the nation". He was succeeded by Matthew Taubman in 1685, which has been generally assumed to be the year of Jordan's death.


Reputation

Several of his contemporaries wrote scornfully of Jordan. The biographer
William Winstanley William Winstanley (c. 1628 – 1698) was an English poet and compiler of biographies. Life Born about 1628, William Winstanley was the second son of William Winstanley of Quendon, Essex, (d. 1687) by his wife Elizabeth. Henry Winstanley was ...
ranks him with John Tatham as "indulging his Muse more to vulgar fancies than the high-flying wits of those times" and Samuel Wesley in his ''Maggots'' (1685) calls Jordan's muse the inspirer of dullness. Later readers have been more appreciative.
William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English lan ...
credited Jordan with a greater share of poetical merit than most of his profession. Jordan's
carpe diem is a Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work ''Odes'' (23 BC). Translation is the second-person singular present active imperative of '' carpō'' "pick or pluck" used by Horace t ...
-themed poem "Coronemus nos Rosis antequam marcescant", alternatively "Let us drink and be merry", was widely anthologised in the early 20th century, and the text of the poem is available on several internet sites.For instance a
about.com
an

Dates retrieved: 2 April 2013.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Thomas Male actors from London English dramatists and playwrights English male stage actors Writers from London 1610s births 1685 deaths Year of birth uncertain English male dramatists and playwrights English male poets