Thomas Randolph 1605-1630
Thomas Randolph was born in Newnham, near Daventry, Northamptonshire. His mother died in 1613, shortly after giving birth to his sister and two years later his father married a widow with whom he had seven children. In 1617 the family moved to Little Houghton, Northamptonshire where his father was steward to Edward, Lord Zouche, an English diplomat and privy counsellor.
In 1618 Thomas was admitted to Westminster School as a King’s Scholar where he excelled in English and Latin verse. He went on to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1624, obtaining his BA in 1628, his MA in 1632, and becoming a Fellow of the College in that year. Whilst at Cambridge he wrote a poem celebrating the marriage of Charles I to Princess Henrietta Maria and a comedy play Aristippus or The Jovial Philosopher, which centred round a debate on the relative merits of ale and sack (fortified wine such as port or sherry). He also revived the tradition of Saltings, a way of introducing new students to those already there by means of witty speeches. John Milton, who was one year below him continued this tradition.
He was “adopted” by Ben Jonson, quite an honour, as Jonson was England’s unofficial poet laureate (the post was not officially created until 1668 whe Dryden was appointed) and he addressed three poems to Jonson, the first entitled Son of Ben. He went on to write further plays, The Muse’s Looking Glass (1630), a comical satire on morality, The Conceited Pedlar (1630), an amusing satirical monologue, The Jealous Lovers (1632), which was performed before the King and Queen and Amyntas or The Impossible Dowry, which was printed after his death in 1635 at the early age of 29 at the home of his friend, William Stafford. He also wrote a miscellany of Latin and English poems. A collection of his poems and plays was published in 1638 and his works were edited by Hazlittin 1875. He enjoyed a high reputation during his short life and it is likely he would have succeeded Ben Jonson as England’s premier poet had he lived.