Chidiock Tichborne facts for kids
Chidiock Tichborne (born after August 24, 1562 – died September 20, 1586) was an English poet. He was also involved in a political plot against Queen Elizabeth I.
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Life of Chidiock Tichborne
Chidiock Tichborne was born in Southampton sometime after August 24, 1562. His parents, Peter and Elizabeth Tichborne, were Roman Catholics. Many old records incorrectly say he was born around 1558, which would have made him 28 when he died. However, it's more likely he was no older than 23.
Chidiock's family, the Tichbornes, were very old and important. They owned land near Winchester since the 1100s. Chidiock's distant cousin, Sir Benjamin Tichborne, was made a special noble by King James I. Chidiock once said his family had a long, proud history that was "never stained" until his own troubles.
His father, Peter Tichborne, was a clerk in legal trials. He was a strong Catholic supporter. Peter didn't have much money, so he worked hard to get an education. He was helped by a distant relative, Lord Chidiock Paulet, after whom Chidiock was named. Peter Tichborne spent many years in prison later in life because he couldn't pay fines for practicing his Catholic faith. Chidiock's mother was Elizabeth Middleton.
The name "Chidiock" is pronounced 'chidik'. It came from his father's helper, Chidiock Paulet, whose family came from a village called Chideock in Dorset. Chidiock Tichborne was never called Charles. This was a mistake that started from a misprint in a school exam paper.
Chidiock had at least two sisters named Dorothy and Mary. When he was executed, he mentioned his wife, Agnes, one child, and six sisters. In a letter to his wife the night before he died, he also mentioned his "little sister Babb."
Chidiock Tichborne's Story
When Elizabeth I became Queen after Mary I died, Chidiock was allowed to practice Catholicism for a while. But in 1570, the Pope removed Queen Elizabeth from the Catholic Church because she was Protestant. In return, Queen Elizabeth stopped allowing Catholics to practice their religion freely. Being Catholic became illegal, and Catholic priests could be put to death.
In 1583, Chidiock and his father were arrested. They were questioned about using "popish relics," which were religious objects Chidiock had brought back from a trip abroad. They were let go, but they were questioned many times about their religion. In June 1586, more accusations about their Catholic practices were made against his family.
In June 1586, Chidiock Tichborne agreed to join the Babington Plot. This was a secret plan to kill Queen Elizabeth and replace her with the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was next in line to the throne. Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, found out about the plot. He used double agents to uncover the plan. Most of the people involved tried to run away, but Chidiock had an injured leg and had to stay in London. He was arrested on August 14 and later sentenced to death.
While he was held in the Tower of London on September 19, the day before he was to die, Chidiock wrote a letter to his wife. Her name was Agnes, though official papers called her Jane. Agnes was likely a special nickname he used for her.
This letter included three stanzas of poetry. This poem is his most famous work, called Tichborne's Elegy. It is also known by its first line, My Prime of Youth is but a Frost of Cares. The poem is a sad look at a life that is ending too soon. He also wrote two other poems, To His Friend and The Housedove.
On September 20, 1586, Chidiock Tichborne was executed along with Anthony Babington and other people involved in the plot.
Chidiock Tichborne's Poetry
Tichborne's Elegy
My prime of youth is but a frost of cares,
My feast of joy is but a dish of pain,
My crop of corn is but a field of tares,
And all my good is but vain hope of gain;
The day is past, and yet I saw no sun,
And now I live, and now my life is done.
My tale was heard and yet it was not told,
My fruit is fallen, and yet my leaves are green,
My youth is spent and yet I am not old,
I saw the world and yet I was not seen;
My thread is cut and yet it is not spun,
And now I live, and now my life is done.
I sought my death and found it in my womb,
I looked for life and saw it was a shade,
I trod the earth and knew it was my tomb,
And now I die, and now I was but made;
My glass is full, and now my glass is run,
And now I live, and now my life is done.
This version of the poem was printed in a book called Verses of Prayse and Joye in 1586. The word "tares" in the third line means a harmful weed that looks like corn when it's young. It's a reference to a story in the Bible.
The Housedove
A silly housedove happed to fall
amongst a flock of crows,
Which fed and filled her harmless craw
amongst her fatal foes.
The crafty fowler drew his net –
all his that he could catch –
The crows lament their hellish chance,
the dove repents her match.
But too, too late! it was her chance
the fowler did her spy,
And so did take her for a crow –
which thing caused her to die.
The only known handwritten copies of "The Housedove" are from a library in Edinburgh. However, there are many different handwritten versions of the "Elegy" poem.
About the Poems
Some people have wondered if Chidiock Tichborne really wrote the "Elegy." Some thought Sir Walter Raleigh might have written it. However, it was printed soon after the Babington plot in a book that celebrated Queen Elizabeth's survival. In the same book, another poem was written as an "answer" to Tichborne's poem. This answer poem was likely written by the poet Thomas Kyd.
Understanding the Elegy
Tichborne's "Elegy" uses two common ways of writing poetry from his time: antithesis and paradox. Antithesis means putting opposite ideas together, like "prime of youth" (best time of life) and "frost of cares" (cold worries). A paradox is a statement that seems to go against itself but is actually true, like "My tale was heard and yet it was not told."
The "Elegy" is special because almost every word in the poem has only one syllable. This makes it sound very direct and powerful.
Many people have been inspired by the "Elegy." It has been set to music many times, from the 1500s to today. Composers like Charles-François Gounod and Norman Dello Joio have used it.
Understanding The Housedove
"The Housedove" uses a popular image from that time. Tichborne saw himself as an innocent dove caught among his fellow plotters, who are like crows. The "crafty fowler" (the hunter) is probably Sir Francis Walsingham, the spymaster who uncovered the Babington plot.
