John Smith (English poet) facts for kids
John Smith (born in 1662, died in 1717) was a writer from England. He wrote poems and plays.
Life Story
John Smith was the son of another John Smith from Barton, Gloucestershire. In 1676, when he was about 14 years old, he joined Magdalen College, Oxford. He was a chorister there, which means he sang in the college choir.
He officially enrolled at the university on July 10, 1679. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1683. Later, in 1686, he earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. In 1682, he became a clerk at the college, helping with administrative tasks. By 1689, he was an usher at the college school, which meant he helped teach and supervise students.
Smith passed away in Oxford on July 16, 1717. He was buried in the chapel of Magdalen College.
His Writings
John Smith wrote several books of poems and plays. Here are some of his known works:
- Odes Paraphras'd and imitated, in Miscellany Poems and Translations by Oxford Hands (1685): This book contained poems that were rewritten or inspired by older works. It was part of a collection of poems and translations by writers from Oxford.
- Scarronides, or Virgil Travesty: a Mock-Poem on the second Book of Virgil's Æneis, in English Burlesque (1691): This was a funny, parody poem. It made fun of the second book of a famous ancient Roman epic poem called The Aeneid. It was written in a style similar to Charles Cotton's earlier parody of the first book.
- Poems upon Several Occasions (1713): This collection of poems also showed that Smith wrote for the theater. It included things like prologues, which are speeches given at the beginning of a play.
Many people believe that John Smith also wrote a comedy play called Win her and take her, or Old Fools will be Medling. This play was performed at the Theatre Royal in London in 1691. The play was published without the author's name. It was dedicated to Peregrine, Earl of Danby, by an actor named Cave Underhill. The play also included an epilogue, which is a speech at the end of a play, written by Thomas D'Urfey.
Some experts have noted that the story of this play was similar to another play from 1676 called The Virtuoso. Also, a character in Smith's play, Waspish, might have been based on a character named Snarl from the earlier comedy. The person to whom Win her and take her was dedicated is the same person to whom Smith's Poems upon Several Occasions was dedicated.
