Mathew Roydon facts for kids

Mathew Roydon (sometimes spelled Matthew) was an English poet who lived a long time ago, dying in 1622. He was part of a special group of writers and thinkers known as the School of Night.

Mathew Roydon's Life

Mathew Roydon became a well-known person in London's writing world after finishing his studies at Oxford University in 1580. He knew many famous poets of his time. These included Philip Sidney, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Thomas Lodge, and George Chapman.

Roydon was good friends with Christopher Marlowe, a famous playwright. They, along with others like Thomas Harriot and William Warner, often talked about big ideas, including religion. Later in his life, Roydon worked for Robert Radcliffe, 5th Earl of Sussex, who was a supporter of writers.

His Writings and Friends

Mathew Roydon wrote a poem to remember his friend Philip Sidney after Sidney passed away. This poem was called Elegie, or Friends passion for his Astrophill. It was first printed in a collection called Phoenix Nest in 1593. It also appeared with Edmund Spenser's poem Astrophel in Spenser's book Colin Clout in 1595.

Another friend, George Chapman, dedicated some of his own books to Roydon. Chapman wrote that Roydon loved learning deeply. Other writers also praised Roydon. John Davies of Hereford wrote kind verses about him in 1611. Robert Armin, another writer, called Roydon a "poetical light" in 1609, meaning he was a bright and important poet.

In 1587, Thomas Nashe mentioned Roydon as one of London's leading poets. Francis Meres also said in 1598 that Roydon was as good as the great poets from Italy. Besides his poem for Sidney, Roydon's other known writings are short verses in books by Thomas Watson (1581) and Sir George Peckham (1583).

Roydon in Fiction

Mathew Roydon appears as a character in the novel Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. In the story, he is shown to be a vampire named Matthew de Clermont during the Elizabethan era.