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Richard Brathwait or Brathwaite (1588 – 4 May 1673) was an English poet.
He was the author of many works of very unequal merit, of which the best known is ''Drunken Barnaby's Four Journeys'', which records his pilgrimages through England in rhymed Latin (said by Southey to be the best of modern times), and doggerel English verse. ''The English Gentleman'' (1631) and ''English Gentlewoman'' are in a much more decorous strain. Other works are ''The Golden Fleece'' (1611) (poems), ''The Poet's Willow'', ''A Strappado for the Devil'' (a satire), and ''Art Asleepe, Husband?''
His 1613 book ''The Yong Mans Gleanings'' contains the first known use of the word "
Life
Brathwait was born at Burnishead, nearKendal
Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...
. He entered Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
in 1604, and remained there for some years, pursuing the study of poetry and Roman history. He moved to Cambridge to study law at the university and afterwards to London to the Inns of Court. His father, Thomas, died in 1610, and Brathwait went down to live on the estate he inherited. He was married at Hurworth in County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly About North East E ...
, 4 May 1617, to Frances, daughter of James Lawson, of Nesham Abbey.
In 1633 his wife died, and in 1639 he married again. His only son by this second marriage, Sir Strafford Brathwait, was killed at sea. Brathwait is believed to have served with the Royalist army in the Civil War.
He was the author of many works of very unequal merit, of which the best known is ''Drunken Barnaby's Four Journeys'', which records his pilgrimages through England in rhymed Latin (said by Southey to be the best of modern times), and doggerel English verse. ''The English Gentleman'' (1631) and ''English Gentlewoman'' are in a much more decorous strain. Other works are ''The Golden Fleece'' (1611) (poems), ''The Poet's Willow'', ''A Strappado for the Devil'' (a satire), and ''Art Asleepe, Husband?''
His 1613 book ''The Yong Mans Gleanings'' contains the first known use of the word "computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
"; he used the word to refer to an "".
An extract from both ''Drunken Barnaby'' and his “epitaph to Frances, (his wife)” appears in '' The Bishoprick Garland'' by (Sir) Cuthbert Sharp.
Notes
References
*Further reading
* Barbara A. Reed, "Richard Brathwait: A Case Study of Publishing and Conduct Literature in Seventeenth-Century England" (M.A. Thesis, Arizona State University, 2000).External links
* 1588 births 1673 deaths English male poets Geordie songwriters Poets from the Kingdom of England {{Songwriter-stub