John Pace (c.1523 – c.1590) was a

jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

, and later at the court of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

Life

Pace was probably a nephew of English diplomat

Richard Pace Richard Pace (c. 148228 June 1536) was an English clergyman and diplomat of the Tudor period. Life He was born in Hampshire and educated at Winchester College under Thomas Langton. He attended the universities of Padua and Oxford. In 1509, ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, and in 1539 was elected a scholar of

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

. He apparently left the university before he finished his studies, although he was popularly credited with being a master of arts. He may have been jester to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, although this is doubted. It is probable that he became jester in the household of the Duke of Norfolk before Henry VIII's death; in Elizabeth's reign he was transferred to the court. That a man of education like Pace should have voluntarily assumed "the fool's coat" often excited hostile comment. To such criticism Pace's friend,

John Heywood John Heywood ( – ) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no musical works survive. A devout Catholic, he ...

, the

epigrammatist An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia. ...

, once answered that it was better for the common good, common weal for wise men to "go in fools' coats" than for fools to "go in wise men's gowns". Thomas Nash authored epistles honouring Pace. Pace died some time before 1592.

His wit

Two examples of Pace's wit survive. Cardinal Allen relates in his ''An Apology for the English Seminaries'' (1581) that when the English government interdicted the circulation of Catholic books in England, ‘madde J. Pace, meeting one day with M. Juel .e. John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury">John_Jewel.html" ;"title=".e. John Jewel">.e. John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury saluted his lordship courtly, and said, "Now, my Lord, you may be at rest with these felowes, for you are quit by proclamation. Francis Bacon relates in his ''Apothegms New and Old'' (1625) that 'Pace the bitter fool was not suffered to come at the Queen because of his bitter humour. Yet at one time some persuaded the Queen that he should come to her; undertaking for him that he should keep compass. So he was brought to her, and the Queen said: "Come on, Pace; now we shall hear of our faults.” Saith Pace: "I do not use to talk of that that all the town talks of.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, John 1520s births 1590s deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English jesters 16th-century English people