Campion, Thomas

(1567-1620)

   Physician, poet, composer of masques, outstanding songwriter, literary theorist, and brilliant lutenist. Educated at Cambridge University (1581-1584), he studied law in London, but he was never called to the bar. He also qualified as a doctor, possibly in France, and practiced medicine from 1606 until his death. He deplored the use of rhymed, accentual meters, insisting instead that timing and sound duration are the fundamental elements in verse structure. The Selected Songs, edited by W.H. Auden, was published in 1972. His major works are: Five sets of verses appearing anonymously in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella, 1591. Poemata (Latin epigrams), 1595. A Booke of Ayres (with Philip Rosseter) 1601. Four more Bookes of Ayres, 1613-1617. Songs of Mourning (when Prince Henry died), 1612. Some of his vast output is in Latin; many are epigrams. Some of his other poems: "A Hymn in Praise of Neptune," "A Lamentation," "Beauty, Since You So Much Desire," "First Love," "Lord Hay's Mask," "My Life's Delight," "RoseCheeked Laura, Come," "The Entertainment," "To the Most Sacred King James," "To the World."

   Sources: Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Poetry: Author Search. ChadwyckHealey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http:// www.columbiagrangers.org). The Literary Encyclopedia (www.LitEncyc.com). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. The Works of Thomas Campion. Walter R. Davis, ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1969.