John Heywood

Heywood, John, 1497?-1580?, English dramatist. He was employed at the courts of Henry VIII and Mary I as a singer, musician, and playwright. At the accession of Elizabeth I in 1564 Heywood, who was a Roman Catholic, fled to Belgium, where he stayed for the rest of his life. Important in the development of English comedy, Heywood was the most famous writer of the interlude, a short comic dialogue. Chief among his interludes are The Play of the Weather (1533) and The Four P's (c.1543). His other works include epigrams, proverbs, and ballads.

(born 1497?, London, Eng.?—died after 1575, Mechelen, Belg.) British playwright. His witty, satirical verse interludes (dialogues on a set subject) helped put English drama on the road to the fully developed comedy of the Elizabethans. His interludes, which replace biblical allegory with representations of everyday life and manners, include The Play of the Wether, A Play of Love, and Wytty and Wytless (all printed 1533), and The Playe Called the Foure P.P.: A Palmer, a Pardoner, a Potycary, a Pedler (printed circa 1544). He also wrote epigrams, ballads, and a verse allegory, The Spider and the Flie (1556).

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John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs.

Life

He was born in or near London, but fled to Europe to avoid religious persecution for his Catholic faith and is believed to have died in Mechelen, Belgium. His son was the poet and translator Jasper Heywood, His daughter was Elizabeth Heywood, and his grandson was the poet and preacher John Donne.

Works

A partial list:

Plays

• The Merry Play between Johan the Husband, Tyb his Wife, and Sir John the Priest
• The Mery Play between the Pardoner and the Frere, the Curate and Neybour Pratte (before 1533)
• The Play called the foure PP; a newe and a very mery interlude of a palmer, a pardoner, a potycary, a pedler (c. 1530)
• The Play of the Wether, a new and mery interlude of all maner of Wethers (1533)
• The Play of Love (1533)
• The Dialogue of Wit and Folly
• The Four PP

Verse

• The Spider and the Flie (1556)

Collections

• Proverbs (c. 1538)
• The Proverbs of John Heywood (1546)

Famous epigrams

• Haste maketh waste. (1546)
• Out of sight out of minde. (1542)
• When the sun shineth, make hay. (1546)
• Look ere ye leap. (1546)
• Two heads are better than one. (1546)
• Love me, love my dog. (1546)
• Beggars should be no choosers. (1546)
• All is well that ends well. (1546)
• The fat is in the fire. (1546)
• I know on which side my bread is buttered. (1546)
• One good turn asketh another. (1546)
• A penny for your thought. (1546)
• Rome was not built in one day. (1546)
• Better late than never. (1546)
• An ill wind that bloweth no man to good. (1546)
• The more the merrier. (1546)
• You cannot see the wood for the trees. (1546)
• This hitteth the nail on the head. (1546)
• No man ought to look a given horse in the mouth. (1546)
• Tread a woorme on the tayle and it must turne agayne. (1546)
• Many hands make light work. (1546)

References