1558 ELIZABETH I (-1603) Births Chidiock Tichborne (ca.); Thomas Lodge; William Warner (ca. 1558-59); Robert Greene (1558 baptized) 1559 • The Mirror of Magistrates, with 20 tragic tales; enlarged repeatedly until 1609 Births George Chapman 1560 Births Anthony Munday, baptized; Sir John Harington (?), baptized 1561 • Julius Caesar Scaliger's poetics published in France Births Mary Herbert, countess of Pembroke; Robert Southwell (?) 1562 Births Henry Constable; Samuel Daniel; Nicholas Grimald Deaths Nicholas Grimald (ca.); William Gray of Reading (ca.) 1563 • Barnabe Googe's Eglogs, Epytaphes, and Sonettes • Second edition of The Mirror of Magistrates, including Thomas Sackville's Induction and Complaint Births John Dowland (ca.); Michael Drayton; Sir Robert Sidney (Philip's younger brother); Joshua Sylvester (?) Floruit Thomas Newberry 1564 Births Christopher Marlowe, baptized on Feb. 6; William Shakespeare, baptized on April 26 in Stratford upon Avon parish church 1565 • Arthur Golding's translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses, books I-IV, published, completed in 1575 Births John Davies (ca. 1564-65); Francis Meres (ca. 1565-66) 1566 • Isabella Whitney's The Copy of a Letter (1566-67) Births John Hoskyns; James I of England (James VI of Scotland). 1567 Births Thomas Campion; Thomas Nashe 1568 • John Skelton's poems published Births Sir Henry Wotton 1569 • Barnabe Barnes' sonnet sequence Parthenophil and Parthenophe Births Sir John Davies; Emilia Lanyer, née Bassano 1570 Births Sir Robert Aytoun (Scotland); Thomas Bateson (?); Thomas Dekker (?); Samuel Rowlands (?) 1571 Births Martin Peerson (?) 1572 • Rauf Coilyear (late 15th cent. Scot.), published Births John Donne; Ben Jonson (June 11) 1573 • George Gascoigne's A Hundreth Sundrie Flowres, reissued as Poesies in 1575 • Isabella Whitney's A Sweet Nosegay 1574 Births Richard Barnfield; Joseph Hall; John Wilbye 1575 • George Gascoigne's Certayne notes of instruction concerning the Making of verse or ryme in English names "Poulter's Measure," iambic couplets of 12- and 14-syllable lines Births John Marston (?); Robert Hayman 1576 • Richard Edwards' compilation of Paradyse of Dainty Devises • George Gascoigne's The Steele glas; his Poesies was confiscated as scandalous • Thomas Whethorne's Duos, or, Songs for Two Voices, composed by 1576 Births Thomas Weelkes (?) 1577 Deaths George Gascoigne on Nov. 15 1578 • Thomas Proctor's A Gorgeous Gallery of Gallant Inventions Births George Sandys; John Taylor the "water poet" (?) Deaths John Heywood (ca.) 1579 • Stephen Gosson's prose The School of Abuse attacks poets and players • Edmund Spenser's Shepheardes Calender, in which Hobbinol is Gabriel Harvey Births John Fletcher 1580 • Thomas Churchyard's translation of Ovid's Tristia, I-III • Humphrey Gifford's A Posie of Gilloflowers Births Thomas Ford (?); Thomas Middleton (baptised); John Webster (ca. 1576-80) Deaths John Heywood (?); Isabella Whitney (after); Thomas Tusser 1581 • Sir Philip Sidney completes the Old Arcadia and writes his Defence of Poetry or An Apologie for Poetrie 1579-83 (published in 1595), in response to Stephen Gosson's School of Abuse 1582 • Stanyhurst's translation of Virgil's Aeneid, I-IV • Philip Sidney writes Astrophel and Stella about this time: 108 sonnets and 11 songs about his unrequited love for Penelope Rich • Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway on November 27 • Thomas Watson's Hekatompathia Births Richard Corbet (Corbett); Phineas Fletcher; Edward, lord Herbert of Cherbury (?) 1583 • Sir Philip Sidney completes the New Arcadia within two years Births Orlando Gibbons baptized; Aurelian Townshend (ca.); Susanna Shakespeare (baptized May 26) 1584 Births Francis Beaumont (ca.); Sir John Beaumont (ca.) Deaths Thomas Norton; Thomas Proctor 1585 • James VI of Scotland writes Essays of a Prentice in the Arte of Poesie, using the poems of Alexander Montgomerie Births William Drummond of Hawthornden; Giles Fletcher the younger; Judith and Hamnet Shakespeare (baptized February 2) 1586 • William Warner's Albions England • William Webbe's Discourse of English Poetrie Births Robert Chester (ca.) Deaths Sir Philip Sidney on Oct. 17, from a war wound; Chidiock Tichborne, hanged, castrated, and disemboweled for Treason 1587 Births Lady Mary Sidney Wroth (?); Walter Porter (?) 1588 • William Byrd's Psalmes, Sonets, & Songs of sadnes and pietie Births George Wither; John Wilson 1589 • William Byrd's Songs of Sundrie Natures • George Puttenham's The Arte of English Poesie Deaths Humphrey Gifford (?) 1590 • Thomas Lodge's Rosalynde: Euphues golden legacie • George Peele's Polyhymnia • Thomas Watson's Italian Madrigals Englished • revised version of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia published posthumously • Edmund Spenser: The Faerie Queene, Books I-III Births William Browne Deaths George Puttenham; William Bullokar (ca.) Touchstone poems Sir Philip Sidney's "You Gote-heard Gods" by Roseanna Warren's "Lena's House: Watercolor" (1993) 1591 • Sir John Harrington's translation of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, 33, 000 lines • Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella • Edmund Spenser's Daphnaida and Complaints Births Robert Herrick (baptized) Deaths William Webbe Touchstone poems Sir Philip Sidney's "With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies" by Philip Larkin's "Sad Steps" (1974) 1592 • Samuel Daniel's Delia. Contayning certayne sonnets: with the complaint of Rosamond • Joshua Sylvester's translation of The Divine Weeks and Works of Du Bartas, completed in 1608 • John Donne writes the first two satires, most elegies, and some songs and sonnets while at Lincoln's Inn, 1592-94 • Robert Greene attacks Shakespeare as "an upstart Crow," mocking a line in his 3 Henry VI Births Henry King; Francis Quarles Deaths Thomas Watson; Robert Greene 1593 • Henry Constable's sonnet sequence Diana • Michael Drayton: Idea: the Shepheards Garland • Thomas Morley's Canzonets • The Phoenix Nest, compiled by R. S. • Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis • Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia republished with the three books of the old version Births George Herbert (April 3) Deaths Christopher Marlowe on May 30, murdered, 29 years old 1594 • George Chapman's The Shadow of Night • Michael Drayton's Ideas Mirrour: Amours in Quatorzains • R. Carew's translation of Tasso's Gerusalemme Liberata • Thomas Morley's Canzonets and Madrigalls • Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece • Ben Jonson marries Anne Louis (November 14) • Shakespeare is a member of the Lord Chamberlain's men • Sir John Davies' Nosce teipsum Deaths Barnabe Googe 1595 • George Chapman's Ovid's Banquet of Sense • Samuel Daniel's Civil Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and York, completed in 8 books in 1609. • Michael Drayton's Endimion and Phoebe • Thomas Morley's Balletts and Canzonets • Sir Philip Sidney's Defence of Poesie and sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella posthumously published • Edmund Spenser's sonnet sequence "Amoretti," and his wedding poem "Epithalamion," both about Elizabeth Boyle • Robert Southwell's St. Peter's Complaint, with Other Poems Births Thomas Carew Deaths Robert Southwell, hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn (and canonized in 1970) 1596 • Sir John Davies' Orchestra or a Poeme of Dauncing • Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Books IV-VI, Fowre Hymnes, and Prothalamion • Michael Drayton's Mortimeriados Births James Shirley; Benjamin, son of Ben Jonson Deaths George Peele; George Whithorne; Hamnet Shakespeare (August 12) 1597 • Francis Bacon's Essays, first edition • John Dowland: The First Booke of Songes or Ayres • Joseph Hall's Virgidemiarum • Francis Mere's Palladis Tamia: Wits Treasury, including a critical survey of English writers, such as Shakespeare, his "signed Sonnets among his private friends", and 12 plays • Shakespeare bought New Place in Stratford upon Avon (May) • Michael Drayton's England's Heroicale Epistles Deaths George Turberville (after this year) 1598 • Richard Barnfield's Lady Pecunia • George Chapman's translation of Homer's Iliad, I-II, VII-XI • Christopher Marlowe's Hero and Leander, posthumously published, and completed by George Chapman • Shakespeare acts in Ben Jonson's Sejanus Deaths Alexander Montgomerie; William Cecil (?) 1599 • Samuel Daniel's Musophilus • Sir John Davies, in Hymnes of Astraea, writes 26 acrostic poems dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. • The Passionate Pilgrim includes Shakespeare's sonnets 138 and 144 Deaths Edmund Spenser, on Jan. 16 Touchstone poems Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love" by Sir Walter Ralegh's "The Nymph's Reply" (1600) and William Carlos Williams's "Raleigh was Right" (1950) 1600 • Englands Helicon, an anthology of poems, including Christopher Marlowe's "Come live with me and be my love" • Thomas Morley: First Booke of Ayres • Thomas Nashe: Summers Last Will and Testament (play) • John Dowland: Second Booke of Songs • Christopher Marlowe's translation of Lucan's Pharsalia posthumously published • Thomas Weelkes' Madrigals Births Charles I; John Ogilby (Scots.) Poems about poems • imitation: Sir Walter Ralegh's "The Nymph's Reply" (1600), about Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love" 1601 • Robert Chester's Loues martyr: or, Rosalins complaint • John Donne secretly weds Ann More, niece of his employer, Sir Thomas Egerton • Thomas Morley: Madrigals • Thomas Campion's A Booke of Ayres Births William Strode Deaths Thomas Nashe 1602 • Thomas Campion's Observations in the Art of English Poesie • A Poetical Rapsody, compiled by Francis and Walter Davison • Robert Southwell's St. Peter's Complaint, with Other Poems • Shakespeare