Brief Lives, Vol. 2

John Ogilby (1600-1676).

[417]Mr. John Ogilby[AI] natus[418] November 17, 5^h 15´ mane, 1600.

[419]John Ogilby, esq., was borne at ... (quaere Mr. John Gadbury[AJ]) in Scotland, November ..., 1600, Scorpione ascendente. He was of a gentleman's family, and bred to his grammar.

[420]<He> would not tell where in Scotland he was borne: quaere. He sayd drollingly that he would have as great contests hereafter for the place of his birth as of Homer's: but he made this rythme:—

[422]Mr. Gadbury sayes that Mr. Ogilby told him (he was very sure) that he was borne either in or neer Edinburgh. Sed tamen quaere de hoc of Mr. Morgan his grandson.

[423]Mr. John Ogilby, borne ... in Scotland, of a gentleman's family; bred a scholar. In[424] his youth bred to dancing at London: which he afterwards professed. His father spent his estate and fell to decay; and J. O. by his owne industry[XXXVIII.] at or about the age of 12 or 13, he relieved his parents.

[425]His father[AK] had spent his estate, and fell to decay, and was a prisoner in the King's Bench, whom, together with his mother, his son relieved by his owne industry, being then but about the age of 12 or 13 yeares. By the advantage of his sonne's industry, he raysed a small summe of money, which he adventured in the lottery for the advancement of the plantation in Virginia, anno ... and he gott out of prison by this meanes. His motto (of his lott) was,

It so happened that he had a very good lott, that did pay his debts.

[426]John (the son) bound himselfe apprentice to one Mr. Draper[427], who kept a dancing-schoole in Grayes-Inne-Lane, and in short time arrived to so great excellency in that art, that he found meanes to purchase his time of his master and sett up for himselfe.

When the duke of Buckingham's great masque[428] was represented at court (vide Ben Jonson), anno ... (quaere), he was chosen (among the rest) to performe some extraordinary part in it, and high-danceing, i.e. vaulting and cutting capers, being then in fashion, he, endeavouring to doe something extraordinary, by misfortune of a false step when he came to the ground, did spraine a veine on the inside of his leg, of which he was lame ever after, which gave an occasion to say that 'he was an excellent dancing master, and never a good leg.'

He taught 2 of the lord Hopton's (then Sir Ralph) sisters to dance, then at Witham in Somersetshire; and Sir Ralph taught[429] him to handle the pike and musket, scil. all the postures.

[430]Anno[431] ... (the yeare before lord Strafford went to Ireland[432], Deputie) he kept a dancing school in the Black-Spread-Eagle Court (then an inne) in Grayes Inne lane. Mr. John Lacy, the player, from whom I take this information, was his apprentice.

[433]In the yeare ..., he went over into Ireland to Thomas, earle of Strafford, Lord Liuetenant there, and was there enterteined to teach in that family. And here it was that first he gave proofs of his inclination to poetry, by paraphrasing upon some of Æsop's fables. (He writt a fine hand.) He had[434] a warrant from the Lord Livetenant to be Master of the Ceremonies for that kingdome; and built a little[435] theatre in St. Warburgh street, in Dublin. It was a short time before the rebellion brake out, by which he lost all, and ran thorough many hazards, and particularly being like to have been blow'n-up at the castle of Refarnum neer Dublin.

[436]Anno 16—he went into Ireland with the lord Strafford (Deputy) and rode in his troupe of guards, as one of my lord's gentlemen, which gave occasion of his writing an excellent copie of verses called The description of a trouper, which gett[437].

Mr. J. O. was[438] in the Lord Lieutenant's troope of guards, and taught his lady and children to dance; that was his place. And he there made those excellent verses of the Trouper (quaere). 'Twas there he....

knees 'gainst knees
(umbonibus umbo).

Upon this Mr. Chantrel[XXXIX.] putt him upon learning the Latin tongue (in the 40 aetat. +), and taught him himself and tooke a great deale of paines with him. This was the first time he began his Latin. He stayed in Ireland a good while after the warres broke-out.

[440]After John Ogilby had built the theatre at Dublin, he was undon at the Irish rebellion. He was wreckt at sea, and came to London very poor, and went on foot to Cambridge.

[441]Mr. J. Ogilby wrote at Dublin (being then of the gaurdes of the earle of Strafford) the character of a trooper, in English verse, which is very witty: Mr. Morgan hath promised to gett it for me. He built the theatre at Dublin. He was undon at the Irish rebellion; returning to England, was wreckt at sea, and came to London very poor and went on foot to Cambridge.

[442]He wrote a play at Dublin, call'd The Merchant of Dublin, never printed.

[443]He came into England about the yeare 1648 (vide the date of his Virgil, 8vo). He printed[XL.] Virgill, translated by himselfe into English verse, 8vo, 164-, dedicated to the right honourable William, lord marquesse of Hertford, who loved him very well.

After he had translated Virgil, he learned Greeke[XLI.] of Mr. Whitfield[444], a Scotch bishop's son, and grew so great a proficient in it that he fell-to to translate Homer's Iliads, 1660.

Next, as if by a prophetique spirit, foreseeing the restauration of King Charles II^d, and also the want there might be of Church Bibles, he[445]printed the fairest impression, and the most correct of English Bibles, in royall and imperiall paper, that ever was yet donne.

He printed and published his majestie's entertainment at his coronation, in folio with cutts, 1662.

The same yeare (1662) he went into Ireland again, being then, by patent (before, but by warrant) master of the revells, having disputed his right with Sir William Davenant, who had gott a graunt, and built a noble theatre at Dublin, which cost 2000 li., the former being ruined[446] in the troubles.

His Odysses came out in 1665. People did then suspect, or would not beleeve that 'twas he was the author of the paraphrase upon Æsop, and to convince them he published a 2^d volume, which he calles his Æsopiques, which[447] he did during the sicknesse, in his retirement at Kingston upon Thames, after he had published Homer's Iliads and Odysses.

His History of China, in fol., anno ... (before the fire); then his History of Japan.

The generall and dreadfull conflagration burn't all that he had, that he was faine to begin the world again, being then at best worth 5 li.

He had such an excellent inventive and prudentiall witt, and master of so good addresse, that when he was undon he could not only shift handsomely (which is a great mastery[448]), but he would make such rationall proposalls that would be embraced by rich and great men, that in a short time he could gaine a good estate again, and never failed in any thing he ever undertooke but allwayes went through with profits and honour[449].

Being thus utterly undon again by the fire, he made his proposalls for the printing of a faire English Atlas[450], of which he lived to finish the Historys of Africa, America, and part of Asia. And then, being encouraged by the king and the nobility to make[451] an actuall survey of England and Wales[AL], he proceeded in it so far as to an actuall survey of the roads both in England and Wales, which composed his ... volume of his Britannia, published....

[452]Mr. John Ogilby died Sept. 4, 1676; and was buried in the vault at St. Bride's.

[453]Vide his obiit in Almanack[454] 1675: quaere Mr. Lacy.

[455]Anno ... John Ogilby maried ..., the daughter of ... Fox[XLII.], of Netherhampton, neer Wilton in com. Wilts, who was borne as he was wont to say 'in the first Olympiad,' scil. when the first race was ran at Sarum in Henry[456], earle of Pembroke's time. She had only one daughter by him, maried to ... Morgan, who left a son who now suceeds his grandfather as his majestie's cosmographer. She dyed in London ... being aged ... (neer 90[457]).

[458]His wife dyed 3 or 4 dayes before Xtmas 1677, aetatis circiter[459] 112.