(Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1406712310/?tag=2022091-20
He was born on the 11th of June 1540 at Alvingham, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Robert Googe (d. 5 May 1557) of Chilwell, Nottinghamshire. His mother was Margaret Mantell (d. 1540), the daughter of Sir Walter Mantell (d. 1529) of Nether Heyford, Northamptonshire. Googe's mother died when he was six weeks old, and according to Lyne, he 'was probably brought up in Kent by his grandmother, Lady Hales'.
He studied at Christ's College, Cambridge, and at New College, Oxford, but does not seem to have taken a degree at either university.
At his father's death on 5 May 1557 Googe inherited the manor of Horkstow and the lands of Alvingham Priory in Lincolnshire, and a house in London formerly owned by his grandfather. He became a ward of the Queen, and it appears his wardship remained unsold until January 1561, when his kinsman, William Cecil, became Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries, and Googe was allowed to purchase his own wardship for £80, payable over an eight-year term. Googe had begun writing poetry, and found himself in an exciting creative coterie with other young writers, such as Jasper Heywood and George Turberville. During his absence in Spain, Googe's juvenile poems were sent to the printer by a friend, Laurence Blundeston. The book appeared in 1563 as Eglogs, Epytaphes, and Sonettes, with a dedication to William Lovelace. Before the appearance of his book, no writer in England had ever published his own poetry under his own name; in this, Googe was an accidental pioneer.
In 1569 Googe dedicated a long allegorical poem with a moralistic marine topic, The Shippe of Safegarde, to his sisters-in-law. By this time, Googe had served Cecil on a military expedition to Ireland, where he had contracted dysentery and nearly died. In 1571 he was returned as MP for Aldborough, Yorkshire. Further service in Ireland awaited him in 1582 when Googe was appointed to the position of provost-marshal of the court of Connaught; some twenty letters of his in this capacity are preserved in the Public Record Office. Googe considered the post a hardship. His other works include: a translation from Marcellus Palingenius (said to be an anagram for Pier Angelo Manzolli) of a satirical Latin poem, Zodiacus vitae (Venice, 1531?), in twelve books, under the title of The Zodyake of Life (1560); The Popish Kingdome, or reign of Antichrist (1570), translated from Thomas Kirchmeyer or Naogeorgus; The Spiritual Husbandrie from the same author, printed with the last Foure Bookes of Husbandrie (1577), collected by Conradus Heresbachius; The Overthrow of the Gout (1577) and others.
(Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)
He was an ardent Protestant, and his poetry is coloured by his religious and political views.
Googe married Mary Darrell, one of the nine children of Thomas Darrell, esquire, of Scotney Castle, Kent, by his second wife, Mary Roydon, daughter of Thomas Roydon, esquire, of Roydon Hall (or Fortune) in East Peckham, Kent. Correspondence survives on the subject of Googe's marriage with Mary Darrell, whose father, Thomas Darrell, refused Googe's suit on the ground that she was bound by a previous contract to Sampson Lennard (1545 – 20 September 1615), son of John Lennard of Chevening, Kent. They had seven sons, Matthew (c. 1566-c. 1624), Thomas (b. c. 1568), Barnabe, William, Henry, Robert and Francis, and a daughter, Mary.
