Peter Hausted
Encyclopedia
Peter Hausted Doctor of Divinity
, was a "playwright, poet, preacher" in early 17th-century England. In his own time, he was notorious as a flamboyant preacher against Puritan
and sectarian dissent in the Church of England
, and was remembered for the riot that accompanied the 1632
debut of his play The Rival Friends.
, in Northamptonshire
. He earned an M.A. at Queens' College, Cambridge
, and pursued a career in the Church of England. For a time he was the curate at Uppingham
in Rutland
. Hausted participated in college theatricals as an actor; he was in the cast of the 1631
Cambridge production of Fucus Histriomastix, probably written by Queens' College's Robert Ward.
to Cambridge and the University in March 1632. As part of the entertainment, the University scheduled a performance of Hausted's The Rival Friends, a seven-hour-long play filled with anti-Puritan and anti-sectarian satire. In preparation for the event, the University authorities issued an edict, warning the student body not to indulge in "...any rude or immodest exclamations...nor any humming, hawking, whistling, hissing, or laughing...or any stamping or knocking, nor any such uncivil or unscholarlike or boyish behavior...." And above all, "no tobacco."
The performance that ensued (and curiously, John Milton
might have been in the audience) was a theatrical disaster, a near riot in the faces of the King and Queen. Reacting to the disgrace, the University's vice-chancellor Henry Butts committed suicide by hanging himself on Easter Sunday, which was also April Fool's Day.
When The Rival Friends was published later in the year, the title page stated that the play was "Cried down by boys, faction, envy, and confident ignorance, approv'd by the judicious, and now exposed to the public censure, by the author," which gives a taste of Hausted's style.
Hausted's troubles were not confined to the single incident of the 1632 riot. In 1634 he was attacked by a mob at the University church for preaching too wildly against the Puritans.
. As a playwright, Hausted has been classed among the Sons of Ben
, the followers of the comedic style of Ben Jonson
. Like Jonson, Hausted has been noted for his indulgence in "self-praise and invective."
He was also a minor poet and translator; his translation of Raphael Thorius's Hymnus Tabaci, or "Hymn to Tobacco," was published posthumously in 1651
("Tobacco, King of Plants I well may call, / Others have single virtues, this hath all").
Hausted was a colleague of Thomas Randolph
, another "Son of Ben" from Trinity College, Cambridge
— though the two were "rival friends" for a time, their conflict rooted in the controversy around Hausted's play. Randolph's The Jealous Lovers had been performed on the same day as The Rival Friends, and had been as great a success as Hausted's had been a failure. Eventually the two patched up their quarrel; Hausted wrote his colleague's epitaph after Randolph's death in 1635.
in the English Civil War
. Early critics like Edmund Gosse
reported that he died in combat, "shot on the ramparts;" more recent research indicates that he probably died of plague.
A Satire Against Separatists, printed in 1675
, has been variously attributed to Hausted and to Abraham Cowley
.
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
, was a "playwright, poet, preacher" in early 17th-century England. In his own time, he was notorious as a flamboyant preacher against Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
and sectarian dissent in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, and was remembered for the riot that accompanied the 1632
1632 in literature
The year 1632 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*On February 14, Tempe Restored, a masque written by Aurelian Townshend and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace....
debut of his play The Rival Friends.
Beginnings
Hausted was born at OundleOundle
Oundle is an ancient market town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 5,345 or 5,674 . It lies some north of London and south-west of Peterborough...
, in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. He earned an M.A. at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, and pursued a career in the Church of England. For a time he was the curate at Uppingham
Uppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
. Hausted participated in college theatricals as an actor; he was in the cast of the 1631
1631 in literature
The year 1631 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 9 - Love's Triumph Through Callipolis, a masque written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, is staged at Whitehall Palace....
Cambridge production of Fucus Histriomastix, probably written by Queens' College's Robert Ward.
Controversies
The scandal over The Rival Friends involved a visit by Charles I and Queen Henrietta MariaHenrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
to Cambridge and the University in March 1632. As part of the entertainment, the University scheduled a performance of Hausted's The Rival Friends, a seven-hour-long play filled with anti-Puritan and anti-sectarian satire. In preparation for the event, the University authorities issued an edict, warning the student body not to indulge in "...any rude or immodest exclamations...nor any humming, hawking, whistling, hissing, or laughing...or any stamping or knocking, nor any such uncivil or unscholarlike or boyish behavior...." And above all, "no tobacco."
The performance that ensued (and curiously, John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
might have been in the audience) was a theatrical disaster, a near riot in the faces of the King and Queen. Reacting to the disgrace, the University's vice-chancellor Henry Butts committed suicide by hanging himself on Easter Sunday, which was also April Fool's Day.
When The Rival Friends was published later in the year, the title page stated that the play was "Cried down by boys, faction, envy, and confident ignorance, approv'd by the judicious, and now exposed to the public censure, by the author," which gives a taste of Hausted's style.
Hausted's troubles were not confined to the single incident of the 1632 riot. In 1634 he was attacked by a mob at the University church for preaching too wildly against the Puritans.
Other works
In addition to The Rival Friends, Hausted was the author of the Latin play Senile Odium, performed at the University in 1631 and printed in 16331633 in literature
The year 1633 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*On May 21, Ben Jonson's masque The King's Entertainment at Welbeck is performed....
. As a playwright, Hausted has been classed among the Sons of Ben
Sons of Ben
The phrase Sons of Ben is a mildly problematic term applied to followers of Ben Jonson in English poetry and drama in the first half of the seventeenth century....
, the followers of the comedic style of Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
. Like Jonson, Hausted has been noted for his indulgence in "self-praise and invective."
He was also a minor poet and translator; his translation of Raphael Thorius's Hymnus Tabaci, or "Hymn to Tobacco," was published posthumously in 1651
1651 in literature
The year 1651 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*August 22 - Execution of Protestant preacher, Christopher Love, whose sermons were later published.-New books:...
("Tobacco, King of Plants I well may call, / Others have single virtues, this hath all").
Hausted was a colleague of Thomas Randolph
Thomas Randolph (poet)
Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist. He was baptized on 18 June 1605 and was the uncle of American colonist William Randolph.-Education:...
, another "Son of Ben" from Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
— though the two were "rival friends" for a time, their conflict rooted in the controversy around Hausted's play. Randolph's The Jealous Lovers had been performed on the same day as The Rival Friends, and had been as great a success as Hausted's had been a failure. Eventually the two patched up their quarrel; Hausted wrote his colleague's epitaph after Randolph's death in 1635.
Post mortem
Hausted died on 20 July 1644, during the siege of Banbury CastleBanbury Castle
Banbury Castle was a medieval castle that stood near the centre of the town of Banbury, Oxfordshire. Historian John Kenyon notes that the castle is "remarkable for its early concentric shape".-History:...
in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Early critics like Edmund Gosse
Edmund Gosse
Sir Edmund William Gosse CB was an English poet, author and critic; the son of Philip Henry Gosse and Emily Bowes.-Early life:...
reported that he died in combat, "shot on the ramparts;" more recent research indicates that he probably died of plague.
A Satire Against Separatists, printed in 1675
1675 in literature
The year 1675 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*November 11 - Gottfried Leibniz's notebooks record a breakthrough in his work on calculus.-New books:...
, has been variously attributed to Hausted and to Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley was an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721.-Early life and career:...
.