(Vol. iii., p. 167.)
Thomas May, famous amongst the busy characters of his age, both as a
politician and a poet, was the eldest son of Sir Thos. May, Knt., of
Mayfield, in Sussex, where he was born in 1595. At the usual period of
life, he was admitted a fellow-commoner of Sidney Sussex College,
Cambridge; and having taken the degree of B.A. he entered himself at Gray's
Inn, with the intention of studying the law, which, however, it is
uncertain whether he ever pursued as a profession. Whilst he was a student
of the law, he made the acquaintance of Edward Hyde, afterwards Earl of
Clarendon; and became the intimate associate of Ben Jonson, Selden, Cotton,
Sir K. Digby, Thos. Carew[1], "and some others of eminent faculties in
their several ways."
"His parts of nature and art," writes Clarendon[2], in describing his
character, "were very good, as appears by his translation of Lucan
(none of the easiest work of that kind), and more by his Supplement to
Lucan, which being entirely his own, for the learning, the wit, and the
language, may be well looked upon as one of the best epic poems in the
English language."
As an elegant writer, indeed, of Latin verse, he is justly numbered amongst
the most successful of the accomplished poets of our nation--Ben Jonson,
Cowley, Milton, Marvell, Crashaw, Addison, Gray, Smart, T. Warton, Sir W.
Jones, &c.--who have devoted their leisure to this species of composition.
Clarendon goes on to say that May was "born to a fortune, if his father had
not spent it; so that he had only an annuity left him, not proportionable
to a liberal education:"
"Yet since," continues this illustrious authority, "his fortune could
not raise his mind, he brought his mind down to his fortune, by a great
modesty and humility in his nature, which was not affected, but very
well became an imperfection in his speech, which was a great
mortification to him, and kept him from entering upon any discourse but
in the company of his very friends," of whom he had not a few, for "he
was cherished by many persons of honour, and very acceptable in all
places."
From Charles I., no mean judge of poetry, and a liberal patron of the
Muses, May received much encouragement, and many substantial marks of
favour in the shape of donatives; and it was at the express command of this
monarch that he wrote his historical poem entitled _The Victorious Reigne
of Edward III._ From disgust, however, at the appointment of D'Avenant to
the Laureateship, on the death of Jonson in 1637,--a post to which,
according to what he considered to be his own superior deserts[3], he was
himself justly entitled,--"May fell from his duty, and all his former
friends," and became an active agent in promoting the designs of the
so-called popular leaders. Through the interest of Cromwell, he was
nominated Secretary to the Parliament, in which capacity he wrote a History
of its transactions, a work which was published in 1647. This performance,
which is highly commended by Granger, rendered its author extremely
obnoxious to the royal party, who exercised all their powers of pen to
disparage both the book and its compiler. He is represented by Clarendon,
for instance, "as prostituting himself to the vile office of celebrating
the infamous acts of those who were in rebellion against the king; which he
did so meanly, that he seemed to all men to have lost his wits, when he
left his honesty." Anthony à Wood's account[4] of these matters, and of May
himself, is that
"He was graciously countenanced by K. Charles I. and his royal consort;
but he, finding not that preferment from either which he expected, grew
discontented, sided with the Presbyterians, and, upon the {280} turn of
the times, became a debauchee _ad omnia_; entertained ill principles as
to religion, spoke often very slightly of the Trinity, kept beastly and
atheistical company, of whom Thos. Challoner, the regicide, was one,
and endeavoured to his power to asperse and invalidate the king and his
cause."
His acquaintance with Challoner is also alluded to by Aubrey who says[5],
"that his translation of Lucan's excellent poem, made him in love with the
republique." Aubrey adds, he was--
"A handsome man, debauched, and lodged in the little square by Cannon
Row, as you go through the alley."