Chapter Cherry to Cibber of C by Biographical Dictionary of English Literature

of two other satirical pieces, The Apology and Night. He also attacked Dr. Johnson and his circle in The Ghost, and the Scotch in The Prophecy of Famine. He attached himself to John Wilkes, on a visit to whom, at Boulogne, he died of fever.

Churchyard, Thomas (1520?-1604).—Poet and miscellaneous writer, began life as a page to the Earl of Surrey, and subsequently passed through many vicissitudes as a soldier in Scotland, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries. He was latterly a hanger-on at Court, and had a pension of eighteenpence a day from Queen Elizabeth, which was not, however, regularly paid. He wrote innumerable pamphlets and broadsides, and some poems, of which the best are Shore’s Wife (1563), The Worthiness of Wales (1587) repub. by the Spenser Society (1871), and Churchyard’s Chips (1575), an autobiographical piece.

Cibber, Colley (1671-1757).—Actor and dramatist, born in London, son of a Danish sculptor, and educated at Grantham School. Soon after his return to London he took to the stage. Beginning with tragedy, in which he failed, he turned to comedy, and became popular in eccentric rôles. In 1696 he brought out his first play, Love’s Last Shift, and produced in all about 30 plays, some of which were very successful. In 1730 he was made Poet Laureate, and wrote some forgotten odes of no merit, also an entertaining autobiography. Pope made him the hero of the Dunciad.

Among other plays are The Nonjuror (1717), Woman’s Wit, She Would and She Would Not, The Provoked Husband (1728) (with Vanbrugh).