Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Nixon, Anthony
NIXON, ANTHONY (fl. 1602), pamphleteer and poet, was author of many pamphlets in prose, with scraps of original and translated verse interspersed. Their titles run: 1. ‘The Christian Navy. Wherein is playnely described the perfit Course to sayle to the Haven of eternall happinesse. Written by Anthony Nixon.’ Imprinted at London by Simon Strafford, 1602, 4to. This is an allegorical poem in seven-line stanzas, dedicated to Archbishop Whitgift. It was printed again in 1605, 4to. 2. ‘Elizaes Memoriall. King James his Arrivall, and Romes Downefall,’ London, printed by T. C. for John Baylie, 1603, 4to. This consists of three short poems, and is dedicated in blank verse ‘to the surviving late wife of his deceased Mæcenas.’ 3. ‘Oxfords Triumph: In the Royall Entertainement of his most Excellent Majestie, the Queene, and the Prince: the 27 of August last, 1605. With the Kinges Oration delivered to the Universitie, and the Incorporating of divers Noble-men, Maisters of Arte,’ n.d., 4to. 4. ‘The Blacke yeare. Seria jocis,’ London, printed by E. Alde for William Timme, 1606, 4to. Plagiarisms from Thomas Lodge, and references to Marston's ‘Dutch Curtesan’ and Dekker and Webster's ‘Westward Ho’ have been pointed out in this tract. 5. ‘The Three English Brothers. Sir Thomas Sherley his Travels, with his three yeares imprisonment in Turkie; his Inlargement by his Majesties letters to the great Turke; and lastly, his safe returne into England this present yeare, 1607. Sir Anthony Sherley his Embassage to the Christian Princes. Master Robert Sherley his wars against the Turkes, with his marriage to the Emperour of Persia his Neece,’ London, printed by John Hodgets, 1607, 4to. ‘The Travels of the Three English Brothers,’ a play by Day, Rowley, and Wilkins, is founded on Nixon's pamphlet. 6. ‘A True Relation of the Travels of M. Bush, a gentleman, who, with his owne handes, without any other mans helpe, made a Pynace, in which hee past by Ayr, Land, and Water: from Lamborne, a place in Barkshire, to the Custom house Key in London, 1607,’ London, printed by T. P. for Nathaniel Butter, b.l., 1608, 4to. 7. ‘The Warres of Swethland. With the Ground and Originall of the said Warres, begun and continued betwixt Sigismond King of Poland, and Duke Charles his Unkle, lately Crowned King of Swethland. As also the State and Condition of that Kingdome, as it standeth to this day,’ London, printed for Nathaniel Butter, b.l., 4to. Nathaniel Butter also published, without date or author's name, ‘Swethland and Poland Warres, a Souldiers Returne out of Sweden, and his Newes from the Warres, or Sweden and Poland up in armes, and the entertainment of English Soulders there, with the fortunes and successe of those 1200 men that lately went thither,’ London, 4to, b.l., with woodcuts. This was probably by Nixon. 8. ‘Londons Dove: or A Memoriall of the Life and Death of Maister Robert Dove, Citizen and Merchant-Taylor of London, and of his severall Almesdeeds and large bountie to the poore, in his life time. He departed this life, on Saterday the 2 day of this instant Moneth of May, 1612,’ London, printed by Thomas Creede for Joseph Hunt, 1612, 4to. 9. ‘The Dignitie of Man, Both in the Perfections of his Soule and Bodie. Shewing as well the faculties in the disposition of the one: as the Senses and Organs, in the composition of the other. By A. N.,’ London, printed by Edward Allde, 1612, 4to.; a second edition was printed at Oxford by Joseph Barnes for John Barnes, 1616, 4to. 10. ‘Great Brittaine's Generall Joyes. Londons Glorious Triumphes. Dedicated to the Immortall memorie of the joyfull Mariage of the two famous and illustrious Princes, Fredericke and Elizabeth. Celebrated the 14 of Februarie, being S. Valentine's day. With the Instalment of the sayd potent Prince Fredericke at Windsore the 7 of Februarie aforesaid,’ London, Henry Robertes, 1613, 4to. 11. ‘A Straunge Foot-Post with a Packet full of strange Petitions. After a long vacation for a good Terme,’ printed at London by E. A., b.l., 1613, 4to; a reissue of this, with omissions and additions, appeared as ‘The Foot-Post of Dover. With his Pocket stuft full of strange and merry Petitions,’ London, printed by Edward Allde for John Deane, 1616, 4to. 12. ‘The Scourge of Corruption. Or a Crafty Knave needs no Broker. Written by Anthony Nixon,’ printed at London for Henry Gosson and William Hoalmes, b. l., 1615, 4to. A plagiarism from Thomas Lodge has been detected in this tract.
[Collier's Poetical Decameron, i. 302–3, and his Bibl. Account of English Lit. ii. 48, 53; W. C. Hazlitt's Handbook to Early English Literature, p. 420, and his Collections and Notes, p. 306, 2nd ser. p. 426, 3rd ser. p. 177; Hunter's manuscript Chorus Vatum, ii. 92 (Addit. MS. 24488).]