‘James IV of Scotland,’ and Dingley's ‘Battle of Flodden Field.’ His main additions were inserted towards the close of the volume, and were introduced by a new title-page: ‘A Winter Nights Vision. Being an addition of such princes especially famous who were exempted in the former historie.’ The princes dealt with by Niccols include King Arthur, Edmund Ironside, Richard I, King John, Edward II, Edward V, Richard, duke of York, and Richard III. Niccols dedicated his own contribution to the Earl of Nottingham, and prefaced it with a ‘poeticall Induction.’ There followed, with another title-page and separately numbered pages, Niccols's ‘England's Eliza, or the victorious and triumphant Reigne of that Virgin Empresse of sacred memorie, Elizabeth, Queene of England, France, and Ireland, &c.’ The dedication was addressed to Elizabeth, wife of Sir Francis Clere. Another poetical induction, in which he pays a new tribute to Spenser, precedes the poem on Elizabeth, which, Niccols states, he wrote at Greenwich, apparently in August 1603, when the plague raged in London. Niccols's edition of the ‘Mirror’ was reissued in 1619 and 1628. All Niccols's continuations are reprinted in Haslewood's edition of the whole work in 1815.
On 15 Feb. 1611–12 a play by Niccols, entitled ‘The Twynnes Tragedie,’ was entered on the ‘Stationers' Registers’ (ed. Arber, iii. 478). It is not otherwise known. But in 1655 William Rider published a tragi-comedy called ‘The Twins,’ which Mr. Fleay suggests may be a printed copy of Niccols's piece.
Niccols also issued: ‘Three precious teares of blood, flowing … in memory of the vertues … of … Henry the Great,’ a translation from the French, printed with the French original, London (by John Budge), 1611, 4to (Brit. Mus.); ‘The Three Sisters Teares: shed at the late solemne funerals of the royall deceased Henry, Prince of Wales,’ London, 1613, 4to, dedicated to Lady Honor Hay (Brit. Mus.); ‘The Furies with Vertues Encomium, or the Image of Honour in two bookes of Epigrammes satyricall and encomiasticke,’ London (by William Stansby), 1614, 8vo, dedicated to Sir Timothy Thornhill (reprinted in ‘Harleian Miscellany,’ x. 1 seq.); ‘Monodia, or Waltham's Complaint upon the death of the Lady Honor Hay,’ London (by W. S. for Richard Meighen and Thomas Jones), 1615, 8vo, dedicated to Edward, lord Denny, Lady Honor's father (reprinted in ‘Harleian Miscellany,’ x. 11 seq.); ‘London's Artillery, briefly containing the noble practise of that worthie Societie: with the moderne and ancient martiall exercises, natures of armes, vertue of magistrates, antiquitie, glory, and chronography of this honourable cittie,’ London, 1616, dedicated to Sir John Jolles, lord mayor—a tedious antiquarian poem (Brit. Mus.); and ‘Sir Thomas Overbvrie's Vision with the ghoasts of Weston, Mris Turner, the late Lieftenant of the Tower, and Franklin, by R. N., Oxon. … Printed for R. M. & T. I. 1616’—a poetical narrative of Overbury's murder (Brit. Mus.). It was reprinted in the ‘Harleian Miscellany’ (vii. 178 seq.) and by the Hunterian Club, Glasgow, in 1873, with an introduction by James Maidment. An anonymous work, ‘The Begger's Ape, a poem,’ London, 1627, 4to, was published posthumously (Brit. Mus.). Niccols seems to claim it for himself in the induction to ‘Winter Nights Vision.’ In it the author apparently imitated ‘Spenser's Mother Hubberds Tale.’
Niccols is said to have died in 1616. In March 1793 William Niccols, a labouring man, who died at Lench, Worcestershire, in his 101st year, was described as ‘descended from Richard N., student of Magdalen College, Oxford, in the reign of James I, and one of the distinguished poets of that period’ (Gent. Mag. 1793, pt. i. p. 282).
[Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ed. Bliss, ii. 166, Warton's English Poetry; Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Corser's Collectanea, ix. 67–78; Overbvrie's Vision, ed. Maidment, 1873; Hunter's MS. Chorus Vatum in Addit. MS. 24489, ff. 408–9; Brydges's Censura, iii. 158; Haslewood's Mirror for Magistrates, pp. xliv, xlv; Collier's Bibliographical Catalogue.]
NICOL, JOHN PRINGLE (1804–1859), astronomer, was the eldest son of John Nichol, a gentleman farmer from Northumberland, by his wife, Jane Forbes, of Ellon, Aberdeenshire. Born on 13 Jan. 1804 at Huntly Hill, near Brechin in Forfarshire, he was educated at King's College, Aberdeen, where he took the highest honours in mathematics and physics. During one of his vacations, at the age of seventeen, he was appointed parish schoolmaster at Dun; then, having completed his arts curriculum and passed the divinity hall at King's College, he was licensed as a preacher before he came of age. Owing to a change in his theological opinions, he, however, soon retired from the ministry, and devoted himself to educational work. He became successively headmaster of the Hawick grammar school, editor of the ‘Fife Herald,’ headmaster of Cupar academy, and finally, in 1827, rector of Montrose academy. Here he lectured publicly on scientific subjects, and opened a correspondence with John Stuart Mill [q. v.], who became his lifelong friend. Temporary ill-health induced him
