Francis Beaumont Biography

The seventeenth-century editions of Francis Beaumont's poems include unattributed verse by other authors; thus, the canon is uncertain. For example, the 1653 edition and later collections include "A Song," which is the first two stanzas of John Donne's "Song. Goe, and catch a falling star," and Thomas Carew's "Secresie Protested." Peter Beal in Index of English Literary Manuscripts accepts the verse canon established by Beaumont's editor Alexander Dyce with the following modifications: "Like a ring without a finger" reassigned to Sir Walter Ralegh; "On the Life of Man" reassigned to Henry King; "On the Tombs in Westminster" reassigned to William Basse. "On Madame Fowler desiring a sonnet to be writ on her," "To Mr B[en]. J[onson]," and "Why should not pilgrims to thy body come" are added to the canon by Beal.

Francis Beaumont, the third son of Francis Beaumont, judge of the common pleas, and younger brother of Sir John Beaumont, was born at Grace-Dieu, Leicestershire, the family seat. He entered as a gentleman commoner at Broadgates Hall (now Pembroke College), Oxford, at age twelve on 4 February 1597. When his father died on 22 April 1598 he and his brothers, Henry and John, left the university without taking degrees. Francis became a member of the Inner Temple on 3 November 1600 but did not pursue legal studies.

Sir John and Francis were close friends of Michael Drayton and Ben Jonson.

No record survives of the initial meeting of Beaumont and John Fletcher, but John Aubrey has described their early friendship: "There was a wonderfull consimility of phansey between him and Mr. John Fletcher, which caused that dearnesse of friendship between them. . . . They lived together on the Banke side, not far from the Play-house, both batchelors; lay together; had one Wench in the house between them, which they did so admire; the same cloathes and cloake, &c.; betweene them." About 1613 Beaumont married Ursala, daughter and coheiress to Henry Isley of Sundridge in Kent; the Beaumonts had two daughters, Elizabeth and Frances. On 6 March 1616 Beaumont was interred in Westminster Abbey. Bishop Richard Corbett wrote of him: "So dearly hast thou bought thy precious lines; / Their praise grew swiftly, as thy life declines. / Beaumont is dead, by whose sole death appears, / Wit's a disease consumes men in a few years." Although Beaumont and Jonson are usually thought to have been good friends, Jonson in his Conversations with William Drummond of Hawthornden, noted Beaumont's ego: "Francis Beaumont loved too much himself & his own verses."