Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Richards, Nathaniel
RICHARDS, NATHANIEL (fl. 1630–1654), dramatist, son of Richard Richards, rector of Kentisbury in Devonshire, was born at the parsonage there about 1612. After a grounding during four years at Torrington school, he was admitted on 28 Feb. 1628–9 at Caius College, Cambridge, where he held a scholarship for three years, and whence he graduated LL.B. in 1634. He was for some time master of St. Alban's school, London, and later appears to have succeeded his father at Kentisbury, where he was ‘preaching minister’ in 1654.
He issued in 1630 ‘The Celestiall Pvblican, a Sacred Poem: lively describing the Birth, Progresse, Bloudy Passion, and glorious Resurection of our Saviovr, The Spiritvall Sea-Fight, The Mischievous Deceites of the World, the Flesh, The Vicious Courtier, The Jesuite, The Divell,’ &c., London, for Roger Michell, 8vo. At the end are epitaphs on James I, Sir Francis Carew, and others, with an anagram on Sir Julius Cæsar and verses on the author's friend, Sir Henry Hart, K.B. (the British Museum and Huth Libraries contain perfect copies, no others are known). These poems were reprinted, with a few additions, in 1641, under the title ‘Poems Sacred and Satyricall,’ London, for H. Blunden, 1641, at the Castle in Cornhill (8vo) (Fry, Bibliographical Memoranda, pp. 82-94). A few unsold copies were issued with a new title and some unimportant omissions in 1632 (for James Boler, 8vo) as ‘Poems, Divine, Morall, and Satyricall’ (unique copy in Huth Library; cf. Corser, Collect. Anglo.-Poet.)
In 1640 was printed Richards's chief work, ‘The Tragedy of Messallina, the Roman Emperesse. As it has been acted with generall applause divers times, by the company of his Maiesties Revells,’ London, for Daniel Frere, 8vo. The work is dedicated to John Cary, viscount Rochford, and there are complimentary verses by Robert Davenport, Thomas Jordan, Thomas Rawlins, and others. In spite of absurdities, such as the introduction of firearms and a hundred vestal virgins are absurdly introduced, this is a good historical play (for the plot see Genest, x. 113), the details of which are drawn from Tacitus, Suetonius, Pliny, and the sixth satire of Juvenal. ‘Messallina’ is one of the few pre-Restoration plays that have a list of performers: these include William Cartwright senior (Claudius), John Robinson (Saufellus), Christopher Goad (Silius), John Barret (Messalina), and Thomas Jordan (Lepida).
Engraved portraits of Richards, with a chaplet of laurel and his motto, ‘Cœlum cupio,’ are prefixed both to ‘Messallina’ and to the 1641 edition of the ‘Poems.’ Some verses by Richards are prefixed to Middleton's ‘Women beware Women.’
[Notes from Prof. G. C. Moore Smith and Dr. John Venn of Caius College; Skemp's edn. of Messalina, Louvain, 1909; Genest's English Stage, x. 112–13; Fleay's Chron. of English Drama, ii. 169; Halliwell's Dict. of Old Plays, p. 169; Langbaine's Dram. Poets, 1691, p. 426; Baker's Biogr. Brit. i. 598; Ritson's Bibl. Anglo-Poetica.]Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.233–234
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
| Page | Col. | Line | |
| 217 | ii | 1-2 | Richards, Nathaniel: for (fl. 1630-1654) read (d. 1652) |
| 2 | for son read second son (by Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Hancock, of Combmartin) | ||
| 4 | for the parsonage there about 1612. read Kentisbury about 1612. His father rebuilt the chancel of the parish church (cf . Inscriptions on Stones from Kentisbury Church Tower) | ||
| 11 | omit appears to have | ||
| 12-13 | for where he was 'preaching minister' in 1654. read He died in 1652 and was buried at Barnstaple. |