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of the Queen's chamber, with the annual fee of 60. Among his pieces written for the Queen are the masque entitled The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses, presented January 8, 1603 ; The Queen's Arcadia, presented at Oxford, August 30, 1605, before the King and Queen; Tethys Festival, June 5, 1610; and Hymen's Triumph, February 3, 1614, before the King by the Queen's Court at the marriage of Lord Roxburghe. In the Accounts, Daniel is the only groom with an increase in addition to his regular wage, and almost the only one who receives no reimbursement for payments made in behalf of his mistress. Apparently, therefore, his position was nominal and did not require constant attendance. It is significant that his name appears, as it is here given, just after that of his friend Florio.
At this point it is necessary to return to two items in Murray's accounts of the Prince's household, one January 3, 1609, "To Mr. Daniell ... 7 li.," and the other June 14, 1609, "To Daniell the Italian . . . i li. 10 s." The first of these undoubtedly refers either to the poet or to his brother, John Daniel, the musician, who was later master of the Queen's choir boys of Bristol.[1] 1 The second might be passed over as insignificant, especially since there are numerous similar payments to poor scholars, artists of all kinds and degrees, and in one case to "an Italian jugler," were there not other evidence of considerable weight to connect it with the poet.
In the first place, there is his close friendship with the Italian language-master John Florio. Two of his sonnets written for Florio's works are addressed "To my deare friend ..." and a third "To my deare friend and brother. . . ." Florio, it will be recalled, was the son of a Florentine Protestant who came to England shortly before the reign of Edward VI. The term "brother" no doubt refers merely to their fellowship in the Queen's service; but it seems likely that the poet helped Florio into this service, and that
- ↑ "A license unto John Daniel to form a company of children to be called The Children of her Matie Royall Chamber of Bristol. . . ." — Docquets, June, 1615. Another license was granted to Daniel and others in May, 1622.
