tradition in his SHEPHEARDES CALENDER. In the prologue to
Certayne Eglogues, Barclay notes that his poetry will con-
sider topics such as courtly misery, the exploits of Venus,
true love, false love, avarice and its effects, virtue praised,
and war deplored, in addition to other matters. The
emphasis on virtue is very important in Barclay’s verse;
he is an ardent moralist. In his fourth eclogue, the dia-
logue between Codrus (a rich person, relatively speak-
ing) and Minalcas (a poor poet) considers that simply
attaching one’s self to a wealthy lord will bring happi-
ness. In fact, Minalcas rejects the advice of his friend
because wealthy patrons are less interested in poetry,
more attuned to sensual pleasures, and more rooted in
vice. Minaclas even rejects his wealthy friend Codrus on
account of his own self-interest.
See also PATRONAGE.
FURTHER READING
Cooper, Helen. Pastoral: Medieval into Renaissance. Cam-
bridge: D.S. Brewer, 1977.
Lewis, C. S. English Literature in the Sixteenth Century. Lon-
don: Oxford University Press, 1954.
Daniel F. Pigg
BARNFIELD, RICHARD (1574–1620/1627)
Richard Barnfi eld was baptized on June 13, 1574, at
Norbury, Staffordshire, at the family church of his par-
ents, Richard Barnfi eld, Sr., and Maria Skrymsher. In
1581, his mother died while giving birth to a daughter,
so the remainder of his childhood was supervised by
his unmarried aunt, Elizabeth Skrymsher. Barnfi eld
was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford University,
where he met other budding poets of his day, includ-
ing MICHAEL DRAYTON. After earning his B.A. in 1592,
Barnfi eld began preparations for his master’s studies,
but he left the university rather abruptly without con-
tinuing his education.
Soon after leaving college, Barnfi eld moved to Lon-
don, where he continued to associate with other poets
and authors. Besides Drayton, Barnfi eld knew Thomas
Watson, Francis Meres, and EDMUND SPENSER. He also
developed a close friendship with WILLIAM SHAKE-
SPEARE. While in London, his literary career took off at
a rapid pace, and he quickly became one of a number
of rising stars.
In 1594, Barnfi eld published—anonymously—his
fi rst major work, The Affectionate Shepherd. The piece is
a reworking of VIRGIL’s second ECLOGUE and is written
in the classical homoerotic PASTORAL style. The two-
book poem, dedicated to Lady Penelope [Devereux]
Rich, celebrates the love of the shepherd Daphnis for a
boy named Ganymede, who rejects him in favor of a
woman. The poem caused quite a sensation, and Barn-
fi eld was forced to defend his homoerotic verse in the
preface to his next work, the PANEGYRIC volume CYN-
THIA WITH CERTAIN SONNETS which itself was dedicated
in familiar terms to William Stanley, earl of Derby.
This extraordinary long poem is written entirely in
Spenserian SONNET form and celebrates Queen ELIZA-
BETH I. It also continues to outline the competition for
Ganymede’s affections.
By 1598, Barnfi eld was being hailed by his contem-
poraries as one of the best pastoral writers. That year
also saw the publication of his long poem The Enco-
mium of Lady Pecunia, which satirized the power of
money. However, this poem, and the successive ones,
did not receive the high praise his previous work had.
Disheartened, Barnfi eld faded from the scene.
For many years, critics believed that Barnfi eld retired
to the country, married a woman named Eliza (the
subject of one of his odes), and settled into bucolic
country life. His will lists Richard Barnfi eld, suppos-
edly his son, and his cousin Elinor Skrymsher as his
executors, leading to the conclusion that he was a wid-
ower at the time of his death. More recently, however,
scholars have begun to question this idyllic scene.
There is no evidence of Barnfi eld’s supposed marriage,
and the will in question may have been his father’s.
Indeed, new evidence has shown that Barnfi eld was
twice disinherited by his father in favor of a younger
brother. Many now believe that the poet’s fi ctitious
marriage was created by early biographers to cover up
Barnfi eld’s homosexuality, and that instead of living
quietly in the country as a country gentleman, he was
really exiled in disgrace.
By the 19th century, Barnfi eld’s reputation was
beginning to deteriorate rapidly, as Victorian critics
increasingly dismissed him as “perverse,” a trend that
continued through the 20th century, at least to some
degree. More recently, however, Barnfi eld has been74 BARNFIELD, RICHARD