The playwright, courtier and essayist John Lyly (1553/4 – 1606) was probably born in Canterbury, because his father, Peter was the registrar for Archbishop Matthew Parker at the time of his birth. Peter’s tomb was rediscovered in the cathedral during works in 1787. He had died in 1569, after having, with his Yorkshire-born wife, eight children, of whom John was the eldest. His father in turn had been a grammarian. While not absolutely certain, circumstantial evidence shows that John’s birthplace was probably in the central Sun or Palace Street in the city, at a place then called `The Splayed Eagle,’ and his baptism at St Alphege’s church, nearby.
Lyly attended the local King’s School, and then Magdalen College, Oxford where he graduated in 1573. His application for a fellowship was unsuccessful, meaning that for the 1570s into the next decade he left the city and was based in London, working initially as the private secretary to Edward de Vere, son in law of the immensely influential Lord Burghley, chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth for much of her reign. Failed attempts to obtain greater patronage from the court saw him develop his writing career. He had already enjoyed some success with the `Euphues or the Anatomy of Wit’ written in 1577 and published a year later which is seen as having created a whole new style of writing – full of alliteration, rhetorical questions, and flamboyant expressions. This perhaps prompted him to develop his dramatic output over the 1590s, producing amongst other works `Endymion’ (1591), `Midas’ (1592) and `Mother Bonbie’ (1594). From 1580 he was also a Member of Parliament for a eclectic mix of places – Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire, and Westmoreland. It is unclear how much time he spent in any of these locations This did not stop him issuing at least two complaints which survive to the Court about his failure to receive fair treatment in terms of patronage. Even with his chief patron, Lord de Vere, there seem to have been misunderstandings.
Lyly is one of a remarkable group of writers, the most important today of which is Christopher Marlowe, younger than him by about ten years, and while he is much less known than his famous contemporary, and the even more gargantuan figure of Shakespeare, Lyly was highly regarded in his time. His `Gallathia’ of 1592 has been demonstrated to have had a direct impact on Shakespeare’s `A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. There are other clear links. In more recent times, his dramatic work has enjoyed something of a renaissance.