Thomas Nashe- Bio

His Life:

Thomas Nashe was born in 1567 in Lowestoft, Suffolk; third son to the second wife of William Nashe. He moved with his family to West Harling when he was six years old. As the nearest school to the place is 7 miles away he might have received his early education from his father. There is no record of Thomas’ early years. The first record is his entry in the Cambridge University register that records his matriculation as sizar of St. John’s College on October 13, 1582. By November 1584 he had become a scholar of the Lady Margaret Foundation. In March 1586 he graduated Bachelor of Arts and continued on toward the degree of Master of Arts. He suddenly withdrew without completing the work for his final degree (many evidence says it is because his lack of funds to continue the study after his father’s death). Although he completed his career at the University without obtaining the coveted degree of Master of Arts, he evidently left of his own free will. In the satirical biography of Nashe The Trimming of Thomas Nashe, Gentleman by an anonymous author, Nashe is depicted as a “Student Revolutionary” participating in the riots between town and gown and taking part in a scurrilous play, Terminus & non terminus, for which his partner was expelled. Thus, forced to fend for himself, he decided to join the small group of professional writers, now referred to as the University Wits- graduates of Oxford and Cambridge who made their livings through writing.

His Pamphlets and Controversies

Sources:

Thomas Nashe By McGinn, Donald Joseph

A History of the Elizabethan Literature- George Saintsbury