POET LAUREATE

title first granted in England for poetic excellence. Its holder is a salaried member of the British royal household, but the post has come to be free of specific poetic duties. The office is remarkable for its continuity. It began with a pension granted to Ben Jonson by James I in 1616, confirmed and increased by Charles I in 1630 (when an annual butt of canary wine was added, to be discontinued at the request of Henry James Pyemade laureate in 1790who preferred the equivalent in money). Jonson's pension specifically recognized his services to the crown as a poet and envisaged their continuance, but not until 16 months after Jonson's death in 1637 was a similar pension for similar services granted to Sir William Davenant. It was with John Dryden's appointment in 1668, within a week of Davenant's death, that the laureateship was recognized as an established royal office to be filled automatically when vacant. At the Revolution of 1688, Dryden was dismissed for refusing the oath of allegiance, and this gave the appointment a political flavour, which it retained for more than 200 years. Dryden's successor, Thomas Shadwell, inaugurated the custom of producing New Year and birthday odes; this hardened into a tradition between 1690 and about 1820, becoming the principal mark of the office. The odes were set to music and performed in the sovereign's presence. On his appointment in 1813, Robert Southey sought unsuccessfully to end this custom, but, although it was allowed tacitly to lapse, it was only finally abolished by Queen Victoria. Her appointment of William Wordsworth in 1843 signified that the laureateship had become the reward for eminence in poetry, and the office since then has carried no specific duties. The laureates from Alfred Tennyson onward have written poems for royal and national occasions as the spirit has moved them. The list of poets laureate (with dates of tenure) follows: John Dryden (166889), Thomas Shadwell (168992), Nahum Tate (16921715), Nicholas Rowe (171518), Laurence Eusden (171830), Colley Cibber (173057), William Whitehead (175785), Thomas Warton (178590), Henry James Pye (17901813), Robert Southey (181343), William Wordsworth (184350), Alfred Tennyson (185092), Alfred Austin (18961913), Robert Bridges (191330), John Masefield (193067), C. Day-Lewis (196872), Sir John Betjeman (197284), and Ted Hughes (1984 ). In 1985 the U.S. government created a title of poet laureate, to be held by the same person who holds the post of consultant in poetry for the Library of Congress. Both appointments are annual ones. The American poet laureate receives a modest stipend and is expected to present one major poetic work and to appear at certain national ceremonies. The title of the office stems from traditions concerning the laurel dating to the earliest Greek and Roman times.