Poetry Codex

Tudor & Elizabethan

Sir John Davies

1569–1626

Sir John Davies was an English poet, lawyer and politician who later served as Attorney General for Ireland.

He is best remembered for ‘Nosce Teipsum,’ a long philosophical poem on the nature of the soul, and for witty, compact epigrams on the paradox of human self-knowledge.

Poems (268)

  1. Man
  2. Hymne I: Of Astraea
  3. Hymne II: To Astraea
  4. Hymne III: To the Spring
  5. Hymne IIII: To the moneth of May
  6. Hymne V: To the Larke
  7. Hymne VI: To the Nightingale
  8. Hymne VII: To the Rose
  9. Hymne VIII: To all the Princes of Europe
  10. Hymne IX: To Flora
  11. Hymne X: To the moneth of September
  12. Hymne XI: To the Sunne
  13. Hymne XII: To her Picture
  14. Hymne XIII: Of her Mind
  15. Hymne XIIII: Of the Sun-beames of her Mind
  16. Hymne XV: Of her Wit
  17. Hymne XVI: Of her will
  18. Hymne XVII: Of her Memorie
  19. Hymne XVIII: Of her Phantasie
  20. Hymne XIX: Of the Organs of her Minde
  21. Hymne XX: Of the Passions of her Heart
  22. Hymne XXI: Of th'innumerable Vertues of her Mind
  23. Hymne XXII: Of her Wisedome
  24. Hymne XXIII: Of her Iustice
  25. Hymne XXIIII: Of her Magnanimitie
  26. Hymne XXV: Of her Moderation
  27. Hymne XXVI: To Enuie
  28. Nosce Teipsum: Royal Dedication
  29. Nosce Teipsum: Dedication of a Gift-Copy to Henry, Earle of Northumberland
  30. Nosce Teipsum: Of Humane Knowledge
  31. Nosce Teipsum: Of the Soule of Man and the Immortalite Thereof
  32. Nosce Teipsum: What the Soule is
  33. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule is a Thing Subsisting by it Selfe Without the Body
  34. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule is More then a Perfection or Reflection of the Sense
  35. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule is More then the Temperature of the Humors of the Body
  36. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule is a Spirit
  37. Nosce Teipsum: That it Cannot be a Body
  38. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule is Created Immediately by God
  39. Nosce Teipsum: Erronious Opinions of the Creation of Soules
  40. Nosce Teipsum: Objection: That the Soule is Extraduce
  41. Nosce Teipsum: The Answere to the Obiection
  42. Nosce Teipsum: Reasons Drawne from Nature
  43. Nosce Teipsum: Reasons Drawne from Diuinity
  44. Nosce Teipsum: Why the Soule is United to the Body
  45. Nosce Teipsum: In What Manner the Soule is United to the Body
  46. Nosce Teipsum: How the Soul Doth Exercise her Powers in the Body
  47. Nosce Teipsum: The Vegetatiue or Quickening Power
  48. Nosce Teipsum: The Power of Sense
  49. Nosce Teipsum: Sight
  50. Nosce Teipsum: Hearing
  51. Nosce Teipsum: Taste
  52. Nosce Teipsum: Smelling
  53. Nosce Teipsum: Feeling
  54. Nosce Teipsum: The Imagination or Common Sense
  55. Nosce Teipsum: The Fantasie
  56. Nosce Teipsum: The Sensitiue Memorie
  57. Nosce Teipsum: The Passions of Sense
  58. Nosce Teipsum: The Motion of Life
  59. Nosce Teipsum: The Locall Motion
  60. Nosce Teipsum: The Intellectuall Powers of the Soule
  61. Nosce Teipsum: The Wit or Understanding
  62. Nosce Teipsum: Reason, Vnderstanding
  63. Nosce Teipsum: Opinion, Judgement
  64. Nosce Teipsum: The Power of Will
  65. Nosce Teipsum: The Relations Betwixt Wit and Will
  66. Nosce Teipsum: The Intellectuall Memorie
  67. Nosce Teipsum: An Acclamation
  68. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule is Immortal, and Cannot Die
  69. Nosce Teipsum: Reason I: Drawne from the Desire of Knowledge
  70. Nosce Teipsum: Reason II: Drawn from the Motion of the Soule
  71. Nosce Teipsum: The Soul Compared to a Riuer
  72. Nosce Teipsum: Reason III: From Contempt of Death in the Better Sort of Spirits
  73. Nosce Teipsum: Reason IV: From the Feare of Death in the Wicked Soules
  74. Nosce Teipsum: Reason V: From the Generall Desire of Immortalitie
  75. Nosce Teipsum: Reason VI: From the Very Doubt and Disputation of Immortalitie
  76. Nosce Teipsum: That the Soule Cannot be Destroyed
  77. Nosce Teipsum: Her Cause Ceaseth not
  78. Nosce Teipsum: She Hath no Contrary
  79. Nosce Teipsum: Shee Cannot Die for Want of Food
  80. Nosce Teipsum: Violence Cannot Destroy her
  81. Nosce Teipsum: Time Cannot Destroy her
  82. Nosce Teipsum: Objections Against the Immortalitie of the Soule
  83. Nosce Teipsum: Objection I
  84. Nosce Teipsum: Objection I: Answere
  85. Nosce Teipsum: Objection II
  86. Nosce Teipsum: Objection II: Answere
  87. Nosce Teipsum: Objection III
  88. Nosce Teipsum: Objection III: Answere
  89. Nosce Teipsum: Objection IV
  90. Nosce Teipsum: Objection IV: Answere
  91. Nosce Teipsum: Objection V
  92. Nosce Teipsum: Objection V: Answere
  93. Nosce Teipsum: The Generall Consent of All
  94. Nosce Teipsum: Three Kinds of Life Answerable to the Three Powers of the Soule
  95. Nosce Teipsum: An Acclamation (2)
  96. Orchestra: To his very Friend, Ma. Rich. Martin
  97. Orchestra: To the Prince
  98. Orchestra, or a Poeme of Dauncing
  99. Ad Musam (1)
  100. Of a Gull
  101. In Ruffum
  102. In Quintum (4)
  103. In Plurimos
  104. In Titam
  105. In Faustum
  106. In Katum
  107. In Librum
  108. In Medontem
  109. In Gellam (11)
  110. In Quintum (12)
  111. In Severum
  112. In Leucam
  113. In Macrum
  114. In Fastum
  115. In Cosmum
  116. In Flaccum
  117. In Cineam (19)
  118. In Gerontem
  119. In Marcum (21)
  120. In Ciprum
  121. In Cineam (23)
  122. In Gallum
  123. In Decium
  124. In Gellam (26)
  125. In Syllam
  126. In Sillam (28)
  127. In Haywodum
  128. In Dacum (30)
  129. In Priscum
  130. In Brunum
  131. In Francum
  132. In Castorem
  133. In Septimium
  134. Of Tobacco
  135. In Crassum
  136. In Philonem
  137. In Fuscum
  138. In Afram
  139. In Paulum
  140. In Licum
  141. In Publium
  142. In Sillam (44)
  143. In Dacum (45)
  144. In Marcum (46)
  145. Meditations of a Gull
  146. Ad Musam (48)
  147. Appendix Epigram: In Superbiam
  148. Appendix Epigram: Epi. 6
  149. Appendix Epigram: In Amorosum
  150. Appendix Epigram: Epi. 9
  151. Appendix Epigram: Epi. 10
  152. Dedicatory Sonnet to Sir Anthony Cooke
  153. Gullinge Sonnet 1
  154. Gullinge Sonnet 2
  155. Gullinge Sonnet 3
  156. Gullinge Sonnet 4
  157. Gullinge Sonnet 5
  158. Gullinge Sonnet 6
  159. Gullinge Sonnet 7
  160. Gullinge Sonnet 8
  161. Gullinge Sonnet 9
  162. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Courtier
  163. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Divine
  164. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Souldier
  165. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Lawyer
  166. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Physition
  167. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Merchant
  168. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Country Gentleman
  169. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Bacheler
  170. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Married Man
  171. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Wife
  172. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Widdow
  173. Yet Other Twelve Wonders of the World: The Maid
  174. A Contention betwixt a Wife, a Widdow and a Maide
  175. A Lottery
  176. Canzonet: A Hymne in Praise of Musicke
  177. Ten Sonets to Philomel: Vpon Loues entring by the eares
  178. Ten Sonets to Philomel: Of his owne, and his Mistresse sicknesse at one time
  179. Ten Sonets to Philomel: Another of her sicknesse and recovery
  180. Ten Sonets to Philomel: Allusion to Theseus voyage to Crete, against the Minotaure
  181. Ten Sonets to Philomel: Vpon her looking secretly out at a window as he passed by
  182. Ten Sonets to Philomel: To the Sunne of his Mistresse beauty eclipsed with frownes
  183. Ten Sonets to Philomel: Vpon sending her a gold ring with this Posie
  184. Ten Sonets to Philomel: The hearts captivitie
  185. To George Chapman on his Ovid
  186. Reason's Moane
  187. On the Death of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere's Second Wife in 1599
  188. Tityrus to his Faire Phillis
  189. Upon a Coffin
  190. Epitaph and Epigram
  191. Psalm I
  192. Psalm II
  193. Psalm III
  194. Psalm IV
  195. Psalm V
  196. Psalm VI
  197. Psalm VII
  198. Psalm VIII
  199. Psalm IX
  200. Psalm X
  201. Psalm XI
  202. Psalm XII
  203. Psalm XIII
  204. Psalm XIV
  205. Psalm XV
  206. Psalm XVI
  207. Psalm XVII
  208. Psalm XVIII
  209. Psalm XIX
  210. Psalm XX
  211. Psalm XXI
  212. Psalm XXII
  213. Psalm XXIII
  214. Psalm XXIV
  215. Psalm XXV
  216. Psalm XXVI
  217. Psalm XXVII
  218. Psalm XXVIII
  219. Psalm XXIX
  220. Psalm XXX
  221. Psalm XXXI
  222. Psalm XXXII
  223. Psalm XXXIII
  224. Psalm XXXIV
  225. Psalm XXXV
  226. Psalm XXXVI
  227. Psalm XXXVII
  228. Psalm XXXVIII
  229. Psalm XXXIX
  230. Psalm XL
  231. Psalm XLI
  232. Psalm XLII
  233. Psalm XLIII
  234. Psalm XLIV
  235. Psalm XLV
  236. Psalm XLVI
  237. Psalm XLVII
  238. Psalm XLVIII
  239. Psalm XLIX
  240. Psalm L
  241. Psalm LXVII
  242. Psalm XCI
  243. Psalm XCV
  244. Psalm C
  245. Psalm CIII
  246. Psalm CL
  247. Of Faith the first Theologicall Vertue
  248. A Songe of Contention betweene Fowre Maids
  249. A Maid's Hymne in Praise of Virginity
  250. Part of an Elegie in Praise of Marriage
  251. A Fragment of a Love Elegie
  252. To the Queene
  253. To Faire Ladyes
  254. Upon a Paire of Garters
  255. To his Lady-love
  256. Tobacco
  257. Elegies of Loue
  258. The Kinges Welcome
  259. To the Kinge upon his Ma'ties first comming into England
  260. To the Queene at the same time
  261. Mira loquor sol occubuit nox nulla secuta est
  262. Charles his Waine
  263. Of the name of Charolus, being the diminutive of Charus
  264. Verses sent to the Kinge with Figges: by Sr John Davis
  265. Love Lines
  266. Love Flight
  267. An Elegiecall Epistle on Sir John Davis death
  268. The Complaint of the V Satyres against the Nymphs

See Sir John Davies in the full archive →