Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 36.djvu/431

 tragedy called ‘The Natural Son’ (1805), which should be distinguished from Cumberland's earlier comedy bearing the same title, and in 1809 he issued two volumes of ‘Literary Miscellanies.’ The first contained ‘Mortimer,’ a novel in a series of letters; translations of the ‘Iliad,’ book xix., passages from the ‘Æneid,’ and imitations of Horace's ‘Odes,’ accompanied with critical remarks; and a defence of the ‘Œdipus Tyrannus’ against some observations of Voltaire. In the second were two tragedies, ‘The Renown’ and ‘Ninus;’ and two comedies, ‘The School for Husbands’ (an original play, unlike Ozell's translation from Molière) and ‘The School for Friends.’ A comedy, under the same name as the last, by Marianne Chambers was produced at Drury Lane in December 1805, and printed in the same year. These were preceded by ‘Observations on our Principal Dramatic Authors,’ with severe strictures on the contemporary drama, and some account of the author's plays. The writings are those of a scholar widely read in both ancient and modern literature, and of a critic of some acuteness, although an adherent of the old ‘unities’ school. Mason further published in 1810 ‘The Georgicks of Publius Virgilius Maro, translated into English Blank Verse,’ London, 8vo. Watt also attributes to him, probably wrongly, ‘A Plea for Catholic Communion in the Church of God’ (1816). Mason died at Shrewsbury 27 April 1827. 

MASON, JOHN (1503–1566), statesman, was born in 1503 at Abingdon, Berkshire, which he was subsequently the means of making a free borough and corporation, and where he secured the erection of a hospital, of which he became master. He was the son of a cowherd by his wife, sister of a monk there, probably the Thomas, abbot of Abingdon, who corresponded with Mason in 1532 (Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, ed. Gairdner, vi. 114). His early education was apparently entrusted to this uncle, who found Mason an apt pupil, and procured his admission to some college or hall at Oxford. He graduated B.A. on 8 July 1521, being then fellow of All Souls, and M.A. on 21 Feb. 1524–5. Not long afterwards, on the recommendation, it is said, of Sir Thomas More, Mason was appointed king's scholar at Paris, with an annual allowance of 3l. 6s. 8d., which appears in 1531 to have been doubled, while various other sums were from time to time granted him (ib. v. 747, 751, 754, 757, g. 119 [49]). On 13 Feb. 1531–2 he was presented to the parish church of Kyngeston in the diocese of Salisbury. He was present at Calais during the meeting there of Henry VIII and Francis I in 1532 (Chronicle of Calais, Camden Soc., p. 118), and with a view to future diplomatic service was soon afterwards sent on tour through France, Spain, and Italy, with an increased allowance and instructions to keep himself in constant communication with the king and council, and to forward all the information he could gather about foreign relations and the places he visited. The early part of 1534 he spent in Spain; in July he was at Padua, and thence he proceeded to the chief towns of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, the Lipari Islands, and Sicily, returning from Messina to Naples in December 1535 (cf. account of his travels in a letter to his friend, Dr. Starkey, dated 16 Dec., Cotton MS. Vitell. B. xiv. 157; Letters and Papers, ix. 313, 329). In October 1536 he was again in Spain, but had apparently returned to Oxford before the end of November (ib. xi. 1186), and to this date may perhaps be referred those efforts which, according to his eulogists, saved the endowments of his university from confiscation (, Statesmen and Favourites, pp. 177–184, ed. 1665). In 1537 he became secretary to Sir Thomas Wyatt [q. v.], the English envoy in Spain (cf. Letters and Papers, vol. xii. pt. ii. entries 843, 1087, 1098, 1249). In 1539 he was in the Netherlands, and on 2 April wrote a report on the state of affairs there (Cotton MS. Galba B. x. 94). Next year he was again in Spain as Wyatt's secretary, and was recalled in January 1540–1, when Wyatt was arrested on a charge of treason preferred by Bonner (Cal. State Papers, Spanish, 1538–42, p. 308). Mason had already made a reputation as a diplomatist. ‘None seeth,’ said Sir Thomas Audley, ‘further off than Sir John Mason;’ he outwitted the Italian, and ‘out-graved the don in Spain.’

In October 1542 Mason acted as clerk to the privy council, but his definite appointment was not made until 13 April 1543 (Acts of the Privy Council, 1542–7, p. 118). On 16 July 1544 he was made master of the posts in succession to Sir Bryan Tuke, and in the same year became secretary of the French tongue. On 24 Dec. he witnessed the prorogation of parliament for the last time in person by Henry VIII, and graphically described the scene in a letter to Paget (, iv. 196–9). Next year he was licensed to import French wares, made several journeys into Norfolk, visited ‘Almaigne,’