1597. In 1600 he wrote an ‘Answer to Mrs. Mary Cornwallis, pretended Countess of Cumberland; being a Defense of the Marriage of William Bourchier, third Earl of Bath, with Elizabeth Russell, daughter of Francis, Earl of Bedford.’ Portions of this tract, which seems to have been written without any view to publication, are preserved in ‘Harleian MS.’ 249. In the introduction Davison mentions that he was ‘specially obliged’ to the Russell family. In 1602 appeared the first edition of ‘A Poetical Rapsody, containing Diuerse Sonnets, Odes, Elegies, Madrigalls, and other Poesies, both in Rime and Measured Verse. Neuer yet published.
The Bee and Spider, by a diuerse power,
Sucke Hony and Poyson from the selfe same flower,’
8vo. Many of the choicest poems in this collection were written by the editor, Francis Davison, and there are some pieces by his brother Walter [q. v.] In an address ‘to the reader’ the editor states that his own poems ‘were made, most of them six or seven years since, at idle times, as I journeyed up and down during my travels,’ and that his brother Walter, who was by profession a soldier, ‘was not eighteen years old when he writ these toyes.’ Chamberlaine, in a letter to Sir Dudley Carleton dated 8 July 1602, notices the appearance of the anthology: ‘It seems young Davison means to take another course, and turn poet; for he hath lately set out certain sonnets and epigrams.’ The only known copy (and that imperfect) of the first edition is preserved in the Bodleian Library. A second edition, enlarged, was issued in 1608, another edition, again enlarged, in 1611, and the fourth edition in 1621. The ‘Rapsody’ was edited by Sir Egerton Brydges in 1814, and by Sir Harris Nicolas in 1826. Collier reprinted the first edition (1602) in ‘Seven English Poetical Miscellanies’ (1867). At the close of the address ‘to the reader’ Davison announced that he hoped to publish before long ‘some graver work.’ He may have been referring to his metrical translations from the Psalms. These translations, which have considerable merit, were not published during Davison's lifetime; but they are extant in manuscript (Harl. MSS. 3357, 6930), and have been printed by Brydges and by Nicolas. William Davison died in December 1608, and by his will left his son Francis 100l. per annum from the profits of the office of custos brevium of the queen's bench. It is probable that Francis Davison died in or before 1619; for in that year many of his manuscripts, together with papers of William Davison, were in the possession of Ralph Starkey. These manuscripts afterwards came into the possession of Sir Simon D'Ewes, and are now preserved among the ‘Harleian MSS.’ One interesting and tantalising article is a long list (Harl. MS. 280, f. 102) in Davison's handwriting of poems written by a mysterious ‘A. W.,’ who was one of the chief contributors to the ‘Rapsody.’ Among other articles attributed to Davison by Nicolas are: (1) Notes for a projected work entitled ‘A Relation of England’ (Harl. MS. 304, f. 79); (2) ‘That the Lord-treasurer Burleigh endeavoured to suppress and keep down Mr. Secretary Davison’ (Harl. MS. 290, f. 237); (3) ‘The Cypher used by Secretary Davison’ (Harl. MS. 291, f. 84); (4) ‘Tabula Analytica Poetica’ (Harl. MS. 588, f. 3). J. P. Collier possessed a unique collection of Latin anagrams by Davison, broadside, fol. 1603.
[Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas, prefixed to the Poetical Rhapsody, 1826; Corser's Collectanea; Hazlitt's Handbook of Bibliography; Hunter's Chorus Vatum; Sale Catalogue of J. P. Collier's Library, No. 712; Collier's Bibliographical Catalogue.]
DAVISON, JAMES WILLIAM (1813–1885), journalist, the son of James Davison, of an old Northumberland family, was born in London 5 Oct. 1813. His mother was well known as an actress under her maiden name of Maria Duncan. He was educated at University College School, but, developing a taste for music, was sent to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied the pianoforte under W. H. Holmes and composition under Macfarren. He wrote several unimportant orchestral works, one of which, an overture, was played at a concert of the Society of British Musicians. He also wrote and arranged pianoforte music for ‘Bohn's Harmonist,’ and composed a few songs, of which his settings of Keats and Shelley were the most successful. Davison gradually abandoned the active exercise of the musical profession for the more congenial literary work of musical criticism. The only book he published separately was a little work upon Chopin, which appeared about 1849, but for thirty years he was connected with a number of leading newspapers. He first wrote in the ‘Musical Magazine and Dramatic and Musical Review;’ in 1843 he was connected with the ‘Musical Examiner,’ which was merged in the ‘Musical World,’ of which periodical he shortly afterwards became the editor, a post he retained until the end of his life. About 1846 or 1848 he became musical critic to the ‘Times;’ he also occasionally wrote for the ‘Saturday
