John Heywood  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580) was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no works survive.

Works

A partial list:

Plays

• The Mery Play betwene Johan Johan, the Husbande, Tyb, his Wyf, and Syr Johan, the Preest
• The Mery Play between the Pardoner and the Frere, the Curate and Neybour Pratte (before 1533)
• The Play called the foure PP; a newe and a very mery interlude of a palmer, a pardoner, a potycary, a pedler (c. 1530)
• The Play of the Wether, a new and mery interlude of all maner of Wethers (1533)
• The Play of Love (1533)
• A Dialogue on Wit and Folly

Verse

• The Spider and the Flie (1556)

Collections

• Proverbs (c. 1538)
• The Proverbs of John Heywood (1546)

Famous epigrams

• What you have, hold.
• Haste maketh waste. (1546)
• Out of sight out of mind. (1542)
• When the sun shineth, make hay. (1546)
• Look ere ye leap. (1546)
• Two heads are better than one. (1546)
• Love me, love my dog. (1546)
• Beggars should be no choosers. (1546)
• All is well that ends well. (1546)
• The fat is in the fire. (1546)
• I know on which side my bread is buttered. (1546)
• One good turn asketh another. (1546)
• A penny for your thought. (1546)
• Rome was not built in one day. (1546)
• Better late than never. (1546)
• An ill wind that bloweth no man to good. (1546)
• The more the merrier. (1546)
• You cannot see the wood for the trees. (1546)
• This hitteth the nail on the head. (1546)
• No man ought to look a given horse in the mouth. (1546)
• Tread a woorme on the tayle and it must turne agayne. (1546)
• Many hands make light work. (1546)
• Wolde ye bothe eate your cake and haue your cake? (1562)
• When he should get aught, each finger is a thumb. (1546)