Chapter 10. The Publicity of John Taylor the Water-Poet

Abstract

As the printing house became available to a more socially heterogeneous range of people, both the social background of published writers and the readership of printed matter became more varied. This essay follows the example of one larger than life early modern traveller—someone who tapped into the burgeoning early modern book trade in London. John Taylor “the Water-Poet” (1578-1653) used travel, print publication and the public to make his way in the world. The essay reads Taylor in relation to ideas of publicity, publication and public discourse. As a boatman or werryman, he sculled people across the Thames—no doubt sharing gossip and telling stories—but Taylor sought to transmit his personality and verse to a larger audience. His work demonstrates how someone of relatively low social background transgressed social expectations while seeking to legitimate his vocation.