Henry Peacham is the name shared by two English Renaissance writers who were father and son.

The elder Henry Peacham (1546 - 1634) was an English curate, best known for his treatise on rhetoric titled The Garden of Eloquence first published in 1577.

His son, Henry Peacham (1576 - 1643) was a poet and writer, known today primarily for his book, The Compleat Gentleman, first printed in 1622. It is presented as a guidebook on the arts for young men of good birth. In it, he discusses what writers, poets, composers, philosophers, and artists a gentlemen should study in order to become well-educated. Because he mentions a large number of contemporary artistic figures, he is often cited as a primary source in studies of Renaissance artists.

A representative passage from The Compleat Gentleman:

"For composition, I prefer next Ludovico de Victoria, a most judicious and a sweet composer: after him Orlando di Lasso, a very rare and excellent Author, who lived some forty years since in the court of the Duke of Bavier."

References

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Peacham, Henry The Garden of Eloquence. Softcover Publisher: Gainesville, Fla., Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints 1954 (facsimile of 1593 edition)

Rhetoric