ABSTRACT
Though there is a long history of parodies of ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, it was not until the late 1860s that the very finest, William Prowse’s ‘The Ancient Philosopher. By a Literary Medium’, appeared. William Jeffery Prowse (1836–70) was a Devonian who was brought up in London after the death of his father in 1844. For most of his short adult life (the last five years of which were tormented by tuberculosis), he was a journalist, most notably on the Daily Telegraph, specialising in sporting matters, most particularly horse racing. However, from an early age he had been an accomplished purveyor of comic verse, contributing to many journals in this capacity. His most notable literary friendship was with Tom Hood, son of the great comic poet and Prowse contributed extensively to Fun magazine when Hood became its editor. ‘The Ancient Philosopher’ was published in another of his friend’s ventures, Hood’s Comic Annual for 1868. In an attempt to avoid the effects of the English weather on his health, Prowse spent his last three winters in France. He died at Nice on Easter Sunday 1870 at the age of thirty three. ‘The Ancient Philosopher’ is a fine memorial.
