UDAL, NICHOLAS English schoolmaster, translator and playwright, author of the earliest extant English comedy, Roister Doister, came of the family of Uvedale, who in the 14th century became lords of Wykeham, Hants, by marriage with the heiress of the Scures. He latinized the name as Udallus, and thence anglicized it as Udal. He is described as Owdall of the parish of St. Cross, Southampton, 12 years old at Christmas 1516, when admitted a scholar of Winchester College in 1517 (Win. Schol. Reg.). He was therefore 161 years of age when ad mitted a scholar of Corpus Christi college, Oxford, in June 152o; he is called Wodall as a lecturer at that college in 1526 to 1528 (T. Fowler, Hist. C. C. C.).
With John Leland he produced "dites" (ditties) "and inter ludes" (B.M. MS. 18A lxiv.) at Anne Boleyn's coronation on May 31, 1533. Leland's contributions are all in Latin; those of "Udallus," which form the chief part, are mostly in English, the speeches being each spoken by a "child," at Cornhill beside Lead enhall "at the Conducte in Cornhill" and "at the little Conducte in Cheepe." From the dedication to his Floures for Latine Spek ynge, selected and gathered out of Terence and the same trans kited into Englysshe, published by Bartlet (in aedibus Bertheleti) it is inferred that Udal was usher at St. Anthony's school next door to Austin Friars, London. At midsummer 1534 he be came head master of Eton. At Eton Udal's salary was LI() and Li for livery, with "petty receipts" of 8s. 4d. for obits, 2S. 8d. for laundress, 2S. for candles for his chamber, and 23s. 4d. "for ink, candles and other things given to the grammar school by Dr. Lup ton, provost." There was a yearly play, 3s. being paid for the repair of the dresses of the players at Christmas, and is. 4d. to a servant of the dean of Windsor for bringing his master's clothes for the players. A payment for repair of the players' dresses recurs every year. Udal has been credited (E. K. Chambers, Mediaeval Stage, ii. 144, 192) with producing a play at Braintree while vicar there, recorded in the churchwardens' accounts for 1534 as "Placidas alias Sir Eustace." The play is actually called in the accounts (only extant in 17th-century extracts) "Platy Dacy alias Sir Ewestacy," and is the old play of Placidas, mentioned in the 9th century. Udal only became vicar of Braintree in 1537 but did not reside there at that time. He held the benefice until The accounts of Cromwell for 1538 include "Woodall, the schole master of Eton, to playing before my lord, f5." Presumably he brought a troupe of Eton boys with him. In that year he pub lished a second edition of his Floures of Terence for the benefit of Eton boys. The often-questioned account of Thomas Tusser
(Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie) is typical of Eton at the time, as Udal's predecessor Cox is said in Ascham's Schole master to have been "the best scholemaster and greatest beater of our time" : From I went to Aeton sent, To learn straightwaies the Latin phraise; Where fifty-three stripes given to me at once I had; For fault but small or none at all It came to pass thus beat I was; See, Udall, see, the mercie of thee to mee, poor lad.
Udal's rule of the rod at Eton was short. He was brought up be fore the privy council on March 14, 1541 for being "counsail" with two of the boys, Thomas Cheney and Thomas Hoorde, for steal ing silver images and chapel ornaments. He denied the theft, but confessed to a much more scandalous offence with Cheney, and was sent to the Marshalsea prison. He tried, but failed, to get restored to Eton.
He seems to have maintained himself by translating into Eng lish, in 1542, Erasmus's Apophthegms and other works. In 1544 he published a new edition of the Floures of Terence. He seems to have taken a schoolmastership in Northumberland or Durham, as Leland in one of his Encomia speaks of him, probably at this time, as translated to the Brigantes. He purged himself, however, by composing the Answer to the Articles of the Commoners of Devonshire and Cornwall (Pocock, Troubles of the Prayer Book of 1549, Camd. Soc., new series, 37, 193), when they rose in rebellion in the summer of 1549 against the First Prayer Book of Edward VI. In 1551 he received a patent for printing his transla tion of Peter Martyr's two works on the Eucharist and the Great Bible in English (Pat. 4 Edw. VI. pt. 5, m. 5, Shakespeare Soc. iii. xxx.). He was rewarded by being made a canon of Windsor on Dec. 14, 1551. On Jan. 5, 1552 he edited a translation of Eras mus's Paraphrases of the Gospels, himself translating the first three, while that on St. John was being translated by the princess Mary, till she fell sick and handed her work over to Dr. Malet. The work was done at the suggestion and expense of the dowager queen Katharine, in whose charge Mary was. A translation by Udal of Geminus's Anatomie or Compendiosa totius anatomise delineatio, was published in 1553. Udal's preface is dated July 20, 1552 "at Windesore." In June and September 1553 (Trevel yan Pap. Camd. Soc. 84, ii. 33) "Mr. Nicholas Uvedale" was paid at the rate of £13, 6s. 8d. a year as "scholemaster to Mr. Ed ward Courtney, beinge within the Tower of London, by virtue of the King's Majesty's Warrant"—the young earl of Devon, who had been in prison ever since he was twelve years old.