MASEFIELD, John, English poet and dramatist: b. 1875. In his youth be shipped be fore the mast on the Conway, in which he made several voyages. For a time also he was en gaged as a farm laborer and in the 90's spent a short time as attendant in a Sixth avenue sa loon in New York. These early experiences he later turned to account in his literary work. After his wanderings Masefield settled near London and became a regular contributor of prose and verse to the periodicals of the metrop olis. He was awarded the Edmond de Polignac prize for poetry in 1912 by the Royal Society of Literature. Masefield won literary fame mainly through his sea ballads and the narra tive poems, 'The Everlasting Mercy' Widow in the Bye Street.' His verse is in tensely realistic, full of pathos, although the verse form is often crude. His stories for boys represent his best efforts in prose and are reminiscent of Marryat at his best. His plays lack technique and are little suited to stage pre sentation, but give evidence of growing power.
His works, in addition to those already men tioned, are 'Salt Water Ballads' (1902) ; Mainsail Haul) (1905; 1913) ; Tarpaulin Master) ; (Ballads) ; 'Captain Margaret) ; 'The Tragedy of Nan and other Plays' (1910) ; 'The Tragedy of Pompey the Great' (1910) • 'Multi tude and Solitude) ; (The Street of To-day) ; (Poems and Ballads) ; (William Shakespeare); (Dauber) ; (The Daffodil Fields) ; 'Philip the King' (1914) ; 'Personal Recollections of John M. Synge) ; (The Faithful) ; 'Sonnets and Poems) ; (The Locked Sweeps of Ninety-Eight) ; (Good ; (Lollingcfon Downs,' etc. Masefield edited (The Voyages of Captain William (1906) ; and wrote introductions to 'Hakluyt's Voy ages' and 'The Voyages of Marco Polo.) The following plays have been produced: 'The Campden Wonder) ; (Nan) ; (Pompey the Great) ; 'Sweeps of Ninety-Eight' ; the King) ; 'The Faithful) ; 'Mrs. Harrison' ;