He was made a member of Gray's Inn in 1593; travelled in Italy in 1595; contributed some of its best poems to A Poetical Rapsody in 1602; and left in manuscript metrical translations from the Psalms, Tabula Analytlca Poetica, and some historical pamphlets.
[1] Some interesting letters written by Davison from Italy to his father and to Anthony Bacon are extant among the Harleian MSS., and have been printed by Sir Harris Nicolas.
In 1602 appeared the first edition of A Poetical Rapsody, containing Diuerse Sonnets, Odes, Elegies, Madrigalls, and other Poesies, both in Rime and Measured Verse.
Many of the choicest poems in this collection were written by the editor, Francis Davison, and there are some pieces by his brother Walter.
In an address ‘to the reader’ the editor states that his own poems ‘were made, most of them six or seven years since, at idle times, as I journeyed up and down during my travels,’ and that his brother Walter, who was by profession a soldier, ‘was not eighteen years old when he writ these toyes.’ Chamberlaine, in a letter to Sir Dudley Carleton dated 8 July 1602, notices the appearance of the anthology: ‘It seems young Davison means to take another course, and turn poet; for he hath lately set out certain sonnets and epigrams.’ The only known copy (and that imperfect) of the first edition is preserved in the Bodleian Library.
At the close of the address ‘to the reader’ Davison announced that he hoped to publish before long ‘some graver work.’ He may have been referring to his metrical translations from the Psalms.
One interesting and tantalising article is a long list (Harleian MS. 280, f. 102) in Davison's handwriting of poems written by a mysterious ‘A.