John Heywood

[3] Heywood was retained at four royal courts (Henry, Edward, Mary, Elizabeth), despite the unpopular political views which he and his family held.

In 1530, he transferred from the Stationers Guild to the Mercers Company, where he was made Common Measurer, although he did not appear to work with cloth in any way in his career.

Greg Walker notes that Heywood wrote a poem in defence of Princess Mary shortly after she was disinherited.

The Palmer ends the play with the blessing "besechynge our lorde to prosper you all / In the fayth of hys churche universall" (line 1234).

Heywood is therefore more conciliatory than his famous uncle-in-law Thomas More, who was executed for his religious beliefs, (interpreted as high treason) in the face of Henry VIII's changes.

[4] Though Heywood had performed for Elizabeth's court, he was forced to flee England for Brabant because of the Act of Uniformity against Catholics in 1564.

Arthur F. Kinney writes that Heywood 'seems to have survived an unusually long and turbulent existence both by his use of "good learning" – his use of literary sources, especially More and Chaucer, and his intelligent if often oblique commentary on religious and social issues – and his wit, his sociability and his playfulness'.

[4] While Fraser and Rabkin argue that Heywood's plays represent primitive drama, the long monologues in his text would have required actors with an extraordinary range.

Greg Walker has argued that the lack of plot (for example, in Four PP where as soon as the Palmer has mastery over the Pardoner and Pothecary, he gives it up) has a lot to do with Heywood's political views.

Richard Axton and Peter Happé observe that Heywood's longer plays would probably take at least an hour and a half to perform, including the songs and acrobatic routines.