MAY, THOMAS, an English historian and poet, was born in 1595 of an ancient family in Sussex. He was educated at Cambridge, and, after taking the degree of B.A., he repaired to London, and became a member of Gray's Inn. In the course of time his talents found favour at court, and several of his poems were published by the special command of Charles I. He was thus led to expect the laurel on the death of Ben Jonson in 1637. But Sir William Davenant was preferred; and May abandoned the court in a pet, and was ever afterwards a republican. During the civil war he became secretary to the Parliament, and was employed to write its History. This work, published originally in Latin, was translated into English in 1650. It is tame and inelegant, yet, on the whole, it is truthful in its facts, and unbiased in its judgments. On the night of the 12th of November 1650, May retired to bed in good health, "after his chearful bottle as usual," and died in his sleep before morning. His remains were laid in Westminster Abbey; but soon after the Restoration they were disinterred, and thrown into a pit in the adjoining church-yard of St Margaret's. A monument that had been erected over his grave was also demolished.
May is the author of five plays, and of two poems on the reigns of Henry II. and Edward III. respectively. He translated into English verse Selected Epigrams of Martial, Virgil's Georgics, and Lucan's Pharsalia. To the last of these he wrote a continuation both in English and Latin. His History of the Parliament was edited by Baron Maseres, 4to, 1812.