1572 in literature

• January 3 – James Burbage, on behalf of Leicester's Men, writes to their patron, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, requesting that they be given the special status of "household servants". • unknown dates • Vagabonds Act in England prescribes punishment for rogues. This includes actors' companies lacking formal patronage. • George Gascoigne becomes a "soldier of fortune" in the Low Countries. ==New books==

• Remy Belleau – La Bergerie (2nd edition) • Rafael Bombelli – ''L'Algebra'' • John Field – A View of Popish Abuses yet remaining in the English Church • ''Libro d'Oro'' of Corfu • ''Bishops' Bible'' (revised version) ==New drama==

• Jean de la Taille – Saül le furieux ==Poetry==

• Luís de Camões – Os Lusiadas • Fernando de Herrera – Canción por la Victoria del Señor don Juan • Thomas Palfreyman – Divine Meditations ==Births==

• January 7 – Antoine de Gaudier, French Jesuit theologian (died 1622) • January 22 (earliest possible date) – John Donne, English poet and Dean of St Paul's (died 1631) • June 11 (approximate) – Ben Jonson, English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor (died 1637) • July 25 – Theodorus Schrevelius, Dutch Golden Age poet (died 1649) Unknown date – James Mabbe, English scholar, poet and translator (died 1642) ==Deaths==

• March 27 – Girolamo Maggi, Italian poet and polymath (born c. 1523) • April 12 – Jean Crespin, French martyrologist and printer (born c. 1520) • June 28 – Johannes Goropius Becanus, Dutch humanist writer and linguist (born 1519) • September 23 – Henry Scrimgeour, Scottish diplomat and book collector (born 1505) • September – Denis Lambin, French classicist (born 1520) ==References==