The antiquarian Anthony a Wood (1632–95) takes occasion to notice Marvell only in conjunction with his articles on Parker and John Denham.
Extract from Athenae Oxonienses, ed P.Bliss (1813–20), IV, cols 230–2.
Whereupon our author Parker being esteemed by the nonconformists a forward, proud, ambitious and scornful person, was taken to task, purposely to clip his wings or take him shorter, by their buffooning champion Andrew Marvell sometime one of John Milton's companions….
All, or most of which answers (which were to the first part of The Rehearsal Transpos'd) were wrote in a buffooning, burlesquing and ridiculing way and stile; in which fashion of writing, Marvell himself had led the way…. Before I go any farther, the reader is to note that this pen-combat exercised between our author and Marvell was briskly managed with as much smart, cutting and satyrical wit on both sides, as any other perhaps of late hath been, they endeavouring by all the methods imaginable, and the utmost forces they could by any means rally up, to blacken each others cause, and to set each other out in the most ugly dress: (their pieces in the mean while, wherein was represented a perfect trial of each others skill and parts in a jerking, flirting way of writing, entertaining the reader with a great variety of sport and mirth, in seeing two such right cocks of the game so keenly engaging with sharp and dangerous weapons). And it was generally thought, nay even by many of those who were otherwise favourers of Parker's cause, that he (Parker) thro' a too loose and unwary handling of the debate (tho' in a brave, flourishing and lofty stile) laid himself too open to the severe strokes of his snearing adversary, and that the odds and victory lay on Marvell's side: Howsoever it was, it wrought this good effect upon our author, that for ever after it took down somewhat of his high spirit, insomuch that tho' Marvell in a second part replied upon our author's reproof, yet he judged it more prudent rather to lay down the cudgels, than to enter the lists again with an untowardly combatant so hugely well vers'd and experienc'd in the then, but newly, refin'd art (tho' much in mode and fashion almost ever since) of sportive and jeering buffoonry. And moreover it put him upon a more serious, sober and moderate way of writing in other good treatises, which he since did set forth, and which have proved very useful and beneficial to the public. The reader may be pleased now to know by the way, for here I think it very proper to be brought in and no where else, that the said Andrew Marvell was son of Andrew Marvell the facetious, yet Calvinistical, minister of Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire, that being very well educated in grammar learning was sent to Cambridge, particularly, as I conceive, to Trin. coll. where obtaining the mastership of the Latin tongue became assistant to Joh. Milton when he was Latin secretary to Oliver, and very intimate and conversant with that person. A little before his majesty's restoration the burghers of his native place of Kingston before mention'd did choose him their representative to sit in that parliament that began at Westminster the 25th of April 1660, and again after his majesty's restoration for that which began at the same place, 8 May 1661, and they loved him so well that they gave him an honourable pension to maintain him. From which time to his death, he was esteemed (tho’ in his conversation very modest and of few words) a very celebrated wit among the fanatics, and the only one truly so, for many years after…. This Andrew Marvell, who is supposed to have written other things, as I have told you in Joh. Denham, vol. iii, col. 827. died on the 18th of August 1678, and was buried under the pews in the south side of the church of S.Giles in the Fields, near London. Afterwards his widow published of his composition Miscellaneous Poems. Lond. 1681. fol. which were then taken into the hands of many persons of his persuasion, and by them cried up as excellent.