Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Francis Quarles (1592–1644) was a master of pious verse whose reputation rests on his sentimental book of poetic emblems. However, the popular poet also wrote biblical paraphrases in verse, allegorical closet drama, prose defences of royal authority, and a lengthy adaptation and continuation in verse of an episode from Sir Philip Sidney's pastoral romance, the Arcadia . A man of many middling talents, Quarles continued to be read long after his death, and his poetry still poses challenging questions about the relationship between word and image. Quarles was an Essex man. Although he would live in London and Ireland, and on the Continent, he returned to Essex at several points in his life. He had an annuity from his parents, who died when he was young, and after receiving a BA at Cambridge (Christ's College), he entered Lincoln's Inn. He travelled to Heidelberg in the retinue of Thomas Howard, earl of Arundel, that escorted King James's daughter Elizabeth to her new husband's domains. His first published piece of poetry, a paraphrase and commentary on the story of the prophet Jonah, appeared after his return (1620). He continued to produce verse paraphrases and commentaries on biblical subjects, some of which suggest his support of King James's absolutist philosophy of kingship. Quarles became a secretary to Archbishop James Ussher, the primate of Ireland, and spent a few years ... log in or subscribe to read full text