Lucasta - Volume I: 'Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage''

By Richard Lovelace

Richard Lovelace was born on 9th December 1617 but where is unknown. Some accounts argue for Woolwich in Kent others for Holland.

When he was nine, his father died whilst fighting in the war with Spain and the Dutch Republic in the Siege of Groenlo (1627). His mother, Anne Barne Lovelace, remarried on 20th January 1630, to the Very Rev Dr Jonathan Browne.

In 1629, when Lovelace was eleven, he went to Sutton's Foundation at Charterhouse School. Best accounts suggest he spent five years there, three of which coincided with those of Richard Crashaw, who would also became a poet. On 5th May 1631, Lovelace was sworn in as a Gentleman Wayter Extraordinary to King Charles I, an honorary position for which one paid a fee.

Lovelace moved to Gloucester Hall, Oxford, in 1634. While there he portrayed himself as a Cavalier poet rather than scholar. His poems were to praise a friend or fellow poet, to advise in grief or love, to define a relationship, to articulate the exact attention a man owes a woman, to celebrate beauty, and to love.

He was attractive, witty and handsome, the very qualities for a courtier and Cavalier. It was at Oxford that his comedy, ‘The Scholar’, was performed in 1636.

After Oxford he spent a few months at Cambridge Universcity, where he met Lord Goring, who led him into political trouble. But any adversity brought brought pen to paper and poetry.

In 1639 Lovelace joined Lord Goring’s regiment, serving first as a senior ensign and then as a captain in the Bishops' Wars. This inspired ‘Sonnet. To Generall Goring’, the poem ‘To Lucasta, Going to the Warres’ and the tragedy ‘The Soldier’.

On his return home to Kent in 1640, Lovelace settled in as a country gentleman and a justice of the peace. But England was moving quickly to Ciivil War.

In 1641, Lovelace led a group of men to seize and destroy a 15,000 signature petition for the abolition of Episcopal rule. In 1642 he presented the House of Commons with Dering's pro-Royalist petition which was supposed to have been burned. For these actions Lovelace was imprisoned. He was released on bail, under stipulation that he not communicate with the House of Commons without permission. The experience drew from him ‘To Althea, from Prison’, which includes the famous words: ‘Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.’

Following his release, Lovelace lived briefly in London, and then moved to the Low Countries and France until after King Charles' capture at Oxford in 1646.

During the political chaos of 1648 he was imprisoned in October by Parliament to Peterhouse Prison, Aldersgate, this time for nearly a year. On release in April 1649, the king had been executed and Lovelace's Royalist cause seemed lost. But the experience led to further poems—this time in the cause of spiritual freedom, as reflected in the release of his poetry volume; Lucasta.

Richard Lovelace was financially ruined by his support of the royalist cause and the end of his life was dependent on charity. He died in poverty at the early age of 40 in 1657 (some accounts say 1658) and was buried in St Bride's Church in Fleet Street in the City of London.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Portable Poetry
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781787804197

Book preview

Lucasta by Richard Lovelace

Volume I (of II)

Richard Lovelace was born on 9th December 1617 but where is unknown. Some accounts argue for Woolwich in Kent others for Holland.

When he was nine, his father died whilst fighting in the war with Spain and the Dutch Republic in the Siege of Groenlo (1627). His mother, Anne Barne Lovelace, remarried on 20th January 1630, to the Very Rev Dr Jonathan Browne.

In 1629, when Lovelace was eleven, he went to Sutton's Foundation at Charterhouse School. Best accounts suggest he spent five years there, three of which coincided with those of Richard Crashaw, who would also became a poet. On 5th May 1631, Lovelace was sworn in as a Gentleman Wayter Extraordinary to King Charles I, an honorary position for which one paid a fee.

Lovelace moved to Gloucester Hall, Oxford, in 1634. While there he portrayed himself as a Cavalier poet rather than scholar. His poems were to praise a friend or fellow poet, to advise in grief or love, to define a relationship, to articulate the exact attention a man owes a woman, to celebrate beauty, and to love.

He was attractive, witty and handsome, the very qualities for a courtier and Cavalier. It was at Oxford that his comedy, ‘The Scholar’, was performed in 1636.

After Oxford he spent a few months at Cambridge Universcity, where he met Lord Goring, who led him into political trouble.  But any adversity brought brought pen to paper and poetry.

In 1639 Lovelace joined Lord Goring’s regiment, serving first as a senior ensign and then as a captain in the Bishops' Wars. This inspired ‘Sonnet. To Generall Goring’, the poem ‘To Lucasta, Going to the Warres’ and the tragedy ‘The Soldier’.

On his return home to Kent in 1640, Lovelace settled in as a country gentleman and a justice of the peace.  But England was moving quickly to Ciivil War.

In 1641, Lovelace led a group of men to seize and destroy a 15,000 signature petition for the abolition of Episcopal rule. In 1642 he presented the House of Commons with Dering's pro-Royalist petition which was supposed to have been burned. For these actions Lovelace was imprisoned. He was released on bail, under stipulation that he not communicate with the House of Commons without permission. The experience drew from him ‘To Althea, from Prison’, which includes the famous words: ‘Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.’

Following his release, Lovelace lived briefly in London, and then moved to the Low Countries and France until after King Charles' capture at Oxford in 1646.

During the political chaos of 1648 he was imprisoned in October by Parliament to Peterhouse Prison, Aldersgate, this time for nearly a year. On release in April 1649, the king had been executed and Lovelace's Royalist cause seemed lost. But the experience led to further poems—this time in the cause of spiritual freedom, as reflected in the release of his poetry volume; Lucasta.

Richard Lovelace was financially ruined by his support of the royalist cause and the end of his life was dependent on charity.  He died in poverty at the early age of 40 in 1657 (some accounts say 1658) and was buried in St Bride's Church in Fleet Street in the City of London.

Index of Contents

Introduction

Dedication                                                       

Verses addressed to the Author                                   

I.  Poems Addressed or Relating To Lucasta

Song. To Lucasta. Going Beyond the Seas                    

Song. To Lucasta. Going to the Warres                         

A Paradox                                                     

Song. To Amarantha, that she would Dishevell her Haire         

Sonnet                                                          

Ode. To Lucasta. The Rose                         

Love Conquer'd. A Song                              

A Loose Saraband                                          

Orpheus to Woods                                        

Orpheus to Beasts                                         

Dialogue.  Lucasta, Alexis                          

Sonnet                                                          

Lucasta Weeping. Song                                       

To Lucasta, from Prison. An Epode         

Lucasta's Fanne, with a Looking-glasse in it

Lucasta, taking the Waters at Tunbridge          

To Lucasta. Ode Lyrick                                         

Lucasta paying her Obsequies to the Chast Memory of my Dearest Cosin Mrs. Bowes Barnes

Upon the Curtaine of Lucasta's Picture, it was thus Wrought

Lucasta's World. Epode                

The Apostacy of One, and but One Lady                           

Amyntor from beyond the Sea to Alexis. A Dialogue     

Calling Lucasta from her Retirement                             

Amarantha, a Pastoral                                           

II.  Poems Addressed to Ellinda

To Ellinda, that lately I have not written    

Ellinda's Glove                                                 

Being Treated.  To Ellinda                                      

To Ellinda, upon his late Recovery. A Paradox                  

III.  Miscellaneous Poems

To Chloe, courting her for his Friend          

Gratiana Dauncing and Singing                    

Amyntor's Grove                                            

The Scrutinie                                                   

Princesse Loysa Drawing                                         

A Forsaken Lady to her False Servant                            

The Grassehopper.  To My Noble Friend, Mr. Charles Cotton the elder

An Elegie on the Death of Mrs. Cassandra Cotton       

The Vintage to the Dungeon.  A Song                             

On the Death of Mrs. Elizabeth Filmer. An Elegiacall Epitaph 

To My Worthy Friend Mr. Peter Lilly                            

The Lady A[nne] L[ovelace].  My Asylum in a Great Extremity    

A Lady with a Falcon on her Fist. To the Honourable My Cousin Anne Loveace

A Prologue to the Scholars                           

The Epilogue                                                   

Against the Love of Great Ones                          

To Althea, from Prison                                         

Sonnet.  To Generall Goring, after the Pacification at Berwicke

Sir Thomas Wortley's Sonnet                       

The Answer                                                     

A Guiltlesse Lady Imprisoned; after Penanced                  

To His Deare Brother Colonel Francis Lovelace              

To a Lady that desired me I would beare my part with her in a Song                                                 

Valiant Love

La Bella Bona Roba.  To My Lady H.                             

Sonnet.  I Cannot Tell, &c.                                  

A la Bourbon                                                   

The Faire Begger                                            

A Dialogue betwixt Cordanus and Amoret                       

IV.  Commendatory and Other Verses, prefixed to Various Publications between 1638 and 1647.

An Elegie.  Princesse Katherine Borne, Christened, Buried in one Day (1638)                                         

Clitophon and Lucippe translated.  To the Ladies (1638)        

To My Truely Valiant, Learned Friend; who in his Booke resolv'd the Art Gladiatory into the Mathematicks (1638)  

To Fletcher Reviv'd (1647)                                     

Biographical Notice

INTRODUCTION

There is scarcely an UN-DRAMATIC writer of the Seventeenth Century, whose poems exhibit so many and such gross corruptions as those of the author of LUCASTA.  In the present edition, which is the first attempt to present the productions of a celebrated and elegant poet to the admirers of this class of literature in a readable shape, both the text and the pointing have been amended throughout, the original reading being always given in the footnotes; but some passages still remain, which I have not succeeded in elucidating to my satisfaction, and one or two which have defied all my attempts at emendation, though, as they stand, they are unquestionably nonsense.  It is proper to mention that several rather bold corrections have been hazarded in the course of the volume; but where this has been done, the deviation from the original has invariably been pointed out in the notes.

On the title-page of the copy of LUCASTA, 1649, preserved among the King's Pamphlets in the British Museum, the original possessor has, according to his usual practice, marked the date of purchase, viz., June 21; perhaps, and indeed probably, that was also the date of publication.  A copy of LUCASTA, 1649, occasionally appears in catalogues, purporting to have belonged to Anne, Lady Lovelace; but the autograph which it contains was taken from a copy of Massinger's BONDMAN (edit. 1638, 4to.), which her Ladyship once owned.  This copy of Lovelace's LUCASTA is bound up with the copy of the POSTHUME POEMS, once in the possession of Benjamin Rudyerd, Esq., grandson and heir of the distinguished Sir Benjamin Rudyerd, as appears also from his autograph on the title.

In the original edition of the two parts of LUCASTA, 1649-59, the arrangement of the poems appears, like that of the text, to have been left to chance, and the result