His terse lines on Life are more familiar :— Like to the falling of a star, Or as the flights of eagles are; The flight is past—and man forgot! SIR H. WOTTON's admired lines, entitled The Happy Life, are well worthy of a place among the most perfect passages of our English poetry :— WOTTON is also justly celebrated for his brilliant stanzas addressed to the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I. :— You meaner beauties of the night, More by your numbers than your light, You common people of the skies, Another of those courtly minstrels was SIR JOHN SUCKLING; and here, with some of his graceful contributions to our poetic anthology, we conclude the first of our evening studies :— Why so pale and wan, fond lover? Will, when looking well can't move her, Looking ill prevail? Pr'ythee, why so pale? Why so pale and mute, young sinner? Will, when speaking well can't move her, Pr'ythee, why so mute? Quit, quit, for shame; this will not move, This cannot take her; If of herself she will not love, Nothing can make her; The devil take her! His most celebrated piece is The Wedding, written in honour of the beautiful daughter of the Earl of Suffolk. Here are a few of the sparkling stanzas:— Her finger was so small, the ring Would not stay on which they did bring, It was too wide a peck: |