The Enlightenment Era had three schools of thought or movements on the British side of the European divide. They are the Metaphysics, the Puritans and the Cavaliers.
To refresh our memories a little, the Metaphysics were a group of intellectual writers in literary and philosophical subjects who are concerned with life (reality), religion and nature on an aesthetic level.
The Puritans are religious fanatics – full stop. Okay, they were Protestants and bent on dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s of spiritual matters. The word puritan is complete in itself to describe them.
The Cavaliers were supporters of *Charles 1 (reigned 1625-1649; beheaded) of the United Kingdom. Remember that this king was the successor of James 1 of England who also ruled Scotland, that made him king of Great Britain.
Just to refresh your memory a little further, King Henry VIII took England out of the Roman Catholic Church for what seemed like a very selfish reason, but on hindsight, we see that God was in it. Through this move, the Puritans emerged and from the Puritans, America was founded!
Stay with us. Remember that when Henry VIII died, his only male heir, Edward V, ruled England for six years and died of tuberculosis. His half sister, Mary Tudor became monarch and took England back to the Roman Catholic Church, and when she died after five years on the throne, their half sister, Elizabeth 1, returned England to Protestantism under the Church of England. Remember that their father married six wives: killed two, divorced two, one died and one survived (chuckle).
However, Elizabeth had no husband or child, so when she died after a 44 year reign, her *third cousin from Scotland (James 1 (1603-1625)) became ruler of the two kingdoms of England and Scotland. When he died, his son, Charles 1(1625-49) succeeded him, but now as ruler over England, Scotland and Ireland (United Kingdom).
I perceive that since Charles’s father was Scottish (and the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was Catholic), he was not completely Protestant. Maybe, his own mother was still Catholic at heart. If not, how do you explain the king going to marry a French Catholic princess knowing all that he must have known about the excessive turbulence in Great Britain, from even before he was born? That was his undoing!
The era of this king is called the Caroline or Carolean Age (Caroline is the Latin version of Charles). Despite the turbulent situation in this era, men of thoughts who were apologists to the king produced some poetry.
Their poetry is characterized by war and loyalty to the crown, love and nature’s beauty. Its form is lyrical and regular. Another characteristic of the Cavalier poetry is ‘carpe diem’ which means to seize the time or the moment: entertaining rather than instructing readers (well, mainly audiences, as the poets were mainly courtiers whose chief aim was to entertain the king and nobles at court). In fact, their poetry reflects the mood and triviality of the lifestyle of the age, especially at court.
The subject matter of Cavalier poetry celebrates such trivial matters as wine, women and sex, and avoids the issue of religion. It usually portrays a hedonistic philosophy of eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die.
Their style is sometimes serious or sarcastic but always tries to project loyalty to the king (King Charles 1).
Puritans and other conservative Christians considered the Cavalier poets as heretics and irresponsible fellows.
Most of the Cavalier poets were loyalists of King Charles 1. Some of them were also soldiers fighting in the Civil War on behalf of King Charles 1.
Richard Lovelace and Sir John Suckling (although Suckling was a soldier for a very short time preferring the pleasures of the court) were soldiers and fought during the Civil War of 1642-1651.
Other notable Cavalier poets are: Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, Robert Herrick, Herbert of Cherbury, William Cartwright, etc. Robert Herrick produced two notable volumes of poetry which exhibited the influences of Ben Johnson and the classics.
In fact, the Cavalier poets are pseudo classicists following Ben Johnson in rules, accepting everything renaissance except religion. Johnson is regarded as the originator of the Cavalier poets because they adopted his poetic style and tradition.
Robert Herrick poems were published under the titles of The Noble Numbers (1647) and Hesperides (1648).
Cavalier poetry like Metaphysical poetry has wits and directness, but unlike Metaphysical poetry, their verses are not loose and irregular, but regular and lyrical.
Note that the word Cavalier means a mounted soldier or knight or gallants. However, when it comes to supporters of Charles 1, it means roistering or rude, noisy or reveling gallants! The word Cavalier as used for the poets was a belittling title.
Some of the Cavalier Poems:
To Althea, from Prison (1642)
By Richard Lovelace
When love with unconfined wings
Hovers within my gates,
And my divine Althea brings
To whisper at the grates;
When I lie tangled in her hair
And fettered to her eye,
The birds that wanton in the air
Know no such liberty.
When flowing cups run swiftly round,
With no allaying Thames,
Our careless heads with roses bound,
Our hearts with loyal flames;
When thirsty grief in wine we steep,
When healths and draughts go free,
Fishes that tipple in the deep
Know no such liberty.
When like committed linnets I
With shriller throat shall sing
The sweetness, mercy, majesty,
And glory of my King:
When I shall voice aloud how good
He is, how great should be,
Enlarged winds, that curl the flood,
Know no such liberty
Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage:
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an hermitage.
If I have freedom in my love,
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone, that soar above,
Enjoy such liberty.
First stanza talks about love (women), second stanza, of wine, third stanza talks about loyalty to the king and the final stanza deals with something serious, of freedom that can never be bound, even in prison!
The first two lines of the last stanza are much quoted because of its expression of freedom even when the poet’s persona is in prison. Incidentally, the poet wrote this poem while in prison, saying that nothing could separate him from the love of his king (King Charles 1), not even prison walls!
It should be mentioned that Lovelace’s poem, To Althea, in Prison has been quoted severally, even in modern novels and set to music by some British bands and featured in modern albums.
In this article, this poem is published in full to show the Cavalier poets’ areas of preoccupation.
Some of Sir John Suckling’s poems:
A Ballad upon a wedding, I prithee send me back my heart, if you refuse me once, and think again, Love turned to Hatred.
He lived a short life (died at 33) and was known as a Cavalier playboy. He was a popular courtier known for his easy, flamboyant air and aristocratic charm. King Charles 1 knighted him at the tender age of 21.
Suckling who lived between 1609 and 1641 studied at Cambridge but did not stay long enough to earn a degree. He later proceeded to Gray’s Inn, London to study Law; again, he didn’t complete the course. He lived a life of pleasure, only working but a little since he came from a very wealthy family.
All his poems were published post humously and they were only read at court during his lifetime. He also wrote a play which wasn’t much except for a poem in it which later became popular.
The poem:
Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover?
Why so pale and wan, fond lover?
Prithee, why so pale?-
Will, when looking well can’t move her,
Looking all prevail?
Prithee, why so pale?
Why so dull and mute, young sinner?
Prithee, why so mute?- …
His poetry is lyrical and stylish and very popular at the time, but with no deep subject matter.
Thomas Carew (1594/95-1639-40) was Oxford educated and served as secretary at British embassies in Venice, The Hague and Paris and was the first of the Cavalier song writers and wrote some of the most sensuous poems of the time.
Here are some of his titles: Lips and Eyes…; The Unfading Beauty He that loves a rosy cheek; Mediocrity in love rejected: give me more love or more…
He that Loves a Rosy Cheek
He that loves a rosy cheek,
Or a coral lip admires,
Or star-like eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires:
As old Time makes these decay,
So his flames must waste away.
But a smooth and steadfast mind,
Gentle thought, and calm desires,
Hearts with equal love combined,
Kindle never-dying fires:
Where these are not, I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes.
Well, these are representative poems of the Cavalier poets we can take here. They speak for themselves.
*Correction: in the last edition (The Puritans and their Literary Works), under the poet John Bunyan, it was mentioned that Bunyan went to jail. He did under Charles 1 and not Charles II.
*Queen Elizabeth 1’s third cousin, King James 1, was the son of King Henry VIII’s sister, Margaret Tudor, who married King James IV of Scotland and they bore King James V of Scotland who gave birth to Mary, Queen of Scots, and Mary with her 2nd husband, Henry Stuart of Darnley who was Margaret Tudor’s grandson from her third marriage to Henry Stewart, had King James VI of Scotland/King James 1 of England who commissioned the KJV Bible – juicy, isn’t it? Two grandchildren of Princess Margaret Tudor of England, sister of King Henry VIII of England, came together in holy matrimony, to give birth to King James VI of Scotland/James 1 of England. James 1 ruled the united kingdoms of Scotland and England and commissioned the translation of the King James Version of the Bible.
