Thomas Stanley, born on 3 September 1625 and dead on 12 April 1678, was one of the most cultivated English writers of the seventeenth century: a lyric poet of the Cavalier age, a translator of Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish literature, an editor of Aeschylus, a patron and friend of writers, and the author of the first substantial history of philosophy written in English. His name has never carried the imm…
“The History of Philosophy containing the lives, opinions, actions and discourses of the philosophers of every sect.”
Neighbourhood:
Cavalier Poets, Love Poets, Metaphysical Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Sorrow, Despair
In the twilight years of Elizabethan England, when the air itself seemed to vibrate with poetry and music, Francis Pilkington emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in the rich tapestry of Renaissance composition. Born around 1565 in the cathedral city of Chester, Pilkington would spend his seventy-three years crafting musical settings that transformed anonymous verses into enduring works of art, leaving behin…
Neighbourhood:
Elizabethan Poets, Lute-Song Composers
Emotional landscape: Tenderness, Joy, Peace