Francis Quarles facts for kids
Francis Quarles (born around May 8, 1592 – died September 8, 1644) was an English poet. He is best known for his special kind of book called an emblem book, which he cleverly named Emblems.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Francis Quarles was born in a town called Romford, in Essex, England. He was baptized there on May 8, 1592. His family had a long history of working for the kings and queens of England. For example, his great-grandfather worked for Henry VIII. His father, James Quarles, worked for Elizabeth I and James I. Because of his service, his father received an estate (a large piece of land) called Stewards in Romford.
Francis was one of eight children. His older brother, Sir Robert Quarles, was even knighted by King James I.
In 1608, Francis Quarles started studying at Christ's College, Cambridge. Later, he joined Lincoln's Inn to study law. In 1613, when Princess Elizabeth got married, Quarles became her cupbearer. This meant he served her drinks. He traveled with her to Europe and stayed in that job for several years.
I love the earth - she is my Maker's creature,
She is my mother for she gave me birth.
She is my tender nurse - she gives me food.
But what is a creature, Lord, compared with Thee?
Or what is my mother or my nurse to me?
I love the air - her dainty sweets refresh
My drooping soul and to new sweets invite me.
But what is the air or all the sweets that she
Can bless my soul withal, compared to Thee?
Career and Famous Works
Before 1629, Quarles became a secretary to James Ussher. Ussher was an important religious leader, the Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland.
Around 1633, Quarles came back to England. He spent the next two years working on his most famous book, Emblems. In 1639, he got a special job called "city chronologer." This role meant he was like the official historian or record-keeper for the city. Famous writers like Ben Jonson had this job before him.
When the English Civil War began, Francis Quarles supported the King's side. These supporters were called Royalists. In 1644, he wrote three pamphlets (small books) to support the King. Because of these writings, it is said that his home was searched, and his papers were destroyed by the Parliamentarians, who were against the King.
Quarles married Ursula Woodgate in 1618. They had eighteen children! His son, John Quarles, also became a poet. He was sent away to Flanders because he supported the King.
About Emblems
The book Quarles is most famous for is Emblems, first published in 1634. It had interesting pictures engraved by artists like William Marshall. The last three parts of the book used designs from another book called Pia Desideria.
Each "emblem" in the book was made up of a few parts:
- First, a poem that explained a passage from the Bible in a fancy way.
- Next, parts from the writings of early Christian thinkers.
- Finally, a short, four-line poem called an epigram.
Emblems was very popular with readers. However, some critics in the 1600s and 1700s were not kind to Quarles. For example, the poet Sir John Suckling made fun of him. Pope also joked that the pictures in Emblems were better than Quarles's own writing.
Other Writings
Besides Emblems, Francis Quarles wrote many other works. Some of them include:
- A Feast for Wormes (1620): This poem told the story of Jonah from the Bible.
- Hadassa; or the History of Queene Ester (1621): Another poem based on a Bible story.
- Job Militant (1624): A poem about the biblical character Job.
- Sions Elegies (1624): Poems based on the writings of the prophet Jeremiah.
- Sions Sonets (1624): Poems based on the Song of Solomon from the Bible.
- The Historie of Samson (1631): A poem about the biblical hero Samson.
- Argalus and Parthenia (1629): A story borrowed from Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia.
- Divine Fancies (1632): A collection of short poems and thoughts.
- Hieroglyphikes of the Life of Man (1638): Another book with pictures and poems.
- Enchyridion (1640–41): A collection of wise sayings and advice.
- The Loyal Convert (1644): One of his writings supporting the King during the Civil War.
Later editions of Emblems were published with new pictures. A complete collection of Quarles's works was put together by Dr. A. B. Grosart in 1874.
Family Legacy
Francis Quarles had many descendants. Some of them became important figures in history. For example, Charles Henry Langston and John Mercer Langston were American abolitionists. They worked hard to gain more freedom and voting rights for African Americans in the 1800s.
Charles Henry Langston's grandson was Langston Hughes. He became a very famous author and poet during the Harlem Renaissance, a time when African American art and culture thrived.
See also
In Spanish: Francis Quarles para niños
