{\b Richard Lovelace}.

{\b Date of Birth}.: 1618

{\b Date of Death}.: 1657

{\b Works}.

English poet, soldier and Royalist.

Best known for "To Althea, from Prison" (1642), other works include "Lucusta" 
(1648) and a comedy "The Scholar" (1634).

Other cavalier poets include Carew and Suckling.

{\b Featured Works}.

'To Lucasta, Going to the Wars', 'To Althea, from Prison', 'To Lucasta, Going 
Beyond the Seas', 'To Amarantha, That She Would Dishevel Her Hair', 'The 
Rose', 'The Scrutiny', 'The Grasshopper'.

{\b General Comment}.

Richard Lovelace was born in the Netherlands, where his father was posted in 
military service. Educated at Charterhouse and Oxford, Lovelace showed an 
early interest in writing, producing a comedy "The Scholar" at the age of 16.

A key figure at court and close to the king, Lovelace accompanied Charles I on 
his ill-fated expedition to quell the Scots' rebellion of 1639-40. After the 
failure of this campaign he withdrew to his estates in Kent where he remained 
until 1642. 
Lovelace was, however, called out of this position of retirement to present a 
Royalist petition to the House of Commons. This met with such a hostile 
reception that Lovelace was promptly imprisoned in the Gatehouse prison, 
London. It was while he was in prison in 1642 that Lovelace wrote the words 
for which he is best remembered "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron 
bars a cage" in his poem "To Althea".

On release, Lovelace went into military service overseas. In 1645 he joined 
Charles I and in 1646 served with the French King. Lovelace had to sell many 
of his estates to maintain himself during this period and is reputed to have 
died in poverty overseas.