John Suckling

Name: The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse — Love's Burning-glass
Author: John Suckling

Biographical details

Sir John Suckling (1609–1642) was an English poet and dramatist celebrated for his wit, courtly charm, and satirical verse, placing him among the cavalier poets of the early 17th century. Best known for his poem "Ballade upon a Wedding", he also authored dramatic works like Aglaura and The Goblins, combining elaborate staging with sharp social commentary.

His writings often explored themes of love, folly, and the conflicts between courtly life and political intrigue, while his invention of the card game cribbage highlighted his reputation as a man of both literary and recreational creativity. Suckling’s legacy endures through his lyrical precision and the vivid, if tumultuous, depiction of his era’s cultural and political currents.

Quotes by John Suckling

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Enter Clarimont and Florelio senior.
⁠Clar. By heaven,
She's false, false as the tears of crocodiles,
Or what is yet more feign'd, I do confess.
Your pardon, Florelio, come, pray, your pardon;
Perchance I may deserve it.5
⁠Flor. You have it, so has she;
Would heaven would do it as easily as I.
⁠Clar. Heaven cannot do so foul an act. She has———
O, she has done too much! And, should not I
See justice done, the gods would punish me.10
Brother, clear up!
The world shall not be one day elder, ere
I see thy injuries revenged. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Faith I have none in Welsh man; and though fear and suspicion look often so far that they oversee the right, yet when love holds the candle, they seldom do mistake so much. My dearest princess, I shall long, next hearing you are well, to hear that they are safe; for though I can never be ashamed to be found an idolater to such a shrine as yours, yet since the world is full of profane eyes, the best way, sure, is to keep all mysteries from them, and to let privacy be (what indeed it is) the best part of devotion. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse (1910)

“ But wiser Apollo bade him draw nigher,
And when he was mounted a little higher,
He openly declared that it was the best sign ⁠110
Of good store of wit, to have good store of coin;
And without a syllable more or less said,
He put the laurel on the Alderman's head.
At this all the wits were in such a maze
That for a good while they did nothing but gaze ⁠115
One upon another: not a man in the place
But had discontent writ in great in his face.
Only the small poets cheer'd up again,
Out of hope, as 'twas thought, of borrowing ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ I read, considered, and admired; and did conclude at last, that Horseley air did excel the waters of the Bath, just so much as love is a more noble disease than the pox.
No wonder if the Countesses think time lost till they be there. Who would not be, where such cures flow? The care thou hast of me, that I should traffick right, draws me by way of gratitude to persuade thee to bottle us some of that, and send it hither to town. Thy returns will be quicker than those to the Indies; nor need'st thou fear a vent, since the disease is epidemical. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Is oft put on, to serve both time and place:
The blazing wood may to the eye seem great;
But 'tis the fire rak'd up that has the heat,
And keeps it long. True sorrow's like to wine:⁠15
That which is good does never need a sign.
My eyes were channels far too small to be
Conveyers of such floods of misery:
And so pray think; or if you'd entertain
A thought more charitable, suppose some strain⁠20
Of sad repentance had, not long before,
Quite emptied for my sins that watery store:
So shall you him oblige that still will be
Your servant to his best ability. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ If there ever had been any one Prince in the whole world, that made a felicity in this life, and left fair fame after death, without the love of his subjects, there were some colour to despise it.
There was not among all our princes a greater courtier of the people than Richard the third; not so much out of fear as out of wisdom. And shall the worst of our Kings have striven for that, and shall not the best? it being an angelical thing to gain love.
There are two things in which the people expect to be satisfied, Religion and Justice ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Maybe 'tis
A plot to keep off Ariaspes' greatness,
Which he must fear, because he knows he hates him.80
For these are statesmen, that, when time has made bold
With the king and subject, throwing down all fence
That stood betwixt their power and others' right,
Are on a change;
Like wanton salmons coming in with floods,85
That leap o'er wires and nets, and make their way
To be at the return to every one a prey.
Enter Ziriff and Pasithas; they throw down the dead body of Ariaspes
Orb. Ha! murther'd too! Treason, treason! ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ That love hath wings and soars aloft.
Then let me grow in my desire,
Though I be martyr'd in that fire;
For grace it is enough for me,
But only to love such as he:⁠20
For never shall my thoughts be base,
Though luckless, yet without disgrace:
Then let him that my love shall blame
Or clip love's wings, or quench love's flame. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Philatel. Speak to her yourself:
She's so incens'd against me,
She will not welcome happiness, because25
I bring it.
Prince. Fair ornament of grief, why are you troubled?
Can you believe there's anything within
My power which you shall mourn for? if you have
Any fears, impart them; any desires,30
Give them a name, and I will give the rest.
You wrong the greatness of my love to doubt
The goodness of it.
Sabrina. Alas! I do not doubt your love, my lord:
I fear it: 'tis that which does undo me.35
For 'tis not Samorat that's prisoner now:
It is the Prince's rival. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ A DISCOURSE OF RELIGION
Among the truths (my lord) which we receive, none more reasonably commands our belief than those which by all men at all times have been assented to. In this number, and highest, I place this great one, that there is a Deity; which the whole world hath been so eager to embrace, that rather than it would have none at all, it hath too often been contented with a very mean one. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Exeunt Florelio and Fidelio 45
These men are honest, and must be rewarded;
They do deserve it. 'Tis most rare to find
A greatness that enjoys true friends;
For commonly it makes us fear'd and hated.
The one doth breed offence: th' other leaves naked.50
Let the impartial eye but look upon
All we call ours, and then again behold
The many hungry eyes of expectation
That wait upon our bounty, and it shall find
That we have scarce enough to keep men's hopes up,55
We are rich if we can purchase friends. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Why should I not come myself? Those tyrants, business, honour, and necessity, what have they to do with you and I? Why should we not do love's commands before theirs, whose sovereignty is but usurped upon us? Shall we not smell to roses 'cause others do look on, or gather them 'cause there are prickles, and something that would hinder us? Dear, I fain would, and know no hindrance but what must come from you; and why should any come? since 'tis not I, but you, must be sensible how much time we lose, it being long time since I was not myself, but
Yours. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse (1910)

“ All that awakes, all that inflames desires,
All that sweetly commands, all that beguiles,10
He does into one pair of eyes convey,
And there begs leave that he himself may stay.
And there he brings me, where his ambush lay,
Secure and careless, to a stranger land;
And, never warning me, which was foul play,15
Does make me close by all this beauty stand:
Where, first struck dead, I did at last recover,
To know that I might only live to love her. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Zorannes lives!
Orb. Ha!
Zir. And, in the hope of such a day as this,50
Has linger'd out a life, snatching, to feed
His almost famish'd eyes, sights now and then
Of you, in a disguise.
Orb. Strange!
This night is big with miracle.55
Zir. If you did love him, as they say you did,
And do so still, 'tis now within your power——
Orb. I would it were, my lord; but I am now
No private woman. If I did love him once,
(As 'tis so long ago, I have forgot) ,60
My youth and ignorance may well excuse't.
Zir. Excuse it? ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Enter General of the Rebels, Palatines of Trock and Menseck, Francelia, Almerin, Iphigene
⁠Gen. As your friend,
My lord, he has the privilege of ours,
And may enjoy a liberty we would
Deny to enemies.
⁠Alm. I thank your excellence. O Iphigene,5
He does not know
That thou the nobler part of friendship hold'st,
And dost oblige, while I can but acknowledge.
⁠Men. Opportunity to statesmen
Is as the just degree of heat to chymists;10
It perfects all the work: and in this pris'ner
'Tis offered. We now are there, where men
Should still begin. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ To lie with her a night or so:
She answer'd me in frowns.
Not two years since, she meeting me5
Did whisper in my ear,
That she would at my service be,
If I contented were.
I told her I was cold as snow,
And had no great desire;10
But should be well content to go
To twenty, but no higher. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ First, then, for the persuasion of the truth of them in general, let us consider what they were that conveyed them to us: men (of all the world) the most unlikely to plot the cozenage of others, being themselves but simple people, without ends, without designs: seeking neither honour, riches, nor pleasure, but suffering (under the contrary) ignominy, poverty, and misery: enduring death itself, nay, courting it; all which are things distasteful to nature, and such as none but men strangely assured would have undergone. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse (1910)

“ There acts, as glorious as the sun,
Are by her veneration spun,
In one of which I would have brought
A pure, unspotted, abstract thought,
Considering her as she is good,⁠45
Not in her frame of flesh and blood.
These atoms then, all in her sight,
I bad him join, that so he might
Discern between true love's creation,
And that love's form that's now in fashion.⁠50
Love, granting unto my request,
Began to labour in my breast ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ May these my curses light upon his head:
May he be first in love, and let it be
With a most known and black deformity,
Nay, far surpass all witches that have been,5
Since our first parents taught us how to sin! ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Enter Lorenzo and his father, with servants, whispering together and frowning. They pass over the stage, and exeunt
Scene II
Enter Lorenzo solus, as going to prison
Arm'd with the love of sovereignty and revenge,
I'll ravish fortune, and all engines try,
That heaven or hell have yet discovered;
But I will scale my end, and plant desire
As high as any thought durst e'er aspire.5
The dotage of the king shall not secure thee,
Poor old man!
Clarimont, I come: this night our quarrel ends!
Nothing but death could ever make us friends. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Brave Orsames, 'tis pleasure to die near thee.
Ors. Talk not of dying, Philan; we will live,
And serve the noble prince again.
We are alone: off, then, with thy disguise,
And throw it in the bushes——20
Quick, quick, before the torrent comes upon us!
We shall be straight good subjects; and I despair not
Of reward for this night's service. So, we two
Now kill'd our friends! 'tis hard, but 't must be so.
Enter Ariaspes, Iolas, two Courtiers, part of the Guard
Ari. Follow, follow!25
Ors. Yes, so you may now; y'are not likely to overtake.
Iol. Orsames and Philan! how came you hither? ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ Good arms and horses are already cheap, and there is nothing risen in value but a Scotchman. Whether it be (my lord) the word native, or the king's good nature, we know not; but we find they really have that mercy on earth which we do but hope for from heaven; nor can they sin so fast as they are forgiven.
Some (and not unreasonably) perchance will imagine that this may invite good subjects to be ill, and that, as the sun melts ice but hardens clay, majesty, when it softens rebellion, may make allegiance stubborn. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ LOVE'S BURNING-GLASS
Wondering long, how I could harmless see
Men gazing on those beams that fired me,
At last I found it was the crystal, Love,
Before my heart that did the heat improve:
Which, by contracting of those scatter'd rays⁠5
Into itself, did so produce my blaze. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Suckling, The Works of Sir John Suckling in prose and verse… (1910)

“ One Samorat is led to prison, sir,
And another gentleman about Lord Torcular.
Orsabrin. Ha! Samorat!20
There is no mean nor end of Fortune's malice!
O, 'tis insufferable: I'm made a boy
Whipt on another's back. Cruel! I'll not
Endure 't, by Heaven! He shall die for me:
I will not hold a wretched life upon25
Such wretched terms.
Enter Tamoren, Peridor, and others
Tamoren. Fly, fly, abroad! Search every place,
And bring him back! Thou hast undone us all
With thy neglect; destroy'd the hopes we had
To be ourselves again. I shall run mad30
With anger! Fly, begone! ”

John Suckling

Biographical details

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