Edward Benlowes
Edward Benlowes was an English poet born on July 12, 1602, in Finchingfield, Essex. He is recognized for his contributions as a lesser-known figure within the Metaphysical poetry movement and was also a significant patron of literature and music. Benlowes studied at St. John’s College, Cambridge, beginning in 1620, and spent time traveling across Europe. Although born into a wealthy Roman Catholic family, he converted to English Protestantism around 1630. His most notable work, "Theophila," completed in 1652, explores the spiritual journey of the soul towards a vision of God, utilizing an unconventional stanza structure and a mix of lyrical qualities.
In addition to his poetry, Benlowes was known for supporting other writers like Francis Quarles and Thomas Fuller, earning him the nickname "Benevolus." However, his generosity led to critiques, notably from figures like Alexander Pope, who remarked on his support for less accomplished poets. Eventually, Benlowes faced financial difficulties due to lawsuits and his allegiance to the Royalist cause during the English Civil Wars. He spent the latter part of his life in poverty in Oxford, where he continued to write until his death on December 18, 1676. His works, including "Theophila," are preserved in collections such as "Minor Poets of the Caroline Period," reflecting his lasting though modest impact on English literature.
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Edward Benlowes
Poet
- Born: July 12, 1602
- Birthplace: Finchingfield, Essex, England
- Died: December 18, 1676
- Place of death: Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Biography
Born in Finchingfield, Essex, England, on July 12, 1602, Edward Benlowes was a lesser poet who worked in the Metaphysical style and was also a generous patron of literature and music. He matriculated at Cambridge University’s St. Johns College in 1620 and later spent considerable time touring Europe. Although the son of Andrew Benlowes of Brent Hall, Essex, a wealthy Roman Catholic, Benlowes converted to English Protestantism around 1630. After completing his travels abroad, he used his inherited estates to help support his artistic endeavors, commissioning engravings to illustrate his own and various others’ poems; eventually, he owned his own printing press.
Throughout the 1640’s, Benlowes composed the long religious poem Theophila (1652), his most famous work. Its subject is the ascent of the soul (the “lover of God,” as the title translates) to the mystical vision of God, via the “Purgative,” “Illuminative,” and “Unitive” paths. It is widely considered a decidedly mixed success, containing both “fine rhapsodic passages” and bizarre Metaphysical conceits. It also employs a strange stanza form of three rhyming lines of unequal length.
Benlowes supported other writers financially, especially Francis Quarles, Thomas Fuller, and Phineas Fletcher; his generosity occasioned his nickname, “Benevolus.” Both Alexander Pope and William Warburton mention Benlowes as an overly generous patron of bad poets; Pope’s The Dunciad denounces “Benlowes, propitious still to blockheads” (III, 21). However, Benlowes eventually lost the bulk of his wealth through lawsuits and through his espousal of the Royalist cause during the English Civil Wars. Samuel Butler, who satirizes Benlowes in his Character of a Small Poet, mentions that Benlowes may have served in war during this time.
While still occasionally producing poetry, Benlowes retired in poverty to Oxford, Oxfordshire, where he spent the last eight years of his life. He died on December 18, 1676. In Volume 1 of Minor Poets of the Caroline Period (1905), Benlowes’ Theophila is reprinted, along with two other of his poems, “ The Summary of Wisedome” and “ A Poetic Descant upon a Private Music-Meeting.”