xliv INTRODUCTION 



three years, was born in 1618, and died at the age 

 of forty-nine, eleven years before Marvell, who lived 

 till 1678, thus reaching the age of fifty-seven. Both 

 were scholars of Trinity College, Cambridge, Cowley 

 in 1637, the year in which Marvell (who took his 

 B.A. degree in 1638) contributed verses to " Musa 

 Cantabrigiensis." But Marvell then travelled abroad 

 and took the Puritan side in the great Civil struggle, 

 whereas Cowley resided at Cambridge, composing 

 comedies in Latin and English till he was ejected by 

 the Parliament in 1644. He then migrated to St. 

 John's College, Oxford, till he went abroad as 

 secretary to Henrietta Maria, Marvell filling a like 

 office in conjunction with Milton, as Latin secretary 

 to Cromwell. Cowley remained a keen if somewhat 

 timid Royalist, and issued a Pindaric ode against 

 Cromwell, whereas Marvell published an Horatian ode 

 in his favour. Cowley's own age hailed him in turn 

 as its Anacreon, Horace, Virgil, Ovid, Tibullus, and 

 especially its Pindar. His " Pindarique Odes " were 

 regarded as productions of a genius little inferior to 

 that of his model. In fact his biographer Sprat 

 attributes the great boldness of Cowley's metaphors 

 and the length of his digressions to Pindar himself. 

 Possibly next year's revival of the Olympic Game 



