Sir John Suckling

Sir John Suckling, the English Cavalier poet, dramatist, and courtier, was born on February 10, 1609, in the town of Whitton, England. Descended from nobility, his father was a longtime member of the English Parliament and served as a Comptroller to Charles I, while his mother was the sister of the first Earl of Middlesex.

Educated at Cambridge, he inherited his father’s estates at 18 and enrolled at Gray’s Inn in 1627. He was knighted in 1630 and became a barrister; as a prominent figure in the courts, John Aubrey said “[Suckling was] the greatest gallant of his time, and the greatest gamester both for bowling and cards.” Known for his love of gambling and profligacy, he is credited with inventing the game of cribbage, and recognized as the best bowler in England.

Suckling circulated numerous works during his lifetime, but his poetry was not compiled until after his death. He produced three plays at his own expense, Aglaura (1637, printed by John Haviland in 1638), The Goblins (1638, printed 1646), and the Discontented Colonel (1639, printed 1646). Reception of his work remarked at his “felicity of diction,” and influence on later works of satire, but noted the lack of dramatic plot. A collection of his poetic works was published posthumously in 1646 by Humphrey Moseley, titled Fragmenta Aurea. The completed collection of his work, The Selections, was compiled in 1836 by Alfred Inigo Suckling.

Suckling wrote in the Cavalier tradition, stylistically denoted by their use of short, fluent, and polished lyrics on love and dalliance, as well as honor, loyalty, and allegiance to Charles I (1625-49). Suckling’s personal reputation as a poet hinged on his lyric style, focusing on anti-platonic love sentiments and colloquial prose, while using satire, cynicism, and gaiety. He wrote within a variety of verse forms and meters, with his most well-known piece being “A Ballad Upon a Wedding.”

In May of 1641, Suckling was involved in the First Army Plot, in an attempt to rescue the Earl of Strafford from the Tower of London. When he and his collaborators were discovered and accused of high treason, he fled to France. Losing his fortunes and wealth, it is believed that he committed suicide by ingesting poison.