ABSTRACT
Literary historians commonly cite the lines from the Secular Masque, published posthumously in 1700: 'Tis well an Old Age is out. And time to begin a New. The Restoration spring has dried up; the fountain of metaphysical wit (still active whilst Marvell and Cowley lived on) was broken by 1688. Minor writers, however, define the period, as they do such uncertain epochs. The rural clergy, one might add, rapidly came into their own at this time. Most of the best Augustan poetry relies on adapting tradition. Most of the hallowed 'kinds' were bent to new literary and social purposes. A product of Winchester and Oxford, he gave up an early intention to practise medicine without renouncing his marked interest in science, particularly botany. John's namesake Ambrose Philips (1675-1749) was not a relative. He has suffered grievously from the attacks by Pope, and it is not always easy to take him seriously.
