ABSTRACT
James Shirley was a leading figure among the dramatic poets who carried the tradition of the Elizabethan theatre on into its twilight and eclipse. He only just managed to be Elizabethan by birth, but he stood with some authority for the Shakespearean tradition in Milton's age. His lyric masterpiece, by which Cromwell is said to have been deeply affected, was probably written in the later part of his life. A theme of some favour among the Elizabethan lyrists was that of courtly compliment. The theme of such a poem as Henry Wotton's to His Mistress the Queen of Bohemia, which has been quoted, was something deeper than that, and places it legitimately among the love lyrics of the age. Sir John Davies wrote Hymns of Astrea, twenty-six in number. Astrea was Elizabeth, and it will be seen that the verses form an acrostic of the words Elisabetha Regina.
