Francis Quarles

Francis Quarles (1592–1644) was an English poet whose religious verse and emblem literature made him widely read in the seventeenth century. Born in Romford, Essex, he was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and later studied law at Lincoln’s Inn. Quarles served as secretary to James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, and held court-related posts, including cup-bearer to Elizabeth of Bohemia. His most famous works are the emblem books *Emblemes* (1635) and *Hieroglyphikes of the Life of Man* (1638), which combine moral epigrams with illustrative symbolism. He also wrote devotional poetry such as *Divine Fancies* (1633).