Samuel Page (poet)

Samuel Page (1574–1630) was an English clergyman and poet.

Life

A native of Bedfordshire, he was son of a clergyman. He was admitted scholar of Christ Church, Oxford, 10 June 1587, and matriculated on 1 July following, aged 13. He graduated B.A. on 5 February 1591, and on 16 April in the same year became fellow. He proceeded M.A. 15 March 1594, B.D. 12 March 1604, and D.D. 6 June 1611. ‘In his juvenile years he was accounted,’ according to Francis Meres, ‘one of the chiefest among our English poets to bewail and bemoan the perplexities of love in his poetical and romantic writings.’

After taking holy orders, he served as a naval chaplain, and joined the expedition to Cadiz in 1595 as chaplain to the admiral, Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham. In 1597 he became vicar of St Nicholas, Deptford or West Greenwich. He held the living with his chaplaincy.

He died at Deptford, and was buried in his church on 8 August 1630.

Works

Page's poetical works consisted of a poem prefixed to Coryat's Crudities (1611), and of The Love of Amos and Laura, by S. P., which appeared in the miscellaneous collection of verse entitled Alcilia, London, 1613; this edition was reprinted by Alexander Balloch Grosart in 1879. In the second edition (London, 1619), Page's work had a separate title-page, and to it were prefixed two six-line stanzas addressed ‘to my approved and much respected friend Iz[aak] Wa[lton].’ In the third edition, London, 1628, these lines are replaced by six addressed by ‘the author to his book’.

Page also published sermons and religious tracts. The chief are:

Robert Watt also ascribes to Page ‘Meditations on the Tenth Psalm,’ London, 1639.

References

    Attribution

     This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Page, Samuel". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

    External links