Two poems are known to have been written about Litle Saxham. Both come from the first half of the 17th century. The first, 'To Saxham', was written by the well-known poet Thomas Carew in about 1624 (see biography below). This poem is often quoted in literary texts and is considered a fine example of its style.
The second is quite different. It was written by Master John Crofts, the third son of Sir John Crofts (1563 - 1628) in about 1615, and probably celebrates King James I's first visit to Little Saxham Hall. It is clearly written in some awe of the presence of the great man.
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'To Saxham' - by Thomas Carew 'To the King, at his entrance to Saxham' - by Master John CroftsThomas Carew (pronounced Carey) was born, possibly at West Wickham, Kent, in either 1594 or 1595. His father, lawyer Matthew Carew, moved the family to London about 1598. Nothing is known of Carew's education before he matriculated at Merton College, Oxford, in 1608. Graduating B.A. in 1610/11, he was incorporated B.A. of Cambridge in 1612, after which he was admitted to the Middle Temple. From 1613 to 1616 Carew served as secretary to Sir Dudley Carleton on embassies to Italy and the Netherlands.
After being fired for making insulting remarks about Carleton and his wife, Carew returned to England for a futile search for employment. In 1619, his father having died the previous year, Carew joined an embassy to Paris headed by Sir Edward Herbert (later Lord Herbert of Chirbury). Possibly, he met there the Italian poet Giambattista Marino. In 1622, Carew's first poem was published: verses prefixed to Thomas May's comedy The Heir.
In the early 1620s Carew associated with Ben Jonson and his circle, and also frequented the court. In 1630 Carew was made a gentleman of Charles I's Privy Chamber Extraordinary. He was named Sewer in Ordinary to the King (that is, an official in charge of the royal dining arrangements). It is said he was "high in favour with that king, who had a high opinion of his wit and abilities."
Carew had a reputation for mischief that stayed with him all of his adult life. This reputation did nothing to damage his career as a poet, soldier, and courtier. His society verses, such as "A Divine Mistress" and "Disdain Returned," were prized for their wit. In truth, he was a conscientious poetic craftsman. Though he did not produce a large body of work, he took extraordinary care in shaping each piece. Carew's masque Coelum Britannicum, performed before the king in 1634, though full of jokes and allusions, draws upon an important work by the sixteenth century Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno. Much of Carew's poetry was sexually explicit far beyond the norms of his age, and he was a reputed libertine.
Carew died on March 23, 1640 and was buried in Saint Dunstan's-in-the-West, Westminster. His Poems were published the same year, to be followed by the second edition "revised and enlarged" in 1642.
'Saxham' refers to Little Saxham Hall, the country estate of Sir John Crofts with whose family Carew had a close relationship; the poem is patterned on Ben Jonson's "To Penshurst."
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To Saxham
Though frost and snow lock'd from mine eyes |
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To the King, at his entrance to Saxham Sir, How glad we are to see you here. We’ll have whate’er the season yields, Out of the neighbouring woods and fields; For all the dainties of your board Will only be what those afford; And, having supp’d, we may perchance Present you with a country dance. Thus much your servants, that bear sway Here in your absence, bade me say, And beg, besides, you’ld hither bring Only the mercy of a king, And not the greatness: since they have A thousand faults must pardon crave, But nothing that is fit to wait Upon the glory of your state. Yet your gracious favour will, They hope, as heretofore, shine still On their endeavours, for they swore, Should Jove descend, they could no more. |