Cowley's Essays

Abraham Cowley was an English poet born in 1618. When he was ten he wrote Tragicall History of Piramus and Thisbe. This was an epic romance written in a six-line stanza form. This work is that of a prodigy. The maturity level is amazing for a boy so young. By 15 he was famous through England. Cowley's essays on life are simple and pure and written by a man who loves liberty. Topics include liberty, solitude, obscurity, agriculture, greatness, avarice, the shortness of life, the danger of procrastination, and myself.