Speculum Amantis Love Poems, from Rare Songbooks and Miscellanies of the Seventeenth Century

A modestly sized collection gathers the fleeting blossoms of seventeenth‑century love poetry, pulling verses from once‑private song‑books and little‑known miscellanies. The editor frames the pieces with a gentle warning about the era’s looser notions of propriety, inviting listeners to hear the same daring flirtations that delighted courtly ears but would raise a modern brow. The opening verses already set a tone of urgent romance, urging the swift plucking of roses before thorns replace their bloom.

The anthology presents a blend of familiar and newly unearthed gems. Readers will recognize a celebrated stanza by Sir Walter Raleigh, now restored in its full original form, while also encountering the lively “Song of Dalliance” by the once‑revered Cartwright, previously omitted from his collected works. Lesser‑known voices such as Aurelian Townsend, Henry Ramsay and Bishop Andrewes add fresh perspectives, making the whole set a vivid snapshot of love’s many shades across a century of English verse.