Although widely appreciated for his lyric touch in his own day and frequently included in anthologies and commonplace books, William Strode has never been a major poetic light. If Strode's place as a lyric poet is a lesser one, his poetic corpus is never inferior and always melodious, and of all the Cavalier poets he has perhaps the most original imagery. In addition, Strode's play The Floating Island (1655) has an important place in theatrical history and a minor one in political history.

The only son of Philip Strode and Wilmot Hanton Strode, William Strode was born near Plympton, Devonshire, and baptized 11 January 1603. He attended Winchester School and entered Christ Church College, Oxford University, on 1 June 1621. His interest in both drama and poetry was evident early in his university career. He played the role of Tarentilla in the student performance at Christ Church of Robert Burton's Philophaster on 16 February...