SOURCE: Beaurline, L. A. “The Canon of Sir John Suckling's Poems.” Studies in Philology 57, no. 3 (July 1960): 492-518.

In the following essay, Beaurline addresses authorship issues related to a number of poems ascribed to Suckling.

No scholar has attempted a systematic study of the authorship of Sir John Suckling's poems, and this is not surprising for the problems are very great. Modern editors frequently admit the confusion and doubt that surround the canons of most seventeenth century lyric poets. Many poets did not publish their work. Borrowing and imitating were common. Early editors and printers were sometimes not qualified to judge the attributions in their books. As many as three or four men were rival claimants for a single poem. Above all, the evidence is quite slight and insubstantial. Compared with other collections in the century, Sir John Suckling's poems are probably in the worst condition. Herrick, Waller, Lovelace...