Sir Robert Ayton

Sir Robert Ayton (1570–1638) was a Scottish courtier and poet who wrote in Latin, English and Scots. Educated at St Andrews, he rose at the court of James VI and I, was knighted, and served as secretary to Queen Anne of Denmark and later to Henrietta Maria.

The 2 poems here are the pieces printed under his name in Frederick Locker's Lyra Elegantiarum (London: E. Moxon, 1867), an anthology of vers de société and vers d'occasion by deceased authors; the texts follow that first edition.