Matthew Green

Matthew Green (1696–1737) was an English poet born of Nonconformist parents, who for many years held a post in the Custom House in London and was known among his friends as a wit.

His chief work, The Spleen, an epistle in octosyllabic couplets, was published after his death, in 1737. The poem given here is taken from The Spleen and Other Poems (1796).