four ages of England
Subtitle: or, The iron age. With other poems
By: written in the year 1648.
Contributors: Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667.; Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667.; Dring, Thomas, d. 1695, bookseller.; Leigh, John, d. 1686, bookseller.
Publisher: printed by J.C. for Tho: Dring, and Joh. Leigh
Published: 1675
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 88
Notes: Page 87 misnumbered 69.

Although ascribed to Cowley on the title page of this edition, "The foure ages" was repudiated by him in the Preface to "Poems", 1656, and this is now thought to be correct on stylistic grounds etc. (see G.R. Noyes and H.R. Read "An essay upon satyr [etc.] in University of California Publications in English 7 (3), 1948). The Postscript to "The iron age" is "signed" A.C.

The work is divided into four sections, "The golden age", "The silver age", "The brazen age" and "The iron age".

Pages 61-2: "To my Lord Lieutenant of Ireland", an unsigned poem.

Pages 63-70: "A satyre against separatists", an unsigned poem now thought to be by Abraham Cowley (see Noyes and Mead), but which has also been attributed to John Taylor, the "water poet" and Peter Hausted.

Dedication signed in Greek, Philokarlo, [i.e. a friend or supporter of Charles I, then imprisoned]