Enchiridion

work by Quarles

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June 26, 2026

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The Enchiridion is a work by Francis Quarles, an English religious poet. The term "enchiridion" itself means "handbook" or "manual". Quarles' Enchiridion, published in 1640, was a popular collection of aphorisms. This prose work followed his significant success with Emblemes (1635), an influential English emblem book. Quarles' emblem books combined symbolic engravings with verse and prose commentary, often paraphrasing Scripture. He died in relative poverty in 1644, having served as chronologer for London and written pamphlets defending Charles I during the English Civil Wars.1234

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Francis Quarles
His first prose work, Enchiridion (1640), was a highly popular book of aphorisms. In the English Civil Wars he is said to have suffered for his allegiance and for writing The Loyall Convert (1644), a pamphlet defending Charles I’s position.
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His first prose work, Enchiridion (1640), was a highly popular book of aphorisms. In the English Civil Wars he is said to have suffered for his allegiance and for writing The Loyall Convert (1644), a pamphlet defending Charles I’s position.
Read More