Wither, George

Wither, George, 1588–1667, English poet, b. Hampshire, studied at Oxford. While in prison for having written the satires Abuses Stript and Whipt (1613), he wrote five pastorals under the title The Shepherd's Hunting (1615). Subsequent works include Fidelia (1617) and Fair Virtue (1622). About 1620 he became a Puritan, and his writings took on a religious tone. He served the Commonwealth during the civil war as a soldier and a politician.