Mary Howitt
FameRank: 4

"Mary Howitt" was an English English poetry/poet, and author of the famous poem The Spider and the Fly (poem)/The Spider and the Fly. She was born "Mary Botham" at Coleford, Gloucestershire/Coleford, in Gloucestershire, the temporary residence of her parents, while her father, Samuel Botham, a prosperous Quaker of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, was looking after some mining property. Samuel had married his wife Ann in South Wales in 1796 when he was 38 and she was 32. They had four children Anna, Mary, Emma and Charles. Their Queen Anne Style architecture/Queen Anne house is now known as Howitt Place.

Mary Botham was educated at home, and read widely; she commenced writing verses at a very early age. Together with her husband she wrote over 180 books.

More Mary Howitt on Wikipedia.

For visions come not to polluted eyes.

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly; "'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.

Buttercups and daisies, / Oh, the pretty flowers; / Coming ere the Springtime, / To tell of sunny hours.

He is happiest who hath power to gather wisdom from a flower.