Positioning Patronage: Lanyer's Salve Deus Rex Judæorum and the Countess of Cumberland in Time and Place

This article places the composition and publication of Aemilia Lanyer's Salve Deus Rex Judæorum within the context of particular periods in the life of Margaret Russell, Countess of Cumberland and her daughter, Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset. Lanyer's use of mirroring, shared discourse, possible worlds and reconstruction of memory all relate to these periods and were designed to engage the interest of Russell and Clifford. Through the identification of the period of the women's stay in Cookham in 1604, Lanyer's poetic strategies – directly appealing to Russell – can be identified. Lanyer's decision to publish her verse collection in 1610 was also influenced by events in the lives of Russell and Clifford, thus providing insight into Lanyer's canny understanding of patronage in the period.