My prime of youth is but a frost of cares

Who wrote that line Lola 

Chidiock Tichborne

It was the first line of an elegy that he wrote 

Whilst awaiting execution in the Tower of London  

What had he done to deserve such a fate 

He had conspired with others to assassinate Queen Elizabeth the First 

It was called The Babington Plot 

In short Tichborne and others conspired to murder the Queen and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots 

Who apart from being next in line to the throne was also a Catholic 

Imagine it Lola you are in the tower awaiting execution in the most terrible way 

That being 

They were all eviscerated hung drawn and quartered 

Ouch 

Yet he still had the energy to write this fine elegy 

I really like the final line which is repeated three times

And now I live, and now my life is done 

The opening line hints that Tichborne was quite young 

At the time of his execution 

He was only twenty three or so when he died 

It seems that we have travelled far Lottie 

As we no longer execute people for treason 

But stripped down are we that different