Who is the speaker in the poem, To Lucasta, Going to Wars?

The speaker is portrayed as the ideal image of a gentleman and a knight. He is devoted and loving towards his mistress, and yet even more devoted to the conception of “Honour” (12). Knowing he must risk his life on the battlefield does not trouble him, only the sorrow of leaving behind the woman he loves – and yet he is still willing, even eager, to do so, because he knows that honor demands it. He follows in the model of such knightly heroes as Rolande and Lancelot to depict the blend of romantic devotion and militaristic honor.