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Pictur'd in his fharp fatires, made fo foul

That fome have fear'd Sin's fhapes, and kept their foul
Safer by reading verfe? Did he give days,

Past marble monuments, to those whose praise
He wou'd perpetuate? Did he (I fear

Envy will doubt) thefe at his twentieth year?

But, more matur'd; did his rich foul conceive,
And in harmonious holy numbers weave
A crown of facred fonnets', fit t'adorn

A dying martyr's brow, or to be worn
On that bleft head of Mary Magdalen,
After fhe wip'd Christ's feet, but not till then?
Did he (fit for fuch penitents as she

k

And he to use) leave us a Letanie *

Which all devout men love, and doubtlefs fhall,
As times grow better, grow more claffical?
Did he write hymns, for piety and wit,
Equal to thofe great grave Prudentius writ?
Spake he all languages? Knew he all laws?

The grounds and ufe of phyfic-(but because

"Twas

"La Corona," a poem, written by Dr. Donne, and confifting of seven holy fonnets, the first line of each fonnet beginning with the laft line of the preceding one, the poem beginning and ending with the fame line-namely

"Deigne at my hands this crown of prayer and praise."

The subjects are-Annunciation-Nativitie-Temple-crucifying-Resurrection-Afcention. * A poem fo called, written by Donne, who, in a letter to his friend, Sir Henry Goodyere, gives this account of it. "Since my imprisonment in my bed I have made a meditation in "verfe, which I call a Litany: The word, you know, imports no other than fupplication; "but all churches have one form of fupplication by that name. Amongst ancient annals, I "mean fome 800 years, I have met two Letanies in Latin verfe, which gave me not the rea"fon of my meditations; for in good faith I thought not upon them, but they give me a de"fence, if any man to a Layman and a Private impute it as a fault to take fuch divine and publique names to his own little thoughts." (Letters, &c. p. 32.)

'Twas mercenary wav'd it)? went to fee
That happy place of Chrift's nativity'?

Did he return and preach him? preach him fo,
As, fince St. Paul, none ever did? they know-
Thofe happy fouls that hear'd him know this truth.
Did he confirm thy ag'd, convert thy youth?
Did he thefe wonders? and is his dear lofs
Mourn'd by fo few?-few for fo great a crofs.

But fure the filent are ambitious all

To be close mourners at his funeral.
If not; in common pity they forbear,,
By repetitions, to renew our care:

Or knowing grief conceiv'd and hid, confumes
Man's life infenfibly (as poison's fumes
Corrupt the brain), take filence for the way
T'enlarge the foul from these walls, mud and clay,-

(Materials of this body) to remain

With him in heaven, where no promifcuous pain
Leffens thofe joys we have; for with him all
Are fatisfy'd with joys effential.

Dwell on these joys, my thoughts!-Oh! do not call
Grief back, by thinking on his funeral.
Forget he lov'd me: Waste not my fwift years
Which hafte to David's feventy, fill'd with fears.
And forrows for his death: Forget his parts,
They find a living grave in good men's hearts:
And, for my firft is daily paid for fin,

Forget to pay my fecond figh for him:

Forget his powerful preaching; and forget

I am his convert.

Oh my frailty! let

My

'But it appears from the preceding pages, that his intentions of visiting the Holy Land were: frustrated.

My flesh be no more heard; it will obtrude
This lethargy So fhould my gratitude,
My vows of gratitude fhould be fo broke,
Which can no more be, than his virtues, spoke
By any but himself: For which cause I

Write no encomiums, but this elegy;

Which, as a free-will offering, I here give

Fame and the world; and, parting with it, grieve

I want abilities fit to fet forth

A monument as matchlefs as his worth,

APRIL 7, 1631.

IZ. WA.

APPENDIX.

THE WORKS OF DOCTOR JOHN DONNE,

DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S, LONDON.

I." PSEUDO-MARTYR; wherein out of certaine Propofitions and Gradations this Conclufion is evicted, that those which are of the Romane Religion in this Kingdome, may and ought to take the Oath of Allegeance." London, 1610, quarto.

II. " DEVOTIONS upon EMERGENT OCCASIONS, and feveral STEPS in my SICKNES; digefted into-1. Meditations upon our humane Condition.-2. Expoftulations and Debatements with God.-3. Prayers upon the feveral Occafions to him." London, 1624,

12mo.

This book is dedicated to Prince Charles. The fubjects of the different devotions are expreffed in twenty-two hexameter verses prefixed to the work.

"Stationes five periodi in morbo, ad quas referuntur meditationes fequentes.

1. Infultus morbi primus. 2. Poft actio læfa.

3. Decubitus fequitur tandem. 4. Medicufq; vocatur.

5. Solus adeft. 6. Metuit. 7. Socios fibi jungier inftat," &c.

A fourth edition of this work appeared in 1634.

III. "The ANTIENT HISTORY of the SEPTUAGINT; written in Greeke by Arifteus 1900 Yeares fince. Of his Voyage to Hierufalem, as Ambassador from Ptolomeus Philadelphus unto Eleazer then Pontiffe of the Jews. Concerning the firft Tranflation of the Bible by the 72 Interpreters; with many other remarkable Circumftances. Newly done into. English by J. DONE." London, 1633, 8vo, or 16mo.

"N. B. There are added Proofes concerning this Hiftory, and a fhort Difcourfe of the Antiquity and Dignity of the facred Bookes, and Excellency of their inspired Writer the Prophet Mofes."

A new edition of this verfion, faid to be very much corrected from the original, was published in 1685, 12mo.

IV. "JUVENILIA, or certaine Paradoxes and Problems." London, 1633, quarto.
V. "POEMS by J. D. with ELEGIES on the AUTHOR's DEATH."-1633, quarto.
The fame in 1635, 8vo or 16mo; and again in 1654, 8vo or 16mo. The laft edition contains a
dedication

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dedication to Lord Craven, by Dr. John Donne, the fon, and a copy of verfes to Dr. Donne, by B. Jon. i. e. Ben Jonfon. Prefixed to the volume is a print of the Author in a fuit of armour, with eight verfes under it, by Izaak Walton. There is another edition of the poems in 1669, 8vo.

VI. "LXXX SERMONS," 1640, folio, with a print of the Author, æt. 42, M. Merian, jun. fc. With a Dedication to King Charles, and Izaak Walton's Life of Dr. Donne.

VII. "L SERMONS; the Second Volume," 1649, folio.-This volume contains two dedications; the first "To Bafil, Earl of Denby;" and the fecond "To Bolftred Whitlock, Richard Keeble, and John Leile, Lords Commiffioners of the Great Seale."

VIII. “XXVI SERMONS; the Third Volume," 1661.-With a dedication "To King Charles II."

Many of the fermons in the preceding volumes were printed separately at different times. IX. «LETTERS to feveral Perfons of Honour. Publifhed by John Donne, Doctor of the Civill Law." London, 1654, 4to; and dedicated by him "To the most virtuous and excellent Lady Mr. Bridget Dunch."

X. " ESSAYS in DIVINITY, &c. being feveral Difquifitions interwoven with Meditations and Prayers." 1651, 12mo. 1651, 12mo. Written by him before he went into holy orders.

XI. "PARADOXES, PROBLEMS, ESSAYS, CHARACTERS, &c. To which is added, a Book of Epigrams, written in Latin by the fame Author, tranflated into English by J. Mayne, D. D. As alfo Ignatius his Conclave, a Satyr, tranflated out of the original Copy written in Latin by the fame Author; found lately amongst his own Papers." London, 1653,

12mo.

Several parts of this volume were printed before under different titles.

Of the tract "Ignatius his Conclave," it must be obferved, that it was originally written in Latin with this title; "Conclave Ignati, five ejus in nuperis inferni comitiis Inthronifatio : ubi varia de Jefuitarum indole, de novo inferno creando, de ecclefiâ lunaticâ inftituendâ per Satyram congefta funt. Acceflit et Apologia pro Jefuitis."

This little volume is printed without the name of the author or printer, and without any. intimation of time or place. It contains many fevere and ironical invectives against Ignatius Loyola, who founded the order of the Jefuits in 1540. The author defcribes himself in a "Eram in extafi, et

vifion.

Animula vagula blandula
Comes hofpefq; corporis

per omnia liberè vagata eft, omnes cœlorum contignationes numerabat et volumina: omnes infularum natantium omniumq; in firmamento hærentium fitus dimenfiones naturas populos etiam et politeias complexa eft."-He proceeds; "Ictu oculi etiam et inferos video in confpectu meo pofitos."-" Ad penitiora progreffus vidi locum fecretiorem ipfiq; Lucifero ferè proprium, ad quem ineundum iis tantum jus erat qui ita aliquid novi in vitâ moliti fuerant ut antiquitati barbam vellerent et dubia et anxietates fcrupulofq; injicerent, et post invectam quidvis opinandi licentiam tandem prorfus contraria iis quæ ante ftatuta fuerant ftatuerent."

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