Safer by reading verse; Did he give days,
Past marble monuments, to those whose praise
He would perpetuate? Did he—I fear
Envy will doubt-these at his twentieth year?

But, more matur'd, did his rich soul conceive
And in harmonious holy numbers weave
A Crown of Sacred Sonnets, fit t' adorn
A dying martyr's brow, or to be worn
On that blest head of Mary Magdalen,

After she wip'd Christ's feet, but not till then;
Did he-fit for such penitents as she

-leave us a Litany',

And he to use

Which all devout men love, and doubtless shall,
As times grow better, grow more classical ?
Did he write Hymns, for piety and wit,
Equal to those great grave Prudentius writ ?
Spake he all Languages? Knew he all Laws?
The grounds and use of Physic; but, because

"La Corona," a poem, written by Dr. Donne, and consisting of seven holy sonnets, the first line of each sonnet beginning with the last line of the preceding one, the poem beginning and ending with the same line, namely

"Deigne at my hands this crown of prayer and praise." The subjects are—Annunciation—Nativitie—Temple-crucifying— Resurrection-Ascension.

7 A poem so called, written by Dr. 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 verse, which I call a Litany. The word, you know, imports no other than supplication; but all churches have one form of supplication by that name. Amongst ancient annals, I mean some 800 years, I have met two Litanies in Latin verse, which gave me not the reason of my meditations; for in good faith I thought not upon them, but they give me a defence, if any man to a Layman and a Private impute it as a fault to take such divine and publique names to his own little thoughts." (Letters, &c. p. 32.)

'Twas mercenary, wav'd it? went to see
That happy place of Christ's nativity?

Did he return and preach him? preach him so,
As since St. Paul none ever did? they know-
Those happy souls that heard him-know this truth.
Did he confirm thy ag'd? convert thy youth?
Did he these wonders? and is his dear loss
Mourn'd by so few ? few for so great a cross.

But sure the silent are ambitious all
To be close mourners of his funeral.
If not, in common pity they forbear
By repetitions to renew our care :

Or knowing grief conceiv'd and hid, consumes
Man's life insensibly,—as poison's fumes
Corrupt the brain,-take silence for the way

T'enlarge the soul from these walls, mud and clay,

Materials of this body-to remain

With him in heaven, where no promiscuous pain
Lessens those joys we have; for with him all

Are satisfied with joys essential.

Oh! do not call

Dwell on these joys, my thoughts!
Grief back, by thinking on his funeral.
Forget he lov'd me: waste not my swift years,
Which haste to David's seventy, fill'd with fears
And sorrows for his death: forget his parts,
They find a living grave in good men's hearts :
And, for my first is daily paid for sin,
Forget to pay my second sigh for him :
Forget his powerful preaching; and forget
I am his convert. Oh my frailty! let
My flesh be no more heard; it will obtrude
This lethargy: so should my gratitude,

1

My vows of gratitude should so be 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 set forth

A monument, as matchless as his worth,

95

THE WORKS

OF

DOCTOR JOHN DONNE.

I. "PSEUDO-MARTYR; wherin out of certaine Propositions and Gradations this conclusion is evicted, that those which are of the Romane Religion in this Kingdome, may and ought to take the Oath of Allegeance." London, 1610, 4to.

II. "DEVOTIONS upon EMERGENT OCCASIONS, and several STEPS in my SICKNESS; digested into-1. Meditations upon our humane Condition.-2. Expostulations and Debatements with God.-3. Prayers upon several Occasions to him." London, 1624, 12mo.

A fourth edition appeared in 1634.

III. "The ANTIENT HISTORY of the SEPTUAGINT; written in Greeke by Aristeus 1900 Years since. Of his Voyage to Hierusalem, as Ambassador from Ptolomeus Philadelphus unto Eleazer then Pontiffe of the Jews. Concerning the first Translation of the Bible by the 72 Interpreters; with many other remarkable circumstances. Newly done into English by J. DONNE." London, 1633, 8vo, or 16mo.

"N.B. There are added Proofes concerning this History, and a short Discourse of the Antiquity and Dignity of the Sacred Bookes, and Excellency of their Inspired Writer the Prophet Moses."

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

IV. "JUVENILIA, or certaine Paradoxes and Problems." London, 1633, 4to.

V. "POEMS by J. D. with ELEGIES on the AUTHOR'S DEATH."-1633, 4to. The same in 1635, 8vo or 16mo; and

again in 1654. The last edition contains a dedication to Lord Craven, by Dr. John Donne, the son, and a copy of verses to Dr. Donne, by B. JoN. i. e. Ben Jonson. Prefixed to the volume is a print of the Author with eight verses under it, by Izaak Walton. There is another edition of the poems in 1669, 8vo.

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

VII. "L SERMONS; the Second Volume," 1649, fol.This volume contains two dedications; the first "To Basil, Earl of Denby ;" and the second "To Bolstred Whitlock, Richard Keeble, and John Leile, Lords Commissioners of the Great Seale."

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

Many of the sermons in the preceding volumes were printed separately at different times.

IX. "LETTERS to several Persons of Honour. Published by John Donne, Doctor of the Civil Law." London, 1654, 4to; and dedicated by him "To the most virtuous and excellent Lady Mris. Bridget Dunch."

X. "ESSAYS in DIVINITY, &c. being several Disquisitions interwoven with Meditations and Prayers." 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 same Author, translated into English by J. Mayne, D.D. As also Ignatius his Conclave, a Satyr, translated out of the original Copy written in Latin by the same 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 observed, that it was originally written in Latin with this title; "Conclave Ignatii, sive ejus in nuperis inferni comitiis Inthronisatio: ubi varia de Jesuitarum indole, de novo inferno creando, de ecclesiâ lunaticâ