1 1 that of Donne more in the ruggedness of his lines than in the cast of his sentiments. When their reputation was high, they had, undoubtedly, more imitators than time has left behind. Their immediate successours, of whom any remembrance can be said to remain, were Suckling, Waller, Denham, Cowley, | Cleiveland, and Milton. Denham and Waller sought another way to fame, by improving the harmony of our numbers. Milton tried the metaphysick style only in his lines upon Hobson, the carrier. Cowley adopted it, and excelled his predecessors, having as much sentiment, and more musick. Suckling neither improved versification, nor abounded in conceits. The fashionable style remained chiefly with Cowley; Suckling could not reach it, and Milton disdained it. Critical remarks are not easily understood without examples; and I have, therefore, collected instances of the modes of writing by which this species of poets, for poets they were called by themselves and their admirers, was eminently distinguished. As the authors of this race were, perhaps, more desirous of being admired than understood, they sometimes drew their conceits from recesses of learning, not very much frequented by common readers of poetry. Thus Cowley, on knowledge: The sacred tree 'midst the fair orchard grew; And built his perfum'd nest: That right Porphyrian tree which did true logic shew; Each leaf did learned notions give, And th' apples were demonstrative; So clear their colour and divine, The very shade they cast did other lights outshine. On Anacreon continuing a lover in his old age: Love was with thy life entwin'd, Close as heat with fire is join'd ; A powerful brand prescrib'd the date Of thine, like Meleager's fate. Th' antiperistasis of age More enflam'd thy amorous rage. In the following verses we have an allusion to a rabbini cal opinion concerning manna: Variety I ask not: give me one To live perpetually upon. The person love does to us fit, Like manna, has the taste of all in it. Thus Donne shows his medicinal knowledge in some encomiastick verses: In every thing there naturally grows A balsamum to keep it fresh and new, If 'twere not injur'd by extrinsique blows; Keeps off, or cures what can be done or said. Though the following lines of Donne, on the last night of the year, have something in them too scholastick, they are not inelegant : This twilight of two years, not past nor next, Nor trust I this with hopes; and yet scarce true Yet more abstruse and profound is Donne's reflection upon man as a microcosm : If men be worlds, there is in every one Something to answer in some proportion All the world's riches: and in good men, this Virtue, our form's form, and our soul's soul, is. Of thoughts so far-fetched, as to be not only unexpected, but unnatural, all their books are full. To a lady, who wrote poesies for rings : They, who above do various circles find, For it wanteth one as yet, The sun, which is esteem'd the god of wit. COWLEY. The difficulties which have been raised about identity in philosophy, are, by Cowley, with still more perplexity applied to love: Five years ago (says story) I lov'd you, No flesh is now the same 'twas then in me; The love of different women is, in geographical poetry, compared to travels through different countries : Hast thou not found each woman's breast Or wild, and uninhabited? Lust, the scorching dogstar, here Whilst pride, the rugged northern bear, The soil's all barren sand, or rocky stone. COWLEY. A lover, burnt up by his affection, is compared to Egypt: The fate of Egypt I sustain, From clouds which in the head appear; COWLEY. The lover supposes his lady acquainted with the ancient laws of augury, and rites of sacrifice: And yet this death of mine, I fear, That the chaos was harmonized, has been recited of old; but whence the different sounds arose remained for a modern to discover: Th' ungovern'd parts no correspondence knew ; Earth made the base; the treble, flame arose. COWLEY. The tears of lovers are always of great poetical account; but Donne has extended them into worlds. If the lines are not easily understood, they may be read again: On a round ball A workman, that hath copies by, can lay And quickly make that, which was nothing, all. So doth each tear, A globe, yea world, by that impression grow, This world, by waters sent from thee my heaven dissolved so. On reading the following lines, the reader may, perhaps, cry out, "Confusion worse confounded:" Here lies a she-sun, and a he-moon here, She gives the best light to his sphere, Or each is both, and all, and so They unto one another nothing owe. DONNE. Who but Donne would have thought that a good man is a telescope? Though God be our true glass, through which we see Who would imagine it possible, that in a very few lines so many remote ideas could be brought together? Since 'tis my doom, love's undershrieve, Why this reprieve? Why doth my she-advowson fly To sell thyself dost thou intend And hold the contrast thus in doubt, Think but how soon the market fails, Whilst you live by the fleet Gregorian. CLEVELAND. Of enormous and disgusting hyperboles, these may be examples: |