DETACHED PASSAGES. 133 THE VOICE OF THE DYING. The tongues of dying men Where words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain : Than they whom youth and ease have taught to glose; Writ in remembrance, more than things long past. Richard II., Act. II. Sc. 1. A GOOD CONSCIENCE. What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted? Henry VI. (Part 2), Act III. Sc. 2. WOLSEY TO CROMWELL. Thus far hear me, Cromwell; And when I am forgotten, as I shall be, Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee; Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not : Thy God's, and truth's. Then if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, Henry VIII., Act III. Sc. 2. VALERIA. The noble sister of Publicola, The moon of Rome; chaste as the icicle Coriolanus, Act V. Sc. 3. CLEOPATRA ON THE CYDNUS. The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that The winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver, The water, which they beat, to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes. For her own person, The fancy out-work nature. On each side her, Antony and Cleopatra, Act II. Sc. 2. HAMLET'S MELANCHOLY. I have of late, (but wherefore I know not,) lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and, indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition, that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire,-why, it appears no other thing to me, than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties in form and moving how express and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals !—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me. Hamlet, Act II. Sc. 2. WEALTH THE ARMOUR OF SIN. Through tattered clothes small vices do appear; Lear, Act IV. Sk. 6. FROM SATIRE IV. GOOD NAME. 135 Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he, that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. Othello, Act III. Sc. 3. JOHN DONNE, D.D. (1573-1631.) DONNE was of Welsh extraction but born in London. He entered Oxford at the early age of twelve. His Roman Catholic faith excluded him from university honours; but he studied with distinction both in Oxford and Cambridge. His subsequent life in his youth is varied and irregular. The romantic story of his marriage and its results to his fortunes is detailed by Izaak Walton. He became, from serious and pious examination of the controversy between the opposing systems of Christianity, a convert to Protestantism. His learning procured him the favour of James I., at whose request he took holy orders when he had attained the age of 42, became a most popular preacher, and died Dean of St. Paul's. The poetical works of Donne consist of satires, epistles, epigrams, and occasional poems. They are characterised by brilliancy of wit, though frequently of a fantastic character; by subtlety and depth of reflection; and by terseness and vigour of language. His versification is in general uncouth and rugged; but this style seems to have been his choice. Dryden calls him "the greatest wit, though not the greatest poet of our nation."-See Dryden's Dedication of Juvenal to the Earl of Dorset. He is the father of the class of writers who have been termed by Johnson the metaphysical poets. Two of his satires have been "translated into numbers" or modernised by Pope. FROM SATIRE IV. Towards me did run1 A thing more strange, than, on Nile's slime, the sun A thing which would have posed Adam to name. * * His clothes were strange though coarse, and black though bare; Sleeveless his jerkin was, and it had been Velvet, but 'twas now-so much ground was seen→→ 1 This passage is an imitation of Horace, Sat. 1. 9. Become tuff-taffety,1 and our children shall See it plain rash a while, then nought at all. The thing hath travelled, and, faith, speaks all tongues, Me to bear this. Yet I must be content With his tongue, in his tongue called compliment. * * * * * He names me, and comes to me; I whisper-“ God, I love your judgment; whom do you prefer For the best linguist?" And I sillily Said, that I thought Calepine's Dictionary. Nay, but of men, most sweet Sir."-Beza, then Of our two academies, I named. Here He stopped me, and said,—“ Nay, your apostles were Yet a poor gentleman all these may pass By travel." Then, as if he would have sold His tongue, he praised it, and such wonders told, To Babel's bricklayers, sure the tower had stood." He like a high stretched lute-string, squeak'd-"Oh, Sir, And for his price, doth, with whoever comes, 1 Taffeta or Taffata, a thin silk; alleged etymology tapes, Lat. rash; Fr. ras; applied to cloth without the pile; scraped; threadbare.-See Raschit and Rasour.Jamieson, Scot. Dict. So called from their occupation of selling quack medicines. 3 The Polyglot Dictionary of Ambrosius Calepinus of seven languages. 4 The reformer Theodore Beza. The Panurge of Rabelais' "Gargantua and Pantagruel." Alluding to a saying of Africanus noticed often by Cicero, e. g., De Repub. v. 17. 7 The Spartans compelled their slaves to intoxicate themselves, to inspire their youth with horror of the vice of drunkenness. Pietro Aretino, the celebrated lampooner, and the illustrator by sonnets of the profligate drawings of Giulio Romano. FROM SATIRE IV. Of all our Harrys and our Edwards talk, Your ears shall hear nought but kings; your eyes meet He smack'd and cried,-" He's base mechanic, coarse, Are not your Frenchmen neat? Mine? as you see,- Are they not neatly clothed? I of this mind am. "Not so, Sir. I have more." Under this pitch To fit my sullenness, He to another key his style doth dress;3 * And asks "What news?"-I tell him of new plays. More than ten Holinsheds, or Halls, or Stows,' Of trivial household trash he knows. He knows 137 When the Queen frowned or smiled; and he knows what He knows who loves whom, and who by poison Hastes to an office's reversion: He knows who hath sold his land, and now doth beg A license of old iron, boots, shoes, and egg 9 Shells to transport. 8 Shortly boys shall not play * * * * He, like a privileged spy" whom nothing can He saith-our wars thrive ill, because delayed; 1 A street in the vicinity of the abbey. 2 My French valet. "Give 3 "Grogram (Fr. gros, grain), stuff made of silk and mohair."-Reid. Wearing or wear used for dress: "Motley's the only wear."-Shakesp. As you like it. me my nightly wearing, good Emelia."-Id. Othello. 4 An expression borrowed from falconry. One of the similes characteristic of the "metaphysical" poets. 7 Chroniclers of the period. 8 Export. 5 For address 9 Span-counter, a game in which counters were used, as marbles are in Hit-orspan. Blow-point, blowing an arrow through a trunk or tube at certain numbers, by way of lottery.-Strut's Sports. 10 A great abuse of the reigns of Elizabeth and James was the granting of licenses or monopolies to favourites. 11 Spies formed an important portion of the machinery of Elizabeth's government.--See the narrative of the "Babington Conspiracy," in Hume and Robertson. |