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But let them write for you, each rogue impairs. The deeds, and dextroufly omits, fes heires: No Commentator can more flily pafs

O'er a learn'd, unintelligible place;

Or, in quotation, fhrewd Divines leave out

100

Those words, that would against them clear the doubt.

So Luther thought the Pater-nofter long,

When doom'd to fay his beads and Even song; 105 But having caft his cowle, and left those laws, Adds to Chrift's' pray'r, the Pow'r and Glory clause. The lands are bought; but where are to be found Those ancient woods, that shaded all the ground? We fee no new-built palaces afpire,

No kitchens emulate the vestal fire.

NOTES.

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representation of the firft part of his conduct was to ridicule his want of devotion; as the other, where he tells us, that the addition was the power and glory claufe, was to fatirize his ambition; and both together to infinuate that, from a Monk, he was become totally fecularized. - About this time of his life Dr. Donne had a strong propenfity to Popery, which appears from several strokes in these fatires. We find amongft his works, a fhort fatirical thing called a Catalogue of rare books, one article of which is intitled, M. Lutherus de abbreviatione Orationis Dominica, which fhews he was fond of the joke. As his putting Erafmus and Reuchlin in the rank of Lully and Agrippa fhews what were then his fentiments of Reformation. I will only obferve, that this Catalogue was written in imitation of Rabelais's

Where the old landlords troops, and almes? In halls

Carthufian Fafts, and fulfome Bacchanals

Equally I hate. Mean's bleft. In rich men's homes

I bid kill fome beafts, but no hecatombs;

None starve, none furfeit fo. But (oh) we allow

Good works as good, but out of fashion now,

Like old rich wardrobes. But my words none draws

Within the vast reach of th' huge statutes jawes.

NOTES.

famous Catalogue of the Library of St. Victor. It is one of the fineft ftrokes in that extravagant fatire (which was then the Manual of the Wits) and fo became the fubject of much imitation; the best of which are this of Dr. Donne's and one of Sir Thomas Brown's.

VER. 120. These as good works, etc.] Dr. Donne fays,
But (oh) we allow

Good works as good, but out of fashion now.

The popish Doctrine of good works was one of thofe abuses of

Where are those troops of Poor, that throng'd of yore

The good old landlord's hofpitable door?

Well, I could wish, that still in lordly domes Some beasts were kill'd, tho' not whole hetacombs; That both extremes were banish'd from their walls, Carthufian fafts, and fulfome Bacchanals;

; 120

And all mankind might that just Mean observe,
In which none e'er could furfeit, none could starve.
These as good works, 'tis true, we all allow
But oh! these works are not in fashion now:
Like rich old wardrobes, things extremely rare,
Extremely fine, but what no man will wear.
Thus much I've faid, I trust, without offence;
Let no Court Sycophant pervert my sense,
Nor fly Informer watch these words to draw
Within the reach of Treason, or the Law.

NOTES.

125

Religion which the Church of England condemns in its Articles. To this the Poet's words fatirically allude. And having throughout this fatire had feveral flings at the Reformation, which it was penal, and then very dangerous, to accufe, he had reason to bespeak the Reader's candor, in the concluding words,

But my words none draws

Within the vast reach of th' huge ftatutes jawes.

VER. 127. Treason, or the Law.] By the Law is here meant the Lawyers.

SATIRE

IV.

"ELL; I may now receive, and die. My fin

WELL;

Indeed is great, but yet I have been in

A Purgatory, fuch as fear'd hell is

A recreation, and scant

map of this.

My mind, neither with pride's itch, nor hath been

Poyfon'd with love to fee or to be seen,

I had no fuit there, nor new fuit to show,

Yet went to Court; but as Glare which did go

NOTES.

VER. I. Well, if it be etc.] Donne fays,
Well; I may now receive and die.

which is very indecent language on fo ludicrous an occafion. VER. 3. I die in charity with fool and knave,] We verily think he did. But of the immediate caufe of his departure hence there is some small difference between his Friends and Enemies. His family fuggefts that a general decay of nature, which had been long coming on, ended with a Dropfy in the breaft, enough to have killed Hercules. The Gentlemen of the Dunciad maintain, that he fell by the keen pen of our redoubtable Laureat. We ourselves should be inclined to this latter opinion, for the fake of ornamenting his ftory; for it would be a fine thing for his Hiftorian to be able to fay, that he died, like his immortal namesake, Alexander the Great, by a drug of fo deadly cold a nature, that,

TIRE IV.

WELL, if it be my time to quit the stage,

Adieu to all the follies of the age!

I die in charity with fool and knave,
Secure of peace at least beyond the grave.
I've had my Purgatory here betimes,
And paid for all my fatires, all my rhymes.
The Poet's hell, its tortures, fiends, and flames,
To this were trifles, toys and empty names.

With foolish pride my heart was never fir'd,
Nor the vain itch t'admire, or be admir'd;
I hop'd for no commiffion from his Grace;
I bought no benefice, I begg'd no place;
Had no new verses, nor new fuit to show
Yet went to Court!-the Dev'l would have it fo.

NOTES.

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as Plutarch and other grave writers tell us, it could be contained in nothing but the Scull of an Afs. SCRIBL.

VER. 7. The Poet's hell] He has here with great prudence corrected the licentious expreffion of his Original.

VER.IO. Nor the vain itch t'admire, or be admir'd;] Courtiers have the fame pride in admiring that Poets have in being admired. For Vanity is as often gratified in paying our court to our fuperiors, as in receiving it from our inferiors.

VER. 13. Had no new verses, nor new fuit to show ;] Infinuating that Poetry and new clothes only come to Court, in honour of the Sovereign, and only ferve to fupply a day's converfation,

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