persunt, supersunt, grato animo ea accipiant, & beneficum Authorem recognoscant. Amen. But to return from our digression. We left our Author sick in Essex, where he was forced to spend most of that winter, by reason of his disability to remove from thence. And having never, during almost twenty years, omitted his personal attendance on his majesty, in his monthly service; nor being ever left out of the number of Lent preachers; and in January following, there being a general report that he was dead; that report occasioned this letter to a familiar friend. "SIR, "THIS advantage you and my other friends have by my frequent feavers, that I am so much the oftner at "the gates of heaven; and this advantage by the solitude "and close imprisonment that they reduce me to after, "that I am so much oftner at my prayers, in which I "shall never leave out your happiness: And I doubt not "but amongst his other blessings, God will add some one "to you for my prayers. "A man would be almost content to die (if there were "no other benefit in death), to hear of so much sorrow, " and so much good testimony from good men, as I (God "be blessed for it) did upon the report of my death: "Yet I perceive it went not through all; for one writ to « me, that some (and he said of my friends) conceived I "was not so ill as I pretended, but withdrew myself to live at ease, discharged of preaching. It is an un"friendly, and (God knows) an ungrounded interpreta«tion; for I have always been sorrier when I could not "preach, than any could be they could not hear me. It "hath been my desire (and God may be pleased to grant it) that I might die in the pulpit; if not that, yet that I might take my death in the pulpit, that is, die "the sooner by occasion of those labours. Sir, I hope "to see you presently after Candlemas, about which time will fall my Lent sermon at court, except my lord chamberlain believe me to be dead, and leave me out : "For as long as I live, and am not speechless, I would "not willingly decline that service. I have better leisure to write, than you to read, yet I would not willingly " oppress you with to much letter: God blesse you and your son, as I wish "Your poor friend and servant Jan. 7. 1630. JOHN DONNE.” Before that month ended, he was appointed to preach upon his old constant day, the first Friday in Lent, and he had notice of it; and having in sickness prepared for the employment, as he had long thirsted for it; so resolving his weakness should not hinder his journey, he came to London some few days before his day appointed. Being come, many of his friends (who with sorrow saw how his sickness had wasted him), doubted his strength to perform that task; and therefore earnestly intreated him not to undertake it, assuring him however, it was like to shorten his days: But he firmly denied their requests, saying, He would not doubt, that GOD, who in many weaknesses had assisted him with an unexpected strength, would not withdraw it in his last employment, professing a holy ambition to perform that sacred work. And when (to the amazement of some beholders) he appeared in the pulpit, many thought he presented himself, not to preach mortification by a living voice, but mortality by a decayed body, and dying face. And doubtless many did secretly ask that question in Ezekiel, Do these bones live? Yet after some faint pauses in his zealous prayer, his strong desires enabled his weak body to discharge his memory of his meditations which were upon the subject of dying; the text being, To God the Lord belong the issues from death. Many that saw his tears, and heard his hollow voice, professing they thought the text prophetically chosen, and that Dr Donne had preached HIS OWN FUNERAL SERMON. car Being full of joy, that GOD had enabled him to perform this desired duty, he hastened to his house, out of which he never moved, till, like St Stephen, he was ried by devout men to his grave: And the next day after his sermon, his spirits being much spent, and he indisposed to discourse, a friend asked him, Why are you sad? To whom he replied after this manner, "I am not sad; "I am in a serious contemplation of the mercies of my "God to me; and now I plainly see, it was his hand that "prevented me from all temporal employment. And I "see it was his will, that I should never settle nor thrive "until I entered into the ministry, in which I have now "lived almost twenty years, (I hope to his glory) and by which (1 most humbly thank him) I have been en"abled to requite most of those friends, that shewed me "kindness when my fortunes were low. And (as it hath "occasioned the expression of my gratitude) I thank God, "most of them have stood in need of my requital. "I have "I have been useful and comfortable to my good father"in-law, Sir George More, whose patience God hath been "pleased to exercise by many temporal crosses. I have "maintained my own mother, whom it hath pleased God "after a plentiful fortune in her former times, to bring to a great decay in her very old age. I have quieted the consciences of many that groaned under the burden "of a wounded spirit, whose prayers I hope are available I cannot plead innocency of life, (especially "of my youth) but I am to be judged by a merciful God, "who hath given me (even at this time) some testimo"nies by his Holy Spirit, that I am of the number of his "elect. I am full of joy, and shall die in peace." ❝ for me. Upon Monday following, he took his last leave of his beloved study, and being hourly sensible of his decay, retired himself to his bed-chamber: And that week sent (at several times) for many of his most considerable friends, of whom he took a solemn and deliberate farewell, commending to their considerations some sentences particularly useful for the regulation of their lives, and dismissed them with a spiritual benediction. The Sunday, following, he appointed his servants, that if there were any worldly business undone, that concerned them or himself, it should be prepared against Saturday next; for, after that day, he would not mix his thoughts with any thing that concerned the world. Nor ever did. Now he had nothing to do but to die; to do which, hẹ stood in need of no more time, for he had long studied it. He lay fifteen days earnestly expecting his hourly change; and in the last hour of his last day, (as his body melted away), his soul having some revelation of the beatific vision, he said, "I were miserable, if I might not die :" And after those words, closed many periods of his faint breath with these words, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. His speech remained with him almost to his last minute; and then forsook him. Being speechless, he (like Stephen) looked stedfastly towards heaven, and closed his own eyes, and then disposed his hands and body into such a posture, as required no alteration by those that came to shroud him. Thus variable, thus holy, was the life; thus memorable, thus exemplary, was the death of this most excellent man. He was in his forty-second year when he took orders; and he died on the thirty-first of March, 1631, aged fifty-eight; after being dean of St Paul's for ten years. He He was buried in St Paul's church, in the place which he had appointed for that use some years before his death, and by which he passed daily to his devotions. But not buried privately, though he desired it; for, besides a vast number of others, many persons of noblity and eminence, who loved and honoured him in his life, shewed it at his funeral, by a voluntary and very solemn attendance of his body to the grave. He was of stature moderately tall; of a straight and equally proportioned body, to which all his words and actions gave an inexpressible addition of grace and decorum. His aspect was chearful, and such as gave a silent testimony of a clear enlightened mind, and of a conscience at peace with itself. His melting eye shewed he had a soft heart, full of noble pity, of too brave a spirit to offer injuries, and too much a Christian, not to pardon them in others. His fancy was rich and copious, equalled by his great wit; both being made useful by an excellent judgment. His mind was liberal, and unwearied in the search of knowledge: And he wished to communicate what he knew to others. This appears by his numerous WRITINGS, some account of which we will present to our Readers. Besides the Pseudo-Martyr, and Book of Devotion already mentioned, there are extant the following Works of Doctor Donne. "1. Poems: consisting of Songs and Sonnets, Epigrams, Elegies, Epithalamiums, Satires, Letters, Funeral Elegies, Holy Sonnets, &c. published at different times. They were printed together in one volume, 12mo. at London, 1719, with the Addition of Elegies upon the Author, by several Persons. Mr Dryden has very justly given Dr Donne the character of the greatest wit, though not the greatest poet, of our nation And in his Dedication of Juvenal to the earl of Dorset, he says, • Donne alone of all our countrymen, had your talent; but was not happy enough to arrive at < your versification. And, were he translated into num⚫bers and English, he would not yet be wanting in the dignity of expression. You equal Donne in the variety, multiplicity, and choice of thoughts: You excel him in the manner and the words. I read you both with the ⚫ same admiration, but not with the same delight. He affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in ⚫his amorous verses, where nature only should reign; and • perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice specula⚫tions of philosophy, when he should engage their hearts, • and entertain them with the softness of love.' A little farther farher Dryden asks, Would not Donne's Satires, which abound with so much wit, appear more charming, if he had taken care of his words and of his numbers?" Whether Pope took the hint from this question, or not is uncertain: But he has showed the world, that when translated into numbers and English as Dryden expresses it, they are not inferior to any thing in that kind poetry, of 2. "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. Maine, D D. And also Ignatius's Conclave, a Satire, translated out of the original Copy written in Latin, by the same author; found lately amongst his own papers, London, 1653, 12mo. Part of this Collection was published at different times before. 3. Three volumes of Sermons, in folio; the first printed in 1640, the second in 1649, the third in 1660. Lord Falkland stiles Dr Donne one of the most witty and most eloquent of our modern divines." 4. Esseys in Divinity, &c. being several Disquisitions interwoven with Meditations and Prayers, before he went into holy orders, London, 1651, 12mo. published by his son. 5. Letters to several Persons of Honour, London, 1654, 4to. published by his son. There are several of Dr Donne's letters, and others to him, from the queen of Bohemia, the earl of Carlisle, archbishop Abbot, and Ben Johnson, printed in a book, entitled, a Collection of Letters made by Sir Tobie Matthew, Knt. 8vo. 1660. 6. The ancient History of the Septuagint; translated from the Greek of Aristeas, London, 1633, 12mo. This translation was revised and corrected by another hand, and published in 1685, in 8vo. 4to. 7. "BIA ANATOZ: or, a Declaration of that Paradox or Thesis, that Self-Homicide is not so naturally a sin, that it may not be otherwise, London, 1644, 1648, &c. Mr Wood tells us, that he had seen the original under the author's own hand, in the Bodleian library, dedicated to Edward lord Herbert, of Cherbury. Among Dr Donne's letters is one to lord Herbert, sent to him with the BIATHANATOS; and another to Sir Robert Carre, afterwards earl of Ancram, sent with the same book upon the doctor's going into Germany. In this letter he observes, that the book was written by him many years before; "and because (says he) it is upon a misinterpretable sub"ject, I have always gone so near suppressing it, as that it is only not burnt. No hand hath passed upon it to сору |