These he writes not; nor for these written payes, Therefore spares no length (as in those first dayes Each day his Beads; but having left those laws, Hard words, or fenfe; or, in Divinity As controverters in vouch'd Texts, leave out Shrewd words, which might against them clear the doubt. Where are these spread woods which cloath'd heretofore Those bought lands? not built, not burntwithin door. NOTES. VER. 104. So Luther etc.] Our Poet, by judiciously tranf pofing this fine fimilitude, has given new luftre to his Author's thought. The Lawyer (fays Dr. Donne) enlarges the legal inftruments for conveying property to the bignefs of glofs'd civil Laws, when it is to fecure his own ill-got wealth. But let the fame Lawyer convey property for you, and he then omits even the neceflary words; and becomes as concife, and hafty as the loofe poftils of a modern Divine. So Luther' while a Monk, and, by his Inftitution, obliged to fay Mafs, and pray in perfon for others, thought even his Pater-nofter too long. But when he fet up for a Governor in the Church, and his business was to direct others how to pray for the fuccefs of his new Model; he then lengthened the Pater-nofter by a new claufe. This But let them write for you, each rogue impairs The deeds, and dextroufly omits, fes heires: O'er a learn'd, 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-fong; 105 But having cast his cowle, and left those laws, Adds to Chrift's pray'r, the Pow'r and Glory claufe. 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. ΙΙΟ representation of the first 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, hẹ was become totally fecularized.-About this time of his life Dr. Donne had a strong propensity to Popery, which appears from several strokes in thefe fatires. We find amongst his works, a fhort fatirical thing called a Catalogue of rare books, one article of which is intitled, M. Lutherus de abbreviatione Orationis Dominica, alluding to Luther's omiffion of the concluding Doxology, in his two Catechifmes, which fhews he was fond of the joke; and, in the first inftance (for the fake of his moral) at the expence of truth. As his putting Erafmus and Reuchlin in the rank of Lully and Agrippa fhews what were 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. then his fentiments of Reformation. I will only obferve, that this Catalogue was written in imitation of Rabelais's famous Catalogue of the Library of St. Victor. It is one of the finest strokes 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 goad 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 Religion which the Church of England condemns in its Articles. To this the Poet's words fatirically allude. And having Where are those troops of Poor, that throng'd of yore NOTES. 125 throughout this fatire had several flings at the Reformation, which it was penal, and then very dangerous, to accuse, he had reafon to befpeak the Reader's candor, in the concluding words, words none draws But my Within the vaft reach of th' huge ftatutes jawes. VER. 127. Treafon, or the Law.] By the Law is here meant the Lawyers. SATIRE IV. W ELL; I may now receive, and die. My fin Indeed is great, but yet I have been in A Purgatory, fuch as fear'd hell is A recreation, and fcant 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 NOTES. VER. 1. Well, if it be etc.] Donne fays, Well; I may now receive and die. go which is very indecent language on fo ludicrous an occafion. VER. 3. I die in charity with fool and knave,] We verity think he did. But of the immediate caufe of his departure hence there is fome small difference between his Friends and Enemies. His family fuggests that a general decay of nature, which had been long coming on, ended 'with a Dropfy in the breaft. The Gentlemen of the Dunciad maintain, that he fell by the keen pen of our redoubtable Laureat. We ourselves fhould be inclined to this latter opinion, for the fake of ornamenting his ftory; and that we might be able to say, that he died, like his immortal namefake, Alexander the Great, by a drug of fo deadly cold a nature, that, as Plutarch and other |