AS the authors of this race were perhaps more defirous of being admired than understood, they fometimes drew their conceits from receffes of learning not very much frequented by common readers of poetry. Thus Cowley on Knowledge: The facred tree 'midft the fair orchard grew; And built his perfum'd neft, That right Porphyrian tree which did true logic fhew. So clear their colour and divine, The very fhade they caft did other lights outfhine. On Anacreon continuing a lover in his old age: Love was with thy life entwin'd, Of thine, like Meleager's fate. Th' antiperiflafis of age More enflam'd thy amorous rage. In the following verfes we have an allufion to a Rabbinical opinion concerning Manna : Variety I afk not: give me one To live perpetually upon. The perfon Love does to us fit, Like manna, has the tafte of all in it. Thus Donne fhews his medicinal knowledge in fome encomiaftick verfes: In every thing there naturally grows A Balfamum to keep it freth and new, If 'twere not injur'd by extrinfique blows; But But you, of learning and religion, Keeps off, or cures what can be done or faid. Though the following lines of Donne, on the last night of the year, have fomething in them too fcholaftick, they are not inelegant: This twilight of two years, not past nor next, Debtor to th' old, nor creditor to th' new. Nor truft I this with hopes; and yet fcarce true DONNE. Yet more abftruse and profound is Donne's reflecupon Man as a Microcoẩm: tion If men be worlds, there is in every one Something to answer in fome proportion OF thoughts fo far fetched, as to be not only unexpected, but unnatural, all their books are full. To a Lady, who wrote poefies for rings. They, who above do various circles find, 16 her his body love what i'vder did "I were licet, which by zamore a formid. The love of diferent women is, in gangraphical poetry, compared to travels through different coup tries 1 Haft thou not found each woman's breaft (The land where thou haft travelled) Either by favages poffeft, Or wild, and uninhabited? What joy could't take, or what repofe, fu countries to unciviliz'd as thofe ? Luft, Luft, the scorching dog-ftar, here Whilft Pride, the rugged Northern Bear, And where thefe are temperate known, The foil's all barren fand, or rocky stone, COWLEY. A Lover, burnt up by his affection, is compared to Egypt: The fate of Egypt I fuftain, And never feel the dew of rain From clouds which in the head appear; COWLEY. The lover fuppofes his lady acquainted with the ancient laws of augury and rites of facrifice; And yet this death of mine, I fear, When found in every other part, Shall figh out that too, with my breath. That the chaos was harmonifed, has been recited of old; but whence the different sounds arose remained for a modern to discover: Th' ungovern'd parts no correfpondence knew ; COWLEY. The The tears of lovers are always of great poetical account; but Donne has extended them into worlds. If the lines are not eafily 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. Which thee doth wear, A globe, yea world, by that impreffion grow, This world, by waters fent from thee my heaven On reading the following lines, the reader may perhaps cry out-Confufion worfe confounded. Here lies a fhe fun, and a he moon here, She gives the best light to his fphere, Or each is both, and all, and fo 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 glafs through which we fee All, fince the being of all things is he, Yet are the trunks, which do to us derive Things in proportion fit, by perspective Deeds of good men; for by their living here, Who |