by John Donne
11. even line: The Equator.
18. scorpion: Its flesh was said to cure its own sting.
torpedo: An electric ray fish or that which has a benumbing influence.
21. sepulchres: Tombs; also used figuratively in biblical language for hypocrites, whose outward semblance conceals inward corruption.
24. clay: According to Genesis 2:7, God formed man from the dust of the ground.
28. blocks: Blockheads.
lewd: Lay, not clerical; also lascivious.
29. first Chaos: The formless void out of which God created the earth (Genesis 1:1–2).
30. Each element’s: Each of the four traditional elements: earth, air, fire, water.
31. covetise: Excessive desire for wealth.
34. denizened: Naturalized.
35. flinty: Hard, impenetrable.
42. white: Spotless, innocent.
46. Italian: Italians were proverbially corrupt.
48. Inn: Lodge oneself.
59. Galenist: One who believed in the four humours.
62. chemics: Followers of Paracelsus (1493–1541), who believed diseases could be purged with antagonistic remedies.
Text notes: title Mr ms] Sir 1633; 11 even ms] raging 1633; 12 poles ms] pole 1633; 17 or ms] and 1633; 22 there ms] they 1633; 44 for ms] in 1633–69; 52 jail 1635] goal 1633
H. W. in Hiber. Belligeranti
title H. W. … Belligeranti: ‘Henry Wotton fighting in Ireland’. Wotton (see the notes to ‘To Mr Henry Wotton (“Here’s no more news than virtue”)’) fought in Ireland under Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, from April to September 1559.
3. Respective: Respectful.
9. skeins: Irish daggers.
14. stilled: Distilled.
19. Dishonest carriage: Fraudulent, underhanded or thievish conveyance from one place to another.
seer’s: Both a diviner or magician and someone who secretly unseals and reads a private letter addressed to someone else.
Text notes: Copy-text, Burley ms, Wotton’s commonplace book; 11 attack Grierson] Burley reads attach; 12 arrest] emended by Grierson from crest
To Sir H. W. at His Going Ambassador to Venice
title Sir H. W. … Venice: Henry Wotton was knighted by King James on 8 July 1604, five days before leaving for Venice.
5. taper: A thing that gives a feeble light, a wax candle; a wick.
30. last furnace: Most severe test or trial; the final forging step needed to solidify Wotton’s ‘spirits’.
39. stairs: Jacob dreamed that a ladder connected heaven and earth (Genesis 28:10–12).
To Mr Rowland Woodward (‘Like one who’in her third widowhood’)
title Rowland Woodward: Woodward (1573–1636/7) was a friend and fellow student of Donne’s at Lincoln’s Inn; he later accompanied their mutual friend Sir Henry Wotton to Venice as one of his secretaries.
2. retiredness: Seclusion, reserve.
3. fallowness: Idleness.
11. scales: Of divine justice.
17. Wise, valiant, sober, just: The four cardinal virtues were prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice.
21. crystal glass: Magnifying glass.
26. souls of simples: Essences of medicinal herbs.
31. termers: Those who resorted to London either for business at a court of law or for amusements, intrigues or dishonest practices. Some editors choose the variant ‘farmer’ because it fits the agricultural metaphor.
32. uplay: Store up.
34. Manure: Cultivate, fertilize; also take charge or possession of.
Text note: 31 termers 1633] farmers 1635
To Mr R. W. (‘Zealously my muse doth salute all thee’)
title R. W.: Rowland Woodward (see the notes to ‘To Mr Rowland Woodward’).
6. travailed: Troubled, harassed.
8. vanity: Futility.
12. barren: Fruitless.
Text note: Copy-text, Westmoreland ms, in the hand of Rowland Woodward
To Mr R. W. (‘Muse not that by thy mind thy body’is led’)
2. distempered: Disturbed in mood, vexed.
4. swoll’n: Puffed up, proud.
11. Wright: Probably a misspelling of ‘write’, but also a possible pun, meaning ‘repair’ or ‘mend’.
12. sovereign: Surpassing all others.
Text note: Copy-text, Westmoreland ms
To Mr R. W. (‘If, as mine is, thy life a slumber be’)
3. Morpheus nor his brother: Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, and his brother, Phantasus, both had the ability to metamorphose into different shapes.
7. deed of gift: Means of conveying property while alive.
8. will: Means of conveying property after death.
13. patient: Sufferer.
17. gospel: Glad tidings.
18. Guiana’s: In July 1597 the English were prevented from placing their flag in Guiana in South America.
20. Jew’s guide: Moses, who was allowed to see the promised land beyond Jordan but not to enter it (Deuteronomy 3:25, 27).
23. Spanish business: The attacks on Spain and its fleets in the Cadiz and Azores voyages.
27. all th’All: The entire universe.
28. India: A source of wealth, a mine.
29. If men be worlds: If men are microcosms of the universe.
Text note: 22 O ms] Our 1633
To Mr R. W. (‘Kindly’I envy thy song’s perfection’)
2. all th’elements: The four traditional elements, fire, air, water and earth.
14. recreated: Either to be refreshed by some agreeable object or impression or to be re-created.
Text note: Copy-text, Westmoreland ms
To Mr T. W. (‘All hail sweet poet’)
title T. W.: Most likely Thomas Woodward (b. 1576), brother of Rowland Woodward (see the notes to ‘To Mr Rowland Woodward’).
7. stay: Support.
20. surquedry: Arrogance, presumption.
22. resound: Proclaim, celebrate.
30. zany: Imitator or mimic.
32. Lyon: Lion; also a pun on the title of the chief herald in Scotland.
Text notes: title T. W. ms] I. W. 1633; 15 Before thy ms] Before by thy 1633
To Mr T. W. (‘Haste thee harsh verse’)
1. lame: Halting, metrically defective, with a pun on ‘crippled’.
4. Feet: Both divisions of verse and means of locomotion.
12. Infections: The plague was particularly virulent in London at the time.
13–14. Live I … testament: If Donne lives, T. W. acts as his security deposit (pawns); if he dies, T. W. will be his will (testament).
Text notes: title Mr ms] M 1633; 5–6 ms] omitted 1633
To Mr T. W. (‘Pregnant again with th’old twins’)
Text note: 5 and ms] or 1633
To Mr T. W. (‘At once, from hence’)
2–3. I … of art: He walks to foster (nurse) his art. His lines go to T. W. (his heart), who has been born of art.
9. that: T. W.
12. sacrament: The Church of England defined the sacrament as an outward sign of an invisible presence.
Text note: In many manuscripts and in 1633 this poem is included as a continuation of the preceding poem, ‘Pregnant again with th’old twins’.
To Mr C. B.
This poem was probably written when John Donne and Anne More were separated after her father, Sir George More, learned of their clandestine courtship.
title C. B.: Christopher Brooke (see the notes to ‘The Storm’) was a witness at the secret marriage of Donne and Anne More in December 1601.
1. deserts: Good deeds or qualities.
11. won: Dwell.
12. martyr: Torture.
Text note: 10 fairer ms] fair 1633
To Mr E. G.
title E. G.: The poet Everard Guilpin (1572?–98?), author of Skialetheia.
1. thirst: Thirst for.
2. slimy … bred: Cf. ‘Satire IV’, ll. 18–19.
rimes: Cold mist or fog; possible pun
on ‘rhyme’.
4. Parnassus: In Greek mythology, the home of the muses; also Highgate, Guilpin’s residence in London.
6. overseen: Observed; overlooked.
8. Our theatres … emptiness: Theatres closed on account of the plague.
11. spleen: Regarded as the seat of both melancholy and mirth.
12. bearbaitings: A popular spectator sport in which dogs attacked a bear chained to a stake.
law exercise: Practising of law in the courts.
20. this: Highgate.
Text note: Copy-text, Westmoreland ms
To Mr S. B.
title S. B.: Samuel Brooke, who officiated at Donne’s marriage and later became Master of Trinity College, Cambridge University.
3. advice: Forethought, wisdom, judgement.
8. Heliconian spring: The fountain Castalia, whose waters were thought to inspire poetic genius.
9. Siren-like: The Sirens’ song was believed to entrance sailors, who then shipwrecked on the rocks.
10. schismatics: Those who broke from the established church; Roman Catholics who conformed outwardly to the Church of England.
To Mr I. L. (‘Of that short roll’)
title I. L.: Unidentified. Cf. ‘Blest are your north parts’.
4. Sequan: The river Seine.
6. Trent: A river in north central England, presumably near the recipient’s home.
Lethe: In Greek mythology, the river of forgetfulness in the underworld.
9. stretched: Extensive, or expanded.
To Mr I. L. (‘Blest are your north parts’)
title I. L.: Cf. ‘Of that short roll’.
2. My sun: Someone loved by the narrator (perhaps Anne More), who was staying with ‘I. L.’
6. chafes: Burns.
12. help thy friend to save: Help to save thy friend.
15. polled: Their branches cut off, pollarded; also, hair cut short.
16. list: Desire.
20. Thy son ne’er ward: Never need a guardian because of your early death.
22. her: ‘My sun’ from l. 2.
Text notes: title Mr I. L. ms] M. I. P. 1633–69; 11–12 ms] omitted 1633–69
To Mr B. B.
title B. B.: Possibly Basil Brooke, a Catholic who was knighted in 1604; possibly the antiquarian Beauprè Bell (d. 1577).
3. Fulfilled: Filled up.
4. quintessence: A fifth essence, thought to exist in addition to the four elements – air, earth, fire and water – that supposedly cured all ills.
12. giddy: Mad; foolish.
14. post: With haste.
24. matter: Pun on mater, Latin for mother.
28. confirmed, and bishoped: In many Christian churches confirmation was performed by a bishop.
Text note: 19 muse ms] nurse 1633–69
To E. of D. with Six Holy Sonnets
title E. of D.: Earl of Dorset. The six sonnets have not been identified.
3. lusty: Pleasant, cheerful.
8. maim: Serious defect.
11. drossy: Full of impurities.
12. elixir: Alchemists believed that the Elixir of Life could cure all diseases and turn base metal into gold.
To Sir Henry Goodyere (‘Who makes the past a pattern’)
title Sir Henry Goodyere (1571–1628), Donne’s intimate friend and frequent correspondent. Although known to be extravagant, he was a respected member of the Privy Council under James I.
4. pair: String.
17. diet: Way of eating, living or thinking.
19. garners: Storehouses for grain or salt.
20. sports: Amusements.
22. outlandish: Foreign.
28. prescribe: Assert a right or claim.
30. sink: Receptacle or gathering place.
31. travail: Labour, toil; also a pun on ‘travel’.
33. to spare: To refrain from excess.
42. froward: Perverse, ungovernable.
44. tables: Tablets bearing inscriptions or rhetorical devices.
trenchers: Platters, often decorated with short moral sayings.
48. Mitcham: Donne’s residence from 1606 to 1611.
A Letter Written by Sir H. G. and J. D. alternis vicibus
title H. G. … alternis vicibus: Written in ‘alternating turns’ (Latin). The italicized stanzas were written by Sir Henry Goodyere (cf. ‘To Sir Henry Goodyere’).
25. anchors’: Anchorites.
28. St Edith nuns: St Edith, daughter of King Egbert, and other nuns were expelled from their nunnery at Polesworth by Sir Robert Marmion, who later had a dream vision in which Edith bid him restore the abbey to her successors, lest he suffer an evil death. He repented and restored the nunnery.
Text note: Copy-text, British Library Additional MS 25,707 (A25)
To Mrs M. H.
title M. H.: Magdalen Herbert (d. 1627), an intimate friend of Donne’s and mother of the poets Sir Edward Herbert (1582?–1648) and George Herbert (1593–1633).
1. Mad: Either senseless or fervent with poetic inspiration.
2. suns: A pun, since ‘suns’ and ‘sons’ were spelled interchangeably.
4. rags: Paper was made of rags.
12. they: Princes.
15. die: Pine away with desire.
19. saple’s: Sapling.
20. creature: Creation; one who owes his position and fortune to a patron; an instrument or puppet.
37. any: Any writings.
39. revolves: Both to read and to ponder.
his: Probably refers to Sir John Danvers (1584/5–1655), whom Magdalen Herbert married in 1608.
52. fain: Gladly, willingly.
To the Countess of Bedford (‘Reason is our soul’s left hand’)
title Countess of Bedford: Lucy Harington Russell (bap. 1581, d. 1627), one of Donne’s most valued patrons. She served as a ladyin-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, and was also a scholar and a poet. She had a close relation with Donne for a number of years, and in 1608 gave him permission to name his daughter Lucy. Residing at Twickenham Park, she became the patron of many scholars and poets.
5. squint: Characterized by obliquity of action.
left-handedness: Underhandedness.
6. want: Lack.
10. election: Chosen by God to be saved.
11. accesses, and restraints: Permitting and withholding favour or access.
12. devise: Invent, imagine, by writing her own poetry.
15. implicit faith: Trusting in the authority of another without doubt or inquiry.
16. catholic: Universal.
22. balsamum: Balm; balsam.
27. mithridate: Universal antidote to poison.
29. physic: Medicine.
34. factor: Agent.
35. return home: Return to heaven.
Text notes: 16 voice ms] faith 1633; 36 This ms] Thy 1633
To the Countess of Bedford (‘Honour is so sublime perfection’)
4–6. elements … head: The four traditional elements: earth, water (‘these which we tread’), fire and air (‘those … above our head’).
12. dung: Manure, which generates heat.
18. Sicil Isle: Sicily, where the active volcano Mount Etna is located.
22. clay: According to Genesis 2:7, God formed man from the dust of the ground.
26. quick: Living, animate.
29. specular stone: Transparent stone, once used in mirrors.
34–5. souls of growth … reason’s soul: According to the philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC) the soul of man was threefold: the vegetative soul (‘souls of growth’) and sensible soul (‘souls of sense’) were believed to have existed in the body before the rational soul (‘our reason’s soul’) was breathed into man.
44. wit: Reason, intellect.
46. types: Emblems.
Text notes: 13 praisers ms] praises 1633; 27 your heart’s ms] our heart’s 1633; 31 and of such ms] and such 1633; 48 all ways ms] always 1633
To the Countess of Bedford (‘You have refined me’)
4. ci
rcumstanced: Placed in relation to other things.
11. dark: Obscure.
12. usher: Introduce.
13. this place: Twickenham Park, the Countess’s residence.
23. loathly: Reluctantly.
25. antipodes: Those who dwell directly opposite to each other on the globe.
37. Rome: The seat of the papacy and Roman Catholicism.
40. invest: Dress or adorn.
41. schools: Theological disputants.
48. th’Escuriall: The Escorial, the sixteenth-century monastery-palace – built by Philip II – in Castile, which became a powerful political centre during his reign (r. 1556–98).
61. nice: Foolish.
69. magazine: Storehouse.
commonweal: Either the public welfare or the body politic.
Text notes: 52 all prophecy ms] and prophecy 1633; 60 thing ms] things 1633
To the Countess of Bedford (‘T’have written then’)
5–6. this … that: Not to have written … to have written.
14. Peter … fane: It was said that St Peter’s Basilica in Rome was built on the site of an ancient ‘fane’ (temple) to Jove, and that St Paul’s Cathedral in London was built on a temple of Diana.
17. denizened: Naturalized.
19. bravely: Excellently.
23. fitness: Propriety.
25–6. Your … preserves: Lucy’s virtue ‘ransoms’ (redeems) the female sex, and her presence preserves the Jacobean court from corruption.
32. Stoop: Humble yourself.
37. new philosophy: The heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), which placed the sun, rather than the earth, at the centre of the universe.
43. engines: Instruments.
47–8. he which said, Plough / And look not back: ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’ (Luke 9:62).
50. cockle: Weeds.
55. engraved: Deeply impressed; also ‘ingraved’, entombed.
56. Caskets: Small, often richly ornamented boxes for valuables.
64. stones … seen: Physicians claimed to have removed such objects from their patients’ bodies.
68. Two new stars: The astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) reported new stars in the constellations Cygnus and Sepentarius; Donne is probably alluding to the deaths of Bridget Harington, Lady Markham (Lucy’s first cousin), who died at Twickenham on 4 May 1609, and Cecilia Bulstrode (Boulstred), who also died at Twickenham, on 4 August 1609.
81. aspersion: Sprinkling.
82. complexion: Temperament.
85. thralls: Enslaves.
