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e first motion of bad understood; Then; at meer thought of fair chastity; Straight cools again the tempests of her sea: So when to you I my devotions raise; All wrath and storms do end in calm and praise。
Louis XI。 of France was the prince here intended。 See MERY TALES AND QUICKE ANSWERS; No。 23 (ed。 Hazlitt)。 I fear that if Lovelace had derived his knowledge of this incident rom the little work mentioned; he would have been still more sarcastic; for Louis; in the TALES AND QUICKE ANSWERS; is made to give; not 500 crowns for a turnip; but 1000 crowns for a radish。
Perhaps Lovelace is rather too severe on Sannazaro。 That writer is said to have occupied twenty years in the composition of his poem on the Birth of the Saviour; for which he probably did not receive a sixth part of the sum paid to him for his hexastic on Venice; and so he deserved this little windfal; which came out of the pocket of a Government rich enough to pay it ten times over。 See Corniano's VITA DI JACOPO SANNAZARO; prefixed to the edition of his ARCADIA; published at Milan in 1806。 Amongst the translations printed at the end of LUCASTA; and which it seems very likely were among the earliest poetical essays of Lovelace; is this very epigram of Sannazaro。 As in the case of THE ANT; I have little doubt that the satire was suggested by the translation。
The battle of Lepanto; in which Don John of Austria and the Venetians defeated the Turks; 1571。
The Turkish crescent。
Close; or shut up。
i。e。 write as a means of subsistence。
Unrefined。
Flay; excoriate。
Original reads ALL MARKS。
A hard toasted crust。
A fee or gratuity given to a poet on a mournful occasion; and made more liberal by the circumstances of affliction in which the donors are placed。
Generally; a mere coxcomb or dandy; but here the poet implies a man about town who is rich enough to indulge in fashionable luxuries。
The ribbon by which the star of an order of knighthood was attached to the breast of the fortunate recipient。 It sometimes also stood for the armlet worn by gentlemen in our poet's day; as a mark of some lady's esteem。 See Shirley's POEMS (Works; vi。 440)。
A crude anagram。
An imperfect acrostic。 Few readers require to be told that anagrams and acrostics were formerly one of the most fashionable species of composition。 Lovelace here pictures a poetaster 〃stewing〃 his brains with a poem of this description; which of course demanded a certain amount of tedious and minute attention to the arrangement of the name of the individual to whom the anagram or acrostic was to be addressed; and this was especially the case; where the writer contemplated a DOUBLE acrostic。
Original reads IS。
Ovid。 EL。 15。
Unwitting。
The Lovelaces were connected; not only with the Hammonds Auchers; &c。; but on the mother's side with the family of Sandys。 See Berry's KENT GENEALOGIES; which; however; are not by any means invariably reliable。 The subjoined is partly from Berry:
Edwin Sandys; = Cecilia; da。 of Thomas Archbishop of ! Wilford; of Cranbrook; York; ob。 1588。 ! Co。 Kent; Esq。 ob。 1610。 ! ! ! ! 'Sir'=(4thly)Catherine; George; trans… Anne=Sir William Edwin ! da。 of Sir R。 lator of the Barnes; of Sandys ! Bulkeley; of Psalms; &c。; Woolwich; ! Anglesey。 ob。 1643…4; the poet's ! Lovelace's maternal ! GREAT…uncle。 grandfather。 ! Richard Sandys Esq。=Hester; da。 of Edwin Aucher; second son of Anthony Aucher; Esq。; of Bishopsbourne。
'George' Sandys published; in 1615; his 〃Relation of a Journey Begun A。D。 1610;〃 &c。; which became very popular; and was frequently reprinted。
〃There was Selden; and he sat close by the chair; Wainman not far off; which was very fair。〃 Suckling's SESSION OF THE POETS。
〃Hales set by himself; most gravely did smile To see them about nothing keep such a wil; APOLLO had spied him; but knowing his mind Past by; and call'd FALKLAND; that sat just behind。 He was of late so gone with divinity; That he had almost forgot his poetry; Though to say the truth (and APOLLO did know it) He might have been both his priest and poet。〃 Suckling's SESSION OF THE POETS。
Lord Falkland was a contributor to JONSONUS VIRBIUS; 1638; and was well known in his day as an occasional writer。
SULLEN is here used in the sense of MISCHIEVOUS。 In Worcester's Dictionary an example is given of its employment by Dryden in a similar signification。
Thomas Decker; the dramatist and poet; whom Jonson attacked in his POETASTER; 1602; under the name of CRISPINUS。 Decker retorted in SATIROMASTIX; printed in the same year; in which Jonson appears as YOUNG HORACE。
An allusion to the lines:
〃Come; leave the loathed stage; And the more loathsome age;〃
prefixed to the NEW INNE; 1631; 8vo。 Jonson's adopted son Randolph expostulated with him on this occasion in the ode beginning:
〃Ben; doe not leave the stage; 'Cause 'tis a loathsome age。〃 Randolph's POEMS; 1640; p。 64。
Carew and others did the same。
Katherine Philips; the MATCHLESS ORINDA; b。 1631; d。 1664。 Jeremy Taylor addressed to her his 〃Measures and Offices of Friendship;〃 1657; and Cowley wrote an ode upon her death。
By MOTION OF BAD I presume the poet means WICKED IMPULSE。
COMMENDATORY VERSES; PREFIXED TO VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS BETWEEN 1652 AND 1657。
TO MY DEAR FRIEND MR。 E'LDRED' R'EVETT'。 ON HIS POEMS MORAL AND DIVINE。
Cleft as the top of the inspired hill; Struggles the soul of my divided quill; Whilst this foot doth the watry mount aspire; That Sinai's living and enlivening fire; Behold my powers storm'd by a twisted light O' th' Sun and his; first kindled his sight; And my lost thoughts invoke the prince of day; My right to th' spring of it and him do pray。
Say; happy youth; crown'd with a heav'nly ray Of the first flame; and interwreathed bay; Inform my soul in labour to begin; Ios or Anthems; Poeans or a Hymne。 Shall I a hecatombe on thy tripod slay; Or my devotions at thy altar pay? While which t' adore th' amaz'd world cannot tell; The sublime Urim or deep oracle。
Heark! how the moving chords temper our brain; As when Apollo serenades the main; Old Ocean smooths his sullen furrow'd front; And Nereids do glide soft measures on't; Whilst th' air puts on its sleekest; smoothest face; And each doth turn the others looking…glasse; So by the sinewy lyre now strook we see Into soft calms all storm of poesie; And former thundering and lightning lines; And verse now in its native lustre shines。
How wert thou hid within thyself! how shut! Thy pretious Iliads lock