A VALEDICTION, FORBIDDING TO MOURN. As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls, to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, The breath goes now, and some say, No : So let us melt, and make no noise. No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move, 'Twere profanation of our joys, To tell the laity our love. Moving of th' earth, brings harms and fears : Men reckon what it did or meant: But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Dull sublunary lovers' love— Whose soul is sense-cannot admit Absence, because that doth remove Those things which elemented it. But we, by a love so far refin'd, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assured of the mind, Care not hands, eyes, or lips to miss. Our two souls therefore, which are one,— A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to airy thinness beat. If we be two? we are two so As stiff twin-compasses are two : Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but does if th' other do. And though thine in the centre sit, Such wilt thou be to me, who must, I return from my account of the vision, to tell the Reader, that both before Mr. Donne's going into France, at his being there, and after his return, many of the Nobility and others that were powerful at Court, were watchful and solicitous to the King for some secular employment for him. The King had formerly both known and put a value upon his company, and had also given him some hopes of a state-employment; being always much pleased when Mr. Donne attended him, especially at his meals, where there were usually many deep discourses of general learning, and very often friendly disputes, or debates of religion, betwixt his Majesty and those divines, whose places required their attendance on him at those times; particularly the Dean of the Chapel, who then was Bishop Montague*-the publisher of the learned and eloquent Works of his Majesty-and the most Reverend Doctor Andrews,† the late learned Bishop of Winchester, who was then the King's Almoner. * James, fifth son to Sir Edward, and brother to Edward, first Lord Montague of Boughton, in the County of Northampton, was usually called "King James's Ecclesiastical Favourite." He was educated in Christ Church College, Cambridge, and in 1608, was made Bishop of Bath and Wells; when he repaired the Abbey Church of Bath, at a great expense, through the representations of Sir John Harrington. In 1616, he was translated to the Bishopric of Winchester, and died in his 49th year in 1618, being buried in the Abbey at Bath. + Launcelot Andrews, a Prelate of most eminent virtues, born in London in 1565, and educated at Merchant Tailors School, and Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, of which he became Fellow. He attracted great attention at the University by his Lectures on the Commandments, and his skill in Cases of Conscience. Henry Earl of Huntingdon made him his Chaplain when he was About this time there grew many disputes, that concerned the Oath of Supremacy and Allegiance, in which the King had appeared, and engaged himself by his public writings now extant: and his Majesty discoursing with Mr. Donne, concerning many of the reasons which are usually urged against the taking of those Oaths, apprehended such a validity and clearness in his stating the questions, and his answers to them, that his Majesty commanded him to bestow some time in drawing the arguments into a method, and then to write his answers to them; and, having done that, not to send, but be his own messenger, and bring them to him. To this he presently and diligently applied himself, and within six weeks brought them to him under his own hand writing, as they be now printed; the book bearing the name of Pseudo-Martyr, printed anno 1610. When the King had read and considered that book, he persuaded Mr. Donne to enter into the Ministry; to which, at that time, he was, and appeared, very unwilling, apprehending it—such was his mistaken modesty-to be too weighty for his abilities: and though his Majesty had promised him a favour, and many persons of worth mediated with his Majesty for some secular employment for him, to which his education had apted him—and particularly the Earl of Somerset,* when in his greatest height of favour; President of the North-where he made several converts to the Protestant faith-and he was also patronized by Secretary Walsingham. Queen Elizabeth made him one of her Chaplains in Ordinary, and was so much pleased with his preaching, that she appointed him Prebendary and Dean of Westminster, and Bishop of London at the death of Dr. Bancroft. Dr. Andrews was also in great favour with James I. who promoted him to the See of Chichester in 1605, and in 1609, to that of Ely. In 1618, he was translated to Winchester, and he died at the Episcopal Palace in Southwark, Sept. 25th, 1626, being buried under a splendid monument in St. Saviour's Church. Bishop Andrews was one of the translators of King James's Bible, and he is said to have known fifteen modern languages. * Robert Carr, a Scots gentleman, had been page to King James I, before he came to England, he was introduced to the King at a tilting, in 1611, by Lord Hay, when the accidental breaking of his leg by a fall from his horse, at once brought him into favour. On his recovery, he was knighted; the King himself taught him the Latin tongue, made him Lord of his Bedchamber, and, soon after, Lord Treasurer of Scotland. In 1612 he was created Viscount Rochester, a Member of the Privy Council, and a Knight of the who being then at Theobald's* with the King, where one of the Clerks of the Council died that night, the Earl posted a messenger for Mr. Donne to come to him immediately, and at Mr. Donne's coming, said, "Mr. Donne, to testify the reality of my affection, and my purpose to prefer you, stay in this garden till I go up to the King, and bring you word that you are Clerk of the Council : doubt not my doing this, for I know the King loves you, and know the King will not deny me." †But the King gave a positive denial to all requests, and, having a discerning spirit, replied, "I know Mr. Donne is a learned man, has the abilities of a learned Divine, and will prove a powerful preacher; and my desire is to prefer him that way, and in that way I will deny you nothing for him.” After that time, as he professeth," the King descended to a persuasion, almost to a solicitation, of him to enter into sacred Orders:" which, though he then denied not, yet he deferred it for almost three years. All which time he applied himself to an in Garter; at first, he conducted himself with moderation; but becoming enamoured of that infamous woman Frances Howard, afterwards Countess of Essex, she was divorced from her husband to be married to him, November 5th, 1613; he was created Earl of Somerset, and the following July, Lord Chamberlain. The excellent Sir Thomas Overbury having vainly endeavoured to prevent the above marriage, drew upon himself the anger of both parties, and by their intrigues he was committed to the Tower, where he was poisoned Sept. 15th, 1613. This was not discovered until 1615, when the Lieutenant of the Tower, and four others, were tried, and executed; and though sentence was also passed upon the Earl and Countess, they were pardoned, but banished the Court, and, the former died in July, 1645. *The house at Theobald's, near Waltham in Essex, was built by the Lord High Treasurer Burghley, in the reign of Elizabeth. "A place, than which, as to the fabric, nothing can be more neat, and as to the gardens, walks, and wildernesses about it, nothing can be more pleasant." James I. was so much delighted with its situation, that he gave the manor of Hatfield Regis in exchange for it to Lord Cecil, afterwards created Earl of Salisbury. He died at this his favourite palace, March 27, 1627. This noble and beautiful edifice was plundered and destroyed by the rebels in 1651. + The passage in the text beginning, " And though His Majesty" down to "but the King gave a positive denial"—was not inserted until the second edi. tion. In his Book of Devotions. cessant study of Textual Divinity, and to the attainment of a greater perfection in the learned languages, Greek and Hebrew. In the first and most blessed times of Christianity, when the Clergy were looked upon with reverence, and deserved it, when they overcame their opposers by high examples of virtue, by a blessed patience and long-suffering, those only were then judged worthy the Ministry, whose quiet and meek spirits did make them look upon that sacred calling with an humble adoration and fear to undertake it; which indeed requires such great degrees of humility, and labour, and care, that none but such were then thought worthy of that celestial dignity. And such only were then sought out, and solicited to undertake it. This I have mentioned, because forwardness and inconsideration, could not, in Mr. Donne, as in many others, be an argument of insufficiency or unfitness; for he had considered long, and had many strifes within himself concerning the strictness of life, and competency of learning, required in such as enter into sacred Orders; and doubtless, considering his own demerits, did humbly ask God with St. Paul, "Lord who is sufficient for these things?" and with meek Moses, "Lord, who am I?" And sure, if he had consulted with flesh and blood, he had not for these reasons put his hand to that holy plough. But God, who is able to prevail, wrestled with him, as the Angel did with Jacob, and marked him; marked him for his own; marked him with a blessing, a blessing of obedience to the motions of his blessed Spirit. And then, as he had formerly asked God with Moses, "Who am I?" so now, being inspired with an apprehension of God's particular mercy to him, in the King's and others solicitations of him, he came to ask King David's thankful question, "Lord, who am I, that thou art so mindful of me!" So mindful of me, as to lead me for more than forty years through this wilderness of the many temptations and various turnings of a dangerous life so merciful to me, as to move the learnedest of Kings to descend to move me to serve at the altar! So merciful to me, as at last to move my heart to embrace this holy motion! Thy motions I will and do embrace: and I now say with the blessed Virgin, "Be it with thy servant as seemeth best in thy sight:" and so, Blessed Jesus, I do take the Cup of Salvation, and will call upon thy Name, and will preach thy Gospel. |