l. 22. Ill spirits. It is not easy to decide between the 'Ill' of 1669 and some MSS. and the 'All' of some other MSS. Besides those enumerated, two lesser MSS., viz. the Sloane MSS. 542 and 1792, read 'all'.
In Elegie IV, l. 68, 'all' is written for 'ill' in B.
Page 121, l. 30. How blest am I in this discovering thee! The 'this' of almost all the MSS. is supported by the change of 'discovering' into 'discovery' of B, O'F, one way of evading the rather unusual construction, 'this' with a verbal noun followed by an object. The alteration of 'this' to 'thus' in 1669 is another. But the construction, though bold, is not inexcusable, and Donne wishes to lay the stress not on the manner of the discovery, but on the discovery itself, comparing it (in a very characteristic manner) to the discovery of America. This figure alone is sufficient to establish Donne's authorship, for he is peculiarly fond of these allusions to voyages, using them again and again in his sermons. For the use of 'this' with the gerund compare: 'Sir,—I humbly thank you for this continuing me in your memory, and enlarging me so far, as to the memory of my Sovereign, and (I hope) my Master.' Letters, p. 306.
l. 32. Then where my hand is set, my seal shall be. Chambers reads 'my soul'—I do not know from what source. The metaphor is from signing and sealing.
ll. 35-8. Gems which you women use, &c. I have adopted several emendations from the MSS. In the edition of 1669 the lines are printed thus:
Jems which you women use
Are like Atlantas ball: cast in men's views,
That when a fools eye lighteth on a Jem
His earthly soul may court that, not them:
I have adopted 'balls' from several MSS. as agreeing with the story and with the plural 'Gems'. I have taken 'are' with 'cast in mens views', regarding 'like Atlantas balls' as parenthetic. Both the metre and the sense of l. 38 are improved by reading 'covet' for 'court', though the latter has considerable support. The two words are easily confused in writing. I have adopted 'theirs' too in preference to 'that' because it is more in Donne's manner as well as strongly supported. 'A man who loves dress and ornaments on a woman loves not her but what belongs to her; what is accessory, not what is essential.' Compare: