l. 35. quit. Whether we read 'quit' or 'rid' the construction is difficult. The phrase seems to mean 'to be free of his whole Realm'—an unparalleled use of either adjective.
l. 36. The worlds all parts. Here 'all' means 'every', but Shakespeare would make 'parts' singular: 'All bond and privilege of nature break,' Cor. V. iii. 25. Donne blends two constructions.
Page 156, l. 49. Crantz. I have adopted the spelling of W, which emphasizes the Dutch character of the name. The 'Crates ' of Q is tempting as bringing the name into line with the other classical ones, but all the other MSS. have an 'n' in the word. Donne has in view the 'schismatics of Amsterdam' (The Will) and their followers. The change to Grant or Grants shows a tendency in the copyists to substitute a Scotch for a Dutch name.
Page 157, ll. 69-71. But unmoved thou, &c. As punctuated in the old editions these lines are certainly ambiguous. The semicolon after 'allow' has a little less value than that of a full stop; that after 'right' a little more than a comma, or contrariwise. Grosart, Chambers, and the Grolier Club editor all connect 'and the right' with what precedes:
But unmoved thou
Of force must one, and forced but one allow;
And the right.
So Chambers,—Grosart and the Grolier Club editor place a comma after 'allow'. It seems to me that 'And the right' goes rather with what follows:
But unmoved thou
Of force must one, and forced but one allow.