[7] The text of the following poems will be found, as far as Hannah's edition goes, to differ not greatly from his; but it has been collated with the originals in print and MS. by myself and, more carefully still, by Mr. Percy Simpson. The remaining poems (including the fourth or 'King Charles' Elegy added in 1664, which Hannah did not give) are adapted in the same way from direct photographic copies of the originals—collated where necessary. The variants of Sic Vita which the Archdeacon collected are of such interest and so characteristic of seventeenth-century poetry that it seemed desirable to reproduce them.

It may perhaps be added that the 1657 text is very carefully and well printed, requiring so little modernization as practically to justify the standard adopted in this collection. To modernize Chaucer or Chatterton has always seemed to me, though from slightly different points of view, a grievous error or worse. But to show how close, when scholarly writing met careful printing, the result even before the Restoration was to what it would have been to-day, I have printed the opening poem exactly as it originally stood, and have drawn attention in a note to the fewness of the differences. Because other typographers, not deacons in their craft, and confronted perhaps with copy as bad as, say, mine, plus the eccentric ethelorthography of the period, lavished italics and capitals and superfluous e's, and strappadoed the spelling, I cannot see why the eyes of a present-day reader should be unnecessarily vexed.—Hannah's edition, as far as it goes, can hardly be too well spoken of by any one who does not think that, in order to magnify himself, it is necessary to belittle his predecessors. One cannot but regret that he did not (as he might most easily have done, even in the single volume) complete his work. As it is, I am deeply indebted to him. I have, however, restored the order of the original, which he altered partly to get chronological sequence in the Elegies, &c., and partly to make subject-heads for his groups—a proceeding which to me is rarely satisfactory. But I have borrowed his useful datings of the individual pieces under their titles.

Table of Contents.

PAGE
1.[Sonnet. The Double Rock][169]
2.[The Vow-Breaker][169]
3.[Upon a Table-Book presented to a Lady][170]
4.[To the same Lady upon Mr. Burton's Melancholy][170]
5.[The Farewell][170]
6.[A Blackmoor Maid wooing a fair Boy: sent to the Author by Mr. Hen. Rainolds][171]
7.[The Boy's Answer to the Blackmoor][171]
8.[To a Friend upon Overbury's Wife given to her][172]
9.[Upon the same][172]
10.[To A. R. upon the same][172]
11.[An Epitaph on Niobe turned to Stone][172]
12.[Upon a Braid of Hair in a Heart sent by Mrs. E. H.][173]
13.[Sonnet. 'Tell me no more how fair she is'][173]
14.[Sonnet. 'Were thy heart soft as thou art fair'][174]
15.[Sonnet. 'Go, thou that vainly'][174]
16.[Sonnet. To Patience][174]
17.[Silence. A Sonnet][175]
18.[Love's Harvest][175]
19.[The Forlorn Hope][176]
20.[The Retreat][176]
21.[Sonnet. 'Tell me, you stars'][177]
22.[Sonnet. 'I prithee turn that face away'][177]
23.[Sonnet. 'Dry those fair', &c.][177]
24.[Sonnet. 'When I entreat', &c.][178]
25.[To a Lady who sent me a copy of verses at my going to bed][178]
26.[The Pink. Omitted: not King's.]
27.[To his Friends of Christ Church, &c.][179]
28.[The Surrender][180]
29.[The Legacy][181]
30.[The Short Wooing][182]
31.[St. Valentine's Day][183]
32.[To his unconstant Friend][184]
33.[Madam Gabrina, Or the Ill-favour'd Choice][185]
34.[The Defence][187]
35.[To One demanding why Wine sparkles][188]
36.[By occasion of the Young Prince his happy Birth][188]
37.[Upon the King's happy return from Scotland][190]
38.[To the Queen at Oxford][192]
39.[A Salutation of His Majesty's ship the Sovereign][193]
40.[An Epitaph on his most honoured friend, Richard, Earl of Dorset][194]
41.[The Exequy][195]
42.[The Anniverse. An Elegy][198]
43.[On Two Children, &c.][198]
44.[A Letter][199]
45.[An Acknowledgement][201]
46.[The Acquittance][202]
47.[The Forfeiture][202]
48.[The Departure. An Elegy][203]
49.[Paradox. That it is best for a young Maid to marry an Old Man][204]
50.[Paradox. That Fruition destroys Love][206]
51.[The Change][209]
52.[To my sister Anne King, &c.][210]
53.[An Elegy upon the immature loss of the most virtuous Lady Anne Rich][210]
54.[An Elegy upon Mrs. Kirk, unfortunately drowned in Thames][212]
55.[An Elegy upon the death of Mr. Edward Holt][213]
56.[To my dead friend Ben Jonson][214]
57.[An Elegy upon Prince Henry's death][216]
58.[An Elegy upon S. W. R.][217]
59.[An Elegy upon the Lord Bishop of London, John King][217]
60.[Upon the death of my ever desired friend, Doctor Donne, Dean of Paul's][218]
61.[An Elegy upon the most victorious King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus][220]
62.[To my noble and judicious friend Sir Henry Blount upon his Voyage][223]
63.[To my honoured friend Mr. George Sandys][226]
64.[The Woes of Esay][230]
65.[An Essay on Death and a Prison][232]
66.[The Labyrinth][234]
67.[Being waked out of my sleep][235]
68.[Sic Vita][236]
69.[My Midnight Meditation][238]
70.[A Penitential Hymn][238]
71.[An Elegy occasioned by Sickness][239]
72.[The Dirge][241]
73.[An Elegy occasioned by the loss of the most incomparable Lady Stanhope, &c.][242]
Poems not included in the edition of 1657 but in that of 1664:
74.[An Elegy upon my best friend, L. K. C.][244]
75.[On the Earl of Essex][245]
76.[An Elegy on Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle][246]
77.[An Elegy upon the most incomparable King Charles the First][255]
Poems in Manuscript:
78.[A Second Elegy on the Countess of Leinster][267]
79.[Epigram. From Petronius Arbiter, c. 14][267]
80.[Epigram. From Martial, i. 14][268]
81.[Epigram. From Petronius Arbiter, c. 83][268]
82.[Epigram. From Petronius Arbiter][268]
83.[Epigram. Pro captu, &c.][268]
84.[Upon the Untimely Death of J. K., first born of H. K.][269]
85.[The Complaint][269]
86.[On his Shadow][270]
87.[Wishes to my Son, John][272]
88.[A Contemplation upon Flowers][273]

The Publishers to the Author.

Sir,

It is the common fashion to make some address to the Readers, but we are bold to direct ours to you, who will look on this publication with anger, which others must welcome into the world with joy.

The Lord Verulam comparing ingenious authors to those who had orchards ill neighboured, advised them to publish their own labours, lest others might steal the fruit: Had you followed his example, or liked the advice, we had not thus trespassed against your consent, or been forced to an apology, which cannot but imply a fault committed. The best we can say for ourselves is, that if we have injured you, it is merely in your own defence, preventing the present attempts of others, who to their theft would (by their false copies of these Poems) have added violence, and some way have wounded your reputation.

Having been long engaged on better contemplations, you may, perhaps, look down on these Juvenilia (most of them the issues of your youthful Muse) with some disdain; and yet the courteous reader may tell you with thanks, that they are not to be despised, being far from abortive, nor to be disowned, because they are both modest and legitimate. And thus if we have offered you a view of your younger face, our hope is you will behold it with an unwrinkled brow, though we have presented the mirror against your will.