Unquestionable Verity of the Holy Scriptures, and what fearfull Sentence the Wicked may expect in the Great Day, are briefly touched.

Edinburgh, Printed by John Reid, at his Printing-House in Bells-Wynd, Anno Dom. 1698. 4to, p. 24.

The author of this little poetical tract was a Scotchman, who, mindful that "every one according to their capacity and station, ought to contribute their endeavours for suppressing vice," composed these few verses as his mite "towards the prosecution of such a laudable design." The tract is dedicated "Unto the Right Honourable Sir Archibald Mure of Thorntown, Lord Provost, William Menzies, Archibald Rule, James Nairn, George Mitchel Bailies, Patrick Haliburton, Dean of Guild, Samuel M'Clellan, Treasurer, and the Remanent Council of the Ancient and Honourable City, Edinburgh." The Poem, written in long measure, is chiefly an enumeration of the punishments declared in Scripture against the contemners of God's laws, and the arraignment of the wicked for their sins. We quote a few of the opening lines as a specimen of the writer's attempt at versification:

Great Master of the Muses, mighty THOU,

Before whose Face all Knees shal trembling bow,
Thou, who commands Thy Sacred Name to be
With Reverence mention'd, and Humility;

And holds him guilty of attrocious sin,
That needlessly doth take't his lips within;
Thou who doth make the Dumb distinctly talk,
And Blind to see, and Lame with eveness walk,
And maketh Babes to give Thee perfect Praise,
Inspire my Pen and my Affections raise.
Affoord me matter, so assist my Quill,

That I may write according to Thy Will:

Then shall my joy and happiness be more,

Then those whose Cups with Wine and Oyl run o're.
The Great I AM who only IS alone,

And in the Heav'ns establish'd hath his Throne.
He who spread forth the Azure-Skies above,

And in their Spheres makes all the Planets move.

He that the Earth's Foundations strong did lay,

And made these Lights which separat Night from Day.

He who the Heav'ns doth measure at one Span,

And of the Dust created Mortal Man.

VOL. III. PART I.

FF

Again:

He that doth fill the Heav'ns, Earth, Sea, and Air,
Without Dimensions present every where;

Who fram'd the Crooked Serpent, bounds the Waves,
And fashon'd all the Subterraneous Caves.

He who the Starres doth number all by Name,

At whose Command all things from Nothing came.

He who doth weigh the Mountains in a Scale,

And lay'th in Balance every Hill and Dale:
In whose great Sight all Nations seem to be
As crawling Worms, yea less than Gnat or Flee.
Great HE put on a Robe of Majestie,

And on the Wing of subtile Air did flie.
Before his Face the stable Heav'ns did bow,
Then in a Cloud he visits Earth below.
In thickest Darkness wrap'd his hallowed Light,
Least Mortals had been struck dead at the Sight.
The Earths Foundations mov'd, Heav'ns Pillers shook,
All Creatures trembled while this Great He spoke.

A Wretched Athiest! dost thou think indeed

These Scriptures which thou frequently may read
Are forg'd by Art, or Subtile Mans Ingine?
And are not marked with a Stamp Divine ?

The dreadfull Plagues made knowen on Egypt Land,
Redeeming Isra'l with a Mighty hand.
The Sea divided, Jordans Streams back turn'd;
And Law emitted, while the Mountain burn'd.
Are these Romances, Lies, or Forged Tales ?
Were not Divine Unquestion'd useful Seals?
Fixt to the Law, commencing from the Day

These Acts were done; - Pray therefore show what Way

Could Isra'l be impos'd on, or deceiv'd

When all the Laws and Statutes they receiv'd,

Enforced were from what their Eyes had seen;

And to their Sense demonstrated had been.

At the end of the Poem is a short address to the Reader, in which the Author states that other papers composed and signed J. D. were not his, and that this was the first thing in rhyme that ever passed the Press, whereunto his name was affixed directly or indirectly. There are numerous marginal references to passages of Scripture, and a few notes subjoined in answer to any objections that may occur (10 in number) conclude the book.

A copy sold at the Roxburghe sale, No. 3417, for 108.; Constable's ditto,

No. 469, 9s. 6d.

Half-bound in Blue Morocco, gilt leaves.

DONNE (JOHN).-An Anatomy of the World.

Wherein by occa

sion of the untimely death of mistris Elizabeth Drury the frailty and the decay of this whol World is represented.

London, Printed for Samuel Macham, and are to be solde at his shop in Paules Churchyard, at the Signe of the Bulhead. Au. Dom. 1611. 8vo, pp. 32.

These funeral elegies, like most of Donne's poetry, were written in the former portion of his life before he entered into holy orders, which however he did not adopt until he was more than forty years old, at the earnest solicitation of James I. These poems were composed before that period, and, with the exception of his satires and some few other pieces, were among his earlier productions. It should be remembered that in former days young unmarried ladies were always addressed by the title of Mrs. or Mistress, and the lady whose early death gave occasion to these poems was scarcely fifteen at the time the event happened. She was the daughter of Sir Robert Drury or Drewry, the eldest son of Sir William Drury of Stansted, in Suffolk, knt., who was killed in France in a duel with Sir John Burrough in 1589. Young Drury, when little more than fourteen, went in the train of the Earl of Essex to the celebrated siege of Rouen, and, young as he was, was knighted on that occasion. He married Anne, daughter of Sir Nicholas Bacon of Redgrave, in Suffolk, knt., by whom he had this only daughter, whose early death is so pathetically and greatly lamented by Donne. The latter was at this time next-door neighbour to Sir Robert Drury, having been placed by him rent-free in a handsome house next his own in Drury Lane. The young lady was to have been, had she lived, the sole heiress, as she was the sole hope and comfort of her father's house. She died in 1610. Sir Robert Drury was a rich householder, and the site of his residence is still remembered in the Drury Lane. He was a valuable and kind friend to Donne at the time when such assistance was most needed.

The earliest known edition of The Anatomy of the World has the date of 1611, and contains only The First Anniversary. The title page is fol

lowed by the commendatory poem to the praise of the dead, and then the Anatomie itself. It is written in the usual sarcastic style of Donne, and contains some singular and startling thoughts. We quote the opening lines of the poem as a short specimen of these elegiac verses:

When that rich soule which to her heauen is gone
Whom all doe celebrate, who know they haue one, -

For who is sure he hath a soule, vnlesse

It see, and iudge, and follow worthinesse,
And by deedes praise it; hee who doth not this,
May lodge an inmate soule, but 'tis not his,—
When that queene ended here her progresse-time,
And, as t' her standing-house, to heauen did clymbe,
Where, loath to make the saints attend her long,
Shee's now a part both of the quire and song.
This world, in that great earthquake languished;
For in a common bath of teares it bled,
Which drew the strongest vitall spirits out,
But succour'd them with a perplexed doubt,
Whether the world did loose; or gaine in this,-
Because since now no other way there is
But goodnesse, to see her, whom all would see,
All must endeuour to bee good as shee-
This great consumption to a feuer turn'd,

And so the world had fits; it joy'd, it mourn'd;

And, as men thinke, that agues physicke are,
And th' ague being spent, give ouer care,

So thou, sicke World, mistak'st thy selfe to bee
Well, when alas, thou'art in a letargee.

Her death did wound and tame thee than, and than
Thou mightst haue better spar'd the sunne or man;
That wound was deepe, but 'tis more misery.
That thou hast lost thy sense and memory:

'T was heauy then to heare thy voice of mone,

But this is worse, that thou art speechlesse growne.

The first edition of The Anatomy of the World is of the most extreme rarity, the only other copy known to exist besides the present being the one in the collection at Bridgewater House belonging to the Earl of Ellesmere. The work is unnoticed by Mr. Collier in his Catalogue of this celebrated collection, and in his Bibliographical Catalogue.

Collation: Sig. A and B, in eights, 16 leaves.

In the original binding.

DONNE (JOHN). - The First Anniversarie, an Anatomie of the World. Wherein by occasion of the vntimely death of Mistris Elizabeth Drvry, the frailtie and the decay of this whole World is represented.

London, Printed by M. Bradwood for S. Macham, and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Bull-head. 1612. sm. 8vo, pp. 6 and 54.

The previous edition of 1611 contains only the first portion of the elegy, the present impression comprises the complete poem in two parts with separate title-pages. The first title as above is followed by some lines "To the praise of the dead," unpaged, and the poem, "A Funerall Elegie," occupying many pages; then occurs the second title thus:

"The Second Anniuersarie of the Progres of the Soule. Wherein by occasion of the Religious Death of Mistris Elizabeth Drvry, the incommodities of the Soule in this life and her exaltation in the next are contemplated.

London, Printed by M. Bradwood for S. Macham," &c., as before. After this are some lines entitled, "The Harbinger to the Progress," pp. 5, followed by the second part of the elegy.

Having given a short quotation from the first portion of the poem, we add a few more lines as a specimen of the second part of Donne's poem.

Shee, to whom all this world was but a stage

Where all sat hark'ning how her youthfull age
Would be emploid, because in all shee did
Some figure of the golden times was hid;

Who could not lacke whatere this world could giue
Because shee was the forme that made it liue ;
Nor could complaine that this world was vnfit
To bee stay'd in, then, when shee was in it;
Shee, that first tried indifferent desires
By vertue, and vertue by religious fires;

She, to whose person paradise adhear'd,

As Courts to princes; shee, whose eies enspheard
Star-light inough, t'haue made the South controll
(Had shee been there) the star-full Northern Pole :
Shee, shee is gone; shee is gone; when thou knowest this,

What fragmentary rubbidge this world is

Thou knowest, and that it is not worth a thought;

He honours it too much, that thinks it nought.