The lands are bought; but where are to be found Those ancient woods, that fhaded all the ground? 110 We fee no new-built palaces afpire,

No kitchens emulate the vestal fire.

Where are those troops of Poor, that throng'd of yore The good old landlord's hospitable door?

Well, I could wish, that ftill in lordly domes

Some beasts were kill'd, tho' not whole hecatombs ;
That both extremes were banish'd from their walls,
Carthufian fafts and fulfome Bacchanals;

115

Where are these spread woods which cloath'd heretofore

Those bought lands? not built, nor burnt within door. Where the old landlords troops and almes? In halls Carthufian Fafts, and fulfome Bacchanals

NOTE S.

conveying property to the bignefs of glofs'd civil Laws, when it is to fecure his own ill-got wealth. But let the fame Lawyer convey property for you, and he then omits even the neceffary words; and becomes as concife and hafty as the loose poftils of a modern Divine.. So Luther, while a Monk, and by his Inftitution obliged to say Mass, and pray in perfon for others, thought even his Pater-nofter too long. But when he fet up for a Governor in the Church, and his business was to direct others how to pray for the fuccefs of his new Model; he then lengthened the Pater-nofter by a new claufe. This reprefentation of the firft part of his conduct was to ridicule his want of devotion; as the other, where he tells us, that the addition was the power and glory claufe, was to fatirize his ambition; and both together to infinuate that, from a Monk, he was become totally fecularized. About this time of his life Dr. Donne had a ftrong propenfity to Popery, which appears from feveral strokes in these fatires. We find amongst his works, a fhort fatirical thing called a Catalogue of rare Books, one article of which is intitled, M. Lutherus de abbrevatione Orationis Dominicæ, alluding to Luther's omiffion of the concluding Doxology, in his two Catechifms, which fhews he was fond of the joke: and, in the first instance (for the fake of his moral), at the expence of truth. As his putting Erafmus and Reuchlin in the rank of Lully and Agrippa, fhews what were then his fentiments of Reformation.

And all mankind might that just Mean observe,
In which none e'er could furfeit, none could starve.
These as good works, 'tis true, we all allow,
But ob thefe works are not in fashion now:
Like rich old wardrobes, things extremely rare,
Extremely fine, but what no man will wear.

Thus much I've said, I truft, without offence;
Let no Court Sycophant pervert my sense,
Nor fly Informer watch these words to draw
Within the reach of Treafon, or the Law.

J21

125

Equally I hate. Mean's bleft. In rich men's homes I bid kill fome beasts, but no hecatombs;

None starve, none furfeit fo.

But (oh) we allow Good works as good, but out of fashion now, Like old rich wardrobes. But my words none draws Within the vast reach of th' huge statutes jawes.

NOTE S.

VER. 128. Treafon, or the Law.] By the Law is here meant the Lawyers.

WELL, if it be my time to quit the stage,
Adieu to all the follies of the age!

I die in charity with fool and knave,
Secure of peace at least beyond the grave.
I've had my Purgatory here betimes,
And paid for all my fatires, all my rhymes.
The Poet's hell, its tortures, fiends, and flames,
To this were trifles, toys and empty names.

With foolish pride my heart was never fir'd,
Nor the vain itch t' admire, or be admir'd;
I hop'd for no commiffion from his Grace;
I bought no benefice, I begg'd no place;
Had no new verses, nor new fuit to fhow;
Yet went to Court!-the Dev'l would have it fo.

5

10

W ELL; I may now receive, and die. My fin Indeed is great, but yet I have been in

A Purgatory, fuch as fear'd Hell is

A recreation, and feant map of this.

My mind, neither with pride's itch, nor hath been Poyfon'd with love to fee or to be seen,

I had no fuit there, nor new fuit to show,
Yet went to Court; but as Glare which did go

NOTE S.

VER. 10. Nor the vain itch t' admire, or be admir'd ;] Courtiers have the fame pride in admiring, that Poets have in being admir'd. For Vanity is as often gratified in paying our court to our superiors, as in receiving it from our inferiors.

But, as the Fool that in reforming days
Would go to Mafs in jeft (as ftory fays)
Could not but think, to pay his fine was odd,
Since 'twas no form'd defign of ferving God;
So was I punish'd, as if full as proud,
As prone to ill, as negligent of good,
As deep in debt, without a thought to pay,
As vain, as idle, and as falfe, as they
Who live at Court, for going once that way!
Scarce was I enter'd, when, behold! there came
A thing which Adam had been pos'd to name ;
Noah had refus'd it lodging in his Ark,
Where all the Race of Reptiles might embark:
A verier monster, than on Africk's fhore
The fun e'er got, or flimy Nilus bore,

15

20

}

25

Or Sloane or Woodward's wondrous fhelves contain, Nay, all that lying Travellers can feign.

To Mafs in jeft, catch'd, was fain to disburse
Two hundred markes, which is the Statutes curfe,
Before he fcap'd; fo it pleas'd my destiny
(Guilty of my fin of going) to think me
As prone to all ill, and of good as forget-
ful, as proud, luftfull, and as much in debt,
As vain, as witlefs, and as falfe, as they
Which dwell in Court, for once going that way.

'Therefore I fuffer'd this; towards me did run
A thing more ftrange, than on Nile's flime the Sun
E'er bred, or all which into Noah's Ark came :
A thing which would have pos'd Adam to name:
Stranger than fevén Antiquaries ftudies,
Than Africk Monsters, Guianaes rarities,
Stranger than strangers: one who, for a Dane,
In the Danes Maffacre had fure been flain,

31

The watch would hardly let him pass at noon,

At night would swear him dropt out of the Moon. One, whom the mob, when next we find or make A popish plot, fhall for a Jefuit take,

35

And the wife Justice starting from his chair
Cry, By your Priesthood tell me what you are?
Such was the wight: Th' apparel on his back,
Tho' coarse, was rev'rend, and tho' bare, was black:
The fuit, if by the fashion one might guess,

40

Was velvet in the youth of good Queen Befs,

But mere tuff-taffety what now remain'd;

So Time, that changes all things, had ordain'd!
Our fons shall fee it leisurely decay,

First turn plain rash, then vanish quite away.

45

This thing has travel'd, speaks each language too,

And knows what's fit for ev'ry state to do;
Of whose best phrafe and courtly accent join'd,
He forms one tongue, exotic and refin'd.

If he had liv'd then; and without help dies,
When next the Prentices 'gainst strangers rise;
One, whom the watch at noon lets fcarce go by;
One, to whom the examining Juftice fure would cry,
Sir, by your Priesthood, tell me what you are?

His cloathes were ftrange, tho' coarse, and black, though bare,

Sleeveless his jerkin was, and it had been
Velvet, but 'twas now (fo much ground was feen)
Become Tufftaffaty; and our children fhall

See it plain rash a while, then nought at all.

The thing hath travel'd, and faith, fpeaks all tongues, And only knoweth what to all States belongs, Made of th' accents, and best phrase of all these, He speaks one language. If ftrange meats difplease,