The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 1 of 2.Davies, John, Sir
General
The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 1 of 2.
Davies, John, Sir
Davies, John, Sir, 1569-1626; English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700
"Still as a slave before his lord,
The ocean hath no blast;
His great bright eye most silently
Up to the Moon is cast--
If he may know which way to go;
For she guides him smooth or grim.
See, brother, see! how graciously
She looketh down on him."
(Pt. VI.)
At this point it may interest some to read Sir John Harington's welcome
to the Poet on the publication of 'Orchestra', thus:--
_Of Master_ John Dauies _Booke of Dancing_. _To Himselfe._
While you the Planets all doe set to dancing,
Beware such hap, as to the Fryer was chancing:
Who preaching in a Pulpit old and rotten,
Among some notes, most fit to be forgotten:
Vnto his Auditory thus he vaunts,
To make all Saints after his pype to dance:
It speaking, which as he himselfe aduances,
To act his speech with gestures, lo, it chances,
Downe fals the Pulpit, sore the man is brusèd,
Neuer was Fryer and Pulpit more abusèd.
Then beare with me, though yet to you a stranger,
To warne you of the like, nay greater danger.
For though none feare the falling of those sparkes,
(And when they fall, t'will be good catching Larkes)
Yet this may fall, that while you dance and skip,
With female Planets, sore your foote may trip,
That in your lofty Caprioll and turne
Their motion may make your dimension burne."
(Epigrams, Book II. 67.)
I am tempted to further critical examination of this very remarkable
Poetry; but feel constrained by already transgressed limits to withhold
them for the present. But I must say something on the Epigrams
and Minor Poems. I have 'compunctious visitings' in re-publishing
them, even though they have been included by Dyce and by Colonel
Cunningham in their successive editions of Marlowe. In my Note (Vol.
II., pp. 3-6), I give bibliographical and other details concerning
these Epigrams; and I correct a mis-assignation of certain by Dyce
to Davies that belong to Henry Hutton. It must be conceded that the
Epigrams have dashes of the roughness, even coarseness, of the age.
They self-drevealingly belong to the wild-oats sowing of the Poet's
youthful period. Nevertheless, I have ventured their reproduction in
integrity for four reasons:--
(_a_) These Epigrams, from their subjects and style, are valuable, as
expressing the _tone_ of society at the time.
(_b_) It would be _suppressio veri_ to withhold them, toward an
accurate estimate of their Author. They furnish elements of judgment.
(_c_) They were what gained the Poet 'a name': even when tartly spoken
of by Guilpin he is called the 'English Martial' from them.
(_d_) These Epigrams belong to a section of our early Literature
that contemporaneously was abundant; and it were advantageous if
characteristics of particular periods were more recognised in literary
criticism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account