I do not think it is necessary to spend much time or ink in endeavouring to prove that the author of these three poems must have been also the writer of the other poems contained in this volume. Unless it be contended that no conclusion as to authorship can be drawn from similarity of style, sentiment, and peculiarities of expression, I do not see how it is possible for any one who carefully considers the matter to entertain a reasonable doubt about it. Not even the hypothesis of imitation by one author of the style of another can here be entertained--for no man can imitate what is not known to him. Every poet has his special topics, his favourite terms of expression, his peculiar vocabulary, and even his pet rhymes, which are bound to appear often in his verse. I think it may be truly said that there is nothing in the three poems taken from "A Serious and Patheticall Contemplation of the Mercies of God" which cannot be paralleled in the other poems contained in this volume. All are characterised by the same fervent piety, the same command of expression and musical diction, the same dwelling upon the ideas that though God is necessary to man, yet man also is necessary to God, and that the body (instead of being, according to the ordinary theological belief, a _corpus vile_ of corruption) is "a spring of Joy" crowned with glory; and the same continual allusions to the great natural phenomena. When to these resemblances we add the many small coincidences of words and phrases which are always recurring in the poems, the evidence of common authorship becomes too strong to be resisted. Perhaps it may be worth while to quote a few instances of these resemblances out of the many which might be given. In the second stanza of "The Person" we have Men's hands than angels' wings Are truer wealth even here below. In "Life's Blessedness" we have So greatly high our human bodies are That Angels scarcely may with them compare. In the fifth stanza of "The Estate" we have The laws of God, the Works he did create, His ancient ways, are His and my Estate. In "The Ways of Wisdom" we have Who sees the heavenly ancient ways. In "Thoughts IV." we have The very heavens in their sacred worth At once serve us and set his Glory forth. In "Life's Blessedness" we have The skies being made to serve me, as they do, While I Thy Glories in Thy Goodness view. In "The Influx" we have No soul but stone, no man but clay am I. In "Life's Blessedness" we have The stars but stones. The reader will doubtless have observed that our poet was very fond of using "treasure" and a "pleasure" as rhymes. He seldom omits to bring them in in a poem of any length, and it will be observed that they are introduced in "The Resurrection." Certain defective rhymes (or no rhymes) also occur pretty frequently, as "lay," "joy," "away," "enjoy." In "The Ways of Wisdom" we have "ways" and "joys."