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第24章

lucasta-第24章

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boys; After this scourge hee's hush with toys。

  This heard; Sir; play stil in her eyes; And be a dying; live like flyes Caught by their angle…legs; and whom The torch laughs peece…meale to consume。

 i。e。 THAT hath sainted; &c。

 So the Editor's MS。 copy already described; the printed copy has BONDS。

 So Editor's MS。  Printed copy has     〃The Love of Great Ones?  'Tis a Love。〃

 SubtleEditor's MS。

 Semele sheEditor's MS。

 SheIbid。

 DombeLUCASTA。

 BESS is used in the following passage as a phrase for a sort of female TOM…O…BEDLAM

    〃We treat mad…Bedlams; TOMS and BESSES;      With ceremonies and caresses!〃           Dixon's CANIDIA; 1683; part i。 canto 2。

And the word seems also to have been employed to signify the loose women who; in early times; made Covent Garden and its neighbourhood their special haunt。  See Cotgrave's WITS INTERPRETER; 1662; p。 236。  But here 〃naked Besse;〃 means only a woman who; in contradistinction to a lady of rank; has no adventitious qualities to recommend her。

 Original reads HER。

 Altars; orLUCASTA。

 BorneLUCASTA。

 Allay'dLUCASTA。

 So Editor's MS。  LUCASTA has HELLS。

 From this word down to LIVES is omitted in the MS。 copy。

 Original has LIVES。



               TO ALTHEA。               FROM PRISON。                   SONG。        SET BY DR。 JOHN WILSON。

                    I。 When love with unconfined wings   Hovers within my gates; And my divine ALTHEA brings   To whisper at the grates; When I lye tangled in her haire;   And fetterd to her eye; The birds; that wanton in the aire;   Know no such liberty。

                    II。 When flowing cups run swiftly round   With no allaying THAMES; Our carelesse heads with roses bound;   Our hearts with loyal flames; When thirsty griefe in wine we steepe;   When healths and draughts go free; Fishes; that tipple in the deepe;   Know no such libertie。

                    III。 When (like committed linnets) I   With shriller throat shall sing The sweetnes; mercy; majesty;   And glories of my King。 When I shall voyce aloud; how good   He is; how great should be; Inlarged winds; that curle the flood;   Know no such liberty。

                    IV。 Stone walls doe not a prison make;   Nor iron bars a cage; Mindes innocent and quiet take   That for an hermitage; If I have freedome in my love;   And in my soule am free; Angels alone that sore above   Enjoy such liberty。

 The first stanza of this famous song is harmonized in CHEERFULL AYRES OR BALLADS: FIRST COMPOSED FOR ONE SINGLE VOICE; AND SINCE SET FOR THREE VOICES。  By John Wilson; Dr。 in Music; Professor of the same in the University of Oxford。  Oxford; 1660 (Sept。 20; 1659); 4to。 p。 10。  I have sometimes thought that; when Lovelace composed this production; he had in his recollection some of the sentiments in Wither's SHEPHERDS HUNTING; 1615。  See; more particularly; the sonnet (at p。 248 of Mr。 Gutch's Bristol edition) commencing:

    〃I that er'st while the world's sweet air did draw。〃

 Peele; in KING DAVID AND FAIR BETHSABE; 1599; has a similar figure; where David says:

    〃Now comes my lover tripping like the roe;      And brings my longings tangled in her hair。〃

The 〃lover〃 is of course Bethsabe。

 Thus Middleton; in his MORE DISSEMBLERS BESIDES WOMEN; printed in 1657; but written before 1626; says:

                             〃But for modesty;      I should fall foul in words upon fond man;      That can forget his excellence and honour;      His serious meditations; being the end      Of his creation; to learn well to die;      And live a PRISONER TO A WOMAN'S EYE。〃

 Original reads GODS; the present word is substituted in accordance with a MS。 copy of the song printed by the late Dr。 Bliss; in his edition of Woods ATHENAE。  If Dr。 Bliss had been aware of the extraordinary corruptions under which the text of LUCASTA laboured; he would have had less hesitation in adopting BIRDS as the true reading。  The 〃Song to Althea;〃 is a favourable specimen of the class of composition to which it belongs; but I fear that it has been over…estimated。

 Percy very unnecessarily altered LIKE COMMITTED LINNETS to LINNET…LIKE CONFINED (Percy's RELIQUES; ii。 247; Moxon's ed。) Ellis (SPECIMENS OF EARLY ENGLISH POETS; ed。 1801; iii。 252) says that this latter reading is 〃more intelligible。〃 It is not; however; either what Lovelace wrote; or what (it may be presumed) he intended to write; and nothing; it would seem; can be clearer than the passage as it stands; COMMITTED signifying; in fact; nothing more than CONFINED。  It is fortunate for the lovers of early English literature that Bp。 Percy had comparatively little to do with it。  Emendation of a text is well enough; but the wholesale and arbitrary slaughter of it is quite another matter。



                 SONNET。  TO GENERALL GORING; AFTER THE PACIFICATION AT BERWICKE。             A LA CHABOT。

                    I。   Now the peace is made at the foes rate; Whilst men of armes to kettles their old helmes translate;   And drinke in caskes of honourable plate。     In ev'ry hand 'let' a cup be found;     That from all hearts a health may sound     To GORING! to GORING! see 't goe round。

                    II。   He whose glories shine so brave and high; That captive they in triumph leade each care and eye;   Claiming uncombated the victorie;     And from the earth to heav'n rebound;     Fixt there eternall as this round:     To GORING! to GORING! see him crown'd。

                    III。   To his lovely bride; in love with scars; Whose eyes wound deepe in peace; as doth his sword in wars;   They shortly must depose the Queen of Stars:     Her cheekes the morning blushes give;     And the benighted world repreeve;     To LETTICE! to LETTICE! let her live。

                    IV。   Give me scorching heat; thy heat; dry Sun; That to this payre I may drinke off an ocean:   Yet leave my grateful thirst unquensht; undone;     Or a full bowle of heav'nly wine;     In which dissolved stars should shine;     To the couple! to the couple! th' are divine。

 Particulars of this celebrated man; afterward created Earl of Norwich; may be found in Eachard's HISTORY; Rushworth's COLLECTIONS; Whitelocke's MEMOIRS; Collins' PEERAGE by Brydges; Pepys' DIARY (i。 150; ed。 1858); and Peck's DESIDERATA CURIOSA; (ed。 1779; ii。 479)。  Whitelocke speaks very highly of his military character。  In a poem called THE GALLANTS OF THE TIMES; printed in 〃Wit Restored;〃 1658; there is the following passage:

    〃A great burgandine for WILL MURRAY'S sake      GEORGE SYMONDS; he vows the first course to take:      When STRADLING a Graecian dog let fly;      Who took the bear by the nose immediately;      To see them so forward Hugh Pollard did smile;      Who had an old curr of Canary oyl;      And held up his head that GEORGE GORING might see;      Who then cryed aloud; TO MEE; BOYS; TO MEE!〃

See; also; THE ANSWER:

    〃GEORGE; Generall of Guenefrieds;      He is a joviall lad;    Though his heart and fortunes disagree      Oft times to make him sad。〃

Consult Davenant's Works; 1673; p。 247; and FRAGMENTA AULICA; 1662; pp。 47; 54。  Lord Goring died Jan。 6; 1663 (Smyth's OBITUARY; p。 57; Camden Soc。)。

 A LA CHABOT was a French dance tune; christened after the admiral of that name; in the same manner as A LA BOURBON; mentioned elsewhere in LUCASTA; derived its title from another celebrated person。  Those who have any acquaintance with the history of early English music need not to be informed that it was formerly the practice of our own composers to seek the patronage of the gentlemen and ladies about the Court for their works; and to identify their names with them。  Thus we have 〃My Lady Carey's Dumpe;〃 &c。 &c。

 Expense。



     SIR THOMAS WORTLEY'S SONNET ANSWERED。

              'THE SONNET。

                    I。                     No more Thou little winged archer; now no more                     As heretofore; Thou maist pretend within my breast to bide;             

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