Minor Poets of the Caroline Period, Vol III

o

ON TO THOM

ctly acquainted with his work on classical literature, has seen his History of Philosophy referred to in later histories; and his notes on Aeschylus quoted, and sometimes fought over, in later editions. His translations have attained a place in that private-adventure Valhalla of English translations-Bohn's Library. A few at least of his poems are in all or most of the anthologies. Not many writers have such an anchor w

ost contrary to the precepts of Mr. Addison. We cannot even be sure that Stanley himself would not have been short-sighted enough to feel a certain shame at his harmless fredaines in verse, for he certainly never published or fully collected them at all after he was six and twenty, though he lived to double that age. He seems, moreover, though most forward to help other men of letters, to have been in all other ways a decidedly

ol. ii), and he was also connected with Sandys, Lovelace, and Sherburne, all of whom were his intimate friends, as were John Hall and Shirley the dramatist. He seems always to have been a man of means: and used them liberally, though less thoughtlessly than Benlowes, in assisting brother men of letters. He is not said to have been at any of the great schools, but his private tutor William Fairfax (son of Edward of Tasso fame) appears to have grounded him t

true poet, with nature and his own soul to draw upon, will not experience any great necessity to go to some one else for matter. But these general rules are always dangerous in particular application, and therefore it has been said that the notion is not quite fair. In fact, if it is examined as it does apply to individuals, it becomes clear that it will not do as a general rule at all-that

of something not wholly dissimilar. They are (pretty as they almost always are, and beautiful as they sometimes are) a little devoid of the spontaneity and élan which distinguish the best things of the time from Carew and Crashaw down to Kynaston and John Hall. There is a very little of the exercise about them. Moreover, not quite as a necessary consequence of this, there is a want of decided character. Stanley is much more a typical minor Caro

ast, and very recently a feasible plan suggested itself-to give the edition of 1651 as Brydges had done, this being after all the only one which at once represents revision and definite literary purpose, and to let the translations in this represent-as the poet seems himself to have selected them to do-his translating habits and studies. Before these I have printed the original poems of the first or 1647 edition, and after them the few which he seems to have allowed to be added to the set versions in Gamble's Airs and Dialogues ten years later. I think this will put Stanley on a fair level with the rest of our flock. Those who want his classical translations from Anacreon, Ausonius, the Idylls, and the Pervigilium, as well as from Johannes Secundus, will not have much difficulty in finding them; and I di

f this collection-a carefully arranged and collated edition of the original Lyrics with a few selected translations (Tutin, Hull, 1907), edited by Miss

ndon Press reader-that they have not found some differences which my own comparison-notes of some years ago seemed to show between the

NT

A

S STA

ducti

printed af

pai

ictur

nio

and reprinted in 165

Drea

eholding hersel

Blus

old K

dolat

Magn

et in her

sh lover, go

artin

nse

n with Love

s not worth thy p

tatio

Poe

ation: To

low-w

Brea

r to burn h

Nigh

ishing her l

yet Con

ceiver (Mon

Cure

Sing

Mes

Retu

lie burning in

Lover (Gu

a, by what po

take up thy s

ay

Mistress to woo f

epuls

Tomb

ment (St.

eading Want

elet (Tr

Kiss

phne (Garcila

and Kis

now-b

positi

ess in Absen

Heret

e Confi

le Enn

(Lope de

Lady

Depos

ivorc

vered (Ca

racel

arewe

Love (Gua

o dreamed he was wo

xchan

d by Sic

ess's Death

xequi

ilkwo

ping (Mont

tion

rest beauty, tho

eveng

t trust thy temp

ill sooner tru

Man in Love

wer

hee let my he

Loss

lf-Cru

'Wert thou yet faire

wer

elaps

of S. with the

: 'I languish in

entine by the

t Wish (B

s Veterum P

of Mr. Fletch

W. Hamm

hirley's

on of Seneca's Medea, and V

all's Es

kling his Pictu

y Mr. Willia

Answ

his Moral

only in the Ed

ling bank, on

once more in

hours move

PRINTED

sp

poor bla

thee) have l

joys, I wi

ly i

lenting

an equall

assaults of

laugh at th

, to th

stancy disd

sh passions

ickle

Fates so e

less anger

an neither f

hope, but rai

of the short-almost 'bob'-lines, and the In Memoriam

Pict

th feel'st a

hot from a p

s image tho

self more

uld both to

oth pictures,

ey differ:

this is; t

nceit wraps up the p

in

diamond worth? t

, whence had they

eet contemn the s

sun receives a

diamonds far,

n garment of t

rystal cleare

do weak judgeme

, show that to

smiling crystal

first priz'd, an

praise the ot

human sight:

m a birth, to

ements with thes

es but with the

Dream, distinctly ne

ED IN 1647

BUT NO

Dr

er dream thus!

sleep would

deceiv'd, I

joys a real

way: oh do

ou so lately

Sleep; be ever

lt away, leav

rable accomplishment. Reprinted in 1656 in an e

gladly bow bene

t bring my Dor

ast made happy

l, in death the

y so soon, mo

usive sight

s; oh do no

ou so lately

e or death do

equal curse t

Sleep; be ever

lt away, leav

beholding hers

ssa, cast th

ystal face th

ee from Love's

hadows real fl

urn thee from t

ted beams of

t, fallen with

ival, thine ow

ost desire th

art where Love

ased with thine

love thyself

&c.] 12 165

Bl

ra doth hers

' aged bed of

es, whilst the

ly shame to the

colour doth th

he her soft sel

dew, whilst on

like a dissolv

vain a colou

el my Chari

r'd with greate

er, not she to

soul, this pass

tain thy spotl

s feel who hav

es know, but

ore; but let th

ause, know no e

e overlapped and breathless, but pointing towards the newer. In l. 11 Miss Guiney has unfortunately altered 'conferr'd' (c

Cold

ses, anchori

he world, to de

maids on whom L

know what by

ring fathers

fleeting spirits

est doth with su

uch the Hol

! whence so ch

ome in love

dullness, Faires

me equal wi

rost, for shame,

if it will no

join our lips,

ame of mine 't

very trifling alterations, all

Idol

pale lover,

flames of C

Love a s

merit of

he crown of

are, as thy

eath, from the

thou condem

sh'd for

u (Love's v

s kind) dost

shrine, Di

s fire (the

corn) that

rom flames ex

ether both

like in flam

breast, tho

1656 to 'she', which Miss Guiney a

: later, much

Ma

mpress of

which guide

in uncons

waves her y

hus by lo

e the rude

emale pal

oo her husb

magnet,

obsequiou

ts, and ston

ove; not wh

less kind

Love exe

ne like am

rivers me

ou more c

eel and sto

'he' to avoid identical rhyme, but Stanley was a scholar and the Gree

e 'thou', neither for

let in h

s violet, w

nly her dr

t the grou

reasure whic

ingly ere

to those hi

he pillows o

lining hea

ith pride to

ll other flo

t dew which k

odours so

how far decei

he riches

sweets she

e or sweet

om them dost

o thee len

e those lips away' in The Bloody Brother. I would ask any one who despises this as a mere commonplace love-poem to note-if he can-the splendid swell of the verse to the fourth line, and

o

Lover, g

amask of

ilies whi

thy mistr

star out

hoenix, a

althy swe

her brea

row'd prid

wine, to

s, is r

eek, or bre

that coy fa

iner beau

ame would

ght to lov

break thy

is brisk win

aler che

us, mayst L

ower must y

thus oursel

e defy t

lames extin

ot ill justified. 'Distinguish' in the last l

Part

ear Sai

d from

ss pleasi

ose I d

reafter tho

hath slai

on m

op a tea

sighs the silen

mile in death t

may have

eins

s with

me to so

'twixt thy brea

this sha

ith the

ss, enjoy

l contemn all

ited be by de

19 contemn 164

un

eitful l

their supp

nares sprea

easure with

their flatt

h perjur

ith the cho

s of, have p

ers (their ver

jewels they

o their bor

ent to mak

oems they i

praises o

p, and would

flames bege

east no ba

only he

or offering

cunning ch

th for which

slight if o

keep anoth

own must

early wrong. But the untrustworthiness of Gamble's text i

wels they d

ated to a very careless, i