Volume 1 — APPENDIX A. LATIN POEMS AND TRANSLATIONS
Reading edition
De Libro Cvm Mvtvaretur Impresso; Domi à pueris frustatim lacerato; et post reddito Manuscripto. Doctissimo Amicissimoque v. D. D. Andrews.
PARTURIUNT madido quae nixu praela, recepta, Sed quae scripta manu, sunt veneranda magis. Qui liber in pluteos, blattis cinerique relictos, Si modo sit praeli sanguine tinctus, abit; 5Accedat calamo scriptus, reverenter habetur, Involat et veterum scrinia summa Patrum. Dicat Apollo modum; Pueros infundere libro Nempe vetustatem canitiemque novo. Nil mirum, medico pueros de semine natos, 10Haec nova fata libra posse dedisse novo. Si veterem faciunt pueri, qui nuperus, Annon Ipse Pater Iuvenem me dabit arte senem? Hei miseris senibus! nos vertit dura senectus Omnes in pueros, neminem at in Iuvenem. 15Hoc tibi servasti praestandum, Antique Dierum, Quo viso, et vivit, et juvenescit Adam. Interea, infirmae fallamus taedia vitae, Libris, et Coelorum aemulâ amicitiâ. Hos inter, qui a te mihi redditus iste libellus, 20Non mihi tam charus, tam meus, ante fuit.
〈Epigramma〉
Transiit in Sequanam Moenus; Victoris in aedes; Et Francofurtum, te revehente, meat.
DE LIBRO &c. 1635-69 among certain prose letters in Latin and English
Title:—mutuaretur Impresso;] mutuaretur, Impresso, 1635-69
frustatim] frustratim 1635-69
lacerato;] lacerato, 1635-69
2 manu, sunt] manu sunt, 1635-69
4 abit;] abit, 1635-69
〈Epigramma〉 Ed: in old edd. these lines are 3 and 4 of above poem. See note
1 aedes;] aedes, 1635-69
Amicissimo, & meritissimo Ben. Jonson. In Vulponem.
Q VOD arte ausus es hic tuâ, Poeta, Si auderent hominum Deique juris Consulti, veteres sequi aemularierque, O omnes saperemus ad salutem. 5His sed sunt veteres araneosi; Tam nemo veterum est sequutor, ut tu Illos quod sequeris novator audis. Fac tamen quod agis; tuique primâ Libri canitie induantur horâ: 10Nam chartis pueritia est neganda, Nascanturque senes, oportet, illi Libri, queis dare vis perennitatem. Priscis, ingenium facit, laborque Te parem; hos superes, ut et futuros, 15Ex nostrâ vitiositate sumas, Quâ priscos superamus, et futuros.
Amicissimo &c. in sheets added 1650: prefixed originally to Quarto edition of Jonson's Volpone. 1607, later to Folio edition of The Workes of Beniamin Jonson. 1616., when In Vulponem was added: in both signed I.D.
11 Nascanturque 1607: Nascunturque 1616, 1650-69
Note
To Mr George Herbert, with one of my Seal〈s〉, of the Anchor and Christ.
Q VI prius assuetus Serpentum fasce Tabellas Signare, (haec nostrae symbola parva Domus) Adscitus domui Domini, patrioque relicto Stemmate, nanciscor stemmata jure nova. 5Hinc mihi Crux primo quae fronti impressa lavacro, Finibus extensis, anchora facta patet. Anchorae in effigiem Crux tandem desinit ipsam, Anchora fit tandem Crux tolerata diu. Hoc tamen ut fiat, Christo vegetatur ab ipso 10Crux, et ab Affixo, est Anchora facta, Iesu. Nec Natalitiis penitus serpentibus orbor, Non ita dat Deus, ut auferat ante data. Quâ sapiens, Dos est; Quâ terram lambit et ambit, Pestis; At in nostra fit Medicina Cruce, 15Serpens; fixa Cruci si sit Natura; Crucique A fixo, nobis, Gratia tota fluat. Omnia cum Crux sint, Crux Anchora facta, sigillum Non tam dicendum hoc quam Catechismus erit. Mitto nec exigua, exiguâ sub imagine, dona, 20Pignora amicitiae, et munera; Vota, preces. Plura tibi accumulet, sanctus cognominis, Ille Regia qui flavo Dona sigillat Equo.
A SHEAFE of Snakes used heretofore to be My Seal, The Crest of our poore Family. Adopted in Gods Family, and so Our old Coat lost, unto new armes I go. 5The Crosse (my seal at Baptism) spred below, Does, by that form, into an Anchor grow. Crosses grow Anchors; Bear, as thou shouldst do Thy Crosse, and that Crosse grows an Anchor too. But he that makes our Crosses Anchors thus, 10Is Christ, who there is crucifi'd for us. Yet may I, with this, my first Serpents hold, God gives new blessings, and yet leaves the old; The Serpent, may, as wise, my pattern be; My poison, as he feeds on dust, that's me. 15And as he rounds the Earth to murder sure, My death he is, but on the Crosse, my cure. Crucifie nature then, and then implore All Grace from him, crucified there before; When all is Crosse, and that Crosse Anchor grown, 20This Seal's a Catechism, not a Seal alone. Under that little Seal great gifts I send, 〈Wishes,〉 and prayers, pawns, and fruits of a friend. And may that Saint which rides in our great Seal, To you, who bear his name, great bounties deal.
To Mr George Herbert &c. 1650-69, in sheets added 1650: two and a half lines in Walton's Life of Donne (1658): for Herbert's reply see note
Title:—sent him with one Walton (1670) Seal, 1650-69: Seales Walton
1 fasce] falce Walton
5 fronti] fronte 1650-69
17 facta,] fixa, 1650-69
19 Mitto] Mitto, 1650-69
A sheafe &c.] 1650-69 and in Walton's Life of Donne (1658), in all of which and in all subsequent editions except Grolier the first two lines are printed as a title, Walton bracketing them:—
A sheafe of Snakes used heretofore to be my Seal, The Crest of our poore Family.
4 Our ... unto] My ... into Walton
5 at] in Walton
11 with this I may Walton
15 to murder sure,] to murder, sure Walton
16 He is my death; Walton
22 Wishes, Ed: Works, 1650-69: Both works Walton: Lat. vota
23-4
Oh may that Saint that rides on our great Seal, To you that bear his name large bounty deal. Walton.
Note
Translated out of Gazæus, Vota Amico facta. fol. 160.
G OD grant thee thine own wish, and grant thee mine, Thou, who dost, best friend, in best things outshine; May thy soul, ever chearfull, nere know cares, Nor thy life, ever lively, know gray haires. 5Nor thy hand, ever open, know base holds, Nor thy purse, ever plump, know pleits, or folds. Nor thy tongue, ever true, know a false thing, Nor thy word, ever mild, know quarrelling. Nor thy works, ever equall, know disguise, 10Nor thy fame, ever pure, know contumelies. Nor thy prayers, know low objects, still Divine; God grant thee thine own wish, and grant thee mine.
Translated &c.] 1650-69, in sheets added 1650: for original see note
Note