"think my Deanery enough for my maintenance (who am and refolve to "die a single man) and will quit my benefice, and estate you in it (which the

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patron is willing I fhall do), if God fhall incline your heart to embrace "this motion. Remember, Mr. Donne, no man's education or parts: "make him too good for this employment, which is to be an Ambassador for the God of glory; that God, who, by a vile death, opened the gates of life "to mankind. Make me no prefent anfwer, but remember your promise, " and return to me the third day with your refolution."

At the hearing of this, Mr. Donne's faint breath and perplexed countenance gave a visible teftimony of an inward conflict, but he performed his promife, and departed without returning an answer till the third day, and then his answer was to this effect:

"My moft worthy and moft dear friend, fince I faw you I have been "faithful to my promife, and have alfo meditated much of your great kindness, which hath been fuch as would exceed even my gratitude, but "that it cannot do, and more I cannot return you; and I do that with an "heart full of humility and thanks, though I may not accept of your "offer: But, Sir, my refufal is not for that I think myself too good for "that calling, for which kings, if they think fo, are not good enough; nor for that my education and learning, though not eminent, may not, "being affifted with God's grace and humility, render me in fome mea"fure fit for it; but I dare make fo dear a friend as you are my con"feffor; fome irregularities of my life have been fo vifible to fome men, "that though I have, I thank God, made my peace with him by penitential "refolutions against them, and by the affiftance of his grace banished them. my affections; yet this, which God knows to be fo, is not so visible to man, as to free me from their cenfures, and it may be that facred calling from.

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a dishonour'. And befides, whereas it is determined by the best of Cafuifts, that God's glory should be the first end, and a maintenance the fecond “motive to embrace that calling, and though each man may propose to "himfelf

L

There is not the leaft reafon to fuppofe that Mr. Donne ever difgraced his character by any act of immorality. He probably mixed more in the world than he thought confiftent with the profeffion of a clergyman: He had not given that valediction to the pleasures and amufements of life, which he deemed requifite. When he devoted his time to the study of poetry, he chose subjects for his pen, which at a later period of life appeared to him too trifling and ludicrous.

himself both together, yet the firft may not be put last without a viola❝tion of conscience, which he that fearches the heart will judge. And "truly my prefent condition is fuch, that if I afk my own confcience whether "it be reconcileable to that rule, it is at this time fo perplexed about it, “that I can neither give myself nor you an answer. You know, Sir, who "fays, Happy is that man whofe confcience doth not accufe him for that thing "which he does. To thefe I might add other reafons that diffuade me; "but I crave your favour that. I may forbear to exprefs them, and thank"fully decline your offer."

This was his prefent refolution; but the heart of man is not in his own keeping, and he was deftined to this facred fervice by a higher hand; a hand fo powerful, as at laft forced him to a compliance: of which I fhall give the reader an account before I fhall give a reft to my pen.

Mr. Donne and his wife continued with Sir Francis Wolly till his death; a little before which time, Sir Francis was fo happy as to make a perfect reconciliation betwixt Sir George and his forfaken fon and daughter; Sir George conditioning by bond to pay to Mr. Donne 8ool. at a certain day, as a portion with his wife, or 20l. quarterly for their maintenance, as the intereft for it till the faid portion was paid.

Most of those years that he lived with Sir Francis, he ftudied the Civil and Canon Laws; in which he acquired fuch a perfection, as was judged to hold proportion with many who had made that ftudy the employment of their whole life.

Sir Francis being dead, and that happy family dissolved, Mr. Donne took for himself a house in Micham (near to Croydon in Surrey), a place noted for good air, and choice company: There his wife and children remained; and for himself he took lodgings in London, near to White-Hall, whither his friends and occafions drew him very often, and where he was as often vifited by many of the nobility and others of this nation, who used him in their councils of greateft confideration, and with fome rewards for his better fubfiftence. Nor did our own nobility only value and favour him, but his acquaintance and friendship was fought for by moft Ambaffadors of foreign nations, and by many other ftrangers whofe learning or business occafioned their stay in this nation.

"Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that which he doeth." Rom. xiv. 22.

He

He was much importuned by many friends to make his conftant refidence in London, but he ftill denied it, having fettled his dear wife and children at Micham, and near fome friends that were bountiful to them and him; for they, God knows, needed it: And that you may the better now judge of the then prefent condition of his mind and fortune, I shall present you with an extract collected out of fome few of his many letters. .

"And the reason why I did not send an answer to your last week's "letter was, because it then found me under too great a fadnefs, and at present it is thus with me. There is not one person but myself well of my family; I have already loft half a child, and with that mifchance of "hers, my wife is fallen into fuch a difcompofure, as would afflict her too "extremely, but that the sickness of all her other children ftupifies her; "of one of which, in good faith, I have not much hope; and these meet "with a fortune fo ill provided for phyfic, and fuch relief, that if God "fhould eafe us with burials, I know not how to perform even that; but "I flatter myself with this hope, that I am dying too, for I cannot wafte "faster than by fuch griefs. As for—

AUG. 10.

"From my hofpital at Micham,

JOHN DONNE.".

Thus did he bemoan himself: And thus in other letters.

"For we hardly discover a fin, when it is but an omiffion of fome good, and no accufing act: With this or the former, I have often sufCC. pected myself to be overtaken; which is, with an over-earneft defire of "the next life. And though I know it is not merely a weariness of this; "because I had the fame defire when I went with the tide, and enjoyed "fairer hopes than I now do; yet I doubt worldly troubles have increased "it. It is now fpring, and all the pleafures of it difplease me; every "other tree bloffoms, and I wither: I grow older and not better; my "ftrength diminisheth and my load grows heavier, and yet I would fain "be or do fomething, but that I cannot tell what, is no wonder in this "time of my fadnefs: For to choofe is to do, but to be no part of any body is as to be nothing; and so I am, and shall so judge myself, unless I "could be so incorporated into a part of the world, as by business to con"tribute

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"tribute fome fuftentation to the whole. This I made account; I began "early, when I underflood the ftudy of our laws; but was diverted by

leaving that and embracing the worft voluptuoufnefs, an hydroptique "immoderate defire of human learning and languages: Beautiful ornaments "indeed to men of great fortunes; but mine was grown fo low as to need an occupation, which I thought I entered well into, when I fubjected "myfelf to fuch a fervice as I thought might exercife my poor abilities; "and there I fumbled and fell too: And now I am become fo little, or "fuch a nothing, that I am not a fubject good enough for one of my own letters.-Sir, I fear my prefent difcontent does not proceed from a good root, that I am fo well content to be nothing, that is, dead. But, Sir, though my fortune hath made me fuch, as that I am rather a fickness or a disease of the world, than any part of it, and therefore neither love it nor life; yet I would gladly live to become fome fuch thing as you "fhould not repent loving me. Sir, your own foul cannot be more zealous "for your good than I am; and God, who loves that zeal in me, will not"fuffer to doubt it. You would pity me now, if you faw me write, for my pain hath drawn my head fo much awry, and holds it fo, that my eye "cannot follow my pen. I therefore receive you into my prayers with "mine own weary foul, and commend myself to yours. I doubt not but "next week will bring you good news; for I have either mending or dying fide: But if I do continue longer thus, I fhall have comfort in this, That my bleffed Saviour, in exercising his juftice upon my two worldly parts, my fortune and my body, referves all his mercy for that "which moft needs it, my foul; which is, I doubt, too like a porter that "is very often near the gate, and yet goes not out.-Sir, I profefs to you truly, that my loathness to give over writing now, feems to myself a fign "that. I fhall write no more

on my

you

SEPT. 7.

"Your poor friend, and God's poor patient',

JOHN DONNE."
By

Donne, in one of his poems, ufes the expreffion of "The facred hunger of Science." This letter most affectingly exhibits a gloomy picture of family-diftrefs: A good man ftruggling with poverty and ficknefs, almoft finking under the preffure of accumulated mifery, but happily deriving confolation from this reflection, that while his body and his fortune only Suffered, the tender mercy of God was referved for his foul.-In another letter he thus de

fcribes

By this you have feen a part of the picture of his narrow fortune, and the perplexities of his generous mind; and thus it continued with him for about two years, all which time his family remained conftantly at Micham, and to which place he often retired himself, and deftined fome days to a conftant study of fome points of controverfy betwixt the English and Roman Church, and especially those of fupremacy and allegiance. And to that place, and fuch ftudies, he could willingly have wedded himself during his life; but the earnest perfuafion of friends, became at last to be so powerful, as to cause the removal of himself and family to London, where Sir Robert Drewry*, a gentleman of a very noble eftate, and a more liberal mind, affigned him and his wife an ufeful apartment in his own large house in Drewry-lane, and not only rent-free, but was alfo a cherisher of his ftudies, and fuch a friend as fympathifed with him and his in all their joy and forrows'.

At this time of Mr. Donne's and his wife's living in Sir Robert's houfe, the Lord Hay was, by King James, fent upon a glorious embaffy to the then French King Henry the Fourth; and Sir Robert put on a fudden refolution

fcribes his fad fituation;-" I write from the fire-fide in my parlour, and in the noise of three "gamefome children, and by the fide of her, whom because I have transplanted into a "wretched fortune, I must labour to difguife that from her by all fuch honeft devices, as "giving her my company and difcourfe." The mournful hiftory of this unfortunate marriage affords a most important leffon of inftruction to young perfons. In an affair of high confequence to their welfare in future life, the utmost caution, the most rigid circumfpection are neceffary. Connexions, formed without the express consent and approbation of parents and guardians, are fo far from being productive of domeftic blifs, that they are generally marked with disappointment, misfortune, and penitential forrow.

* Sir Robert Drury was the patron of Dr. Jofeph Hall, Bishop of Norwich, who dedicates to him his First, as he does to Lady Drury "The Second Century of Meditations and Vows, Divine and Moral."

I The death of a young lady, the daughter of Sir Robert Drury, afforded to Dr. Donne a fubject for the exercise of his muse, in two poems. "I. An Anatomie of the World, "wherein by occafion of the untimely death of Miftrefs Elizabeth Drury, the frailty and "decay of this whole world is represented. The First Anniversary.—II. Of the Progreffe "of the Soule. Wherein, by occafion of the religious death of Mistress Elizabeth Drury, "the incommodities of the foule in this life, and her exaltation in the next, are contemplated. "The Second Anniversary."