ponkapog papers-第16节

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ith　as　much　sceleritie　as　you　maye。〃　　He　also　indulges　in　the　natural　wish　that　his　college　bills　〃had　leaden　wings　and　tortice　feet。〃　　This　was　in　1617。　　The　young　man's　patrimony；　whatever　it　may　have　been；　had　dwindled；　and　he　con…　fesses　to　〃many　a　throe　and　pinches　of　the　purse。〃　　For　the　moment；　at　least；　his　prospects　were　not　flattering。　　　　　　Robert　Herrick's　means　of　livelihood；　when　in　1620　he　quitted　the　university　and　went　up　to　London；　are　conjectural。　　It　is　clear　that　he　was　not　without　some　resources；　since　he　did　not　starve　to　death　on　his　wits　before　he　discovered　a　patron　in　the　Earl　of　Pembroke。　　In　the　court　circle　Herrick　also　unearthed　humbler；　but　per…　haps　not　less　useful；　allies　in　the　persons　of　Edward　Norgate；　clerk　of　the　signet；　and　Master　John　Crofts；　cup…bearer　to　the　king。　　Through　the　two　New　Year　anthems；　honored　by　the　music　of　Henry　Lawes；　his　Majesty's　organist　at　Westminster；　it　is　more　than　possible　that　Herrick　was　brought　to　the　personal　notice　of　Charles　and　Henrietta　Maria。　　All　this　was　a　promise　of　success；　but　not　success　itself。　　It　has　been　thought　probable　that　Herrick　may　have　secured　some　minor　office　in　the　chapel　at　Whitehall。　　That　would　accord　with　his　sub…　sequent　appointment　（September；　1627；）　as　chaplain　to　the　Duke　of　Buckingham's　unfortu…　nate　expedition　of　the　Isle　of　Rhe。　　　　　　Precisely　when　Herrick　was　invested　with　holy　orders　is　not　ascertainable。　　If　one　may　draw　an　inference　from　his　poems；　the　life　he　led　meanwhile　was　not　such　as　his　〃most　care…　ful　uncle〃　would　have　warmly　approved。　　The　literary　clubs　and　coffee…houses　of　the　day　were　open　to　a　free…lance　like　young　Herrick；　some　of　whose　blithe　measures；　passing　in　manuscript　from　hand　to　hand；　had　brought　him　faintly　to　light　as　a　poet。　　The　Dog　and　the　Triple　Tun　were　not　places　devoted　to　worship；　unless　it　were　to　the　worship　of　〃rare　Ben　Jonson；〃　at　whose　feet　Herrick　now　sat；　with　the　other　blossoming　young　poets　of　the　season。　　He　was　a　faithful　disciple　to　the　end；　and　addressed　many　loving　lyrics　to　the　master；　of　which　not　the　least　graceful　is　His　Prayer　to　Ben　Jonson：

　　　　　When　I　a　verse　shall　make；　　　　　　Know　I　have　praid　thee　　　　　　For　old　religion's　sake；　　　　　　Saint　Ben；　to　aide　me。

　　　　　Make　the　way　smooth　for　me；　　　　　　When　I；　thy　Herrick；　　　　　　Honouring　thee；　on　my　knee　　　　　　Offer　my　lyric。

　　　　　Candles　I'll　give　to　thee；　　　　　　And　a　new　altar；　　　　　　And　thou；　Saint　Ben；　shalt　be　　　　　　Writ　in　my　Psalter。


　　　　　On　September　30；　1629；　Charles　I。；　at　the　recommending　of　the　Earl　of　Exeter；　presented　Herrick　with　the　vicarage　of　Dean　Prior；　near　Totnes；　in　Devonshire。　　Here　he　was　destined　to　pass　the　next　nineteen　years　of　his　life　among　surroundings　not　congenial。　　For　Herrick　to　be　a　mile　away　from　London　stone　was　for　Herrick　to　be　in　exile。　　Even　with　railway　and　tele…　graphic　interruptions　from　the　outside　world；　the　dullness　of　a　provincial　English　town　of　to…　day　is　something　formidable。　　The　dullness　of　a　sequestered　English　hamlet　in　the　early　part　of　the　seventeenth　century　must　have　been　appall…　ing。　　One　is　dimly　conscious　of　a　belated　throb　of　sympathy　for　Robert　Herrick。　　Yet；　however　discontented　or　unhappy　he　may　have　been　at　first　in　that　lonely　vicarage；　the　world　may　con…　gratulate　itself　on　the　circumstances　that　stranded　him　there；　far　from　the　distractions　of　the　town；　and　with　no　other　solace　than　his　Muse；　for　there　it　was　he　wrote　the　greater　number　of　the　poems　which　were　to　make　his　fame。　　It　is　to　this　acci…　dental　banishment　to　Devon　that　we　owe　the　cluster　of　exquisite　pieces　descriptive　of　obso…　lete　rural　manners　and　customsthe　Christ…　mas　masks；　the　Twelfth…night　mummeries；　the　morris…dances；　and　the　May…day　festivals。　　　　　　The　November　following　Herrick's　appoint…　ment　to　the　benefice　was　marked　by　the　death　of　his　mother；　who　left　him　no　heavier　legacy　than　〃a　ringe　of　twenty　shillings。〃　　Perhaps　this　was　an　understood　arrangement　between　them；　but　it　is　to　be　observed　that；　though　Her…　rick　was　a　spendthrift　in　epitaphs；　he　wasted　no　funeral　lines　on　Julian　Herrick。　　In　the　matter　of　verse　he　dealt　generously　with　his　family　down　to　the　latest　nephew。　　One　of　his　most　charming　and　touching　poems　is　entitled　To　His　Dying　Brother；　Master　William　Herrick；　a　posthumous　son。　　There　appear　to　have　been　two　brothers　named　William。　　The　younger；　who　died　early；　is　supposed　to　be　referred　to　here。　　　　　　The　story　of　Herrick's　existence　at　Dean　Prior　is　as　vague　and　bare　of　detail　as　the　rest　of　the　narrative。　　His　parochial　duties　must　have　been　irksome　to　him；　and　it　is　to　be　imagined　that　he　wore　his　cassock　lightly。　　As　a　preparation　for　ecclesiastical　life　he　forswore　sack　and　poetry；　but　presently　he　was　with　the　Muse　again；　and　his　farewell　to　sack　was　in　a　strictly　Pickwickian　sense。　　Herrick　had　probably　accepted　the　vicar…　ship　as　he　would　have　accepted　a　lieutenancy　in　a　troop　of　horsewith　an　eye　to　present　emol…　ument　and　future　promotion。　　The　promotion　never　came；　and　the　emolument　was　nearly　as　scant　as　that　of　Goldsmith's　parson；　who　con…　sidered　himself　〃passing　rich　with　forty　pounds　a　year〃a　height　of　optimism　beyond　the　reach　of　Herrick；　with　his　expensive　town　wants　and　habits。　　But　fifty　poundsthe　salary　of　his　beneficeand　possible　perquisites　in　the　way　of　marriage　and　burial　fees　would　enable　him　to　live　for　the　time　being。　　It　was　better　than　a　possible　nothing　a　year　in　London。　　　　　　Herrick's　religious　convictions　were　assuredly　not　deeper　than　those　of　the　average　layman。　Various　writers　have　taken　a　different　view　of　the　subject；　but　it　is　inconceivable　that　a　clergy…　man　with　a　fitting　sense　of　his　function　could　have　written　certain　of　the　poems　which　Her…　rick　afterward　gave　to　the　worldthose　aston…　ishing　epigrams　upon　his　rustic　enemies；　and　those　habitual　bridal　compliments　which；　among　his　personal　friends；　must　have　added　a　terror　to　matrimony。　　Had　he　written　only　in　that　vein；　the　posterity　which　he　so　often　invoked　with　pathetic　confidence　would　not　have　greatly　troubled　itself　about　him。　　　　　　It　cannot　positively　be　asserted　that　all　the　verses　in　question　relate　to　the　period　of　his　in…　cumbency；　for　none　of　his　verse　is　dated；　with　the　exception　of　the　Dialogue　betwixt　Horace　and　Lydia。　　The　date　of　some　of　the　composi…　tions　may　be　arrived　at　by　induction。　　The　re…　ligious　pieces　grouped　under　the　title　of　Noble　Numbers　distinctly　associate　themselves　with　Dean　Prior；　and　have　little　other　interest。　　Very　few　of　them　are　〃born　of　the　royal　blood。〃　They　lack　the　inspiration　and　magic　of　his　secu…　lar　poetry；　and　are　frequently　so　fantastical　and　grotesque　as　to　stir　a　suspicion　touching　the　ab…　solute　soundness　of　Herrick's　mind　at　all　times。　The　lines　in　which　the　Supreme　Being　is　as…　sured　that　he　may　read　Herrick's　poems　with…　out　taking　any　tincture　from　their　sinfulness　might　have　been　written　in　a　retreat　for　the　un…　balanced。　　〃For　unconscious　impiety；〃　remarks　Mr。　Edmund　Gosse；　　〃this　rivals　the　famous　passage　in　which　Robert　Montgomery　exhorted　God　to　'pause　and　think。'〃　Elsewhere；　in　an　apostrophe　to　〃Heaven；〃　Herrick　says：

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Let　mercy　be　　　　　　　　　　　So　kind　to　set　me　free；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　And　I　will　straight　　　　　　　　　　　Come　in；　or　force　the　gate。

In　any　event；　the　poet　did　not　purpose　to　be　left　out！　　　　　　Relative　to　the　inclusion　of　unworthy　pieces

　　　　　　In　Seventeenth…Century　Studies。　and　the　general　absence　of　arrangement　in　the　〃Hesperides；〃　Dr。　Grosart　advances　the　theory　that　the　printers　exercised　arbitrary　authority　on　these　points。　　Dr。　Grosart　assumes　that　Herrick　kept　the　epigrams　and　personal　tributes　in　manuscript　books　separate　from　the　rest　of　the　work；　which　would　have　made　a　too　slender　volume　by　itself；　and　on　the　plea　of　this　slender…　ness　was　induced　to　trust　the　two　collections　to　the　publisher；　〃whereupon　he　or　some　un…　skilled　subordinate　proceeded　to　intermix　these　additions　with　the　others。　　That　the　poet　him…　self　had　nothing　to　do　with　the　arrangement　or　disarrangement　lies　on　the　surface。〃　　This　is　an　amiable　supposition；　but　merely　a　supposition。　Herrick　personally　placed　the　〃copy〃　in　the　hands　of　John　Williams　and　Francis　Eglesfield；　and　if　he　were　over…persuaded　to　allow　them　to　print　unfit　verses；　and　to　observe　no　method　whatever　in　the　contents　of　the　book；　the　dis…　credit　is　none　the　less　his。　　It　is　charitable　to　believe　that　Herrick's　coarseness　was　not　the　coarseness　of　the　man；　but　of　the　time；　and　that　he　followed　the　fashion　malgre　lui。　　With　re…　gard　to　the　fairy　poems；　they　certainly　should　have　been　given　in　sequence；　but　if　there　are　careless　printers；　there　are　also　authors　who　are　careless　in　the　arrangement　of　their　manuscript；　a　kind　of　task；　moreover；　in　which　Herrick　was　wholly　unpractised；　and　might　easily　have　made　mistakes。　　The　〃Hesperides〃　was　his　sole　publication。　　　　　　Herrick　was　now　thirty…eight　years　of　age。　Of　his　personal　appearance　at　this　time　we　have　no　description。　　The　portrait　of　him　prefixed　to　the　original　edition　of　his　works　belongs　to　a　much　later　moment。　　Whether　or　not　the　bovine　features　in　Marshall's　engraving　are　a　libel　on　the　poet；　it　is　to　be　regretted　that　oblivion　has　not　laid　its　erasing　finger　on　tha